Knight and Wand

Chapter 125: Wolf Leader Attacks
The black and silver Neti cards flew between the fingers of his left hand, turning over and over as if they were being skillfully cut by a magician.

Leon unconsciously played with the magic cards in his hand as if to relieve stress, his eyes fixed on the terrain and fortification plan he had drawn on the table.

Repeatedly deducing different tactics in his mind and how to mobilize the strength in his hands, he kept pushing the simple wooden blocks that symbolized the soldiers under his command.

The four squares represent three local conscripted infantrymen and the elite "Duwana Halberdiers".

The wooden stick placed at the position of the wooden tower in the picture represents the only archer team.

The triangle represents the heavy cavalry team led by "Sir Redo" himself, consisting of three knight squires including Olivia, Lohak, Azerien, and Filippo, and four Pleyton cavalrymen, a total of eleven people.

Although Uncle Brian is still strong and has qualified riding and horseback combat skills, as a real tactical commander who dispatches four infantry units, Leon cannot arrange him in the cavalry team.

The same goes for himself. He and Corvis will decide whether to join the cavalry depending on the battle situation.

Not only was it a matter of considering the flag that symbolized their existence, but if they moved freely with the cavalry and disappeared from the sight of the infantry line, it would seriously affect the morale of the conscripts. More importantly,
Leon stopped cutting with his left hand and held these two literal "trump cards".

If used properly, his combo with Corvis' Neti cards would be enough to allow his guards to exert considerable power and act as a reserve force to put out fires on the battlefield.

Thinking about putting out the fire, Leon pinched his brows regretfully. He had already asked the local farmers about the climate, and this time of year was far from being a rainy season here.

If there were a few more heavy rains this month, Longka's wooden walls would be completely wet, turning the land outside the stronghold into mud that was difficult to walk on. That would be extremely beneficial to Longka's defense.

Of course, although there is no rain, the wind direction is right at the moment. As long as the enemy does not take a long way around the pass and attack from the east, the spring breeze blowing in this area is actually one of Longka's defense means facing east.

Leon leaned back in his chair, thinking about how to deal with the enemy if they really took the risk of choosing the "worst strategy" and bypassed the pass to attack Longka from the east. How long would it take to notify the reinforcements in the north and east to encircle the enemy?
Since appointing him as centurion, he and his companions have learned a lot from this old knight who has lived in seclusion in Selva for many years.

The guarantee of food and water, the marching methods of different soldiers, the choice of battlefield and camp, the advantages and disadvantages of terrain, how to arrange fortifications, how to set up sentries, how to pass military orders, weather and wind direction.
Of all the things I have learned and known, it is precisely the preparation and construction content outside of these battles that far outweighs the actual combat content.

Unlike the exhilarating massacre in games, the outcome of a real battle, which takes a few hours to a day, is often decided days or even months before the battle.

Leon admits that he is not a military genius, nor is he a Zhuge Liang who can plan everything, and he has never been a soldier in his previous life.

The experience most closely related to warfare, apart from the hobbies of horse riding and archery with cold weapons, is to use the mouse to move the soldiers and formations in the game in front of the computer screen. However, the theoretical knowledge gained from playing games is obviously not enough to actually command a battle.

This is also the reason why he delegated command to professional officers like Old Brian.

But it doesn't mean that as the master, you will do nothing.

How to make the best use of the resources at hand, constantly add favorable chips and battlefield conditions for one's side, take into account all possible accidents as much as possible, and make plans for various accidents. This is the basic means for him as an ordinary person to try to win.

Even though the battle might not necessarily take place in Longka, the weakest stronghold in the western part of the Barony, Leon did not dare to expect the enemy to make stupid mistakes. He could only rack his brains to make fewer mistakes in his preparations.
Hearing the familiar footsteps coming down the stairs behind him, Leon's eyebrows couldn't help but relax.

The feeling of pleasure and wonderful memories instantly dispelled the mental stress.

He turned back from his high-backed chair.

Olivia walked down the stairs with slightly wet hair, as if she had just finished washing.

The cheeks, which were still wet with water, looked rosy and charming.

The girl just pursed her lips, her cheeks puffed up cutely, as if she was still secretly angry because she was caught off guard and choked last night.

"You got up very late today and didn't get up early to practice swordplay. It's not like you to suddenly give up swordplay." Leon was concerned in a serious manner, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up towards his lover, revealing his true intention of teasing.

When Olivia heard the other party's greeting, she glared at Leon, who was still doing mischief, with her beautiful green eyes.

What sword training? This guy!
Also "Swordsmanship"! ?

It's all his fault
Now, whenever I pick up the sword, I start to have wild thoughts about the suddenly unfamiliar shape of the hilt.

Olivia unconsciously touched the sword hanging at her waist, only to find that the hilt suddenly became extremely hot.

This ordinary appearance made the girl, who had been enjoying the "sword practice" last night, feel ashamed and embarrassed.

"My Lord, lunch is here." Corvis knocked on the door outside.

"Oh, bring it in."

Leon responded, then stood up, took Olivia’s hand, and sat at the table: “Don’t be angry, let’s have lunch together, it’s just in time for you to wake up, if it’s not enough, I’ll ask someone to get it.”

The girl closed her eyes and turned her pretty face away, as if she was still sitting down angrily, but her tightly clasped hands on the other person revealed the intimacy hidden under this little shyness.

Corvis walked into the big house carrying a basket and a plate, put the food down without knowing why, and looked curiously at the girl who was pretending to be angry, and Leon who had a flattering expression on his face.

It's rare for a couple who are always so affectionate to have a conflict.

"I'm going to feed the griffin, my lord."

"Well, you should eat early too." Leon reminded.

Corvis nodded and walked up the stairs carrying a small basket of raw meat.

Olivia, who was still a little sulky, smelled the aroma of lunch on the table.

She swallowed secretly because she was hungry. A strong appetite came over her. The girl had no choice but to forgive Leon for his naughty and rude behavior last night.

The world is big, but eating is the biggest!

Turning back, Olivia picked up the cutlery without saying a word, and prepared to eat.

Leon, who was standing by, saw a thick sausage that had not been sliced ​​yet on the plate and became playful.

He picked up the sausage with a fork with evil intentions and handed it to Olivia in a very shameless manner.

"Try this, it's a specialty from Pleyton's stock, it's delicious, I can't eat without it for every meal." Leon recommended it deliberately with a mean and wicked smile.

! ! ?

I saw that somewhat "familiar" look reaching to my mouth.

Olivia's brows were instantly twisted into the shape of the Chinese character "川".

There was a cracking sound in her palm! The girl was so angry that she almost broke the wooden handle of the knife in her hand.

"Bad guy! A rude and rude villain!" The girl turned around and approached him, raising her hands with an angry look and grabbing Leon's cheeks on the left and right. She pinched and pulled her lover's face into a funny frog shape, rubbing it up and down: "You teased me outside in broad daylight. Do you intend to make me unable to eat sausages in the future? Damn it~!"

Originally normal words seemed to be given evil meanings. Olivia couldn't help but blush when she even read the word.

".Hahaha, I was wrong. I was wrong. Ouch, it hurts, a little bit. Never mind, if you don't want to eat it, I will. Please spare my life, hahaha." Leon was slurring his words due to being rubbed. He laughed and apologized for his bad food joke.

Olivia snorted lightly, loosened her hands, and stopped her little punishment on the evil-minded guy.

But looking at the sausage that was indeed fragrant, the girl's heart moved, she picked it up instead, but her beautiful eyes stared at Leon fiercely: "If you bully me outside again, I will..."

"?" Rubbing his sore cheek, Leon blinked, not understanding what was going on.

Then he saw Olivia open her lips towards him, showing her cute little fangs, and suddenly bit the smoked sausage.

Crunch——!!

The girl had a ferocious expression on her face and she bit off a piece of the front end of the sausage with her teeth.

Then he puffed up his cheeks and started cutting and chewing the food very hard in his mouth.

I have to say, this threat was very effective. Leon shrank his neck and felt a chill all over his body.

He smiled awkwardly, clasped his hands together, and was about to apologize to his lovely lover for his complacency just now.
".Sir!! Sir! The scouts reported! A large army from the west is marching towards Longka!! They are carrying the wolf flag of the Gunnar family, and there are nearly a thousand of them! There are so many knights, our people dare not get close!!"

The soldiers outside the door knocked on it and shouted loudly.

The playful look on Leon and Olivia’s faces instantly disappeared.

An army of a thousand men???
How can this be?

The main forces of the Wolf Clan are all on the Mamor front. Where did they get such a large-scale army? !

Hearing that the invading force was four times larger than his own, Leon lost his mood to eat. He stood up, grabbed the sword beside him, and called to the servant upstairs in a solemn voice: "Corvis! Come down and put on my armor!"

As the scouts who escaped from the wild passed on the intelligence to the Longka camp, a loud and deep war horn was immediately blown inside the wooden wall, and the messengers who were contacting reinforcements also rode their horses to the rear.

The huge army marched eastward along the dirt road.

The rows of flags with the running wolf emblem fluttered in the wind, exuding murderous aura.

The sound of hurried horse hooves passed through the team, and the noble knights wearing strong armor led a large group of Wolf cavalrymen onto the hills in the wilderness.

Kanis stopped his restless warhorse and looked with a wolf-like and fierce gaze at the small pass between the woods and the river in the distance, where the road was separated by a wooden wall.

The older knight beside the young master of the Wolf family tried his best to look at the wooden outer wall that blocked his view, the arrow tower on the high slope behind it, and the vague outline of the wooden wall camp at the end of his field of vision.

"Lord Canis, just as the spies reported, there is also a complete fortress here, and the Farolis people have made preparations in advance." The older knight advised Canis in a measured tone.

"You haven't said enough? There are only one or two simple 'fences'. If I don't attack here, am I going to use my teeth to knock against the high walls of Fort Wachter?
Sir Henkel, have you been resting for too long in Wolfenhall for so many years that you have lost the cunning and courage of the wolf pack?" Canis turned around and asked unceremoniously.

Knight Heinkel frowned upon hearing this.

"Sir, I just suggest that we should not launch an attack so hastily. The enemy's fortifications seem to be designed with great experience. If we attack rashly, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses. We should let the craftsmen build battering rams and shield carts and advance slowly."

"What a joke! This is a small village with only a hundred people. I have several times more soldiers than them. Am I going to drag it out like a siege?"

Canis sneered and shook his head: "Knight Heinkel, don't think of me as the wolf cub I was in the past. I have killed more Kantardars and captured more enemy camps than you."

Young Wolf Master stopped talking and sighed, then raised his hand and pointed at the surroundings: "Wacht Castle is only half a day's journey away from here, and Faroris is half a day longer. If we don't quickly attack the Thorn Flower Territory through this weak point and wait for the enemy army to come to support us, this place is backed by mountains to the north and the Nightmare Forest to the south, just like a gate. If we delay for too long, we will miss the opportunity and how can we break in?

The purpose of this trip is to take revenge on those despicable weeds, looting, burning and killing, not to capture cities. For a small village like this, it doesn't matter if a few more people die by letting those refugees and miscellaneous soldiers pile up on it. We can then quickly rush over and attack it.

Using this as a fulcrum, we can turn all the nearby villages and towns into scorched earth, and we can retreat calmly from here. If we stop now and fight slowly as you said, and wait for the enemy reinforcements to arrive, and we are stuck here and confronting the enemy, are we going to return home in disgrace?"

After saying that, Canis held his sword and looked at the small camp in the distance with contempt. Even with the same number of troops, he had conquered countless villages like this in Mamor County.

As for the troops he leads now, although more than half of the 700 men in the army are a mob recruited temporarily, a mob has its own uses, at least it is not painful to see them die.

Now that they have taken over Leidingburg, there is no shortage of hundreds of men under the Wolf Lord's rule.

And if they could provoke an extreme reaction from the Thorn Flower family, and then encourage His Majesty and the royal party to arbitrate and seize Elifer's territory, this number of lives would be insignificant.

"Knight Yom, take your team and go along the woodland to scout the forest south of Longka. I don't want any unexpected ambushes to appear after the battle begins." Canis turned back and ordered.

"Yes! Sir."

"Askofo, lead your squad and archers to hold the fort, and have the four militia squads in the front row use incendiary cans to burn that ridiculous wooden wall for me.
Rosen's squad, wait for the militia to break through the low wall and attract the enemy's attention, then you will follow orders to flank and attack from the left wing."

After issuing orders skillfully, Canis turned around to look at the old knight with a somewhat lonely expression. He didn't want to hurt this loyal but elderly family vassal too much, so he softened his tone.

"Since you want to play it safe, Mr. Heinkel, I order you to take the two reserve teams and cross the river from the shallows we just came from, along the opposite bank on the north side, bypass the wooden wall, and when the battle starts, build a pontoon bridge across the river as soon as possible to reach the battlefield and attack the enemy's flank and rear."

Heinkel's old face seemed to want to say something but he stopped talking, but he still closed his mouth, held his chest and listened to the order.

Indeed, the young master has grown up. Judging from his record in Kantadar, an old wolf like me who has been stationed in Wolfenhall for many years should no longer regard him as the reckless child he used to be.

Kanis led the Wolf cavalry with their battle flags flying behind them, ran down the hill, and continued to advance rapidly with the infantry.

He would not simply sit in the center. It would be fine if the thorns and weeds in the camp huddled behind the high walls of the inner camp.

But if anyone dared to step into the battlefield between the two walls, Canis swore that he would avenge Sir Gabe with his own hands.

Following the family's knight team, Heinkel slowly let his horse fall behind the team, and then approached the northern warlock sitting on the horse.

"Master Mette, can't you at least use your eagle eyes to take a look at the battlefield?" Heinkel lowered his posture and asked the warlock.

"No, according to the anti-witchcraft decree, the will of His Majesty the King is supreme. The northern warlocks can only observe and witness the internal disputes of Lord Orland." Mette, holding the spear-blade magic wand, did not give in at all. He shook his head.

This is the treaty signed between the Northern Association and His Majesty the King so that they can continue to exist after the Orland Civil War. This "tacit understanding" must not be broken.

At least, for now.
(End of this chapter)