"At this time, it's probably around two days." Chris pushed the water cup to the edge of the table near Meen Castle and said to Vaglon, "Here, when our troops gather, we can probably muster a total force of 1,000 people to directly attack the castle and end the battle."
Vaglon nodded with confidence and assured, "Our cavalry can complete the mission, launching a sudden attack and eliminating 200 enemies is no problem at all."
Then he pointed to the ferry city on the map and said to Chris, "We have artillery; capturing the ferry city can also be expected."
"Now the problem is how we can stop Lord Berman, the lord of the ferry city, from escaping with his fleet!" Vaglon looked at the map, furrowing his brow.
"I don't care!" Chris slammed the table and said through gritted teeth, "I don't care if they run or not! I must take the ferry city!"
"This is not a matter of strategy, but a matter of morality! I don't care about plundering the people! If it were me, I would do the same! But harming the innocent is the original sin we must punish!" His hand clenched into a fist on the table, resolute and unwavering.
"I understand, sir!" Vaglon, hearing Chris's words, brightened his eyes and immediately clenched his fist and placed it over his chest, loudly agreeing, "I will gather the troops right away!"
An attack was inevitable, but the specifics of how to proceed required careful planning. If Seris couldn't end the battle quickly, pressure from other directions would increase. The safety of the main base, Seris Castle, would also be jeopardized.
Chris didn't have a large force at his disposal; there were only about 2,000 troops in total. Among them, approximately 1,000 were the garrison forces left in Seris territory and couldn't be easily moved.
These garrison troops had limited mobility, and their assembly speed would actually hinder the main force's attack speed, so whether or not they were moved didn't make a significant difference.
Among the remaining troops, there were about 500 cavalry and 500 infantry. And now that Meen had just been occupied, leaving 300 troops behind was not entirely safe. So, Chris could only muster a pitiful 700 troops.
He had to swiftly engage and defeat Lord Berman of the ferry city with these 700 troops, or else forces from other directions might take advantage and launch military actions against Seris.
If Seris were truly attacked, this battle would not be a great victory but an utter defeat.
Fighting with a disadvantaged force for a swift victory seemed like an impossible task, but Chris had to do it.
"This is a gamble!" Vaglon looked at the map and finally spoke to Chris, "If the enemy employs the most effective harassment tactics, splitting their forces and delaying our march... we will lose."
"But if the ferry city gathers its forces and confronts us head-on, with our artillery, we will win!" Chris presented another possibility.
Chris was actually quite optimistic about this gamble. "They have the numerical advantage and haven't figured out how strong our secret weapon is. Why wouldn't they engage us in a decisive battle?"
"You lead 200 cavalry and 50 infantry to maintain order inside Meen Castle! I will personally lead 450 infantry and 300 cavalry to the ferry!" Chris set the strategy for a swift victory and decided to lead the troops himself.
Vaglon immediately objected, saying, "Sir, you should stay in Meen! Let me lead the troops!"
Chris didn't distrust Vaglon, but he felt that leading personally would better execute his strategy. He waved his hand and said to Vaglon, "You watch the rear for me, it's equally important! This time, taking the ferry city can't rely solely on valor; it requires on-the-spot decision-making. Some decisions you can't make, so I must go myself!"
Hearing Chris say this, Vaglon understood the importance of the situation and nodded, saying, "Sir, rest assured, I will guard Meen and ensure its safety!"
With Vaglon guarding the rear, Chris felt relieved and led the troops out of Meen.
With only cavalry, Chris advanced quickly, and the 300 cavalry raced across the eastern plains of Meen.
He entrusted all his supplies and 20 cannons to Vaglon's adjutant, Koria, and led the cavalry to reach the border of the ferry city and Meen in just one day and one night.
As he watched the sun rise in the east, Chris squinted his eyes. The sunlight at this moment was unfavorable for his attack, but he couldn't wait any longer.
"Pass on my orders! Rest on the spot for 20 minutes! Then assemble the entire army! Attack the ferry!" Chris gave the order to rest to his guards, then dismounted and sat down in a clean spot.
On his way here, Chris had seen the grim situation in Meen. The houses left behind by the abducted civilians were empty, and bodies and scattered belongings littered the streets.
Even the relatively prosperous Meen had turned into a hell on earth. This had increased Chris's hatred for Lord Berman of the ferry city to an unbearable level.
Even the Meen Lord, Enser, whom he had killed, hadn't acted so ruthlessly. In a sense, this Berman was quite a "talent"!
After taking a few sips of cold water from his flask, Chris felt rejuvenated. He stood up from the ground, mounted his horse, and signaled his troops forward.
"Have you rested well?" Chris asked loudly to his soldiers who were looking at him.
"We've rested!" Many of the cavalry had already returned to their horses. They answered Chris's question with a resounding voice, waiting for his new orders.
"With me, to the enemy!" Chris pulled the reins and made his warhorse spin in place before galloping towards the east.
"Attack!" Behind him, countless cavalry raised their long spears high, gripping their horses' flanks with their legs, and, clad in shining armor, charged toward the direction of the rising sun.
...
The sun had just risen, and a soldier from the ferry city was lazily yawning. These past few days had been exhausting, escorting and transporting tens of thousands of Meen civilians back into their own territory.
They needed to take some opportunities to relax; otherwise, how could they justify it to themselves? Besides, in a few days, Meen might launch an attack, and there wouldn't be any chance to slack off then.
He covered his mouth with his hand and subconsciously glanced towards the dark western horizon, then furrowed his brow involuntarily.
Squinting, the ferry city soldier noticed something moving on the horizon. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he stared intently at the end of the road, and this time he was increasingly certain that something was approaching - a cavalry.
"Hey! Hey! We have enemies!" He kicked his companion next to him with his toes, waking up the other soldier who had fallen asleep. "From the Meen side, they're coming!"
"Impossible! They're currently fighting with Seris; where would they find soldiers to bother us?" On the guard tower, another soldier didn't even
want to open his eyes and replied in a drowsy tone.
"No, really! It's cavalry!" As the approaching cavalry drew nearer, the awakened ferry city soldier had become frantic. He kept kicking his companion and shouting loudly.
His companion, who had just woken up, finally sat up and, holding his weapon, looked toward the now considerably brighter western horizon. He saw a cavalry unit approaching and realized that this was no false alarm.
"Quick! Light the beacon!" Seeing the charging cavalry, the ferry city soldier urgently ordered. He felt the platform beneath his feet trembling and his legs shaking in response to the vibrations.
As they lit the beacon, the cavalry had already bypassed the small beacon tower. Chris hadn't come to eliminate these small beacons; he had left that task to his infantry.
What he wanted to do now was swiftly sweep through the border area of the ferry city, eliminate the soldiers, and drive the civilians out of the villages!
The signal fires quickly spread, and the ferry city responded promptly. A group of infantry assembled, seemingly trying to block Chris's advance.
After all, the ferry city's soldiers had just escorted tens of thousands of Meen civilians back to their own territory and hadn't had time to disperse.
A group of 200 soldiers stood in the road, blocking Chris's path.
After chasing down scattered enemy soldiers and fighting for the entire morning, Chris had no intention of stopping. He quickly organized his troops and launched an attack.
Without enough archers in the infantry formation, they clashed head-on with the approaching cavalry, turning into a massive meat grinder.
Chris rode his horse directly into the enemy formation, his longsword swinging in an arc to knock down an enemy infantryman he passed by. The tremendous impact of his warhorse, combined with the sharpness of his sword, ripped through thin armor and tore apart flesh and blood beneath.
Before the fallen enemy soldier could even scream, Chris's warhorse had already knocked down two more enemies, and he continued forward without looking back.
The Seris cavalry following Chris attacked from the left and right, cutting through the enemy with their swords. Their armor was splattered with blood, making them appear like demons from hell in the eyes of the enemy. These knights who followed him closely formed a huge meat grinder, devouring the lives of the surrounding enemies.
In just a breath's time, the arrowhead they formed had cut a huge gap in the enemy's position. Then, in the next second, more cavalry poured into this gap, like a virus spreading over a wound.
Chris knocked away a spear aimed at him, then reversed and thrust his sword through the throat of an enemy infantryman holding the spear, pulling it out in one fluid motion and continuing forward.
His lips were still slightly pale, his gaze as sharp as a needle, and his not-so-tall but well-proportioned body moved through the blood mist, carrying an unstoppable momentum.
