Medieval Knight System: Building the Strongest Empire Ever!-Chapter 89: Ambush at the Garrison

For a riding beginner, I’d sure done well leading the duchy’s light cavalry and racking up achievements.

My subordinates praised me as an excellent commander while viewing my horsemanship as average or below. But they followed because I’d brought them plenty of profits and military merit.

Anyway, thanks to basic stance correction, I could now ride with both hands free and jump obstacles. Of course, the risk of falling off was always there, so if I didn’t concentrate, I’d be in big trouble. Basic stance correction was literally just basic correction—it didn’t guarantee my safety.

My mounted combat proficiency had also risen to 90, and after one more battle it looked like I’d smoothly advance to the next stage. After riding practice ended, Mont Blanc bit my shoulder demanding sugar cubes, but I couldn’t feed him this precious stuff often. Just once a day.

And finally, the duchy army and county forces began their advance.

The northern plains where I’d hunted raiding parties were the promised battlefield. Whether the tactic of the duchy army engaging the enemy’s main force while the county forces attacked the flank would work remained to be seen, but from now on, only about 80 light cavalry and 150 defenders remained at the garrison and supply base.

"Fiel, take the left wing! August, move to the right wing! The rest are in the center!"

Mounted on Schatten, I assigned each squad’s position as I led the light cavalry. Then we hid in the forest near the garrison. Our role was to lie in wait and strike from behind the moment the enemy cavalry attacked the garrison. A front-and-rear encirclement—the most basic of basics.

Throughout history there’d been tacticians who broke through crises with unexpected stratagems, but since I wasn’t one of those geniuses, I gathered intelligence through my scouter and operated my forces in a very simple yet effective way. And those tactics had become my own proven methods.

Michael deliberately made security look lax and loose—if I’d been the enemy cavalry commander, it would’ve been perfect camouflage, the kind that made you think "is this for real?" But most of the forces were fully prepared. It might look sloppy from a distance, but the soldiers had weapons ready right next to them.

Now all we could do was wait.

Had we waited about two hours? Enemy information appeared on my Commander Scouter. Enemy light cavalry with high morale and combat power reaching 73 were approaching in two units. I immediately waved my signal flag where Michael could see it. Michael would be ready.

The enemy numbered about 150 riders.

Thud thud thud thud!

The enemy cavalry crossed the plains and reached the garrison in one rush. My prediction had been right after all. Some of my subordinates had been skeptical about this operation based on my prediction, but this completely instilled faith in them. It wasn’t time for us to move yet.

Among the knights leading the enemy cavalry was Bayon, whom I’d seen the day before. Épinay’s third cavalry commander, was it? Most of their commanders were probably grinding their teeth over me. But Michael had taken charge of the opening skirmish for me. With flawless camouflage, he’d drawn the enemy cavalry right to the entrance.

Waaaah!

Suddenly spearmen poured out, blocking the cavalry’s breakthrough with a dense formation. Since they weren’t heavy cavalry, the attackers hadn’t prepared cavalry lances. If shield-bearing infantry had been blocking them, there might’ve been room to break through, but against spearmen, that was difficult. Then the archers began shooting arrows.

The Rosenheim soldiers led by Oscar protected the archers’ front while blocking any cavalrymen who escaped the dense formation from approaching. There were always some who tried to force a breakthrough, and occasionally some got lucky and slipped through. Those were dragged off their horses by Oscar and the Rosenheim soldiers and killed.

The moment I confirmed the enemy’s morale had turned yellow and their combat power had dropped to the 50s, I quickly mounted my horse and drew my cavalry sword. Time to pay them back tenfold for trying to trick us. Since it was a chance to rack up solid achievements, greed gleamed in our cavalrymen’s eyes.

"Great cavalry of Beren, attack the enemy!"

"Long live the Duchy of Beren!"

Waaaah!

Thud thud thud thud!

About 80 cavalry poured out from the forest. I stood at the front, riding Schatten hard, and like a tank, I split through the middle of the panicked enemy light cavalry. In a trance, I swung my cavalry sword and cut down the enemies who’d been struggling to break through the spearmen’s dense formation. Naturally, the Burgundian cavalry was greatly flustered by this unexpected assault.

"Zut, what the hell is happening?!"

"Everyone, get out!"

But it was already too late.

The enemy was pinned down while we were charging in, so the destructive force sent enemy cavalrymen tumbling from their horses left and right. I concentrated on attacking enemy lieutenants. Amid a storm of French, Italian, and German curses, my cavalry sword was soon soaked in blood.

I’d been searching for Bayon, whose mustache I’d disliked from the start, but couldn’t find him—then he found me first. He was furious. My cavalry sword and Bayon’s clashed in a shower of sparks.

"Streit! Interfering with us to the very end!"

"Your plan was so pathetic I saw through it ages ago!"

"You bastard! Even if I die, I’ll drag you to purgatory with me!"

Bayon’s mounted combat skills were considerable. He tried to close in to unhorse me, but I didn’t let him get close. I maneuvered Schatten to cleverly create distance. And in the gap that followed, the moment our swords clashed, I angled diagonally and stabbed at the seam in his chest armor.

When you only partially equip plate armor, these seams become weak points. The seams connected by chain mail had bigger gaps than you’d think, so usually you’d cover them, but Bayon hadn’t taken that precaution. Naturally, I had no hesitation exploiting my opponent’s weakness.

Bayon endured by relying on his cavalry sword’s crossguard. It was a contest of raw strength, but when I timed it right and released my force, Bayon’s center of gravity shifted forward, and as he staggered, I struck the face of his helmet with the blunt pommel at the end of my sword’s grip. I aimed precisely at the temple to cause internal shock.

Thwack!

"Urk! Damn it!"

"I’ll join in, Sir Bayon!"

Just as I was about to press in close and unhorse Bayon, another knight suddenly intervened, forcing me to pull back. Before Bayon could regain his senses, I quickly rode Schatten toward the Épinay knight. The knight was aiming for Schatten. How dare he target the horse Hilda had lent me?

Clang! Clang!

The moment he tried to stab Schatten, I struck with the flat of my blade to deflect his trajectory.

I immediately thrust at the Épinay knight’s neck, but he barely blocked by striking upward. I persistently jabbed at the bottom of his helmet so the knight couldn’t regain his composure. Bayon aimed for my back while I fought the Épinay knight, but I maneuvered Schatten and escaped in an instant.

Their swords futilely cut through empty air.

This was the difference between those who had a thoroughbred and those who didn’t.

Schatten was a horse with a solid body, sturdy legs, and excellent reflexes.

"Stop running away like a rat and face us properly!"

"Two of you ganging up and you’re the ones talking? Have some shame!"

Bayon, the Épinay knight, and I engaged in fierce close combat like this. The moment I clashed swords with Bayon, I released the reins, grabbed his sword blade with my gauntlet, gripped my cavalry sword in reverse, and struck down on his helmet. It happened so suddenly that Bayon fell right off his horse.

"Argh!"

I locked the Épinay knight’s sword with a bind, pressed down with force, then lightning-fast drew the dagger at my waist and stabbed under his helmet. The knight resisted even while gushing blood but finally went limp and fell from his horse. I’d taken down two Épinay knights in an instant.

It had been awkward at first, but now I could fight with ease even without holding the reins.