Throughout the night Ben's troops continued to teleport from Dragonshome to the secluded valley. They brought any weapons, gear, or supplies they might need for the battle to take back the Rodara region.
Ben had continued to look over the terrain surrounding the city of Rodwynne. He eventually decided on a place just southwest of the capital city.
Once he decided on this spot he went to cultivate for the rest of the night and take advantage of the higher concentration of QI on this continent.
Just before sunrise, he had finally broken through.
"Status"
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[STATUS]
Host: Ben King
System Level: 65
[Health]: 2010/2010
[Mana]: 2160/2160
[Strength]: 219
[Agility]: 203
[Stamina]: 249
[Intelligence]: 216
[Wisdom]: 211
[Vitality]: 201
[Charisma]: 163
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[SKILLS]
[Running: Level 9]
[Spriniting: Level 8]
[Enhanced Hearing: Level 19]
[Sword Mastery: Level 12]
[Hand to Hand Combat: Level 5]
[Pain Reflection: Level 5]
[Chameleon: Level 19]
[Silent Movement: Level 7]
[Bowman Sniper: Level 6]
[Victus Zoologist: Level 8]
[Poison Resistance: Level 5]
[Analyze: Level 9]
[Echolocation: Level 6]
[Mercantile Skill: Level 6]
[Iron Grasp: Level 7]
[Herbalist Aura Vision Level 9]
[Penmanship: Level 1]
[Grappling Level 2]
[Night Sight: Level 9]
[Acrobatics: Level 2]
[Photo Reading]
[Mount Riding Level 1]
[Piano: Level 3]
[Modini Dance: Level 2]
[Dollu Dance: Level 2]
[Singing: Level 3]
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[SPELLS]
[Spells]:
[Mana Manipulation: Adept: Level: 4]
[Mana Ball: Apprentice: Level: 1]
[Mana Shield: Apprentice: Level: 8]
[Enhance Form: Adept: Level: 9]
[Slave Command: Apprentice: Level: 5]
[Mending Touch: Adept: Level: 9]
[Mana Javelin: Adept: Level: 2]
[Sleep: Apprentice: Level 1]
[Zoom Spell]
[Raise Earth: Adept: Level: 3]
[Lower Earth: Adept: Level: 1]
[Ensnare: Adept: Level: 1]
[Barkskin: Adept: Level: 4]
[Weather Control: Apprentice: Level: 3]
[Reverse Gravity: Apprentice: Level: 8]
[Wind Control: Apprentice: Level: 4]
[Firebolt: Expert: Level: 3]
[Lightning Bolt Expert: Level: 2]
[Disguise Self: Apprentice: Level: 4]
[Open Lock: Apprentice: Level: 3]
[Teleport: Apprentice: Level: 3]
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[CULTIVATION STAGE]
[Stage Six: Level: Eight]
[Current stage provides +5 to attributes per level]
[Current stage +100 QI per stage and +10 QI per level]
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[CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES]
[Immortal Strengthening Technique: Stage 6: Level 8]
[Whirlwind Maneuver: Level 14]
[Aura Assault: Level 5]
[Cultivation Reader: Level 1]
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[CLASSES]
Druid Class: Provides boosts to healing, weather, animal summoning, nature, and elemental based spells.
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[PROFESSIONS]
[Sign Maker Level 2]
[Graphic Designer Level 2]
[Carpenter Level 6]
[Furniture Maker Level 5]
[Interior Designer: Level 6]
[Metallurgical Engineering: Level 6]
[Public Speaker: Level 6]
[Formations: Level 6]
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Before leaving his tent Ben looked over his Status to see how his attributes were coming along.
'I need to set to start seriously cultivating. I have been too occupied running around between all of these new regions and trying to manage my businesses that my cultivation gains have almost come to a standstill.'
Ben was nervous about how strong the enemy cultivators who came along with the invaders would be and was now cursing himself for not properly cultivating.
With this attack from the three northern kingdoms and the unknown larger empire to the east who knows what the future might throw at him. His troops just aren't enough on this continent to deal with the huge numbers of enemy forces these new kingdoms and empire can raise.
Nothing could be accomplished now worrying over what could happen. He had to gather his generals and troops together and prepare to move out at sunrise.
An hour later the camp was packed up and a long line of carriages, men on horseback, and creatures came marching out the valley heading east toward the Rodara capital city.
Ben had the dragons fly above them at low elevations so they would not be seen and put the enemy on alert.
They marched all day and halfway into the next day to reach their destination. Ben had his army begin to set up camp while he opened his map to make sure they were in the spot he had chosen.
[Rodara Battle Map]: [https://i.postimg.cc/pLh0FDHs/3-kingdoms-main-battle-map.jpg]
They were currently located in a narrow canyon between mountains and hills. Ben had the troops make camp just west of the choke point he planned to use in the up and coming battle.
Just how he had done at the Sandy River bridge battle, Ben picked a spot where the enemy could not bring the full force of their troops against them.
Ben gave orders to allow the troops to rest for the next two days and to get familiar with the canyon. He and his generals met each day to go over his plan and to give them their battle orders.
The two days went by quickly and they all made their way to where Ben wanted them.
On the frontline across the narrowest point of the canyon, the phalanx was lined up with the dismounted knights. Behind the phalanx and dismounted knights were one thousand Elven archers making up the second row.
The third row behind the archers were cultivator/magi and the fourth line was made up Draconians.
Finally the last back line was made up of trebuchets manned by engineers who had the new ball and chain for ammunition. Two fifty-pound stone balls were attached by a thirty-five-yard long thick steel chain.
Each of the connected stone balls would be fired from two separated trebuchets. The taunt chain between the two balls is designed to take out troops as the two balls land and roll through the advancing enemy ranks.
Out on the far left and right flanks, Ben lined up his rifled cannons and ballista. They were set back twenty yards on the flanks from the frontline so that phalanx and dismounted knights could maneuver in front of them as the enemy approaches.
The two black dragons remained back at the camp for now and the remaining troops were hidden in the small forests east of the frontline.
When Ben was satisfied with his troop arrangements he began walking east through the canyon followed by the two thousand female Human light swordsmen and five hundred female Elven archers.
The capital city was located just over eight hundred yards or a half mile from the canyon entrance and the enemy troops had made camp just over two hundred yards from the city walls. They believed to be out of arrow range of the city, but Ben had actually given the garrison orders to not attack the besiegers. He did not want to force them into attacking the city before he had prepared to attack them.
When Ben led the female troops out of the canyon they could see the enemy forces camp around six hundred yards from where they were.
They continued east without drawing attention and were able to reach a small hill four hundred yards from the enemy. With the female Elven archers standing on top of the hill and the beautiful looking female light swordsmen wearing their short white day dresses standing at the base of the hill Ben gave them orders preparing to attack.
Those enemy invaders had been camped around the capital for over a month now and Ben knew once they saw his bait they would be easily lured into his trap.
Ben stood behind the female archers and gave yelled out his orders.
"Archers, knock arrows!"
"Archers fire at will!"
Steams of arrows began to arch through the clear blue skies to land in the enemy camp who was just beginning to become aware of the small group of women located on the hill behind their camp.
The two thousand women in white dresses began screaming at the top of their lungs and waving their daggers in the air as the arrows rained down on the enemy troops.
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Enemy POV;
A runner ran up to a military officer and gave a quick report, "Commander our guards just spotted a group of people behind us! We aren't sure where they came from and we believe they are all women!"
The commander with a surprised look asked, "Women? What are women doing out that way there aren't any towns or villages for miles in that direction?"
Screams of pain and confusion suddenly erupted in the camp a couple of hundred yards from the commander's location.
He prepared to send the messenger over to find out what was going on when another messenger came to him.
"Sir! The small force of women to the east just launched a continuous barrage of arrows into the camp we have a few fatalities and injuries. The women appear to be wearing short white dresses and did not appear to be a threat until they suddenly attacked us from a small hilltop!"
The commander scowled and said, "What in the hell is going on here!? I thought this kingdom was made up of strong highly trained soldiers! Why are they sending their women to fight us? Are they a separate faction from the Avalon kingdom?"
"I'm not sure commander, they do not look like they are prepared for battle, but they seemed skilled with the bow. They are at least three or four hundred yards from our camp and aren't having any difficulty attacking us!"
"How many of them are out there?" The commander asked.
"I would say approximately three thousand total? What are your orders sir they do not seem to be willing to let up on their attack and our men do not have anywhere to hide from their arrow barrages!"
"This might be a trick to have us break our siege on the capital."
The commander looked to the military officers who had just arrived beside him looking to find out what was happening.
"Officer Miles! Officer Ivo! I need to remain here and continue the siege and prepare for any tricks the enemy might use to break into or out of the city. They might be attempting to bring in supplies. Take twenty thousand men and go out there and capture or eliminate those women."
""Yes sir!""
The two officers ran off to prepare to attack the women who were forcing their troops to flee from the merciless arrow assault.
Twenty thousand men soon marched out of the camp from the north and turned south to attempt to engage the enemy.
Even when they came under attack as they approached the men began to show lustful looks on their faces. The small group of women began to set their imaginations in motion as they thought about what might happen after capturing a few of them.
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Ben was disappointed to see the twenty thousand men sent out. He was hoping for a bigger catch to start with.
'This commander seems to be a grade above those from the eight kingdoms continent. It looks like he isn't allowing his emotions to get the better of him.'
Ben could only work with what he had been sent. He had his small force of women continue to retreat into the canyon and commence their arrow barrage on the advancing enemy.
They continued to retreat an attack from a distance as they made their way toward the frontline. Ben told them to continue to draw them in and took off to meet back up with the other troops.
Before the advancing enemy troops could spot his frontline Ben cast his Weather Control spell and a fog began to rise from the ground and spread across the canyon. He then moved forward and cast Weather Control a few more times to make various thicknesses of fog.
When the advancing enemies reached the first layer of fog they did not find it strange because it gradually became thicker to the point where they could no longer see more than fifty yards.
It was at this time Ben gave orders for his cannons, ballista, and trebuchets to open fire. The cannons were loaded with canister shot which effectively turned them into long distance shotguns.
The ballista was loaded with five long thick bolts and the trebuchets fired the ball and chain. The surprise attack simultaneously ripped through the enemy ranks instantly killing and maiming hundreds of men.
The surroundings were filled with blood, gore and body parts. The chains strung between balls cut and tore men in half while the blots skewered multiple men on each bolt. Three-inch round metal ball bearing shot out of the cannons to spread out and create a wall of flying metal balls that tore apart the shocked enemy.
After a couple rapid barrages Ben drooped the fog to reveal his line of troops not more than two hundred yards from the enemy. The frontline spread out to the left and right to protect the rear cannons and ballista who were ordered to hold their fire.
Ben's frontline spread out across the entire canyon and there was no way for the enemy to attack except straight forward.
Once the initial shock wore off the enemy officer noticed they still had superior numbers even with the losses they took. They sent their men forward to charge the frontlines and avenge their fallen countrymen.
Ben allowed the to forces to engage one another for about fifteen minutes before he took out a flare gun he had bought from the System Store. He fired a green flare into the air to bring out his hidden troops.
Two hundred yards east of the frontline two thousand mounted knights riding horses charged out of the northern treeline followed by two hundred Half-Giants. Seconds later one thousand war elephants carrying two archers and spearmen each came crashing out of the southern treeline with two hundred armored dire tigers following them.
The northern and southern regiments turned west and began charging directly at the rear of the enemy force who was engaged with Ben's frontline troops.
Ben planned to introduce the enemy to a trick he had learned from studying Alexander the great. The phalanx is the anvil and the cavalry are the hammer! While the enemy is engaged with the phalanx the cavalry charges in from behind them and drives them into the fifteen-foot long steel-tipped sarissas.
The enemy heard the thunderous charge approaching them from behind. They were now pinned in between to attacking forces and had nowhere to run! They could only brace themselves in fear as the monstrous elephants and armored horses slammed in their rear ranks who turned to brace against the charge.
Men were thrown and trampled as their ranks were torn wide open. As the horses and elephants continued forward causing havoc they left wide gaps behind where the Half-Giants could change in with the armored dire tigers.
These creatures were never seen on this planet and these simple working men now invading soldiers were scared to death! The elephants are twice the size of a standard African elephant. They are armored, have blades are their tusks that they flail around while the men on their backs attack from out of reach of their swords.
The dire tigers weigh more than an automobile and have claws like steel spikes that shred through the sparse armor of their victims.
The Half-Giants are an unstoppable force. Covered from head to toe in metal armor they skillfully swing over-sized swords and axes the size of a regular man.
As the panic of Ben's shock troops began to crush the enemy morale he gave the command to the Draconians in the rear to fly up and land on the enemy flanks to completely surround them.
The once confident twenty thousand men were now surrounded and eliminated. They had no routes of escape and could only form a large circle and attempt to preserve their lives to the end.
Ben watched over the battle and pulled his troops back when the enemy had enough. It was obvious they were all going to die if they continued on so they began to drop their weapons.
Around two thousand enemy troops surrendered and were taken back to Ben's camp where they were kept under guard.
There were now approximately forty thousand troops and possible cultivators still surrounding the Rodara capital and Ben would need to figure out how to deal with them next.