Claude could only smile bitterly after learning about the current state of the battle from Messenger.
It was obvious that the Shiksan generalissimo had seen through his plan, so the Shiksan troops on the eastern front would retreat and give up on the mountain areas they occupied.
The three Shiksan folk at the northern border would be called back as reinforcements and would probably be defending their camps.
Claude was now faced with two choices. The first was to carry out his original plan and join forces with Eiblont to attack the three Shiksan folk at the northern border.
The second was to split his forces and send a line of soldiers to escort the 20,000 Shiksan captives while he led three lines to the east to attack the Shiksan folk who were retreating from the eastern mountains.
The first choice was safer. At the very least, he wouldn't have to give up on the spoils of war.
The second option was much riskier. Who knew if the Shiksan folk at the northern border would take the initiative to rescue the captives? It would be difficult for a single line to escort the captives to Eiblont's location.
Moreover, even if Claude led three lines to attack the eastern Shiksan folk, there was a high chance that they wouldn't be able to seal the enemy in the mountains.
Since the Shiksan generalissimo had seen through his plan, he should have made preparations for it. Claude suspected that he wouldn't be able to do much even if he brought his troops to the eastern front.
Eiblont only had one folk at the northern border, so it would be difficult for him to suppress the three Shiksan folk there.
If he brought his troops to the eastern front, the Shiksan folk might be able to divert some of their troops to cause trouble behind him. That would be a bigger threat to Claude, who would be cut off from his supplies.
Another unfavorable factor was that Moriad's 2nd Line and Dyavid's 3rd Line, which consisted of more than nine thousand soldiers, ended up missing their targets and suffering in the wilderness for five days.
While their morale had risen considerably after two days of rest, Claude doubted whether they would be able to take it if he brought them to the eastern front.
Forget it, a bird in the hand is better than a bird in the bush. Claude gave up on the idea of going to the eastern front and decided to follow his original plan to attack the three Shiksan folk at the northern border.
As long as he could wipe out the three Shiksan folk along with the main supply base, he would be able to wipe out two standing corps and deal a heavy blow to the aggressive Shiksan folk.
After making up his mind, Claude sent a harrier hawk to Eiblont and requested him to lead an attack on the Shiksan camp to tie them down.
At the same time, the dozen or so nikancha camps stationed at strategic points along the northern coast could be brought over to boost their morale and convince the Shiksans that a full-scale counterattack had begun.
However, three days later, when Claude went around the Shiksan camp and met up with Eiblont, he found out that the battle wasn't progressing as planned.
Eiblont led Thundercrash's 2nd Folk and 16 nikancha tribes to break through the Shiksans' first defensive line, but the Shiksans used their superior numbers to engage in melee combat and managed to drive them out of the first defensive line.
"Our attacking forces suffered quite a lot of casualties," Eiblont said bitterly.
General Eiblont said bitterly, "The 2nd Division invested four regiments in rotating attacks, but only three regiments, including the wounded, returned.
Seven of the 16 nikancha camps were lost and they're no longer willing to attack with us.
Also, we've used up a lot of our grenades. Our current reserves won't be able to support another large-scale attack. "
The failure of the attack wasn't Eiblont's fault. He had ordered his troops to launch a night attack and cover the Shiksans' first line of defence with grenades, catching the Shiksans off guard and allowing them to take over the first line of defence with minimal casualties.
Both his command and tactics were commendable and irreproachable.
However, Eiblont had underestimated the Shiksan veterans' resilience and desire for revenge, as well as the geographical advantage the Shiksans had over the first line of defence.
When they attacked the first line of defence from the outside, they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. But after taking over the first line of defence, they realised that the enemy's second line of defence was three metres taller than the first line of defence. It restricted the first line of defence from the first line of defence and also allowed them to cover the entire area of the first line of defence with their cannons.
Generally, there were two types of camps: permanent and temporary. Permanent camps, as the name suggested, referred to a place where internal troops would be stationed for a long period of time. Temporary camps were basically camps where troops were stationed for a short period of time during a march or during a war.
Permanent camps needed to be set up with fortifications such as walls and trenches, as well as watchtowers and sentry posts. Temporary camps, on the other hand, were not so particular. Basically, it was just a simple trench or a fence made of wood …
Permanent camps and temporary camps were similar in that they had a defensive perimeter around the perimeter while tents were set up inside for the troops to stay in. They were also separated into different areas to separate the troops.
The defensive-type barracks were actually a type of permanent barracks. The only difference was that their area was several times larger than most permanent barracks. This was a combination of defensive positions and barracks to guard strategic locations, and they would assign troops to be responsible for the defense of various areas.
From the outside, the three Shiksan folk's camps looked no different from regular camps apart from being large in size. The outer perimeter was made of wooden walls and mud. Behind the walls, there was an earthen barricade. Sentry posts and guard towers were placed a hundred metres apart and there were three trenches dug out from the wooden walls.
According to the scouts from above, the Shiksans had built a defensive wall made of earth and wood two to three hundred metres away from the first wall. There were also five trenches dug between the first wall and the second one.
After Claude led 1st Folk out, Eiblont started a sweeping attack on the Shiksans' outposts. He also used Line 1303, which was equipped with the new rifles, to successfully intercept and ambush the Shiksans.
The Shiksans were forced to retreat to the camp and didn't dare to send any troops out or approach the northern border.
However, ever since the Shiksans sent out reinforcements and recalled them in a hurry, they had been holed up in the camp. They didn't even seem interested in dealing with Eiblont's attacks.
No matter how Thundercrash taunted them, they wouldn't attack, as if they were prepared to defend the camp to the death.
Eiblont then received Claude's eagle message to attack the Shiksan camp from the front to draw their attention. When Claude and 1st Folk arrived from behind, they would be able to launch a pincer attack and win the battle in one fell swoop.
So, Eiblont laid out a meticulous attack plan and launched a night raid the next day after receiving the message to take down the Shiksans' first defensive line in one fell swoop.
However, after taking over the first defensive line, Eiblont realised he had poked a hornet's nest.
When he launched a harassing attack on the Shiksans' first defensive line, the Shiksans were like turtles who didn't bother to respond and didn't even seem to care.
But the moment the first defensive line fell, the Shiksans seemed to have woken up from a dream and started a relentless counterattack.
That was especially true when Thundercrash 2nd Folk entered the trenches behind the first defensive line and noticed a huge problem.
There was a foot and a half difference between the first and second trenches. In other words, it wouldn't be a problem for them to fire from the first trench.
However, they wouldn't be able to reach the second trench. They would have to stand on tiptoe or use a wooden stool as a cushion.
From the outside, the five trenches between the first and second defensive line didn't seem like much of a problem. Even if they noticed the slight incline, they didn't think much of it.
In the end, the nikancha and soldiers who entered the five trenches suffered greatly because of that.
They couldn't hit the enemy, but the enemy could easily aim and shoot from a high vantage point across the trench.
For the well-trained soldiers of Thundercrash, this wasn't much of a problem. Using their experience, they quickly launched a counterattack and pacified the nikancha who had followed them into the trenches. They firmly occupied the first and second trenches, and at the same time, launched a counterattack against the third trench.
However, the reason the Shiksans set up the five trenches between the first and second defensive line was to turn the 300-metre area into the main battlefield. That was the only place where they could use their advantage in numbers to take the initiative.
The Shiksans set up most of their catapult-like throwers behind the second defensive line to cover the fourth and fifth trenches. They even divided the area into sections where the throwers would be responsible for each section of the trench.
Thundercrash and nikancha who didn't know about that suffered greatly when they entered the last two trenches. Close to a thousand of them were killed or injured by the Shiksans' throwers.
Eiblont personally went to the frontlines to command the attack, only to be bombarded by the Shiksans' defensive cannons and almost lost his life.
Fortunately, the guard captain beside him was alerted and grabbed him to jump into the trench nearby, preventing one of the five powerhouses from dying on the battlefield.
However, Eiblont's adjutant and two guards weren't so lucky. They were killed on the spot by more than ten fist-sized pellets.
Thanks to his own experience, Eiblont understood that the Shiksans were monitoring the area between the first and second walls for any signs of activity.
When Eiblont decided to personally participate in the battle, he became the center of attention of all Shiksan observers when he appeared at the first defensive wall in his distinctive uniform. Fortunately, the first defensive wall was about 300 metres away from the second defensive wall and wasn't within the range of the Shiksans' iron pumpkins. Otherwise, Eiblont would've received an even bigger welcome from the sky.
However, the Shiksans still mobilized more than ten light infantry cannons to focus fire on Eiblont. Fortunately, Eiblont managed to escape with his life.
Only when he personally went to the battlefield did he realise that the frontlines were in dire straits. Thundercrash simply couldn't occupy the fourth and fifth trenches.
In terms of weaponry, Thundercrash had the advantage of the Rabash Mark 3 matchlocks and Sonia Type 591 rifles. After overcoming the height difference between the trenches, they posed a fatal threat to the Shiksan veterans in the second trench.
However, the Shiksans didn't want to exchange fire with Thundercrash and gave up on the fourth and fifth trenches. Most of them retreated behind the second defensive wall and didn't show their heads at all, rendering Thundercrash's accurate shots useless.
With the fourth and fifth trenches covered by the Shiksans' iron pumpkins, Thundercrash would have to occupy the fifth trench if they wanted to attack the second defensive wall.
Only by occupying the fifth trench would they be able to destroy the Shiksan throwers behind the second defensive wall and eliminate their threat to the fourth and fifth trenches.
The Shiksans understood that well and allowed Thundercrash to occupy the fourth trench. With the observers watching from high above, they would be able to send a signal to throw iron pumpkins whenever there were more Thundercrash or nikancha soldiers in the trench. That way, the attackers in the fourth trench would have no choice but to disperse.
When Eiblont noticed that, he decided to play a dirty trick and send the nikancha up in hopes of using them to whittle down more of the Shiksans' iron pumpkins.
But soon, the Shiksans understood that they no longer paid attention to the nikancha. Instead, more than five of Thundercrash's soldiers would definitely attract the bombardment of the iron pumpkins.
Eiblont wanted the nikancha soldiers to change into Thundercrash's uniforms, but the nikancha soldiers weren't idiots. They didn't believe General Eiblont's bullshit that changing into uniforms would show off the might of their attackers and shock the enemy, so they refused to change into uniforms.
That was only the fourth trench. The Shiksans had stationed light infantry field cannons in the fifth trench to seal off the entrance from the fourth to the fifth trench.
If there were fewer people, they could let them in. If there were more, they could use several cannons to seal off the entrance and bombard the surrounding assembly points with iron pumpkins. That way, Thundercrash's soldiers wouldn't be able to get close to the fifth trench.
Eiblont wanted Thundercrash's soldiers to charge into the fifth trench on their own and meet up with the grenades they brought with them to destroy the throwers behind the second defensive wall.
But they soon realised that it wasn't going to work.
The Shiksans left a small number of veterans in the fifth trench to stand guard. Thundercrash's soldiers charging in one after another would be like sending food to the veterans.
Eiblont couldn't help but praise the Shiksan veterans' fighting spirit. He believed that they were very tenacious and didn't fear death. They fought fiercely and fiercely.
They fought fiercely, not only to the enemy, but also to themselves.
During the final melee, Eiblont saw the veterans charge into Thundercrash's defensive line with lit iron pumpkins, hoping to perish together with the enemy. That caused the nikancha on the left flank to collapse, allowing the Shiksans to take over.
It didn't mean that Thundercrash gaining the initiative on the battlefield just because they took the first three trenches. The Shiksans had been passively defending all this while.
In fact, Thundercrash 2nd Folk only occupied a small part of the front of the camp. While they continued to attack the second defensive wall, they also had to guard against the Shiksans' counterattacks from the left and right flanks.
General Eiblont commanded Thundercrash's 2nd Division to occupy the first line of defense for three days. During these three days, they were constantly engaged in battle.
The first two days, they were still able to suppress the Shiksans' counterattacks with grenades and new rifles. But on the third day, the Shiksans gathered a large number of troops and attacked from the left and right flanks to divert Thundercrash's attention. Then, they suddenly launched a wave attack from the front.
The Shiksan veterans attacked from high ground. Not only did they advance along the connecting trenches, they even placed wooden planks on top of the trenches and charged from the flat ground before jumping into the first three trenches to engage the nikancha and Thundercrash in melee combat.
At first, Thundercrash was able to withstand the enemy's attacks, but as the casualties mounted and the Shiksans increased, the three lines at the front started to falter.
When a few Shiksan veterans charged into the crowd with lit iron pumpkins and exploded them, the nikancha collapsed and the position was lost.
Eiblont said that he couldn't understand why the Shiksans would be so desperate to retake their position, even at the cost of their own lives.
Now that he saw Claude, he understood that the Shiksans knew that Claude's troops were nearing their camp.
To avoid a pincer attack, they had to retake their front line and deal a heavy blow to Eiblont's troops. Only then could they turn around and deal with Claude's troops.
"How many casualties?"
Claude didn't think the battle would end up like that, nor did he think that the enemy would set up such a targeted defensive line as the main battlefield.
"The total number of casualties is around ten thousand, about a third of 2nd Folk's forces. Around six thousand of them died in battle. That's why I said I lost a line."
Eiblont was a little depressed. It was the biggest loss Thundercrash had suffered since its founding. Not to mention, they had lost such a huge number of positions. 2nd Folk's morale was quite low.
"The nikancha also suffered over ten thousand casualties, seven thousand of which died in battle. That's mainly because they didn't bring back the wounded they left behind when they fled. They were all executed by the Shiksans in the end," Eiblont said with a shake of his head.
"Now, they're blaming me for leading them to their deaths on purpose. They also believe that attacking the enemy's camp is Thundercrash's responsibility and that they shouldn't be involved in the attack since they're in charge of defending the mountainous areas."
"That's why the nikancha are refusing to work with us and are unwilling to continue attacking."