Knight: Becoming King of the World

Henry considered it for a moment, but said nothing. Philip’s current abilities made him a Cavalry Captain at best. He was lacking in too many areas; as a former Mercenary, he could fight, but he couldn’t lead.

To put it bluntly, even the officers from Henry’s Overlord Training had better command over their soldiers than Philip.

"Forget it. Bain and Leon will be enough. I’ll have more and more enemies in the future. I can’t be expected to personally lead the troops in every battle, can I?"

Commanding the army Henry had entrusted to them, Bain and Leon crossed plains, valleys, and rivers. After a six-day march, they finally arrived at Mace’s fief.

When Henry didn’t invite him to the New Year’s celebration this time, Mace sensed that something was wrong.

Last year, Henry had invited him, but he didn’t attend because he had to return to Odoche to spend the holiday with his family.

This year, he had deliberately not gone home, waiting for Henry’s invitation. But even as the New Year’s festival arrived, no invitation letter from Henry came.

He realized that he might have lost Henry’s favor and could have even become Henry’s enemy.

He immediately requested military equipment and more serfs from his father, Count John, and began training and organizing his army, building thicker fences, digging trenches, and so on.

He knew his own situation best; the men under his command were no match for Henry’s army. Still, he hoped to buy some time by strengthening his defenses.

Unfortunately, the winter ground was too hard, and manpower was limited, so progress was slow.

When Bain and Leon arrived with the army, Mace’s heart sank as he saw Henry’s noble banner.

All resistance was futile, but he was still unwilling to give up.

He was the second son of the Hoyland Clan and had no right to inherit a fief. Having obtained the status of a Pioneer Noble and the chance to become an Independent Noble, he found it impossible to give up.

Fully armed and mounted on his warhorse, Mace watched the army draw near in the distance, knowing he had no path of retreat.

He had gathered everyone in his territory, including farmers, carpenters, serfs, and even women and children.

He had distributed every available weapon and thrown open his granaries, hoping to inspire his people to fight and defend their land.

Mace sighed helplessly as he saw many serfs armed with hoes, sickles, or even just wooden sticks.

’Damned Henry,’ he thought. ’How is he so rich? Does his armor and weaponry just sprout from the fields like crops?’

This hastily armed rabble stood no chance against Henry’s regular army.

Under Bain and Leon’s command, the army was ready to attack.

They saw Mace’s army; though large in number, it was poorly equipped and inadequately trained.

Bain and Leon exchanged a look, each seeing the confidence of certain victory in the other’s eyes.

With no castle and no sizable cavalry, this was like a grassland strongman about to thrash a street punk.

Bain said to Leon, "Leon, you take the archers and Grassland Warriors to attack the right flank. I’ll lead the New Recruit Team to break through the front. We can’t give them a single moment to breathe."

Leon nodded. He openly led the archers and Grassland Warriors around to the flank of Mace’s army, preparing to attack.

Bain gazed at Mace’s army and thought, ’These hastily armed civilians have almost no chance of victory against Henry’s regular army.’

’If I can persuade them to surrender, we can avoid unnecessary casualties.’

’Once the fighting starts, no matter how weak the enemy, there will be casualties unless they rout immediately.’

He turned to Leon, who was preparing to attack, and said, "Leon, maybe we should give Mace a chance to surrender. It would also reduce casualties among our own soldiers."

Leon, however, rejected Bain’s proposal, a certain eagerness in his eyes. "Bain, we don’t need to ask for their surrender. Mace has no way out. He won’t surrender."

Bain was no longer a child; he understood Leon’s meaning in an instant.

Leon needed the military merit, even if this particular achievement wasn’t much to brag about within Henry’s army. For Leon, it was a chance to prove his own worth and a means to build his reputation and status.

Bain and his troops faced off against Mace across a chest-high wooden fence for a moment. He observed Mace’s army closely and saw no sign that Mace was about to soften his stance or beg for mercy.

Mace’s face was filled with determination and resolve, and his eyes showed a do-or-die courage.

Bain sighed. This battle was now unavoidable.

No one thought Mace was being foolish. If the ’wisdom’ of surrendering to save one’s own skin was all that mattered in Caladia, then the world would be full of ’wise’ men.

Bain said to Leon, "Alright, Leon. Proceed as planned. Try to minimize casualties."

Leon nodded, his eyes glinting with excitement. He raised his blade high and shouted, "Archers, ready! Grassland Warriors, charge with me!"

Mace’s army seemed, perhaps, to be ready to meet the charge, and the battle erupted in an instant.

Unfortunately, personal Bravery alone cannot change the tide of battle—unless that person is Henry in his black helmet and armor.

No matter how high the fighting spirit of Mace and his Personal Guard, no miracle occurred.

Henry’s army was well-trained, well-equipped, and fought fearlessly. They quickly broke through Mace’s defensive line. Although Mace’s army resisted bravely, their strength was insignificant in the face of Henry’s forces.

Mace led from the front, brandishing his sword and felling one enemy after another.

But he could also see clearly that his army was being annihilated, and his territory was being overrun.

’How is their damned armor so thick! Are these few hundred men all Henry’s elites?!’

Mace gritted his teeth, feeling the shock travel up his arm from his knightly sword and the force of the relentless blows against his Zheng Shield. ’Son of a bitch,’ he thought, ’this is a one-sided slaughter!’

Bain led the New Recruit Team in a fierce frontal assault.

Their charge was like a flood, shattering the motley force Mace had cobbled together. Mace’s army immediately buckled.

The serfs were the first to surrender. ’We’re just going to be farming and doing hard labor no matter who’s in charge. Why the hell should we fight a battle we’re doomed to lose?!’

The second wave to surrender was the Militia and the farmers. Their thinking wasn’t much different from the serfs’. ’It’s all just farming, and we can farm anywhere.’

Besides, Henry had a good reputation among his people. Everyone had heard, to some degree, from Travelers, adventurers, and Minstrels about how blissful life was in Henry’s fief.

The battle lasted less than half an hour before Mace’s entire army had surrendered.

Mace himself was seriously wounded in the fighting and captured by Leon.

Leon hadn’t disobeyed Henry’s order to spare Mace’s life; he hadn’t left Mace missing any limbs, but he had ensured Mace would be bedridden for over half a year.

Looking at the captured Mace, Bain couldn’t help but feel a wave of complex emotions.

The year before last, he and Mace had fought together in the Half-Beastman War, side-by-side in the Battle of Tianyin. Now they were enemies, and one of them was a prisoner.

Bain then recalled the map on Henry’s desk. Many of the nobles marked on it were people who had fought alongside them in the Battle of Zhiluo and the Battle of Tianyin.

’Is this what it means to be a noble?’ he thought. ’One moment you’re good friends, sharing drinks and fighting side-by-side; the next, you’re at each other’s throats with swords drawn.’

"I recognize you..." Mace said with great effort, his eyes open and fixed on Bain.

Mace’s lips were pale, and his forearm, apparently wounded, was seeping blood.

Bain pressed his lips together and said, "You have been stripped of your title as a Pioneer Noble. This land now belongs to Baron Henry Bro. Our Lord has spared your life this time. Don’t let me see you on the battlefield again."

"Ha, haha, hahaha..." Mace laughed weakly.

Bain frowned, crouched down, and gave Mace a hard slap across the face.

"What’s so funny? If you don’t want to live, I can kill you right now."