Chapter 335: Chapter 298 Frostleaf City_1
The Barbaric Orcs are a multi-racial tribal alliance. Based on the size and strength of the tribe, the chiefs’ names are prefixed with "Little," "Great," or "Old."
The Chief Little Lillia, who had been in contact with Shortgun, was the leader of a small tribe of Big-eared monsters, and the commander leading the orcs of the Wildwind Highlands was Old Mom.
Old Mom is an ogre of great strength, a well-known warrior among the Barbaric Orcs.
In the recent battle of the Wildwind Highlands, Old Mom led the orc Great Army to attack Storm City. Just when victory was within grasp, he received news from Shortgun about the Elves’ betrayal, who were planning a sneak attack on Highland City.
Initially, Old Mom didn’t quite believe it. After all, Shortgun’s people were human, and the identity of those behind them was uncertain. If this information proved false, he would be branded a traitor by the Barbaric Orcs.
But the cautious Old Mom immediately utilized his intelligence network, going to great lengths to confirm the credibility of this information.
Various clues indicated that Elf Envoys were indeed in Nuta City, making contact with Lady Karol of the Silvermane Principality. At the same time, the main Elf forces responsible for the eastern front seemed overly passive.
Though there was no explicit evidence to prove the Elves’ betrayal, as a commander, Old Mom still made his decision in the shortest possible time.
The orc Great Army withdrew from the Anjik Fort frontline and swiftly launched a surprise attack on the Elves’ Frostleaf City. Meanwhile, Shortgun also proposed that they would incite a riot in Nuta City, forcing Count Theodore to lock down the city. This would delay the Elf Envoys, buying time for the orc Great Army’s relocation.
The entire surprise attack went very smoothly.
The defenders of Anjik Fort were successfully deceived, completely unaware that their opponents had left. The Elves guarding Frostleaf City failed to raise sufficient alarm at the small number of orc Scouts spotted nearby. The Elf Scouts patrolling the outskirts of Frostleaf City were lured and encircled by a small contingent of elite orcs. The city’s elven defenders remained unaware of the orc vanguard’s approach, even as it reached the earth beneath Frostleaf City.
The subsequent siege was devoid of suspense.
Frostleaf City, already poorly defended, was stormed and taken by the orc Great Army.
From then on, the orc Great Army no longer had the strength to launch an attack on the humans. Merely garrisoning Highland City and Frostleaf City stretched the recently battle-weary orc forces thin.
But before the orcs could transfer supplies from Highland City, a heavy snowfall blocked the roads between the two cities.
The orcs’ main force was trapped inside Frostleaf City.
The snow fell intermittently, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, never truly ceasing. No one knew when the good weather would return.
As Frostleaf City was the main elven city built in the Wildwind Highlands, its supply reserves were relatively abundant. Food and drink were plentiful; only warm cotton clothes and bedding were lacking.
To keep warm, the orc soldiers looted throughout Frostleaf City. They robbed Elf civilians of their clothes to wear and smashed many houses to collect wood for heating.
But the real winter had not yet arrived.
If the road back to the Barbaric Orcs remained closed for a long time, even Highland City wouldn’t have enough supplies for the orc Great Army to survive the winter.
Old Mom stayed in Frostleaf City to keep his troops in check, pondering how to get these young warriors through the winter.
"Chief Little Lillia, is Shortgun still unwilling to supply us with some supplies for the winter?"
Old Mom walked along Frostleaf City’s walls, a blanket of white covering everything both inside and out. Chief Little Lillia, responsible for communicating with Shortgun, followed beside him.
Little Lillia, a Big-eared monster, was only tall enough to reach an ogre’s waist. He moved his short legs quickly, staying close by Old Mom’s side.
He answered, "Yes, Great Commander Old Mom, Shortgun refused our request to purchase supplies from them. These hypocritical humans. If they hadn’t stolen our Gold in Nuta City, that money wouldn’t have been lost. That was one million Gold Coins, enough to buy our warriors several sets of winter clothing and bedding."
Chief Little Lillia was very angry at the mention of Shortgun.
He had painstakingly managed to transport Gold to the vault in Nuta City bit by bit. These were the wealth of the Barbaric Orcs, all now gone... If it weren’t for the ongoing war, the heavy responsibility might have already fallen on his head.
Fortunately, Shortgun had timely provided intelligence on the Elves and the Silvermane Principality’s secret agent, allowing Chief Little Lillia to redeem his past faults.
Hearing that Shortgun refused to provide supplies for the orc Great Army, Old Mom paused briefly before continuing his walk along the city wall.
"Little Lillia, who do you think is behind Shortgun?"
Little Lillia replied, "I’ve been investigating as well, but I haven’t found any clues yet."
Old Mom smiled and asked, "The war is over now. Who do you think has profited the most?"
Little Lillia pondered a moment before answering, "First and foremost, it is definitely not the Elves. With Frostleaf City in our hands, the Snow Elves have lost their stronghold in the Wildwind Highlands.
"As for the remnant Elf forces that entered the Thunderous Swamp, they will probably be devoured by the swamp savages, leaving not even the dregs behind. The Elves have surely suffered the most damage.
"Next is Marquis Anderson. Although he was fortunate enough to keep Storm City, his killing of Count Fio has chilled his relationship with the Silver Mane Duke to freezing point. They could break out into conflict at any time, possibly sparking a civil war within the Silvermane Principality.
"We are certainly the biggest gainers. Taking Frostleaf City is akin to strangling the Snow Elves. If we can force the Elves to migrate northwards, it would mean we have snatched a vast amount of fertile land for the Barbaric Orcs."
Little Lillia spoke enthusiastically, his excitement clear.