Crushing Victory

Highlander's idea was good, but he mistakenly underestimated the combat strength of Reiner's direct regular army and greatly overestimated the combat power of his own tribal warriors.

He actually fantasized about turning the tide with just a dozen or so people; it was, to put it mildly, a pipe dream.

Before these tribal warriors could even reach their destination, the shattered soldiers from the flanks of the Krad People's formation surged towards them in a frenzy. These Krad People, scared witless, were now in a desperate panic, wanting nothing more than to flee the terrifying place that threatened their lives.

In an instant, a dozen or so tribal warriors were engulfed by the throngs of people. They never even reached the heart of the chaos, their formation broken by the fleeing Krad People.

The knights who charged in paid no mind to any of this. Although their horses' speed had slowed slightly due to the Krad People blocking their path, they still used their sharp longswords to reap enemy lives. For the Krad People who couldn't muster the courage to resist, the knights had transformed into individual meat grinders, savagely dismembering and slaughtering them.

And just as some lucky Krad People, who had narrowly escaped the knights' slaughter, were feeling secretly pleased, Reiner led his infantry charging forward. The infantry appearing at this moment was undoubtedly the final straw that broke the camel's back. Meeting no resistance, he directly led the infantry to completely tear apart the enemy's formation—no, not tear apart, but utterly rout them. A complete rout, a massive rout.

This disintegration spread directly from the flank to the front lines of the Krad People's ranks. The knights had just broken through the enemy from the flank, and before the infantry could press forward through the gap, the enemy completely collapsed.

"Long live!"

"Victory!"

"The damned Krad People are defeated!"

"We routed the enemy!"

The soldiers cheered loudly, their hearts overflowing with joy. There could only be one victor, and in this battle, they were undoubtedly the victors.

The shouts grew louder and louder. The soldiers began to encircle and annihilate the fleeing Krad People. A strange thing happened: a Morland Army unit of only four or five men could chase down and cut down more than a dozen Krad People. How could the physical conditioning and running speed of the Krad People compare to the Morland Army, who trained regularly in running? Consequently, after fleeing for a short while, they were quickly overtaken and killed by the wolf-like soldiers.

Although they didn't have armor like the Morland Army, the multiple layers of animal hides they wore for warmth added a significant burden to them.

"Hold the line! Warriors of the tribe! Your ancestors are watching you! Hold the line! For the glory of our ancestors!" Highlander roared frantically, trying to rally his troops' morale.

But a defeated army collapses like a mountain. If they scattered, everything would be over. It would be almost impossible to raise morale and regroup, no matter how much he shouted. Defeat was inevitable. On the Morland Army's side, the knights, following Sir Valas's instructions, spread out, chasing the fleeing enemies in groups of three to five.

However, they didn't pursue for long before withdrawing from the fight. Their warhorses were already struggling. Galloping through snow required significantly more stamina. The knights' warhorses not only bore chainmail barding but also carried knights in full chainmail and their equipment. They could feel the slight trembling of the warhorses beneath them; continuing the battle would very likely lead to the horses collapsing and dying.

It wasn't just the Morland Knights' warhorses; even the Crimson Gryphon Knights' warhorses began to pant slightly, which showed how much energy such an intense battle consumed from the warhorses.

Warhorses were a scarce resource in this era; typically, a good warhorse was considerably more expensive than a full suit of chainmail.

Since the battle was already decided, they would still achieve victory even if they withdrew from the fight. So why risk a precious warhorse?

The pursuit continued for a long time, and a large number of Krad People lost their lives here. No more than three hundred managed to escape successfully.

When the enemy completely vanished from sight, cheers echoed across the entire battlefield. They roared and laughed, raising their spears and pitchforks, waving them in celebration. This was a tremendous victory. Every year, when faced with Krad People invasions, the Moreland Family would choose to retreat into Morland Castle.

This was the first winter, in the soldiers' living memory, where they didn't need their entire families to hide in the castle for refuge. Thus, they felt immense honor, for they had protected their homeland.

Later, he could proudly tell his family and children, I once fought valiantly on the northern border, and I won, protecting my home.

What an honor this was! In the village, they would also become respected people because of it, not to mention the Baron would also exempt them from one-tenth of their taxes for a year because of this.

"Long live the Baron!"

"Victory!"

"Long live the Moreland Family!"

The soldiers crowded around Reiner, surrounding the master who had led them to victory. The Moreland Family's red-backed iris lion banner flapped fiercely in the biting north wind. Victory, along with the wind and frost, soared into the endless sky. In this dark age, victory was a man's greatest success.

Under the fervent gaze of the soldiers, Reiner, full of spirit, took off his helmet, revealing his face, which was still slightly youthful and flushed from intense exertion and excitement.

His joy wasn't just due to the victory in this war; the System had also judged his quest complete at this moment.

Ding, quest complete!

You have defended your territory against the Krad People's invasion and gained significant prestige. Rewards are being distributed.

Receive: 300 mu of fertile land, one hero lottery draw!

"Baron, you made a brilliant decision! Your command was excellent! Your martial arts are incredibly powerful, and the Krad People fled like field mice before your might!"

The knights also came to Reiner's side, expressing their admiration and respect. This time, Reiner had finally, through his own talent, won over this loyal yet proud group of knights under his command.

"Gentlemen, this victory is not only my accomplishment; you have also made immense contributions! Thank you, my dear knights!" Reiner said with a smile, looking around at the knights who had all removed their helmets and bowed slightly to show their respect.

"Such a victory demands a grand feast for celebration! I will hold a three-day feast in the castle, my knights; this is your victory celebration!"

Reiner waved his hand and addressed the knights. He was quite pleased in his heart about the solidification of his position. He could finally completely control the land of Morland Castle.

One war had completely elevated his prestige, making him the undisputed master of the Morland Castle region.

"Clear the battlefield, lads! Try to capture as many prisoners as possible! They're still very useful to us!" Reiner told the soldiers. Although the Krad People were extremely poor, their animal hides could still be sold for some money. He planned to distribute one-third of these proceeds to the soldiers, one-third to the knights, and keep one-third for himself.