Since their defeat and retreat to Eagles Beak Pass, Giles has been regrouping and preparing for war there.
He kept writing letters to his various vassal territories, urging the lords to continue providing him with new soldiers, and also wrote to Veblen, who was located to the east of his territory, questioning why his army was so late in arriving.
What initially relieved him was that the Kingdom Army seemed to have stopped to regroup again, which meant that the attack he was facing might not be so urgent.
During this period, under the personal supervision of Grand Duke Greedy Wolf, Eagles Beak Pass was reinforced from top to bottom. A large number of civilians from the surrounding area were conscripted as laborers to continuously transport building materials such as stone and timber to Eagles Beak Pass. The original city walls were raised by three meters, and a large number of defensive facilities and weapon traps were built.
The Kingdom Army has finally arrived.
They set up camp not far from Eagles Beak Pass. To Giles' surprise, the Kingdom Army did not launch an immediate attack, but merely blocked the exit of the pass.
However, as the days went by, Giles's army grew increasingly suspicious.
A few days later, it suddenly started to rain. Giles felt that his opportunity had come. According to his intelligence, Alda's firearms did not perform well in rainy or humid environments.
Once the rain subsided, he ordered his troops to advance out of Eagles Beak Pass and prepare for a major battle with the Kingdom Army.
The Kingdom Army did not back down at all and immediately dispatched troops to meet the enemy.
Giles's prediction was correct; weather limitations did indeed affect the effectiveness of the Kingdom Army's firearms. However, the rigorously trained Kingdom Army did not rely entirely on firearms.
On the open ground in front of Eagles Beak Pass, the pikemen of the two armies stood in neat rows, facing each other like a steel forest. The few rays of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds and shone on the cold tips of their spears, gleaming with a blinding cold light.
As the war drums sounded, soldiers from both sides shouted in unison, their voices deafening. Two thickets of spears approached each other in the drizzle, then suddenly stopped, before thrusting forward at each other again.
The gun tips clashed, producing a piercing metallic clang.
The front-line soldiers gripped their spears tightly, thrusting fiercely, while the rear advanced relentlessly, creating a continuous offensive. Blood splattered, armor shattered, and fallen figures were quickly replaced by more soldiers. The air was thick with the stench of blood and dust, a cacophony of shouts and screams.
Giles dispatched his Undead Army, soldiers under the influence of drugs, their facial muscles contorted in a grotesque grimace, their eyes blazing with a bloodthirsty red light, their expressions terrifying. They fought while shouting and taunting the Royal Army with all sorts of filthy and vile language. soldiers.
The Kingdom's soldiers, with unwavering gazes and steady steps, remained calm and composed despite the insults hurled at them. Not one deserted or advanced recklessly, nor did anyone retreat or avoid battle. They simply followed orders from their superiors, moving forward or backward.
Every step taken by both sides' soldiers is a matter of life and death; the battlefield is like a meat grinder, mercilessly devouring lives.
After a long and fierce battle, Giles found that his army had not gained any advantage and had no choice but to order a hasty retreat back to the pass.
The Kingdom Army, having already begun its flanking maneuver, did not pursue Giles relentlessly, fearing that they might force him to leave too early.
"Damn it!"
Giles slammed his helmet to the ground. He was back at the Eagles Beak Pass command post, raging.
" What did Rodney XVIII feed his soldiers?"
He suspected that the Kingdom's soldiers might also be taking some strange substance, just like his Undead Army.
"Our losses are significant, and we urgently need replacements. Hasn't the new batch of soldiers arrived yet?"
Giles, with bloodshot eyes and a very bad temper, asked his right-hand men Wendell and Samar.
The two subordinates exchanged glances, both noticing the other's caution.
These two people have gone through a very complicated psychological process in the past few days.
They were initially very confident in their own army, so when Earl Zek fled back in defeat, both of them looked down on him.
However, after they personally fought alongside their lord against the Kingdom Army in several battles, their initial arrogance vanished, and they began to realize just how dire the reality they faced was.
The Kingdom's soldiers are several times stronger than they were in the last war.
Seeing his lord's gaze fixed on him, Samar shuddered and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Uh... Nelson, who is in charge of recruitment, has already gone to Waming Town to receive them. Judging by the time, he should be back by now. Perhaps we should send someone to urge him again."
Wendell frowned. " Nelson is a heavy drinker. Could he have gotten himself completely drunk at the town pub again?"
Giles lashed out at the whip still in his hand. "Send someone to Waming Town to check. If he really got drunk and caused trouble, skin him alive and let his skin dry in the center of town!"
The Grand Duke's furious roar shook the entire room.
Grand Duke Giles ' orders to Nelson could never be carried out; he had become a prisoner of the Kingdom Army.
Waming Town is nestled in a valley south of Eagles Beak Pass. It is a vital passageway from Eagles Beak Pass to further south, and its location on the main road makes it a bustling place for merchants and travelers during the off-season.
However, due to the recent war, many young men in the town have been conscripted by Giles to perform forced labor. The remaining people dare not go out unless necessary, for fear of being conscripted if they wander the streets. The town has become desolate and bleak.
One morning, residents who went out to gather firewood encountered an unusual situation—a large group of people came down from the nearby mountains.
Armed with weapons and dressed in uniform, they were clearly an army. Although they were travel-worn and their clothes were dirty, each of them seemed to be full of energy. Heads held high and chests out, they marched in orderly and powerful steps, slowly entering the town in a long line.
This is the Royal Infantry Second Regiment, which had wound its way through the mountains to reach the back of Eagles Beak Pass. They overcame numerous difficulties and obstacles, finally emerging from the folds of the devil's belly, and arrived at the planned destination on time, heading in the right direction.
When they looked out over Waming Town from the hilltop, everyone in the Second Regiment cheered spontaneously. After the initial excitement subsided, Regiment Commander Ed Chambers calmly dispatched scouts to quietly approach the town. Once he confirmed that there were no Giles troops stationed there, he ordered the soldiers to straighten their uniforms, form a disciplined formation, and enter the town with an imposing presence.
For the kingdom to maintain a firm grip on the southern border, the first impression the army makes on the locals is crucial.