Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

Robson circled in the sky, getting a clear look at the surrounding enemies.

By the time he returned to Julian City, the humans, under Bo Yang’s command, had already surrounded it.

After making another pass overhead on his dragon, Robson landed amidst a wave of cheers, approaching the assembled generals.

With the battle won, the noble lords were all enthusiastically discussing the recent fight.

They had been holding back for so long, and this time, they had finally fought to their hearts’ content.

"Sir, what should we do next?"

Baron Boyang asked upon seeing Robson’s arrival.

"Just now, I surveyed the entire area."

"The enemy has not yet abandoned the city and fled. I suspect they’re waiting for Beastmen reinforcements," Robson said.

"Beastmen reinforcements? The ones that split off earlier?" Bo Yang asked, confused.

Robson nodded.

"I’m not sure of the exact composition yet, but there is indeed a Beastmen force to the north—about three thousand strong. Roughly two thousand Centaurs and a thousand from the Bear Race. From the looks of it, they’re likely the Mountain Rock Bear Race," Robson said.

"The Mountain Rock Bear Race?" Baron Boyang sounded quite puzzled.

It wasn’t Baron Boyang’s fault for not knowing; the Mountain Rock Bear Race hadn’t appeared on a battlefield for a very long time. If not for Robson’s own extensive knowledge, he likely wouldn’t have recognized them either.

"The Mountain Rock Bear Race!"

While Robson and Bo Yang had no reaction, Valentino, who was standing to the side, cried out in alarm.

Robson turned back, looking at Valentino with confusion. He had rarely seen her react so strongly to an enemy.

Valentino’s brow furrowed.

"It was a long time ago. I’ve only read about them in my clan’s journals."

"Back then, they weren’t called the Mountain Rock Bear Race. They were the Mountain Rock Giant Bears, rumored to have descended from the elves."

"Back when the Fengman Clan had not yet been cursed, we were already mortal enemies. Their Heavy Infantry are incredibly tough."

"This race is naturally sensitive to the elements of earth and wood. They are born with innate talent, especially for their Druid Magic, which must be handled with care," Valentino said.

Hearing Valentino give them such a high appraisal, Robson couldn’t help but frown as well.

’If they’re really as formidable as Valentino says, then a direct confrontation might be out of the question.’

’It’s not that we can’t win a direct confrontation. The key is that this battle is just the beginning of our counter-offensive. If we want to secure greater gains later on, we have to minimize our losses now.’

"Our Magic Crystal Cannons should have all arrived by now, right?" Robson asked.

Robson was very experienced in dealing with Heavy Infantry.

Back on the Western Front, he had frequently encountered Gray Dwarves’ Heavy Armor Warriors. The best way to deal with them was with Magic Crystal Cannons.

Heavy Cavalry could also work, but if the battle devolved into a stalemate, the losses would be especially severe. Those units are extremely valuable; they can’t be treated as consumables.

"They’ve mostly arrived. There are still a few heavy-model Magic Crystal Cannons bringing up the rear," Bo Yang said.

Robson originally had a few Magic Crystal Cannons, and later brought in several more from the Royal Capital, for a total of fifteen.

Among them were three heavy cannons specifically for breaking city walls, with the remainder being less powerful light cannons.

"You stay here and continue managing the siege."

"The Fengman Clan’s Mage Corps and Knight Order, along with Affleck’s Mage Corps and first regiment, will come with me."

Robson did a quick calculation and decided that would be enough.

"Follow the red dragon in the sky. Hurry and get into position," Robson said.

...

"Report!"

"Report! Milord, it’s bad!"

Hall and Moer were leading their army in a swift return to provide reinforcements. Halfway there, a blood-soaked Centaur rushed toward them.

Hall’s heart sank at the sight of him.

"What is it? Why the panic?"

Although Hall felt uneasy himself, he couldn’t let it show on his face.

"Milord, this is terrible! The goblins outside the city have begun to rout, and the humans are about to completely surround Julian City."

The Centaur messenger had broken through numerous obstacles to deliver the news. Seeing his own people, he burst into tears.

"What!"

"Why haven’t we seen any routed goblins?" Hall asked, puzzled.

"The Chieftain noticed something was wrong early on. I was the first to break out and deliver the message. By the time I got out, Julian City was already surrounded."

"Damnit! What terrible luck!"

"Those humans! They could have come at any time, but they had to show up now! Damnit all!"

Hearing this, Chief Moer at his side couldn’t hold back and began to curse loudly.

He had received a call for help from his tribe and was already burning with anxiety. And now the humans had charged in.

And then, they didn’t even win!

"Those good-for-nothings! I told you these goblins couldn’t handle anything..."

’When did you ever say that?’

Hall had no energy to retort to Chief Moer’s claim. He knew he had to make a decision immediately.

’Should I go back to help or not?’

"I see no point in defending that city anymore. Can’t that Liete just break out himself? Or has he been scared witless?"

"How about this: we head back north first and solve the problem with the magical beasts."

"Aren’t you a Centaur? I remember the Centaur Clan is in its golden age within the Empire. You go to your Royal Court and call for reinforcements. Perfect! Once we’ve dealt with the magical beasts, we can turn back and take care of these humans!" Chief Moer urged.

Hall frowned in thought.

He knew in his heart that Chief Moer’s proposal was actually the most logical one for the current situation.

His three thousand men were elites, but Hall admitted to himself that he couldn’t defeat sixty thousand goblins.

Of course, Chief Moer’s suggestion to go back and deal with the magical beasts later should just be taken as a joke.

Right now, the only leverage Hall had over this group of the Mountain Rock Bear Race was the impending beast tide. If that problem was truly solved, Chief Moer would disappear in a flash, and Hall would be left with nothing but regrets.

"As for the Royal Court, I will send someone to speak with them."

"As for the beast tide, we’ll naturally have to wait until the situation here is resolved before we discuss it."

"If we stay here, we can also provide mutual support for my father and his men, which will keep the humans from daring to launch an all-out attack," Hall said.

"Then what about my tribesmen?" Chief Moer asked.

"There are always more solutions than problems. Have them hold their position for now. We will naturally send troops to help them once the war is over."

Chief Moer’s face turned ashen with anger.

’How is that any different from saying "let the common folk suffer"?’

’Should I withdraw my troops and go back first?’

’That won’t work either.’

It wasn’t that they couldn’t defeat the magical beasts in the mountains; the main problem was that most of those beasts were agile, and the Mountain Rock Bear Race simply couldn’t catch them.

This problem had plagued them for decades. Now that they finally had a chance and had invited allies, how could they give up so easily?

"Hmph! If that’s how it is, then I expect you to keep your promise."

Since things had come to this, there was nothing more for Chief Moer to say.