Chapter 118: The First Offensive

Adolf waved his hand, and a dozen tall hobgoblins charged forward, brandishing massive spears. These spears were magical weapons bestowed by the Goddess of the Silver Moon before the campaign; upon striking a target, they would release a massive discharge of lightning, creating a violent explosive effect.

Seeing the spears shimmering with halos of light, Sun Licheng immediately realized they were no ordinary weapons. He shouted, "Block those hobgoblins! Don't let them get close!"

Mr. Handy and Dance of Death instantly fired crossbow bolts at the hobgoblins. Two hobgoblins shrieked and fell to the ground, their spears sent flying. However, the other hobgoblins continued their wild charge, shielded by comrades wielding massive shields. With the protection of the shields, the crossbow bolts became ineffective.

Seeing the critical situation, Sun Licheng roared, "Musketeers, fire at those hobgoblins!"

More than twenty warriors of the Zhonghua Tribe immediately gathered and began firing their Zhonghua Type-1 rifles. As the muskets roared, a hail of lead bullets smashed into the hobgoblins. While wooden shields could block arrows, they were no match for bullets. In moments, nearly all the hobgoblins carrying the specialized spears had fallen, writhing and wailing in agony.

Yet, their numbers were vast. One lucky hobgoblin dodged several volleys, reached the base of the stockade wall, and hurled his specialized spear with all his might. Sun Licheng watched as the spear flew through the air and struck the defensive magic array. With a deafening boom, a massive burst of lightning and smoke erupted. The magic array fluctuated violently, and Sun Licheng felt the very wall beneath his feet shudder.

"What a formidable spear," Sun Licheng muttered, his face turning ashen.

The hobgoblin, seeing the effectiveness of his attack, was overjoyed. But before he could let out a roar of victory, several gunshots rang out from the wall. Blood sprayed from his body as he swayed like a leaf in the wind before crashing to the ground with a thud.

Watching his elite hobgoblin squad wiped out, Adolf felt a pain as if his heart were bleeding. The hobgoblins were the elite of the Moon Alliance, and those armed with these specialized spears were the elite of the elite. To lose them all at the foot of the wall with almost zero results was devastating.

"Great Shamans, please take the field," Adolf said, turning to the high shamans of his tribe, his expression anxious.

Seeing the offensive stalled, the shamans nodded without a word and went to prepare. Soon, over a hundred shamans were assembled. To conquer Sun Licheng, the Star-Moon Tribe had gathered nearly every shaman in the Moon Alliance, equipping them with staves blessed by the Goddess of the Silver Moon.

Sun Licheng curled his lip in a cold sneer as he watched the group of shamans walk into the open. Although the goblin race had poor aptitude for magic, these shamans devoted to the Goddess of the Silver Moon had left a deep impression on him. Specifically, their encirclement and annihilation of the "dog-meat" unit made him realize that if he didn't eliminate these troublesome foes, his troops would likely collapse under their relentless bombardment. To this end, he had hidden all his artillery, waiting for the perfect moment to strike a fatal blow. That moment had arrived.

The High Shaman of the Star-Moon Tribe sneered at the besieged valley stockade and began chanting the Holy Song of the Silver Moon. Brilliant, multi-colored lights began to manifest as the shamans chanted. To Adolf, these shamans—though cold and disdainful—were highly trusted and had played pivotal roles in every battle. With the Goddess's blessed staves, he was certain they would break the current deadlock.

Just as he watched with eager anticipation, the unexpected happened. A series of thunderous roars erupted from the stockade wall, and a swarm of black, spherical shadows streaked toward the assembled shamans.

"Oh no—"

Before Adolf could finish his shout, violent explosions accompanied by deafening blasts engulfed the shamans. To maximize the destruction, all artillery was operated by the Dance of Death. Under the precise calculations of these mechanical puppets, all ten Year-One cannons struck their targets with deadly accuracy.

"Yeah!" Sun Licheng cheered, throwing a triumphant punch into the air.

The Year-One cannons fully inherited the rapid-loading and rapid-fire characteristics of the Frankish cannons. In moments, they had fired thirty or forty shells. When Adolf’s troops finally retrieved the shamans, they discovered with grief that even wearing the Goddess's blessed robes, more than half of the shamans had fallen under Sun Licheng's barrage.

Seeing the shamans flee, the Dance of Death units quickly pivoted their cannons, and under the command of the young Medusa Vina, began pouring fire onto the advancing goblin infantry. The explosions and screams, mingled with smoke and fire, quickly disintegrated the goblin offensive. Simple magical armor could not withstand such brutal weaponry, and even the thick-skinned hobgoblins could not survive.

Adolf, having just shaken off the frustration of losing so many shamans, grew furious as he saw the goblins retreating like a receding tide. He grabbed a nearby messenger and roared, "Send in the second wave!"

Soon, countless goblins carrying scaling ladders, shielded by the remaining shamans, rushed toward the valley stockade again. The shell-shocked shamans had learned their lesson; they hid in scattered positions, exposing themselves only for the split second needed to cast spells. Against such tactics, the ten cannons on the wall were powerless.

With the shamans' fire support, the goblins braved the artillery, stepping over the corpses of their comrades to reach the edge of the magic array. They struck the array frantically with various weapons until it could no longer hold. After a series of shimmering ripples, gaps appeared. The goblins seized the opportunity and charged in with their ladders.

Despite their short, thin frames, the goblins were invigorated by their war dances. Once the ladders touched the wall, they bit down on their weapons and climbed with lightning speed. The Zhonghua Tribe did not let them succeed easily, brandishing their weapons to intercept them. A fierce battle erupted atop the stockade walls.

Although the Zhonghua Tribe had advanced weaponry and the Dance of Death were powerful individual combatants, they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of goblins and were soon hard-pressed on all sides.

"Ha-ha!" Adolf and Ships laughed as they saw Sun Licheng’s forces faltering.

Several deafening booms jolted the smug pair. They looked up to see the Zhonghua tribesmen raining bombs down from the walls. The goblins clearly had no experience with this defensive tactic; they were thrown into chaos, and many ladders were shattered, sending the goblins atop them screaming to their deaths.

Amidst the goblin disorder, more muskets and cannons fired violently from the walls. The goblins finally broke, screaming as they fled back.

"Sigh..." Watching his offensive fail once more, Adolf heaved a deep, helpless sigh and issued the order to retreat.