The two large armies were like two beasts that had fought each other for a long time. Both were already exhausted. They breathed heavily as they watched each other with vicious, bloodshot eyes. They gently licked their wounds, while they watched their opponent with vigilant eyes. They looked for an opportunity, ready to rise and deal a fatal blow.
Tiger finally could no longer wait. He dispatched the special troops of the Roland army, the War Chariots.
The War Chariots was a well-known and special type of troop of the Roland Continent. That troop had special characteristics: sturdy and a powerful momentum. The impact from a direct hit would be terrifying especially on the open plains.
Each chariot was made with the special ironwood from the Roland Continent. They were very sturdy and ordinary fireballs could not destroy them. Sharp blades were also fixed on the wheels on both sides of the chariots. When the chariots moved, the wheels would roll and the revolving blades would become as terrible as the whirlwind.
Every chariot was equipped with three specially selected strong warriors. These warriors were selected in accordance with some standard of physique and strength. They wore heavy armors with strong protective capabilities, similar to the armors worn by heavy infantries. One of them would drive the chariot while the other two would fight, one holding an ax and the other a spear. Besides that, they were also equipped with leather shields to protect themselves from arrows during a charge. When they were near their enemies, these warriors would swap the shields for their spear or ax to attack.
Every chariot would be pulled by two excellent warhorses. These warhorses had gone through many layers of selection and were also rigorously trained. These warhorses were much stronger than ordinary horses but their speed and stamina were slightly lower. The warhorses were also draped with light armors to give them some protection.
This type of troop would be extremely lethal in an open field. The solid carriages were similar to charging fortresses for attacking enemies. They could easily charge through the formation of heavy infantries, while the archers behind those infantries would not be able to do much damage to them.
Just imagine, when the heavy and solid chariot charged at a human body... it was definitely a nightmare!
Although the advantages of the chariot were obvious, its weaknesses were also prominent. That was one of the reasons why Tiger did not dispatch these troops earlier. The other reason was that the chariots were extremely expensive. A chariot unit would be several times more expensive than a knight unit.
The ironwood used to make chariots cost quite a sum of money. The costs of maintenance and repair were also quite alarming. Besides that, the soldiers on the chariots must also be carefully selected. Although it was easy to train an ordinary soldier, it was difficult to train the chariot soldier. They had to undergo several layers of careful selection from the army. The warhorses were also the cream of the crop. Coupled with the cost of weapons and armors, the total cost became extremely huge.
The War Chariots was a special army of Sauron Kingdom. They were unique to the Sauron Kingdom. The other smaller kingdoms of Roland continent did not have the ability to support such an expensive army. They were also unable to select many good soldiers.
Even though the Sauron Kingdom controlled almost half of the national strength of the Roland Continent, they could only form three thousand chariot teams with about ten thousand soldiers. However, when compared to their fifty thousand Royal Knights, the expenses needed for these ten thousand soldiers were much higher.
"It is time…" As the war drum continued to beat, the two armies assembled at the wilderness. Tiger then said in his heart. Let us see if this team of War Chariots could fight, face to face, with that scary Lightning God’s Whip.
Naturally, Tiger did not dare use the War Chariots earlier because that was the Sauron Kingdom's real trump card. King Sauron had spent a lot of money to build up that horrible war machine with the purpose of fighting the Holy Knights on the Roland Continent.
King Sauron had a great ambition. He was naturally dissatisfied that his royal authority was supplanted by the religious authority. The War Chariots was originally meant to be used as the trump card against the Holy Knights of the Temple in the future...
After the loud and clear sound of the military horn, the army of the Radiant Empire began to move slowly.
Before them were the formations of several tens of thousands of the Northern Legion’s heavy infantries, followed by two cavalries on both sides... Cavalry? Tiger wrinkled his brow. How come the Lightning God’s Whip did not appear?
After an Imperial officer in the camp shouted his command, the phalanx formations of the Radiant Empire's heavy infantries slowly moved forward. The soldiers also shouted loudly in unison as the morning sun shined on their swords and bright armors.
The neat phalanx formations slowly advanced. The sound of the heavy pounding steps, together with the tinkling sounds of their weapons and armors colliding, fiercely hammered into the hearts of the Roland soldiers.
Tiger looked at his enemy and sighed again, "If only I had one hundred thousand of such elite infantry..."
He then shook his head and thought. Now is a time of war. This inexplicable idea is really meaningless.
He then whispered something. His conveying officer immediately passed down his military orders.
The front row of the battle formation of the Roland army slowly stepped aside, revealing a huge opening. After that there was the loud sound of a horn and, immediately, the sky shook and the earth quaked.
Those who did not personally witness that would never be able to appreciate that kind of shock.
The earth had immediately started to shake the moment the horn was sounded. Thousands of chariots charged forward as if a savage beast had awoken. The sound of horses' painful neighs and the soldiers' high-pitched cries were all mixed together. Although the cries were not grating and ear-piercing, it was sharp enough to make their ears go deaf and their hearts trembled.
The rolling wheels threw earth all over. Leading the billowing earth and dust were thousands of speeding chariots. Although the chariots were still a distance away, the roar of the opponent soldiers was clear and their blood red eyes were evident.
The commanding officers of Radiant Empire immediately realized the danger. They gave the orders and the archers behind the infantries immediately shot a volley of arrows. A huge concentrated volley of arrows ferociously shot towards the charging chariots. However, those on the chariots raised their heavy shields, effectively keeping them safe. Even when the arrows occasionally got past the shields, they did not cause much damage because of the heavy armors.
After a volley of arrows, the chariots had already gotten much closer.
"Get ready!" An officer of the Empire shouted loudly. The soldiers nervously moved forward and gradually closed up. They tried to make their square formation more packed and deeper.
"Get ready!" The officer cried out again and he sounded a little nervous.
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