Divine Flame Crystal

Chapter 386 Leonard, the Imperial Lion

As for the preparation of supplies, since this was a defensive war, they had sufficient supplies of food, weapons, armor, horses, siege equipment, etc. This included the storage of food and drinking water for marching and defending the city. In this regard, the Fallen God Empire had an advantage, while the Knights of Light, who had traveled a long distance, needed to be well-supplied. Fortunately, they had many believers and storage rings, so they were not too worried about this.

Fortifications must also be prepared. Castles and fortresses will have their defenses strengthened by increasing the height of their walls, repairing or building moats, preparing defensive towers and shooting holes, and so on.

Based on the intelligence collected, the commander will formulate a strategic plan, including selecting the battlefield, arranging the formation, and determining the offensive and defensive strategies.

The lords would give pre-battle speeches to boost the morale of their soldiers, and that was what they were doing before Starfall.

Logistical arrangements, determining marching routes, ensuring the security of supply lines, negotiating with merchants within the empire for additional resources, etc.

Lords and knights would also make wills to ensure the safety of their territory and families in case they were killed in war.

Psychological warfare, which weakens the enemy's morale through spreading rumors, intimidation, or displays of military force.

These preparations usually take weeks or even months, because war is often not a short conflict, but a long-term struggle and conquest. Each link has an important impact on the final outcome of the war.

Xingluo also rushed to the Imperial Council Hall at this time. The Imperial high-level officials began to make arrangements for this battle. The 45-year-old Imperial commander was dressed in a capable and serious outfit, showing his authority and majesty. He was tall and straight, and he looked very majestic standing there.

He wore a pair of sturdy combat boots, the black leather gleaming in the sun, and the boots were covered with dust and mud, as if showing the bravery he had experienced in countless battles.

A dark cloak was draped over his broad shoulders, fluttering in the wind. Under the cloak was a set of rough but durable armor, gleaming with a faint metallic luster.

He is slender and straight, and his height of 180cm shows his steely determination. His burly figure hides a strong and powerful yet elegant temperament.

The imperial commander was dressed in a smart and serious manner, and his clothes revealed a sense of responsibility and power. His name was Leonard, the Imperial Lion Leonard.

......

After arranging the division of labor for others, Leonard saw Xingluo coming and said, "Xingluo, you are the mobile force, and you can be deployed to the battlefield at any time."

Xingluo: "Okay."

Xingluo had no opinion on this. After all, such a large-scale war could not be defended by his own forces alone. Xingluo naturally obeyed the arrangements. He did not need to participate in the frontal battlefield. These were completed by the regular army of the Luoshen Empire. There were as many as one million troops who were well-trained in normal times and could play a greater role in large-scale wars. Although the overall number of their mercenary groups and nobles' private armed forces was not small, their coordination was much worse. If they were temporarily tied together, they might even drag down the main force. It would be better to simply put them into the exciting troops and even let them play freely. After all, the individual combat effectiveness of these private troops of the empire was still quite strong, and sometimes they could play a miraculous role.

This war was not going to end all at once. With the advancement of the Knights of Light, the border cities of the Sunset Empire were plunged into flames of war. Most of these cities were territories of noble lords. Although they did not want to clash with the Knights of Light, they had no choice but to defend themselves since they were already at their doorstep. However, the effect was too poor and they did not stop the cavalry of the Knights of Light at all. The entire territory was in crisis.

The Knights of Light were not unscathed, after all, the strength of the territory's private armed forces should not be underestimated. However, the Knights of Light were accompanied by a corps of priests, so the damage was not very serious, and even broken limbs could be repaired as before. On the other hand, the Fallen God Empire was a bit passive. In the past, they had priests to help with treatment, but now they were fighting with the Holy See of Light, and there were no priests left. All of them went to help the Holy See of Light. However, priest Tiffany was an exception. Although she believed in the God of Light, she stayed in the Fallen God Empire because of Xingluo. She was one of the few priests in the Fallen God Empire. Xingluo naturally believed in Tiffany, but others had some doubts about her. Xingluo did not let these rumors reach Tiffany's ears.

Without priests, the Fallen God Empire can only rely on wood magicians for healing, but the recovery speed of wood magic is too slow, far slower than that of light magic. This has also led to heavy casualties among the soldiers in the territory. The imperial army also marched here, passing through key cities to stockpile troops for garrison defense, while some unimportant or too far away ones had to be abandoned. There was no way around it. The Knights of Light were too strong, both in terms of individual combat power and legion warfare, they had rich combat experience, and their equipment was blessed by light magic, and there were even a lot of armor left over from the great magic era. Not to mention that they were invulnerable to swords and guns, but ordinary arrows could not hurt them.

The most important thing is that except for the chaplains, the Knights of Light are all knights. They have extremely strong mobility. If the imperial army rushes forward rashly, they will definitely be gradually devoured by them using their speed. Therefore, even if they are beaten at their doorstep, they can only rely on the city to attack.

This is the strength of the Knights of Light. As a top force, the Holy See of Light naturally has a deep foundation. Xingluo has no good solution for this. He can only provide some small suggestions. When Leonard casually asked Xingluo for his opinion, Xingluo did not remain silent like other nobles, or give two ridiculed suggestions. Instead, after a little thought, he began to talk freely. After all, Xingluo also wanted to win this war, otherwise everything he had would become a fleeting glimpse:

We can set up some obstacles on the plain, such as horse traps, spear fences or picket fences, to slow down or stop the cavalry charge. These obstacles will disrupt the cavalry formation and make it lose its impact. In addition, these obstacles can be quickly deployed by magicians.

Gathering the Empire's archers and using long-range archers and crossbowmen to suppress the cavalry can cause heavy casualties before the cavalry approaches, forcing them to change tactics or retreat.

Form a phalanx of heavy infantry. A tight phalanx of heavy infantry can withstand the impact of cavalry. They can hold spears or halberds, forming a line of defense that is difficult for knights to break through directly.

We can also arrange some soldiers to conduct flanking operations, using our cavalry or light troops to attack the flank or rear of the enemy cavalry, causing their formation to become chaotic and lose their impact.

Taking advantage of the terrain and choosing terrain that is not conducive to cavalry combat, such as narrow valleys, forests or swamps to force them into battle, can limit the mobility of cavalry to a certain extent.

Appropriately feign retreat to lure the enemy, pretend to retreat to lure the cavalry into pursuit, then set up an ambush at a predetermined location and counterattack the cavalry.

Mixed arms, combining different arms such as archers, infantry and cavalry to coordinate operations to deal with different situations.

Psychological warfare is to shake the morale of the cavalry and affect their fighting will by displaying a strong defensive formation or creating panic.

......