Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence-Chapter 556 - 21: Royal Griffin Knight Edwin
His first significant mission was conducting a border defense battle at the northern boundary of the Empire.
A large-scale Norsca raider warband had entered the Chaos Wasteland. At that time, they were invincible, smashing three human legions in succession, including a powerful legion composed of elite knights from the Baron’s Territory. Over a thousand well-equipped knights were reduced to fragments under the axes of these strong and robust barbarians.
The nightmare these brutes hunted instilled fear in countless humans. Their forces were unstoppable and were about to cross the Empire’s border to wreak havoc on the fertile plains of humanity.
By then, the frontline human army had been decimated, with less than 500 worn-out soldiers remaining in the last fortress city. The number of knights was even smaller, insufficient to form a complete warband.
Continuous defeats had left everyone with low morale, filled with fear and despair about the future.
But at this moment, Edwin stepped forward. He carefully studied the monsters’ attack routes and spent numerous hours researching the enemy’s tactics and weaknesses, identifying their arrogance and carelessness due to successive victories. They were contemptuous of humans, unwilling to assist one another when facing a human attack, especially their strongest commander, who believed that their mighty Norsca warriors could smash anything coming their way with just a war axe.
Numerous victories confirmed all of this.
Therefore, Edwin resolutely led this last remnant of the human army to charge at the strongest Norsca chief. And everything unfolded as he anticipated. Other Norsca troops, upon seeing this human army daring to march on and challenge their strongest commander, thought their madness was nothing more than seeking their own destruction!
No one believed that the ragtag troops commanded by Edwin could defeat the most formidable and brave warriors in their tribe.
Until Edwin smashed the chest of the Norsca chief with a warhammer, cut off his head, and hoisted it on a long lance, flying it above all the monsters’ lines.
And so the monsters’ morale collapsed. They lost their commander and chief, unwilling to fight any further. Unable to coordinate with each other, they retreated to the ice fields to elect and compete for a new chief to avoid being individually defeated by human reinforcements.
The victory in this campaign earned Edwin immediate fame.
His zenith came with his renowned battle[The Blood Dusk of Monte Castro].
This battle took place in the year 3300 of the Imperial Calendar.
Monte Castro, as the southernmost city of the Border Prince’s Territory, had been besieged multiple times but never captured, with the most famous siege lasting over a year.
But in the year 3300 of the Imperial Calendar, the garrison of over 500 suddenly found themselves surrounded by more than 100,000 green skins. They were led by an evil green skin war general determined to capture the place as an outpost for invading the Empire, no matter the cost. The brave Castro garrison fought tirelessly for weeks, losing a few comrades each day, repelling countless green skin assaults. Meanwhile, the beastman tribes continuously received reinforcements from other tribes eager to join the powerful beastman army.
Castro’s land supply line had been cut off early, relying on sea supplies until this route was maliciously interrupted by a (sewer) warship from an unknown enemy wishing to see the castle permanently disappear. To this day, no one knows who attacked the supply ships. The Empire frequently blamed the Arabi pirates or pirates in general, but the darkest rumors suggested it was part of a vile plan by the Skaven.
In hunger and despair, the garrison persevered for more than a year until the mercenary commander, the old and steadfast Gruze, suffered a mortal wound while repelling another beastman assault. He was hurriedly carried from the walls to headquarters. At this time, Edwin, awe-inspiring and energetic, replaced him in command.
Edwin personally inspired the soldiers, stating that he would stand firm on the walls and swear to defend the Empire’s glory to the death. He pleaded for all willing to stay and fight evil for glory to step forward. Others, if they wished, could flee in disgrace.
Driven by passionate emotions, many soldiers tearfully shouted, "I will die before the beastmen destroy Castro!" and "No beastman will see the sight of spring!" Ultimately, the entire troop decided to stand firm to the end. The siege continued for another three months, yet the castle still did not fall.
Finally, the relief human forces destroyed and dispersed the beastman tribe. They eventually found only 25 human soldiers still alive inside the castle, including Edwin. Around the walls, green skin corpses were countless, to the point that the moat was filled, solid enough to bear the weight of beastman siege towers!
After the blood-red dusk battle, Edwin continuously sought forces able to launch an expedition against the monsters, determined to engage in a sweeping war against the evil green skins.
The series of rising wars and prestige in the Hesse Territory, along with the teachings of the Sun Goddess, successfully attracted his attention.
Thus, he joined the Hesse Territory, starting as a grassroots officer, hoping to join the expedition called by the Hesse Territory to enact revenge and purge the evil monsters.
He believed in his judgment, thinking that the day might come sooner rather than later.
How he gained this confidence—whether it was his foresight or a revelation from the Sun Goddess—Su Li did not concern himself with. He only knew that Hesse Territory was now indeed renowned far and wide.
