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And now it is June and July, with the autumn harvest not far off, so there is no need for large reserves. As for the lush crops in the fields, they are full of moisture and cannot be easily burned. Although there were suggestions to confiscate all the food from the civilians to cripple the orc supply lines, it was never implemented. Firstly, there was no time, and secondly, given the different races, no one was sure that the orcs would aid the humans. If a large number of civilians were to starve to death, the orcs wouldn't care about human accusations. However, a human commander who implemented such a tactic would definitely be hanged.

The Yunsi River is the largest river in the Holy Os Kingdom, with many cities along its banks. This area is not only the most developed agricultural region but also the economic center of the kingdom and must not be lost. Moreover, the capital of the Holy Os Kingdom is located about fifty kilometers south of the Yunsi River, so this battle can be considered a fight with their backs against the wall. The kingdom has concentrated all its frontline troops and half of the capital's forces, and has also conducted large-scale conscription. Even the troops sent to the west to fight the main force of the orcs in the War God Corridor have been largely redeployed. Over a million troops have been continuously sent to the Yunsi River defense line, making it a strong and formidable force. This human kingdom has no intention of defending passively but is preparing to fight a decisive battle with our orc army and launch a counteroffensive. It is said that the human commander, Duke Saransia, boldly proclaimed, "The Yunsi River is not just a defense line; it will be the starting point for our kingdom to reclaim its territory, annex the Red River countries, and even invade the orc homeland!"

Facing the massive military mobilization of the Holy Os Kingdom, I am not under much pressure. Reinforcements from the orcs are also continuously arriving. By the time the human army is ready, we will still be able to gather 300,000 troops. As for actual combat, I am not afraid of defeat, not only because I still have many trump cards to play, but also because of the orcs' field combat capability and Katherine's command. The only issue is how to minimize casualties.

Moreover, my initial strategic goal was simply to hold up part of the human alliance forces and prevent the Holy Os Kingdom from fully committing to the war against the main orc force. Now, not only have I accomplished this task, but I have also occupied the kingdom's territory, almost completely removing it from the human coalition. The Radiant Temple even has to allocate personnel to support this important religious nation, which is a brilliant result. Even if I were to return to Fontainebleau now, the humans might not dare to send their gathered forces back to the western front and would have to remain vigilant against my attacks.

However, I do not intend to stop here. A decisive battle is scheduled for next month, and my hope is to cripple, intimidate, and subdue the humans along the Yunsi River within this month. Then I can dispatch a small number of elite troops to participate in the decisive battle of the Golden Great Plains. This epic battle holds immeasurable significance from any angle, so there is no reason for me to give up.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: A Million Troops Block the Great River

Although it only took us orcs three days to break through "Qingfulu City," known as the "Northeast Pillar" of the Holy Os Kingdom, and almost completely annihilate the 200,000 defenders, humans always seem to be blinded by their own perceived strength. After seeing the gathering of a million troops, they have all but dispelled their fear of the orcs and instead hold great confidence in defeating us. Especially since the orcs have rarely invaded human countries in the past four hundred years, humans have rarely engaged in large-scale field battles with orcs. Influenced by military theorists, they believe that the rapidly expanding human population and advanced technology are enough to make human combat power far superior to that of the orcs. The fall of Qingfulu City is entirely blamed on the appearance of two superior beasts and an "Emperor Martial," and no one considers it a defect in overall human combat capability.

However, they forget that in the battle of Qingfulu City, the human-to-orc loss ratio was 20 to 1, and this was with the sacrifice of a large number of half-orcs and subordinate races. In reality, the losses of the elite yak and wolf clan fighters can be almost ignored. Even without Katherine's intervention and the assault of the two ice giants, our orc losses would not have increased significantly. After all, no matter how powerful human war machines and magic cannons are, they cannot compare to the legions of hundreds of thousands of mages during the peak of the elven empire, with overwhelming magical attacks. The orc army, which held its own in such wars, is far from being defeated by current human technology. If it weren't for the powerful forbidden spells of the Twelve Sages, humans would never have been able to defeat the orc army. Moreover, today's humans are not the elite who fought the elves and orcs for hundreds of years. Their strength, experience, unity, and fighting spirit are far inferior. The only way for humans to truly defeat the orcs today is through sacrifice—only by sacrificing countless lives can they achieve that bloody victory.

The human commander on the Yunsi River defense line, Duke Saransia, known as the "Duke of Blood," appears rough and warlike but is actually very cunning and calculating. He is the most senior marshal of the Holy Os Kingdom, with a glorious military career. He has participated in many southern campaigns against the Iron Empire and eastern expeditions against the Iron Empire, earning numerous merits. As for the internal wars between the four major religious nations and battles with neighboring smaller countries, they are too many to count. It is said that this nearly seventy-year-old duke has accumulated a box of decorations commemorating his victories. Currently, what he desires most is to add another bloody chapter to his life's tapestry, this time involving the orcs.

After learning about this "Duke of Blood" from human defectors, both Katherine and I agreed that he is a big problem. Although we are not afraid of losing to him, it will be extremely difficult to defeat this cunning marshal within the planned month. However, if we leave him alone, we will lose the opportunity to participate in the decisive battle of the Golden Great Plains, and the stakes involved require careful consideration.

Taran City, the orc-held fortress closest to the Yunsi River, is now serving as the main base for the orc forces, confronting the continuously gathering human army. At this moment, sitting in the city and contemplating the war, I am troubled by the situation.

"My lord, after thinking for hours, have you come up with an ingenious plan to easily defeat the humans?" As I was staring at the map in a daze, Katherine walked up from behind, bringing me a drink, something like tea called "Purple Dragon Robe," and asked with a light laugh.