Brian stared straight ahead, unleashing the strength of a Silver Intermediate Knight as visible flames of Battle Qi gathered around his Knight Lance.
"Form up."
The knights and Knight Squires behind him heard their liege lord's command and began adjusting their charging formation, forming a wedge-shaped battle formation within the short distance of three hundred meters.
With Brian, a Silver Intermediate Knight, as the vanguard, they charged forward in one burst, ready to tear through the wall of men formed by the enemy.
Seeing this, Barry hefted his greatshield and stepped to the front of the formation, mobilizing all the Battle Qi in his body as he prepared to meet the first wave of impact.
"Roar—"
His muscles bulged and veins stood out as he drew upon all his Battle Qi and used his family's secret technique, successfully transforming himself into a towering man over two meters tall.
Seeing what his opponent was doing, Brian adjusted his course, bypassed Barry, and plunged into the flank.
"Ah—"
"Pfft."
"Shatter—"
"Crack."
The wall of men on the right flank was torn apart. More than a dozen soldiers, along with their iron armor and shields, were reduced to fragments that drifted through the air like a rain of crimson droplets.
Seeing this, Barry bared his teeth, let out a roar, and lunged at Brian.
With just one move, the giant of a High-Bronze Tier Warrior who was only a step away from becoming a Silver Warrior was sent flying and slammed viciously into the ground.
Several Mid-Bronze Tier Warriors charged forward like madmen, only to have their heads taken by several knights.
The battle continued, with warriors constantly being cut down by knights.
The arrival of six hundred elite warriors led by the Magic Knight Adrian brought the battle to an end.
Having regained a little strength, Cesley mobilized the magic power he had just recovered and used an amplification spell, forcing himself to announce, "Lay down your weapons. We surrender."
Hearing the order, the surrounding soldiers stopped moving and laid down their weapons.
Seeing this, Brian had Adrian take custody of the prisoners while he led the remaining knights to support Velin.
At that moment, Violet also noticed what had happened in the rear. Seeing that the command post had been captured, he gritted his teeth and said, "Despicable wretch. All you know are underhanded tricks."
"Heh heh."
Velin merely answered with a smile, mocking this musclebound knight who had some brains, but not very many.
"Ah—damn it, I'll kill you!"
He had always been the one mocking others. When had anyone ever dared mock him?
Velin's contemptuous smile sent Violet into a rage. Ignoring the losing situation, he launched another attack at Velin.
His smile fading, Velin gripped his Knight Longsword tightly and continued facing the enemy.
A few minutes later, Brian arrived at the battlefield and easily ended the fight.
Seeing the enemy he had struggled to handle get subdued by his cousin with one hand, along with the aura Brian revealed, left Velin somewhat dumbfounded.
"Cousin, you're actually Silver Intermediate."
"What? Didn't I tell you?" Brian scratched his head and gave an honest smile.
"Ah..."
For a moment, Velin did not know what to say. Had he known this, he would have simply listened to his cousin and charged in from the front. What need had there been for any schemes?
"Forget it, Cousin. My intelligence work simply wasn't thorough enough."
"Oh, I see."
"You despicable bastards, you two..."
"You're noisy."
Brian struck him with the flat of his sword, directly knocking the musclebound knight out in spectacular fashion.
Ten minutes later, the battle finally ended.
Only when they counted the prisoners did they discover that Brandon was missing.
"That old bastard's quite clever. He actually left himself an escape route."
After learning the full story, Velin smiled helplessly. The experience from the previous battle would probably become Brandon's lifelong psychological shadow.
"My lord, what should we do next?" Belder, drenched in blood from head to toe, came over and reported to Velin.
"Follow the usual rules. Pick one soldier from each of their three forces and send them back. We'll negotiate the ransom in three days."
"Yes, my lord."
Soon afterward, the camp became lively again.
Aside from Violet, whose hands and feet were bound and whose mouth was stuffed with a rag, Cesley and Barry both received treatment fit for nobles.
"Violet, this time we're getting the same treatment as Brandon. We'll have to rely on a woman to negotiate and ransom us out."
"Mmph, mmph mmph mmph, mmph mmph..."
Violet was furious, but his mouth was blocked.
"Do you think Brandon had already guessed there would be an ambush and slipped away in advance?" Barry asked Cesley as he looked at his arm wrapped in bandages.
"Actually, they had already told us there was an ambush. We simply ignored it." Cesley recalled the signal flare from earlier and smiled bitterly.
"Ah, that's true. You still need to use your head in war. Otherwise, you end up like this. We clearly had the advantage, yet now we've become prisoners." Barry was equally dejected. More than half his troops had been lost this time, and he did not know how long it would take to recover.
"Mmph mmph, mmph mmph."
"Ah..."
"Mmph mmph."
Three days later, the two sides held preliminary negotiations to discuss the ransom terms.
Six days later, the transaction was completed. Velin released the three lords, all the knights, Knight Squires, and warriors, while the other side delivered the agreed payment.
As for the serfs captured by both sides during the battle, no one cared.
The sheer amount of ransom Velin received gave him the feeling of becoming rich overnight.
One thousand five hundred male serfs, five hundred female serfs, twenty thousand Gold Coins, four hundred thousand jin of grain, three thousand jin of fine wine, two hundred plow oxen, sixty warhorses, five hundred bolts of cloth, thirty bolts of silk, three hundred sets of leather armor, and five hundred spears, with a total value of two hundred thousand Gold Coins. It was equivalent to emptying one-tenth of the estates of the three noble families.
According to the distribution rules, Velin received forty percent of the goods: one thousand male serfs, five hundred female serfs, four hundred thousand jin of grain, one hundred plow oxen, twenty warhorses, three hundred bolts of cloth, and two hundred sets of leather armor. Everything else went to Brian.
Of the spoils gained during the battle, Velin only took six hundred serfs, eighty sets of iron armor, two hundred sets of leather armor, fifty Knight Longswords, one hundred and twenty horses, and three hundred spears. Everything else belonged to his cousin.
On the afternoon of July 31, a grand Banquet was held on the Grassland beside Lake of Star Prayer to celebrate the victory.
At dawn the next day, Brian left Lake of Star Prayer with his army and the spoils, returning to Ridge Territory.
At the same time, the excavation of the Mithril Ore mine began.
On the way back, Adrian came to Brian's side and asked in confusion, "My lord, Lord Velin's territory clearly has secrets. Why did you not allow your subordinate to investigate and gather more intelligence?"
"Adrian, I can allow you to do other things, but regarding certain matters about Velin, if he does not wish to tell me, why should I insist on learning so much?" Brian replied indifferently.
"But, my lord..."
Seeing that Adrian still wanted to continue, Brian raised a hand to interrupt him and asked, "Enough. Don't dwell on it. Come have a good drink with me when we get back. It has been a long time since I fought a battle so thoroughly."
"Very well, my lord."
Seeing this, Adrian could only give up and refrain from probing further into the matter.
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