บท 22: Chapter 21, Crimson Knights' Brigade_1
The situation on the battlefield had gradually changed after dealing with three hapless individuals. The troops on both sides had become completely embroiled in battle, turning the field into a chaotic mess.
The noble knights who were cutting a swathe through the crowd just now were now in a crisis of their own, trapped in the middle of the rebel army.
A knight, no matter how sturdy, couldn't stand against the endless waves of rebels. Hudson witnessed two noble knights being pulled off their horses, which only strengthened his determination to survive.
Ignoring the temptation to single out stragglers, Hudson hurriedly regrouped his troops and began harassing the enemy on the left-wing.
"Charge in and rescue our allies?"
This thought had just surfaced in his mind when Hudson promptly dismissed it. He wasn't leading an elite force. Harassing lone enemy soldiers while the wind was in their favor was doable, but directly engaging the enemy would be a suicide mission.
Just look at the noble private armies. After seeing their lords leading a charge, they recklessly followed suit, resulting in a stand-off with the rebels.
At this point, if they wanted to turn the tide, they would have to wait for the troops in the fortress to break out or for other noble private armies to join the battlefield.
Today was the set deadline. All ambitious nobles and their private armies would arrive on time. In theory, the longer the delay, the more advantageous it would be for the rebel army.
However, theory was just theory. As time passed, the encircled noble knights were becoming increasingly overwhelmed.
An all-out charge that could smash the rebel army was merely a fantasy. The enemies in front of them were fighting as if they were injected with adrenaline, launching fearless attacks.
To maximize the effectiveness of their attacks, many rebel soldiers didn't even bother avoiding the knights' counterattacks, even if this meant hurting their own comrades. Hudson saw a rebel soldier prefer to take a hit, just so he could throw his weapon.
As long as their numbers were sufficient, accuracy and hit rates were not important. A knight, no matter how powerful, couldn't defend from all angles.
It was somewhat ironic that powerful knights were being slain on the battlefield by serfs who had just put down their hoes.
At one point, Hudson regretted forming the alliance. If it weren't for its existence, he would still be watching from the sidelines.
However, it had come to this and, however reluctant he was, he would have to face it head-on. In order to blend in and not stand out, Hudson was forced to dismount his war horse and mingle among the infantry.
Seeing the decreasing number of comrades at his side, Knight Charles, who had been striding forward with a song, also gradually realized the severity of the situation.
These enemies were clearly abnormal. Each of them was bloodthirsty, completely indifferent to their own lives, and certainly not your typical rebels.
"Break out!"
Charles cried out loudly.
Now was not the time to show off. No matter how important military achievements were, they could not outweigh one's life.
Just because his leadership skills were lacking, it didn't mean his political wisdom was also non-existent. Many nobles who charged with him had died. If they kept dying at this rate, he wouldn't be able to cover for them.
In his heart, Charles was cursing Earl Piers' ancestors. He came to his rescue, but even after the stakes of the battle had risen, Piers still refused to send troops.
The knights led by Charles were a beacon on the battlefield. Their retreat caused the morale of the nobles' allied forces to plummet instantly.
Leading the retreat were the elites of each family. It was evident that those who had "lived through hundreds of battles" were masters of escape.
Without any surprise, Hudson also led his men in retreat. Because he had been skirting around the edge of the battlefield, there was little obstruction behind him, allowing for an incredibly smooth withdrawal.
Watching the Nobles' Allied Forces collapse in defeat, Earl Piers in Ersel Fort suddenly realized he had seriously miscalculated. He must send out troops. If the Rebel Army was victorious, he would lose his reinforcements.
The nobles were no fools. Given the previous example, the nobles who arrived later might just turn around and leave. Even if he took the case to the Capital, Piers was still in the wrong.
Thinking this, Piers was filled with fury. Despite his considerable cunning and intelligence, things always seemed to go astray when it came to implementation.
Originally, he had hoped to use the Rebel Army to weaken the power of the nobles in Layton County. However, he underestimated the strength of the Skeleton Society, and as a result, the Rebel Army rampaged through two counties, causing the situation to spiral out of control.
Just when he was about to weaken the power of the noble lords via the Rebel Army, he did not expect the Nobles' Allied Forces to be so useless, suffering defeat in less than an hour of combat.
If they are weakened too much, it becomes a disaster. Everything should have a limit. Whether he liked it or not, he now had to send out his troops to save the remnants of the Nobles' Allied Forces.
Otherwise, he would become the public enemy of the lesser nobles in the Southeastern Province. From then on, his position as Governor would be a mere shell, and no one would listen to his orders.
Gathering the elites in the fort, Earl Piers, mounted on his Flaming Lion war-horse and holding his knight's spear, issued an order: "The wicked Skeleton Society has launched a rebellion, intending to overthrow the sacred rule of our Kingdom.
For the stability of the Kingdom, for the glory of the Lord of the Dawn, for our honour, warriors of the Crimson Knights' Brigade, follow me into battle!"
The grand gates of the fort slowly opened, with the sun's rays casting a cold light on the knight's spears.
Leading on his lion, Earl Piers leapt out of the fort, followed by more than two hundred knights. Behind them was a thousand strong cavalry of the Crimson Knights' Brigade.
The thousand-strong cavalry burst out, creating an earth-shattering momentum, which struck fear into the hearts of all who saw it.
Seeing the approaching cavalry, the Rebel Army besieging the city immediately took action. The long spearmen were at the front, while the archers simultaneously released a rain of arrows, aiming at the knight corps.
Unfortunately, these were in vain. Piers swept aside the hail of arrows with his spear, protecting himself and his mount and pressing on with the charge.
When they neared the formation of the long spearmen, his Flaming Lion spat out something that looked like magma from its mouth. The Rebel Army members who couldn't dodge in time instantly turned into human torches. The shock scared the surrounding soldiers into chaos, momentarily throwing the battlefield into a disorderly state.
Seizing the opportunity of the Rebel Army's chaos, Earl Piers charged into the rebel ranks, slaughtering all around him with the help of the Flaming Lion.
Following the gap created by Earl Piers, the knights crazily flooded in, resulting in the immediate collapse of the long spear formation.
Without the support of their formation, the Rebel Army suffered heavy casualties in the massacre by the knights.
However, Earl Piers obviously had no time to cut down the soldiers now. Ignoring the defeated soldiers, he directed his troops towards the enemy's Marshal's Banner.
Anyone with a bit of military knowledge understood that Earl Piers was preparing to 'capture the leader' first.
Watching the advancing cavalry, the grey-robed elder watching the battle from a high platform sneered, "The Crimson Knights' Brigade, deserving of being one of the top 10 Knight Corps of the Alpha Kingdom, truly a weapon of war!
Rick, blow the Blood Moon Horn. Let the cannon fodder play slowly with these annoying knights and see how many they can kill."
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