Return

Reiner had truly paid a steep price. The way nobles profited from war was through plunder and spoils, especially minor nobles like them. They had no wealthy cities to plunder—how much money could they seize from a village? So the real bulk of their gains came from spoils and ransoms.

Reiner's willingness to hand over the ransoms and spoils greatly boosted the soldiers' morale. Their breathing gradually steadied, and while the soldiers sat on the ground to rest, he carefully observed the enemy.

The enemy soldiers had all been sent beneath the walls to attack the castle, while the knights rode around behind them on horseback, overseeing the battle. Baron Lobean had only two men guarding him.

What an opportunity! Reiner silently thought. Baron Lobean probably had never imagined that he would suddenly return. His plan had been to launch a surprise attack on Morland Castle while Reiner was away.

Once Reiner "defeated" the Krad People and returned to his territory, all he would see was Morland Castle flying the Gwen Family's green maple-leaf banner. Without supplies and having lost his property, the army under Reiner would inevitably mutiny and scatter, leaving him with no power to fight.

It had to be said that Baron Lobean's plan had been excellent. However, he had failed to account for the existence of a top-tier spymaster among Reiner's subordinates. His spy had been captured just as he was about to act, exposing the entire plot to Reiner.

After noticing that Baron Lobean's army was completely off guard, Reiner, knowing that he could not let the opportunity slip away, immediately drew the longsword at his waist and shouted, "Stand up! All soldiers, stand up!"

He pointed at the castle ahead and said, "Do you see it? There! Our comrades are fighting the enemy to defend the castle! They're protecting our families and friends as well! We absolutely cannot let them die in despair under the enemy's siege! Charge with me! Follow me and help them! Rescue them from despair!"

The soldiers rose from the ground one after another and tightened their grips on their spears and shields. With the help of their squires, the knights mounted the nearby chargers, while the five squires put on their equipment and mounted the draft horses.

The dozen or so men gripped their weapons tightly. The five Crimson Gryphon Knights formed an arrowhead formation at the front, while the remaining knights formed the main body of the charge behind them. The squires followed beside their masters to guard them.

The draft horses beneath the squires were inferior to the knights' warhorses, but they carried lighter loads. They did not need to bear horse armor, and the squires' equipment was also much lighter than the knights'.

Reiner was at the very center of the formation. This time, he held aloft the red fleur-de-lis banner symbolizing the Moreland Family. He would lead the knights in their charge.

The knights would be the main force in this battle. Their mission was simple: follow Reiner and strike first at Baron Lobean's position. Reiner knew that killing a noble under these circumstances was an extremely serious matter, but accidental deaths in battle did not count.

If they could send Baron Lobean to his heaven at the very first opportunity, it would give them a tremendous advantage in the battle that followed.

It could be said that the scales of war had already tipped toward Reiner's side. Or rather, the advantage had shifted to Reiner the moment he received Logan's letter and the enemy failed to capture the castle after so long.

Although Reiner's army was smaller than Baron Lobean's and extremely exhausted, it still possessed a huge advantage: the enemy did not know that he had led his troops to their rear.

Although quite a few conscripts from among the serfs remained beside Baron Lobean, the defenders on the walls had already worn away much of their fighting spirit. It was already difficult enough to keep them from breaking apart, so there was basically no hope of them displaying any further combat strength.

The knights' warhorses cooperated perfectly, making no sound at all. Baron Lobean's attention was focused entirely on the walls, and he failed to notice that a large group of enemies had appeared behind him.

Reiner raised the banner high. After seeing that all the knights were ready, he lifted it once more.

"Charge!"

As soon as the order was given, the Crimson Gryphon Knights at the front surged forward. Even the warhorses beneath them wore fine horse armor. The knights leveled their steel lances and charged toward the enemy ahead.

The knights followed close behind. At first, they moved at a trot, but after covering more than a hundred meters, they gradually picked up speed. Their warhorses thundered forward, carrying immense momentum.

There was no turning back now. If they failed to completely smash through the enemy, failure was all that awaited them.

The immense inertia made it impossible for them to stop. Even powerful warhorses could not overcome the tremendous force pressing upon them. Anyone who stopped at this moment would either be shoved forward by the horses behind him or thrown beneath the hooves of his comrades' mounts and crushed into a bloody mess.

The sound of hooves gradually rose. They had not been far from the enemy to begin with, and now their speed had increased as they charged toward the foe before them with overwhelming force. The biting wind screamed past their bodies, but their charging formation did not waver in the slightest, standing firm as a rock amid the bone-chilling cold.

The sound of hooves was unmistakable. Even running through thick snow produced a tremendous commotion, like summer thunder that left people's chests trembling and tight.

"It's the sound of hooves!" The knights overseeing the battle at the front for Baron Lobean had already heard the great rumble. As knights who rode warhorses every day, they were extremely familiar with that sound.

That sound clearly came from warhorses charging. They immediately turned their heads to look back.

When they saw the knights charging behind the Crimson Gryphon Knights, they immediately wheeled their horses around and charged toward them.

Of course, some chose to spur their horses away at once. These were instinctive reactions, and the entire sequence took less than two seconds.

The Gryphon Feathers atop the Crimson Gryphon Knights' helmets fluttered up and down, making them look valiant while also lending them a splendid air. The triangular pennants embroidered with Crimson Gryphons atop their steel lances snapped in the wind, making the knights look even more ferocious.

For warhorses already at a gallop, two hundred meters was a distance of only five or six seconds. Baron Lobean had just realized what was happening and wanted to ride away, but his horse needed time to start running as well.

Reiner and the others had only one target: Baron Lobean, mounted on his warhorse. In barely two seconds, they had reached his side, while the horse beneath him had only just begun to move.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Crimson Gryphon Knights aimed their steel lances at him.

Having not fought in a long time, he carried nothing but a longsword at his waist. He did not even have a shield. Faced with lances more than four meters long, he had no ability to resist.

In an instant, two pure-steel lances pierced through his body and lifted him from his warhorse. The two Crimson Gryphon Knights pulled their lances apart, tearing his body in two.

Blood sprayed into the air. In the freezing atmosphere, it transformed almost instantly from liquid droplets into blood-red ice crystals. They fell to the ground like brilliant flowers in bloom.

The spotless snow seemed to have been stained with filth. The blood-red ice crystals took root across the ground like clusters of alluring red spider lilies, adding a different color to the snowy field.