When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 586 - 563: Final Battle and Liberation

When Prince Kongdai advanced to the outskirts of Hotam County, it was already March 20, 1446 in the Imperial Calendar.

After relentlessly breaking through two rebellious Counts and looting three rebellious monasteries, Prince Kongdai's army settled down at Chuck Monastery, 110 miles away from Feiliu Castle.

After ten days of continuous travel and fierce battles, even the extraordinarily enduring knights had to take a brief rest.

On one hand, they needed to wait for the arrival of the infantry from the rear; on the other, it was essential to forage for food, recruit armed farmers and hire wandering knights locally.

Given the hundreds of miles of march for aid, Prince Kongdai hadn't brought much food, especially for the rear infantry's rations and forage and beans for the warhorses, which had considerable shortages.

As for armed farmers and knights, they were incidental.

The Church and Monastery were the two largest landowners in Hotam County, and currently, the nobles of Hotam County stood in opposition to Prince Kongdai, while the Monastery stayed neutral.

Therefore, after the Thousand River Valley Church in Feiliu Castle became incapacitated, the armed farmers and knights of the Church naturally aligned themselves with Prince Kongdai's camp.

Although the numbers were small, they were sufficient for collecting and transporting grain.

The dazzling midday sun shone brightly, yet the scorching sunlight failed to heat the marble round table because the courtyard still retained the chill of winter winds.

The stone bench, not narrow, felt like a small stool under the prince's bottom, and wrapped in a furry beast-skin cloak, he appeared akin to a huddled big bear.

The weather was not too cold, but the prince wrapped in his coat shivered uncontrollably, while the white vapor from his mouth remained remarkably hot.

Two high-tier cultivators, sweating profusely, were blessing Prince Kongdai to alleviate and suppress the toxicity brought about by the Dragon Potion.

He had procured these three bottles of Dragon Potion from the old Pope.

Initially, he requested Dragon Blood Horses from the Pope, but the Pope refused.

Then he requested three bottles of Dragon Potion along with the Dragon Blood Horses, which the Pope swiftly approved, additionally informing him that the blessed cultivators were prepared for his promotion anytime he wished.

But he had delayed it until Pope Johnny VIII's demise, unexpectedly playing a crucial role.

Once no longer exhaling scalding breath, the two exhausted monks were assisted out, and Company Commander Edmund, who had been waiting, stepped forward to bow in salute.

"The grain carts have been raided again?" Prince Kongdai closed his eyes, showing no signs of anger.

"Yes, they used the Fireball Technique to burn our grain carts. Oristo pursued them but was ambushed by their infantry, resulting in over ten injured knights, forcing a retreat."

Prince Kongdai continued to keep his eyes closed, speechless.

Since their arrival, the Salvation Army had identified their issues with provisions.

Starting from March 17 when they arrived, within three days, the Lightly Armored Archers led by Mira and the Beastman Cavalry led by Grush began consistently attacking the supply convoy.

For this, the archer cavalry and cuirassiers spared no effort in destroying bridges and roads, persistently harassing and conducting night raids to disrupt Prince Kongdai's army's rest.

Those nobles and knights were no match for Prince Kongdai in field battles, opting for scorched earth tactics, hiding in manor castles and refusing to come out.

Originally, Edmund and the others wanted to reciprocate in kind, but were vetoed by Lakunio.

Hotam County was no longer the primary battlefield for the Imperial Order Knights; they fought on foreign turf, inherently lacking advantages.

After the fall of Feiliu Castle, Hotam County essentially entered an anarchic state as the Thousand River Valley People, hostile due to the Blue Blood incident, likewise harbored animosity towards Prince Kongdai because of the Bow Cavalry incident.

Without infantry protection, a reckless assault would likely reenact the tragedy of the Black Lettuce Village ambush.

The engagements between Imperial Order Knights and cuirassiers in recent days prove this point.

Supported by infantry and civilians, the casualty ratio on both sides reached 1 to 2.5, meaning two and a half knight cuirassiers or infantry for every one Imperial Order Knight.

Although most knights were squire-level, for the Imperial Order Knights, it was an absolute loss.

"I heard Moliat arrived at Damp Dock?" Sitting silently on the stone bench, Prince Kongdai finally panted heavily and asked.

"Arrived yesterday, but the latest movements have yet to be thoroughly investigated."

"How are the troops being settled?"

"They've rested for a day already; most are familiar with breathing techniques, and thus recover swiftly. Last night, lord Lakunio distributed monastery treasures as rewards, boosting the troops' morale."

"Have you scouted their encampments on the front lines?"

"We've identified one, but unable to determine the numbers, possibly only two companies."

"Since that's the case, let's set off tomorrow, and deal with those two companies first." Prince Kongdai opened his eyes, lightly instructing Edmund, "Invite lord Lakunio here; we might as well have lunch together."

"As you command, Your Highness."

After walking out of the courtyard, Edmund exhaled deeply, not just due to the prince's Great Knight aura but also because he received the news they could finally engage in combat.

This decisive battle was a relief to Edmund and other high-tier knights in the Imperial Order Knights.

Prince Kongdai's Imperial Order Knights comprised half remnants of the Golden Finch Clan, and half newly recruited knights.

The former led by Lakunio and Edmund hoped to revive the Golden Finch Clan's influence and establish a firm foothold.

The latter, primarily coastal bankrupt knights like Bo Ao Lie and Ailard, sought new territories in the Thousand Rivers Valley.

Since formation, their nine Imperial Order knights largely maintained this number and structure, fighting numerous battles with the same personnel.

Despite past defeats, there never was massive attrition or such intense pressure.

However, the Thousand River Valley war rekindled the feeling these Imperial Order Knights veterans experienced during their first battle of Windmill Land.

Initially, they made remarkable advances, effortlessly capturing Xiaochi City's rebel faction, chasing the so-called short-haired group everywhere.

But after the Blue Blood incident, the situation subtly shifted.

First, Duke Kush Danai at Joan of Arc Castle was killed, subsequently, an entire Imperial Order Knights led by Bo Ao Lie was destroyed in Langsande County.

Advancing north to attack Moliat proved unsuccessful; amidst torrential arrows, within half a year, four Imperial Order Knights were reduced to half their strength.

Moreover, Rapids City remained impervious to assault; once Salvation Army reinforcements arrived, it led to another constructional obliteration of the Imperial Order Knights.

The replenishment pace for Imperial Order Knights failed to match the intensity of operations, with veteran proportion declining to below two-thirds.

The Imperial Order Knights hadn't engaged in such intense warfare for a significant time.

Compared to Leia's civil unrest, both Duke brothers and the King hadn't lost an Imperial Order knight unit exceeding a company.

Company commanders repeatedly discussed the topic; previously, even without Lakunio's plans, they could defeat the enemy.

Yet, despite deploying seemingly flawless strategies, the Thousand River Valley People shredded them.

At this point, even Prince Kongdai had to acknowledge the Salvation Army and Duke Hemashi's army were evenly matched adversaries.

This time, it wasn't merely suppression or reinforcement, but a crucial battle in a desperate circumstance.

Walking absentmindedly through the corridor, Edmund stopped before Lakunio's room, knocking on the door, "Lord Lakunio, His Highness invites you for lunch."

The next morning, the Squire Knights first dispersed the cavalry spies nearby, followed by Prince Kongdai leading hundreds of Imperial Order Knights and nearly ten thousand elite infantry departing the encampment set up at Chuck.

On the King's Path and amidst lush green fields, the Salvation Army's cuirassiers engaged in combat under the azure skies.

Reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, raids and counter-raids, rotated in sequence.

Prince Kongdai and his army quietly marched along the King's Path, akin to the eye of a storm whirlpool, with the Salvation Army's encampment 30 miles away.

On March 21, 1446 in the Imperial Calendar, after resting for three days, Prince Kongdai officially advanced towards Feiliu Castle.

That day was bright and sunny.