novel bin Chapter 246: The Shift to Strategic Defense
Chapter 246: The Shift to Strategic Defense
The steel torrent receded into the distance, leaving behind billowing dust that lingered for a long time, much like the disarrayed mood of the expeditionary soldiers.
That modern armored force, propelled by human power, completely overturned the worldview of all the Great Xia people present.
The area around the camp remained deathly silent until the trail of wheel tracks and footprints disappeared below the horizon.
Lin Mo saw the orc off and looked around.
The camp, which had been somewhat crowded due to the nearly one thousand orcs, now appeared rather empty.
Some soldiers leaned against the fortifications, their eyes glazed over, clearly still reeling from the shock they had just experienced.
Grom, as part of the employment contract, remained loyal and protected Lin Mo.
His tall figure was like a silent mountain, but his eyes, gazing into the distance, were filled with worry and longing for his people.
Lin Mo looked up at the sky.
High in the sky, a black dot, almost invisible to the naked eye, is hovering.
That was Wokong, a seventh-tier winged being who had recovered some of his strength. He was dutifully fulfilling the terms of the contract and protecting the safety of the expeditionary force.
On a distant hillside, Kyle of the Holy Human race and Elder Muyu of the Elf race stood side by side, both gazing in the direction the orcs had left, whispering amongst themselves.
They must have been quite shocked by that fierce scene.
"Commander Lin, let's go." Zhao Gang's voice pulled Lin Mo back to reality.
"Let's have a quick meeting to discuss the next steps."
……
Inside the command tent.
A huge map was spread out on the table, and Lin Mo, Zhao Gang, and Long Zhan sat around it.
"The first step is to regroup the troops," Zhao Gang said quickly, pointing to two points on the map.
"We have left a force of nearly a thousand men outside the city of Emerald Leaf."
"A large number of wounded soldiers, the remains of fallen soldiers, and some damaged equipment are there, and a convoy must be sent to pick them up as soon as possible."
"And in Firefly Valley, the troops stationed there will also need to start dismantling all the equipment that can be taken with them and transferring it all over here."
"Only when they arrive will the basic structure of our new base truly be established."
These were all internal affairs and logistics, and Zhao Gang arranged them in an orderly manner.
Long Zhan waited until he finished speaking before speaking in his usual calm tone:
"I'd like to add something."
He held up his finger and drew a circle on the map, encircling the coastal area where they were currently located.
"We now occupy less than one-fifth of the entire fiefdom, along a narrow strip of coastline."
"The orcs took away four hundred main battle vehicles and ammunition, which is almost a quarter of our mobile armored forces."
"More importantly, we lost a thousand elite ground guards, including a seventh-tier expert."
Long Zhan looked at Lin Mo.
"I recommend suspending all proactive occupation plans until the permanent portal is completed and follow-up troops and heavy equipment arrive."
"Ammunition should also be used sparingly."
"Our top priority is to hold our current positions and build up defensive fortifications to prevent a joint counterattack from the demons in the sea and the demons on the mainland."
Zhao Gang's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he nodded.
He understood that Long Zhan's judgment was based on military considerations and allowed no room for wishful thinking.
It's always better to be safe than sorry; it's never a bad thing to be cautious.
After hearing this, Lin Mo felt an even heavier sense of emptiness due to the departure of the orcs.
Long Zhan is right.
Without the orcs and their defensive equipment, the expeditionary force was like a tiger with some of its claws removed.
Although still powerful, we must be more cautious in the face of vast and unknown dangers.
"I agree with General Long's plan," Lin Mo decided.
"The entire army has entered a strategic defensive phase."
"Arrange for some troops to take turns resting, some to perform perimeter security, and the rest to be fully committed to base construction!"
After the meeting, the entire camp sped up again.
The force of over 20,000 people, displaying a spirit of not fearing hardship or fatigue, began to rebuild a stronghold for humanity on this alien coast.
Night falls.
After dinner, Lin Mo returned to his tent, but he couldn't fall asleep.
Outside the tent, the sounds of construction were deafening, with soldiers' shouts and vehicle engines rising and falling.
He was actually a little unaccustomed to having nothing to do for a while.
"I really am a nuclear-powered ox or horse."
He recalled the problem of not needing to sleep because his mental strength was too great, and said with a touch of self-deprecation.
So he simply took out the magic book Kyle had given him and opened it.
After the initial painful period of trying to decipher a foreign language, he can now finally calm down and start to understand it bit by bit.
Fortunately, the speed at which one becomes stronger is visible to the naked eye, much like having an experience bar.
He has now mastered basic magic and can control the amount and power of his magic output.
Unlike at the beginning, when it was unleashed at full power, like an absurdly bright sun...
……
The next morning.
After Lin Mo finished washing up and eating, he had just arrived at the command tent to check on the current progress when a communications soldier, who was intently watching the screen, stood up, looking tense.
"Reporting, sir! Satellite surveillance has detected an anomaly!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Mo and Long Zhan, who had been sitting there for a while, immediately turned around to look.
The communications soldier pointed to the large screen displaying the image, which showed a vast plain, the border between the Misty Forest and the Endless Plain.
"Here, a group of high-speed moving targets has appeared; their identities are unknown."
On the screen, hundreds of blurry black dots are moving rapidly, stirring up clouds of dust.
"Send the 'Eagle Eye' reconnaissance drone over there and lower its altitude!" Long Zhan decisively ordered.
Lin Mo looked at the screen carefully, then frowned and said:
"They don't seem like demons at all?"
The satellite imagery, taken from high altitude, wasn't very accurate, making it difficult for him to discern the details.
Dragon Battle Path:
"It could also be lesser demons and packs of demon hounds from the demon race, or of course, people from various races of Terra."
"Let's wait for the reconnaissance report."
Lin Mo nodded.
High in the sky, the reconnaissance drones circling and on guard began to adjust their direction and sped toward the target area.
Soon, a clear image was transmitted back.
The demons that appeared on the screen were not the ones everyone had expected.
Instead, they were a group of dwarves riding...goats?
Those goats were large and strong, with their hooves flying, their huge, curved horns making them look very fierce, and they were incredibly fast.
The dwarves riding on the backs of sheep were clad in heavy armor, their beards whipping wildly in the wind, making them appear exceptionally brave.
A sudden inspiration struck Lin Mo.
"Quickly, go and fetch Thorin the dwarf!"
A moment later, Thorin Steelbeard, yawning and looking like he was hungover, was ushered into the tent.
Yesterday he saw the orcs happily returning with their equipment, while his own people had not yet arrived, which made him somewhat worried.
He was worried that something might have happened to his clansmen, so he drank too much due to his depressed mood and reeked of alcohol.
"What is it, Lord Lin Mo? Last night I dreamt that I was besieged by demons, and I was about to personally smash the demon leader to death with my hammer..."
His complaints grew quieter as he saw the images on the screen.