In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 116 Guarding Sherag, Theresis's Assassination Plan Against Chen Qi
"Second salvo! Reload!"

At the foot of Mount Kjerag, under the orders of the Leitanian artillery corps, the artillerymen were methodically loading Originium shells into their howitzers.

Soon, another set of shells was loaded.

"put!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Another round of shelling followed, its power so great it could rip the ground apart, obliterate boulders, and shatter all the buildings in the town at the foot of the mountain.

It's as if this cannon could turn all beauty into ruins.

However, judging from the density of this round of shelling...

It seems that Letania did not commit all its artillery to bombarding Sherag?

This isn't like the fighting style of the Leitanian army. Is there some reason why they can't focus all their efforts on dealing with Sherag?

"Twelfth Battalion! Charge!"

After another round of shelling, hundreds of Leitanian infantrymen, led by a baron, launched a new assault.

They swiftly advanced through the bombed-out, rubble-strewn town at the foot of the mountain, launching another attack on the only passage to Kjerag!

[But can this snow track, which has already withstood hundreds of rounds of shelling and whose snowflakes have been blasted black, be easily conquered?]

The Leitanian soldiers quickly received their answer.

"Fire arrows!"

As the soldiers ventured deeper into the snow-covered path, a sharp shout in the Sherag dialect rang out, and rows of archers clad in snow-white cloaks suddenly burst forth from the cliffs on either side of the narrow path.

Ignoring their bodies stiffened from the cold, they immediately drew their bows and nocked arrows, their bloodshot eyes fixed on the invading enemy below!

The attacking Letanians clearly anticipated all of this!

"Defense spell!"

"Whoosh whoosh!"

A dense rain of arrows fell swiftly! But the Lytanian soldiers reacted quickly, gathering around the sorcerer in their ranks.

With the combined spells of hundreds of warlocks, a protective shield formed by magic had already shielded all the soldiers nearby.

Even the arrows shot by the strong Sheragans bounced off the protective shield as if they were hitting a thick wall.

Occasionally, some skilled archers would manage to pierce the protective shield with powerful bows, but the arrows would become stuck inside, preventing them from killing the sorcerers and infantry within.

However, the narrow ski slopes, coupled with the slow pace of some soldiers, resulted in dozens of Leitanian soldiers falling victim to the hail of arrows.

Overall, however, the arrow rain was not very effective against the Letanian soldiers.

The people of Sherag, who had already withstood dozens of attacks, had anticipated this.

"Load the heavy crossbow!"

Weiss, in command of the archers, gave another order. The long hours of command had left the handsome young man pale and his voice hoarse.

But he remained fearless and tireless, working alongside his comrades to defend Shelag to the death!

At his command, several heavy crossbows, covered in white cloth, were pushed forward by strongmen and aimed at the huddled Leitanian soldiers who were still defending themselves against the rain of arrows and slowly advancing.

But will they just sit idly by and wait to die?

"Spread out! Counterattack!"

Faced with the heavy crossbows being launched, the well-trained Leitanian soldiers, under their commander's orders, quickly dispersed once again.

A group of soldiers began a frantic assault up the mountain, risking their lives to draw enemy fire.

Some soldiers used their bodies as shields to protect the sorcerers in their ranks from the rain of arrows.

As for the sorcerers, on whom high hopes were placed, they naturally immediately gathered powerful spells and fired them at the heavy crossbows on the cliff!

Finally, just as a heavy crossbow was being loaded, a sorcerer managed to conjure Originium Arts first!

"boom!"

"Whoosh!"

In an instant, magical fluctuations and crossbow bolts shot out almost simultaneously! They clashed and hurtled towards each other's battle formations!

With a loud explosion, the warlock's spell struck the heavy crossbow, severely damaging it with a single blow and killing several nearby Sheragans.

At the same time, the heavy crossbow bolts accurately pierced the bodies of the warlock and several Letanian soldiers, sending them all to hell.

But none of those present had time to grieve for what had happened.

The remaining Letanian soldiers, supported by the sorcerers' magic, began a desperate, relentless advance.

Even with only archers and heavy crossbowmen, Weiss was still unable to stop the soldiers' charge.

He didn't even have time to deal with the soldiers who hadn't been eliminated.

[Because the next battalion of soldiers from Letania has already launched another assault!]

Having already endured dozens of attacks, Weiss fully understood his duty—to wear down as many enemy troops as possible as possible on the hill.

Therefore, he ignored the Leitanian soldiers who had broken through the lines and concentrated his remaining firepower on the advancing Leitanian legions.

He firmly believed that the remaining warriors of Shelag would not allow any enemy to invade the town of Shelag.

"Enemy detected!"

Halfway up the mountain, Actos, who was in charge of the defense of this area, immediately relayed the orders.

"Symptom crossbows! Fire them!"

"Let these scum die here!"

Three small siege ballistae almost completely blocked the narrow snow path. Facing the attacking Letanian soldiers, the operators of the ballistae launched an attack without hesitation!

However, what this ballista fired was not crossbow bolts, but a much wider and sharper blade, sharp enough to slice a person in half at the waist, even while wearing armor!

"Whoosh!"

[Propelled by the powerful force, the three blades flew forward at lightning speed, slicing many Letanian soldiers who didn't have time to crawl away in time at the waist!]

In an instant, blood once again stained the snow track, and the agonizing screams of hundreds of Leitanian soldiers echoed clearly through the air.

However, even faced with such a horrifying scene, the remaining Letanian soldiers did not waver in the slightest!

They continued their roaring, fearlessly launching a frenzied attack on the ballistae halfway up the mountain, attempting to destroy that wretched thing before it could be fully loaded!

[But what greeted them was a continuous stream of Perrochi warriors, wielding battle axes, pouring out from behind the ballistae!]

"Hand Axe Squad, Charge!"

At Actos's furious roar, the dozens of warriors at the forefront, wielding hand axes, swiftly hurled their axes at the enemy ahead!

Although the tomahawk's accuracy is not high and its range is short, its destructive power is so great that it can almost kill the enemy with one hit!

Therefore, any Leitanian soldier who dared to approach within a hundred paces faced hand axes flying towards their faces like small cannonballs!

These soldiers were highly trained and coordinated; after one rank swung their hand axes, they would quickly bend down, allowing the next rank to immediately take over, maintaining a tight barrage of blows.

[And as the last rank of soldiers threw their hand axes, the first rank of soldiers drew new ones and continued throwing!]

After several rounds of attacks with hand axes, each person had thrown six axes, and hundreds of hand axes had been used up.

But the fearless and valiant Letanian soldiers still relentlessly attacked them!

"Raise your battle axes! Charge!"

Faced with this situation, with no way to avoid it, Actos took the lead, leading his family's warriors in a close-quarters battle against the remaining Letanians!

But how long could Aktos and his men, no matter how brave and fearless, hold out against the ever-advancing Leitanian soldiers?

"boom!"

[Just then, dozens of fully armed figures, wielding heavy shields, suddenly leaped down from the nearby cliff!]

And the one leading the charge was none other than Horn Peak!

[The heavy shield bearers leaped from the high cliff, using their equipment and bodies to cleave the narrow snow path in two, blocking the remaining Letanian soldiers trying to climb it!] "Want to set foot on Shelag? You're a hundred years too early!"

The continuous battles had filled even the gentle and kind-hearted Horn Peak with a murderous aura and ruthlessness.

"As long as we are here! Neither soldiers nor floods are allowed to advance another step!"

"kill!"

[Amidst the roar of the horn, the heavy shield bearers, back to back, intercepted all soldiers attempting a counterattack or attack.]

Meanwhile, the warriors of Actos and the Perrochi family engaged in close combat with the hundred or so Leitanian warriors who had been separated from their original group!

On one side are fanatical followers of the emperor, firmly believing that their emperor will be invincible!

On the other side are those who defend their homeland; the lights of countless homes behind them make them never retreat!

Each of them has their own irrefutable reasons.

Each of them has their own beliefs, which make them fearless in the face of death!

[There were Leitanian soldiers who, even after being struck in the head by a battle axe, stubbornly fought back with sheer willpower!]

[Even more warriors from Sherag, despite being fatally wounded by the Leitanian soldiers, still used their last breath to pick up their battle axes and perish together with their enemies!]

On the other side, facing a pincer attack from both sides by the horns and heavy shield soldiers, the fighting had already turned brutal, with heads rolling everywhere.

The bodies of Leitanian soldiers attempting to storm the enemy lines slid down the slope, but this did not stop the advance of the other soldiers.

Gradually, even the heavily armored soldiers began to suffer losses under this pincer attack.

[And with each soldier sacrificed, more heavily armed soldiers would leap down from the high cliffs, quickly filling the gaps in the defensive line and ensuring no weakness appeared.]

However, as time went on, Actos and his men, due to their inferior equipment and numbers, finally began to show signs of weakness.

Just as the heavy shield bearers on the horn were beginning to succumb to the pincer attack,...

A bugle call, clear and distinct, echoing from the mountains—a clear signal of the charge—and a military flag flying high rekindled their hope!

[And it was this trumpet sound that caused a moment of horror and fear to creep over the previously bloodthirsty and frenzied Letanian soldiers!]

[The bugle call of the charge—during this period, both they and the troops of Victoria and Colombia had heard it far too many times.]

The moment that trumpet sounded, everyone knew they were about to face a furious counterattack!

"Come on!"

"Kill these foreigners!"

"For Jeragand!"

[You hold the battle flag aloft, and beside you stand Chen Huijie, Fiona, and elites from various families, forming the final reserve team for Sherag.]

Under your leadership, this elite reserve force has become a sharp blade thrusting towards all enemies!

What is about to begin is yet another bloody battle.

……

At the foot of the Kjerag Mountains, Duke Glaufeld, who was in full command of the front lines, was staring intently at the only entrance in the distance.

However, several hours later, after witnessing a group of Leitanian soldiers retreating from the foot of the mountain, the duke couldn't help but click his tongue and mutter:

"Damn it! This little mountain is really hard to conquer!"

"Your Grace, please calm down. There was nothing we could do about it."

Upon receiving this expected result, Glaufel's chief of staff offered words of comfort:
"The ski slopes of Shelag are narrow and slippery. Our tanks cannot drive onto the ski slopes, and even if they did, they would be useless and would only allow the enemy to capture the tanks for nothing."

"Advancing solely with infantry and sorcerers is merely a piecemeal tactic, a cardinal sin in warfare."

"But the altitude of Shelag is too high, and our air force has limited capabilities. The only thing that can successfully bomb the enemy's towns is our high-speed warships."

"But... we can't do that in this situation."

"After all, we have an even more formidable enemy to be wary of."

As he spoke, the chief of staff also turned his gaze to the distance, to the combined forces of Victoria and Colombia that were confronting his own legion.

The two sides have been locked in a stalemate for several days. Although the large armies have not clashed directly, their strengths are similar and their formations are flawless, so neither side is willing to make a decisive battle.

In this stalemate, the primary task for both armies became who would capture Shelag first.

Once they capture Shelag, a portion of their army can be stationed in this natural fortress, and heavy artillery and various weapons of war can be transported to the mountain by building a railway.

Once we occupy this easily defensible fortress, we can launch wave after wave of artillery bombardments on the opposing army from a high vantage point, thus creating an opportunity to shape the course of the battle!
It was precisely because of this consensus that they were all sending special forces to launch wave after wave of attacks on Shelag, attempting to take Shelag first.

However, despite the intense attacks from both sides, thirteen days later, Sherag was still not captured.

The Leitanian army, which boasts of being invincible and has destroyed several countries, has actually run into a wall at this snow-capped mountain!
But they couldn't send a large army or use high-speed warships to attack Shelag.

This would not only be counterproductive, but such a massive military operation would inevitably attract the attention of the enemy. Once the enemy realizes that the defenses on the main battlefield have weakened, they may take the opportunity to start a war.

If heavy losses are inflicted on the main battlefield, even if we capture Shelag, it will probably be meaningless.

This predicament made the Duke of Glaufeld both admire the King of Kalan's abilities and annoyed at why the King of Kalan was so difficult to deal with.

With such a huge disparity in strength, what exactly are you persisting in?
Are you expecting His Majesty to back down? Do you really think the Letanian army can't defeat you?
"—Duke Glaufeld? You look rather overwhelmed?"

However, at that moment, a cold, iron-like voice suddenly rang out beside Glaufeld, snapping him back to his senses.

As Glaufeld turned his head, he realized that Theresis, who was both a general and a king, was standing beside him at some point.

"Your Highness Tracy."

Although he disliked these demons from the bottom of his heart, Glaufeld still gave them the necessary respect because they were allies invited by his emperor.

"Why are you here? You should be with His Majesty at the headquarters in the rear."

"It was just an inspection of the front lines."

Theresis had little intention of pleasantries. His gaze fell upon Sherag in the distance. Knowing Leitania's strategy perfectly well, he calmly began to speak:

"It seems that the attack on Sherag is still not very effective."

"If this stalemate continues, it will only increase casualties. Moreover, such a large-scale standoff puts enormous pressure on the empire's rear."

"Especially... it will affect our subsequent plans."

"Yes, I'm also trying to find a way out of this predicament."

Glaufeld nodded and sighed helplessly.

According to Letania's initial strategy, they needed Theresis to lead the Sarkaz elite to occupy Victoria's capital and launch a strategic surprise attack from the center.

However, Colombia's sudden defection, and the strategic importance of Shelag, forced Letania to change its initial plan.

Uneasy about pushing the Sarkaz into Victoria to infiltrate under such a stalemate, the Emperor of Letania also brought his allied Sarkaz clan to the front lines.

Faced with the unyielding Sherag, Theresis, after some contemplation, finally revealed a little information to Glaufel beside her.

"However, you can rest assured that I have already presented my plan to your Emperor."

"Oh? Your Highness the Regent has a solution?"

Glaufeld asked curiously.

However, after giving a slight nod, Therese's cold, emotionless face did not reveal any specific implementation plan.

He left Glaufeld with some rather cryptic words.

"Yes, a solution that's perfect for the Sarkaz."

"If even this can't defeat the King of Kalan... then perhaps, Sherag really shouldn't have perished."

"We don't need to waste any more military resources on this snow mountain."

Well then, let me take a look at the mysterious and valiant King of Kalan.

Can you escape unscathed from this assassination attempt I originally intended to use on my own sister?

(End of this chapter)