At the end of January 1433 in the Western Continent, Benz City.

It seemed that snow was about to fall again from the sky. Now was the coldest time of the year. After this month, the glaciers would soon thaw, and spring would spread with new greenery in a short time. The scouts who went out of the city returned one after another, the rebel army had finished resting.

The battle was coming.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

According to the King’s order, the adult men in the entire city of Benz gathered together. The number of people gathered on the first day did not meet the King’s requirements, so the King issued another writ, as long as all the slaves in the city joined the battle, they would be free from the moment they took up arms.

This order was more effective than the previous one, and overnight, many slaves gathered at the place where the weapons were distributed.

A simple high platform was erected on the square of Benz City, which was the largest knight conferring ceremony in Legrand’s history.

The temporarily recruited soldiers gathered in the square, and the sun rose from the clouds and shone on everyone’s faces. The expressions on those faces were full of anxiety, hesitation and fear, but there was also a trace of excitement. In the snow, the swords in their hands and the armor on the people reflected dazzling light.

The lieutenant general looked at the gathered men.

This was the new army that the King could muster in a hurry. Many of them were still slaves yesterday, and most of the other freemen were merchants. Such a group of people would be knighted today. If other countries knew that Legrand used such a group of rabble as knights, it would probably become a big joke, right?

The lieutenant general noticed that in this group of men, those slaves with sunken cheeks were the brightest-eyed ones. They held the sword in their hands tightly, as if they were holding their own lives.

The King ascended the dais.

The Rose family’s signature silver hair was blown by the cold wind, and there was no smile on his face. Now, no longer did anyone pay attention to his too young face when they first saw him. His scarlet cloak fell to the ground, and he was shrouded in the light of the crown, majestic and stern.

The originally noisy crowd quieted, and the people who had just become soldiers looked up at the person they were about to swear allegiance to.

“Whom among you escaped here from other places?”

The King looked down at the people below.

The people looked at each other, most of them were afraid of the majesty of the King.

After a while, a young man squeezed his way out of the crowd and stood before the King. He was extremely thin, and the leather armor on him seemed almost empty, giving him a very strange and incongruous look.

“Very well,” the King said flatly, “and now, brave sir, tell me why you have fled here?”

“They killed my master, they killed my sister,” said the young man hoarsely, a slave. “The town was burned, and we fled here.”

“Did you hear that?”

The cold wind laced the King’s voice with chill, and his icy blue eyes scanned everyone sharply.

“It’s been more than a month, and you know better than I who the people who are about to arrive in Benz City are like. They are merciless thugs, they are eager to break into your homes, plunder your wealth, kill your young children, take your wives, cut off your hands and feet, and pick up your heads to boast.”

In the King’s words, the smell of blood screamed past.

That was all the tragedy that happened in this month-long rebellion. Those burned cities, those people who died painfully after their stomachs were cut open, those hatreds that could no longer tell right from wrong.

“Tell me, is this something you are willing to accept? Are you willing to die?”

The King asked sharply.

“No!” replied the young slave emphatically.

Hatred was burning in his pupils.

The first voice appeared, and the people below began to answer the King’s question, and the voices gradually became one.

Who wanted to die like this? Who wanted their home to be turned into ruins in an instant? Who wanted a loved one to die and be separated from them forever?

“You need to know one thing.” The King’s voice dropped. “My uncle, the Duke of Buckingham, died a week ago, and he died for you. He is a knight of Legrand, protecting any Legrandian is his responsibility, he died for you, that is his glory!”

“Someone once advised me to retreat.”

There was a commotion among the crowd. Everyone knew that once the King and his cavalry retreated, the city of Benz would undoubtedly fall. Panic appeared on people’s faces.

“But I refused.” The King drew out his sword, and he pointed to the north, “My uncle died in battle, so I will take over from him to protect you! They think I don’t have knights, so I will grant the title of knight today to all of you! Take your knives and swords, and you will fight for yourselves, for Legrand, not for me!”

“Kneel down!”

He pointed his sword at the young slave in front of him and shouted sharply.

The young slave looked at the King, then at the crowd under the high platform, and finally knelt down on one knee slowly. Together with the young slave, the crowd finally knelt down on the icy snow all over the ground.

The King stepped forward and put the sword on the shoulder of the young slave.

He looked down at the young slave.

In his eyes, the slave only felt that what was resting on his shoulder was not a cold long sword, but a hot red flame. It was an honor that a slave could never imagine.

“I shall be considered foolish for placing my life in the hands of a pathetic mob held in contempt by the eyes of others.”

The King’s words were resounding.

He put the national sword on the shoulders of the most lowly people, and declared that he would fight by their side. The lieutenant general looked at this scene and felt as if molten lava was bubbling in icy midwinter air, as if  little flames of war had begun surging out. As if an invisible taboo had been broken, the lion’s roar was encompassed in the young king’s deep and powerful words.

“But I believe in you all, today, I will grant you glory, because you were born on this land! Because you will fight for this land!”

“I will bestow upon each of you the title of knight.”

“Tullus!” Called the King, “tell them what a Knight of Legrand is!”

The lieutenant general stepped out in response. He clenched his fist and beat his heart: “Loyalty, bravery, and protection.”

“Loyalty, bravery, and protection.” The King looked down on everyone from a high position, “You should be humble and keep your promises. You should be brave, and defend your country to the death. Legrand’s future is in your hands, you fight for her, and she will also return glory and honor to you. I will stand shoulder to shoulder with you all, and I will also put my life into your hands.”

“From today onwards, you are all part of the Iron Rose Cavalry!”

“Now——”

He drew back his long sword and raised it up high.

“All knights who are willing to fight to protect Legrand, swear! You will fight for Legrand!”

Armors collided, swords clanged, one after another, the “rabble” of the previous second, the imperial knights at this moment, they clench their fists and beat their hearts, their voices gathering together: “Fight for Legrand!”

Fight for Legrand!

The bard played a fervent melody in the square, and he sang in a low voice:

“Legrand, Legrand unmatched anywhere in the world,

On this land,

There are dense forests, meandering rivers, and vast pastures

O’ warriors here, you are free and glorious.”

This was the old Legrand ballad.

Standing silently behind the King, the Iron Rose Cavalry drew their swords, raised them high, and sang in unison with the melody of the harp: “O’ Legrand, let her people cut down the bodies and saddles of the enemy, the dead piled on top of each other, the King and his knights will always be remembered for their prowess!”

“Now——”

The King ordered.

“We leave the city! Prepare for battle!”

The city gate opened.

The Iron Rose Cavalry who had already waited for a long time rode out of the city from the lowered suspension bridge, and the newly conferred knights followed the commander appointed by the King and set foot on the battlefield. All the knights put on bright red smocks, which originally belonged only to the royal family’s soldiers, but at this time, the King distributed this honor to those who had just become knights.

They were the central army.

The bright sky was glaring, and Legrand’s army began to line up.

The battlefield set by the King was a must-pass between the city of Benz and Newcastle——that was, the place where James met the King’s cavalry that day. With such a distance, it was impossible for them to retreat back to Benz City. From the moment the suspension bridge fell, all those who stepped onto the battlefield had no way to retreat.

The army was divided into three divisions, the central army, the left wing, and the right wing.

The Iron Rose Cavalry separated out a small team which became the commander of the new reserve army, leading this army with the largest number to station on the gentlest slope on the road they had to pass. The front row of the Iron Rose Cavalry inserted scarlet royal flags into the snow. The royal flag was unfurled with great momentum.

The right wing concentrated all the longbowmen, led by the lieutenant general and arranged on the hillside on the right side of the battlefield to meet the enemy’s left wing light cavalry. As soon as the right-wing army reached the hillside, it immediately began digging trenches on the hillside, setting as many traps as possible.

The left wing was entirely the Iron Rose Cavalry, led by the King himself. They put down the royal flag and waited low-key on the route the cavalry led by Prince Will himself would arrive.

The battle line had been drawn, and the bloody battle was approaching.

Hot air was blowing from the horse’s nose, and the King’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

He stared straight ahead.

It was very cold, so cold that the breath of the war horse turned into a faint white mist. This was the King’s first real war. This war would determine the fate of an entire kingdom…..perhaps the entire world. Because in this war, the King put himself on the table as a bet.

He led the Iron Rose Cavalry to meet the rebel army several times larger than himself.

He might also die.

The knights behind him were wiping their swords and making final preparations before the battle.

The King lowered his head slightly, and saw his own eyes reflected on the sharp sword, and there seemed to be a faint flame burning in the depths of those ice-blue pupils.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The ground began to shake.

The King raised his head, and on the horizon in front of him, snow could be seen being kicked up, and the salamander banner with a white background appeared in the field of vision. The main force of the rebel army led by Prince Will had arrived.

The King swung his sword, and the penetrating sound of the horn echoed in the cold air. The cavalry held their shields in one hand and leveled their lances in the other.

“Kill!”

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