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"The cannons have a range, too. As long as we get our ships ashore and build a pontoon bridge downstream, we'll be fine."

The "Nine-Headed Ice Dragon Cannon" has a range of one kilometer, which "Scarlet Scorpion" was unaware of. However, apart from the "Starfall" cannon at the Star Shattering Abyss, no magical cannon had a range exceeding five kilometers, and that came at the cost of a slow rate of fire. Therefore, "Scarlet Scorpion" built a pontoon bridge six or seven kilometers downstream to force their way across the Red River.

The first to cross the Red River were the vanguard forces of "Scarlet Scorpion." The original vanguard had been wiped out, so these were newly organized units. Upon landing, they spread out to secure the area and provide cover for the subsequent forces. The second group to cross was the commander, Naomie, with her secret weapon—two hundred beast tamers and their beasts: two hundred level-six Fiery Blood Red Scorpions. Naomie herself was a beast tamer, a rare profession that involved controlling beasts in battle. She personally controlled a level-seven Fiery Blood Queen Scorpion, naturally capable of leading the level-six Fiery Blood Red Scorpions. She had also managed to obtain a clutch of scorpion eggs, allowing her to train a team of Red Scorpion beast tamers. However, the funding for raising these beasts came from a joint venture by the four nations upstream.

"Commander, the men have checked. There are no orc troops nearby."

"Good. Tell those behind to follow up. We're heading to the fortress immediately and can't wait for those minotaurs to return."

Upon receiving the order, the subsequent mercenaries did not cross in groups but gathered together to pass quickly. Since the scouts ahead had confirmed there were no ambushes on the other side, there was no need to worry.

However, the absence of an ambush on the shore did not mean there was none in the river.

As hundreds crowded onto the pontoon bridge, a ten-meter-high wall of water suddenly surged up from the river upstream, roaring towards the bridge and mercilessly engulfing the panicked mercenaries, tearing the makeshift bridge into pieces.

Two massive white beasts slowly emerged from the churning waters, each over ten meters tall and as sturdy as mountains, with three-meter-long claws on their forelimbs. These were the two Beamon that had consumed the Hydra's crystal cores and evolved into level-nine beasts, originally named Bing Bing and Bang Bang. After gaining intelligence, I responsibly renamed them Snowsea and Iceocean. They had just performed the inherited skill from the Hydra, "Dark Tide of the Dead Sea." Though using level-nine magic to power a level-ten skill reduced its effectiveness, it still possessed immense power.

After unleashing the tide, the Beamon brothers immediately landed on the north bank, blocking the retreat of "Scarlet Scorpion's" commander. Facing the mercenaries was Catherine's pet, the level-nine peak Golden-Eyed Dragon Lion, along with the two other level-nine beasts, forming a pincer movement around the hundreds of mercenaries. With such a significant power disparity, the two hundred level-six Fiery Blood Red Scorpions dared not resist. The level-seven Fiery Blood Queen Scorpion attempted to act but was instantly charred by the Dragon Lion's flames.

The three thousand local troops and several hundred mercenaries on the south bank did not escape either. They faced a thousand Wolf Riders and five thousand Half-Orc warriors. If it had been regular troops or the main forces of the two major mercenary corps, they might have taken action despite being at a disadvantage. However, these inexperienced and demoralized troops could only flee in panic from the Wolf Riders' charges and the Half-Orcs' attacks, eventually surrendering en masse.

Thus, the Duchy of Langton now had two heirs in my custody.

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On the surface, during the first phase of the war between Fontainebleau and the Duchy of Langton, we completely controlled the enemy's actions, advancing step by step to achieve a decisive victory. In reality, what truly won us this battle was our thorough war preparations. The sudden acceleration of the mercenary corps was unexpected. Without the attack from the "Nine-Headed Ice Dragon Cannon," there would have been a battle under the city walls that day. "Scarlet Scorpion's" abandonment of "Iron Cross" was also unexpected, but the two Ice Mountain Beamon were already lurking in the nearby river, and the Golden-Eyed Dragon Lion was on standby in the sky. If they hadn't left, they would have been eliminated on the battlefield.

When the enemy split into two groups, the Snowwolf Guard, who had been monitoring the battlefield from afar on the opposite bank, moved ahead of the enemy to set up an ambush in Fontainebleau. The three level-nine beasts followed the enemy, and I calmly directed the two Ice Mountain Beamon via the bloodline connection with Iceflame to cut off the crossing enemies, resolving the threat in one battle. The appearance of the Holy Sword Knights was also unexpected, but fortunately, Catherine commanded the Magic Armor Knights to hold the line, otherwise, the battle against "Iron Cross" would have been much harder.

In summary, because our forces outnumbered the enemy, despite some oversights, we still achieved victory.

Indeed, this was why Catherine chose to defeat the enemy piecemeal. Our forces had almost no experience fighting human regular armies. Although Catherine had participated in battles on the Western Front, the situation here was quite different, and there were no mercenary corps involved. Directly confronting all the enemies would have led to various unforeseen circumstances, so it was necessary to weaken the enemy's numerical advantage and leave enough forces for contingencies. Now, the situation is much better. The captured high-ranking enemy officials seemed intent on dragging their competitors down with them, providing extensive intelligence about Basten's regular army. While it needs verification, it is believed to be accurate, helping us achieve greater victories.

The commander of "Iron Cross," Tie Bato, and the second heir of the Duchy of Langton, Xilin, were deliberately spared. Their trump cards—the Fortress Shield and Dragon Lance—were equipped to the Half-Orc forces. Unlike them, the commander of "Scarlet Scorpion," Naomie, and her beasts were all killed by the three level-nine beasts, as I lacked anyone skilled in controlling beasts. Keeping them alive would have been too risky. However, the shells of the "Fiery Blood Red Scorpions" were as hard as steel but only one-tenth the weight, making excellent armor material. Despite the brutal handling by the three level-nine beasts, enough materials were salvaged to craft a hundred sets of heavy armor.

Although the Xilin Mercenary Corps had been completely annihilated, some escaped thief scouts managed to relay the news back. When Basten heard this news while rushing through his march, he was utterly shocked.