Most knights fantasized about arriving on the battlefield at the break of dawn, their lances raised, their lines unbroken, and their righteous charge determining the outcome of the war. They imagined the grateful Ostlanders cheering their timely intervention, their gratitude eternal for Bretonnia's aid.
But Ryan knew better. He understood the harsh reality of attempting to reinforce Wolfenburg with a forced march of 150 kilometers in just 40 hours. For any human army, this was an extreme undertaking, bordering on madness.
Of course, some might argue, "What's the big deal? At a walking pace of 5 kilometers per hour, I could cover 200 kilometers in 40 hours!"
Well, there's no reasoning with such people, is there?
Let's break it down. In ancient times, the average daily marching speed for armies was about 10 kilometers. Pushing to 20 kilometers in a day was considered a forced march. Even during the Napoleonic Wars, a pace of 20 kilometers per day was remarkable for large armies, and the French, renowned for their speed, rarely exceeded it.
To march faster, you'd need perfect conditions: good roads, ample pre-positioned supplies, and additional logistics.
A forced march isn't a marathon. Soldiers must arrive ready to fight immediately, not collapse from exhaustion.
Thus, when Leman Russ appeared in Herzig and demanded that Ryan immediately dispatch reinforcements to save Wolfenburg, Ryan's first reaction was to refuse.
Marching an army of over 60,000 troops 150 kilometers to Wolfenburg on such short notice? It was a reckless military gamble, one that no sensible commander would accept.
Russ, however, was unyielding. He couldn't stand by and let 380,000 people die in Wolfenburg. Ryan had to act, and act now.
The two Primarchs clashed in a fierce argument. There was no warmth, no brotherly camaraderie—just shouting and accusations. Ryan argued that his 70,000 troops, the best field army in the Old World, couldn't be squandered in Ostland. If this force was lost, the Empire's troubles would extend far beyond Ostland's annihilation.
Even if they miraculously defeated the Chaos army, the casualties would be so severe that recovery would take decades. As commander, Ryan could not risk such a catastrophic loss. The knightly lords and the kingdom's people had entrusted him with their lives; he couldn't gamble them away recklessly.
Russ was relentless. He accused Ryan of being heartless, questioning whether he even had a soul. "Ostlanders are fighting and dying on the front lines, and you're just going to stand here and watch? Are you, the Grey Knight Primarch, less than a beast? Humanity has already endured unimaginable suffering—millions are dead! And you sit there, cold and indifferent, talking about preserving your strength and the bigger picture?"
Russ's ten-minute tirade, complete with spittle flying into Ryan's face, would have put even the most obnoxious greenskin to shame.
In the end, Russ "persuaded" Ryan to act.
By pointing his Spear of the Allfather directly at Ryan's forehead.
"Are you going to march, or not?"
Even with Russ's insistence, no amount of strength or will could defy the laws of reality. The army departed Herzig immediately, their march bolstered by a short stretch of river travel and the recruitment of countless laborers. Still, the two-day forced march left the reinforcements utterly exhausted.
As Louen, Berchmond, Helborg, and other commanders led their cavalry toward Wolfenburg, they were ambushed by a Chaos force of daemon legions and monstrous warbands. The trap, carefully prepared by Mortkin, inflicted devastating losses. The Chaos Dwarfs' powerful artillery rained destruction on the knights, forcing them to retreat.
In the chaos, Ryan personally entered the battlefield, directing Veronica to conjure a massive warding shield against the Chaos Dwarfs' bombardment. Morgiana cast the Lady's Blessing, a powerful enchantment that protected the retreating cavalry. Only through their combined efforts did the knights manage to withdraw from the ambush.
Ryan ordered the army to halt their advance, regroup, and rest. They needed time to recover and await the arrival of the infantry and artillery before launching another assault.
Meanwhile, Russ, as impatient as ever, charged straight into the fray. This was exactly what the Chaos Daemons had hoped for. The Greater Daemon of Slaanesh, the Eternal Dancer, confronted Russ directly. Its flawless combat skills and ceaseless, hypnotic dance countered the Wolf King's ferocity and wild strength.
"We can't fight like this!" Ryan exclaimed to Reiksmarshal Helborg and Nuln Grand Marshal Erstein. With Emilia overseeing Herzig's defenses, Ryan took command of the coalition forces. "We need to wait for the rest of the army to arrive."
Helborg frowned deeply. The Reiksmarshal initially suspected that Ryan might be trying to conserve his forces, but his soldier's intuition told him that Ryan was right—there was no way to win under these conditions.
"I agree with King Ryan's assessment," Erstein said. Nuln's Ironclad regiments and Blackstone Guard had been deployed in full force, leaving only a token garrison behind. Even these elite troops were struggling after the grueling march.
Reluctantly, the coalition army withdrew slightly to rest and prepare for the next assault.
The knights of Bretonnia, led by Louen and Berchmond, attempted another charge but were repelled again. Duke Hagen was injured in the first wave and had to be carried off the field. Under Morgiana's care, the Lake Priestesses tended to the wounded, shrouding the army in a protective mist using the Lady's Veil.
An hour later, the reinforcements finally arrived, and the full coalition army assembled at the gates of Wolfenburg. Battle erupted outside the southern Wolfra Gate.
However, the battle heavily favored Chaos. The human coalition, weary from their forced march, faced a well-entrenched Chaos army. The defenders, led by the two-headed Chaos Champion giant Gugo and Chaos Dwarf warlord Hussein Sayid, had established formidable defenses.
Wave after wave of human assaults were repelled by Chaos Dwarfs' war machines and daemonic engines. Knightly charges were countered by Chaos spawn and warbands of Chaos trolls, forcing the cavalry to retreat after two failed attempts.
Outside the city, Ryan watched in frustration as his army was repeatedly driven back.
Bertrand, the commander of the Old Guard, approached, his uniform covered in dust and soot from Chaos artillery. "Sire, the Chaos Dwarfs have fortified their positions. We can't break through without a new plan!"
"Damn it, Mortkin anticipated our movements," Helborg muttered, peering through his spyglass at the gate.
Dozens of Chaos Dwarf cannons formed an overlapping network of fire, preventing the coalition from advancing. Behind the lines, the Chaos Magma Cannons—terrifying siege weapons operated by Chaos Ogres and engineers—spewed molten lava instead of conventional shells.
The artillery fire was further bolstered by hundreds of Chaos Dwarf blunderbuss troops, whose relentless volleys kept the human soldiers pinned down.
"Comet Strike!" Veronica unleashed a devastating spell, obliterating a Chaos Dwarf battery. However, the Dwarfs' resistance to magic and their tolerance for fire reduced the overall impact of her spells. The daemonic engines simply devoured captured prisoners to regenerate, undoing any damage.
"This is a waste of ammunition!" Jubar Falk, commander of Nuln's Ironclads, ordered his troops to cease fire. The army had marched with limited supplies, and every cannonball was precious.
Meanwhile, Morgiana concentrated on maintaining the Lady's Veil. Without it, the coalition's position would be entirely exposed to Chaos artillery.
"Lady Aurora?" Ryan turned to the Ice Witch, his eyes pleading for a solution. Even with his mighty sword, Vengeance, Ryan had been forced to retreat under the relentless fire of the Chaos Dwarfs.
Theresa was absent, left behind in Herzig, so Aurora was the coalition's best hope.
"I need time to summon the Greater Ice Elemental," Aurora said grimly. "But afterward, I'll need two or three months to recover."
"You can rest for a year if it works!" Helborg shouted. "Just do it!"
While the main army struggled outside, chaos reigned within the city. The Chaos forces had begun their assault on Bull's Keep.
At the rear of the Chaos lines, their ammunition depot was hidden within several daemonic locomotives. Chaos Dwarfs moved freely between the depot and the front, confident in their unassailable position.
But no one noticed the small door opening in the wall near the Wolfra Gate. Out stepped a limping Wood Elf and an orange-haired Dwarf.
The two surveyed the depot from the shadows.
"We need to destroy their ammunition depot. Without it, the Knight-King's army won't be able to breach their defenses," said Agrim Ironfist, the Slayer King. Exhausted after hours of fighting, even he was nearing his limit.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Araloth, the Wood Elf hero, replied, his limp evident as he peered at the battlefield where the coalition clashed with Chaos forces. "But tell me, Ironfist, how do you know about this secret path?"
"Wolfenburg was originally built by Dwarfs," Agrim said proudly, resting his massive axe on his shoulder. "We know every stone and tunnel like the back of our hand."
"Fair enough," Aral
oth muttered. "But keep your voice down, Dwarf!"
The two crouched low as a patrol of Chaos Dwarf oath-bound sentinels passed by. Not far ahead, the ammunition depot was heavily guarded.
"Let's deal with them!" Agrim grinned, readying his axe.
Araloth surveyed the distance and shook his head. "It's too far, short legs."
Agrim snorted, but before he could retort, Araloth grimaced as he looked at his injured leg. A realization dawned on him. His face paled. "You're saying…"
"You can't make the jump," Agrim said matter-of-factly.
Araloth clenched his teeth, his gums bleeding from the strain. He gripped his backup weapon, a long-handled green-leaf axe, and growled, "So you're going to jump while I sit here and watch?"
"Exactly," Agrim replied, already preparing himself.
"No!" Araloth took a deep breath, his expression serious. "Throw me."
"What?!" Agrim looked genuinely startled.
"You're strong, and I'm light," Araloth explained, his face flushed with embarrassment. "Grab the back of my cloak and throw me over. My leg's injured—I can't make the jump myself!"
"Are you sure?" Agrim asked, wide-eyed.
"Just do it!" Araloth hissed. "And Dwarf, don't you dare tell anyone about this!"
"By Grungni, not a word," Agrim promised, grinning. "Ready, elf boy?"
"And one more thing!" Araloth shouted. "Aim well!"
With a grunt of effort, Agrim grabbed Araloth's cloak and hurled him through the air. The Wood Elf soared over the gap, landing amidst the Chaos Dwarf guards.
"I am Araloth the Brave! In the name of Lilith, die!" Araloth bellowed, his axe cleaving two oath-bound sentinels in half before he nocked an arrow. "Kurnous' Arrow!"
The starfire-lit projectiles rained down, igniting the depot.
Meanwhile, Agrim took a deep breath and launched himself like a spring, roaring, "For Grungni!"
An orange comet descended from the sky.
As the human coalition fought desperately outside, an enormous explosion suddenly erupted in the rear of the Chaos lines.
The ammunition depot had detonated, throwing the Chaos Dwarf artillery into disarray. Without their firepower, the Chaos army's defenses began to falter.
"This is our chance!" Ryan shouted, drawing Vengeance. "All units, advance!"
"For the Lady and the King! For Bretonnia!"
"For the Empire! For the Savior Ludwig!"
"For Ulric!"
The coalition forces surged forward, breaking through the Chaos lines at the Wolfra Gate.
When Ryan reached the gate, the sight before him left the Knight-King and his commanders speechless.
Beneath the shadow of the city walls, Araloth and Agrim stood back-to-back, axes in hand, holding the line against the endless horde of Chaos warriors.
Their defiance had become legend.
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