Green Monster Epic

"Your Majesty! !"

Faced with August's inquiry, the grey dwarf demigod, Gu Leite, paused, then replied in a deep voice: "In my opinion, the kingdom's army is currently in disarray and morale is low, which is not a suitable time for a counterattack."

"At least until the surrounding kingdoms send reinforcements and supplies, and the army is reorganized, maintaining the current situation is the most correct option."

"Moreover, showing strength on the front lines is important, but the defense of the royal capital cannot be neglected. As a symbol of the kingdom's survival, Molten Steel City must not be captured by the elven army. Therefore, the Royal Guard Regiment must be withdrawn from the front lines and used as the core force to redeploy the final defense line a hundred miles from the royal capital, in case the worst happens on the front lines."

Before Gu Leite could finish speaking, King August hadn't even opened his mouth when the somewhat exasperated Li Aobote interjected: "You're a coward, Gu Leite! !"

"The brave sons of the earth should reclaim everything we've lost and take back our lost glory from those androgynous creatures! !"

The seemingly impatient Li Aobote actually had his own plans. He was well aware that he was the biggest culprit in this war's defeat. Although the strong support of the Dragonblood Dwarf lineage behind him prevented the king from imposing too harsh a punishment, it had caused him to lose face and his family to be disgraced. Li Aobote urgently needed military achievements to make up for this and restore his family's glory.

Not to mention that his Dragonblood branch had too many interests in the lost lands of the north. The output of several already developed huge mines accounted for 1/4 of the Li Aobote family's income. Other families in the branch also owned no less than a hundred large and small mines on this land. Even if his family could withstand the losses, other families in the branch might not be willing to part with these mines. When the time came and everyone made a fuss, his position as chieftain in the Dragonblood lineage might not be stable.

"Your Majesty, I support Li Aobote's opinion! !"

A dwarf with bronze skin and a square, serious face followed Li Aobote's words, expressing his attitude. He was Angus, the current chieftain of the Bronze Dwarves, another powerful branch of the dwarves, and also the Minister of the Military.

"The main force of the elven army has traveled a long distance. In order not to give us time to buffer, they have been aggressively pushing forward all the way. In addition, in order to capture our important fortresses and cities along the way, they have divided their forces. In fact, their forces on the front lines have been reduced to only one million."

"And our army, which is now stationed on the banks of the Ironwave River, is almost equal in number to their main force. If we can transfer the one million soldiers gathered near the royal capital to the front lines and unite them with their comrades on the front lines, their strength will far exceed the elves' main force."

"We cannot give the elves more time to gain a foothold in the lost lands of the north. Otherwise, tens of millions of dwarf compatriots living in that fertile land will be massacred by the elves, and the land will be filled with suffering! !"

Hearing these words, not only did King August's face become solemn, but even the other civil officials did not dare to easily refute.

After all, the Frostwind Highlands were vast and rich in minerals, so the number of dwarves living there was also very large. The sudden attack by the elves caused the northern front army to collapse too quickly. Many dwarven towns did not have time to retreat eastward and had already fallen into the hands of the elves. Or, although the elves did not have time to deal with these towns, the retreat routes for the dwarves in the occupied areas were also blocked.

The elves were only trying to quickly attack the dwarven royal capital, so they did not divide their forces to cleanse the towns in the penetrated area that had not yet been occupied. But if they judged that the war had reached a stalemate, then they would inevitably change their strategy to completely control the occupied areas and completely wipe out the dwarven towns that were still stubbornly resisting.

Although the dwarves' ability to reproduce was much higher than that of the elves, their lives, which were spent dealing with forging and ore all year round, were also much shorter than those of the elves. This also formed their silent, stubborn, and somewhat biased personalities, resulting in the actual population of the dwarven kingdom being only less than twice that of the elves.

Even in the powerful civilization of the Dwarven Kingdom, tens of millions of dwarves were definitely an important factor that could affect the stability of the kingdom. If the people saw that the kingdom ignored the lives of the people in these occupied areas, then the kingdom, whose power structure was a combination of centralization and chieftain support, might be planting a serious hidden danger that would shake the foundation of the kingdom.

"Military affairs are a major national matter. No war has ever been won without preparation! !"

Sensing that the king's hesitant attitude was beginning to shift due to the words of the Minister of Military Affairs, Gu Leite quickly spoke out to stop him: "The people of the kingdom must not be abandoned, but rashly sending the kingdom's brave warriors to the battlefield and causing them to die innocently will also shake the foundation of the kingdom! !"

"Don't forget, everyone, that all the troops we can mobilize have already gathered or are on their way to Molten Steel City. If another great battle occurs and our army suffers another defeat and collapse, then we will have no soldiers to use in a short period of time."

"Do you want to abandon the vast southern lands and withdraw the troops guarding the southern defense line? ?"

"Then how many more of our people will be displaced and how many industries will collapse? ? What greater damage and impact will it cause? ?"

Every word Gu Leite spoke resounded powerfully, heavily striking the hearts of all the dwarves in the hall. In fact, everyone understood the risks involved, but both the palm and the back of the hand were flesh. The chain reaction caused by the collapse of the northern defense line had put the unprepared kingdom in a dilemma.

"Then you want to disregard the people of the Frostwind Highlands? ?"

"Aren't the elves still reorganizing their troops and preparing to cross the river to fight? That means the towns around the highlands are currently not in much danger. We can send elite scouts to convey His Majesty's orders to the guardians of these towns, asking them to gather the residents and resources of the surrounding villages and manors and launch a defense on the spot, holding out for as long as possible."

"When the elves change direction and divide their forces to attack these towns, and we are fully prepared, we can just dilute the elven forces on the front lines…"

"Shameless! You are…"

The court once again fell into fierce arguments. However, with the support of Gu Leite, the kingdom's Grand Marshal, the opinions of the conservative faction carried much more weight in the king's mind, making the hawkish military personnel very dissatisfied.

However, the dwarven king August also understood that continuing to let the court fall into this kind of dispute would not only be useless but also harmful to the situation. Therefore, after several more fierce debates and compromises in the court, he finally came up with a plan that all parties could barely accept.

The Royal Guard Corps of 200,000 was drawn from the front lines to defend the capital, joining the 300,000 Southern Line troops led by Guleit to create the final defense line. Meanwhile, troops from other regions of the kingdom were dispatched to the Ironwave River front, integrated into the forward corps for immediate reorganization and reconstruction, rebuilding the front line positions while awaiting the arrival of subsequent supplies, and waiting for an opportunity to launch a counterattack at any moment.

Although Li Ao Bote and Angus were dissatisfied, the king had agreed to send the majority of the reinforcements to the front lines. With the addition of these forces, the front line army had expanded to nearly 2 million.

As the commander of the Northern Front, Li Ao Bote, wielding such a large force and possessing great autonomy, could either launch a direct counteroffensive or abide by the king's orders and remain stationed in place—it was all up to his discretion. This could be considered a concession from His Majesty the King to them.

As the complacent Li Ao Bote led the first batch of over 400,000 soldiers westward to the front lines, Minister of Military Affairs Angus began to procure various supplies for the front. As the massive machinery of violence began to operate actively, the Royal Palace finally had a moment of peace.

In the quiet and spacious hall, the Dwarf King August was seated on the high throne. Standing in the center of the hall were Franks, the Thunder Dwarf legend from the royal bloodline and the kingdom's third Grand Marshal, and Guleit, the Grand Marshal of the Southern War Zone.

"...What do you think is the probability that Li Ao Bote will violate military orders and act rashly?"

August, sitting on the throne, had a stern face with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Your Majesty!"

Franks, the Thunder Dwarf clad in golden heavy armor, stroked his gray-white beard and replied in a deep voice, "Based on my understanding of Li Ao Bote's character, he will inevitably launch a counteroffensive after gaining control of the front line military power, but the specific timing of the attack is difficult to predict."

"Since Li Ao Bote colluded with Angus to pressure Your Majesty to appoint him as the commander of the Northern Defense Line, the power of the Dragonblood and Bronze Dwarf clans in the northern provinces has increased sharply. They have not only seized a large number of mines, farms, and other lands from other native clans through cunning and coercion, but also embezzled most of the military supplies."

"According to the data collected by the intelligence agents of the Intelligence Department, over 60% of the mineral resources in the five northern provinces are now controlled by the major families of the Dragonblood and Bronze clans."

"Therefore, for these rich benefits, even if Li Ao Bote and his clan want to act cautiously, the major families under his command may not be willing to do as they wish."

"Vermin!!! Damned fellows!!!"

Even though August had already learned of this information, when Franks revealed it to him again, the fire of anger in the King's heart was still uncontrollably ignited.

The four major civilizations have been passed down for tens of thousands of years, and the corruption and depravity of the high-level rulers are already very serious. Only the human nations, because they are divided into large and small countries that cooperate and compete with each other, have a stronger atmosphere than the other three civilizations, which is also an important reason why their overall strength can surpass the other three civilizations.

In the Dwarf Kingdom, a powerful branch clan often means that there is a dwarf deity behind them as a backer. Unless they commit a heinous crime, the status of the direct descendants of each clan in the kingdom will be unshakable.

This makes these families act wantonly and arrogantly. Even the orders of the King of the Kingdom are often disobeyed. Like Li Ao Bote, even if he is responsible for the defeat on the battlefield, the King cannot easily deprive him of his power for the sake of the overall situation.

"What we can do now is to seize the limited time and quickly carry out our plan. Otherwise, once the front-line war starts and millions of soldiers are fighting and killing each other, the situation will be extremely difficult to control, and anything can happen."

Guleit nodded in agreement with Franks's judgment and reminded the king in front of him, "The fate of the kingdom depends on the outcome of this battle. We have no retreat!!"

"If this battle is won, I hope that Your Majesty will abide by the agreement between us and allow my Gray Dwarf clan to live autonomously."

"Of course!!"

Hearing Guleit mention the agreement again, King August also gave a solemn response with a serious expression.

......

After the secret discussion in the Royal Palace ended, intensive actions were quickly launched around the capital. Various massive and complex projects were gradually taking shape under the diligent labor of the dwarf laborers who were skilled in construction and forging. In the undulating hilly area, a complete line of defense was being formed.

In order to buy time for the rear defense line, King August delayed the dispatch of troops and supplies to the front line while sending special envoys to Li Ao Bote's side, nominally to reward and comfort him while understanding the first-hand situation on the front line, but in reality, to tie a few reins on this stubborn dwarf Grand Marshal.

Although August and the others knew that these measures would not be very effective.

A month and a half passed quickly. As a steady stream of personnel and supplies arrived at the Ironwave River, the once quiet and peaceful banks of the great river were now bustling with noise. Within a hundred miles, more than four million warriors, laborers, and livestock from the two major civilizations were stationed. A chilling aura naturally spread outward, scaring those alert natural creatures to flee this land, as if they knew that it would soon become a purgatory.

Whoosh~~~~~~

The rustling river wind swept across the wide Ironwave River. In the pitch-black night, the river surface rippled with the wind. The ripples gradually surged and changed, silently turning into patches of waves, lapping against the stone pillars and wooden stakes that were filled with river-blocking chains.

Patches of white mist rose from the river surface and spread around, soon enveloping the surrounding continuous military camps and the layers of warships on the river, making it difficult to see their outlines.

Under the protection of this natural climate, shadows as silent as mountains were slowly boarding the warships docked on the riverbank. Except for the creaking sound of their armor rubbing against each other and the faint sound of breathing, no one made a sound.

The waterline of the huge warship gradually sank into the river. When it reached the critical point, oars stretched into the water, stirring up ripples that intertwined with the undulating waves on the water surface and drifted into the distance. The huge hull also began to slide silently under the force of the oars, heading towards the opposite bank, which was actually less than a thousand meters away but could not be seen now.

Whirr~~~~~~

The subtle sound of water rolling gently drifted, and the suppressed atmosphere gradually solidified in this water area. Just before this ordinary dawn, a great battle was about to break out.