Chapter 90
The Grim Reaper’s commander’s face changed when he saw that the orcs didn’t attack but run around without an aim. He understood that half of the duel was lost!
Xiao Yu wasn’t following the conventional battleplay in this duel. He restrained the advantage of the Grim Reapers in a single move. Grim Reapers were strong but they couldn’t display their strength!
Grim Reapers used very heavy armors. An ordinary adult would find it difficult to walk if he wore this armor. Even the specially trained warriors could act freely while wearing such heavy armor let alone to run to catch up with orcs!
The advantage of the heavy infantry was to use the phalanx formation to charge forward step by step. This method was suitable when two armies fought. This way, a heavy infantry phalanx could defeat troops ten times their size.
However, they had forgotten that they weren’t in battlefield!
They thought that there would be head on attacks since it was a duel! The purpose of such attacks would be disintegrate the formation of the enemy. That was the reason they had light cavalry and light infantry on both sides to protect themselves.
Nevertheless, no one would have thought that Xiao Yu would simply avoid a head-on battle and walk away from this fight. The role of the Grim Reapers was lost with this simple move!
In fact, French’s used famous Maginot Defense line in the Second World War. The defense was so strong that it couldn’t be broken through. The Germans couldn’t penetrate it no matter how they tried.
But Guderian’s theory and Manstein’s Blitzkrieg plan was used in this case to counterattack them. They wouldn’t directly fight but go around to hit from other places.
Xiao Yu had known about this famous case and today was going to use it!
In the original war, the french were too focused on defense as they stayed in war trenches. They didn’t think that germans would use such rapid attacks on different sides to make mess. As a result, the germans won within a month even though the other side was stronger than them.
Out of box thinking would always affect the outcome of the battle.
This era was the time of cold weapons. The war tactics were focused by thinking about the aspects of those weapons. Xiao Yu knew that the tactics and strategies from the hot weapons era was way ahead for several hundred years in comparison to this era’s theories and strategies.
Perhaps, today many would think that Maginot defense line was a foolish plan. However, we live hundred years after the battle occurred and we have the c.u.mulative knowledge of those hundred years. But in that era the change of thought was a very difficult thing.
Maybe there would be some people who will think to use this method in this era. However, creating the situation in the battlefield wouldn’t be so easy.
Guderian’s study was out of box for his time. Moreover, you had to have right weapons, appropriate terrain and be present at right time to achieve success. Xiao Yu knew that the arena was such a place and was very suitable for the blitzkrieg!
In fact, this method wouldn’t work in the real battlefield. Because in the battlefield, all 500 orcs had to face Grim Reapers head on. Moreover, there would be huge numbers of light infantry and cavalry units charging from behind the Grim Reapers. The Grim Reapers were strikers! Their mission was to break through the formation of the enemy. After the collapse of the enemy’s formation the cavalry would go in to finish the enemy units.
In the real battlefield, cavalry units wouldn’t let the forces of enemy to act in such a manner. This method could only be used while only the heavy infantry were present!
The enemy had 200 light cavalry and light infantry. But what could they do 500 orcs? It was needless to say what would happen if light infantry went into battle with orcs. Xiao Yu could stay away from Grim Reapers while he slowly killed all of the light cavalry and light infantry.
“Genius! He is a military genius!” There were many who condemned and ridiculed Xiao Yu’s escape but there were n.o.bles and aristocrats who understood the military tactics.
On surface it seemed that Xiao Yu was like a child who played around but in reality it was a strategy that not every commander could conduct or come up with.
Most of those aristocrats thought of Xiao Yu’s father, Xiao Zhan Tian! The invincible Grand Marshal of the Dynasty!
“A tiger would never have a dog as a son!” Most of those people thought so.
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Commander of the Grim Reapers was stunned for a long while. He ordered the Grim Reapers to stop and temporarily to stay still. In truth, he didn’t have an attack plan. At first, he planned to use hundred light cavalry and hundred light infantry to entangle orcs and use the Grim Reaper troops to slowly kill them.
But the arena was too big! The orcs could run away as long as they wanted to act so! If he used to rashly attack them with light cavalry and light infantry then his forces would be wiped out!
Xiao Yu ordered the orcs to stop when he saw the Grim Reapers stop moving.
“Stand still! … Get into proper rows! Look at this garbage! I’m losing face because of you all!” Xiao Yu thought of his PE teacher as he reprimanded the orcs.
Xiao Yu nodded in satisfaction after the orcs got into neat rows: “Awesome."
Afterwards, he narrowed his eyes and turned towards the Grim Reaper troops: “Soldiers of the Grim Reaper troops! Suddenly, I want to write a poem. I can’t help but want to express myself in this way so listen to me well! This poem goes like this, autumn… Oh no! It’s summer now… Summer… The leaves fall in the autumn. Who would remember those petals and leaves from this year’s autumund in the next year? Soldiers of the Grim Reaper troops! Who will remember you the next year if you die today? I say, cherish your lives and obediently surrender! Surrender to the greatest king, yours truly Xiao Yu, so that you lives wouldn’t wither like those leaves and petals!"
Xiao Yu plagiarized the content from Goebbels’ poem to demoralize the Grim Reaper troops.
Some of the clever soldiers from the Grim Reaper troops also understood that the situation wasn’t good. They knew that it was impossible for them to catch up with orcs while wearing the heavy armor.
If they dared to catch up with the enemy then they would get exhausted and killed in one attack!
“Do you think that you can break through our formation? If you think you have the ability then go on and attack us! We may not be able to beat you now but you won’t be able to do anything to us too!" The commander wasn’t a fool. He was planning to stay still instead of chasing and wait for the enemy’s attack!
The audience was let down when they saw that the commander of the Grim Reapers wasn’t planning to attack too! They hoped Xiao Yu to take the initiative to attack but the probability was too small! Xiao Yu had chosen to avoid the battle since start of the duel! Why would he rush to attack now?
It would end in a stalemate if both parties don’t attack! This way the duel would end in a draw! Many people were thinking that the battle would end so. Although there was never a draw in the colosseum but it was a situation which n.o.body could even dream of. Maybe, Grand Duke Simm would let the duel end in a draw?
Xiao Yu shouted: “Do you think I dare not to attack you? I was just giving you chance to save you skin! Don’t blame me since it was your choice!"
Xiao Yu choose 100 strong orcs and left the others. The tall orc from the previous battle wanted to partic.i.p.ate in the attack. His name was Caesar. He was temporarily leader of this orc group since their tribe leader was killed. But Xiao Yu told him that as a leader he must prioritize the survival of his people. Caesar nodded as he pondered about the issue.
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100 orcs were holding large logs. In addition to them Grom, Tyrande and baby dragon were there too. Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes as he looked at 100 orcs he had just selected: "Drink agility potions! Don’t drink strength potions!" The orcs began to drink from the bottle of agility potions.
Xiao Yu nodded in satisfaction. He pulled out his tang sword and waved it: "ORCS! Follow me!"
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This chapter was co-produced by Tyler Fulton