Vol 16 Chapter 21-2

Xuan’s guerrilla warfare tactic was to have a hundred elite riders each carry two horses and three days worth of ration. They took off their armors and only had their bow and large number of arrows as weapon. Everyone headed to the battlefield with light packs.

Aragorn questioned. “Will this actually work? The riders lose over half their strength without armors and spears. I don’t think these riders are elite anymore if they encounter the Uruk-hai. I don’t agree with your tactic.”

Zheng laughed. “I get his plan. You might think this is stupid but this type of tactic is terrorizing for the enemies. An ethnic group nearly conquered the world using this tactic back in my world. I can’t be certain of the strength of this tactic in this world but it won’t be far off.”

The movie characters did not understand but the players connected it with the rise of Mongolia. People familiar with history knew the destructive power this tactic brought and so they didn’t question it.

The riders prepared themselves in half a day. Gandalf went after the two thousand riders that left. Gimli, ChengXiao and YinKong accompanied Theoden to Helm’s Deep. Zheng, Xuan, Lan, Heng, Aragorn, and Legolas headed out with the elite riders to delay the Uruk-hai’s march.

Everyone was prepared to battle. Xuan planned to set out at night. They had one last hour of rest. Aragorn somehow got along with the princess of Rohan. She was a blonde, soldierly woman. She carried a sword and was preparing to protect the villagers to Helm’s Deep. As she spoke with Aragorn, she blushed mildly. Legolas and Gimli couldn’t stop their smiles watching on the side.

Team China was also holding a conversation. Zheng had ChengXiao protect YinKong to his best, even though YinKong was the stronger of the two. Nevertheless, ChengXiao took it seriously. “Protect yourselves. Some of the Uruk-hai could use Explosive Shots, so don’t show yourselves and fight face to face. Shield yourselves with the city wall. If the plot changed enough that you are forced to retreat, don’t drill on getting a victory. Your lives are the most important.”

ChengXiao laughed. “I know. You are not that old yet why are you suddenly speaking like that? Don’t worry. We won’t trade our lives for points.”

“You’re not wrong but…” Zheng was going to say something.

Then Xuan interrupted him from the distance with a yell. “Time’s up. Everyone depart!”

Zheng looked at the two of them and said. “Just, be careful.” He mounted on the Nightmare then followed after Xuan.

This group had abandoned everything that made them heavy cavalries, the heavy armors, the barding and the spears. The only close range weapon they carried was a broadsword. This group can only be categorized as light cavalries.

In return, they gained swift movement speed. The riders entered the darkness of the night like wind. People in the city could no longer see them.

Lan’s abilities shined in this situation. She was inexperienced in riding horses. However, the psyche scan was the most useful ability in this tactic. As dawn of the second day came, the group ran through distance that would have taken them two days. The psyche scan detected the front most group of Uruk-hai. It was a group of three hundred Uruk-hai riding on wargs. These were probably the scouts in the movie.

“Use night arrows…” Xuan commanded.

Xuan taught them basic commands after the group was formed. He also had people painted some of the arrows black. Due to the lack of time, each rider only received ten of such arrows.

The riders came near the camps. The horses were trained so that they wouldn’t make any noise. Legolas an Heng fired their arrows. The riders then lobbed arrows at the camps.

The structure of the Uruk-hai army was fairy crude. There were no such positions as lieutenants, marshals. The groups tended to be led by a single leader. But due to their strength, the lack of a structure wasn’t prominent.

The first wave of arrows killed dozens of Uruk-hai. Xuan then commanded a wave of fire arrows. It ignited the camps and killed thirty more Uruk-hai. On the third wave, the riders used night arrows again while the Uruk-hai was paying attention for more fire arrows, which led to even more casualties. The Uruk-hai was in a chaos. Only ten of them mounted on the wards and ran out from the camps.

However, what awaited them outside were the riders with their bows ready. Numerous arrows pierce through these ten Uruk-hai. Xuan commanded the riders to lower their bows then had Zheng lead thirty riders charge into the camps. The rest of the riders began retrieving useable arrows.

And so, they wiped a group of Uruk-hai without any casualty. Although ambush was also a factor to the result. It was almost miraculous compared to the riders’ previous tactic of charging straight in.

“Get on your mount. March at normal speed. Twenty minutes of eating. Two hours of rest on the horses. Lan, expand the psyche scan its largest size. Rest when you are tired.” Xuan commanded then mounted on his horse.

The riders quickly followed his commands. They talked and laughed loudly while they ate. The riders wouldn’t fear the Uruk-hai but the feat they accomplished would normally require five hundred elite riders, and not without casualties. This achievement gave them faith in this journey.

Three after noon on the same day, Lan detected another group of 1500 Uruk-hai. This group were carrying loads of spoils. It appeared that they raided a village. Xuan inquired the situation then commanded the riders to ambush the Uruk-hai.

Zheng was nowhere near Xuan’s ability when it came to commanding a group of more than thirty people. He was only experienced with small groups. So Xuan naturally became the leader here. Zheng worked under his commands.

The riders caught up to the Uruk-hai right as dusk fell. Sunlight was dimming but their views were still clear. The Uruk-hai were unrest upon seeing the riders but when they realized the small number, they became careless. Three hundred Uruk-hai raised their spears. And two groups split up to surround the riders.

The riders didn’t charge at them as usual. They shot arrows at the split up groups. Three waves of shooting later, a hundred of the armored and shield Uruk-hai fell. This enraged the rest of them. Five hundred Uruk-hai charged at the riders.

The riders stopped shooting and retreated. However, they stopped at fifty meters and shot another wave of arrows. They continued to retreat then shoot. Hundreds of Uruk-hai fell down before they became aware of the situation. Their archers countered, taking down several riders that didn’t dodge in time.

Xuan brought Heng and Legolas for times like this. The two of them had greater range and accuracy than the Uruk-hai. They sniped the archers. Any Uruk-hai that came close were shot down by the riders. Yet, they couldn’t outrun the horses when they retreated. The Uruk-hai scattered and the riders shot freely.

The time reached two after midnight. The last Uruk-hai died at the cost of four riders. “Get on your mount. March at normal speed. Twenty minutes of eating. Six hours of sleep on the horses. Then we will continue the attacks!”


Previous Chapter Next Chapter