Chapter 362 - 255: Are You Kidding Me
When a large breach was smashed into the city gate, the Senior Infantry poured through seamlessly. They streamed in one after another, instantly filling the passageway behind the gate.
They showed no signs of panic. Compared to the main gate, the inner gate was much more fragile.
The Senior Infantry set to work with hammers, mallets, axes, and even staves. All sorts of tools swung in their hands, producing powerful, clanging sounds.
In just over ten seconds, they broke through the inner gate. Wood splinters and stone fragments flew everywhere as the gate collapsed with a crash.
They saw the enemy, arrayed in formation but in truth, trembling with fear.
These enemies had originally thought the city gate was impregnable and could hold off the attack, but they never expected it to be breached so easily.
’Shouldn’t it have at least held out for a while longer?’ Their hands trembled, and a chill ran through their limbs.
The Senior Infantry showed no mercy. Such is the cruelty of war; only by eliminating the enemy before you do you earn the right to live and talk of anything else.
They quickly secured advantageous positions, preparing for the fight to come. Meanwhile, they had successfully opened the gate, and the soldiers behind them were frantically clearing away the rubble, paving the way for the incoming Cavalry.
John watched as the enemy, fresh and ready, appeared inside the city and began to form a shield wall. The world went dark before his eyes, and he nearly fainted.
He simply couldn’t believe the scene before him. It was completely beyond his expectations and comprehension.
John stared at his soldiers, who were cowering and afraid to advance, so furious he was speechless.
He pointed a trembling finger at them, his mouth agape, but his rage left him utterly unable to speak!
’What the hell are you guys doing?! Aren’t you soldiers? All the money and food I’ve given you for so long, was it all fed to the dogs?!’
’You’re supposed to be charging them, fighting them to the death, and driving them out of the gate’s passageway!’
John’s heart was filled with anxiety. He screamed at his soldiers and officers, his voice nearly tearing his throat apart.
These soldiers, who should have been his staunchest line of defense, now looked as if their souls had been scared out of their bodies. They just stood there dumbly in formation, seemingly stunned by this sudden turn of events.
In less than a minute, Henry’s army had broken in just like that!
John felt like the sky was falling. All his plans, all his hopes, had turned to dust with the shattering of the gate.
He had believed his meticulously arranged defenses were unbreakable. He had believed his well-trained, well-paid soldiers would fight bravely. But reality had so cruelly shattered his illusions.
So much for what he’d believed!
An officer swallowed hard and pretended not to hear. He was wondering, ’If I’m fast enough, can I just turn and run, toss my armor and weapons, and pass myself off as a beggar to get away?’
Time is a funny thing. When one is under extreme stress, it always seems to fly by.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the enemy forces at the gate suddenly scattered. John and the others felt the ground begin to tremble beneath their feet.
The tremor grew stronger, approaching from a distance, until the entire earth was shaking in fury. A storm was coming.
Suddenly, a series of alarms sounded from the city walls. The piercing blast of a horn echoed through the air, cutting through the din of the battlefield.
"The enemy Cavalry is charging! They’re heading for the gate!"
Hearing this cry, John’s eyes flew wide. It was as if his pupils could see right through the city walls, reflecting the image of the earth-shaking cavalry host.
The reserve troops below the walls, despite having superior numbers, didn’t dare to attack. The strongest forces were currently fighting for their lives on the ramparts.
If Henry’s Cavalry broke through, the army below would rout at the first touch, and the soldiers on the walls would be caught in a pincer attack and slaughtered at will.
Seeing this, John’s eyes darted. Without a second thought, he yanked his reins and turned to flee.
’Are you kidding me?!’
He cursed inwardly. ’Dying on a battlefield like this would just make me a laughingstock, a disgrace! It wouldn’t be a glorious death defending the family’s honor!’
He spurred his mount desperately, wanting only to escape this place of death, to flee this disaster as quickly as possible.
John’s heart was filled with regret and fear. He regretted making such a stupid mistake. ’Why didn’t I just leave with the children? Wouldn’t that have been better?’
He didn’t dare look back, focused only on spurring his horse into a wild gallop. It felt as if countless demons were chasing him, trying to drag him into an endless abyss!
When the soldiers saw their own noble lord fleeing, their morale instantly evaporated. They scattered and ran. The once-orderly formation collapsed in an instant as soldiers threw down their helmets and armor, concerned only with saving their own lives.
The enemy’s relentless harassment these past few days had already stretched their nerves to the breaking point, making their lives miserable. John’s flight was the final straw that made them snap.
’Run! Run for your lives!’
The Senior Infantry, who had moved to the sides to clear a path for the Cavalry, looked at each other in confusion, wondering what trick the enemy was playing.
They paused, warily observing their surroundings. ’A feigned retreat to lure us in? A feigned rout? A trap?’ All sorts of thoughts flashed through their minds.
"Damn it! As expected of the army of an old, established Count. Their tactics are formidable!" the captain of the Senior Infantry cursed under his breath, his expression turning grim.
He knew that the situation on the battlefield could change in an instant. The enemy’s move was likely hiding a much larger conspiracy. ’Truly unfathomable!’
The Senior Infantry captain quickly made a decision, ordering his men to remain vigilant and not to act rashly.
At the same time, he sent someone to inform Henry and report this sudden development.
Henry, who had just finished dismantling the entire gate to make it easier for the Cavalry to enter, instantly lost all interest upon hearing the report.
He had thought he would be able to display his prowess in the city and enjoy a fierce battle, but he never expected the enemy to be so fragile and scatter at the first sign of trouble.
Henry called over a soldier and ordered him to run back and command a full-scale assault, a flash of disdain in his eyes.
This wasn’t some grand tactic like the Senior Infantry captain suspected. The enemy was simply retreating, running for their lives!
’When else would be a better time to kick them while they’re down?’ Henry thought. ’Since the enemy has already lost the will to resist, let’s turn their rout into a complete and utter defeat.’
He waved his hand, signaling the soldier to relay the order quickly, then strode toward the city gate himself.
A dozen or so seconds after Henry strolled into the city, a thundering, black mass of Cavalry surged madly into Odoche, kicking up clouds of dust.
Like a whirlwind, they swept through the streets, kicking up dust several meters high.
One by one, the Cavalry brandished their scimitars, roaring and screaming as they charged into Odoche. The deafening thunder of hooves and war cries threatened to shatter the entire city.
Many civilians, hiding in their homes, were stunned dumb by the sounds from outside.
’Weren’t we told Count Henry of Westwood Laine was attacking? How did a horde of Bandits get in?!’
A full three minutes passed, and the charging column of Cavalry still hadn’t fully entered the city! Their sheer numbers were terrifying.
A cavalry force of this scale was something one would typically only see on the steppes.
In the streets, the few remaining defending soldiers who had been hesitating, attempting to resist, broke instantly upon seeing the tide of cavalry. They dropped their weapons and fled in all directions.
’We get paid a dozen silver a month. Why would we risk our lives for that?’
The residents who had been rounded up to transport supplies along the streets were also scared out of their wits by the sudden chaos. They hid behind doors and windows, trembling, not daring to make a sound.
Some of the more timid residents could only pray to the heavens, hoping this disaster would pass quickly, silently praying that they and their families would survive the catastrophe.
At the city gate, Henry watched the chaotic scene, knowing the city of Odoche was now his for the taking.
He knew it wouldn’t be difficult, but he hadn’t expected it to be this easy. How to describe it? It was like winding up for a powerful punch, only to hit a ball of cotton.
As more and more Cavalry poured in, any unorganized pockets of resistance within the city were immediately crushed.
The defending soldiers who were still resisting on the city walls also began to waver when they saw the chaos inside.
Their morale plummeted. Many began to desert their posts, looking for a chance to escape.