MM Racing Chapter 85 The Battle of the Three Deltas
Chapter 85 The Battle of the Three Deltas
Before the bad news from Perfume Bay and Stridal could fully spread, another devastating blow was about to fall on the ambitious Reissians.
The Lis forces, which were highly regarded by the Lis City Government and the First Governor and were mainly composed of mercenaries and slave soldiers, were ordered to carry out "Operation Heading to the Sea" and were currently clearing out the entire lower reaches of the Disputed River. They were now heading towards the port city of New Valantis and the Taxpayer Island on the Disputed River.
Their mission was simple: not to launch an attack on the two fortified cities, but to block their land supply lines and provide a secure land base for Ries's naval spice fleet.
According to the Lisians' plan, their navy would blockade the entire Controversial River Delta region, and then deploy a large number of soldiers to the delta region to besiege the city with superior forces and force the enemy to give up resistance.
Once these two cities are captured, all the riverside and coastal cities of the entire Controversial River Delta will be under Ries's control!
Moreover, both cities are extremely wealthy and prosperous: Taxpayer Island has the most nobles and wealthy merchants, while New Valantis Port is a magnificent trading city whose throughput is comparable to that of Rhys.
At this moment, they were full of pride. The victories of the past few days and the easy capture of strongholds and cities had made them completely forget themselves. They walked in twos and threes on the main road. From the air, their ranks were divided into several small parts, and the whole formation snaked along the main road in a long line.
At this moment, they were completely unaware that they had already become prey in the eyes of others.
"Damn it, what is General Marcus thinking?" On a high point, a nobleman's driver put down his binoculars and got out of the car.
As he alighted from the chariot, a guard beside him immediately knelt down, using his own body as a cushion and a stepping stone for his master.
"Look, this is how they march—so disorganized, so easily defeated! I bet after three... no, two charges, their army will completely collapse!" the noble charioteer complained.
"Why did we let such a weak army get away with this in the early stages? We even gave up so many fortresses and cities!"
"Mohatta, this is because General Marcus does not want to face an entire coalition of the Three Daughters Kingdom at the same time." The noble rider who was asked also had his slaves unload the weapons from the horse and were putting on armor and sharpening their blades.
"Most importantly, Lisbon has the least potential for land warfare among the three countries. Their citizen army can only defend Lisbon Island, but for foreign wars? Ha!" The rider laughed, full of sarcasm and disdain, pointing at the undisciplined mercenaries.
"We can only fill the gaps with these unreliable, dishonorable mercenaries and hastily recruited vagrants! We, the great and ancient Valantis, only believe in citizens and nobles who have fought their way through blood and fire!"
"So, General Marcus is thinking of having us annihilate them all, forcing Reese to withdraw from the battlefield?" Mohata asked.
"Yes, absolutely right." The rider put on his wrist armor and had the guard put on his breastplate. "That's what you're thinking, sir, and..." The rider smiled slyly.
"Moreover, after Rees withdraws from the war, regardless of whether they have truly lost the motivation to continue fighting, Tyrothy and Myr will force them to continue the war. If they still have the strength, they will resent the pressure from other city-states; if they lack the strength and energy, then, without us even lifting a finger, they will start fighting amongst themselves!"
"Tell the entire army to move out the moment they enter the ambush point! I'll make sure the Reiss never dare to fight us again! They've taken quite a few of our fortresses these past few days, haven't they? I'll make them spit out every last bit they've swallowed!"
During the Lis' march:
Suddenly, from deep within the reeds of the Milky Way, a strange rumble, unlike the flowing river, resounded—it was the muffled thunder of rolling chariot wheels!
Banners representing the ancient noble families of Valantis fluttered behind the reeds.
Immediately afterwards, the roar turned into thunder! Light chariots, decorated with family crests and pulled by two or even four steeds, charged out from multiple directions like war beasts from ancient times!
The charioteer skillfully maneuvered the reins, while the warriors beside him hurled deadly javelins or drew their powerful composite bows, unleashing a hail of arrows and javelins.
Following closely behind the chariots were the noble riders of Valantis, of high birth and well-equipped. Their armor may not have been as heavy as that of the Death Order's super-heavy cavalry, but they were far more agile.
Their superb horsemanship and innate arrogance made them like a pack of leopards hunting, precisely and ruthlessly cutting into the already loose and disorganized ranks of the Ries.
Fighting alongside these nobles were their respective families' private slave warrior legions.
These slave warriors received the most rigorous military training from childhood, possessing superb combat skills and unwavering obedience to their masters. Their fighting prowess and discipline were comparable to that of ordinary city-state standing armies. They formed a solid infantry line, which, in conjunction with the charges of chariots and cavalry, firmly pinned the Reiss down like an anvil.
Without a doubt, this was a meticulously planned ambush, a strategy of waiting in ambush.
The Reiss army was immediately stunned. The impact of the chariots was particularly terrifying on the flat delta plain, instantly tearing the already chaotic formation to shreds. The conscripted slave soldiers, whose morale was already low, collapsed instantly under such a terrible attack, crying out and scattering in all directions. However, they were easily caught and cut down by the pursuing noble cavalry, or lassoed.
What awaited them were the mines and plantations of Valantis.
While the hired mercenaries may have good individual martial arts skills, without unified command and fighting independently, they are simply no match for this organized, multi-force coordinated and fierce assault.
They would often barely form a small defensive circle before being broken up by the chariots, the sharp blades on the axles whipping through the crowd with each turn of the wheels; once their formation was breached, the mercenaries would be met with muskets and scimitars from noble cavalry flanking them. Ultimately, they would be surrounded and annihilated one by one by the numerically superior and well-coordinated legions of slave warriors.
The battle was almost entirely a one-sided massacre. Blood stained the murky river, corpses blocked the narrow waterway, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and the raw, trampled scent of reeds.
A Mohata, who had just completed a brilliant charge with his chariot, pulled on the reins, causing the chariot to spin in place. He flicked the blood off his javelin, looked at the chaotic battlefield and the Ries soldiers fleeing like lambs to the slaughter, and curled his lip in disdain, complaining to a family knight on horseback beside him:
"Father and General Marcus are making a mountain out of a molehill. Giving us these opponents? Really... a bunch of rabble who can't even put up a decent fight." His young face was filled with lingering dissatisfaction and a sense of being looked down upon.
"Besides, the [Uncrowned Prince] Legion should have come with us! They've been on good terms with our families for generations; they're true allies! Dealing with these scum is a waste of our time and energy. Why not send the Fourth Legion's [Iron Totem]? This lowly work is best left to the engineers; it'll show them that Valantius's martial spirit comes from real, bloody warfare, not from their shovels and pickaxes!"