The King’s order, which was half a speech and half an order, was arranged to be circulated throughout Legrand as quickly as possible.

The boiling public dissatisfaction was finally suppressed. Everyone knew that General Sheehan was originally the most important general trusted by the King. He once planned an assassination against the King, but the King forgave him and appointed him as the general of his first personal army, the Iron Rose Cavalry. Since then, the value the King placed on General Sheehan had been quite eye-catching. Not only did he appoint him as the commander-in-chief of the central army during the Northland Rebellion, but also handed over the decision-making power of the southeastern defense line to him at the beginning of the current campaign.

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Some people even joked in private that if not for the fact that General Sheehan did not have the iconic silver hair and blue eyes of the Rose family, then people would really wonder whether General Sheehan was also another brother of the King. Otherwise, how could the King favor him so much?

Now, General Sheehan’s cowardice had resulted in the southeastern coast being occupied by the Holy Legion, which undoubtedly made the King furious.

The stripping of positions, titles and territories, these punishments conveyed the King’s rage and determination——in the face of the lives of Legrand’s people, he would not be biased even with the generals he valued most.

The King punished even his most valued general with such a harsh punishment that could be called nailing him forever to the pillar of shame. General Sheehan, who caused the fall of the southeastern coast, had died at the hands of the Bubas people. The public was outraged but it finally calmed down.

In the public writ, the King said, “In the name of the monarch of Legrand, I ask all the people of Legrand, no matter where you are, to fight to the end against the enemies who have invaded your homeland. The future of Legrand is in the hands of all of us.” 

In the face of the national crisis, it played an unprecedented role in rallying power.

All over the country, they were inspired by “Legrand’s future is in the hands of all of us”, and even half-grown children took up crude weapons.

General Sheehan ordered the Iron Rose Cavalry to evacuate Bubas, which let the Holy Legion of the Sea to invade the southeastern coast. One of the important reasons why it triggered such widespread and intense anger was that it made the Legrand people see clearly what would be the consequences as never before. If they lost the war, what would be their fate?

They would be massacred, plundered, and enslaved. From then on, they had no fixed place to live and their dignity would be lost.

The advance of the Holy Legion of the Sea was blocked by the Kriya Mountains and the Kriya State fortresses and castles. And when they dispersed their troops to the towns and countryside to plunder supplies to supply themselves as before, they discovered that everyone in the country had gone crazy.

In the Holy Legion of the Sea, Verduin, the head of the Abyss Alliance countries, recorded the changes during this period in his private diary. At the end of summer, they were still basking in their victory, but when autumn came, they could already feel the chill on this country’s blade.

“…We were dragged down in the southeast area, and our soldiers had almost no way to disperse our movements when gathering rations and supplies. Because once a soldier strayed… the mob would attack us. Although those people’s weapons were crude and clumsy, and they have no fighting skills to speak of, they don’t care about giving up their lives.”

“Some of our soldiers have begun to panic. Do we really believe that the soldiers are really devout believers fighting to uphold the glory of the Holy Lord? Oh, Holy Lord! Don’t we ourselves really know who they are? The ranks of the Holy Legion are made up of a rabble of the poor, the bankrupt, thieves and robbers…”

“They didn’t come here to bring God to this land. They came here across the Abyss Strait just to make a fortune. If you can’t even guarantee your life, then what’s the use of more money?”

“We have to find a way to solve this matter.”

A few days after writing this diary entry, Verduin encountered an attack by a team of armed townspeople when he was leading soldiers to harvest local grain and grass.

The most disturbing thing was that among their attackers, a boy who did not even reach the chest of an adult was holding the hilt of a broken sword tightly in his hand when he was caught. And the look in his eyes no longer looked normal at all.

“My father died, my brother died, so I took up their swords.”

The boy said this before he died.

War should have been a stage for adults, but now children have also picked up swords and weapons.

As King Pureland of Legrand said in his open letter:

Traitors must die and the whole nation will fight.

This was a true nationwide battle.

On the southeast coast, compared to the entire Legrand territory, this section was like a sealed territory, and every piece of land was filled with blood.

“There is no doubt.”

When he captured the port of Koszoya, he ordered the soldiers to slaughter the city and then raised his goblet and shouted “cheers”. That night, with trembling hands, Verduin wrote this line in his diary:

“This country has gone mad.”

………………

As summer passed and autumn arrived, it was supposed to be the harvest season, but the wind blew across the empty fields.

The Holy Legion of the Holy Land had landed, and Legrand’s main army had also arrived at the predetermined front in the middle. The two armies were about to confront each other, and a frontal battle was imminent.

In the combat conference room in Yoringshire County, the staff officers were arguing fiercely. What was different from the past was that it was not just the senior generals standing in the combat conference room. In the words of a veteran, “the people involved in the war decision-making discussion seemed to come from all walks of life.”

This remark was slightly exaggerated, but it was generally correct.

With the King’s permission, those who could participate in the discussion included not only generals, but also the heads of spy organizations, the minister in charge of Legrand’s transportation department previously established by the King, members of the local public sentiment committee commonly known as “Black Wings”, slightly mad military weapon designers, Royal Academy mathematicians with a head full of numbers… This was a very strange thing for traditional generals.

But their King was a tyrant before, and his willful temper seemed not to have changed much now.

In this war, the King used high-pressure methods to force his officers to quickly accept a new model of military planning. There were too many impromptu ideas in previous war plans. This time the King was determined to ask his officers to theoretically formulate different combat plans for each battle they were about to face, and these combat plans also took into account many factors.

He would even ask the accompanying mathematicians from the Royal Academy who participated in the war to do their best to calculate the loss and distribution of their supplies and weapons…

In past wars, it could be said that most of the time, the army did not have the concept of a “logistics system”, and this aspect was often left a muddled mess. But this time, the group of mathematicians and military officers were using their hairlines to try their best to sort out the mess.

May the heroic soul of Legrand bless these poor people, and hope that they would not be tortured to the point of going crazy and wanting to jump off the city wall.

However, although they were quite unaccustomed to this new mode, there were few complaints.

Because the King was always with them, spending sleepless nights next to the battle map.

Although these arrangements of the King have a sense of “tyrannical” arbitrariness, he did not seem to have the idea of ​​acting as an arbitrary tyrant from beginning to end during the march and war.

Except for some critical and unexpected moments when he would make the most decisive decision with an attitude that could not be refuted——a decision that was often proven to be correct after the fact, or at least the one that could obtain the greatest benefit. At other times, he played more of a role of listening to many ideas and then giving his own evaluation and opinions.

His military talent was particularly amazing, and he was often able to point out the biggest flaws in every seemingly “perfect” combat plan sharply and ruthlessly.

Under normal circumstances, monarchs who were too young often do not receive any preferential treatment from experienced veterans. Although they had to maintain a surface level of respect, this did not prevent the generals from harboring private suspicions and concerns. If a monarch who was too young wanted to establish his prestige, there was no better choice than leading the army to an exciting victory. But who could guarantee that every monarch was an outstanding military strategist?

However, the King was not among these usual monarchs.

The King was like the Mad King Henry, the Lion King Charles, William III… Like them, he possessed outstanding military talents from a young age. The counterattack outside Truu City, the final decisive duel of the Rose Crisis, the last-ditch battle outside Benz City, and the Northland Rebellion’s perfect putdown… Aside from his status as a monarch, this series of dazzling achievements were enough to make any general respect him.

Sometimes, the generals couldn’t help but wonder whether the heroic spirit of the entire Rose family was passed down from generation to generation. Throughout the Rose family’s epics of kings, monarchs with outstanding military exploits from a young age often emerged. When generals from other countries had to deal with the monarchs of their own royal families who have inflated self-confidence and poor actual abilities, they were probably quite envious of Legrand’s generals.

The veteran generals were keen to listen to the King’s opinions, and they were also happy that their opinions could be seriously listened to by the King——although he might not necessarily adopt them.

“I believe the Knights Templar will take the Kava Plain. Their marching speed is faster than the Eternal Knights…”

“But Pope Theolde is here in person. The Knights Templar are the most elite troops. It is impossible for them to leave the vicinity of the Pope…”

There was chaos and noise in the combat conference room.

The King stood in front of the battle map, with his hands on the table, looking at the map in deep thought without saying a word.

After they successfully annihilated the main force of the Eternal Knights and destroyed the vanguard of the Holy Legion of the Holy Land, the King, with the support of several cities, regained several cities that were previously controlled by the Holy Legion. This was of great help to the initial stage of the frontal war. Without the geographically advantaged planned garrison point of Yoringshire County, even if Theolde had the heart to fight quickly, the marching speed of his army would still have to slow down.

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

The significance of Yoringshire County to the Holy Legion of the Holy Land was that it was the junction point between the Doma tributary and the main river. With Yoringshire County, the Holy Legion could transport supplies through waterways. In a situation like fighting on foreign lands like Legrand, this was the most reliable transportation line.

But now, this transportation line had been blocked by the King in advance.

Right now, the most important thing for them was to determine where Pope Theolde would make his first big move after landing in Legrand.

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Porto Port.

On the pier, the patriarch of the Mason family was waiting respectfully. In the previous rebellion, the Mason family was not like the complacent Earl of Pligney, who thought that with the help of a black dragon and mercenaries, he could act willfully. The leader of the Mason clan was weak in ability, but he was quite cautious by nature. Apart from providing military support in the early stages of the rebellion, he had never set foot on a battlefield.

Facts have proved that his approach was correct.

The majestic Earl of Pligney’s whole corpse was no longer able to be found, but he was still huddled in Porto Port, safe and sound, relying on the power of the head of the Inquisition Bureau of Herrid City and living well.

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On the sea in the distance, swaths of snow-white sails were set up, as neatly as a fiercely unfolded battle flag. The figurehead of the ship at the front looked like an angel holding a sword raised high. The whole ship cut through the waves, like a long sword dividing the sea, carrying a majestic momentum. On both sides of the ship’s deck stood a group of silver-armored warriors. They were the most powerful Knights Templar of the Holy Court.

The giant ship docked, and the white footboard was lowered.

A group of priests dressed in white quickly spread a pure white carpet between the footboard and the pier. All the people on the pier knelt down with their hands close to the ground.

The Emperor of the Holy Empire, the Pope of the Holy Court, Theolde slowly stepped down from the holy ship.

Compared with the previous white-haired popes who took office, Theolde was considered young, and he was probably the greatest pope in the history of the Holy Court, because he not only swept away the heretical belief in the old gods, he also completed the mission that all believers should do——he established the kingdom of God on earth for the Holy Lord.

Theolde’s cassock was blown by the wind. The Pope’s robe should have been pure white, but because he was also the first emperor of the Holy Empire, compared with the usual white robes, Theolde’s cassock also had golden embroidery.

What was surprising was that after the Pope stepped onto the pier, he did not walk along the carpet symbolizing “holiness and indefilability”. Instead, he took a few steps to the side and stepped directly on the ground.

“Your Majesty?”

Following Theolde down was Cardinal Sisian, who reminded the Pope softly.

“I’ve been thinking about what kind of country this is.” Theolde sighed, looking towards the distant direction of the Rose Palace. The smell of blood and gunpowder smoke still lingered in the air. Patriarch Mason had tried his best to clean up this place, but the smell of blood and fire still lingered for some reason.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to say a word.

During this period of time, all the fruits of victory achieved by the Holy Legion movement under the control of the Pope have firmly placed the man wearing the papal tiara at the pinnacle of power——he held more power than any previous pope!

Theolde leaned down and grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground amid everyone’s astonished looks.

“Look at this soil.”

He spread his hands, and the wind blew the dirt down.

“Soaked in blood.”

Sisian reacted the fastest. He immediately drew a cross on his chest and said loudly: “This is because the Holy Lord calls us to fight for Him with blood, and wants us to use arrows and fire to cleanse heretics! Holy, holy! Battle of ten thousand armies!”

Others followed Sisian, shouting: “Holy, holy! The battle of ten thousand armies!”

Theolde’s gray pupils stared at the soil blown away by the wind, and he revealed a meaningful smile:

“Holy, holy! The battle of ten thousand armies!”

The waves crashed loudly, announcing the arrival of the Holy Legion of the Holy Land in Legrand.

………………

Kriya State, Senvia Fortress.

“Senvia” meant “to guard” in Kriya’s language. This huge stone fortress named “Senvia” was built by Eleanor and the people of the whole country after she was crowned queen. It was the first fortress entering the Kriya Mountains from east to west and the first and strongest line of defense of Kriya State. It was also a natural line of defense for the entire southeastern region of Legrand.

The dark red glow of dusk casted its light over the fortress wall, which was as majestic as a giant standing among the mountains. In front of this giant was the rushing Doma River.

Amidst the sound of the rushing river, a team of cavalry arrived under the Senvia Fortress covered in rays of light.

Saul raised his head and looked at the majestic fortress built between the mountains. He now clearly felt that retreating here from Bubas was Legrand’s best choice at the moment.

The Kriya Mountains were the source of Legrand’s two great rivers, the Doma River and the Uzi River. It was also the gateway to the central and western parts of Legrand after landing at the southeastern coastal port of Legrand. With Kriya as the backing, and combined with the King’s defense east of the middle reaches of the Doma River, a great wall could be built that combined the river, the terrain and the fortresses and castles.

Only by relying on the terrain of Kriya could they withstand the 70,000 strong Holy Legion of the Sea.

Saul took a deep breath and led the soldiers closer to the fortress.

Kriya’s guards shouted and asked for their identities at the top of the fortress.

“Five thousand Iron Rose cavalry, ordered… by General Sheehan, to defend Kriya.” He raised his head and shouted loudly to the fortress wall.

He raised the military order.

He held the general’s order tightly.

The huge noose rotated, and the iron rope made a heavy clanging sound. The suspension bridge was slowly lowered, and the heavy city gate slowly opened from the inside.

“General Sheehan’s order? Where is General Sheehan?”

A guard wearing a gray robe and wearing a bow and arrow with a vine pattern came up from behind the city gate on horseback.

“Yes, by order of General Sheehan.”

Saul answered his first question.

The guard had already guessed some of the answer to the latter question from the silent atmosphere of the cavalry. He said no more, and turned his horse to lead them towards the fortress.

On the orders of General Sheehan… yes, on the orders of General Sheehan.

Saul closed his eyes.

Saul, we must be… knights who protect the world.

He led the Iron Rose Cavalry across the heavy suspension bridge, the river flowing rapidly underneath. Among the mountains, someone played a mournful melody. The sound of the flute was desolate, like weeping, like crying, like lamenting, like sorrow, and echoed in the woods for a long time.

In this war, for the final victory, everyone could be sacrificed and everyone could die.

……………………

The room was very quiet, the wall clock ticked on the wall, but time seemed to stand still. When the Head of the Households stepped inside, he saw his back turned to him, sitting at the table, the high-backed chair blocking his figure.

The Head of the Households could not see his expression.

“Queen Mother Eleanor sent back news that there are seven Holy Blessed Ones in Herrid Port, and there should be only three Holy Blessed Ones at Theolde’s side. In two weeks, a batch of important materials for the construction of the Throne of God Pier will arrive by sea transport to Herrid Port. The Queen Mother will launch the attack on the day the supplies arrive at Swan Port.”

The Head of the Households reported the important news one by one.

“The Holy Legion of the Holy Land has landed at Porto Port. Pope Theolde has also appeared at Porto Port with his personal Knights Templar. They did not advance immediately. The news that the Eternal Knights were intercepted and wiped out should be known to them by npw. The Knights Templar are undergoing recuperation in the territory of the Mason family.”

“Across the Hopeless Inland Sea, the Nujin Empire has arrived at Holy Spirit Bay. The Demonic Wolf Knights led by Hermóðr’ burned down St. Peter Port, the military port of Holy Spirit Bay, and are currently attacking the Third Sanctuary and the Fourth Sanctuary.”

“Within the Holy Empire, there are signs of restlessness among the old nobles of Bressi in the northwest. As for the root cause, our overseas spies have not yet sent back any definite information.”

……

The news was reported one by one. The Head of the Households paused and reported the final news: “The Iron Rose Cavalry has successfully retreated to the Kriya Mountains and arrived at Senvia Fortress. The Holy Legion of the Sea has occupied Bubas County and has dispersed its troops to various villages. South of the tributaries of the Doma River and east of the Kriya Mountains are all invaded by the Holy Legion. In addition…”

He looked at the King who had his back turned to him.

“In addition… the people seem to be angry.”

The Head of the Households said this with some difficulty.

In fact, it was not that there seemed to be anger, but that “the anger of the people had reached a shocking level.”

General Sheehan ordered the Iron Rose Cavalry to withdraw to Kriya, handing over the southeastern coast of Legrand, causing the entire southeastern people to suffer. In this situation where everyone in the entire country took up arms and fought to defend the country, this was an unforgivable act of “treason” in the people’s eyes. He was thought to have betrayed the people of all the invaded areas of the Southeast, and he must pay for his sins.

The people’s anger was like a blazing fire, burning from the occupied areas to all the counties of Legrand.

This was a thorny and crucial issue. If it could not be solved, all their previous efforts to unite the Legrand national spirit would be severely affected.

However……

The Head of the Households looked at the King’s back.

He was one of the few people who knew the whole story clearly. The Head of the Households knew that what the King issued to General Sheehan was a secret order.

The choice actually lay with General Sheehan.

He could choose to issue the order to retreat in the name of the King, or he could choose to issue it in his own name. General Sheehan should have known what kind of dilemma he was facing from the moment he received the secret order.

And he had already filled in the most irrevocable answer for the monarch he served in the most tragic way.

Whether it was the Duke of Buckingham or the King, they both were not disappointed by this pit’s man——General Sheehan was indeed one of the best generals in the empire.

“Your Majesty?”

The Head of the Households quietly reminded the King that those below him were still waiting for his orders.

The King sat at the table, with the unwritten writ spread out under the lamplight.

He looked out the window.

After putting down the rebellion in the North, the King once asked General Sheehan, who had made many military exploits in the war, what kind of reward he wanted. At that time, the army was still stationed in Bomari Castle. General Sheehan looked through the window at the royal Rose flag planted in Bomari Castle’s towers, thought for a long time, and said.

“If possible, I hope that one day in the future, I can succeed the Duke and become Legrand’s Imperial Knight.”

William III would die, the Duke of Buckingham would fall, and each generation would pass away. However, the death of a lion did not mean that the country would lose its reliance. There would eventually be new lions emerging from the blood and war.

Now, General Sheehan, he had already proven it.

He could indeed succeed Duke Buckingham and become the new Imperial Knight.

——He was already an Imperial Knight.

After a long time, the King finally took up his pen and began to write the order issued to all Legrand people.

After taking the order written by the King, the Head of the Households lowered his head and read it again, only to feel that the paper in his hand weighed a thousand pounds.

This was a writ that was half a speech and half a command.

On the second half of the writ, the writing marks were as deep as a knife carving.

“…As long as the last Legrand soldier has not died, the Legrand Empire will never perish. As the monarch of the Legrand Empire, I will fight to the end with every knight, and I will shed every last drop of blood for this country so that the rose flag will never fall.”

“In the name of the monarch of Legrand, I ask all the people of Legrand, no matter where you are, to fight to the end against the enemies that invade your homeland. The future of Legrand is in the hands of all of us.”

“The glory of the empire cannot be tarnished, and the blood of the people of the empire cannot be desecrated. The traitor will pay the price for what he has done. I hereby give an order——”

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

“Pursue the position of commander of the southeastern defense line of Sheehan Rolandst, pursue the earldom of Sheehan Rolandst, and take back the territory that has been given to Sheehan Rolandst.”

“Appoint Saul Cott as the General of the Iron Rose Cavalry.”

“Traitors must die and the whole nation will fight.”

……

The Head of the Households withdrew with this writ.

The King sat alone in the room, looking out the window in silence.

The long night, the dark night was eternal.

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“Sheehan?”

Saul saw that all the lines on General Sheehan’s face had become tense and hard. He and Sheehan had grown up together, and he had rarely seen him show such an expression.

“Sheehan?”

General Sheehan crumpled the letter into a ball and held it tightly in his hand. The wind blew across the dry earth, tangling the young general’s disheveled blond hair. He was still wearing the armor that he had not had time to take off. The sunlight fell on the armor and reflected on his handsome face. His eyes were difficult to distinguish under his brows.

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

“Go and gather our knights.”

General Sheehan’s voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

“Burn the granary.”

“What?!”

Saul looked at Sheehan in astonishment. But before he had time to understand what this order meant, a chill ran up his spine.

………………

The fire jumped up from the southeast of the city, rolling into the sky under the scorching sun. The flames were raging. It was not one or two houses that were on fire, but mountains of dry food and grass that were set alight. The fire was so intense that it turned the sky south of the city blood red.

At first, people didn’t realize what it was, but soon, the whole city became angry and frightened. These days, the people of Bubas, under the heavy pressure of the approaching army, almost all the adult men in the city were preparing to fight. But before they could even set foot on the battlefield, the city’s last slim hope was burned by fire.

Anger, despair, fear.

People who witnessed the Iron Rose Cavalry lighting up the granary flocked to the center of the city, and more and more people gathered outside the official residence. Amidst the roars and questions, stones of all sizes were smashed into the official residence like raindrops.

“The order was not given by you!”

Saul kicked the door open. He pushed the crowd away with his shield and was able to rush in with difficulty. The anger of the crowd made his heart tremble, and the countless curses and hatred towards General Sheehan left him with no doubt that if General Sheehan walked outside, people would eat his flesh raw without hesitation.

“That’s the King’s order! That’s not your order!”

General Sheehan was wearing armor and had a long sword on his waist. He was standing behind the window. There was a bloodstain on his face, which was left by the glass shards when the stone smashed the window.

“Saul!”

General Sheehan’s voice suddenly rose, becoming more serious than ever before. In all their years together, Saul had never heard him speak in this tone.

“The King had not given us any orders.”

He spoke clearly and turned around to stare at his friend.

Saul felt as if he had fallen into icy waters. He looked at the blond general standing in front of the window, his back straight. Outside the window, desperate people surrounded the official residence, shouting and yelling. The voices of “traitor”, “coward” and “bastard” were mixed together and overwhelming.

“I have not received any orders from the King.”

General Sheehan stared into his friend’s eyes.

The moment he issued the order, he had already foreseen everything happening now.

When standing alone in front of the window, Sheehan thought of the white-haired old man again. Those words that the imperial knight said in the heavy snow. The old man said that he was too idealistic. He said at that time, if those who wear armor and hold swords do not protect the weak, then who would protect the weak. The old man said that justice, greatness and heroism cannot be used to describe the monarch.

However, it was only today that he suddenly understood that the Duke of Buckingham had only told him part of it.

The just and the great were heroes and knights, and they would never be generals.

A general did not fight for one or two people, but for the whole country. In this world, many people need justice, greatness, and heroes. But there were many more people who were not qualified to consider what justice was.

“Go gather our soldiers.”

General Sheehan said, the muscles on his face twitching.

It was completely impossible for the 5,000-strong Iron Rose Cavalry to fight against the 70,000-strong Holy Legion of the Sea. He would not abandon Bubas and retreat if there was even a glimmer of hope. But now, only by retreating to the Kriya Mountains and using the terrain could they resist enemies dozens of times their size.

If the Iron Rose Cavalry was destroyed in Bubas, then the southeast of Legrand would no longer be able to resist the onslaught of the Holy Legion!

The line of defense that the King wanted to raise on the land of Legrand would be torn open with an absolutely fatal crack!

In the King’s letter, there was only one concise order——

“Burn the granaries and weapons depots, evacuate Bubas, and hold Kriya.”

Every word was clear.

At the end of the order, the King’s signature was signed heavily.

“I am the general of the Iron Rose Cavalry and the commander-in-chief of Legrand’s southeastern defense line. The council and the King have given me the authority to take all actions in the southeast. Now, I order—” General Sheehan said word by word, “Evacuate Bubas, hold Kriya!”

“This is me! It’s my order, Sheehan Rolandst!”

In that year, the veteran general of the empire told the young general that people would only remember who gave the most cruel and ruthless order, but not who executed it. All anger born of despair would only be directed at the person who gave the order.

The young monarch had already suffered enough infamy, but this time was different!

The entire Legrand was plunged into turmoil and an unprecedented struggle. The King himself could care less about his reputation or the fact that he was hated and vilified by those he protected. But as a knight of the empire and a general of Legrand, he couldn’t not care! At this moment when the whole country was at war, the King was the flag of the entire country and the sustenance of all Legrand spirits!

The King must play the role of “protecting the people”. The order to abandon the people could never come from the King himself.

For the first time since becoming the general of the Iron Rose Cavalry, Sheehan disobeyed the King’s order.

“This is my order!”

He roared.

“Now—”

“Execute it immediately!”

………………

Five thousand cavalrymen, five thousand silent knights.

The sky was so bright and the flames were still burning. Saul was riding his war horse, holding the reins tightly with one hand and pressing the hilt of the sword at his waist with the other. In this summer, his hands were shaking with cold, and what he was worried about actually happened——

When the Iron Rose Cavalry who had executed the retreat order arrived at the city gate, the angry crowd had already formed a human wall here, blocking their way. Everyone knew what it meant for the Iron Rose Cavalry to withdraw from here. Blocking the path of the cavalry were skinny old men, mothers holding their children, and men who were angry and disbelieving.

During the rebellion in the North, the knights who could step on the pontoon bridge from the fast-flowing Lacey River without fear and charge against the rain of arrows were silent, like statues when faced with these unarmed people who were not even soldiers. The war horse snorted uneasily.

“You can’t leave! What will we do if you leave?”

A carpenter threw open his arms and stood in front of the horse.

The crowd was in commotion. The children didn’t understand what war was, but they were frightened by the heavy atmosphere and burst into tears.

“Step aside!”

The muscles on General Sheehan’s face twitched. He pulled out his sword and swung it hard.

Saul closed his eyes.

Blood splattered, and the noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.

“I will kill anyone who dares to stand in the way again!”

General Sheehan held a sword dripping with blood, his voice cold.

Saul opened his eyes, and as if falling into icy depths, he realized what General Sheehan wanted to do.

“Iron Rose Cavalry, obey my orders——”

General Sheehan raised his sword high.

“Charge out the city gates!”

With iron hooves stampeding, the Iron Rose Cavalry headed towards the city gates. The silent crowd boiled up again. People came from all directions, desperately trying to stop the cavalry from leaving. The war horses trampled over the unarmed people, like cold sharp knives, as they carried out the general’s orders.

In every battle in the past, the general who would rush to the front of the army stayed at the back of the army this time.

He took off his helmet, revealed his face, raised his sword high, and roared at the people who were trying to stop the cavalry in vain:

“I am the general of the Iron Rose Cavalry and the commander-in-chief of Legrand’s southeastern defense line. The council and the King have given me the authority to take all actions in the southeast.”

“I ordered the food to be burned!”

“I ordered the weapons depot to be burned!”

“I ordered them to evacuate Bubas!”

A stone was thrown from the crowd and hit him hard on the head. General Sheehan grunted and fell off his horse.

“That’s him! Traitor! Coward! Bastard!” The person who threw the stone pointed at Sheehan who fell from his horse with trembling hands.

The crowd rushed toward General Sheehan, who fell from his horse, and surrounded him.

Sheehan struggled to get up from the ground and shouted at the Iron Rose Cavalry who finally rushed out of the city gate because of the loosening of the crowd but stopped: “Go! Go to Kriya! This is an order!”

Outside the city gate, Saul stared blankly at the man surrounded by the angry crowd.

Saul realized clearly that Sheehan couldn’t leave.

The anger of the rioting people needed an outlet. General Sheehan, who gave the order, was the focus of all the anger.

Anyone could leave Bubas, except…

Sheehan.

Could it be that they, the Iron Rose Cavalry, were really able to mercilessly slaughter the people they had given up on? They were supposed to protect these people.

Sheehan, he stayed behind on purpose.

Saul remained frozen on the spot, his horse neighing anxiously. He didn’t know whether he should move forward or backward.

“Saul! Take them away!”

General Sheehan roared at Saul. He was an outstanding knight, and he was surrounded by a group of ordinary people who did not understand how to fight at all, but he never swung his sword once.

“Saul! We must be knights who protect the weak!”

The memory of a seven-year-old blond boy raising his wooden sword high and turning to face him appeared in his mind.

Huge grief rushed into his chest, and Saul watched the angry crowd drown the armored man like a tide. He was a knight with excellent swordsmanship, and his sword fell to the ground——the sword he swore to use to protect everyone!

Sheehan Rolandst.

General of the Iron Rose Cavalry! An excellent knight of Legrand!

He did not die on the battlefield. He did not die fighting to protect the weak as he said when he was young. The people he wanted to protect held up a stone and hit him on the head one after another, and blood flowed down that face which countless noble ladies were obsessed with. His blond hair was torn at by desperate mothers who bit at his flesh and blood.

Saul! We must be knights who protect the weak!

Be a knight who protects everyone in the world!

The boy holding a wooden sword, the general overwhelmed by the crowd… The boy’s smiling face and the man’s bloody face were intertwined and overlapped, the sky and the earth were spinning, and the world had become ridiculous like a huge joke.

“I am the general of the Iron Rose Cavalry, and I order you——”

Sheehan was pushed by the crowd, blood flowed down his forehead, and his vision was dyed dark red. He screamed in the direction outside the city gate.

“Evacuate Bubas!”

His voice was drowned out by the crowd’s curses.

Saul roared.

Go! ! !

The Iron Rose Cavalry finally took action and galloped towards Kriya. At the end of the line, Saul turned back for one last look.

The blond knight had been submerged in the crowd, and the abandoned people chopped off his neck with his own sword. A carpenter grabbed his head and held it high.

The sky and earth turned gray in an instant.

Saul felt dizzy and almost fell off his horse.

He watched helplessly as the faceless head was thrown to the ground.

The burned-out granary was still burning in the southeast of the city. The fire rolled up and turned the sky blood red. The Iron Rose Cavalry headed south and evacuated the city. People overwhelmed by despair and anger wailed hysterically in the hopeless castle.

Elderly, women, children…all went crazy.

It was as if the day of judgment had really arrived.

The civilians who were supposed to be protected smashed every bone in the body of the general who gave up on them, and his head was nailed to the city gate.

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The blood fell drop by drop.

The first person to lift the stone sat slumped on the ground, crying hysterically.

Cries and flames flooded the city.

The five thousand Iron Rose cavalrymen had left, and the seventy thousand Holy Legion were charging to Bubas in a mighty manner.

Above the city gate, the madman’s head hung high in the sky.

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“The impact range of the explosion is smaller than in the experiments in hell, and the influencing factors… the terrain, the climate of hell and the human world are different…”

Moore watched with a twitching face as Mr. Raul and the Rogers brothers stepped on the broken arms and limbs all over the ground without a change to their expressions, and searched for shell fragments in a pile of bloody mud. He prided himself on being brave and fearless, but the scene in the valley right now gave him a chill down his spine.

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

A total of 4,000 Eternal Knights all died here, and a short section of the valley was piled with corpses, the blood pooling up to people’s ankles. Moreover, these corpses were completely different from previous wars. In the place bombarded by the “Bloody Rose” in the middle, it was almost impossible to find a complete corpse. Meat scraps and bones were mixed together, and human eyes and brains were splashed everywhere.

This battle was won. Looking at the valley in front of him, Moore had a vague feeling:

Today’s battle seemed to herald the end of an ancient era, and a new and strange era had revealed itself in the mist.

The torrent was raging.

“Hey! Moore! Come and help drag this dead horse away!”

During the march, Mr. Raul, who gradually became familiar with Moore, stood near the explosion crater, stepped on the bloody mud that submerged his ankles, and shouted loudly while stretching out his hands and struggling to drag the half-horse’s corpse.

Moore twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, and walked over to help while trudging through bloody mud.

After he helped Raul drag the horse away, Raul suddenly bent down and reached out to pick up something from the bloody belly of the horse: “Aha! I found it! The explosion fragment of the Bloody Rose!”

He pulled out his hand, a long string of intestines hanging on the back of it, and showed it to Moore excitedly.

“Look! It’s a big guy!”

Moore turned his head abruptly, resisting the thought of beating up this lunatic,

Say it again!

The muscles on Moore’s face convulsed.

——He hated being with this group of psychopaths!

………………

At noon, the King led a victorious vanguard across the plain and arrived in Yoringshire.

Yoringshire County was originally the territory of the Earl of Pligney. After the death of the Earl of Pligney in rebellion, the King appointed a new county lord. After the royal army arrived, the county lord, who was under pressure from the approaching Holy Legion of the Holy Land during this time, was relieved, and the suspension bridge was quickly lowered, letting the bloody knights into Yoringshire County.

The news of the Eternal Knights’ demise was reported to Yoringshire County in the morning.

When the King and his army marched into Yoringshire, they were warmly welcomed by the people. At times like these, there was nothing more reassuring than a victory, and cheers of “God Save Legrand” and “God Save the King” were heard throughout Yoringshire.

In the taverns, people gathered around those who had the privilege of seeing the King on his horse ride through the long street, and heard him describe in vivid detail how the sun shone on the King’s hair, how His Majesty’s crown shone brilliantly, and how handsome his face was which was even more beautiful than that of an angel, how elegant and noble his movements were when he turnes over and dismounted…..

In short, their monarch was here, and had blocked a fatal attack for them and won a great victory.

Then, there was nothing that Legrand could not defeat.

While the people of Yoringshire were rejoicing, the King received a letter that weathered a hard journey.

This letter came from the other side of the Abyss Strait, and it was written by their ally, Hermóðr’, the leader of the Gulundi heavy cavalry.

However, it was time to call the Gulundi heavy cavalry the “Nujin Empire” now. According to reports from overseas spies, when the Holy Legion gathered, on the other side of the Abyss Strait, many nomadic warriors suddenly left their original grazing lands and gathered in the Gulundi Grassland.

The banner of the Nujin Empire, which had disappeared from the eyes of the world for hundreds of years, was flying again.

In the letter, Hermóðr’ gave a formal reply on the alliance, and briefly provided Legrand with some information about the Holy Legion of the Sea, the Holy Frontier Legion, and the Holy Legion of the Holy Land. The barbarians believed in “demon wolves”, and they were also one of the heresies in the eyes of the Holy Court. However, because the nomads were too scattered, it was difficult for the Holy Court to attack them intensively and forcefully. Conversely, the barbarians scattered all over the world have a certain grasp of the situation and trends in various places.

“The barbarians are about to launch an attack on Holy Spirit Bay.”

The letter was short and written by Hermóðr’ himself.

The King once had an encounter with Hermóðr’, the current emperor of the Nujin Empire, who was the leader of the Gulundi mercenaries on the battlefield in the north. At that time, the retreat of the Gulundi heavy cavalry contributed a crucial impact to the entire Northland campaign. Now it seemed that the reason the Gulundi heavy cavalry accepted the employment of the northern states, might’ve also included the intention of inquiring about the Holy Court’s movements.

Hermóðr’ led the Nujin Empire to attack Holy Spirit Bay and provided indirect support to Legrand who was welcoming the main force of the Holy Legion.

Holy Spirit Bay had been the foundation of the Holy Court for a thousand years. Although the Holy Empire had been established now, the importance of the Holy Land was still self-evident. Holy Spirit Bay was to be attacked by the Nujin Empire. If something happened to the old base camp of the Holy Court, part of the attention of the Holy Empire must be allocated to the Holy Land afterwards. This could share a lot of the pressure for Legrand.

But today’s Pope Theolde was an extremely courageous opponent. If it was a slightly weaker Pope, the pace of the Holy Legion’s westward march might slow down. However, after these several confrontations, the King was able to be sure that Theolde would not be held back by the battle at Holy Spirit Bay.

They all knew that so long as Legrand was destroyed, the war of the Millennium Kingdom would come to an end.

Not only would Pope Theolde not send troops to support Holy Spirit Bay, he would also launch a more ferocious attack on Legrand.

Moore spread out the map. Before General JohAn and many other generals arrived, he could be regarded as a temporary advisor——although most of the time, the King considered things more comprehensively and farther than them.

On the King’s marching map, the marching route of Legrand’s army was clearly marked, and the Kriyan archers existed as a supporting role wandering throughout the battlefield. In addition, there were many speculations about the routes of the Holy Legion of the Sea and the Holy Legion of the Holy Land.

This was a map that made people feel a heavy pressure.

Although they won an important victory today, on the entire battlefield of Legrand, this victory seemed insignificant.

The Holy Legion of the Sea landed in the southeast of Legrand from the port of Koszoya. This army, composed of many city-states and sea nations, no matter how complex it was, was still an army of up to 70,000 people. Under the “Wartime Emergency Act”, the Legrand army recruited a total, excluding the local self-defense forces, of no more than 40,000 people.

Such a huge army was a group of unscrupulous wolves in the southeast of Legrand. Under the disparity in numbers, the Holy Legion of the Sea caused huge damage in the southeast of Legrand, and it was difficult for ordinary towns to resist their attacks. As an emerging commercial area, the southeast of Legrand had a flat terrain and was easy to attack but difficult to defend.

In the case that the opponent was Theolde, and the Nujin Empire attacked Holy Spirit Bay, then the Holy Legion of the Sea would launch a fierce attack to the southeast of Legrand as retaliation.

The Iron Rose Cavalry stationed in Bubas was led by General Sheehan, and the Iron Rose Cavalry was no more than 5,000 elite. How could an army of 5,000 resist an army of 70,000?

Moore looked at the map and felt despair. This was simply a dead end.

They were fighting against the world, and the heavy pressure made it difficult to breathe. Today’s Legrand was like a ship sailing in the wind and waves. The waves were so violent that they might be destroyed at any time. The blood from the battlefield in the early morning was still on him, and for a moment he only felt that the current Legrand was actually full of battlefields and mountains of corpses and seas of blood everywhere.

Moore looked at the King, wanting to see his thoughts from the King’s face.

However, the moment he saw the King’s expression, he suddenly froze.

The King looked down at the map covered with the symbols of the Holy Legion, his silver hair flowing down under the crown and his ice blue eyes fixed on the southeast, on Bubas, the line of his lips drawn straight. There seemed to be no expression on his face, no tension, no panic, just a shocking calm.

In that calmness, there was an inexplicable determination and coldness.

At that moment, Moore realized that the King had made a decision.

It was about Bubas County, about the southeast of Legrand, and about the fate of the entire Legrand and the entire world.

That decision…

What was it?

……………………

The sky was covered with overcast clouds, and a heavy rain might pour down at any time.

The entire Bubas County was shrouded in a tense atmosphere, and the people’s faces were obviously worried.

Unlike the attack on Koszoya Port, which was caught off guard, everyone in Bubas County knew that Bubas would be the next target of the Holy Legion of the Sea. The whole city was in a tense state of preparation, but it was really useless. Even with the local self-defense forces, how many troops do they have?

How would they resist a huge army of more than 70,000 people?

What was even more frightening was what the Holy Legion of the Sea had done these days.

They took the policy of “plundering and feeding soldiers” to a hundred percent. Wherever they passed, the towns looked like they had fallen into hell. Although the Holy Legion of the Sea did not massacre the city on such a large scale after Koszoya Port, but some of the robberies, rapes, and killings they did during the looting… were enough to label them a group of beasts controlled by desire.

Greed, terror.

No one wanted Bubas to become the next Koszoya, and no one wanted to let the Holy Legion loot their own city.

General Sheehan returned to his residence after inspecting Bubas’ defense.

A crow flapped its wings and flew down from the sky. After circling twice, it landed on General Sheehan’s shoulder.

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

“His Majesty…?”

General Sheehan’s retinue, Saul asked.

General Sheehan unwrapped the secret letter from the crow’s leg, and nodded when he saw the rose seal on the letter.

“What does His Majesty say?” Saul asked hastily.

General Sheehan opened the letter.

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The light blue mist of the early morning seemed to be dissipated by this thunderous roar in an instant, and all the birds in the woods flew up at the same time, the flocks of birds screeching in the sky that was about to dawn.

The Legrand soldiers had blown the death horn that was to reap life.

“What is that?”

Tarry heard Duna, the subordinate next to him, asking in horror. Their ears were filled with the loud noise of artillery fire, and flames lit up in the shadows of the valleys and bushes on both sides.

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

Iron bullets came through the air, and while the knights tried their best to control their horses, they raised their shields to avoid this strange attack. The whinnies of war horses and the screams of knights mixed together, and the entire narrow valley was in chaos. The Eternal Knights fell from their horses one after another, and one after another blood splashed in the pungent smell of sulfur and saltpeter.

“They accepted the temptation of the devil! These heretics!”

Someone in the Eternal Knights roared in horror.

The sky was dark blue, metal iron bullets shot down from the woods with a huge whistling sound. Sturdy plate armor, exquisite and expensive chain mail, in front of these things that made loud noises, were more fragile than the knights imagined. They swung their swords in a vain attempt to fend off attacks from both sides of the valley.

“Holy Lord, Legrand’s hand cannon…is that still a hand cannon?!”

Tarry couldn’t believe his eyes and judgment.

Hand cannons, like cannons, have sporadically appeared on the battlefield earlier. Tarry had also seen hand cannons in the hands of military traders along the coast of the Hopeless Inner Sea. But the hand cannon, which was nearly one meter long, was only regarded as a “novelty” by the nobles at that time.

Holy Lord above! Weren’t hand cannons inferior to longbows and crossbows on the battlefield? Everyone knew that it was useless except to scare the enemy!

However, right now, the hand cannons appearing on both sides of the valley showed a completely different side from the previous impressions. Tongues of flame spewed from the muzzles of those clumsy guns mocked by traditional knights, and with each flicker of fire, the knights fell one by one.

The muzzle flames illuminated the faces of the Legrand soldiers lying in ambush here. The lines on each of their faces were etched like iron and steel. After the soldiers in the front row fired the first round of iron-lead bullets, they immediately retreated to the back to make room for the soldiers in the second row.

The projectiles were intertwined, forming a tight fire net.

It was not that the Eternal Knights, whose retreat route was blocked by giant trees, didn’t organize the knights to launch a counterattack charge, but they were greeted by cold iron bullets accompanied by loud noises. The sound of hundreds of hand cannons firing together almost pierced the eardrums. The horses were more afraid than humans of this kind of nightmarish attack that they had never seen before.

Tarry had to shout to get everyone to dismount and gather together. With the help of the horses and the corpses of comrades-in-arms, they held up shields to form a defensive circle.

Almost all the Eternal Knights subconsciously stretched out their hands and pressed the cross symbol coat of arms on their chests. These soldiers who had launched cold-blooded and cruel massacres against heretics time and time again almost lost their senses in fear at this moment.

Except for Tarry, almost everyone firmly believed that the Legrandians must have accepted the invitation of hell and the devil. Only with the help of devils, could they use terrifying and evil means to transform the hand cannons that were originally decorations on the battlefield into hideous death scythes.

“The accuracy is still too bad.”

The Rogers brothers, who were identified by the Eternal Knights as “complicit with evil”, and Mr. Raul, the head of the military design department, stood on high ground with a wider view.

Mr. Raul was holding witch glasses, and the brothers Rogers were writing and drawing with pen and paper.

Mr. Raul clearly observed the battlefield in the valley with witch glasses.

Legrand’s first military industrial department moved out of hell before the official war between hell and the angels. Despite the help of the skeletons, the military-industrial sector was established in too short a time. For a limited time, their improved hand cannons and cannons were only able to arm a small group of elites.

“The barrel of the gun is not stable enough, and the trajectory of the bullet is difficult to grasp.”

While roughly judging various data, Mr. Raul quickly pointed out the shortcomings of the current batch of gunpowder weapons.

“The No. 3 gunpowder you newly developed is less stable than the No. 2 gunpowder, but the hand cannon that uses the No. 3 gunpowder as a filler is 10% more powerful than the No. 2 gun… the ‘Lizard’ hand gun exploded once, there is a problem with the arc of the barrel…”

While the head of the military design department and the two chemist brothers Rogers, observed the bloody battlefield and frantically jotted down various stats, the King was also examining the entire battlefield.

The Eternal Knights were indeed the elite knights of the Holy Court. They quickly used their horses and the corpses of their companions to build a temporary protective wall for themselves. Coupled with the resistance of the shield, the power of the hand cannon, which had not been completely improved at this stage, had obviously begun to decline.

Regarding this result, the King knew it well.

The current hand cannons were not enough to cause truly terrifying damage on the battlefield. In fact, if the valley was not too narrow, the front and back retreats were cut off by the King first, and the Eternal Knights were forced to gather together in large numbers, becoming a natural target that even the blind could hit, then the hit rate of the hand cannon would drop by half.

Unless after a longer period of research, the hand cannon was officially transformed into a more convenient gun, the damage value of a single weapon in this era was actually lower than that of a bow and arrow. However, even the most primitive hot weapons have natural advantages that cold weapons could not match.

After the arrow was aimed at the enemy, unless each arrow could directly hit the enemy’s throat like the Kriyan archer, killing them on the spot, it would take some time to cause exhausting internal bleeding. However, when bullets made of iron and lead hit cavalry at close to the speed of sound, they could not only penetrate the hard plate armor, but also shatter the metal armor. The fragments of the armor would form new uneven wounds on the human body, making the knight incapacitated in an instant.

Watching the lethality of the hand cannon against the Eternal Knights gradually decrease, the King issued a second order:

“Fire.”

The gunners who had received training for a whole month stood in front of a large-caliber cannon made of bronze. This was the only material they carried during this rapid march. Now was the time for this bronze cannon named “Bloody Rose” by the Head of Military Design to show its might on the battlefield.

The “Bloody Rose”, which was supposed to be used for siege like a trebuchet, was used by the King in this valley ambush.

As the fuse burned out, the gunpowder in the bronze barrel was ignited, and the sound of the cannon that shook the mountains and forests sounded in everyone’s ears. “Bloody Rose” was like an ancient beast, and this beast had stepped out onto the world stage today. It uttered its first roar full of fighting spirit towards the old age——and as if the entire mountain forest trembled at that moment, the leaves rustled down, the birds dispersed, and the people were all chilled down to their bones.

The bronze muzzle spewed out dazzling and eye-catching flames, and the heavy artillery shells jointly developed by the lunatics from the Military Design Department and Gunpowder Research Department smashed into the defensive circle formed by the gathering of the Eternal Knights, dragging tails of flames and gunpowder smoke.

The Eternal Knights holding iron shields didn’t even realize what happened——

Their ears buzzed at the moment the cannon sounded, and their heads spun in dizziness.

They were almost subconsciously looking for the source of the roar of the ancient beast, and the moment they looked up, they saw the “shooting star” falling towards them with a trailing flame tail.

The “Bloody Rose” exploded the moment it smashed into the center of the crowd of knights.

Dust, fragments of iron armor, blood, human remains…

All these things were thrown high, as if coquettish and bloody roses bloomed in the valley.

What kind of lethality would a shell capable of blasting through a thick city wall present when it was aimed at a crowd?

Tarry didn’t know the answer to this question before, but he knew it at the last moment of his life.

It was a horrific massacre like hell on earth.

The city wall made of flesh and blood was mercilessly torn apart at this moment, the shells exploded right in the middle of the crowd of knights, and the entire defensive line vanished in an instant. Where the shells fell, the ground turned blood-colored, and the people who stood there had been turned into fragments of corpses, the ground dyed with blood ink.

If the previous hand cannons only terrified them, then the “Bloody Rose” blooming in the crowd completely destroyed the cognition and reason of the Eternal Knights.

They didn’t even know what was going on right now. The courage and force they were so proud of became worthless at this moment. They felt that this was the Holy Lord’s punishment for them!

These knights who were able to set fire to heretic villages and towns could no longer maintain their defensive formation. They either scattered in all directions like madmen, or threw away the swords in their hands, fell to their knees, and surrendered loudly.

Moore looked at the King.

The cannon itself and the shells were very heavy. They couldn’t carry more this time when they rushed to the aid of Yoringshire County. The few shells just now were actually all the “Nightrose” shells they carried this time. In addition, after the Eternal Knights did not gather together as before and began to flee in all directions, the aiming of the hand cannon became a problem.

The sun rose from the horizon.

The sunlight passed through the woods and fell into the blood and dust mixed valley. 

Facing the defeat and surrender of the Eternal Knights, the King drew out the sword at his waist and pointed down.

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

The Legrand cavalry, who plugged their horses’ ears early, appeared from both sides of the valley. Under the dazzling sunlight, they surrounded the Eternal Knights, which suffered heavy casualties. Whether it was the deserter who had no intention of fighting again, or the surrenderer who put down his sword, they all met the murderous cavalry and the cold blade.

War horses stomped past, and swords rose and fell.

This was the King’s answer:

——Legrand refused to accept the surrender of the Eternal Knights.

An eye for an eye.

Blood debt paid by blood debt.

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The sky was gray, and before the sun had fully risen, the earth was shrouded in a hazy blue.

Tarry led three thousand knights through the wilderness of Legrand. In the blue mist, the armor on their bodies glowed coldly, and there were dark red blood stains in the gaps of the armor, which were the traces of their fighting all the way from Porto Port. His squire, Duna, rode close behind him on a brown horse.

“Those damned b*tches of Legrand.”

The squire, Duna, complained to Tarry.

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

Tarry glanced at his friend, there was still a scar on his face that hadn’t healed, and the bone deep wound was visible. Looking at the wound, it looked like someone had bitten off a piece of flesh from his face.

Tarry knew how the wound came about. When they passed a small town the day before yesterday, the garrison rested there for the night and replenished their dry rations. Duna coveted a local blond shepherdess, and while attempting to do that business, the blond girl bit down hard on his throat.

If it wasn’t for Duna avoiding fast enough, it wouldn’t be a matter of a simple wound on his face now.

The blond shepherdess with freckles on her face was like a madwoman. She bit down on Duna’s face fiercely, no matter how much he kicked and hit her, she would not let go. The other knights who were watching the play saw that the situation had devolved, shot an arrow and only then did she fall back on the haystack, still biting down on the torn piece of flesh in her mouth.

Duna was cursing at the time, and wanted to finish the job while the corpse was still warm.

Tarry stopped him, set the pile of grass on fire, and issued a massacre order.

“Could that girl have been possessed by a demon.”

While taking in the cold air, Duna raised his hand to take off his helmet. The shepherdess bit so hard that the helmet irritated the wound, causing blood to continue to flow out.

Tarry didn’t answer.

The last expression of the blond shepherdess who fell on the haystack the day before yesterday kept reappearing in front of his eyes. In fact, that face was very ordinary, and only a guy like Duna, who was not picky about his meat and vegetables, could develop evil intentions. The face of the young woman with freckles was half red with blood, and her expression was distorted. It was not despair or fear, but a kind of incomparable hatred and resentment, and a certain indescribable thing.

And the thing expressed in her eyes, he seemed to have seen it many times since he set foot on the land of Legrand.

It was precisely because of that expression that an inexplicable fear exploded in Tarry’s heart, so much so that he instinctively ordered the village to be burned, and burned that expression that made him fearful in the raging fire.

It wasn’t until the whole village was burning in flames that an old man pounced on them, grabbing a stone and trying to smash them to death, then Tarry suddenly realized why he was terrified.

He watched the old man holding the stone being lifted up by the knight’s spear, still holding the stone with his old hands until he died, and staring at them with fixed eyes.

The old man’s eyes overlapped with those of the shepherdess. There was no fear or regret in those eyes, only strong hatred and anger, just like the eyes of a lion. He had seen many such eyes! Since the Eternal Knights landed, they have fought all the way, he had seen this look on the Legrandians too many times!

This time, the Eternal Knights, as the vanguard of the Holy Legion of the Holy Land, did not carry too many supplies when they advanced. The small manor towns and villages they passed by were their natural supply points.

In the previous Holy Legion movement, this method of “supply on the spot” saved time and effort for the Holy Legion, and the effect was extraordinary. However, this time in Legrand, their “supply on the spot” operation seemed to be much more difficult than before. In the past Holy Legion movements, the villages and small towns encountered in the face of the murderous knights either fled early or paid the ransom in advance, and provided very little resistance——how could civilians resist the well-equipped knights?

Only this time, their progress in Legrand was frustrated.

Along the way, in the manor towns they encountered, the Legrandians would rather burn the food and grass by themselves than provide any necessary supplies for the Eternal Knights. They had to actually attack ordinary villages and slaughter some adult men before they were able to rest there.

Tarry couldn’t figure it out, what inspired these people to raise their weapons against the prestigious Eternal Knights?

They were just ordinary people! The best self-defense force was just wearing rough and crude leather armor, holding simple swords, while the rest of the elderly, women and children were holding kitchen knives and wooden sticks——were they trying to be funny?

Tarry couldn’t figure it out.

He looked back at the army he was leading. In fact, according to the original plan, he should have brought a larger number of troops to Yoringshire County. However, although the march of the Eternal Knights progressed quickly, after the cities were captured, the citizens faced the powerful enemy who invaded their city with more hostility than any nation they had encountered before.

The Eternal Knights had no choice but to leave more manpower to garrison the strongholds they had finally captured.

The people of this country, the Legrandians, from top to bottom, seem to have a kind of fierceness flowing in their veins, as if everyone was a lunatic here.

Roaring like a group of lions, like a group of lions never surrendering.

Tarry had never encountered such a country, never encountered such a nation that seems to be able to burn their cities, but not their backbones.

This made him feel an extreme fear in his heart.

Vaguely, Tarry’s confidence in the rapid destruction of the country by the 200,000 strong Holy Legion was shaken.

“My lord, we are almost there.”

The person in charge of guiding the team was a priest, wearing a crumpled black robe, sitting on a mare with a beer belly, secretly rubbing his sore back with his hands. Obviously, this fellow, who was more familiar with the types of wine than the holy books, was tortured enough by the rapid march all the way.

“Through that valley, the Kendy Plain is in front of you, just cross the plain and we’ll arrive.”

He had been on the road since the day before yesterday, and Tarry was inevitably tired at this time. He looked in the direction pointed by the priest and breathed a sigh of relief: “Accelerate forward, and when we reach the plain, we will camp and rest.”

The reason why they  during the day was because once they were stationed at night these days, Legrand’s self-defense forces would launch harassment attacks at night. They fired lit wooden arrows at the tents from a distance, and at one point nearly burned the entire camp. The Eternal Knights were tormented enough, and from then on, they had to choose to rest during the day.

Yoringshire was the last castle they had to conquer on this route.

Once they occupied Yoringshire County, they could control the hub of the Doma River in the forward direction, and take care of the follow-up troops in the backward direction. The outpost was the foothold. At the same time, Tarry got the news that the army organized by Legrand was also marching towards central Legrand. If they didn’t take Yoringshire County before them, after being surrounded by the army, this small number of Holy Legion would not end well.

Right now, the timing was just right. Legrand’s army was moving slowly, and it would take at least five days to reach the vicinity of Yoringshire County.

By that time, they would have already taken advantage of the backhand that the head of the Inquisition Bureau had set up when he occupied Yoringshire County to capture this important military point.

“Full speed ahead!”

Tarry ordered.

Bearing the exhaustion of riding all night, the knights cheered up. The horses neighed, and the cavalry with the Eternal Cross engraved on their armor marched towards a relatively narrow valley.

The wind blew down from both sides of the valley, and Tarry felt a little uncomfortable after wearing the helmet for so long. He also undid the shield attached to the chain mail under the helmet, preparing to get some air.

As soon as it was untied, a piece of wood chip was blown to Tarry’s face by the wind. 

He took the wood chip off his face and was about to throw it away when he suddenly thought of something and held it in front of his eyes——it wasn’t the bark that peeled off naturally, it was the debris of fresh artificial logging.

Tarry immediately raised his head. He looked around the valley on the left and right sides. Such terrain was really suitable for ambushes.

Before entering the valley, the reason why they relaxed their vigilance and did not send anyone to scout first was because they knew that it was impossible for Legrand’s army to arrive here at this time. But the fresh wood chips right now gave him a premonition that he didn’t want——the logging was done in autumn, and it was still midsummer. Why didn’t they cut it early or late, but just when they passed through this valley, someone had cut the trees here?

On the battlefield, giant logs were usually used to…

Block the way!

Thinking of this, Tarry’s heart suddenly missed a beat. He raised his hand and shouted loudly, “Stop! Turn around! Retreat!”

The knights looked at Tarry in surprise, but before he could emphasize it a second time, loud rumbling noises came from both sides of the valley.

“Damn.”

Upon hearing this sound, Tarry immediately turned around.

He saw sections of giant trees rolling down from both sides of the valley.

“We are ambushed! My lord!”

The priest who led the way was shaking as if he was dancing at this moment. His voice was shrill, and his fat face was completely white.

Duna backhanded him: “Shut up! I still haven’t asked you if you deliberately brought us to an ambush!”

Legrand’s dark red battle flag was raised in the forest, followed by figures standing up from the bushes on both sides of the valley. They all look down on them from their height, the other party having been waiting for a long time.

“Defense! Gather!”

Tarry couldn’t care less about pursuing these matters, he drew his sword and ordered sharply. At this time, the Eternal Knights’ front and rear were blocked by rolling down giant trees, and the opponent’s intention was obvious, that is, to trap them to death in the valley.

Tarry was taken aback by the sudden attack, but after a brief shock, he quickly calmed down. Legrand’s army could suddenly appear here, meaning the opponent’s number could not be much larger than theirs. As the elite of the Holy Court, it was not the first time for the Eternal Knights to encounter this kind of thing in a canyon.

As long as they survived the initial longbow suppression, they would be able to launch a counterattack against the enemies in the valley.

However, unexpectedly, Tarry did not hear the neighing of the war horses, nor the sound of arrows being fired.

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

Following the downwind, Legrand soldiers with hand cannons aimed their muzzles at the Eternal Knights trapped in the canyon. Gunpowder smoke and sparks rose from the muzzles of the muskets in their hands at the same time, and solid bullets made of iron and lead were shot out with a loud roar.

The well-trained war horses of the Eternal Knights all lost control. They screamed and charged around crazily.

Because at this moment, the cannons on both sides of the valley exploded like thunder!

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