Chapter 268 - 37: Cavalry Charge
Admittedly, the Beastman Corps on the eastern front was indeed different.
After all, under the leadership of Prince Odoruo, they had won many victories. In terms of morale and overall strength, they were a full tier stronger than the Beastmen on the Western Front, assuming equal numbers.
At the very least, the goblins and kobolds Robson encountered today were unlike those on the Western Front. On the Western Front, without a major clan backing them, they would have vanished without a trace at the mere sight of an armed force like the Fengman Knight Order.
"Viscount, what are your orders?" Knight Commander Elon looked at Robson.
The Fengman Knight Order did not line up in a single formation and charge straight in as they usually did.
Although their opponents today were just a group of goblins and kobolds, Robson’s side was the one on the attack.
Moreover, while the Beastman Camp was largely empty, the camp itself remained. Its layout was chaotic and disorderly, making it impossible to punch through in a single, clean charge.
If they couldn’t break through in one go, the Knights charging into the camp would be gradually bogged down by its sheer size and the number of enemies. While this could create a "blossom from the center" effect, casualties would be unavoidable. The Fengman Knight Order was, after all, on loan. If he returned them with too many dead and injured, Robson would have a hard time explaining it to Valentino.
Therefore, Robson had divided the entire Fengman Knight Order into three parts. The goal wasn’t to pierce through in a single thrust, but to chisel away at the camp bit by bit, like a relay race, until the entire Beastman Camp was shattered.
The advantage of this approach was its flexibility, allowing for more adaptable responses to the changing situation.
Knight Commander Elon’s question was his way of requesting permission to enter the battle.
Typically, a Knight Order fighting an "away game" would rarely heed a commander’s orders to arbitrarily change their combat style. But Robson was different. The entire Fengman Knight Order knew that even though they were on loan to Robson, this was practically a "home game."
This had to do with Robson’s relationship with Elon. Robson had never interfered with how Elon briefed the rank-and-file Knights; it was essentially all Elon’s own doing.
Robson surveyed the battlefield. The first three hundred men who had set out were now about a mile deep into the Beastman Camp. Scattered fires were finally beginning to flicker to life throughout the camp as the sentries started to awaken.
"It’s time. Have the Cavalry Team prepare as well," Robson nodded.
Standing nearby, Claude’s eyes lit up when he heard there was a job for him. Robson held Claude in high regard. Back in the Royal Capital, he had frequently taken him to witness grand occasions and meet important figures, all to temper Claude’s character.
It seemed to have had some effect. At least now, Claude wouldn’t be craning his neck, begging for a fight. But not begging for a fight didn’t mean he wasn’t eager for one. No matter how much he was trained, Claude was still a youth—inexperienced, but full of spirit.
"Cavalry Team! Lances up!" Claude commanded the cavalrymen behind him.
With a resounding thud, the first battalion of the Knight Team aimed their long lances toward the battlefield.
Knight Commander Elon watched this scene, clicking his tongue in amazement. He had no idea how Robson had managed to train them. A group of ordinary men without a shred of aura had achieved such military discipline and bearing.
If his own Knights didn’t have that bit of aura about them, others might mistake Robson’s soldiers for the real Knight Order.
Not to be outdone, Knight Commander Elon raised his own long lance high, aiming it toward the distant Beastman Camp.
"For the Kingdom! For Fengman! Charge!"
"For the Kingdom! For Fengman!"
Knight Commander Elon led the charge. The hundred Knights behind him surged forward in an instant. The earth roared with the THUMP THUMP of hooves, accentuating the army’s magnificent power.
Claude looked at Robson, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Robson nodded, and Claude spurred his horse forward as well.
"For our Lord, for the Kingdom!"
It seemed the charge of the Fengman Knight Order had ignited a competitive spirit in the soldiers, and now they all let loose their voices.
"For our Lord! For the Frank Kingdom!"
Robson was actually taken aback. He didn’t know if he had suppressed these men for too long or what, but this five-hundred-man Cavalry Team was actually roaring with the spirit of a true Knight Order.
Robson couldn’t help but nod.
"Go."
"Charge!"
...
Meanwhile, in the Beastman Camp, things were unfolding just as Robson had predicted. The first wave of the Fengman Knight Order had failed to punch completely through.
They had first broken through layers of unoccupied Beastman tents, but when their charge reached Ancient Dumu Town, they found it difficult to advance any further.
Although Ancient Dumu Town was in ruins, it was still made of brick and stone. Truly breaking through would be no easy task.
When the leading lieutenant looked back, he saw that the Beastmen were already starting to assemble along the path they had just carved.
It had to be said that the Beastmen under Prince Odoruo were truly an army that had won great victories. Even the goblins and kobolds had managed to assemble several thousand irregulars in an instant and were beginning to slowly close in on the Fengman Knight Order.
Under normal circumstances, even the Fengman Knight Order would have surely suffered casualties when faced with such a massive Goblin Corps.
"Sir, what do we do now?" a nearby Soldier asked the lieutenant.
The lieutenant narrowed his eyes, watching the scene before him through his helmet. In the distance, more Knights were still charging in their direction.
"East! Continue the charge!" The lieutenant scanned his surroundings. The enemy was thinnest to the east. He still remembered the order from Viscount Robson.
’The moment you’re halted, charge toward the Beastmen’s weakest point. Blossom from the center.’
Elsewhere, Chief Umm had finally gathered his troops. Just as he was about to press the encirclement, he suddenly felt the ground begin to thunder once more.
"What’s going on? Weren’t those humans trapped over by the town?" Chief Umm couldn’t process it for a moment.
Suddenly, cries of alarm erupted from the rear.
"Chieftain! Chieftain! There are human Knights behind us!"
"More human Knights!"
More!
Chief Umm was momentarily stunned. He, Umm, considered himself a worldly beastman. The previous wave of human Knights was already impressive enough to be the pride of an Earl Clan.
Unfortunately, though Umm had seen things, he still hadn’t seen enough. Like countless ordinary Beastmen, he didn’t know that great noble families also had tiers. And the Fengman Clan was clearly far superior to the two clans he had previously encountered beyond the pass.
"Turn around! Turn around!" Chief Umm hurriedly used his Silver-rank aura, shouting in all directions.
But alas, goblins were just goblins. Huddled together in a mob, they couldn’t tell east from west. It was already a display of skill that they weren’t trampling their own to death.
Seeing the enemy cavalry about to bear down on them, Chief Umm grew anxious.
"For the Kingdom! For Fengman!"
In the distance, a Great Knight cloaked in red aura, leading a pack of "tin cans," plunged into the goblin army like a sharp sword.
"Run! It’s a human Extraordinary!"
"It’s a human Extraordinary! They’re not like the last ones! Run!"
The distant cries of those fleeing, though faint and weak, still reached Chief Umm’s ears.
"There are only two hundred of them! Everyone, attack immediately! One Gold Coin per head!" Chief Umm bellowed.
Of course, the promise of one Gold Coin was a complete fabrication by Chief Umm. He knew these goblins all too well. They were the type to remember the meal but forget the beating. Even if they had been tricked ten thousand times before, as long as the reward this time was great enough, they would still risk their necks.
Why did the Beastman Empire dare to use lazy creatures like goblins? Precisely because, although they were wretched, they were easily fooled. This, one could say, was the goblins’ racial strategy for survival.
Sure enough, upon hearing the word "Gold Coins," the goblins’ eyes instantly lit up. Gripping their stone clubs, they charged forward with guttural, crow-like shrieks. In an instant, they had completely surrounded the two hundred or so human Knights.