Avi's prepared tactics are strictly speaking not any advanced gameplay anymore. In reality, such tactics are vividly referred to as 'luring enemies into ambush' in Japan, and in China, there's a very vivid name, 'Pocket Formation,' or 'Inviting Guests into a Trap.'

Ancient China succinctly summarizes this kind of tactic: luring the enemy deep.

Executing this tactic is very simple. Just lure the opponent away from their advantageous terrain into a pre-prepared ambush, and then annihilate them in one fell swoop. This is its core idea, but there's a problem—

How to make the enemy voluntarily leave their advantageous terrain?

This is the most important aspect to consider for this tactic. The ambush is easy to set up, and the terrain is well selected. Even the escape route for the 'bait' is carefully planned. But only with enough substantial bait can a big fish willingly take the bait.

The simplest way is to throw out what the enemy cares about most in this battle, such as the resources they want, urgently needed intelligence, or... the life of our commander.

This is how Avi plans to do it, except with some differences in the details: the orcs are not aware of his identity, but those herds roaming in the wilderness are fundamentally beasts, and as long as he shows appropriate panic, he can always attract the enemy.

If they don't intend to move as a group, then pick them off one by one. If there's a way to attract all the herds... that might not be a perfect thing.

"If the tactics aren't enough, then rely on individual strength." Avi thought, "Killing ten or twenty of them will surely provoke their anger. Being seen as an easy target, I reckon they'll chase after me recklessly."

The rhythmic sound of hooves pounded on the frozen ground, and the chilly wind blew sharply on the face. The shadows of the distant mountains grew larger in Avi's eyes, reminding him of many past events.

Similar situations had occurred in the first victorious battle when the mercenary group debuted, but back then, it was because he didn't trust the combat effectiveness of his own soldiers and had to rely on personal heroism to reverse the situation. But now, it's different.

This time, he's doing it to allow the warriors behind him to better demonstrate their combat effectiveness. He believes his team members are the strongest bulwark.

So, he proceeded without hesitation and with determination.

The Dwarven runic sword in his hand trembled and made noise as the horse galloped, as if it was eager to show its edge in battle, to sever the muscles and blood vessels of those orcs.

The hill was now close in sight, and Avi could see scattered groups of a dozen or so orcs distributed in front of the forest. A small group of mainly horned beasts was sparring near the rocky mountain, completely unaware that a human rider had approached not far away.

Avi didn't rush forward immediately because he saw several large horned beasts interspersed among the horned beasts. The system timely popped up the map panel, displaying the surrounding terrain on it.

"As far as my scouting ability goes, these are the only orcs around here. But it's not absolute; after all, I haven't upgraded anything related to scouting. Speaking of which, it seems like I unlocked a scouting skill on the panel before. I'll have to check it out later."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Of course, that's all for 'later.'

The large horned beasts can be regarded as the most powerful and ferocious infantry in the orc war group. They hold a position in the herd far superior to the horned beasts and inferior horned beasts. Not only are they powerful, but they also eagerly challenge any elite enemy forces that appear before them.

The status of the large horned beasts in the orc war group can be roughly equated to that of imperial giant swordsmen in the imperial army, but the combat ability of the large horned beasts is even higher.

Facing such enemies, even with the advantage of mobility, Avi couldn't guarantee a safe retreat. However... everything had to be tried.

"At the very least, I owe it to this sword, right, 'Firebrand'?" Avi drew his sword from its scabbard, holding the reins of his warhorse and urging it towards the direction of the beast pack. The harsh sound of the sword rubbing against the scabbard startled the pack, causing them to pause what they were doing and grab their weapons, turning their attention towards him.

When they realized it was a lone human rider with a sword, the pack erupted into chaos.

The first to charge were the Great Minotaurs, followed by Minotaurs, and trailing behind were the Lesser Minotaurs. The pack swiftly formed ranks and launched a charge towards Avi, their aim to tear apart this lone rider.

Avi pressed his horse's head to the left, maneuvering to the side once again, using a slashing motion to cut through the right flank of the beastmen's formation, 'shaving off' a Minotaur who was brandishing a short spear.

Even in flank combat, it wasn't easy; he needed to carefully dodge the thrusts and chops of the beastmen, using the advantage of his warhorse's height to strike down those savage beastmen.

The runic sword crafted by Durinbar was sharp, light, and sturdy, living up to the excellent reputation of 'Dwarven Forge' throughout the world. Compared to human craftsmanship, swords forged by dwarves were exceptionally robust, hardly ever showing any signs of damage or breakage from regular use.

Of course, the resilience of the beastmen's tough skin and strong bones had to be taken into account as well.

Avi's sword quickly became stained with blood, and he himself sustained some injuries, but the cost paid by the beastmen was greater—nearly half their numbers had become incapacitated or dead.

Only Minotaurs and Great Minotaurs remained. Avi hadn't managed to slay a single Great Minotaur so far, which made him somewhat uneasy.

The most formidable enemies were left for last, but he and his mount were exhausted, making it difficult to continue the fight. Even if he were fine, his warhorse was already frothing at the mouth, no longer able to dash around as freely as before.

"I wanted to finish them off, but it seems we'll have to retreat."

Although Avi had made his mark, he retained some sense, understanding the true purpose of this battle.

After one last charge, Avi sheathed his bloodied sword and turned his horse around to head back.

The beastmen still possessed considerable stamina and combat readiness, especially the remaining Great Minotaurs. They had been quite cleverly keeping their strength in reserve, hiding in the center of the formation, and hadn't suffered any damage so far.

Faced with such adversaries, persisting in battle would only lead to a gruesome end. Avi decided to leisurely withdraw. Although the Great Minotaurs had excellent stamina, they couldn't match the brisk pace of his retreating warhorse.

Avi moved back and forth deliberately, using a kite-flying approach to lure the pack into a trap. Although the number of these beastmen wasn't large, among them were some rare Great Minotaurs, which were worth taking down.

"I wonder if these big heads can serve as proof of merit in front of Maximilian," Avi thought. "In any case, it will at least inform him that there are still many bandits around here, prompting him to strengthen his defenses."

The roar of the Great Minotaurs grew louder and more resonant, roaring one after another, as if they thought Avi's dog-walking-style retreat was an insult, a mockery of them.

In response to these 'mighty warriors of violence,' other beastmen's howls began echoing gradually from the forest, one wave after another, like a storm passing through leaves, assaulting Avi.

Damn it, things had escalated—this was the first thought that appeared in Avi's mind.