Chapter 87: Retreat Without Battle
Chapter 87: Retreat Without Battle
"Chiskale, this is the Wooden Stockade Stronghold!"
Outside the stronghold, the Lizardmen army gathered.
A group of Lizardmen stood together, observing the Wooden Stockade Stronghold from 500 meters away.
Next to Chiskale, a Lizardman glared angrily at the stronghold.
Hatred for the goblins made it a willing guide, even hiding the existence of the Swamp Crocodile King.
Chiskale gazed solemnly into the distance at the stronghold.
He hadn't expected the goblins to build such a massive stronghold in the swamp.
What were they planning?
The goblins weren't even suited to the swamp's damp environment.
Though puzzled, Chiskale wasn't afraid. He nodded to his companion.
"Attack!"
The Lizardman beside him ran off at his command.
"Ah-la-la!"
They shouted as they swung their crude stone machetes.
The Lizardmen army raised their weapons high, shouting "Ah-la-la," their voices echoing across the land.
Inside the Wooden Stockade Stronghold, the goblins heard the commotion.
The familiar shouting brought all the goblins out of their wooden huts.
They eagerly watched the wooden wall's perimeter.
"Shut them up! Shoot them down!"
The Lizardmen's shouting irritated Gobu Di.
With a roar, he grabbed the war horn beside him and blew it forcefully.
The sharp sound of the horn blared out, signaling an attack.
On the watchtowers, goblins manning the Triple-bow Ballista cheered with excitement.
They chattered excitedly as they aimed the ballista at the approaching Lizardmen army.
"Thwang!"
The sound of bowstrings snapping filled the air, followed by piercing whistles as massive bolts shot forward, streaking across 500 meters to the Lizardmen army.
"Boom!"
The Lizardmen's formation was too dense.
Over ten bolts slammed into their ranks.
Explosions echoed as bolts tore through multiple Lizardmen, landing with a splash in the water.
Water splashed high, and agonized screams filled the air.
The sudden attack shocked Chiskale.
How could the goblins attack from such a distance?
"All units, charge!"
At this critical moment, retreat was not an option!
Chiskale raised his stone machete and roared, leading the charge toward the stronghold, wading through the water.
"Kill! Ah-la-la!"
Following his lead, the Lizardmen surged forward like a flood bursting through a dam.
"Ahhh!"
Another round of deafening explosions and screams rang out.
One massive bolt after another pierced the Lizardmen's ranks, destroying everything in their path.
Even a glancing hit sent Lizardmen flying.
The dark mass of the Lizardmen army surged toward the stronghold like a tidal wave.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a thunderous noise erupted from the army's right flank.
In the right wing of the Lizardmen forces, a massive water column shot skyward.
Before it rose, the Lizardmen in that area were reduced to chunks of flesh.
The water column sent a large group of Lizardmen flying.
It didn't stop there—massive water bombs began to rain down on the right flank.
Each water bomb landed precisely among the Lizardmen, tearing apart those it hit.
When they exploded, water droplets scattered like steel needles, piercing Lizardmen within tens of meters.
Screams filled the air on the right flank.
"It's the Swamp Crocodile King!"
"It's the Swamp Crocodile King!"
The Lizardmen on the right quickly identified the attacker.
In the nearby swamp, a massive beast stared at them.
The monstrous creature opened its gaping maw and spewed water bombs.
Caught between the ballista and the Swamp Crocodile King's onslaught, the Lizardmen suffered heavy casualties, losing hundreds before reaching the stronghold.
Fear gripped the Lizardmen as they faced the Swamp Crocodile King.
Why was this creature aiding the goblins?
How could goblins exist where the Swamp Crocodile King resided?
"Damn it! What's going on here?"
Chiskale grabbed the neck of the guiding Lizardman.
The captive Lizardman showed no fear.
Instead, it laughed maniacally.
"Kill them! Kill them! Hurry!"
Chiskale frowned at the captive's madness.
"You lunatic!"
He cursed, tossing the Lizardman aside.
"Retreat! Fall back!"
Chiskale shouted and turned to flee.
The Swamp Crocodile King's unexpected presence caught him off guard.
He wasn't afraid but knew his army lacked the means to counter such a foe.
Without proper preparation, continuing the fight would be futile and cost his people their lives.
His retreat caused hesitation in the charging Lizardmen.
Those nearest to Chiskale were the first to follow his order.
Further away, others joined the retreat after seeing their comrades flee.
The once-surging Lizardmen army dissolved into chaos.
---
The simultaneous attacks of the ballista and the Swamp Crocodile King forced a panicked retreat.
The air was filled with screams, and the sounds of bolts and water bombs echoed.
The fleeing Lizardmen dove into the water at the edge of the deep swamp.
Leaving nearly a thousand corpses behind, the Lizardmen army fled in disarray.
"Wa-wa!"
Seeing the retreat, the goblins on the wooden walls cheered loudly, waving their arms in celebration.
The stronghold erupted in jubilant chaos.
But inside the stronghold, the Lizardmen showed faces of disappointment.
"Run away, just run..."
At the entrance of the largest wooden hut, Bai Ling stood, gazing southward at the wooden walls.
She murmured softly, a trace of sorrow in her eyes.
From this day on, her people would live under the shadow of the goblins.
Before long, the fleeing Lizardmen disappeared into the swamp.
"What cowards! Running so quickly, wahaha!"
On the watchtower, Gobu Di and Gobu Shi laughed loudly.
They were amused by the Lizardmen's cowardice and how easily they were fooled.
Most of all, they laughed at the bloodless victory.
Their laughter echoed for a long time.
---
The next day, inside the largest wooden hut.
"Didn't you say the Lizardmen army would retreat without a fight?"
Li Meng looked exasperated as he listened to Gobu Di's excited report about the previous day's battle.
"Why did they fight?"
He pondered deeply, realizing that the simulated future's "retreat without a fight" wasn't what he imagined.
"At least the casualties were minimal."
That was the only silver lining.
Li Meng didn't want to see events circle back to the same future.
Heavy losses in the expeditionary forces would prompt the Black Mountain Tribe to summon the Savage God Akuya.
This potential future remained vividly in his mind.