LRAB Page 65
Page 65
"clang"
Having finally deflected the spiked mace of the Swadian knight in front of him, and preparing to retaliate with his sword, the Sarranid Mamluk beside him brandished a sharp scimitar and charged at him, forcing him to barely raise his shield to block the attack.
The flying sparks narrowly missed hitting his only open eye.
Just when the leading armored cavalryman of the kingdom thought I was doomed, the Swadian knights and Sarand Mamluks who heard Akawi speak immediately stopped their attack.
He then pulled on the reins and took a few steps back, surrounding the remaining armored cavalry of the kingdom.
"Huhuhu..."
"Haah, haah..."
After the Stormwind cavalry ceased their attack, the remaining Kingdom armored cavalry, their bodies completely encased in plate armor, trembled violently, their mouths agape as they gasped for breath.
After rounds of fighting, their bodies were exhausted, and they couldn't help but look at the leading armored cavalry of the kingdom, their eyes darting around uncertainly.
Dozens of heavy cavalry surrounded them, while dozens of light cavalrymen roamed around outside. Given their current exhaustion, how could they possibly break through the encirclement?
Unless they all awaken and become magic knights or their weapons become enchanted weapons, there is still a slight possibility.
But these kinds of things... are best left as thoughts!
“You’re not knights, there’s no need for you to risk your lives for your master.”
Seeing their wavering resolve, Akavi continued to offer his advice.
The lead royal cavalryman took a deep breath, then threw down his sword and shield, dismounted, and knelt on the ground.
The meaning of this is self-evident!
Upon seeing that the leading Kingdom armored cavalryman had chosen to surrender, the remaining Kingdom armored cavalrymen followed suit, throwing their weapons to the ground and kneeling on the muddy ground.
"Qiang!"
Count Axel, watching the battle from afar, was enraged by the complete annihilation of his cavalry. He drew his magic sword "Fire Demon" from his waist and slammed it to the ground.
Instantly, a wall of fire, 3 meters long and 2 meters wide, appeared on the ground, representing Count Axel's raging fury!
"Useless, damned useless, that incompetent fool Aberdeen, he betrayed my trust. I entrusted him with almost all of my cavalry, and this is the answer he gave me?!"
Count Axel was in a terrible mood. Not only had his cavalry attack failed, but on the main battlefield, his infantry was also unable to break through the ranks of the Stormlords' front-line soldiers.
Count Axel could clearly see that since the start of the war, only the soldiers in the front ranks of Stormwind Territory had been fighting, while the soldiers in the middle and rear ranks had remained on standby.
He was already at a disadvantage, and the defeat of the cavalry made the situation even worse. If he didn't do something soon, he might as well surrender!
Chapter Ninety-Two: All-In (Thanks to reader 1711947346 for the 100 Moe Coins reward!)
"If you still want to keep your lives and your current wealth and status, then hurry up and personally go into battle to kill the enemy!"
Now, let's commit the entire army, go all in, and completely break through Stormwind's defenses. That way, we'll still have a sliver of hope for victory!
"All of you, put your lives on the line! If you are unfortunately killed in battle, I will take good care of your wives and children! I guarantee this with my title!"
Count Axel raised the "Fire Demon" in his hand and shouted a rallying cry.
After giving his impassioned speech, Count Axel turned his sinister gaze to the four remaining knights.
The four knights felt a chill run down their spines. They knew they could no longer shirk their duties; they were now in a situation where they had no choice but to fight to the death.
Otherwise, given Count Axel's current state, he might have simply beheaded them as a sacrifice to his flag.
Despite his advanced age, Count Axel was a valiant and skilled warrior in his youth. With his signature weapon, the "Fire Demon," he could easily incinerate the four of them.
Just then, the senior Nord soldiers of the Stormwind Territory's central army, these secondary soldiers, were also replaced, beginning to relieve the pressure on the top-tier Nord Royal Guards.
After all, Count Axel's soldiers now knew that only by constantly breaking through the enemy lines in front of them could they have a chance of survival.
If they dared to run away, they would not only expose their backs to the enemy, but also cause chaos and the fate of the supervising team. So they had no choice but to move forward!
Despite the increasingly frenzied attacks of Count Axel's soldiers, the Stormwind Territory soldiers faced mounting pressure, yet still managed to handle the situation with ease.
After all, Count Axel's troops are now nothing more than the last frenzy of a cornered beast. Once they withstand this offensive and lose all their fighting spirit, they will surrender on their own without even needing to be sent to them.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
At this moment, the messenger sounded the horn, and the Nord veterans, Vaegir infantry, and Vaegir infantry in the central army gradually began to replace the somewhat tired elite soldiers in the front ranks.
The top soldiers in the front row would slip through the gaps to the back to rest, ensuring their stamina wasn't completely depleted. The coordination between the two sides was incredibly smooth and seamless, as if they were working together as one.
Besides their own elite status and obedience to orders, it was also thanks to the micro-management skills granted to Liu Tianyu by the system that he was able to issue orders to every soldier in the troop list.
Just as the secondary soldier replaced the tertiary soldier, Liu Tianyu noticed another unusual movement in Count Axel's direction.
"Your Excellency, it seems they have brought all their soldiers up here!"
A Sarranid rider who was observing the battle as a scout quickly reported to Liu Tianyu.
"There's quite a commotion here. It seems that Count Axel's old man, Deng, is planning to go all in. Have you seen Deng?"
Upon hearing the report, Liu Tianyu narrowed his eyes slightly and continued to inquire.
"I only saw his four remaining knights mobilized, but I didn't see Count Axel!"
The Sarranid rider continued his report.
"Heh, interesting. You've committed all your troops, yet you've vanished without a trace. Count Axel, what are you secretly plotting, old man?"
"Pass down the order: the top-ranking soldiers in the front ranks are to rest immediately, and the secondary soldiers in the center are to hold their positions!"
Accompanied by the sound of the messenger's bugle and the waving of the standard-bearer's flag, Ark, the infantry commander, shouted loudly:
"All! Forward!"
"Aha!"
"Drink!"
Immediately, various shouts erupted from the entire central army formation.
When the secondary soldier in the middle row replaced the top soldier, the battle situation in the front row changed again.
As second-tier soldiers, they may not have as much combat experience as top-tier soldiers, and unlike top-tier soldiers, they are not able to remain calm and transform into cold-blooded killing machines.
However, their arrival added a touch of war to the otherwise peaceful battlefield.
The last remaining elite troops under Count Axel, the Kingdom's Death Knights and the Kingdom's Halberd Guard, joined the battle, roughly driving the Kingdom's swordsmen and regular army aside, and then directly facing the second-tier troops who were being rotated in.
Unfortunately, while they were indeed elite, their numbers were insufficient. Apart from inflicting some casualties on Stormwind Territory's secondary troops during the brief engagement, they were unable to break through the enemy lines.
Meanwhile, the elite soldiers who had retreated to the central army seized the time to recover their strength. They took off their canteens from their waists, poured a big mouthful of water into their mouths, and then took out a piece of dried meat from their bags and began to chew it.
This battle is still some time away from ending, and everyone must recover their strength as soon as possible.
At this moment, the battlefield was once again in a stalemate. The Stormwind Territory's army stood firm, while Count Axel's troops charged forward desperately but to no avail.
Even though the four knights were already on the front line, charging left and right and constantly resorting to force, apart from killing a few minor soldiers, they were unable to break through this impenetrable wall of flesh.
Count Axel, mingling among the soldiers, was furious.
They've already launched a full-scale attack, yet they can't even break through Stormwind Territory's central army. How can they possibly get close enough to Viscount Stormwind to deliver a fatal blow?
Indeed, in order to find a glimmer of hope, Count Axel decided to take a risky gamble and hide himself among the soldiers. Once he broke through the Storm Territory's infantry formation, he would take the opportunity to sneak up on Liu Tianyu.
He firmly believed that Liu Tianyu would be absolutely unable to stop him once he launched a surprise attack, and that once he succeeded, he could turn the tide of the battle regardless of whether Liu Tianyu was alive or dead.
But now, he has already committed all his troops, yet he still cannot break through the infantry formation of Storm Territory, which is absurd!
No matter what damage his knights and elite troops inflicted on them, they remained unmoved and unshaken, which was utterly absurd!
Count Axel couldn't help but observe the battlefield again; the most elite soldiers in the front ranks of Stormwind Territory were already resting and recovering their strength.
The heavy and light cavalry on the left and right flanks have already captured prisoners of war and treated the wounded, and are ready to join the battle at any time.
The wretched brat he most wanted to kill was still sitting there in the reserves, looking completely unperturbed, which further stung Count Axel's pride.
But at the same time, it also brought Count Axel's hot-blooded mind to its senses.
He knew that if things continued like this, not only would the decapitation plan not be completed, but he himself would also risk being killed. He had to leave as soon as possible.
Although this loss wiped out all of Axel's elite forces, enough to make his decades of hard work go to waste, as long as he and Axel still exist, there is still a possibility of making a comeback!
Count Axel glared at Liu Tianyu, and just as he was about to take advantage of the chaos to escape, he suddenly stopped in his tracks!
The author says:
Author's Note: Starting tomorrow, I'm forced to go on a four-day business trip instead of my scheduled holiday. Therefore, my plan to update a lot tomorrow may have to be canceled. I'm truly sorry to all my dear readers, this is an unavoidable situation! I'm so sorry!
Chapter Ninety-Three: A Tough Opponent
Liu Tianyu, who had been observing the battlefield situation from the rear reserve, suddenly pulled on Xueying's reins and moved to the center position.
His action caused Count Axel, who was already considering resigning, to abruptly stop in his tracks.
"Heh, so you're so confident of victory that you're planning to personally go to the battlefield to reap two more kills and show off your bravery to your men?"
He's just a hot-blooded young man; he's still too green!
The astute Count Axel immediately deduced Liu Tianyu's thoughts based on his own reasoning.
Little did he know, Liu Tianyu had already predicted his judgment!
After the entire army of Count Axel pressed forward, they did not see Count Axel. There are only two possibilities.
One possibility is that Count Axel decides to abandon the wealth he has accumulated over decades and chooses to flee, thus escaping with his life intact!
If Count Axel were to actually do that, given the desperate resistance of his elite troops, he might very well escape.
After all, the Storm Plains are vast, and it's not impossible for him to evade the search of hundreds of people and return to Axel City on his own.
But the price would be too high. Not only would decades of hard work be wasted, but his strength and reputation would also suffer a major blow!
His enemies, and even his powerful and disobedient vassals, will surely be eager to take a share of what he has lost after suffering such a heavy blow!
Therefore, Liu Tianyu concluded that Count Axel would not escape so easily.
Since they won't run away easily, there's only one other possibility left.
Count Axel disguised himself and infiltrated his troops, intending to blend into the crowd and then suddenly jump out to give them a big surprise.
After a long march, a defeat in battle, and the near annihilation of his cavalry, with no breakthrough on the front lines, Count Axel had only one option left if he wanted to turn the tide.
Kill or capture your own commander, achieving the feat of slaying the enemy general and seizing their flag, thereby disrupting the morale of your own troops and turning the tide of battle.
But now, Count Axel has committed his entire army, yet they are still unable to break through his vanguard formation. He's probably starting to consider retreating.
That won't do! Liu Tianyu has finally launched a proper battle, and he must win it all in one fell swoop. If he really lets that old man, Count Axel, get away, who knows what other trouble might arise!
Therefore, regardless of whether he lives or dies next, he must stay here!
With this in mind, Liu Tianyu chose to personally don armor and take to the field, hoping to lure the snake out of its hole, so that Count Axel, the old man, could not resist his desire to turn the tide and would suddenly launch an attack, thus exposing his position!
Upon seeing Liu Tianyu ride his horse to the central army and even towards the vanguard, Count Axel's hawk-like gaze was fixed intently on Liu Tianyu.
His right hand gripped the hilt of the "Fire Demon's" sword tightly, and his breathing under the giant helmet became inexplicably rapid.
"Kid, you really surprised me. You almost made me lose my temper. But now I'll tell you, young people shouldn't be too arrogant!"
Next, I'll teach you a lesson with my life! Hurry up, come any closer!
Count Axel was already roaring in his heart. While using his left hand to hold up the kite-shaped shield and block all the attacks from the senior Nord soldiers and Vaegir infantry in front of him, he kept his eyes fixed on Liu Tianyu.
"call!"
A series of fiery explosions rang out, and a gauntlet sword suddenly unsheathed itself, transforming into a fiery serpent that instantly burned away the Stormlord soldiers blocking its path.
"Ahhh!"
"I'm on fire!"
"It's so hot!"
The soldier, whose body was covered in flames, instantly turned into a blazing fireman.
They let out piercing screams, then frantically rolled around in the mud, trying to extinguish the flames on their bodies.
After taking down several Stormlord soldiers blocking his way, Count Axel didn't linger and leaped up to pounce on Liu Tianyu, who was riding on Snow Shadow.
Feeling the scorching heat rushing towards him, Liu Tianyu's lips curled up slightly, as if he had expected it.
"what?!"
Seeing the intriguing smile on Liu Tianyu's face, Count Axel was slightly taken aback, but now that the die was cast, he couldn't worry about anything else.