Elven cultivators

Just then, a sharp cry suddenly came from afar in the sky.

Casper looked up sharply, his gaze passing over the billowing dust of the battlefield and landing directly on the eastern horizon.

A golden cloud shadow was rapidly approaching from that direction.

As he got closer, he realized they were giant falcons covered in golden-white feathers, their wingspans as wide as sails, reflecting a flowing metallic sheen in the sunlight, as if they were plated with molten gold.

Each of the giant falcons carried a fully armed elven soldier on its back.

They were dressed in light, dark blue armor, their bows were fully drawn, and the cold glint of their arrows gleamed in the sunlight.

"Radiant Feather Cavalry".

Casper's expression changed.

He had seen the Silvermoon Clan's flying unit in intelligence reports, but the visual impact of actually seeing thousands of giant falcons swooping down at the same time far exceeded the descriptions on paper.

Thousands of Radiant Falcons swooped down from the edge of the clouds, their golden-white wings gleaming in the sunlight, each flap of their wings leaving a pale golden afterimage in their wake.

The giant falcons swooped down from the edge of the clouds in perfect unison, their golden-white wings cutting through the air with a deep, piercing sound.

As they swept across the battlefield, their shadows slid swiftly across the ground like a moving thin curtain.

The next moment, the riders released their bowstrings.

A dense barrage of arrows rained down from the sky, like a downpour drenching the weakest gaps in the rear guard.

Those archers who were aiming their bows at the front had no time to react before they were struck in the shoulders and necks by arrows falling from the sky, or even pierced through the gaps in their helmets.

The shamans in the rear were also affected.

Several people fell to the ground on the spot, their staffs slipping from their hands and rolling to the ground.

The remaining people hurriedly stopped casting spells and sought cover, trying to use protective spells to withstand the second volley of fire.

However, the Radiant Feather Cavalry gave them no chance to catch their breath.

The first volley of arrows had barely passed when the second volley was already nocked.

Almost without a break, a new volley of arrows fell again, precisely striking the archers and shamans who had just stood up, disrupting their newly rebuilt formation once more.

The rhythm of long-range firepower was completely disrupted.

The giant archers who were originally unleashing arrows towards the vanguard had to turn their attention to the rapidly moving golden figures high in the sky.

However, the rate of fire of the giant bow is not fast to begin with, and its hit rate is even more pitifully low when facing agile and fast flying units.

Occasionally, one or two arrows might hit by chance, but they would be deflected by the light armor on the falcon's back or avoided by the elven riders, causing no effective damage whatsoever.

Shamanic spells are more threatening.

However, the Radiant Feather Cavalry were too mobile. Their dives and climbs were extremely smooth, and every change of direction forced the shamans trying to lock onto them to cast spells into empty space.

Within just a few breaths, the rear ranks were in complete chaos.

Casper stared intently at the water curtain, his face so dark it seemed like it could drip water, but he was helpless.

The Bloodclaw Clan's only flying unit—the Bloodwing Bat Cavalry—had all been deployed to guard the supply lines, leaving the rear guard with no means to intercept these flying forces.

"...Let the reserves push forward," Casper squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.

"Lord Casper, please calm down." An older general beside him frowned and advised, "The terrain of the Tal Plains is not open enough. The reserves will not be able to spread out their formation if they advance now. Moreover, the morale of the vanguard is already on the verge of collapse. If we add more troops now, and the vanguard collapses first, it will disrupt the formation of the reserves as well."

Casper was silent for a moment.

His gaze lingered on the water screen for a few moments, watching as the vanguard soldiers, devoid of any will to fight, retreated without a fight. Even the commander-in-chief's sword-wielding of deserters couldn't reverse the tide of the battle. Finally, he managed to squeeze out two words through gritted teeth:

"withdraw troops."

The dull sound of horns soon echoed from the rear of the Bloodclaw army.

The troops at the front began to retreat in shifts. Although the formation was somewhat loose, they at least maintained basic order.

The Grand Elder decisively ordered a halt to the advance, allowing the army to slowly retreat back to camp, without coveting the small gains from the pursuit.

The wasteland quickly fell silent again, with only the sound of the wind whistling through the corpses and broken armor, and the lingering stench of blood in the air.

……

From the moment the armies of both sides entered the Tal Plain, all parties have been closely monitoring the progress of the war.

Therefore, the process of the first battle between the two sides was witnessed by all parties.

The result was truly surprising to many.

The Silvermoon Clan, with 20,000 troops, faced off against nearly 200,000 enemy soldiers head-on. Not only did they not suffer a defeat, but they also inflicted a small loss on the Bloodclaw Clan.

This caused many forces that were initially skeptical of the Silvermoon Clan to waver.

However, many still believe that the balance of power ultimately leans towards the Bloodclaw clan.

After all, the latter's numerical advantage was too obvious.

One or two defeats don't mean anything. As long as the Bloodclaw Clan continues its attrition strategy, it will eventually exhaust the Silvermoon Clan's strength.

It's just a matter of paying a slightly higher price than before.

In the days that followed, battles raged day after day on the Tal Plain, like a tireless meat grinder.

The Bloodclaw Clan maximized their numerical advantage, always placing their vassal forces at the forefront of every battle.

Once the vassal army shows signs of defeat, the retreat is decisively halted, and the main force is withdrawn from the battlefield to minimize the loss of elite troops.

This tactic may not be considered sophisticated, but it is extremely practical.

The Silvermoon Clan's response was also extremely swift and decisive.

In every battle, the Yellow Turban Warriors were always at the forefront, while the Elven soldiers provided ranged support from the rear using talismans and spells, never engaging the enemy in close combat.

Therefore, although the Yellow Turban Warriors suffered extremely high casualties, the Elven soldiers themselves suffered very few casualties.

Moreover, Eleanor was well-prepared, ordering her disciples to work at full speed to produce Yellow Turban Warriors before the battle.

As the war progressed, the alchemy workshops in Taichu City and Jiuyou City operated day and night.

Brand new Yellow Turban Warriors were transported along the teleportation array to the Tal Plains to replenish the losses at the front lines.

While it cannot completely make up for the consumption, it has greatly slowed down the rate of consumption.

……

"The latest batch of Yellow Turban Warriors, a total of 121, has been sent to the front lines."

Fuluo's clear and steady voice echoed throughout the Tianyuan Hall.

"The latest batch of Yellow Turban Warrior remains has been sent to the alchemy workshop. It is estimated that they can be melted down and remade into twenty new Yellow Turban Warriors."

As Eleanor listened, she looked down at the ledger in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly occasionally before relaxing again.

Due to Anton's instructions, the Silvermoon Clan has been consciously stockpiling various strategic materials over the years, filling almost all the warehouses in the Primordial Spirit Realm.

If it weren't for the outbreak of war, Eleanor would have planned to find an opportunity to suggest to Anton that they open up an alternate dimension to serve as a central warehouse.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the Silvermoon Clan currently has enough materials to produce 100,000 Yellow Turban Warriors.

What truly affects production speed is not materials, but manpower.

A cultivator who can independently forge Yellow Turban Warriors must at least reach the Foundation Establishment stage and be proficient in the art of forging Daoist soldiers.

Of the nearly two thousand disciples in Taichu City, less than one-tenth meet both of these conditions.

Even though Eleanor had transferred all the qualified monks to refine Yellow Turban Warriors, the daily output still couldn't be increased.

Compared to the losses at the front lines, this is merely a drop in the ocean.

"Unfortunately, whether it's the Yellow Turban Warriors or the Five Camps of Divine Soldiers, the daily maintenance and energy consumption are considerable expenses." Flora sighed. "Maintaining a clan's Daoist army of around 20,000 is already the limit. Any more would be a waste of manpower and resources, and it would also affect other areas of investment."

"Otherwise, we could refine more Dao soldiers and store them in the warehouse, so they can be used at any time during wartime, which would greatly reduce the pressure on the front lines."

Even if the Dao soldiers stand still, they will continue to consume energy, albeit at a very small rate.

However, if the quantity is large and accumulates over a long period of time, it becomes a considerable amount.

Given the current scarcity of spirit stones, stockpiling too many Dao soldiers is not a wise decision.

Eleanor pondered, "Unless we improve the Yellow Turban Warriors and the Five Camps of Divine Soldiers so that they can also absorb free energy through the formation, just like the Guardian Generals."

Flora's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea."

The guardian deities are energy-intensive, consuming a large amount of energy each time they take action. Therefore, when not in action, they spend most of their time at the core node of the Nine Heavens Tower's formation, 'recharging'.

If the Yellow Turban Warriors and the Five Camps of Divine Soldiers could also be "charged" through this method, the cost of daily maintenance could be reduced, which would undoubtedly save a lot of expenses and increase the upper limit of the regular maintenance force of the Dao Army Corps by another step.

Preparing troops for the war is no longer a pipe dream.

But soon, Flora looked troubled again: "But how do I do it?"

"Leave professional matters to professionals." Eleanor smiled faintly. "I remember Nordwin has already successfully established his foundation. Ask him if he's willing to take on this research task. After this war ends, I can assign a guardian deity to assist him in his research."

Flora laughed and said, "He'd definitely be willing."

Disciples of Taichu City rarely come into contact with Dao soldiers of the level of guardian deities.

Even Ryan and Lucius were no exception.

If Nordwin, that research fanatic, knew he could research the Guardian Generals, he would definitely agree with ecstatic joy.

Eleanor didn't continue the topic, put down the file, and asked about something else.

"Have you investigated the Bloodclaw Clan's supply lines thoroughly?"

Upon hearing this, Flora's smile vanished, her expression turning solemn as she nodded and said, "It has been thoroughly investigated."

After saying that, she took out a roll of map and spread it out on the table, placing a small red flag on it somewhere.

Eleanor glanced at it and immediately recognized it as the Ash Wasteland.

Flor continued, "The Bloodclaw Clan has established a temporary camp here as a transit point for the supply line from Bloodclaw City to the Tal Plains. All supplies transported from Bloodclaw City will be gathered here before being sent to the Tal Plains."

On the continent of Dawn, there are only three methods for transporting supplies over long distances.

The first and most common method is truck transportation.

This method is the most reliable and relatively inexpensive, and most chambers of commerce use this method when transporting ordinary bulk commodities.

The disadvantages are that it is slow and easily affected by weather, terrain and looting along the way.

Especially during wartime, supply convoys often require a large number of troops to escort them, otherwise they are easily intercepted by enemy cavalry or air units.

The second method is slightly more advanced, which involves using storage-type magical equipment such as dimensional bags and spatial rings.

This method is simpler and safer, allowing a small team to carry a large amount of supplies and eliminating concerns about the convoy being intercepted when traversing complex terrain.

However, storage magic equipment is expensive and has limited space, so it cannot hold too much stuff.

This method is usually only chosen when transporting small quantities of valuable items.

The third and most advanced method is the teleportation array.

Transporting supplies via teleportation arrays takes almost no time, no matter how far the distance, making it arguably the fastest method.

The drawbacks are equally obvious.

The number of items that can be transmitted at one time is limited, and the cost is extremely high, with the cost increasing the distance.

If the value of the transported goods is not high enough, and it is even less than the cost of activating a teleportation array once, it is a completely unprofitable business.

Therefore, the first method remains the mainstream mode of transportation on the mainland.

Some large chambers of commerce combine the first and second methods, carrying valuables with their personal space equipment and transporting bulk goods by convoy.

As for wars between major powers like the Bloodclaw Clan, transportation and supply often combine three methods.

Common consumables such as large quantities of grain, arrows, timber, and stone were still transported to the front lines by caravans.

High-value supplies such as medicines, magical equipment, and magic stones are carried by personal space equipment and escorted by elite troops.

The most important strategic materials, as well as supplies with extremely high time requirements, will be sent directly to the front line via teleportation arrays.

"This transit camp most likely has a teleportation array connecting Bloodclaw City and Tal Plains, and the camp itself must store a large amount of supplies that urgently need to be transported."

Eleanor made her decision after a moment's thought.

"Destroying this camp will severely cripple the Bloodclaw Clan's logistics."

She looked up at Flora and said, "Give the order to carry out the plan."

"Yes, Lady Eleanor."