On the continent of Sier, noble castles are not merely symbols of power, but specialized military structures that embody the pinnacle of defensive architecture.
Eagle Fortress lies to the west of Howling City, historically serving as a bulwark against the Highlands.
The Viscount of Eagle Fortress, along with Viscount Balle and Count Lanshan, are all of the purest blue-blooded lineage, forming the core of the Blue Blood Alliance on the Windfly Plains, staunchly and conservatively resisting all outside forces.
That was until the arrival of Viscount Garcia, who disrupted everything.
With this man guarding the rear, Count Lanshan felt quite reassured.
“Fact is… the Viscount of Eagle Fortress has betrayed us, forsaking the sacred blue blood in his veins. He opened the gates of Eagle Fortress, lowered the drawbridge, and allowed the knights from the Highlands to pass through the Death Canyon!”
Viscount Balle said in a dry tone: “When the carrier pigeons were sent, the combined forces of the Highlands and Eagle Fortress were already surrounding Howling City. With all of our forces having marched out, I really don’t think Howling Castle can hold for long… The worst-case scenario is that Howling City has already fallen, and we are now facing a pincer attack from the Highland coalition and Viscount Garcia!”
Count Lanshan immediately sat down on his chair, his eyes dazed, unable to utter a word for a long time.
The current situation was naturally extremely perilous.
The fall of Howling Castle not only meant the loss of all previous strategic advantages and supply support, but for Count Lanshan, it also signified the collapse of his ruling authority!
Once it fell, it would indicate that the rule of the blue bloods on the Windfly Plains was already in grave danger.
“Cursed!”
He suddenly stood up, roaring: “Garcia doesn’t just want to defeat me—he wants to exterminate the entire blue-blooded class!”
Boom!
The nobles inside the entire tented camp immediately fell into chaos. They loudly cursed Viscount Garcia opposite them, blaming each other, their eyes anxiously darting about like moles searching for escape tunnels.
“Withdraw immediately! Now! At once!”
Count Lanshan stood up, knowing that any hesitation now would only increase the enemy’s chance of victory: “We withdraw immediately and return to reinforce Howling Castle!”
“The walls and fortifications there are the sturdiest on the entire Windfly Plains; they must be able to hold out until we return!”
As for the rash retreat and what Garcia would do in response, Count Lanshan no longer wanted to think about it, nor dared to.
Numerous nobles hurriedly stepped out of the tent, and soon the entire camp was in an uproar.
It was already beyond the nobles’ capabilities to recall soldiers who had become immersed in alcohol and women.
Even more alarming, they discovered that, somehow and at some unknown point, news of Howling City’s fall had already spread like a hurricane throughout the camp, reaching every soldier’s ears in an instant.
“My lord!”
Wu Ming returned to his encampment and immediately saw his subordinates—Ava, Jack, Malete, and others—coming to meet him.
“Convey my military order: our camp will go on immediate alert!”
He looked upon the chaotic camp with a worried expression. Such a large disturbance, even if it didn’t cause a panic stampede, would certainly bring great trouble if Viscount Garcia decided to raid the camp at night.
Fortunately, Wu Ming had already made preparations. His five hundred soldiers, plus another five hundred cavalry, might not be fully battle-ready, but they were at least well-organized and disciplined, giving him a slight advantage in the situation.
…
Dawn.
Dew still clung to the green grass blades. Yet within Count Lanshan’s camp, chaos reigned.
After a night of noise and commotion, these nobles finally began to withdraw. After all, the betrayal of the Viscount of Eagle Fortress not only threatened Howling Castle, but also exposed the heartland of the Windfly Plains to potential attacks. With the possibility of sudden raids on any noble’s territory, none of the nobles had the heart to continue battling Viscount Garcia here.
Amid the disarrayed army, Wu Ming’s five hundred personal troops and surrounding cavalry stood out particularly.
“I might have overestimated Viscount Garcia…”
Mounted on his warhorse, recalling how he had waited all night for a raid that never came, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Clearly, even if Garcia’s soldiers were somewhat elite, it was only relative. Their discipline was no better. And Garcia’s capabilities perhaps weren’t sufficient to handle such a high-difficulty mission.
Nighttime operations place extremely high demands on soldiers. Attempting it recklessly might result in scattered units, turning into a laughingstock.
Of course, Wu Ming secretly speculated that Garcia’s decision not to take risks was based on the firm belief that Howling Castle had already fallen, that Count Lanshan was already under his control, and that the count was now in a desperate, doomed situation—thus making any risky maneuver unnecessary.
“Whether or not this is true will soon be revealed!”
Wu Ming slowed his mount and moved to the rear.
Clatter! Clatter!
A faint vibration soon reached his ears, immediately causing a faint smirk of coldness to appear on his face.
“Jack! Order our soldiers to immediately prepare for battle! Rally with the cavalry!”
After issuing the command, not long afterward, a sound of galloping hooves came from behind. Numerous knights poured forth, their red lion banners roaring fiercely, ready to tear apart their prey.
“Baron William! The count is summoning you!”
A fast horse galloped over, ridden by Lord Richard, who now resembled a frightened quail, trembling all over, far removed from his commanding presence the previous night.
Only now did he truly appreciate the value of knights and strength.
“My lord baron, bring all the cavalry to protect me!”
Upon seeing Wu Ming, Count Lanshan immediately and impatiently issued the command. He looked haggard but was still clad in armor: “If we abandon all our infantry, how long will it take us to reach Howling Castle?”
“Two days would be enough…”
Wu Ming shook his head: “However, my lord count, do you intend to have your horses scale the city walls to protect your castle?”
In siege warfare, cavalry was far less effective than infantry.
“Baron William, carry out the order!”
Lord Richard, standing beside Count Lanshan, regained a bit of his usual arrogance.
Wu Ming inwardly shook his head.
In such a situation of disintegrating morale and an enemy pressing from behind, the wisest choice would be to dispatch true elite forces to cover the retreat, giving the main army a slim chance of survival.
Yet now, the count had clearly lost his composure, wanting to gather all his mobile forces around himself for escape!
“I’m afraid it’s already too late…”
Wu Ming pointed in the direction of Howling Castle: “Look!”
Count Lanshan and Lord Richard gazed in that direction, their entire bodies jolting.
Red!
A striking red, like a raging flame consuming the world, slowly emerged on the horizon.
As it drew closer, they realized it was a wave of cavalry clad in red armor, their vivid banners bearing the unmistakable emblem of the roaring lion.
“We’ve already been surrounded by the Red Lions!”
The entire column immediately came to a halt, descending into panic and confusion.
Indeed, the Lion family from the Highlands had given Count Lanshan no chance at all. After capturing Howling Castle, they immediately dispatched their elite forces to prepare for a pincer attack, aiming to annihilate all the blue-blooded nobles here.
“No! They cannot do this!”
Count Lanshan’s face turned pale: “I must send an envoy to request negotiations! According to the rules between nobles, they cannot treat me this way!”
The two waves of red-clad forces pressed forward, encircling the private armies of the blue-blooded nobles.
Count Lanshan immediately dispatched Lord Richard as his representative for surrender.
But this honorable baron had not even ridden to the enemy lines before he was riddled with arrows, turned into a beehive!
All the blue-blooded nobles who witnessed this scene felt their limbs go cold, realizing the enemy had no intention of negotiating at all. The Lion family from the Highlands was clearly preparing to swallow the entire Windfly Plains, no longer needing their blue-blooded group.
“Eagle Eye!”
Wu Ming climbed a small hill, channeling the power of the people into magical force, utilizing a witch’s spell.
His extraordinary perception, combined with sharp vision, allowed him to immediately discern the enemy’s strength and disposition.
“Such a quick arrival confirms that the forces from the direction of Howling Castle are indeed cavalry, around a thousand in number! Behind them, Viscount Garcia’s army numbers around three thousand! With a total of four thousand troops, the blue bloods still have a fighting chance. Unfortunately…”
Wu Ming looked toward his own army.
A night of noise and confusion, combined with the rebellion from behind and inner uncertainty, had not only stripped the blue-blooded nobles of their courage and confidence, but also left the soldiers below directionless and confused.
Once panic spread, it completely shattered this army. With just one more enemy charge, many of these soldiers would devolve into mere civilians, even if their numbers equaled or slightly exceeded the enemy’s!
“Bring along Baron Terri, Baron Wilfer, and Lord Tana. We’re preparing to break through!”
Wu Ming took a deep breath.
He originally had five hundred soldiers. Many of his cavalry had returned to protect their own noble lords upon hearing their calls, but more had chosen to stay. Adding in the forces of the other three noble families, Wu Ming now commanded over a thousand troops!
Even within the original Blue Tiger army, this was a significant proportion.
“Baron William!”
Soon, the three minor nobles, clad in full armor, arrived, their faces showing unease.
“As soon as the battle begins, we will attempt to break through. Our target…”
Wu Ming pointed his riding whip toward the cavalry blocking their rear: “The Highland Knight Coalition!”
These cavalry had come from the Highlands, captured Howling Castle, and then rushed here without rest to intercept Count Lanshan. Though seemingly unstoppable, they were actually already at the end of their strength. If attacked with sufficient force beyond their capacity to withstand, they would begin to collapse, opening a path to escape.
This was the only viable way to preserve significant strength.
Otherwise, even if other nobles managed to break through under the protection of their knights, they would inevitably abandon all their private troops here, fleeing back to their castles to tremble in fear, only to be picked off one by one by the Highland knights.
Initially, Baron Terri and the others didn’t fully understand, but after Wu Ming explained, they immediately showed expressions of admiration.
Wu wu!
The next moment, a loud military horn sounded.
The Red Lions’ attack had begun!
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