Complete Victory

After Victor led his troops to break through the barbarian cavalry formation, the barbarian cavalry leader attempted to counterattack with his troops, but the effect was poor. The frontal battlefield had limited space, and the barbarian cavalry's numbers could not be deployed. Their skilled flanking and maneuvering tactics could not be used. In one-on-one combat, the barbarian cavalry were no match for the Golden Sunflower Territory's cavalry.

Forced to do so, the barbarian leader had to retreat with the remaining troops, heading west. They planned to regroup after leaving the hills. At this point, less than half of the troops he could influence remained; the rest were either casualties or had already scattered.

At this moment, there were no enemies left around Victor. As he witnessed the barbarian cavalry disengaging from the battlefield and attempting to retreat westward, Victor looked at the sky and knew that victory was only one step away in today's battle.

Victor quickly called out to Jack and James to lead their troops in pursuit, while Ron stayed behind to continue clearing out the scattered barbarian cavalry.

The infantry forces that had already reached the west side of the hills completed their regrouping on the riverbank. Under Santos's command, they formed a battle line at the western pass. Spearmen half-crouched outside the formation with their spears raised, while crossbowmen stood behind the spearmen.

After reaching their combat positions, the scattered barbarian soldiers who had escaped the main battlefield earlier were blocked by the formation and were quickly shot down one by one by the archers and crossbowmen.

When the retreating barbarian forces saw this formation, they attempted to charge once more. However, facing the prepared volleys of arrows and crossbow bolts, they left behind a pile of corpses and scattered immediately.

Seeing this, Victor directly ordered the cavalry to spread out and pursue the enemy in groups of five. Victor judged that the barbarian leader had likely been killed in the previous volley of arrows. The barbarian troops had lost their commander and now only needed to be pursued.

Santos also commanded the infantry to spread out in groups of fifty, extending the blockade line and blocking the barbarians' escape route to the west.

At this point, the barbarian cavalry had completely lost their will to fight. Many dismounted and knelt to surrender to Victor's army. Some attempted to bypass their flank and escape, but unfortunately, their horses, exhausted from the morning's battle, could no longer gallop quickly. They were caught up by the cavalry dispatched by Victor and were killed one by one.

Victor then halted the battle, as there were no suitable targets left on the battlefield. His reason for participating in the battle was to fully utilize his personal combat capabilities, acting as the spearhead to crush the enemy and reduce friendly losses.

In his past life, when playing Mount & Blade, he had abandoned the game because all the soldiers he recruited at the beginning of his save file had died.

Victor knew he didn't have the makings of a famous general, whether it was battlefield intuition or temperament. He could treat his soldiers like his own children, but he couldn't use them like mud.

From the time he began learning combat skills, those who trained with him were soldiers from the territory. Despite the vast difference in status, Victor's past life deeply influenced him. His relatively approachable attitude, rigorous training, and formidable strength earned him the trust and respect of the territory's warriors.

As the heir to a barony and with his performance and a clear system of rewards and punishments, the territory's standing army was willing to obey his orders and sacrifice their lives for him. Therefore, Victor could not use these flesh-and-blood warriors as bargaining chips for profit.

He preferred to lead these warriors to victory and bring them home, rewarding them with money and land so they could have children and live peaceful lives. When he grew old, these equally aged warriors would bring their grandchildren to call him Lord.

At this moment, Jack approached, his expression excited.

"My Lord, we have achieved a great victory with minimal losses. Not a single soldier in my unit died. A few were injured during the charge, but they are all fine."

"My Lord, you are truly a warrior among warriors. You personally killed at least thirty of the enemy, including a centurion." This was the first time Jack had seen Victor fight. Although he had heard that Victor's martial skills were formidable and few could match him, he hadn't expected him to be this powerful – practically invincible.

It wasn't entirely Jack's fault for being surprised. Victor had indeed been strong before, but not this strong. Victor himself didn't have a clear grasp of it. After activating the combat assistance system, his perception during combat had improved comprehensively. He could predict the opponent's movements through muscle reactions and identify weaknesses. For someone like Victor, whose combat power was already outstanding, this was a force multiplier. His combat power had gone from 50 to well over 180.

Just then, James also trotted over on his horse. "Victor, this battle was exhilarating! Unfortunately, two of my men were shot in the eye and fell from their horses, losing their lives. How are you so fierce now? You weren't this exaggerated when we fought Marquis Mora."

Victor didn't answer James directly, instead asking, "Are the wounded taken care of? I remember we brought some Bitter Bamboo. Even if our losses are small, we must prioritize the injured."

"Don't worry, Victor. After all, we've been through war, everyone has experience and has handled it. I've arranged for a few severely wounded to be sent back to the camp first."

Victor nodded. "Perhaps it's also because after the war, I've gained new insights into my martial arts. I am indeed much stronger than before." Victor offered a vague reason.

"That's amazing. If you have any tricks, remember to teach me," James said, clearly impressed but clueless.

"It's something that can only be understood, not explained. When you reach this level, you'll understand," Victor continued to fool James.

Santos also rode over on a horse and saluted Victor. "My Lord, I have not failed you. The infantry detachment has completed the task you assigned."

Victor patted Santos on the shoulder. "This victory is thanks to your hard fighting. Tell the lads they did a splendid job."

At this moment, Ron arrived with a few men.

"Victor, it's over on our side too. We captured over thirty prisoners. It looks like your side went very smoothly," Ron said as he approached.

"Lord Victor, we captured 116 prisoners. Three of them are severely wounded and likely won't make it. We have enough Bitter Bamboo, and the lightly wounded have already been treated."

"Alright, Ron, you know the Barbarian language. Interrogate these prisoners separately to prevent them from colluding. Knight Jack, you will assist him."

"Yes," they both replied in unison.

"Notify everyone to take a break now and inform the auxiliary troops to help clean up the battlefield."

Victor also dismounted and removed his chainmail. Many bloodstains were shaken off the chainmail that fell to the ground. The blood on his close-fitting leather armor had turned black, as if a layer of oil had been brushed onto the original black leather.

Michael, standing behind Victor, and all the soldiers around him looked at Victor with fanaticism. Such an invincible general could lead them to victory and preserve the lives of his subordinates to the greatest extent, earning all their admiration.

Seeing this, Jack immediately raised his long sword and shouted, "Lord Victor, may you reign for ten thousand years!"

Soon, all the soldiers joined in: "Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years!"

Jack and James brought Victor's warhorse and helped him mount it.

James winked and said, "Great General, go inspect your troops."

Victor had no choice but to ride his horse at a trot around the battlefield. All the soldiers cheered "Ten thousand years!" for him.

This made Victor involuntarily immersed, as if he had conquered the world and established a dynasty.

"Victor, your heart rate is too high. Please control it. Extreme joy or sorrow is not conducive to the health of the successor," Number 1 interrupted Victor's daydream at the opportune moment.

Victor gave a wry smile. "Thank you for reminding me, Number 1."

Afterward, Victor calmed all the soldiers and told them to rest in place for a while.

Soon, the auxiliary troops arrived at the battlefield and began cleaning up in two batches, burying the dead, collecting weapons, and assisting the cavalry in rounding up stray ownerless horses.

Victor sent out a messenger to inform the camp and the fleet on the Great Fish River of his victory.

At this time, the interrogation also yielded results. Ron and Jack found Victor with the interrogation findings.

"We interrogated over a dozen prisoners, including one centurion and five decurions. The information we received is as follows: These are two rival tribes. The Wind Corner Tribe, which was the first to enter our territory, lost a war to another tribe, the Green Grass Tribe, and was forced to migrate south. The Green Grass Tribe also sent a pursuit force, and the result is that they all met us and were wiped out here."

"They also left dozens of people in their camp to guard the remnants of the Wind Corner Tribe. The rest are all here. Furthermore, we discovered that the forces left behind in their tribe are not many. Although they won the battle against the Wind Corner Tribe, they also suffered heavy losses. The 500 men sent out for pursuit were their largest mobile force. The soldiers left in the tribe numbered no more than 200. Even with other able-bodied men, they could muster about 500 cavalry at most, and their equipment is worse."

"Victor, I think we can do another job. You wanted to get some herdsmen slaves, right? The remaining thousand-plus people from the Wind Corner Tribe alone aren't enough. Adding the people from the Green Grass Tribe would be perfect," Ron suggested to Victor.

"No rush. We just finished a battle. Let's set up camp here first. After resting, we'll take down the Wind Corner Tribe tomorrow and reclaim our Wood Fort stronghold."

"Let's sort out our territory first. The Green Grass Tribe won't run if they don't get news of their defeat. Crossing the river means venturing deep into enemy territory, so we should be as cautious as possible. Moreover, according to the plan, the 200 light cavalry from the Edelweiss Territory will arrive in two days. We can bring them along then, which will guarantee success," Victor explained his thoughts.

Ron found this reasoning sound and called for the soldiers to start setting up the camp and preparing for the night's rest.