Lord: I can see loyalty.

For die-hard fans of the "Heavenly Flow" genre, the latest chapter of "Lord: I Can See Loyalty" has been released!

As dawn breaks, a small town on the northern border.

On the walls of Iron Anvil Fort, two guards were leaning against the crenellations, lost in thought.

One was young, the other old; their armor was askew, their spears leaned against the wall, and they yawned incessantly.

They've been standing here all night, and the shift changers haven't arrived yet.

Before any smoke rose from the chimneys, the streets were deserted except for a few stray dogs rummaging through the trash at the alley entrances. This small town was an outpost city at the southern end of the Golden Saddle Horse family's territory; further west lay the Gray Wolf family's land.

Although news of the complete annihilation of the Allied Knights army had reached this place, the garrison here was not panicked.

They were surrounded not only by the Grey Wolf Clan but also by the powerful Golden Saddle Horse Clan. No matter how fast or daring the people from the Southern Border were, they would never dare to attack their outpost city.

"Have you heard? The Allied Knights have lost, and Marcus of the White Horse family has been captured." The young guard yawned, his tone devoid of fear, only showing a numb indifference.

"I've heard about it before." The older guard spat. "What does it have to do with us? That's the White Horse family's business. The White Horse family has long been expelled from the Golden Saddle Horse family."

"Once our lords take action, those bumpkins in the southern border will know what war is all about."

"That's true." The young guard nodded.

He was about to say something more when his gaze suddenly stopped. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he had misread it.

On the distant plains, a plume of dust was rising, growing closer and thicker.

It was clearly not a caravan, as caravans wouldn't produce such a lot of dust, nor was it herders, as herders wouldn't move that fast.

The older guard also saw it, and his expression changed drastically.

He instinctively grabbed the spear leaning against the wall, his hand trembling.

"No, those are... cavalry from the Southern Border!"

His voice shattered the silence of the early morning.

Chaos erupted on the city wall instantly. Guards rushed to their posts in a panic, crossbowmen frantically cocked their guns, and officers roared hoarsely, "Close the gates! Close the gates now!"

But it was too late.

The cavalry from the south are too fast.

The black-armored cavalry of the Azure Peak Knights surged out of the dust like a black torrent, their hooves thundering and the earth trembling.

Leading the group was a young knight with a resolute face and burning fighting spirit in his eyes; he was none other than the knight captain, Russell.

He raised his longsword high, its blade gleaming coldly in the morning light.

"charge--!"

The black-armored cavalry charged straight toward the city gate like arrows released from a bow.

The ballistae fired frantically, and several bolts whistled out. Although they hit two or three cavalrymen, more cavalrymen had already rushed to the city gate.

Before the city gate was fully closed, Russell took the lead, thrusting his longsword into the gap in the gate and forcefully prying it open.

The knights behind him swarmed forward, bumping him with their shoulders, slashing him with their swords, and pushing him with their warhorses, and the city gate was smashed open by the enormous impact.

"kill--!"

The black-armored cavalry surged into the city like a tidal wave.

Before the defending soldiers could organize an effective resistance, they were routed.

Some turned and ran, some threw down their weapons and surrendered, and some jumped off the city wall to escape in the chaos.

The garrison at Iron Anvil Fortress was small, numbering only about three hundred men, mostly infantry. They were no match for the elite cavalry of the Azure Peak Knights.

Russell took the lead and charged toward the fortress in the center of the city.

His sword was as fast as lightning, each strike taking a life.

The knights followed closely behind, their longswords flashing, leaving a trail of blood mist in their wake. In less than the time it takes to eat a meal, the entire city was under the control of the Southern Army.

Vio rode slowly into the city, his gaze sweeping over the prisoners kneeling on both sides of the street and the civilians huddled behind doors.

His face showed neither smugness nor pity, only calmness, as if all of this was within his expectations.

"Your Excellency."

Russell rode over, his armor stained with blood, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light. "Iron Anvil Fortress has been captured. The garrison numbered three hundred. One hundred and twenty enemy soldiers were killed and one hundred and eighty were captured. Our army suffered two dead and twenty-three wounded."

Vio nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

He looked up at the gray-white fortress in the center of the city, the outpost of the Golden Saddle Horse family and the power center of the city.

He spurred his horse toward the fortress, and the cavalry behind him automatically parted to make way for him.

The fortress gates had been broken open, and the garrison inside either died or surrendered; not a single soldier escaped.

Vio dismounted, walked up the steps, and pushed open the door.

The hall was in a mess, with tables and chairs overturned and the Golden Saddle Horse family banner that had been torn down from the wall and thrown on the ground.

Several local noble prisoners knelt in a corner, trembling.

Vio ignored them, simply walked through the hall, up the stairs, and to the top of the fortress.

Push open a wooden door, and outside lies a small terrace. Standing there, you can overlook the entire city.

His gaze passed over the city wall and looked north.

That place is the heartland of the Golden Saddle Horse family, to the west lies the territory of the Grey Wolf family, and further away is the Emerald City, the capital of the North.

Alec appeared behind him at some point, his gray eyes also gazing north.

"My lord, if we start fighting, the Golden Saddle Horse family will not stand idly by; they will send troops soon."

"I know," Vio said calmly, "but we must fight. Only by taking it will we have a place to fight the enemy."

He paused, then said, "This is our second city in the North, and our bridgehead for advancing north. If we hold it, the gateway to the North will be opened."

Alec was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"My lord, what we know so far is that the main force of the Golden Saddle Horse family has at least 15,000 men. Adding the Black Serpent family and the Griffin Legion, the total strength of the Northern Territory exceeds 50,000. We currently only have 35,000 men, and our supply lines are long."

"So we can't wait any longer." Vio turned around, his gaze falling on Alec's face. "Once all those big families have really gathered, we'll only be able to passively take a beating. Before they can react, we'll continue north and catch them off guard."

Vio turned around and looked north again. "Pass down the order: the entire army will rest for a day, and we will continue our northward offensive tomorrow."

Alec nodded and turned to leave.

Vio stood on the terrace, gazing at the boundless plains to the north.

The morning breeze ruffled his cloak, and his gaze swept over the territory of the Golden Saddle Horse family and the Black Serpent family, landing on the distant capital city.

"Cedric," he said softly, "is your strength enough to hold the crown atop your head...?"

Behind them, the flag of the Southern Territory had already been raised above the fortress.

The gates of the northern city were smashed open, and the southern army poured in like a tidal wave.

From this moment on, the situation of the war has changed. It is no longer a defensive war in which the South resists the invasion of the North, but an offensive war in which the South takes the initiative and marches on the capital.

The real war has begun between the North and the South.