Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

Chapter 82

Attack convoys, storm supply depots, ambush patrol squads and reconnaissance squads, and even raid military outposts and small town strongholds under military control when the opportunity arises. In conjunction with infected guerrillas and resistance forces that have been re-driven to the front lines by the farm, they launch surprise attacks on heavily fortified Ursus fortresses and even armories.

The original blockade line could still be maintained, preventing the infected from escaping south. Moreover, given the lack of armor-piercing weapons, most of the infected forces were unable to confront the Ursus armored forces head-on. The plan to advance north and use the harsh climate of the Ursus North Plains to force the infected to their deaths could still be considered to be continuing.

However, everyone knows that if the Shield Guards and the Infected continue their high-profile attacks, it's hard to say whose morale and resources will be depleted in the end.

Once the infected have recovered and begin to survive by hunting and gathering in the warm summer weather, and Ursus is unable to quickly advance into their base and destroy their production capacity, then a strangulation campaign will turn into a protracted war of attrition.

When the battlefield becomes a protracted war, the repeated fighting and the lack of hope will rapidly worsen the already poor military discipline. Furthermore, if the infected manage to establish a foothold, they won't turn into large-scale mobs. As a result, some of the civilians migrating south will likely find it unbearable and flee north.

Although Ursus has locked down all areas of the city that can be accessed by mobile vehicles, it is difficult to prevent small groups of civilians from driving away, which is tantamount to providing manpower and supplies to the infected.

Even those noble officers or warlords who made a fortune by smuggling through the blockade were unwilling to become like this.

Because a protracted war is essentially a war of attrition. In the end, no matter how much you gain, if you lose all your troops, you're just sending heads and wealth to the emperor and the duke.

However, the guerrillas on the other side completely ignored the olive branches they extended, whether openly or covertly, and attacked all the noble troops forming the blockade line indiscriminately, regardless of their status, deciding to attack only based on the difference in the strength of the targets.

Compared to the Black Serpent's elite troops and the personal guards of those generals, plus the defensive advantage of the heavy mobile fortresses, it was naturally easier to break through the defenses of these minor noble officers and warlords. Patriots wasn't stupid enough to risk his own lives to protect the interests of these people.

Finally, the Ursus military, having reached its limit, chose to... tighten its defenses. The strategy belonged to the emperor, the victory to the duke, but the money and soldiers were their own!

Apart from the small mobile fortress "Unobos," all the remaining combat-capable Ursus troops in the entire region had retreated to the area surrounding this fortress.

Although this meant that they were essentially giving up control of the surrounding area, allowing resistance forces to move freely within the region.

However, the mobile fortress itself still blocked the road to the south and completely blocked the traffic routes.

In Terra, due to the mobile city technology, the main transportation routes are all ancient road engineering systems, as well as areas with solid terrain that can support the movement of such a behemoth as the mobile city.

Without passing through these areas, Ursus, especially the poor road conditions of the Ursus snowfields, would be unable to support large-scale migrations and resupply operations.

Therefore, in order to allow some of the infected who were unwilling to fight to escape to the south, and to reopen the way for the attack, this fortress had to be destroyed.

Not everyone has Patriots' off-road vehicles. Even the Shield Guard's vehicles have difficulty moving forward in off-road areas. Snow, bushes, and woodlands all hinder the large-scale advance of both sides.

Moreover, with the arrival of spring, the biggest problem with the permafrost also arises: the melting snow makes the roads and land extremely muddy, which is not a good thing for the Patriots.

Of course, this is also not good news for the Ursus military, because their land-based ships are completely unable to move.

Fortunately, a sudden cold snap in spring caused the land to freeze again, allowing the Patriots' troops to successfully pass through the muddy swamp and hide outside the fortress. However, the term "hidden" was merely a formality; everyone inside and outside the fortress knew that people were hiding there, but they didn't know how many.

The forward camp, 40 kilometers from the fortress, consisted of two trucks and four or five off-road vehicles forming a wall. Snow camouflage nets and camouflage cloths were spread out overhead in a crisscross pattern. The technology in this godforsaken place, Terra, was quite bizarre; their technology relied entirely on archaeology, resulting in a wide variety of products of varying quality.

On the one hand, there are technologies like the Artillery Forerunner, which uses spell drones equipped with pulse crystals to perform reconnaissance, artillery guidance, and even guided attacks.

On the one hand, the aircraft at most are things similar to transport helicopters, and they are still antiques, so not many have been replicated to this day.

Not to mention the existence of high-speed reconnaissance aircraft and ground attack aircraft, while in terms of weaponry, they mostly relied on cold weapons.

Instead of firearms, even those that resemble firearms are actually alien staves, essentially powered by Originium Arts. This means that unless you have a special talent, the number of shots you can fire is limited not only by ammunition but also by your energy and stamina.

Therefore, even in Terra, necessary anti-aircraft camouflage is still required; otherwise, warlocks operating drones with abilities like "Pegasus Vision" could easily track down Patriots and his forces, pinpointing their camp location. [Reconnaissance warlocks do indeed possess this method.]

“The last squad has arrived. We won’t have any more reinforcements.” Ivan walked into the command post carrying a data panel. “All the young men and Yeti squad members who are willing to participate in the Shield Guard and this operation and who are available have been added to the reserve team. They are not suitable for assault.”

The Yeti Squad excels at ambushes, reconnaissance, and one-on-one hunts, but they are truly inept at defense and assault. The untrained young men can manage to provide cover fire with crossbows or other ranged weapons, but they are not worth mentioning when it comes to charging into battle.

"Okay, I understand." Fighting against overwhelming odds was not the first time for Patriot, nor would it be the last. Compared to the hypocritical excuses of those nobles, he could completely accept the reasons of producing and maintaining the basic lives of the infected and changing this land of suffering.

“Talulah organized a new group among the infected who were unwilling to continue fleeing north and among those who tried to return south, which she called the Reunion Movement.”

What is she trying to do?

"I don't know, but Dr. Kal'tsit's message says we'll see them soon."

“I hope she doesn’t make the wrong choice. I would never kill a child. This would put me in a very difficult position…” Patriot’s deep voice seemed to be filled with frost.

"Also, quite a few infected guerrilla groups have contacted us; they also want to join this battle..."

"Uh..." If it were the original Patriots, they would never agree. They would send these undisciplined, uncombat-ready, and unwilling people as far away as possible. Their purpose on the battlefield is to interfere with friendly forces and create trouble, making it impossible to tell which side they are on.

However... the situation is slightly different now. The guerrillas who dare to come to the front line at this time may lack equipment, personnel, or even be hungry and cold, and their military discipline is also a problem.

However, they ultimately possess the courage to draw their swords against the strong, rather than being cowards who vent their fear by bullying the weak.

"Let them follow behind us as the second wave, and explain to them the brutality of the battlefield. Also, share any extra supplies with them."

Patriots slightly changed his approach. Although Talulah was full of empty talk and boasting, she was at least right about one thing.

Those infected need to liberate themselves and save themselves. If they are unwilling to make any effort and rely entirely on a savior to descend from heaven, then neither their suffering nor their fate will ever change.

How much heavy equipment do we still have?

"There aren't many left. The thermos cannon can still fire, but its range is too short, so it can only be used when we attack the fortress. The electromagnetic crossbow's battery has been recharged too many times, so its performance has declined. Now the ammunition capacity is only 2/3 of what it used to be. We also don't have enough arrows. Everyone is helping to dismantle the crossbow arrowheads to make new arrows."

Xia Lin used a homemade, simple high-voltage battery instead of a Star Alliance professional battery, which means that its energy reserves were inherently unreliable.

"The weather is also bad, and the charging pads are only 20% of their original efficiency. If the battle becomes intense, our ammunition may not last long."

"Just holding out until we reach the wall is enough," Patriot said. Ursus only has crossbows and javelins, while he has machine guns, so there's no need to worry about ranged infantry firepower. The only thing to worry about are the spell drones and Originium cannons.

The Originium Cannon, also known as the "Amplification Cannon," resonates the Originium Arts of several casters together to form a more powerful Originium Arts. After being amplified by multi-linked spell pulse crystals, it becomes a spell bombardment comparable to modern heavy artillery.

Furthermore, they require almost no ammunition; what is consumed is the warlock himself. In some countries, due to population and warlock training rates, infected individuals are allowed to obtain minimal citizenship as artillerymen, essentially using them as cheap ammunition.

In order to ensure that the infected have a basic sense of belonging and to select qualified infected gunners, these countries concentrate the infected in infected communities. The most typical example is the Sarkaz war sorcerers of Kazdel.

The advantages of the Amplification Cannon are its high rate of fire and great power. Conventional cannons of the same power simply cannot achieve such a rate of fire of 2-3 seconds per shot. However, its disadvantage is that because it consumes the warlock's stamina, its firepower fluctuates greatly between the upper and lower limits.

Furthermore, since people can't be transported in truckloads like artillery shells as expendable resources, and there aren't many warlocks who have undergone specialized training to perform resonance amplification, once the battle drags on, it will inevitably descend into close combat and boarding maneuvers.

"The fortress is equipped with a new type of medium-caliber rapid-fire cannon. It has a faster rate of fire, and although its power is not as great as the old fortress cannon, the problem is that it is also lighter, which puts less strain on the warlocks. We will be subjected to more accurate and sustained firepower than before..."

Like any Originium Warfare device, the Amplification Cannon is easy to make large, but difficult to make small. Only the Iberians have the technology to make a hand cannon small enough to be held by hand, thanks to some technological advancements brought by the Agorians who came ashore. It is also very expensive and can only be issued to a small number of official Inquisitors.

To conserve their stamina and energy for battle, the Iberian Judge will only fire two shots at the start to clear the field, and then go in with his knife to kill the weakened heavy-armored individuals and enemies.

"Don't be afraid..."

"We're not afraid, but those infected..." There are plenty of infected resistance fighters who have the courage to charge into the face of Ursus's blades and crossbow bolts.

However, very few dared to charge against the artillery of landships and mobile fortresses. The apocalyptic bombardment and flames were an almost unbearable fear for most of the infected, who were originally just civilians.

For a veteran like Ivan, the principle is that as long as you run fast enough, the artillery can't catch you, and you can keep accelerating forward without getting blown up.

No matter how streamlined the amplifier cannon is, its size and weight are still limited, making it impossible to quickly adjust the vertical elevation and horizontal angle.

Especially in regular army tactics, at the beginning, your own artillery and sorcerers will also bombard the enemy. If you do not rush through the artillery fire zone when the enemy has not yet recovered from the chaos and reorganized their defenses, and instead slow down because of fear, you will be courting death.

However, those infected civilians may not necessarily have such tactical skills. They will only be frightened by the flames and explosions, and then stop and let the warlocks who take over use the amplification cannon to blow them into the sky.

More and more infected guerrillas and resistance forces began to converge around the fortress, which reduced the pressure on other areas. The local nobles were in a panic and sent letters of appeal to all their colleagues and nobles with whom they had good relations.

Even if they know that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold, and they will send troops to help, they still have to go through the formalities and procedures of nobles. It will take at least a week before they set off from their residence and hold a grand ceremony. As for how long it will take to arrive, it depends on the relationship between the two sides.

Unless it concerns the interests of all nobles, they must maintain the dignity of the noble class, which is something even capitalists find hard to imagine. They would rather be destitute than lose their dignity, let alone when it is just a colleague with whom they have a good relationship asking for help.

However, the gathering resistance also put pressure on the Patriots' forces, as their supplies were running low, and they could barely survive by hunting and gathering.

Now, with so many people gathered together, food alone is a huge expense, and the rations they brought are evaporating at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"We can't wait any longer, Father, we should launch an attack immediately..." These days, the resistance forces have had a good meal, and they have become more convinced of the Patriots. Their fighting strength and morale have also improved. However, as soon as their food supply is cut off, everything will backfire.

"Wait a little longer." The silent warrior looked towards the fortress. The other side was waiting for reinforcements, and so was he. He was waiting for Talulah's Reunion Movement. He had to see these people; otherwise, he wouldn't believe anything.

Meanwhile, on the snowy plains, a convoy was heading towards Patriots' location. The carriages were marked with the orange-red emblem of the Reunion Movement. Each vehicle consisted of a driver and two guards, a suggestion made by Xia Lin. As the saying goes, "one person for personal gain, three for the common good," this would significantly reduce the chances of these people running away or stealing supplies along the way.

As an idealist, Talulah placed considerable trust and hope in both ordinary people and infected individuals, which was indeed a naive and childish act. However, Xia Lin and Black Snake were different.

In fact, he knew exactly how rotten these people could be. That's why he created these systems to ensure they didn't go too far and began to change them step by step.

The train car contained the last batch of supplies from the farm. Once they were used up, no matter what Patriots thought, they would no longer be supported by the farm for larger-scale operations. The busy spring farming season was approaching, and how many able-bodied men he sent to fight at this time would mean how much he would suffer in the second half of the year.

Moreover, Xia Lin is not a god who conjures things out of thin air. The supplies and materials in his hands did not fall from the sky. They were either made by the infected workers in the workshop or grown in the fields. They were all things that he had accumulated little by little before.

Originally intended for trading and selling to purchase ores, machinery, seeds, and fertilizers, it is now being used solely for consumption at the front lines, which means this year's harvest will be affected.

If the fighting continues, we'll really have to prepare for famine—isn't that putting the cart before the horse?

Chapter 83 The gathering was as numerous as a forest, and the time was as swift as an eagle soaring high.

[Title Explanation:]

From the Book of Songs, Greater Odes, Daming;

The original text reads: "The journey of the Yin and Shang dynasties was as numerous as a forest" and "The Grand Master Shangfu was a figure of great renown..."

The phrase "their numbers were like a forest" means the army was as numerous as trees. The following phrase describes King Wu's army, led by Jiang Shang, as spirited and vigorous as eagles. This is a rare description of war in the Book of Songs, depicting King Wu's conquest of Zhou and the Battle of Muye.

The Reunion Movement's supply convoy arrived almost at the last minute. The infected, dressed in neat white uniforms, quickly unloaded packages and cargo boxes from the vehicles. Inside, besides compressed biscuits made of starch and sugar, were batteries and ammunition to replenish the Patriots, as well as essential Originium dust filters and oral tablets of Originium blockers.

In order to effectively break through the mobile fortress, they also prepared Originium bombs and simple bombs made by Xia Lin. The power was not very great, but it could effectively pollute the air inside the enemy's fortress.

"That's about it, prepare to advance!" The soldiers packed up the camp and led the large group of infected reinforcements toward the fortress. In reality, only the Shield Guards themselves were capable of fighting an assault.

However, when the dense array of flags and crowds flowed out of the snow and forest like a black torrent, the defenders on the fortress still trembled.

This is a small mobile fortress, parked beside a branch road, completely blocking the way. Anyone wanting to pass through must go through a checkpoint on the bottom deck of the fortress.

Even the smallest of these mobile fortresses is the size of a large cruiser moving on land, with a multi-layered, cake-like structure covered with interlaced steel plates and firing bunkers.

The fortress contained warehouses, workshops, water purifiers, and various defensive and command facilities.

It was essentially a medium-sized or larger mobile frontline position, with approximately 1500-2000 defenders.

Equipped with four amplification cannons and a large number of mortars and magical devices, a war sorcerer regiment of about 350 men and a crossbowman regiment of 280 men are stationed inside. Any enemy attempting to attack from the front will be hit by ranged weapons such as artillery fire, spells and arrows.

The robust chassis armor and internal melee heavy armor can prevent enemies from infiltrating the interior by blasting open the lower gates and passages. For most infected individuals and even regular army squadrons, it is a very tough nut to crack.

Even for Patriot forces, they are a formidable enemy, as the power armor's combat time is less than three hours, and now it has been reduced by almost half due to battery issues.

The molten metal cannon is enough to destroy the fortress's base defenses, but it cannot suppress the artillery fire inside the almost permanent fortifications. This requires the infected crossbowmen, who are inferior in both technology and equipment, to risk being blown away and forcibly suppress the fire.

The supplies sent by the Reunion Movement were not much, nor enough for him to continue to serve as a banner to attract infected resistance forces. So there was only one thing left to do: to march immediately, before the nobles' reinforcements arrived and before their numbers overwhelmed their logistics.

This battle can only be won, not lost, and there can be no retreat halfway, because once the flag falls backward, the most common phenomenon in war will occur: the army collapses like a house of cards.

And it's not just the battlefield where the army collapses like a house of cards; it's also the same in terms of ideology and spirit. For a long time, the infected will be unable to unite and will no longer have the courage and confidence to resist.

With the helmet on, the world shrinks into a narrow image before my eyes. The arm armor, breastplate, and leg armor are as hard and unbearable as ever. My wife used to put a layer of cotton cloth inside, which was insignificant and useless, but at least I didn't have to feel the coldness and hardness of the heavy armor.

Over the years, the burrs inside the armor have long been worn smooth and rounded by flesh and blood. However, the chill that seeps through the metal is even deeper than before.

Patriot picked up his halberd and shield and strode out of the camp, followed closely by the silent shield guards and then hordes of infected. The double-headed eagle emblem on the shield, which he had originally intended to remove, gleamed brightly.