CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 34 – BATTLE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY LEGIONS (PART 2)

At this moment, even Viscount Landa lost his composure.

As both a viscount and governor of Hanshan County, he commanded 2,300 soldiers of his own. After the orcs began their southern invasion, many slaves were hastily conscripted into the army. For a time, his forces numbered as many as 10,000.

With the defensive line established, every noble in Hanshan County had dispatched troops into the city. Each baron or frontier knight could bring in four to five hundred soldiers—though most of these were slave conscripts. Altogether, Cold Mountain City held an army of 50,000.

With 50,000 troops under his command, Viscount Landa had been confident he could hold the city. As long as Cold Mountain City remained secure, he had resolved not to dispatch reinforcements elsewhere—regardless of what might happen in the other counties.

But now, faced with tens of thousands of Black Ram warriors and several thousand Black Ram cavalry, he was no longer sure his city was safe.

"In previous orc invasions, they only plundered the lands around the cities. We should be fine... right?"

One noble voiced the thought lingering in Viscount Landa’s heart—this was what all the nobles feared.

They had once been concerned about their lands. Now, they had abandoned them, and began to wonder if they themselves were even safe inside the city.

Many nobles started considering escape. Hanshan County and their fiefs no longer mattered—what mattered was surviving. As long as they lived, their lands would still be theirs. If they died, who knew who their lands would end up belonging to?

"No way. Even the Black Ram people can’t storm a city just like that. No matter how powerful their cavalry, they can’t ride up city walls."

Viscount Landa said confidently. He wanted to keep these nobles here—if the military numbers dwindled, his anxiety would only grow.

But suddenly, he realized—his words were met with utter silence.

He swallowed hard, looking around at the native nobles of Northern Wind Province.

"Black Ram cavalry can climb walls," one noble said in utter despair, recalling the records and legends of history.

"The Black Ram tribes dwell among the steepest cliffs of the northern mountains. The mighty black rams they breed graze on moss clinging to vertical cliffs—they’ll even hunt mountain antelopes as prey."

Just as the noble finished speaking, the Black Ram army outside the walls began to move.

As he watched their frenzied charge, even Viscount Landa’s eyes were filled with the horror of hopelessness.

Within just three days, over 80% of Hanshan County’s noble territories were overrun by orcs. This news reached the Frozen Lands on the eighth day.

The twenty flying wolf cavalry riders Count Winter had dispatched to Hanshan County to relay information ended up becoming Viscount Landa’s last hope of survival.

Thus, the news of the Black Ram cavalry spread throughout the Northern Wind Province.

"According to legend, only the most valiant orc warriors of the Black Ram clans receive the blessing of their god Baphomet. Once blessed, their strength increases, and they can ride the mighty black rams into battle."

"Even in a tribe of a thousand, there are rarely more than thirty to fifty Black Ram warriors."

"But now there are ten thousand..."

Ryan was growing anxious. Had the Black Ram clans of the north truly unified?

Infighting among orcs was brutal and primitive—often literal survival-of-the-fittest, as many tribes saw each other as prey.

Take for instance the southern invasion: Ryan believed the orc horde numbered between 700,000 and 800,000—nearly a million.

But as they marched south, their numbers would quickly diminish. The lowest-tier orc tribes—like the Ratmen or Honey-Pot tribes—were often devoured along the way.

Some orc clans had great potential for strength, but they all shared one fatal weakness:

Under the harsh conditions of perpetual snow and wind, they lacked food. Without food, there could be no large, stable tribes.

And that’s what Ryan couldn’t understand—how had the Black Ram clans unified from so many scattered tribes into a single great force?

But there was no time to figure that out anymore.

Tens of thousands of Black Ram warriors were already in Northern Wind Province.

"Sigh..."

Ryan realized—he still wasn’t strong enough.

Only two forces in all of Northern Wind Province could possibly take on this Black Ram army—and Ryan knew exactly who they were.

One was the Flying Wolf Cavalry under Count Winter, governor of the province. These knights rode flying wolves with fleshy wings and massive horns. With three thousand elite riders, they were unmatched across the entire region.

The other was the 5,000 Dragonblood Warriors from the household of Count Sauron. Legend said the ancestors of each Dragonblood Warrior had once bathed in dragon’s blood, forging a unique bloodline that made them among the most renowned heavy infantry in the Empire.

In ancient lore of Northern Wind Province, it was said that the Sauron family had once worshipped an actual dragon, centuries ago.

That was long past—and the dragonblood would surely be thinning by now—but regardless, the Dragonblood Warriors were still a true extraordinary legion.

Without relying on these two families, defeating the Black Ram warriors would cost at least ten times the casualties.

And what made it worse—Black Ram warriors were intelligent. Their elite force was certainly surrounded by vast numbers of foot soldiers guarding their flanks.

"If that’s the case, Count Sauron was right all along—we should’ve launched a preemptive strike on the Xiangshan Plains."

"Other than Northwind Great City, I fear no other county seat in this province can stop the advance of the Black Ram orcs."

Just as Ryan feared, once the Black Ram warriors appeared across the province, and as more nobles began to understand the scale of this extraordinary legion, they all started cursing Viscount Hogg.

If only they had listened to Count Sauron back then—if both extraordinary legions had joined forces, along with the military strength of the whole province, they might

have been able to bury the Black Ram warriors in the Xiangshan Plains.

But was that still possible now?

The orcs had already spread across the province—how could they now gather enough troops?

No matter where they tried to regroup, it would mean forcing some other lords to abandon their fiefs and fortunes.

"Count Winter, say something!"

In Northwind City, Viscount Landa slammed his palm on the table, leaving deep impressions, as he glared at Count Winter in fury.

He no longer cared whether or not he offended the provincial governor.

There were still many people from his territory who had escaped the orcs and were hiding in the fortresses of Hanshan County. Only if Count Winter deployed the Flying Wolf Cavalry and crushed the Black Ram warriors could the county be reclaimed.

"Viscount Landa, mind your status!"

Count Winter glared coldly at him. But he did not refuse to take action.

After all, in the end, he would bear most of the responsibility. With so many nobles dead or wounded, their petitions could pile high in the Imperial Senate.

"I will dispatch the Flying Wolf Cavalry to intercept the Black Ram warriors. I will also send 50,000 troops in support."

"But so far, Muir Sauron—that old bastard—still hasn’t responded to my message."

Count Winter’s gaze turned sharp.

"That old bastard refuses to let his Dragonblood Warriors march with the Flying Wolf Cavalry. How many of my soldiers will have to die just to deal with that Black Ram army?"

He let out a low, furious growl. More than reclaiming territory for Viscount Landa or the other nobles, Count Winter was concerned about his own military losses.

Viscount Landa looked at Count Winter—and suddenly, he calmed down.

Did he need a bribe?

He understood Count Winter’s message now. Among nobles, everything was a transaction of interests—even reclaiming Imperial territory from the Black Ram orcs.

"I’ll persuade Count Sauron to deploy the Dragonblood Warrior legion,"

Viscount Landa said through clenched teeth. He knew full well that Count Sauron was simply waiting—waiting for desperate nobles like him to offer enough in return for help.