When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#561 - The Battle of Rapunzel Village (Part 2)

“Praise the Holy Wind!”

The leading Temple Knight was the first to be hit.

He had been standing in his stirrups, calling out the names of his comrades.

Then came a deafening roar, and the Temple Knight's breastplate suddenly burst open, sending blood spurting out as if there were no tomorrow.

As if struck by an invisible giant hammer, the knight roared as the shattered armor fragments flew from his chest, and he plunged headfirst from his horse.

People didn't even see how he died, only that the peacock feather on his helmet fluttered and flew into the sky.

Like a wild duck blasted into mincemeat by a lead bullet.

“Dismount, take cover!”

The remaining Edict Knights, several versions behind Ayrad in terms of battlefield awareness, finally recalled the horrors of the past.

They either lay prone on their horses or scrambled clumsily from their backs.

Compared to Ayrad's terrifyingly sharp senses, their reactions were simply too slow.

Hundreds of clockwork rifles erupted in a chorus of screaming roars at the precise command.

Clusters of lead bullets flew, and the crowded knights had nowhere to hide.

Amidst the cries of pain and the neighing of warhorses, a series of blood mists and spurts of blood erupted, demarcated by the edge of the street and the eaves of the houses.

Like popping beans, knights riding on horseback fell one after another.

Warhorses spun around in terror, trampling the fallen priests and knights, turning fragments of internal organs and flesh into a pool of bright red mud.

However, clockwork rifles were not machine guns after all. After a volley, they entered a brief three-stage reloading period.

While all the knights were still unable to extricate themselves from the horror and bloodshed, Ayrad, as if he could turn back time, hooked his ankle on the upper part of the saddle and slid from the ground back onto the horse in a flash.

Without a word, he hugged the horse's neck, poured the potion into its mouth, and in the blink of an eye, he had run more than ten meters away.

“Quick, while they're winding up, let's rush out!”

“It's too crowded, don't fight here.”

Only then did the Edict Knights suddenly realize what was happening and hurriedly mounted their horses, chasing after Ayrad's solitary figure as he sped away, trying to escape this death zone.

The knights lay prostrate on their horses, carrying their kite shields for self-comfort, vying with each other as they galloped wildly through the crowded street.

Warhorses and swords rubbed and collided against each other, manes stuck together with blood and sweat, and they often slipped and fell to the ground because of the blood.

Most suffocating of all were the lead bullets chasing them like locusts, and the volleys fired from both sides from time to time, knocking their comrades off their horses.

Amidst the shockwaves and flying lead bullets, the knights had never felt that the hundred or so meters of this rural street were so long.

However, it wasn't completely hopeless. After Ayrad took the lead in rushing out of the street, the remaining hundred or so Temple Knights also rushed out.

The Edict Knights following behind the Temple Knights even had hopeful smiles on their faces, but before they could laugh, a wave of scorching wind hit them.

At least ten fireballs rose from behind the houses and smashed in front of the Temple Knights.

Behind the wall of fire, the musketeers who had hidden several miles away to avoid alarming the enemy finally arrived.

“Close in towards the center, shoulder to shoulder!”

“Hoo!”

In a chorus of stomping feet, first the first row, then the second and third rows, spears were lowered like stepped waves, aiming at the Edict Knights behind the wall of fire.

The bright and sharp spears blocked the country street like a hedgehog's wall.

In the gaps between the houses on both sides of the street, the knights could see black-clad soldiers running wildly with long muskets.

The dark muzzles of the muskets stretched out again, aiming at the remaining eighty or so Edict Knights, fifty or so Banner Knights, and thirty or so Squire Knights.

And in the visible distance behind them, there were two legions striding quickly to catch up.

After all, the village was only so big. It was good enough to accommodate 400 Holy Gunners in the village without raising suspicion, not to mention the Holy Sun Army disguised as ragged villagers.

Even the spearmen of these two legions had to be ambushed in the farmland outside the village. Fortunately, the farmland was overgrown with weeds, which prevented Ayrad from discovering them.

Laurent didn't expect to wipe out all the knights with one ambush, destroying their organization. In the end, it would still come down to close combat with the spearmen.

But with the nearly two hundred knights in front of him, either half-dead or crippled, and low in morale, and the thousands of comrades behind him, the outcome of this battle was already decided. It was just a matter of how much spoils they could get.

“First row, kneel! Second and third rows, stand firm! The devil's dogs are about to charge!”

Laurent shouted loudly, holding a spear and standing in the third row.

He came from the Holy Gunners, but that didn't stop him from standing among the spearmen to boost morale.

Soon, a tragic melee and continuous gunfire enveloped this narrow area.

When six hundred spearmen blocked more than a hundred knights and waited for the support of two legions, this battle had already entered garbage time.

Or rather, after the knights' organization was broken up, it basically entered garbage time.

Andre arrived on his nag, bumping along, when the battle of Black Lettuce Village had already been decided.

The last sixty or so Edict Knights chose to surrender, were strangled, and knelt in a row in the mud.

And the donkey cart was carrying more than ninety prisoners of war who were lightly injured or unconscious.

As for the remaining two hundred and forty knights, including fifty-four Edict Knights, they either became rotten corpses or turned into charred remains.

“Of course, not all of them escaped.” Standing under the tattered Edict Knight banner, Laurent pulled out the banner and threw it onto the loot wagon. “More than ten Edict Knights escaped. They were too fast, and we couldn't catch up.”

“What about the commander, the one called Ayrad?”

“He ran away with the Temple Knights. Earl Nathaniel's knights are chasing after him.” Laurent snorted disdainfully. “They're nowhere to be seen when the fighting starts, but they pop up after it's over. That's the nobility for you.”

“What about the thousands of guards and sergeants?”

“They were first bombarded by clockwork bombs, then hit by a volley, and then collapsed when the two legions flanked them from the left and right.”

“Congratulations on achieving a great victory. You'll be able to give a good report to Your Highness.” Andre clapped his hands with a smile.

Although Andre's applause was congratulatory, Laurent felt that the applause was a bit grating.

After all, the Holy Sun Army of Valentine Taylor and Andre played the biggest role in this ambush.

Without them, let alone an ambush, in the absence of cavalry, even knowing the enemy's movements would be a problem, and they could only passively defend.

“I won't take your credit. I will truthfully report how much you did and how much I did.” Laurent glared, making Andre not know what to say.

This battle, at the cost of 40 clockwork bombs, 29 deaths, and 322 minor injuries, took down the Edict Knight company left behind by Prince Condé.

Although half of Ayrad's Edict Knight company was pieced together temporarily, and its combat power was not as good as a full-strength Edict Knight company.

But being able to achieve such results with 2,300 people is definitely a great victory.

After this battle, Prince Condé only had 4 Edict Knight companies that he could mobilize.

12 Salvation Army legions and nearly a thousand cavalry against 4 Edict Knight companies and 3 elite mercenary regiments, at least the gap was smaller by one Edict Knight company.

The Edict Knight company commanded by Ayrad and the Edict Knight company commanded by Prince Condé are two different things.

If attacking Hotham County was an exam paper, then Laurent and Andre got full marks on the first major question.

Looking at the dispirited Edict Knights, Andre, who was usually calm, couldn't help but sigh:

“Do you think Prince Condé anticipated that the Edict Knight company he left behind would be defeated so quickly?”