"The bad news is … perhaps Birrig is coming sooner than expected!" Albert took out a map and pointed at the checkpoint on the map as he said, "Oakpass can defend for a shorter period of time than expected! According to the intelligence from the frontline, after a terrifying sacrifice, more Barbarian marauders have become Barbarian Warriors or even Chaos Warriors! "
The terror of the Chaos Warriors had been described previously.
The worsening of the situation made several people frown.
"What about the good news?" Ryan had accepted the bad news in his heart, so he continued to ask.
"The good news is … 7,000 reinforcements from the Empire are on their way. Our messenger has contacted them. We only have to hold on for three days. We only have to hold on for three days!" Albert said excitedly. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were smoothing out.
This 40-year-old Dungeon Lord hadn't fought many wars since he inherited the throne. His main military activities were to eliminate bandits and a small number of Orcs. Now that they were facing a large army, he was nervous.
"Then let's assume that Birig took only two hours to break through Oak Pass." Albert gestured for Ryan to speak.
Neither the count nor his two knights were proficient in battle formations.
Laing placed his finger on Oakpass and said, "If Birrig breaks through Oakpass, his next move will be to cross the Ovle River and reach Mjörden Haven."
"My plan is to send reinforcements at the Aarhus Bridge on the Ovle River. Then, we'll ambush Birrig's army. If we can't defend the river, we'll retreat to the city." Laing gave his suggestion — a deep defense.
"So … Laing, your suggestion is … a field battle?" Count Albert and his two knights looked at each other. The Walnut Knight, Nicolay, hesitated for a moment before he stuttered, "I say, isn't this a little … too risky?"
"Yes … Mr. Laing, I think … perhaps it's better if we rely on the city walls for defense? There are cannons and various defensive equipment on the city walls. It'll be more reassuring. "Bamboo Knight Valdemar objected to the suggestion.
"We can't just rely on the city walls for defense!" Laing said unhappily. He told the Count and the two Knights about the theory that he had discussed with Astaire.
Historically, it was foolish to rely on the city walls for defense. In defense of a city, the city walls were always the second last line of defense.
The two Knights remained silent. They couldn't refute Laing's decision, but they could choose not to cooperate.
"Gentlemen, I don't mean to fight the barbarians in the wild. What I mean is, we need to rely on Aarhus Bridge to delay Birig's advance as much as possible. In the end, we will have to retreat behind the city wall and defend ourselves." "That's right," said Ryan, who was stunned at first, but he soon realized that there was something wrong with his words. "Gentlemen, I don't mean to fight the barbarians in the wild.
Laing first pointed at Oak Pass. "There are two hundred soldiers guarding Oak Pass. This pass has strong city walls and defensive equipment. The barbarians came from afar, so they lack siege weapons and cavalry. So, even if the barbarians break through Oak Pass, some of the soldiers will still have a chance to retreat. These soldiers are all elites who have fought against the barbarians before. They are an important force. We should try to help them retreat. Am I right? Gentlemen? Count Albert? "
The three nodded subconsciously. These two hundred soldiers were regular soldiers. If they could help the barbarians retreat, this force would play an important role in the defense of the city.
"After receiving the garrison at Oke Pass, we will send troops to set up a defense at Aarhus Bridge. Listen to me, gentlemen. We definitely can't hold this bridge, but we can buy enough time. Then … we can fill the bridge with gunpowder. When we can't hold it anymore, we will blow it up." Laing continued, "The barbarians abandoned a lot of their supplies and forced their way here. It will be very difficult for them to cross the river. Don't forget that at this time, the river has just started to freeze. The river is turbulent, and there are either large pieces of ice floating on the surface of the river, or the ice is thinner than a piece of parchment! Whether the barbarians choose to build a bridge or build a ship, it will take a lot of time! "
Albert thought for a while and finally nodded. "You are right. What we need to do now is to buy time."
"I agree! I will personally lead the soldiers to Aarhus Bridge to set up the defense! "Walnut Knight Nicolai spoke up. This thirty-year-old royal knight stood up.
"Then I will be responsible for setting up the defense in the city. When you retreat, I will immediately lead the army to support you." Bamboo Knight Valdemar nodded.
"Then how about this. Mister Nicolai and I will go to Aarhus Bridge to set up the defense." Laing could see that Albert did not intend to leave the city, so he took the initiative to take over the job.
"I will assign five hundred soldiers to you. The two hundred regular soldiers and three hundred conscripts will all be under your command. As for the safety of the city, you don't have to worry about it." Albert's eyes turned fierce. "I have my guards. This time, I will make sure these damn barbarians don't leave alive!"
"Understood!"
Everyone ran in different directions. They agreed to gather at the barracks in three hours. It would take time to arrange the troops and food.
Laing, on the other hand, walked towards a small house in the city.
As winter approached, the weather became colder and colder. Both sides of the road were crowded with refugees. Many people were huddled in cold corners and shivering. The houses were also crowded with people. Laing could see many figures from the windows.
After a discussion with Albert, he received a piece of bad news. There were no Legendaries among the city's guards and nobles. The two Royal Knights were Elites, and they were able to become Royal Knights because they came from a family of knights.
These two were not very strong. One was an Elite Ranger, and the other was an Elite Warrior.
However, Crushing Bear was an advanced Legendary barbarian chieftain! A Chaos Warrior blessed by the Blood God!
He came to a long house and knocked on the door.
"Hello! Excuse me? "A young man opened the door.
It was Eyke. When he saw that it was Laing standing at the door, his expression became strange.
"Son of Gade, it is now your turn to repay the favor. Come with me to battle." The voice that answered him was cold and frosty.
…
Three hours later.
A 500-man army led by Laing and the others left the city.
This army consisted of 200 soldiers with shields and halberds, 100 Great Swordsmen, and 200 crossbowmen. In addition, there were also a dozen cavalrymen.
Albert trusted Laing very much. He handed over his main force to Laing and ordered Nicolai to be under Laing's command.
This was the effect of reputation. If Laing's reputation was at the national level, then Nicolai's reputation was at most at the level of a small town. Laing was a White Wolf Knight in the White Wolf Knight Regiment. Walnut … did not have a regiment.
"Hello, Mr. Laing. I'm Lopes!" A knight with a halberd appeared from behind. "I've heard of your name. It's an honor to fight alongside you."
"I remember you are … the son of Lord Morgen? We've met before. " Laing said curiously. He recognized this young man. He was the son of Lord Hyde of Morgen. Hyde had many children, and Lopes was one of the more capable ones. But why was he here now?
"Yes, we've met before. I'm now a wandering knight. It's an honor to meet you." Lopes was a young man with a golden buzz cut. His face still had some childishness to it. His face was delicate and there were some pockmarks on it. He was wearing a full set of plate armor and a kite helmet. He seemed to have grown a beard to make him look more mature. Judging from his appearance, he should be about the same age as Ryan.
"A wandering knight? What made you choose to wander? "Laing asked casually." Did you sleep with your father's maid? Were you chased out? "
It was another cloudy day. Ever since he left, the weather in Nord had been terrible. The mood of this army was just like the weather. Everyone's face was full of gloominess.
The morale of the soldiers was low, and the faces of the officers were not good.
"I chose it myself." Lopes forced a smile. "After witnessing an unfair trial, I felt that there was no point in staying at home. Father's title wasn't mine to inherit, so I decided to wander."
"… That's true." Laing nodded. There were many reasons for the birth of a wandering knight. Using the eldest son inheritance system was the common inheritance law in the continent. In this case, only the eldest son of a noble could inherit the title. The other children would at most get a small fief.
In this case, many noble children would become wandering knights.
After saying that, he looked at Eike, who was riding behind him with a look of shame.
Eike Albrecht, the legitimate illegitimate son of Baron Albrecht of the Empire. His father was the commander of the fifth company of the White Wolf Knights, "Eagle Hook" Gade Albrecht.
What was a legitimate illegitimate son?
Illegitimate children were a symbol of shame for nobles. These kinds of bastards would usually be kicked out of the house. If a noble dared to bring his illegitimate son home with a lowly farmer's daughter, then the abuse of the illegitimate child by the noble's wife would be protected by the Empire's laws.
However, there were two situations where illegitimate children were not considered a symbol of shame.
The first was when the illegitimate child's parents were nobles or people respected by human society. In this case, the illegitimate child would not be considered lowly. For example, the founding emperor of the New Empire, Ludwig, and the first speaker of the Garland Council, the Holy Witch Margarita, were lovers. Their illegitimate children would not be considered lowly.
The second was when the illegitimate child was a maid of a noble's wife or a female court official. In this case, the illegitimate child would not have the right to inherit, but his status as a son would still be recognized by society.
Both of these illegitimate children would be "legalized."
Eike was the second type.
That was why Eike dared to beg him and why Laing didn't say anything when Eike was disrespectful to him during the journey.
The real reason was that Eike's "fighting side by side" wasn't referring to their friendship. Instead, it was because Laing and his father, Baron Gade Albrecht, had fought side by side at the Ovle River to eliminate the Orc War Band.
Therefore, Leon was actually trying to save his father's face. Leon knew the reason, and so did Ike. However, Leon didn't say it out loud because of Gade's reputation, which made the wandering knight feel ashamed.
He had already done too much for his survival and his reputation.
After Laing found Eike, he found out that the group of wandering knights knew that the Barbarians were coming, so they pooled their money and went out to sea. Laing didn't know where they went. Only Eike stayed because he bore the surname of Gade. If he deserted Laing, his family would be disgraced.
From this, it could be seen how heavy the pressure on the wandering knight was.
Baron Gade had never mentioned his son to Laing. Obviously, he didn't like this illegitimate child.
Laing sneered at this thought. What right did he have to think about others?
What was he?
A transmigrator from the Celestial Empire?
A talented wild child?
"Baldy" Norman's beloved adopted son?
Godfather Ivan's favorite godson?
Or the Emperor's … illegitimate child?
"Mr. Laing! We've arrived at the Moon Lake, "the Sergeant Major reminded Laing softly when he noticed that he was in a daze.
Laing finally came back to his senses. What appeared in front of Laing was a ruin.
A quiet lake appeared in front of Laing's eyes. The lake was covered by a thin layer of ice, and the white expanse extended into the distance. The cloudy weather was like a thick curtain, completely covering the sky. The smooth surface of the lake was like a mirror, reflecting the white light between heaven and earth.
For a moment, Laing had an illusion that the sky and the ground seemed to be reversed.
Around the Moon Lake, large forests and building ruins appeared in front of everyone's eyes. All the buildings here were built with large white stones, and all of them had pointed roofs. However, under the ravages of time, most of these buildings had collapsed, and the unusually thick trees were constantly eroding the original buildings.
This place also had a glorious past and history. According to the information that Laing knew, this used to be one of the strongholds and settlements of the elves before they withdrew from the continent. It also had a glorious history and prosperity. It was said that before the Great Calamity, the Human Wizard Empire used to have many human wizard apprentices learning magic from the elves here.
Later, when the elves retreated from the old world, this city was completely abandoned. Because it used to be a place for magic research, the chaotic magic energy and frequent energy tides made it even easier to live here. After thousands of years of continuous visits by adventurers, the treasures and wealth that might have been left here had been excavated. Except for a few spellcasters who occasionally came here like a pilgrimage, this place was usually dead silent.
"We'll camp here tonight! We'll reach Aarhus Bridge tomorrow. "
"Yes!"
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
