Knight: Becoming King of the World

Probing, of course. It’s normal.

Bain had already seen the key point. The outcome of a war wasn’t decided by one or two minor skirmishes, but by the overall strength, strategic positioning, and commander’s cunning of both sides.

Count John’s little maneuvers were merely preparations for the coming great battle, an attempt to leverage the advantage of Odoche’s walls to wage a war of attrition against Henry’s army.

Bain had already taken this into account when formulating the battle plan. Moreover, the other Attendants and officers had also seen through it.

Just as John expected, the first battle would be the decisive one. There would be no protracted stalemate between him and Henry.

It would be a straightforward, head-on fight to decide the winner in a single stroke.

Based on what Bain currently knew, Lord Henry’s army far surpassed Count John’s in terms of training level, quality of equipment, and High Morale.

When Count Henry’s army truly launched its attack, Count John’s so-called strategy of attrition would crumble on its own.

At that time, the Odoche region would welcome a new master, and all of Count John’s struggles would be in vain.

"Bain, still looking at the map? The Warriors caught some wild pheasants and cattle today. Hurry up and go eat."

Bain nodded upon hearing the voice and replied with a smile, "I can’t help it, Leon. This battle is very important to us. After we win this war, I’ll probably be able to become a full-fledged Knight."

Leon deeply agreed. No matter how prestigious the titles within Henry’s noble system were, it was about time they were promoted.

’I want to get promoted too!’

"Alright, Bain, stop thinking so much. This battle doesn’t involve many schemes. It’s just a simple attack, attack, and more attack! Come on, it’s best to relax before a fight."

"You’re right, Leon. Let’s go see if the Warriors’ game is delicious."

Days passed, and Henry’s second batch of troops was also about to complete their training.

The soldiers sweated profusely on the training grounds, eager to prove their worth in the upcoming battle and fight for Count Henry’s glory.

They were just waiting until the end of the month to launch an all-out assault on Count John!

「At this very moment」, a commotion arose at Westwood Laine Castle as two mighty columns of troops advanced toward it.

Banners fluttered, armor glinted, and the sound of hooves was deafening. Henry stood at the castle gate, watching the approaching troops come into focus with a wry expression.

The banners among the troops bore the crests of Baron Boman and Baron Fass.

They were, in a sense, two of Henry’s old friends. Though the three of them weren’t inseparable, they had always helped each other out. They were all from the academy, so for now, they were all on the same side.

Henry was quite surprised. He couldn’t understand why these two, who had just been promoted, weren’t properly developing their lands and celebrating with wine, but had run over to his place instead.

’And with armies, no less?’

Baron Boman was the first to ride up to Henry. He took off his helmet, revealing an excited face, and said loudly, "Henry, my old friend, we’ve come to celebrate! Why didn’t you invite us to your Count’s banquet? That really hurts!"

Henry: ???

’Right, right, right. All you think about all day is mooching off me for food and drink, huh? So shameless, and you call yourself a Baron.’

Baron Fass followed, laughing heartily, and explained the situation to Henry.

It turned out that after their promotions, the two of them had also received some armaments and Dinar rewarded by the emperor. Although it wasn’t as generous as Henry’s reward, it was still a decent subsidy.

So, they immediately went around their fiefs soliciting gifts in all sorts of ways to re-equip their Private Armies.

A person doesn’t get many chances to receive gifts in their lifetime, nor many chances for promotion. Not everyone was like Henry, who had become a Count in just a few short years on the back of dazzling military achievements.

And then...

After thinking it over, the only person on the eastern grasslands they could really call a friend was Henry.

So, when they heard about the army movements of both Henry and John, they conferred with each other and immediately brought their armies over, ready to join Henry in attacking Count John.

’If we can’t eat the meat, at least we can have some of the soup, right? Henry is fighting John, so we have to come and back him up!’

They had missed out on the action during the massive Anti-Henry Alliance incident. All their money had been poured into developing their territories to get promoted and earn the emperor’s reward to recoup their losses.

Now that all three of them had been promoted, they might as well celebrate on the battlefield with Count John’s head.

Looking at the two men before him, Henry felt a warmth spread through his heart. There were very few people he could truly trust, and Boman and Fass barely counted as two of them.

Because these two had stuck with him back when he was just a Knight, when his fief had been destroyed and he had nothing to his name.

Boman and Fass’s actions weren’t purely to get a piece of the pie; it was more out of support for him.

In this noble world full of deceit and backstabbing, such a friendship was truly rare.

"Welcome, my friends." Henry warmly embraced Boman and Fass, then invited them through the castle gate.

"Haha, let’s discuss the battle plan, Henry. What are your thoughts?"

"I think with your current appeal and influence, you could totally rally the other nobles on the grasslands, form an Alliance Army of tens of thousands, and annex Count John’s Earl’s Domain in one fell swoop."

Boman and Fass went back and forth, their chatter making Henry’s ears ache. The familiar feeling was strangely wonderful to Henry.

Henry led them toward the military camp, explaining, "First of all, I don’t really have a battle plan. My plan is: the army gathers, the army marches, the army attacks Odoche. It’s that simple.

"As for your suggestion of rallying the nobles on the grasslands to form an Alliance Army of tens of thousands, that’s not a viable option.

"First, the emperor would not be pleased if another Alliance Army were formed.

"Second, if I rally other nobles, then Count John could form his own Alliance Army with other Counts to oppose me, and the emperor wouldn’t be able to stop it.

"Third, I once heard a saying: ’those who show up get a share.’ If I call on so many nobles, how am I supposed to divide the spoils after I win? Dinar? Armaments? Warhorses? I can’t just divide up the land, can I?"

Fass thought about it and agreed with the logic. With too many people, it would be easy for disputes to arise over the uneven distribution of loot, which could in turn ruin one’s reputation.

Boman, however, grumbled loudly from the side, not quite understanding. Was Henry planning to fight Count John with only his own army?

’How is that possible! No matter how good they are at fighting, his army can’t be larger than Count John’s, can it? The stories of his achievements in the Northern Lands have become more and more outrageous as they spread, losing all touch with reality, so nobody really took them seriously.

’Besides, other than their elusiveness and vast numbers, the Inferior Horned Beasts aren’t actually that fearsome. All that talk about being unafraid of death is just a pile of dogshit in the face of the empire’s military-industrial might. But Count John’s army is a different story...’

Henry wagged his finger and said, "Who said my army is small? My army isn’t small at all."

Boman and Fass exchanged a look, wondering what trick Henry had up his sleeve. A corner of Henry’s mouth lifted, but he didn’t explain, leaving the two of them itching with curiosity.

Henry suddenly remembered that these two goons had brought their armies, so he explained that his barracks were already full and they would have to make camp outside the city walls. The two didn’t mind, as they hadn’t planned on bringing their armies into the city anyway.

"How many men did you two bring in total?"

"I brought five thousand men: two thousand serfs, three hundred archers, fifteen hundred light and heavy infantry, eight hundred Grassland Warriors, and the rest are Auxiliary Soldiers for the baggage train."

Henry’s eyes widened. He stared at the boastful Boman and said, "You son of a gun, did you strike it rich?"

Fass quickly coughed twice, indicating that he had brought a similar number of troops as Boman, just with fewer serfs and a higher proportion of infantry and Cavalry.

Henry blinked. What was going on? A question now formed in Henry’s mind, the very same one other nobles had about him.

’Where did the money come from?’

’Did it just blow in with the wind?’