When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 882 - 833: Captain—

Imperial Calendar, March 25, 1449.

Outskirts of Kenke Town.

Hundreds of boots rose and fell, striking the damp ground, splashing up specks of mud.

On the country dirt road formed by fences and fields, a long line of black-clad figures marched with orderly steps.

At the very front and rear were 100 Holy Gunmen in five columns each, while 300 Long Spearmen marched in the middle.

At the very back, the Service Soldier led mules and horses, and the Defensive Army drove the carriages.

The wheels rolling over the gravel on the ground often sent the passengers inside the carriage flying.

Inside the carriage, besides herbs and various sundries, were Thierry, Abazi, and Venice.

The day after Dass inquired, Thierry and the others boarded the carriage that followed the Battle Group forward.

The three young nobles, eager to advance, even voluntarily sat on the Vanguard Corps' carriage.

Originally, they thought they would move with Dass's Chongxin Battle Group, but upon arriving at Kenke Town, they found themselves accompanying Jeska's Wild Wolf Battle Group.

Summarizing countless war histories and discussion experiences, the Wild Wolf Battle Group had its own marching strategy.

Besides sending out Rangers and infantry Scouts to scout around, there was also an infantry corps carrying a small amount of supplies marching quickly at the front.

This infantry corps was usually the Eighth Infantry Corps, also known as the Vanguard Corps.

From Thierry's current observations, the main role of the Vanguard Corps is to seize key strongpoints (fords, mountain passes, high ground) and perform engineered marches (repairing bridges, clearing obstacles, setting up camps).

On the Empire's side, this method of marching is not rare; anyone who received military education from the court would know it.

However, unlike the Empire, Holy Alliance marching is established as a system that all generals must follow.

If it were the Imperial Army, it would be fine if a well-educated noble were in command.

But if it were a lazy and incompetent noble, it would likely result in a classic locust march.

Sorting through the notes, Thierry felt as if he touched upon the essence of Holy Alliance's military revolution.

While Thierry was still recording, Abazi struck up a conversation with the service chief Old Pierre Nai, who was driving the carriage.

"...So you're from Feiliu Castle?"

"Yeah, that's now Xia Lvcheng." Old Pierre shook the reins, "The beer from Tino Monastery in Xia Lvcheng is exceptional; when we return there, you must try it."

"So confident?"

"Of course, I'm not saying the Autocratic Duke is bad, but she hasn't been favored by the Holy Father; she's unlucky."

"You mean she lost several battles?"

"Not lost, just didn't win," Old Pierre corrected, "In hindsight, the problem was the Holy Path. Once the Saint's Grandson took over, the Holy Father showed his might."

Abazi and the others knew he was referring to the great victory at Marlon Hill.

After that great victory, the previously unsellable Holy War Bonds quickly sold out.

"After the war, when we return to Xia Lvcheng, I'll fix up my house and continue working as a cooper."

"You've already become a service chief, why not continue working in the army?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"I know a few more words, so they valued me, that's all. Besides, my second son, Michelle Nai, is serving in the Chongxin Battle Group; one soldier in the family is enough."

The battlefield is unpredictable; no one dares to say they won't die.

The youngest son of the Nai Family is too young, so they simply left the eldest son to care for their mother and younger brother, allowing father and son to fight together.

At this time, Thierry, having finished organizing his notes, interjected: "I've always wanted to ask, what does the name Chongxin Battle Group mean, and where did it come from?"

"Because the Chongxin Legion consists of a bunch of devout Holy Path monks. They not only fight personally but also perform Divine Art, so they're called the Faithful."

"Then what about our Wild Wolf Battle Group?" Abazi pursued the question, "I didn't see any wolves in the Battle Group?"

Old Pierre revealed a mysterious smile, seemingly anticipating Abazi's question. Just as he was about to speak, they heard a commotion.

After listening closely for a moment, Old Pierre's expression became serious: "Enemies ahead."

Just as Old Pierre said, the Rangers brought news of an enemy encounter ahead, with eight hundred infantry and nearly one hundred knights.

They must have discovered the Holy Alliance Army's presence and came out to intercept.

Thierry wasn't afraid; he jumped off the carriage and climbed up the dirt slope, jogging toward the front line.

Standing on the dirt slope, he could just see the Vanguard of the Wild Wolf Battle Group changing from marching formation to combat formation.

"First and second Holy Gunmen, fifty-man teams, turn left!"

Following the officer's command, the five columns of Holy Gunmen at the front snaked around in a quarter arc, moving toward the fields on the left.

"First to fifth Long Spearmen teams, turn right! Retreat left, advance right, align with the military flag as center, and adjust formation!"

Except for the last fifty Long Spearmen, the other 250 Long Spearmen turned right in unison.

The officers pressed their winged spears against their chests or backs, pushing them forward and backward.

Taking small steps and using the center military flag as an axis, they quickly changed from facing the right side to facing the front.

The last five ten-man teams deliberately took a step slower.

"Sixth Long Spearmen team, led by Hans, move up to fill in."

The last fifty Long Spearmen stepped forward in sequence.

Like pulling a thread, the tail of the back team followed the end of the front team, pulling the folded rectangular infantry formation into a straight line.

In this way, the Long Spearmen in five columns became six rows of fifty columns in horizontal formation.

The Holy Gunmen at the back turned right, just like those at the front.

"All soldiers, right turn!"

"Adjust formation!"

With a kick of their boots, mud splattered as they quickly shifted from movement to stillness.

It took just a quarter of an hour for the Wild Wolf Battle Group Vanguard to complete their preparation from marching to combat.

Thierry watched this precise and orderly scene, even pausing his note-taking.

If this scene happened with the Royal Guard Imperial Army, he wouldn't be surprised at all.

But the Wild Wolf Battle Group was only established last year, and wasn't even considered part of the Holy Alliance's first-tier Battle Groups, right?

Not only Thierry, but also Abazi and Venice were speechless, standing there not knowing what to think.

It wasn't until they felt a rumbling underfoot that they snapped back to reality, and upon a closer look, nearly a hundred Extraordinary Knights had been deployed.

The leading Extraordinary Knight, wearing a flamboyant ostrich feather helmet and a blue cloak over his armor, stood upright on his horse.

He stretched out his right hand holding a large bow.

He astonishingly stood up on his stirrups at full gallop.

"That's horseback archery!" Venice immediately recognized this extraordinary skill, "He's from the Oslar Clan."

For cavalry, using a large, stiff bow on horseback is almost impossible, which is why there are specialized cavalry soft bows.

However, with horseback archery, a knight can stand up and use a heavy foot bow atop a horse.

As for that knight, although his face cannot be seen, there's a clear sense of him taking a deep breath.

The bowstring slowly drawn, though the exact strength is unknown, the sense of force seems almost palpable.

With a whistling sound, a thumb-thick arrow shot through the air, disappearing from sight.

The next moment it was seen, it had pierced through an officer's kettle helmet.

The officer, initially urging soldiers into formation, suddenly choked on his words, being driven forward by force.

That officer lay flat on the ground, left hand pointing at the soldiers' feet, blood flowing forward from his fingertips.

"Captain—"

Using this knight's arrow as a signal, the rain of arrows from the knights behind fell in quick succession.