Chapter 399
Chapter 399: Swear Loyalty If You Want to Live (1)
Hee-hee-hee!
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
With a long howl, the Black King burst through the opened castle gate.
Ghislaine swiftly snatched the reins of the Black King and mounted up.
Some of the soldiers pouring out of the castle grabbed additional horses and dashed out. They were knights on horseback.
The knights quickly mounted their galloping steeds. Now, every single member of the Penris Army was on horseback.
Ghislaine, racing ahead on the Black King, shouted again.
“Let’s go! Sweep them away!”
“Waaaaaa!”
The Penris Army erupted into cheers.
The Black King, with Ghislaine riding him, surged forward like a beam of light. They were late to start but soon took the lead.
The fleeing Roderick’s Army was panicking and shouting.
“The Penris Army is here!”
“It’s a cavalry charge!”
“Run! Get away!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
With a thousand cavalry moving, it felt like an earthquake shaking the ground.
Urgent shouts burst from Roderick’s command post.
“You idiots! Form ranks! Raise your spears and shields! Hurry up and get in formation!”
Roderick’s Army was already in disarray, showing their backs. If they were hit by the cavalry charge now, they’d all be wiped out.
But having already taken a beating and with their morale shattered, the soldiers dared not think about fighting the Penris Army.
“You fight!”
“We’re running away!”
“We can’t win! Those guys are unbeatable!”
Instead, the soldiers vented their anger toward the command post. To them, the command post was just a bunch of fools initiating a futile fight.
If they were going to die anyway, it was better to run and find a glimmer of survival rather than face the certain death.
However, as most were infantry, they were soon caught up by the Penris Army.
Kwah-aaaaaang!
“Uwaaaaah!”
When a thousand cavalry stood in a line, they could sweep a massive area. The Penris Mobile Army advanced, crushing Roderick’s Army.
And at the center stood Ghislaine.
He shouted as he pierced through the ranks of Roderick’s Army.
“If you don’t want to die, drop your weapons and lay down!”
At his shout, Roderick’s soldiers immediately flattened themselves to the ground.
But not all survived. There were simply too many Roderick soldiers lying face down to dodge.
Kwah-aaaaang! Kwa-zhizzh!
With the entire Penris Army charging, they inevitably trampled over any soldiers in their path.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“We surrendered! Spare us!”
“Move aside! Roll away!”
The cries of soldiers being trampled and those desperately trying to escape mingled, quickly creating chaos on the battlefield.
Nonetheless, the Penris Army only trampled the fallen soldiers without intentionally killing them; they merely plowed through those blocking their way.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Thus, the Penris Army barreled through the now completely crumbled Roderick’s Army without hesitation.
Roderick’s soldiers either scrambled sideways to escape the battlefield or surrendered and lay flat.
Watching this, Count Glasgow wailed with bloody tears.
“Those fools! With so many of them, they can’t even fight back!”
If they had all turned and resisted together, they wouldn’t have died so easily. In fact, they still had numerical superiority.
But if no one wanted to fight, how could it be a battle?
That’s how war works. Even with more numbers, if morale breaks, fear spreads like an epidemic to everyone.
Thus, maintaining soldiers’ morale and loyalty is incredibly important in war. Roderick’s Army may be numerous, but they lacked the most essential factors.
“You useless wretches! You trash! Fight! Turn around and fight!”
Count Glasgow shouted angrily at his soldiers.
The soldiers from the West were numerous, but rumors of their laziness had been well-known for some time. Count Glasgow had heard of it before but thought little of it.
With no one to fight and no threats to face, there seemed to be no issues. He believed it was just jealousy from other nobles trying to put them down.
“I didn’t expect it to be this pathetic…”
But it was all true.
From the nobles to the soldiers, everyone was complacent with the current peace. No one lived with a sense of tension.
Thus, they were no match for the Penris Army, who had endured hellish training and countless real battles.
Even the mindset of fighting for their territory didn’t hold up against it.
On the battlefield, the calls of the Penris Army echoed from all around.
“Drop your weapons and surrender!”
The charge of the Penris Army began to slow down. Too many Roderick soldiers were tangled up, blocking their path.
They stepped over the fallen soldiers, pushing forward relentlessly. Those still in shock that were obstructing the path were mercilessly cut down.
Once Roderick’s Army completely collapsed, the staff officers and knights beside Count Glasgow shouted.
“You must flee!”
“Hurry and notify the main force of this news!”
“We’re being annihilated! We’re done for!”
Over half of the army had already broken through. Fortunately, the soldiers were numerous, which is why they had endured until now; otherwise, the command post would have already been overrun.
Count Glasgow swallowed his panic and spoke.
“Guard knights, block the front! Knights and staff, retreat! Whatever it takes, inform the Marquis!”
With that, Count Glasgow turned his horse around. The guard knights huddled close beside him.
The remaining staff officers and commanders also hurriedly fled as soon as the order was given.
Seeing this, the guard knights shouted.
“The commander and knights are fleeing!”
“You bastards!”
“What do you want us to block for?”
The elite guard knights, who were the most disciplined, found it hard to be loyal when their commanders were scrambling to save their own skins.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The infuriated guard knights turned at the sound of hoofbeats. The Penris Army was already closing in.
Especially at the forefront, a man whose eyes glowed red and who was grinning was someone they all recognized very well.
“We surrender too!”
With someone’s shout, the guard knights quickly moved aside and lay flat.
Ghislaine passed them in an instant and said.
“You lot seem usable. Stay where you are. Anyone attempting to flee will be killed.”
Though he passed quickly, Ghislaine’s words lingered in their ears as if he had whispered right beside them.
At his words, the guard knights could only swallow hard and lay quietly flat on the ground.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Count Glasgow ran for a while, then glanced back.
“Ugh!”
He then screamed in horror.
The Count of Penris was chasing him alone. Even starting from a significant distance, he was getting closer and closer.
“B-block him! I said block him!”
Now he must abandon the guard knights. It was obvious that staying like this would lead to being caught.
The guard knights glanced at each other over Count Glasgow’s command.
Only about 10 knights followed Count Glasgow. Originally over 100, some had fled during the battle, and most of the remaining ones were already dead at the castle gate.
And with only 10 men, block the Master of Penris?
It was tantamount to telling them to just die and buy time.
Exchanging glances, the guard knights nodded and suddenly spread out to the side.
They abandoned Count Glasgow.
“What the hell! What are you doing? Block him! Stop that bastard!”
Count Glasgow yelled desperately, but none of the knights listened. They were all too busy saving themselves.
Seeing this, Ghislaine smiled quietly and extended his hand.
Whirr!
Boom!
Dozens of crimson magical spears appeared and shot toward the fleeing knights without missing a beat, piercing their backs.
“Ugh!”
The defenseless knights were killed instantly, their backs punctured.
Now only Count Glasgow remained.
At that moment, crimson mana flowed out from Ghislaine, wrapping around the Black King.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The eyes of the Black King glowed red, and its speed began to increase.
Count Glasgow turned back repeatedly, exclaiming in disbelief as he saw this.
“W-wait!”
Ghislaine was already right on top of him. Even just throwing a spear would be enough to kill him.
“Stay back! Stay back!”
Count Glasgow cried out ugly words, shaking the reins frantically. But he couldn’t outpace the Black King’s speed.
At some point, Ghislaine closed the distance, reached out, and grabbed Count Glasgow by the neck.
“Ugh!”
Count Glasgow felt a pain that squeezed his neck, but he didn’t die.
The horse he was upon continued to gallop forward, carrying him away from the battlefield.
Count Glasgow was left dangling by the neck, held captive by Ghislaine on the Black King.
“P-please spare me. I’ll reward you generously.”
“I can’t just let you die.”
“W-what?”
Ghislaine discarded his spear and drew his sword from his waist, stabbing it right into Count Glasgow’s belly.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Count Glasgow screamed in pain.
His belly was pierced, but he didn’t die. Ghislaine had skillfully avoided the vital point.
Looking at Count Glasgow with cold eyes, Ghislaine said.
“Tell me the exact numbers of your main force, the knights and soldiers, the precise number of weapons, and the currently established supply routes.”
He had some idea already. They could adequately manage the remaining forces in Penris without needing to extract information.
Still, he sought to have precise information for any unforeseen situations.
Count Glasgow trembled as he spoke.
“I-I won’t be killed if I tell you that.”
“You’ll die anyway. You can choose whether you want to die painfully or comfortably.”
Thud!
Ghislaine stabbed Count Glasgow’s body again with his sword. Just adding a hint of mana, his body began to convulse.
“Ugh! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!”
Count Glasgow felt terrifying pain that made his hair stand on end and shouted unequivocally.
This madman clearly had experience with torture. He preferred a swift death.
Count Glasgow spilled all the information he knew. With Ghislaine inflicting pain intermittently, he didn’t have time to think.
“Not much, huh? Then goodbye.”
Ghislaine listened with a bland expression and immediately beheaded Count Glasgow.
As expected, they were just pushing forward ruthlessly.
“Well, that should be enough to hold them off.”
Except for Kaor, most of Ghislaine’s close associates remained back at the territory. Kaor and the assault squad were not suited for defense, so he had brought them along instead.
Sixty thousand main troops were moving to target Penris. The quality and number of forces, as well as the amount of weaponry, were incomparable to the pursuit squad that had come here.
Yet Ghislaine had no immediate plans to return.
He intended to trust his allies and quickly finish up what needed to be done here.
Returning to the battlefield, the fight was already completely over.
The Roderick Army had all knelt with their hands behind their heads. The Penris Army stood guard around them, waiting for Ghislaine.
“Who is the highest-ranking person among the remaining ones?”
At Ghislaine’s shout, the soldiers looked at one another.
The commanders had all fled, but there were ranks among the soldiers as well. Some looked to their superiors, while others looked to those above them.
As they glanced around, their gazes soon focused on one man.
The man, who had been avoiding eye contact, had no choice but to slowly rise when everyone stole glances at him.
“I-I’m Walter, who led the guard unit this time. Previously, I commanded the 3rd Infantry Division of the 2nd Corps.”
He spoke in a frightened voice, fearing that all the commanders would be killed.
Ghislaine looked at Walter for a moment and said.
“Good. I’ll grant you temporary command, so for now, you will lead the remaining soldiers. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes? O-Okay!”
Walter was curious why he was being entrusted with command but didn’t ask. He didn’t want to lose his head unnecessarily.
“Assess the remaining soldiers and regroup them by unit. If there’s no commander, appoint the most senior soldier as a temporary commander.”
“Understood!”
Walter hurriedly moved to gather the soldiers.
Usually, bringing together an enemy force like this is dangerous, but no one in the Penris Army was worried.
Roderick’s army would not dare to challenge an overwhelmingly powerful opponent.
Having awkwardly but successfully gathered what remained of the forces, Walter stood before Ghislaine.
“I, the remaining soldiers total about 15,000! The remaining number varies significantly by unit, so I’ve gathered them in units of around a thousand.”
“Good. We can sort the organization later.”
Perhaps because of the quick surrender, more soldiers had survived than expected. It was actually the outcome Ghislaine had intended from the beginning.
Ghislaine looked around at everyone and continued.
“Now, Linderstein belongs to Penris! Thus, you too have become proud soldiers of Penris! From now on, you’ll fight for Penris. Understand?”
“Yes! Understood!”
The soldiers who had narrowly escaped death answered loudly. Regardless of their inner thoughts, no one dared to refute him.
Having starkly felt the difference in combat power, who would have the guts to challenge them?
Moreover, it was well-known, even in the West, that Penris treats its soldiers well. It was indeed a source of slight hope.
With Ghislaine leading, they boldly entered Linderstein.
“Now, shall we get to work?”
Ghislaine himself needed to return to Penris as quickly as possible. However, he couldn’t just abandon the newly captured West.
Thus, he planned to make the most of the troops and supplies acquired here.
