After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

With their feet treading on viscous blood, the soldiers forming the tortoise shell formation disintegrated after entering the breach. They then reorganized their equipment, drew their swords, and launched a fierce charge directly at the front.

The battlefield roared in fury, waves of steel clashed and crashed together, and spears shattered one after another in the cold glint of blades.

The difference in combat strength between the two sides was immediately apparent. Several waves of attacks, like continuously falling heavy hammers, shattered the Southern Army's battle formation.

If we consider regiments as units, the Second Regiment is perhaps the strongest fighting force in the Northern Territory.

Because they had never lost a battle since their formation, their morale was high as a raging fire, and they had always targeted the wealthy south for plunder.

With their pockets bulging, the soldiers naturally didn't skimp on food. Coupled with the height advantage of the northern leaders, their well-fed and robust physiques quickly made them a nightmare for the southern soldiers on the battlefield.

With the soldiers of the Second Regiment performing so well, Luna's personal guards were not to be outdone. With their superior individual combat skills, they quickly charged up the city wall through the passage opened by the Second Regiment.

The adjutant and the female soldier worked together to repel the soldiers on the city wall. After gaining a foothold, the moment she spotted the mage, the female soldier stepped on the adjutant's outstretched arms, nimbly leaped through the air, and landed with a powerful elbow strike that slammed into the mage's frantically waving staff.

The staff shattered with a crack, and the mage, struck in the chest by an elbow, flew several meters backward, gushing blood, and landed lifeless.

More and more guards climbed the city walls from different positions, and with their personal bravery, they started a great chaotic battle.

The darkness and sandstorm blurred the vision. Swords clashed amidst angry shouts, sparks flew and blood flowed, and corpses were trampled and worn away.

Without the interference of the enemy troops on the city wall, the soldiers of the second regiment swarmed in, completely crushing the Southern Army's hopes of victory. By the time they realized what was happening, the Northern Army had already trapped them layer by layer.

The arrows raining down from the city walls were no longer from the Southern Territory; instead, the howling northern winds were reaping lives. Facing the dense rain of arrows, the Southern army retreated repeatedly before mustering the courage to launch another mass charge, only to be met with a counter-charge from Federico's heavily armored troops.

Federico pulled the hammer out of his skull, brains splattering everywhere. He pounded his breastplate, roared, and charged forward, intimidating the Southern army so much that they dared not take another step.

With the battle decided, the bombardment spell bloomed in the center of the remaining enemy soldiers. In the bursting light, countless blood and limbs gushed out, spraying Federico's face.

Federico remained silent, wiping the sticky blood and flesh from his face, and looked speechlessly at the magician who had fallen from the sky.

"What are you looking at me for?" Lisa planted her staff in the ground, jumped up, and flicked the broken arrow off Federico's shoulder.

"You're not happy about helping me? Go heal your wounds, and remember to protect me next time!"

The staff lit up, and a magic circle appeared on the ground, forming an ever-expanding protective shield that pushed the sand and dust out.

Once her vision returned to normal, Lisa left her staff behind, quickly located Luna's position, and jogged over.

Upon arriving, Division Commander Kate methodically arranged for men to clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, and send out scouts to guard against enemy reinforcements. After completing these tasks, he roughly estimated the casualty rate of the soldiers, breathed a sigh of relief, and went to Miss Luna's side.

The two men stared silently at the enemy corpses on the ground, their expressions grim.

This time, the enemy truly fought to the last man.

While they may have some formidable elite units, their overall combat strength is undeniably... average.

If you say they have the courage to defend their country, wouldn't it be better to call for reinforcements in time to protect their homeland than to fight to the death?

Given the strategic importance of the location, Kate didn't believe there wasn't at least 20,000 to 30,000 troops stationed behind it. Even Luna remained highly vigilant throughout, which is why she didn't directly participate in the battle.

But so far, there hasn't been a single sign of enemy reinforcements.

"It's probably the same situation as Starfall City," Lisa poked her head out and said, "Father said that even if Starfall City falls, we must fight to the very last moment."

“It’s different, Miss Lisa.” Kate shook her head and thought calmly, “After the Duke took the throne, he first led a personal expedition and then transferred five thousand veterans and three thousand elite archers to Starfall City, so you may not have noticed.”

"Generally speaking, lords worry that the commanders guarding the passes will become too powerful, so they often choose to prepare a force behind the pass as a precaution. If the pass falls, the commanders of both forces will bear equal responsibility."

In Kate's plan, after they occupied the key military town, they would immediately be attacked by enemy reinforcements. He could then take the opportunity to move his troops eastward, avoiding the heavily defended areas in the south.

But there's no sign of reinforcements from the Southern Territory, so even if he has to bite the bullet, he has to go to the valley region.

"Let's rest for the night. Just to be on the safe side, I'll send my personal guards out to scout ahead tomorrow. The Second Regiment will remain stationary for now, ready to provide support at any time."

Luna had no choice but to give this order. If there really was a large army from the Southern Territory waiting for them in the valley, they could simply retreat.

Anyway, it's Frank who's lost face, and his reputation is beyond saving.

"The young lady's arrangements are very appropriate." Kate nodded. "However, I would like to add one point: it would be best to delay reporting the news of our capture of the military stronghold by a day, so that the Central Guard might turn around and come to our side instead."

……

The next day at dawn, the scouts returned. They had advanced twenty miles along the valley the previous night, but still hadn't found any trace of the enemy.

After a long silence, Kate and Luna decided to send their personal guard, composed of elite cavalry, to scout ahead.

After crossing the mountains and arriving in the valley, the soldiers finally felt the warmth from the south.

With fifty of his best horsemen by his adjutant, each man was assigned three horses, and they galloped at breakneck speed along the valley.

The river flowed quietly, and the sound of horses' hooves startled flies and insects in the wild grass on both sides of the road. Like flying dust, they kept slapping against their faces in the warm breeze.

He scratched his itch, spitting out the flying insects that had crawled into his nostrils, and the adjutant raised his whip, urging everyone to hurry on their way.

Having crossed the safe distance of twenty miles, Timo, acting as a scout, charged ahead. He gripped the reins tightly with one hand, while using the other to double-check the flashbangs that the young lady had solemnly entrusted to him in his bag.

Gradually distancing himself from the crowd, Timo moved nimbly and completed the transfer on the back of a galloping horse.

He is now the eyes and ears of the entire army. There may be a large number of enemy troops hiding in the tall grass and trees on both sides of the valley, and he is willing to risk being ambushed to find out accurate intelligence for his comrades behind him.

The surrounding environment was not as quiet as he had imagined. In addition to the sound of the river, the dense buzzing of mosquitoes, which were bred by the warm and humid climate of the south, greatly affected his perception.

Whether from exhaustion or nervousness, sweat dripped down Timo's face, soaking his chest.

After finishing the last of his water bottle, he licked his dry lips and continued to observe his surroundings, occasionally leaving the main road and heading through the bushes towards suspicious locations.

After a long and nerve-wracking journey, as the sun began to set, Timo's horse, panting heavily, slowly slowed its pace.

A deafening buzzing sound filled my ears, echoing throughout the entire valley.

Timo looked up in surprise at a tall city wall that stretched across the river and cut off the valley. The wall, built of huge stones, had no gates for passage.

The section over the river is clearly a converted old bridge, except that heavy iron railings have been newly installed in the area of ​​the bridge arches.

There couldn't be a better pass, Timo thought, but he didn't see any soldiers on the walls.

At the same time, a stench that seemed to hit him right in the head hit him hard, and Timo quickly backed away, as if he had a memory of this smell in his mind.

Clang, clang, clang.

The iron bars made a clanging sound. Timo looked in the direction of the sound and found a skeletal hand protruding from the water, constantly pounding on the iron bars.

The hairs on the back of his head stood on end, and Teemo immediately remembered that this was the scent of the undead.