When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1189 Cold River Night Wind (Part 2)

The hussars' hooves thundered like rolling thunder, crashing against the frozen ground on the banks of the Fittcat River.

Kutuyov's wolf-skin cloak fluttered in the wind, and although he was thin, his saber was incredibly fast.

With a whooshing sound, he slashed vertically and horizontally, ducking and dodging, and actually cut down two extraordinary knights from the Norn servant army.

"Traitor!" Kutuyov roared, turning his hussars to the side. "You have utterly disgraced the Norn people!"

The hussars followed behind him, divided into more than a dozen small teams, and plunged into the ranks of the auxiliary troops.

They didn't charge head-on, but instead targeted the flanks and rear of the auxiliary troops, sometimes shooting arrows, sometimes charging, and then immediately retreating on horseback after each round of attacks.

If the auxiliary troops are well-organized, go around them; if they are in disarray, come back and finish them off.

With Pokkins out of contact, these Blood Servant nobles dared not act on their own and began to do as they pleased.

As for the lowest-ranking Norn knights and sergeants, they were already unwilling to accept their fate.

The impact caused many people to drop their spears and run back, tearing open several gaps in the previously orderly encirclement.

"Stop them! Maintain formation!" Pokkins' lieutenants flew low and fast, their shouts echoing throughout the air.

The Blood Knights obeyed and charged toward the floating bridge under the leadership of the vampire cavalry.

But as soon as they got started, they were entangled by several cavalry squads.

Standing by the pontoon bridge, watching the hussars weave through the enemy ranks like fish, Alexei's initial excitement turned to worry.

The lead bullet that hit Pokkins just now certainly gave everyone a shot in the arm.

But he knew in his heart that the cavalry wouldn't last long.

Although the hussars were all exceptional, they numbered only a little over a thousand, and most of them were lightly armored projectile cavalry.

This is just a surprise attack. It looks impressive, but in reality, it only throws the ragtag auxiliary troops into chaos. The main force in the middle hasn't moved at all.

"Boy!" The sound of rapid hooves came from the side, and Kutuyov's duffel horse rushed in front of Alexei.

The old man pulled on the reins, and the horse's forelegs rose high and then fell heavily, splashing up a cloud of snow.

His wolf-skin cloak was covered in blood, but his eyes shone with a frightening light: "How long will it take to cross the pontoon bridge?"

“Those children are crossing the bridge,” Alexei replied. “It might take one to two hours in total before we cross.”

The pontoon bridge is not wide, only wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side, and they have to cross in batches.

"That's enough." Kutuyov nodded, pointing his saber towards the pontoon bridge. "You lead the archers across first, and I'll have the hussars cover your rear."

"And you?" Alexei pressed.

Kutuyuv smiled, twirled his saber in his hand, then spurred his horse and charged back into the ranks.

As he watched the old man's figure disappear into the ranks of the hussars, Alexei gripped his musket tightly.

Groyev walked over and handed him a piece of dry rations: "Your Highness, have something to eat first. Once we cross the river, we'll soon be within the Holy Alliance's protection zone."

"Is there any movement from Lacunio's side?" Alexei didn't take the rations, his gaze fixed on the vampire formation in the distance.

Groyev followed his gaze and shook his head: "They haven't moved yet; they're probably just reorganizing their formation."

Indeed, the auxiliary army's formation was in complete disarray.

The cavalry's harassment was extremely precise; they could always find a gap in the enemy's formation and rush in, killing a few men before running away.

Large numbers of auxiliary soldiers, led by sergeants and knights, began to retreat.

Behind the lines, Lacunio's vision blurred and blurred as he lashed his riding whip with a crackling sound.

The reason why the auxiliary troops went out of control is quite simple: it was due to the obvious hierarchical system.

Vampires are the elite, followed by their blood servants, then the treacherous nobles, and at the bottom are ordinary humans. To vampires, humans are not even considered subjects, but at most livestock or food.

Although the order established by vampires is temporary, it is an order that vampires have experimented with in the royal court for thousands of years.

During his time in Norn, Overseer Shahruan's main task, besides overseeing the army, was to reform Norn society.

Replace the original King with a vampire, and the high noble with a blood servant.

Despite the loud protests from the common people and the lower and middle-class nobles, life for the upper-class nobles remained largely unchanged.

Even better, because vampires offer them the possibility of longevity and greater freedom.

After becoming blood servants, their status changed, and the nobles immediately sided with the royal court.

In this environment, the minimum requirement to enter the core decision-making level is vampire identity, even if it's just as a vampire servant.

Lacunio, a human who resolutely refused to become a vampire, was able to enter the highest decision-making level.

That breaks the rules!

Besides, everyone else has become a traitor and can only enter the vampire's holy mountain. Why should you be the only one who can retain your human identity?

Wouldn't that make the other human nobles who became blood servants look like clowns?
You've really caught my eye!

Therefore, under normal circumstances, in the presence of vampires, these nobles can actually demonstrate a higher level of military prowess than under normal circumstances.

The former Chosen of Norn was different; he couldn't control the Great Lords below him.

Because vampires do indeed wield great power over these nobles and armies; for high-ranking vampires, low-ranking blood servants are their subjects of life and death.

On the battlefield, as long as high-level vampires like Pokkins are around, Lacunio's command is always steady and reliable.

If the vampires like Pokkins weren't around, it would take a lot more effort to command these cowardly lords.

Just like now, even though the main force is still there and the enemy has not yet built up their defenses, they have to miss the opportunity to reorganize their troops.

If the fight continues in the current state, the main force of vampire infantry will most likely be hampered by these auxiliary troops.

At this moment, Lacunio wished he could just drink the vampire's poisonous blood in one gulp.

Whenever such moments come, he feels like he has a nightmare, just like the nightmare he had when facing the Holy Alliance in Thousand River Valley.

Ahead lies a formidable foe, seemingly descended from the heavens; behind him are teammates who seem possessed by slugs.

After joining the royal court, he assumed that with the court's efficiency and capabilities, he would surely be the former.

Why is it still the latter after all this?

"These useless bastards!" Lacunio cursed under his breath. "Keep tightening the defensive line. Blood Knights, don't charge the pontoon bridge. Letting some go is acceptable. Deal with these hussars first."

He knew who was commanding the hussars; he could smell the same scent he had when he fought this old friend in the Frontier Knights.

That kind of harassment tactic that's so precise it's down to the bone, that kind of unconventional fighting style.

No one but Kutuyov could do it.

"Old man, you're still alive?"

It must be said that Kutuyov was capable of leading the Norn cavalry to confront the Frontier Knights for more than a decade on the border.

Because of him, the original plan to capture Alexei alive with his hands tied went awry.

The Blood Knight was leaderless, and his minions fought independently. His nearly 20,000 troops were dragged along the riverbank by a thousand hussars and three thousand archers.

"Sir, should we send in the main force?" the adjutant asked cautiously.

“Wait a little longer.” Lacunio put down his binoculars. “With so many archers and hussars, they’ll all escape across the pontoon bridge in at least another hour and a half. We still have time.”

(End of this chapter)