After entering the Drakwald Forest, the Knights were harassed and attacked by the Orcs. The Orcs attacked the supply lines along the way and engaged in guerrilla warfare with the Knights in an attempt to delay the Knights. Though it was a sporadic attack, it created a lot of trouble for the Knights.
Laing devised and planned Uduin's ambush. He separated a portion of the logistics unit from the main army and used the scent to lure the Orcs into an ambush. Then, he used the thick fog to conceal the main army before launching the ambush.
The difficulty of this plan was to ensure that the Orcs would appear and that the combat power of the Orcs wouldn't be too weak and be devoured. The difficulty of the ambush was to ensure that the Orcs wouldn't abandon their comrades and flee. These were the difficulties of the ambush. As for the fog created by the Lake Goddess Witches, it was the easiest to resolve.
Fortunately, Laing and Berchemund had a lot of experience dealing with the Orcs. They knew that the Orcs were corrupted and distorted Humans. They had many similarities with Humans. During the cold winter, Humans would face famine, and Orcs were the same. As long as there were enough livestock and food, the hungry Orcs were willing to take risks.
Laing judged that the Orcs didn't have a deep understanding of the Knights. They had never seen the Knights before, so they didn't know how powerful the Knights were. If they didn't experience it, they wouldn't take it seriously. The intelligence of the Orcs was lower than that of Humans.
That was why they launched the ambush.
The thick fog dispersed. The Brittany army was cleaning up the battlefield. Most of the supplies were intact. They only lost tens of horses, eight cows, and tens of sheep. The sheep were bought by Laing from the nearby villages as bait. Laing dismounted from his horse and observed the Orc corpses. Aurora, Morgiana, and Teresa were disgusted and didn't go near them. Only Veronica, Duke Berchemund, and Laing observed the corpses together.
"Only a little over four thousand." Laing shook his head reluctantly. "It's fewer than I imagined. Furthermore, I didn't see a Cyclops, Doomsday Bull, Four-Armed Ox Fiend, Dragon Fiend, a large Chaos Egg, or the legendary Split-Fusion Mutated Beast. These are the elites of the Orcs."
"Great Horned Beast, Minotaur, Beast King, Howling Shaman." Duke Berchemund stepped on the corpses of the Orcs with his Iron Boots. The soldiers and Knights of Bastogne finished off the Orcs who were still breathing. Then they threw the corpses together and prepared to burn them. "In this battle, we destroyed a large portion of the core Orc army. It's enough to make the Orcs grieve for a while. Don't forget that most of the Orcs are Inferior Horned Beasts and Horned Beasts."
"Dear, I remember you started your career by fighting Orcs a few decades ago." Veronica held Laing's arm excitedly. She smiled sweetly, her sweet almond-shaped eyes filled with memories. "Now, it's another cycle."
"Ha, let me tell you, Veronica. The Orcs are responsible for my current situation." Lionheart couldn't help but laugh as he said, "During the avalanche, every snowflake was brave enough to break through the Heavens."
"Hahahaha ~" Veronica couldn't help laughing. In the snowy Black Forest, Veronica couldn't help but recall the times when she adventured with Laing. Her heart was filled with sweetness. She extended her hand and scratched Laing's nose as she said, "Let's not stay here for too long. The Orcs are in pain. Let's make use of this opportunity to rendezvous with the Midden army."
"Hmm, that's right. I agree with Miss Veronica, Your Majesty." Berchemund said, "The Orcs will retreat temporarily. But if they want to attack us, they'll come back again."
"Call Bertrand, Hagan, and Davu here!" Laing nodded in agreement. The Knight King immediately ordered the Old Guard beside him.
Soon, the two commanders of the old guards and Duke Hagan were brought to the room.
"I'll hand over the Old Guard's Halberd Battalion, Sword Battalion, Musket Battalion, and part of the army to you. Your mission is to be the vanguard and scout ahead. You'll give instructions and provide intelligence for the army behind." "Duke Hagan will lead the knights of the Duchy of Gisoleiox and the Duchy of Lyonassi to assist you. My request to you is to try to contact Boris Todbringer as soon as possible and tell Lord Miden our location."
"Dispatch the Old Guard?" Bertrand and Davu looked at each other and asked in disbelief.
"Assist them?" Duke Hagan was surprised by the order. He thought that the two commanders weren't even Barons. As one of the first twelve Holy Grail Knights, he had to assist them?
"The vanguard will consist of 7,000 soldiers. Bertrand will be the commander. Hagan, you and Davu will be the deputies." Laing didn't give them any more orders. The Knight King shouted behind him, "Lady Aurora and the three Ainslio sisters will assist you with Mana."
The Ice Sanctuary Witch accepted the order reluctantly. Morgiana also dispatched the three young Prophets of the Lake God — the three Ainslio sisters.
The three Ainslio sisters had a sad and glorious past. These three sisters were the three daughters of Sir Muxilon Evrul. The eldest daughter showed amazing magic talent at the age of ten and was then taken away by the Prophet of the Lake God. The second daughter also showed amazing magic talent at the age of six and was taken away by the Prophet of the Lake God. The mother almost collapsed and fled with the younger daughter. A few years later, Morgiana went into the Chalon Forest and took away the last daughter from the desperate mother.
The mother couldn't stop it and committed suicide on the spot. Evrul cried and "thanked" the lady for her gift.
However, when Laing began to gather the army to support the Empire, the Lady of the Lake sent the three sisters. They all completed the Goddess' magic course and returned with glory from the Goddess' Kingdom. They became the Prophets of the Lake God.
It was ironic, but this was the nature of the world.
Since then, Laing divided the 35,000 knights into a vanguard of 7,000 soldiers led by Bertrand, Hagan, and Davu, and a main force of 28,000 soldiers led by himself, Morgiana, Laun, Berchemund, and others. They were divided into two groups.
The vanguard took close to a week to reach the depths of Drakwald at a relatively fast speed.
Their purpose was to reach Castle Bergen as soon as possible.
A week later, the vanguard of the knights was advancing on Midden Road.
The commander of the Old Guard, Bertrand, as usual, liked to wear a three-cornered hat on his head. But now, the hat on his head was gorgeous. It had the glory of a unicorn and the feather of a Griffin. The Eye of Tal looked around vigilantly and was prepared to deal with any possible attack.
The neat elite army advancing on Midden Road was a magnificent sight, especially the glorious Old Guard. Although the Old Guard and the pride of Brittany didn't understand why the King would send three battalions as vanguards, all of the Old Guard swore loyalty to the Knight King, Laing, and Queen Suria. They would proudly carry out Laing's orders.
It started snowing again. Midden Road was like that. It was always snowing in winter. The dark mountains and forests, the barren road, and the scattered villages along the road were different from the warm and populous Brittany. Walking here, the soldiers and knights felt like they had been forgotten by the world. Endless beasts roared in the depths of the forest. Nobody knew if they were ordinary beasts, Orcs, or mutated creatures.
According to the news, there were many places in the depths of Drakwald that led directly to the realm of Chaos. Many places in the ancient evil Dark Forest had been corrupted by Chaos for a long time after the Empire retreated.
The Empire had tried to burn the forest but was stopped by the Orcs. They tried to cut down trees on a large scale, but if there were too few people, the Orcs and Green Dwarfs would appear and kill everyone. If there were too many soldiers, the Empire's nobles wouldn't be able to afford the huge military expenditure.
"Phew, it's so d * mn cold!" Raymond, the captain of the Old Guard, tightened his lake-green winter coat. Even though he was already a Legendary champion, he couldn't help but complain about the cold winter in Midden. Most of the soldiers who were used to living in the warm Brittany were not used to it. "Sometimes I wonder, how did the people of the Empire survive in this world of ice and snow and the endless Dark Forest?"
Snowflakes mixed with the cold wind hit Davu's face. The vice-captain of the Old Guard was fully armed with a bicorn hat. Perhaps due to some cultural influence, his hat was deliberately worn askew. The white hippogryph feathers on it were stained with more snowflakes in the cold wind. Davu couldn't help but say, "The people of the Empire are indeed impressive. They have survived for three thousand years in such a harsh environment."
"So what? They still need our help, don't they?" Duke Hagan was a Knight of the Holy Grail. He could be fully armed for long periods of time. The duke wore a golden goblet with antlers and a red and black robe with the coat of arms of the Empire over his ancestral armor. "We've been in Drakwald for almost ten days. Why hasn't the army of the Empire arrived yet?" the duke said, a little indignantly.
"The rule of Midden doesn't extend that far, Duke." Aurora's expression was not very pleasant. She obviously preferred to stay with the main army. She and Teresa shared the Hurricane Ice Chariot. She was brewing tea as she followed the army. But Aurora still explained, "Boris Todbringer's rule has never gone deep into the forest. Not everyone can come and go as they please like Laing's brother Angran and those few golden corn cobs. It's like going home. The nobles of Midden avoid the forest."
"Thank you for your explanation, Madam Aurora." Duke Hagan nodded nonchalantly.
Bertrand and Davu were native Brittany, but Aurora wasn't. She didn't join the army halfway and didn't prove herself through a series of battles like Veronica.
The army continued to advance. Since the battle a week ago, the harassment of the Orcs had lessened. The vanguard troops were able to move freely and maintain their marching speed.
Finally, when they were about to reach Bergen Castle, the vanguard troops encountered a Human army.
Both sides met at a bend ten kilometers away from Bergen Castle. The Empire troops were shocked to see an army in front of them. A row of musketeers and crossbowmen immediately raised their weapons at the Brittany. "Who are you? Which division are you from? Report your unit numbers! "
The Brittanians were also shocked. The old guards also lined up and prepared to shoot. The two sides were about two hundred meters away from each other. Bertrand, the old commander of the guards, also shouted, "You are the ones who are … Who are you? Report your names immediately! "
Both sides were at daggers drawn. The knights were humiliated. Their faces turned red as they prepared to fight.
"Wait! That seems to be the army of Mildenhill. Bertrand, order the troops to lay down their weapons! " Aurora noticed the other party's flag, which was blue on the top and white on the bottom. It was a coat of arms with a white wolf running over a city. The Sanctuary Witch said eagerly, "And this is the city coat of arms of Middenheim! Tell the troops to lay down their weapons! "
"Why should we lay down our weapons?" Duke Hagan shouted unhappily. "Is this how the Empire treats its reinforcements? I'm going to let these bastards have a taste of their own medicine! "
"Old Guard!" Bertrand raised his hand and said, "Lay down your weapons! Raise our flag. "
The flag of the Brittany Kingdom of Red and Blue Lions and Iris Flowers was raised.
"In the name of Yurick! Welcome, reinforcements from the other side of the mountain. " The Empire troops on the other side also relaxed after a short period of tension. The Empire's army was not small, about 5,000 people. Their equipment was not very good, but it was not shabby either. Most of the soldiers were wearing thick blue and white clothes with breastplates and weapons in their hands. Groups of halberds and sword and shield soldiers made way. A group of white wolf knights slowly came out of the army. They were protecting an Empire general of about 40 years old. He was wearing full plate armor, with a sharp sword hanging on his waist and a shield under his horse. He had a wolf cape behind him, and the colorful feathers on his kite helmet pointed to the sky.
"I am Marshal Mildenheim, Heinrich Todbinger. On behalf of my father, Mildenheim, and Yurick, I welcome you!" Heinrich rode closer. "May I ask where His Majesty the Knight King is?"
"We are the vanguard army. His Majesty the Knight King's army is two days behind us." Bertrand stepped forward, and the holy emblem of the Lord of Nature lit up on his forehead. "I am the commander of the Old Guard, the Eye of Bertrand Tarr."
"The Eye of Tarr? The Old Guard? " Heinrich pulled up the mask of his kite helmet, revealing a face full of wounds. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Bertrand and Davu. "I know you. The Eye of Bertrand Tarr, the Chosen One of Tarr who was born as a thief in the Chalon Forest, and Nicolás Davu, who drank the Holy Grail Syrup as an Old Guard. You and the Old Guard are well-known in the Old World."
Since then, the hostility between the two sides was finally resolved. The army met, and Heinrich greeted Aurora. "Ms. Aurora, long time no see."
"Yes, long time no see, Heinrich." Aurora and Heinrich knew each other, but they were not familiar with each other.
Heinrich Todbinger was the first son of Elector Boris, but he was not the eldest son. He was a legal illegitimate son born by Boris's concubine. Since young, he had shown extraordinary bravery and courage.
He was a little like Frey Derick.
A middle-aged White Wolf Knight Captain rode out. He had a big beard that was tied into a braid, and his oiled hair was mixed with snow. His head was covered with wolf fur, and he was wearing a full-body steel plate armor. He held a White Wolf Warhammer in his hand and smiled. "I don't know if His Majesty Knight King still remembers me. I am Kohler Ryzfeld, the captain of the White Wolf Knights. When I was defeated by the Knight King, I was only 24 years old. Now, 20 years have passed."
"It's an honor to meet you." Duke Hagan remembered. He remembered what happened back then.
Since then, the army of the Empire and the army of the Brittany had successfully met.
And just when the two armies met, deep in the Black Forest, a powerful and terrifying existence was secretly watching everything.
The Sanctuary-level Orc warlord named "One-Eyed" Kazac, a legendary Orc Beast King who had a bounty of 10,000 gold marks on his head, was secretly observing the army. "Disgusting … bugs … Kazac … will … crush them."
Kazak bellowed angrily. He was overjoyed and amused by the hunting and being hunted between him and Kurfürst Boris. Kazak had set up a terrifying ambush in the first place, planning to kill Boris, his favorite son, first so that he would feel the unforgettable pain of losing his beloved son. "Dig out … eyeballs … urine … wolf skin."
However, the appearance of the vanguard of the Brittany army forced Kazak to give up his original ambush plan. The two human armies added up to more than 12,000 people, and Kazak only had less than 7,000 Orcs. It was impossible to win like this. Kazak, who had wisdom that surpassed all Orcs, immediately gave up on the ambush.
Kazak issued a new order.
"Gather … the tribes, gather … the bulls … gather … the superior Gore … the Bull-headed Destroyer!"
"Hunt … the humans!"
"Burn … Mildenheim … burn … civilization … destroy … everything!!!"
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