The First Vampire

Chapter 593: 591 Crushing (On)_1

Above the Sky Ice Plain, a Troll Army had already set off from Wind Roar Fortress, steadily moving south.

Okamoto, exuding a regal air in his ornate armor and cloaked in black, rode atop a majestic white wolf with his head held high and chest puffed out, looking quite heroic.

The young but crafty and audacious Troll Emperor still held a fairly high prestige in the hearts of his soldiers.

Moreover, Okamoto appeared confident and reassured, which greatly inspired the Troll warriors, giving them more faith in the upcoming expedition to the North Territory.

But in reality, Okamoto was not as self-assured as he appeared.

He was well aware that although the army he led looked formidable, it was indeed the last reserve of the Troll Empire, cobbled together from everywhere possible, leaving its combat capabilities questionable.

Also, after the Empire’s previous several defeats, its domestic economy was on the verge of collapse. Hence, the current expedition was being forced to commence even without guaranteed logistics.

The quartermaster once secretly admitted to Okamoto that the rations prepared for this expedition were insufficient to sustain the army until they reach the North Territory. Therefore, from the very beginning, careful management was obligatory, even including an appropriate “reduction in manpower” to slow down the consumption of resources…

So along their journey, the Troll Army had indeed left many “tails” behind.

All the soldiers who couldn’t keep up with the main force were ruthlessly abandoned.

As for the adverse impact this would have on the morale of the army, Okamoto didn’t want to think about it.

The current expedition was a do-or-die military gamble for the Troll Empire, undertaken at any cost, absolutely necessary.

Besides, Okamoto was unsure about the current status at the Holy Mountain.

Had the assassination attempt on Colin Angler by Prince Otto, the Holy Warrior, and White Wolf Witch King Squein, where they staked their lives, been successful?

What was the remaining combat power of the Blood Knight Army?

However, Okamoto was still fairly confident about the meticulously planned assassination.

As long as Colin died and the Blood Knight Army suffered significant damage, the threat posed by the North Territory to the Troll Empire would significantly diminish.

Furthermore, considering that the primary military strength of the North Territory had been deployed to the Westland to counteract the Orc invasion, if the trolls could successfully move south at this time, they would be unstoppable!

After some self-consolation, Okamoto’s spine straightened even more.

“Your majesty, according to the latest count, 125 soldiers fell behind yesterday…”

Prince Abbas whispered the report at Okamoto’s side.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Okamoto nodded without expression, indicating that he understood.

Now that the main force was outside Wind Roar Fortress, also far from the Troll’s residential area, those soldiers who had fallen behind would surely die of hunger or cold, even if they could still breathe.

Indeed, the severity of this march served as a process of natural selection. By eliminating soldiers who failed to keep up with the troop, the army could achieve a “policy of reducing redundancy”, although it was far from being the best.

Yet, it was unknown how many out of the hundred thousand soldiers would be left by the time they reached the North Territory…

Prince Abbas was somewhat frustrated seeing Okamoto not paying attention himself, his ambitious spirit somewhat shaken.

Actually, after the death of Modo the Second at the hands of Colin, the person with the best chance of succeeding as the Emperor of the Troll Empire should have been Prince Abbas.

Unexpectedly, the White Wolf Witch King unexpectedly supported Okamoto, and that’s how Prince Abbas lost his chance at the throne.

Claiming that Prince Abbas held no grudge would be impossible.

However, he clearly knew that the Troll Empire couldn’t bear any internal strife at this point, which is why he wouldn’t do anything reckless.

Of course, a thorn still remained in Prince Abbas’ heart. Seeing Okamoto’s cold attitude now, he felt somewhat dispirited, so he volunteered to go and check out the situation at the front line.

Okamoto certainly wouldn’t object; he had always been wary of Prince Abbas, just that he was compelled to conceal this fear due to the pressure from the North Territory.

It’s fair to say that the rarely seen unity within the Troll Empire was entirely a result of the colossal pressure posed by the North Territory.

When Prince Abbas arrived on his white wolf at the front army, he saw the front army commander Ubam said with a stern face:

“Your Highness, the scouts haven’t sent back any messages in half a day, I’m afraid something might be wrong.”

Prince Abbas frowned and said, “Didn’t you send out another batch of scouts for reconnaissance?”

With a bitter look on his face, Ubam answered helplessly, “Your Highness, I am already out of scouts…”

Prince Abbas realized the situation.

Scouts can arguably be called one of the elite forces in an army, a role that one cannot take on without sufficient experience and ability.

Considering the current plight of the Troll Empire, they simply couldn’t provide experienced and strong wolf cavalry to serve as scouts. Therefore, even if Ubam wanted to send people to investigate again, there was no one available.

After mulling for a moment, Prince Abbas decided to act cautiously and said:

“Rein in the vanguard, slow down the pace, we’ll wait for the main force at the back.”

“Yes!”

Ubam breathed a sigh of relief and quickly issued the military order.

The marching speed of the vanguard suddenly slowed down and began to converge toward the central army.

Soon, the central army noticed unusual movement in the vanguard, and Okamoto sent an envoy to ask what was happening.

Just as Prince Abbas was explaining to the envoy, Ubam shouted in shock:

“Your Highness, Your Highness! Cavalry, a large number of cavalry appearing from our south!”

Prince Abbas hurriedly looked in the direction Ubam was pointing to, and saw a thin black line suddenly appearing on the horizon to the south of their legion.

In the blink of an eye, the thin line quickly expanded and turned into a surging black tide, rushing rapidly towards them.

Feeling the earth tremble beneath them, Prince Abbas’ heart sank.

“Blood Cavalry! It’s the Blood Cavalry!”

Numerous soldiers around him were already crying out in terror.

That’s right, such a formidable presence could only belong to the cavalry that struck fear into the minds of all trolls!

Why?

Why has the Blood Cavalry appeared here?

Could it be that the assassination operation of Prince Otto, the Holy Warrior, and the White Wolf Witch King has failed?

This question haunted the minds of the troll warriors, leaving them unsettled and without a plan.

“Form ranks! Prepare for battle!”

Only when Prince Abbas let out a sharp scream did the trolls snap back to reality, frantically arranging formations in preparation for battle.

But in fact, they were not ready at all to deal with the Blood Cavalry.

The best formation for infantry to deal with cavalry is firm shields and long spears.

But soldiers with sophisticated equipment and training had already been lost in the previous crushing defeats; even an ordinary regular army from the North Territory could easily breach the defenses of this troll army, let alone the Blood Cavalry.

But they no longer have a choice at this point.

The outcome of fleeing would be even more disastrous. Now, the trolls could only make a desperate fight.

Prince Abbas stared fixedly at the rushing cavalry, roared, and said:

“Warriors, the eyes of the God of War are upon you!

Charge——”