The Border Fortress soon received intelligence from the Patrol Cavalry Unit. At first, the news that a sizable force of Barbarian Cavalry had somehow crossed the border frightened the fortress officers badly.
They had always believed the Border Defense Line to be extremely secure. With nearly 2,000 Border Patrol Cavalry and the natural barriers formed by treacherous marshes and rocky hills, the Barbarians should not have been able to cross so easily.
Unexpectedly, a Barbarian Cavalry force numbering over a thousand had suddenly appeared—fully 1,000 elite riders. According to the Border Patrol Cavalry's report, both their equipment and personnel were in excellent order. They were not cannon fodder made up of herdsmen. Even with their numerical advantage, the Patrol Cavalry had no good way to deal with these elite Barbarian Cavalry for the time being.
As things stood, the only way to deal with the Barbarian Cavalry was to rely on reinforcements from the Border Fortress's garrison.
However, the officer on duty was merely a veteran battalion commander and did not possess the independent authority of James or Jackson. Considering that the Border Fortress still had to bear the main responsibility for repelling the enemy, after weighing his options, he could only deploy the Former Tribal Alliance cavalry stationed inside the fortress to reinforce the Patrol Cavalry Unit.
These troops were commanded by Dane, the former acting chieftain of the Blood Scorpion Tribe. They were all Light Cavalry, and they also bore a grudge against the Iron Bone Tribe, making them well suited to deal with the Light Cavalry that had infiltrated the border.
The officer on duty also believed that the Light Cavalry's participation in defensive battles was very limited, so sending them out would not weaken the fortress's defenses.
Moreover, to prevent the Barbarians from launching another frenzied