Engagement

In the Barony of Klevland, within the castle, Baron Brandon received the news and immediately had his steward summon the knights and troops for assembly within the castle.

A place guarded by a Bronze High-Tier Knight would undoubtedly possess rich mineral deposits.

Thanks to the assistance of three relatives, intelligence gathered by other nobles in Kadlo Province indicated that this Young Eagle of the Ex Family had only three Bronze High-Tier Knights at his disposal.

Believing he had the advantage, Brandon Hodgson decided on a surprise attack. He gathered his elite troops to encircle and eliminate the enemy force of over a hundred men, seizing the unknown mineral deposit.

Three days later, in front of Brandon Castle, an army of over a thousand men assembled.

Looking out, the front line consisted of twelve Bronze Knights, three of whom were Bronze High-Tier Knights. Including Brandon himself, these were the four strongest individuals in the Barony of Klevland.

Behind them were forty Apprentice Knights, clad in Leather Armor, mounted on horses of varying quality, exuding an air of high spirits.

Next were two hundred soldiers wearing half-plate armor and wielding spears. Their robust physiques and the faint aura of Battle Qi marked their combat prowess.

Beside the soldier formation stood twenty archers, a source of pride for Brandon.

The difficulty in training a single archer was second only to that of a knight. The surrounding minor nobles were greatly wary of Brandon possessing so many archers.

Finally, the largest contingent, and the weakest in terms of combat power, were the Serfs armed with pitchforks and wooden clubs. They stood at the rear of the formation, listless and numb, like walking corpses, numbering over eight hundred.

Brandon surveyed the assembled troops and nodded with satisfaction, loudly commanding, "Move out."

The army of over a thousand men departed from the open ground in front of the castle, arranged in order of knights, apprentice knights, soldiers, and serf soldiers. Their marching formation stretched over two kilometers as they headed towards the camp where the Mithril Ore was located.

Inside the camp, Velin, upon receiving news that Baron Brandon of Klevland was leading an army to attack, turned to Belder.

"How are the traps coming along?"

"My Lord, rest assured," Belder replied with excitement, "Over a dozen pits of various sizes have been prepared. Personnel have also been stationed within the tunnels. As soon as they hear the signal, they will pull the triggers, catching the enemy completely off guard."

"Everything is ready; we just need Brandon to come and verify our results."

Just then, a soldier entered the tent, knelt on one knee, and respectfully reported, "My Lord, there is a large army approaching us, numbering over a thousand."

"Investigate further."

"Yes."

After the soldier left, Velin immediately instructed Belder to assemble the troops and prepare to meet the enemy.

This time, he planned to capture the enemy alive and extort a ransom, thereby solving his manpower shortage.

Outside the camp, excluding the twenty soldiers hidden underground preparing to activate the mechanisms, the remaining ninety soldiers were fully assembled. They were clad in Leather Armor, with Iron Swords at their waists, and wielding spears.

As they patrolled the front lines, the eyes of every soldier were filled with a desire for battle. They had been promised freedom, money, and women by their lord if they killed enemies and earned merits.

Before long, Brandon's army appeared outside the camp. They formed their ranks and slowly advanced towards the camp.

Velin gazed intently, confirming it was exactly as he had predicted.

The Serfs marched at the very front, followed by the supervising soldiers. On both sides were the Knight Squires, and thirteen heavily armed knights were at the rear of the formation, advancing with the troops.

This was the most common combat formation for the lower to middle strata of this world, widely found in the wilderness.

Calculating the distance, Velin gradually raised his right hand, preparing to signal a soldier to strike the gong and release the signal.

Within the enemy formation, a knight approached Brandon and said in a deep voice, "My Lord, the enemy has only a hundred men, yet they show no panic facing our thousand. Could there be an ambush?"

Brandon replied proudly, "I have a thousand men, ten times their number. Even if there is an ambush, what can they do to me? Victory will ultimately be mine, so there is no need to worry."

"It was my subordinate's overthinking," the knight said, lowering his head in shame.

As time passed, the distance between the two sides narrowed, from the initial one kilometer to eight hundred meters, and then to four hundred meters.

When all the Serfs had passed the traps, and the enemy infantry had entered the trap zone, Velin decisively issued his instructions.

A soldier beside him, receiving the lord's command, immediately struck the gong.

The resounding noise echoed through the wilderness. The soldiers hidden underground forcefully pulled the ropes in their hands, dislodging the supporting wooden beams.

In an instant, before Brandon's eyes, half of the infantry formation plunged into deep pits filled with sharpened stakes.

All the archers, before they could even act, perished in the deep pits.

Cries of agony filled the air. Most of the infantry who fell into the traps died on the spot, while a few still clung to life, but were not far from death.

The surrounding soldiers, witnessing the gruesome deaths of their comrades, became somewhat dazed. Under the shouts of the knights, they gradually regained their senses.

However, Velin would not give them a chance to regroup. He pulled down his mask, lowered his Horse Spear, and led the remaining six knights in a full charge.

At the same moment, the infantry behind them hurled spears at the chaotic Serfs, then drew their Iron Swords and followed Velin in the charge.

"No."

"Spare me, spare me."

"Ah—"

"Pfft—"

The emaciated Serfs watched as their bodies were impaled and torn apart by the immense power.

Treading on the corpses of these Serfs, Velin's speed did not diminish. As he ran, he grabbed thrown spears and hurled them at the enemy infantry formation.

Piercing through several infantrymen in succession, Brandon, who had been observing with composure, became enraged. The enemy truly believed that over a hundred men could defeat his army.

"You lot, hold off the other knights. I'll defeat this arrogant fellow myself."

Brandon lowered his helmet, patted his mount, and charged towards Velin, who was wreaking havoc.

After casually killing a few infantrymen and seeing his main opponent arrive, Velin discarded his spear, drew his Knight Longsword, and charged at him.

The moment they clashed, Velin, using a special technique, sent the opponent flying off his mount. The latter stumbled back several steps on the ground.

"Kid, I underestimated you." Brandon, having stabilized himself, adjusted his stance, his tone heavy with seriousness.

Velin dismounted and, without a word, charged at his opponent with extreme speed.

"Brave of you. Today, let me test the strength of an Ex Family Pioneer Knight."

Brandon gathered his strength, channeled the Battle Qi within him, and attached it to his Knight Longsword. He slammed his sword down, preparing to meet the charge head-on.

After several rounds of intense combat, Brandon gradually began to tire, panting like an ox, yet he dared not relax even a little.

A single mistake could cost him his life.

"Ah——"

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