Published: December 12th 2024, 7:05:12 am
A Peaceful Land of the Orcs (4.2)
Digging holes, piling up dirt, connecting these, and creating a shallow trench that allows only the head to be exposed when lying flat—this was accomplished quickly. By the time the commanders issued orders for constructing positions, the soldiers merely needed to reinforce and expand upon these initial defenses.
This efficiency was supported by the overwhelming physical strength of the Orcs.
For an average soldier of another race, it’s natural to want to take a breather after intense movement. Once settled, anyone would instinctively reach for their canteen and desire a moment of relaxation. Even commanders often feel compelled to let their subordinates do the same, driven by a deep sense of empathy.
However, well-trained Orcs were different.
Agility and endurance.
The fearsome yet now reliable hallmarks of the Orc army remained unchanged.
Unchanged, but—
A single regiment covering a width of 800 meters and a depth of 500 meters?
“Brigade Commander…”
Colonel Iavasril Ainalind, standing by her side, groaned. A Dark Elf with the typical traits of her kind—tall stature, dusky skin, silver hair, and gray eyes—she possessed an intellectual visage. As Dineluth’s trusted aide, she had been a neighboring clan chief since their childhood days in adjacent villages.
Now, she was thoroughly bewildered.
“You’ve noticed it too?”
“Yes, of course. They… No, my apologies. The Orcsen Army has completely abandoned their dense formations. At this rate—”
“Exactly. Without a much larger force, cavalry, or artillery, breaking this will be impossible. Troublesome indeed.”
They were speaking of the tactical shifts that had rapidly emerged in modern times.
To be precise—
The Orcsen army had utterly discarded the dense combat formations they once cherished, leveraging their great physical strength as a major weapon.
The reason was clear to them.
Since the Dutone War, firearms and artillery had developed with remarkable speed.
Now, gathering shoulder-to-shoulder on the battlefield would mean being wiped out instantly by long-range rifle barrages or concentrated artillery fire.
Thus, modern armies formed what were known as skirmish lines.
Each soldier maintained a spacing of one to two steps, spreading out in a scattered manner. They utilized terrain, makeshift defensive walls, trenches, and other forms of cover to lie flat and avoid enemy fire.
As a result, a single regiment could deploy a defensive line of such width and depth. In dense formations, achieving even half that deployment area would be impressive.
—This was skirmish warfare.
Of course, the Orcsen army still trained their soldiers in firing methods for dense formations in case of necessity.
However, they no longer had any intention of using it.
Unless faced with extraordinary circumstances, they avoided engaging the enemy in dense formation, even when encountered mid-column.
The latest Orcsen Army Infantry Manual—published in the year 874—stated:
“To fully unleash firepower, dispersed formations are unparalleled. Dense formations for firing are exceptional cases.”
Though the manual was written in the typically complex language of such military texts, the meaning was simple: skirmish lines were the standard for shooting engagements, and dense formations were considered obsolete.
Skirmish tactics were not unfamiliar to Dineluth and her peers.
Historically, they had even adopted such tactics before the Orcsen.
With magic communication facilitating dispersal and reassembly, the Dark Elves excelled in skirmish harassment shooting, especially in field battles.
A hundred and twenty years ago, they had repeatedly defeated Orc forces using such methods.
However, back then, the weaker firepower of firearms and reliance on individual skill made their skirmishes fundamentally different from the organized, large-scale implementation now employed by the Orcsen.
“Sister… I mean, Brigade Commander, what would you do in this situation?”
“You’re the Chief of Staff. Are you really asking me that?”
Dineluth chuckled softly.
“Well… I wouldn’t attack. I’d outflank and encircle them or bypass to strike their rear.”
Though spoken lightly, it underscored the difficulty of the situation.
Both the question and the answer were almost rhetorical; they knew this wasn’t a military textbook scenario. Such a solution would only be possible if Dineluth were a lieutenant general or general with complete discretionary authority.
If she were instead ordered to seize and secure this three-way intersection with equivalent forces, she would have no choice but to confront the defensive position directly.
Taking out the map of the training area from her map pouch, she examined it. That three-way intersection was highly significant.
Located near the center of the training ground, slightly to the south, it was where the roads converged, whether advancing from the north or defending from the south. The site allowed easy deployment eastward or westward, making it a vital point for both sides as a line of advance and supply.
Moreover, to the north lay a river cutting across the training area diagonally from east to west. It was a tributary of the river flowing through the capital, with a substantial width.
The road stretching north reached a bridge over that river. Visible from this hill, the bridge was about one kilometer away.
Establishing positions on either the south or north bank of the bridge was an option, but directly fortifying the bridge was ill-advised without knowing the enemy’s intentions. Even so, it was within rifle and even artillery range, ensuring effective control.
Now, how would the Blue Army respond?
As she pondered with a slightly mischievous mind, she noticed the intricate defensive position was beginning preparations for lunch.