novelraw #211 - Section 211
#211 - Section 211
Roger looked at the hatching sacs beginning to form on the base coral and couldn't help but smile. "This is a weapon that will grow on its own, adapt to the environment, and constantly evolve. Tomorrow morning, they will help us provide fire suppression."
After the base coral produced enough planktonic predators, it began to hatch self-detonating fish. In addition to the conventional combat attributes, Roger specified that one attribute should account for more than 60% of the output, in order to complete the combat layout for tomorrow.
Chapter 188: Roger, the Scum Who Opens the Full Map
The Sea Country's second line of defense, Prince Shark's camp.
In the central military tent, Shark looked at the letter from the Fourth Prince, Doer, feeling both surprised, inexplicably embarrassed, and deeply fearful.
That handsome face, inherited from the excellent genes of both parents, and his tall figure, couldn't muster any imposing presence due to his timid and shrinking demeanor.
This is also why Shark has never been supported by his subjects, despite his pure bloodline.
He had long aspired to be a peaceful emperor, or if that was not possible, a leisurely prince. He was actually quite surprised that he would one day come to the battlefield and directly resist the forces of the Naga Empire.
According to his vision, even if the Sea Country were to lose, it would rely on its vast territory, and at least before he died, it would not be annexed by the Naga, right?
He was like a carefree spendthrift who, in his original plan, would guard his mountains of gold and silver and leave the problems for his son to solve.
But because of a moment of confusion, he was tricked by Xia Ti into going to the Qing Teng Empire, and then that foolish Xia Ti's actions failed, implicating him as a hostage.
Subsequently, the situation in the Sea Country deteriorated sharply.
The Naga's offensive was not a gradual encroachment like before. After a qualitative change in their strength, their offensive was crazy and irresistible. The Sea Country was collapsing at a speed that Shark could not imagine.
At that time, Shark also wanted to do something for his country, not wanting to be ashamed of the Sea Clan blood flowing in his veins.
Seeing Margaret reveal a flaw, believing that the Empire was eager to retaliate against the Terra Kingdom, he continuously lowered the price.
Finally, he offered a price that he thought was a great bargain and bought the Empire's new equipment.
The subsequent developments completely exceeded the imagination of this prince.
It was not enough to simply transport the equipment back to the country; he had now come to the battlefield and had to personally direct the fighting.
And it was still an active offensive, attacking the powerful and barbaric Naga…
"Tell me, how did I end up here?" Shark asked his chief guard, Steve, a legendary knight from his mother's family.
"Your Highness's responsibility is admirable. Your subjects will fight to the death and promote the heavenly might of our Sea Country!" Steve replied with a face full of gratification and emotion, his answer full of fervor.
"You… you just be happy!"
Shark looked dejectedly at the old knight beside him, filled with helplessness.
Steve and the people around him, including his mother, and even his father who had deliberately tested him, were very happy that he had come to the front line.
Knight Commander Steve had watched Shark grow up, thinking he would be with the useless prince for the rest of his life, just as a silent and unknown bodyguard.
Who would have thought that the cowardly prince would grow up, and that he would have the opportunity to appear on the battlefield.
Moreover, it was at the most dangerous moment for the Sea Country, to establish immortal achievements and become the hero who turned the tide!
As a legendary-level professional, a well-known strongman in the Sea Country, Steve believed that His Highness Shark had grown up, matured, and become sensible. It was only a matter of time before he surpassed the attention-seeking Fourth Prince, so naturally he was excited and happy.
But Shark himself thought that fighting was barely acceptable, but dying in battle was completely unnecessary…
He had an indecisive side in his bones, otherwise he wouldn't have been persuaded by Xia Ti to continue waiting until he was captured…
If his fourth brother Doer had been trapped by Xia Ti in that Aodu, no matter what Xia Ti's reasons were, he would have sent his men to try to capture Roger long ago.
Now that he had come to the front line, Shark's heart was full of worry and regret for his momentary impulse.
The matter of coordinating the attack was originally his response to Margaret's urging, using his fourth brother as an excuse for refusal, and the action plan he proposed.
If the main battlefield doesn't send troops, he, as the second battlefield, should not take the initiative to provoke trouble. It would be better to act from the side when support is needed over there.
As a result, Doer actually agreed.
That fourth brother who wanted to compete for the throne actually agreed to his elder brother the crown prince's proposal. This was an unprecedented event in the past interactions between the two brothers…
And it wasn't just a simple agreement; Doer also promised to send a considerable number of main forces to attempt a large-scale counterattack against the Naga legion surrounding Black Shark Fortress.
This did not make Shark happy at all, but instead made him even more worried that this was a trap set by Doer for him.
In the long confrontation between the mermaids and the Naga, the mermaids had adopted a defensive posture in 90% of the cases, gradually being encroached upon by the Naga, losing large swaths of territory, and rarely launching counterattacks outside the fortress.
Especially this time, the Naga had obtained new equipment supported by the Terra Kingdom, and had been pressing the mermaid Sea Country in a crazy offensive. Even the most elite corps couldn't withstand the step-tank coordination of the Lightning Punishment, and they had almost forgotten how to attack out of the city.
Prince Shark's arrival to establish the second line of defense, with Margaret's command ability, quickly established a decent-looking camp.
But he harbored quite a few doubts about the combat effectiveness of his subordinates.
The Sea Country's border defense army in Doer's hands was maintained by the Sea Country's royal family at the expense of the entire country. Although they lost more than they won against the Naga, they had at least experienced actual combat.
His subordinates, on the other hand, were 20,000 imperial guards and 20,000 private troops from his mother's family. Their equipment was good and they had a lot of training, but they were all new recruits who had never seen blood.
On weekdays, they just stood guard, maintained security, and intimidated the surrounding vassal races. Their parade step skills were much higher than their spear skills.
The key for Shark to dare to stand up was only the Empire's support.
If the equipment supported by the Empire was not effective, he felt that he would definitely die.
Therefore, according to Shark's original intention, after establishing the defense line, he would wait for the Naga to attack, defend the dangerous terrain, and force the Naga to divide their forces to guard against their side, which would complete the task.
But the Empire would not think that way. They supported Shark, tactically needing him to test the equipment, and strategically needing the two major marine hegemons to fight like dogs, cough, fish brains, so how could they accompany Shark in loafing around here?
Therefore, Margaret's clear scolding made Shark feel ashamed and full of fighting spirit, and he proposed a coordinated attack plan.
After proposing it, he regretted it, and waited for his fourth brother to reject the matter.
And then there was now, his fourth brother agreed, his subordinates were actively preparing for war, and only he was worried and couldn't sleep, wondering how he had gotten to this point…
Thinking about it, dawn broke.
Shark, who hadn't slept all night, with dark circles under his eyes, saw his subordinates, fully armed and high-spirited, lined up in large squares of 10,000 men each, waiting for his order to attack.
Although Shark was very useless, he still received a full set of heir education, and he could still say words to encourage morale. He gave a pre-war mobilization of excellent level.
"He looks decent, and he's quite capable of talking, but it's far worse than His Majesty," Margaret curled her lips.
In her eyes, the Eternal Night Empress was the best in the world, and anything she said could make her subordinates' blood boil.
"After all, he's just rushing for me, and His Majesty is rushing with me. There's a difference in realm," Roger pointed out sharply. "Shark is a qualified heir in terms of ability. The scolding you gave yesterday was quite useful."
Everyone looked into the distance, waiting for the expedition.
The seawater nearby was azure, but looking forward, it was dark, completely dark, even swallowing light.
The infinitely vast and enormous existence had a natural pressure that would unconsciously make people feel awe.
Roger was very fortunate that he didn't have deep-sea phobia. This was his first time coming to the seabed. The different sky, the different distance, and the huge and heavy marine life were scenery that could not be seen on land at all.
However, any intelligent life, for the sake of living space, or for more reasons, would also stage a life-and-death struggle for hegemony…
This may be the scene that will inevitably happen when everyone wants to live better in a limited space, right?
Before he could be artistic for long, a little light bloomed in the dark and distant sea, visible from thousands of kilometers away.
Then there was a sky full of blue, like a lightning hell blooming in the distance.
That was the main battlefield. The Naga's Lightning Punishment Corps had already moved out and was fighting fiercely with Doer's troops.
The legions under Shark's command couldn't help but breathe heavily, looking at their commander with anticipation.
Shark felt their desire for battle, and even with so much fear in his heart, he swam upward, rising to a position where they could all see him, and raised his arm high: "Full army, attack!"
"Woo woo——"
The deep conch shell sounded, its voice spreading for miles. The allied forces composed of 40,000 main sea races boarded giant whales and moved towards the Naga's central army.
Shark made eye contact with every soldier who swam past him, responding to their courage with firm eyes.
Finally, all the soldiers set off, and Shark also entered the gorgeous Prince Whale Car and rushed to the front line.
Inside the carriage were only Roger and Margaret. Steve led half of his personal guards as military police to supervise the battle, and the remaining personal guards patrolled around the whale car.
So as soon as Shark came in, he collapsed on the chair as if he had exhausted all his strength.
It was too tiring for a cowardly prince to pretend to be brave and fearless without letting everyone see it.
When he pretended to be calm and returned the salute to those soldiers, the inner shirt under his armor was completely soaked.
Shark's lips opened and closed like a fish out of water, and he whispered helplessly: "I feel like I'm sending 40,000 people to their deaths… and I'll die soon too…"
Margaret turned her face away in disdain, silently saying the word "waste."
Her beloved Majesty would not be like this. This cowardly fish had tricked others onto the battlefield, but he himself was so embarrassed.
Roger smiled and comforted: "Your Highness has fulfilled his responsibilities. Next, as long as we win, only the Naga will die."
In Shark's dim eyes, a little light suddenly appeared, and he looked at Roger in surprise, seeking confirmation in disbelief: "Am I considered to have fulfilled my duty like this?"
Roger nodded with a smile: "You have played the role of a crown prince very well. Please believe in the Empire for the follow-up. This battle will be won."
"Acting… how interesting, isn't he the crown prince of the Sea Country?" Margaret couldn't help laughing, biting the royal special large lobster claw until it crackled.
Shark suddenly blushed, feeling extremely ashamed, but he didn't know how to explain.
It turned out that his actions were not worthy of the name of crown prince at all, so as long as there was a little bit of progress, others would think he was really great…
It's probably like an idiot who writes his name with a pen is a miracle, and others won't have higher expectations for him.
Roger looked at Shark, who was bowing his head, and naturally knew what he was thinking, and a strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Using the excuse of going outside to get some air, he took out the Hyperdimensional Sketchpad.
His confidence in victory, in addition to the current superior equipment, also came from the absolute intelligence advantage.
Nicole often talked about the battle situation in the anti-Qing Teng alliance group. After all, all her equipment had to be maintained by the dwarf master craftsman Frankenstein, who went by the alias "Copperbeard."
Through this information, Roger could easily grasp the Naga's position layout, military distribution, and equipment status.
Therefore, he was actually fighting with the full map open!
In addition to the base coral's output overnight, and the self-detonating fish swarm following behind the Sea Country's giant whales, he had made full preparations for this battle.
The Naga's mentality was also quite inflated at this point.
Knowing that Crown Prince Shark had established the second line of defense with a partial army, they hadn't even sent a scout or probe to get close.
Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that Shark's reputation as a waste was too loud, so the Naga didn't take him seriously at all.
However, on the battlefield, any small factor could determine the outcome of a battle, and there was no room for carelessness.
Margaret was already recording the Naga's operation this time, which would be used for internal discussion by the military department in the future.
No matter what role the Empire played, the Naga Legion, which had won a hundred battles, actually had a similar mentality to the Empire.
Little Devil collected another material of scolding his subordinates, warning them not to float.
About twenty minutes later, the location of the Naga's central camp was already visible in the distance, and they finally discovered that an army from the Sea Country had arrived nearby, and only then did they begin to deploy in a panic.
They would never have thought that the always cowardly Sea Country army would launch consecutive active attacks.
The brave Fourth Prince Doer was still excusable, but now even the waste prince was taking the initiative to fight?
Did the Sea Country's commanders collectively take the wrong medicine today?
At this moment, the commander of the Naga Legion was named Cromwell Xia Ye Marquis, a tall six-armed Naga, completely upright, more than two meters tall, with a resolute face, wearing a neat marshal's uniform.
He was the most valiant and skilled marshal of the Naga Empire's military middle generation, known for his daring adventures, and deeply trusted by the Naga Empress.
The battle to open the landing point this time was commanded by him.
With the new equipment, the full support of Her Holiness, and a series of great victories, Cromwell was already a little overwhelmed by the results he had achieved, and only wanted to clean up these mermaids in the shortest possible time to prove that he was the Naga's number one marshal.
This time, the enemy abandoned Black Shark Fortress and took the initiative to attack. He estimated that they had found a way to counter the Thunder Reaper, which is why they dared to come out and fight.
Although the enemy pretended to be cowardly, constantly probing with tentative attacks, the seasoned Cromwell still saw through their act, so he simply used their plan against them.
You're acting, right? Then I'll mobilize my main force, gobble up all the bait you've sent out, and then see what you're planning.
He did have a trump card. Besides the Pink Bunny Thunder Reapers, Tasika had also sold them another new type of equipment: one hundred Swordfish submarines.
Cromwell used the Swordfish submarine squadron in coordination with the Naga's tamed war beasts to complete the deployment of the main battlefield, preparing to devour the forces sent by Fourth Prince Dole.
But he never expected that at this time, there would still be Sea Clan forces daring to charge his center army.
Seeing the Sea Country Imperial Guards still charging on whales, Cromwell relaxed again.
The Merman Prince is indeed useless. Has he been sold out by his younger brother without even realizing it?