"For the King! For the Lord of Dawn!"

The horses of the Frank Kingdom were mostly medium-sized northern steeds, with good stamina and weight, allowing them to begin their charge from a great distance.

The Fengman Knight Order began to accelerate when they were a kilometer from the Beastman Camp, and by the time they were half a kilometer away, they launched into a full charge.

The Fengman Knight Order and the Northern Nobles naturally charged at the very front, rushing straight toward the Bear Race’s position.

One group was worried something might go wrong, while the other was eager to redeem themselves and erase their prior disgrace.

As for Robson, he remained with his main force.

It wasn’t that Lord Robson was a coward who feared battle; the main reason was that the quality of his cavalry’s mounts definitely couldn’t compare to the Frank Kingdom’s northern horses used by the Knight Orders, let alone those of the noble lords...

Robson led the cavalry himself, entrusting the infantry to Bo Yang.

The greatest benefit of this battle for Robson was these Tier Four Soldiers.

Though Tier Four Soldiers and Tier Five Soldiers seemed only one level apart, Robson’s own tests had shown that the armor-clad Tier Five Frank Skilled Infantry could even hold their own against some of the weaker Bronze First Tier Extraordinary beings.

’At this rate, could Tier Six Soldiers be directly comparable to the Extraordinary?’

Robson barely dared to imagine it.

After all, in terms of upkeep, Tier Six Soldiers completely outclassed Extraordinary Knights.

Even the lowest-level Extraordinary required at least one meal of Magical Beast Meat per week, and their monthly salary was calculated in Gold Coins... If they wanted to advance further, then Magic Potions and other such things were involved...

Tier Six Soldiers had no such troubles.

After all, no matter how high their tier, Tier Six Soldiers were still mortals who could be fed with wheat. As for money?

They only got paid when their noble lord felt generous. The origins of these soldiers were, in essence, no different from peasants; their lives and deaths were entirely his to command.

"Remember, don’t get too close to the Bear Race. This battle is for our ’colleagues’ to redeem themselves. We can’t steal their thunder, understand?" Robson instructed.

"Yes, I understand, my lord," Bo Yang replied, a bit bewildered.

"What about me, my lord? What about me?" Claude asked from the side.

"See those cavalrymen behind you? Take fifty of them, and don’t go in too deep! Got it?" Robson said, pointing to the Tier Four and Tier Three Cavalry behind him.

Since Claude had talent, Robson certainly intended to develop it. A talent for being a Cavalry Commander wasn’t based on bloodline, unlike the innate abilities of Knights or Mages.

With effective training, he could grow stronger and stronger; the opposite was also true.

"Yes, my lord!" Claude said excitedly. Overcome with emotion, he couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the lance in his hand.

...

"Chieftain! Chieftain! Human cavalry! At least a thousand of them! They’re charging!"

"Chieftain! The ones in the lead are an Extraordinary Corps!"

"Chieftain! The goblins have fled! Shouldn’t we run, too?"

Messenger after messenger arrived, and with each piece of news, the expression on Bro’s face grew more bitter.

’Run? How could we possibly run? The marching speed of a Knight Order is unimaginable. By the time we spotted them, their knights were already on our doorstep.’

’Especially for us, the Northern Bear Race. We’re broad and bulky, relying on our weight in a fight. Not to mention some of our elite warriors are weighed down by iron armor.’

Eric! Thinking of his nemesis, Bro truly wished he could devour his flesh and drink his blood!

This time, he had truly been screwed over by Eric. Forget about breaking through the human fortress; it was now a question of whether even half his men could make it back alive...

"Chieftain? The humans will be here any second. You must retreat..."

"Retreat? What is there to retreat to? I have never heard of a coward who flees among my Bear Race!" Bro slammed his hand on the table in fury. ’Either way, it’s death. I might as well leave behind a good name. At least if I die in battle now, Kase will look after my clan.’

"You! Bring out my Arctic Ice Bear right now! Ride it and get back!"

"Remember to tell Prince Kase that I, Bro, died fighting for the Empire!" Feeling uneasy, Bro picked out a young kinsman from the tribe.

"Chieftain? I..."

At that moment, the voice of the human commander could already be heard.

"Go, now! The rest of you, don your armor!!" Chief Bro commanded.

...

"Ding! Frank Skilled Infantry has successfully killed a goblin slave. Experience +50."

"Ding! Frank Skilled Infantry has successfully killed a Goblin Warrior. Experience +100."

"Ding!..."

Compared to last time, Robson’s gains were much greater. More than forty of his Tier Four Soldiers had successfully been promoted.

Although he was just picking off the leftovers behind the Knight Orders and nobles, his numbers were much greater than before.

The battle was already nearing its end. From the start, it had been a conflict with a foregone conclusion.

Even a true Northern Bear Race Heavy Infantry Corps wouldn’t dare to face the charge of a Knight Order head-on, let alone Chief Bro’s infantry, who couldn’t even fully equip themselves with armor...

The entire battle unfolded just as Eric had predicted. Even Chief Bro’s final decision to fight to the death did not change the outcome.

...

"Robson, you’re here. These will be your future subordinates. Come and meet them." Elon was talking with the nobles of Qimo Castle when he saw Robson approaching and waved him over.

It wasn’t that Elon was being particularly warm. Robson was, after all, someone who had been exceptionally promoted by Valentino. In a way, Robson now represented Valentino’s reputation.

Even if only for the sake of their shared liege, he had to pave the way for Robson.

Robson stepped forward.

"This is the recently renowned Sir Robson, the new Commander-in-Chief of Qimo Fortress, personally recommended by the Earl and formally appointed by the Marquis.

"The Sir has countless elite soldiers under his command, and he contributed greatly to the rout of the Beastmen just now.

"From now on, Sir Robson will lead Qimo Fortress. Before the Earl left, she specifically asked me to convey a message: the situation is critical, and you all must cooperate fully with him," Elon explained.

The true power of an official comes from their backing.

Elon’s speech, which started and ended with the Earl, was a reminder to the nobles of Qimo Fortress. It told them that the Earl was standing behind Robson, and that the Marquis had also been notified. If the nobles of Qimo Fortress refused to cooperate, legal action could be taken.

One should not underestimate these nominal matters. Often, it is precisely this backing, this legitimacy, that is lacking.

With Elon’s words, anyone who dared to oppose Robson in the future, whether by citing their rank or any other matter, would be directly defying the Earl.

Of course, this also contained a warning for Robson.

Robson was currently reaping enormous benefits from Valentino. If he were to take everything she’d given him and simply run, Valentino would be left with no one to cry to.

"We are all serving in the Earl’s defense zone and pledging our loyalty to His Majesty the King. I hope we can all look out for each other in the future," Robson said with a smile.

Robson had no objection to serving Valentino for a while.

Although Valentino had a history of screwing over her subordinates, ’who at that level could claim to have a pure heart?’ Valentino was already quite decent; at least for now, she still needed to care about her reputation.

Besides, Valentino had treated him very well. To take her help and then turn his back on her would indeed be detrimental to a noble lord’s honor.