Chapter 7: Planning the Strategy

“The number of troops from Attica and their vassal forces now entering Katyn has reached as many as 50,000, of which their knightly orders and cavalry force exceed 12,000. That’s a considerable number. Our entire knightly force in Nicosia amounts to only 3,500. Even if we can surpass them in combat strength, our overall strength is far inferior to theirs. We really need to carefully consider how to win this battle.”

Baoling frowned slightly, while Leclerc’s tone lacked certainty. Clearly, he too found the high demands of this battle daunting—annihilating the enemy rather than merely defeating them. Given the mobility of the Attic cavalry, this battle wouldn’t be easy.

Yet Baoling had some ideas of his own. The enemy’s cavalry was strong, but their infantry was relatively weak. Meanwhile, their own orc and barbarian units far surpassed ordinary human infantry in combat strength. If utilized properly, they might be able to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses.

“We indeed need to plan carefully, but time is running out. The Atticans aren’t fools. Once they detect our strategic intentions, I think they’ll respond quickly.”

“Hmm, Mr. Leclerc, I have an idea. But it requires the cooperation of the Homer Knight Order, and the risk for the knights is quite high. Yet it might be our only chance to achieve our strategic goals.” After pondering for a moment, Baoling shared his thoughts.

“Oh? Since Mr. Baoling has an idea, the Homer Knight Order will of course obey unconditionally. Obedience is the creed and virtue of knights,” Leclerc said, raising his eyebrows, clearly dissatisfied with Baoling’s words.

“Mr. Leclerc, please don’t misunderstand. The situation might be even more difficult than we imagine. Especially to fulfill the lord’s intentions, we must take some risks. Risks that we could have avoided before, but now, to achieve higher goals, we have to take a gamble,” Baoling said calmly, shaking his head.

“Oh, I see.” Leclerc realized he had been too hasty. “Then, Mr. Baoling, why not share your idea? Maybe things aren’t as bad as you say.”

Once Baoling laid out his own plans, Leclerc immediately realized that the opponent’s strategy was indeed highly targeted. It was a tempting plan, but the risks were as great as he had said—1,500 members of the Homer Knights might easily fall into a hopeless situation if they weren’t careful. Of course, if successful, the Homer Knights would undoubtedly be the heroes of this war.

Leclerc made his decision quickly. For both the Homer Knights and himself and his knights, such glory and temptation were hard to resist. Perhaps Baoling had anticipated this already. A knight’s dignity wouldn’t allow him to speak of refusal or retreat, especially since such an opportunity was rare.

“I accept your plan. It’s worth taking the risk. I also believe my knights can carry it out. I only hope Lord Baoling can complete all preparations according to the plan. If we act, we must strike decisively!”

Leclerc’s eyes shone with calm determination. His expression was stern, and his tone was unusually steady, making it impossible to detect any change in his mood.

“Lord Leclerc, rest assured. If we still can’t achieve our goals even after the Homer Knights have completed their task, I believe the southern army, including myself, won’t have the face to continue the war. I’ll volunteer for punishment,” Baoling said firmly, clearly understanding the meaning behind Leclerc’s words.

“Hmph, Lord Baoling. This isn’t the time for self-punishment. We don’t need anything else—only victory. Do you understand?” Leclerc said calmly. “We must win decisively. Anything else is unacceptable.”

The heavy iron helmet made Yele’s head feel a bit stiff, but he still made sure to keep it in perfect alignment on his head.

Yele knew that every word and action of his was under the watchful eyes of the critical-looking knights around him. As a cavalry commander rather than a knightly leader, although he commanded over 9,000 cavalrymen, in the eyes of the grand duke and powerful nobles, his status still couldn’t compare to that of the noble-born knight leaders. This filled Yele with resentment, but he knew he had no power to change that reality.

Three thousand heavily armored cavalrymen resembled dark clouds moving across the plain. Their heavy horse hooves raised thick clouds of dust as they trod the ground. The soldiers’ faces were completely covered by beast masks, and they were equipped with fully armed spears as well as iron-plated armor. These horses, the Lamang giants from the area near the Mogula Marshes, may not have looked as fine as the purebred horses of the knights, but Yele knew that it was precisely these seemingly dull-looking Lamang giants that could carry heavier loads than other horses, enabling them to support heavily armored cavalrymen who weighed dozens of pounds more than others.

These heavily armored cavalrymen would be the best weapon against the half-orcs and barbarian infantry said to come from the Caucasus wastelands. Yele couldn’t afford to be careless in this battle. News had arrived from the south a few days ago—Caucasians had crossed the Greenland Forest to launch a surprise attack on Livonia. It seemed these despicable Caucasians had long harbored ambitions and schemes, daring to act so recklessly even after the Northern Alliance had made its stance clear. It was hard to understand what their mad lord was thinking.

Yele knew that the battles in the south were merely trivial matters. The fate of the land of Katin ultimately depended on his own side. Yet, unlike his superiors and those knight leaders, he wasn’t optimistic.

Half-orc heavily armored infantry, along with barbarian berserkers—this was the enemy his army would soon face. Although Yele had never fought against these roughians from the Caucasus, he had dealt with orc warriors from the northern Mogan Wastelands many times. It was said that half-orcs and orcs shared a close blood relationship, and the barbarians were even more ferocious than the orcs. If things turned out as rumored, even if his side managed to win, it would likely come at a heavy cost.