Defeating and Relieving the Siege

What is the state of knights charging into a camp with almost no defenses?

It's as comfortable and leisurely as playing polo, lowering their lances and impaling everything living in the camp.

Over thirty knights quickly weaved back and forth within the camp, which covered less than 5 acres (about 30 mu, or 0.02 square kilometers), efficiently slaughtering the remaining auxiliaries.

When it was all over, the knights slowed their horses, giving their mounts time to relax their muscles and breathing rhythm. The infantry finally arrived and completely took over the camp.

Five hundred meters. The infantry, at full gallop, would take only two to three minutes, while the knights had already finished their task.

Although their gleaming warhorses had relaxed their muscles, the knights rode their mounts to the southeast gate of the camp area. Beneath their helmets, everyone was excited about their recent victory.

"This was just a warm-up. A great victory awaits us ahead. Do you see the battlefield in front?

We'll take the small field path to the east of the battlefield and flank the enemy's formation!"

This was an excellent plan because the distance from the siege camp to the battlefield below the wooden wall was a gradual uphill slope.

Knights appearing directly behind the enemy would not only attract attention but also prevent their horses from reaching their optimal charging speed.

While taking the detour might also attract the attention of the enemy troops attacking the city, they could accelerate more easily on the relatively flat country roads through the fields.

The knights adjusted their equipment, fully conserving their horses' strength, and began to circle around the slope at a not-too-slow trot.

At this time, the battle to capture the city had also entered a white-hot stage.

The pirates attacking the wall used large shields, over a meter high and a meter wide, to shield themselves, advancing towards the city wall one by one like an irresistible force.

The defending soldiers facing them directly, whether using push poles or spears, found it difficult to stop their advance. However, the pirates shooting from the side were truly defenseless against these arrows.

But the crossbowmen below, over a hundred of them hiding behind shield carts, continuously lobbed projectiles at the city, disrupting the defenders' rhythm.

If not for the wooden nets installed on this wooden wall, which eliminated the possibility of lobbing attacks upwards at the city wall from an angle, people wouldn't even be able to stand on the city wall.

"The young master will definitely not abandon us. Believe in the Holy Light, believe in the young master! Children, push with all your might!"

Old Adam had already said his encouraging words countless times. Several heavy shields in front of them had been knocked askew, and someone always fell from the city wall, whether it was a pirate brought by the Viscount or a guard on the city wall.

These people were too young. Even though they possessed the experience of being vassals of the Divine Favor, even though their nerves could be harder than steel, several young people hadn't even managed to convert their talents into combat strength.

They were killed by some nameless pirate with a single slash on the wooden wall of some nameless small manor.

"Think of the old and young in the village! Pirates leave no survivors! Fight!"

With an angry roar, a steel crossbow pierced a wooden shield, and a crossbow bolt pierced the arm of the shield-bearer. The pirate cried out in pain, stumbled to the side, and fell down the battlement.

But behind him, another pirate appeared, using a ship's plank as a large shield.

"Last fire oil!"

Adam shouted this for perhaps the nth time. Fortunately, the pirates who had heard his bluff last time were already dead, and the pirates on the battlement were still terrified.

"It's knights! There are knights below the city!"

The pirates didn't get fire oil poured on their heads but instead heard a young knight on the city wall shouting with abandon.

"Holy Light above, it's the young master who's back!"

Below the city, after accelerating along the gentle road, the knights, with Adamson and William at the spearhead of a double blade, followed behind Ergons, cutting across the battlefield.

These scattered archers, standing casually, were already dead the moment they heard the thunder of hooves, because they couldn't evade the knights' charge no matter what.

The fast-charging horses, the lances extended parallel forward, the banners constantly being pierced and lifted high, the blades brushing past their necks as they were held against the saddle bridge.

The knights' charge was an unsolvable nightmare for these archers, with nowhere to escape and no way to resist.

The rapid charge caused many to be killed not just by weapons but also by being rammed and trampled.

The sounds of impact continued, screams rose and fell, and then abruptly stopped. Soon, the cavalry charge broke through the entire battle formation and began to slow down, turning around.

The Swedish Viscount was stunned. His hand, which had been caressing the quartermaster, began to tremble. If he hadn't been sitting on a stable carriage, he probably would have fallen off his horse.

"Weren't they at the easternmost part of the Baron's territory? Didn't they leave? What are the scouts we sent out doing?"

The Viscount was truly starting to panic. In his haste, food debris splattered all over his large red beard.

"Don't be nervous, Viscount, don't..."

"Shut up!"

The Viscount furiously pushed away the quartermaster who was trying to comfort him, stood on the carriage, held onto the frame, and shouted, "All infantry, dismount from the city wall and assemble before me! Those archers, shoot them to death!"

The Viscount's command was absolutely correct. After shouting, he quietly ordered the driver: "Retreat, have the personal guards return to the field command tent to confirm their safety! Quickly!"

However, his orders were meaningless. The archers, having been pierced through once, were even more scattered.

Let alone launching an effective attack without command, some of them didn't even know where they wanted to flee.

With such a chaotic situation behind them, the knights seemed to completely disregard the fact that the enemy might shoot at them.

Everyone slowly decelerated, and after a very exaggerated turn, the horses turned their heads around.

Unlike light cavalry, these horses bore too much weight. After every charging battle, they had to be given a period of rest and adjustment.

The soldiers under the Viscount were a mix of pirates, mercenaries, and individual guards from merchant caravans. Their physical qualities varied, and their responses to orders differed.

Indeed, there were still some who could obey orders and shoot arrows at the group of knights who were about to charge again.

But why wear armor?

Sporadic projectiles whizzed past them, and those that occasionally hit the Knights were deflected by their heavy armor.

"Shoot! Quickly gather and shoot together, or none of you will survive! Who can outrun a warhorse?"

On the chaotic battlefield, the assembled officials, mercenary leaders, and minor nobles began to play their roles.

The Viscount of Swedish troops finally seemed less panicked.

Under the Viscount's strict orders, the archers began to fire in an organized manner, but the crossbow bolts and arrows had little effect.

The whistling sound of arrows constantly flashed past every Knight's ears, yet no one was overly nervous. Not a single one had their rhythm disrupted by falling arrows.

They continued to calmly let their horses walk slowly to regain their strength. Arrows repeatedly struck their armor or their horses' armor with dull thuds, but no one sped up their actions because of it.

Because they couldn't afford to panic. As long as they remained calm, these battle-hardened warhorses wouldn't spook, and they were destined to win.

On this battlefield, far more Knights died from their horses being spooked and causing falls or drag injuries than from being defeated head-on. Especially in battles between Knights and dismounted units, the Knight was the ultimate answer.

The Knights, maintaining their own rhythm, formed ranks, advanced, accelerated, lowered their spears, relaxed their wrists, and tightened their shoulders!

"Bang bang bang bang..."

"Puff puff puff puff..."

When the Knights charged headlong into the archer formation, the archers behind the scaling ladders immediately collapsed. The rout and flight infected the main infantry line, which had been slowly retreating, and it instantly descended into chaos.

The various small leaders who had simply banded together began to flee with their men. Everything was irreversible.

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