Assault

After hearing Reiner's command, Sir Valas nodded heavily, their head, encased in a crimson gryphon-style helmet, spoke, "As you wish, my lord. We shall charge the enemy now!"

All the knights gathered, even some squires on draft horses followed their masters. Five Crimson Gryphon Knights formed the vanguard, acting as the spearhead for the assault, while Reiner's remaining sixteen knights followed behind the Crimson Gryphon Knights, acting as the shaft.

Reiner had gone all out this time, bringing almost every soldier. The castle was left with virtually no defenses apart from a small number of guards and squires.

The warhorses beneath the knights pawed at the ground, eager for action, snorting white mist from their nostrils. The warhorses of the Crimson Gryphon banner, clad in red iron barding, were a head taller than ordinary warhorses; even the inland knights' warhorses couldn't compare. They looked incredibly imposing.

Though the warhorses of the other knights were not the fine breeds from the eastern nomads, they were still excellent warhorses. While slightly shorter at the shoulder, they were easy to maintain, resistant to cold, and had better stamina than inland warhorses, making them perfectly suited for the frigid and resource-scarce Northern Territory.

The eager warhorses were reined in by the knights. They were all uncastrated stallions, with a combative nature within them, which made them the best choice for warhorses. Although their maneuverability was poorer, they would never fear in combat and could use their hooves to injure enemies.

"Morland Knights! Charge!" Reiner pointed his lance forward, his figure looking particularly magnificent in the icy landscape.

Upon hearing Reiner's command, the knights immediately surged forward. The Crimson Gryphon Knights led the way, with the Morland Knights close behind. Their initial speed wasn't fast, only about a jog for an ordinary soldier.

In such thick snow, warhorses, like humans, found it quite difficult to run. After more than a month, the snow had long been compacted by its own weight, making rapid movement a luxury.

However, the warhorses' stamina was, after all, superior to humans'. After running for a hundred meters, their speed gradually increased. The momentum generated by the charge of twenty-one knights was also tremendous, the dull thud of hooves reverberating across the small battlefield.

The snow, previously compacted by its own weight, was now churned up again, becoming a flurry of snow dust scattering in the air. Countless snowflakes rose, following in the wake of the charging knights, like a meteor with a tail impacting another planet.

A flurry of snowflakes drifted into the Krad People's formation. They felt a chill on the back of their necks and couldn't help but curse the wretched weather. They thought it was snowing again and could only wipe the icy water from their necks, remaining on high alert.

By now, the Morland Knights had pushed their speed to the maximum possible for movement in snow. The red gryphon feathers on the Crimson Gryphon Knights' gryphon helmets fluttered wildly in the strong wind generated by the charge.

"Long live the Moreland Family!" the knights roared, shouting their battle cry. They possessed an unyielding determination to defend their homeland and to gain their own glory through slaughter.

They held their lances upright, pointing them at the unsuspecting enemies before them. At this moment, the Krad People were still unaware of the disaster about to befall them, still wondering where such a tremendous sound was coming from.

"Oh, ancestors protect us! What is that!" It wasn't until the knights were about a hundred meters to the rear flank of the Krad People that they turned their heads and discovered the knights charging towards them.

They had never seen such warriors riding on "strange reindeer." After all, in the past, when they came to the Northern Territory to plunder, the imperial lords would choose to gather residents and troops within castles for defense. The Krad People would sometimes choose to attack castles, but they were always repelled. When not engaging in open field battles, knights, in their eyes, were like elite infantry warriors, similar to their tribal champions.

Therefore, they simply did not understand how terrifying a situation it was for knights to charge on warhorses.

However, the immense power generated by the knights charging on their tall warhorses still instilled great fear in their hearts. Panic and chaos immediately erupted among the Krad People facing the knights.

The Krad People, armed with wooden clubs, watched in terror as the enemies appeared not far away, while the knights were full of confidence. As a professional, lifelong army trained since childhood, most of them had undergone over a decade of training. They were extremely proficient in various martial arts. If not for the overwhelming numbers, they would not have taken these Krad People, whose combat effectiveness was similar to serfs, seriously.

The knights nudged their warhorses' flanks with their spurs. Their speed increased again, and with a thunderous roar, the knights, like a red-hot blade slicing through cheese, easily routed the enemy.

The Crimson Gryphon Knights at the forefront wielded steel lances, weighing around ten kilograms. Only those with the bloodline of the Gryphon could bear such heavy implements.

Their immense strength meant they didn't have to worry about being knocked off their horses by the counter-impact of their lances, so they used unbreakable steel lances.

Lance after lance pierced through several Krad People, and the warhorses beneath them sent the enemies in their path flying. Those thrown off either died instantly or suffered broken bones and torn muscles, spitting blood and losing consciousness, only to be trampled into pulp by the galloping warhorses.

The impact of the Crimson Gryphon Knights nearly broke the Krad People. They tore a direct opening in the Krad People's ranks, and the Morland Knights followed closely behind, forming a wedge formation to widen the gap torn in the enemy's lines.

Once their wooden lances broke, the knights drew the longswords or maces from their waists, indiscriminately hacking and slashing at the enemies they passed. The thick furs offered no protection; with the added speed of the warhorses, the longswords and maces still possessed unparalleled power.

Only two unfortunate Morland Knights were unhorsed due to the recoil of their lances, but thanks to their thick armor and the cushioning effect of the snow on the ground, they didn't even suffer minor injuries, only some dizziness.

"Damn it! What happened!" The Highlander leader felt the abnormality from the rear of the formation, where cries and screams had already drowned out the shouts of battle from the front lines.

Under the knights' charge, the Krad People cried out, desperate to escape. They no longer held any hope of defeating the enemy; the knights' charge had utterly crushed them!

Blood gradually soaked the white snow, the hot blood melting much of it, like a clumsy artist painting an abstract work with red pigment on a pristine white canvas.

"Charge with me! Let's bury the enemy here completely!" Reiner shouted loudly to the regular soldiers around him.