Marching

At seven the next morning, the entire temporary camp began bustling. After breakfast, all units gradually completed their departure preparations. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. Morale was high, and the troops were full of anticipation for the day's battle. The veterans remained composed, while the recruits were all excited.

After the brief war council held the previous night, Victor had ordered every squadron to inform each soldier of the battle plan and the intelligence on the enemy. This would help boost the soldiers' morale. Coupled with the previous victory celebration, every soldier in Two Rivers Territory was now eager to earn military merit.

According to the plan, Victor first dispatched one squadron ahead to link up with Jack's reconnaissance force and support him. The remaining troops advanced slowly, leaving only one squadron behind to guard the prisoners and await Santos's rear guard. Once the handover with Santos was complete, they would set off to rejoin the main force.

Victor led the troops forward at a steady pace. The various units had already sent out messengers and standard-bearers, ensuring that a group was stationed every five kilometers. From high ground, they could use flag signals to relay messages to the next group, forming a rapid communications network that would ensure Victor and the main army could promptly receive all intelligence sent back by Jack.

According to the planned march, they would reach the Horseshoe Tribe's Main Camp by that afternoon. Based on the intelligence gathered from the Horseshoe Tribe's outpost yesterday, the tribe had harbored hostile intentions from the start. There was no need to be polite with them. Today, Victor intended to make them bleed. These barbarians feared power but had no gratitude; unless they witnessed the strength of Two Rivers Territory, they would never behave themselves. It would also allow him to chop off the claw John had extended. Victor had no intention of easing relations with John. Since he had already chosen a side, there was no need to keep playing false courtesies with the man.

Victor had also informed Jack that if the Horseshoe Tribe sent people to pursue him and his men, he was authorized to retaliate without restraint. He was not to fear bloodshed. If the enemy proved too strong, he was to withdraw immediately. There was no need to fight to the death; they could wait for the main army and strike together.

Surrounded by the vast marching army, Victor felt exceptionally relaxed and pleased. In his previous life, he had heard all sorts of tales about armies—once troops and horses numbered ten thousand, they became endless; once they reached a hundred thousand, they seemed to stretch from earth to sky, a magnificent sight beyond compare. Yet today, although the force he led did not even number a thousand, combined with its immense number of warhorses, it still possessed a breathtakingly majestic presence.

Looking out, he saw powerful warhorses raising their heads and neighing. The thunder of hooves echoed through the sky, as if even the earth trembled beneath them. The horses were strong and imposing, while ox carts and carriages moved in neat order under the soldiers' direction.

The entire column advanced slowly, raising waves of dust. Sunlight spilled over everyone, casting patches of golden radiance. A surge of bold pride rose within Victor's heart.

Victor's guards followed behind him in two lines. Though they knew Victor did not require their protection, every one of them held his head high and looked full of spirit. Who could remain unaffected while standing amid such an army?

Near noon, with less than fifteen kilometers remaining to the target, James left his unit to find Victor. Victor raised an eyebrow and asked directly, "James, discipline must be observed during battle. If you have something to report, you can send a messenger. If the commander is absent when something unexpected happens, the troops may fall into disorder."

"Don't worry, Regimental Commander. Half of our unit is with Jack, and another squadron was assigned to remain at the temporary camp. The squadron I brought consists entirely of experienced veterans, and my deputy is also very capable. Nothing will go wrong whether I'm there or not," James argued.

"I'm talking about battlefield discipline. As the unit commander, you should lead by example. If there's a next time, I'll punish you," Victor said irritably. This childhood friend of his really was difficult to manage.

"I have an idea, Victor. The other side may not necessarily engage us in this battle. I want the Iron Knights to put on all their armor. Wouldn't that be more imposing? To those vassal tribes of Iron Birch Territory, the presence of the Iron Knights would also be highly intimidating." The troops James had kept at hand this time happened to be his own chainmail cavalry squad and the Iron Knight squad under Jack's command. The other Light Cavalry had all been sent out.

Victor understood James's thoughts perfectly. Compared to intimidating the barbarian tribe, satisfying his own desire to show off was probably more important. Still, it would indeed produce an unexpectedly effective result, so Victor readily agreed to James's proposal.

"Then let's try it. You can put on the armor yourselves, right?"

"Don't worry. The Iron Knight Armor is so light and convenient. Its design makes it even easier to put on than our chainmail. If we help each other out, we'll finish quickly."

Although Victor had already issued fifty sets of Iron Knight Armor to Jack's heavy cavalry squadron and had watched several training sessions, he had never seen the armor being put on. So he directly led his guards with James to watch the Iron Knights equip themselves.

Since they had been marching slowly to begin with, and only a little over ten kilometers remained, putting on the armor now would not have much effect on the stamina of either the soldiers or the horses. After all, this world was full of people with superhuman strength, and Wind Howler Horses possessed endurance and stamina far beyond the horses of his previous life.

These heavy cavalrymen were each equipped with three horses. Aside from the warhorse used for charging, one of the other two carried horse armor and supplies, while the other carried the Iron Knight Armor and weapons.

Victor carefully observed the process of putting on the Iron Knight Armor. The entire set was not particularly heavy, weighing only twenty kilograms, about the same as half-body chainmail. The horse armor was relatively heavier, at around thirty kilograms, but that weight had little effect on the warhorses.

The armor was entirely black. The arm guards were directly connected to the body armor by chains, while leather straps at the joints allowed for easy movement. The knight only needed to extend both arms and slip them into the armor. The backplate could be secured directly with buckles, and with another person assisting, the upper body armor could be put on quickly.

The lower armor could be fastened directly onto the horse armor through mechanical clasps. The knight only needed to put it on after mounting the horse.

The process of armoring the fifty-man squad was not slow. It took less than ten minutes to finish, and Victor soon saw a fully equipped unit of Iron Knights. No man could resist something like armor, and even Victor wanted to try on the Iron Knight Armor.

After the Iron Knight unit returned to the marching formation, Victor left. The entire army was about to reach their predetermined battlefield. He had to return to where he belonged, so that every soldier could see that their lord stood with them.