When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 885 - 836: Redway Manor

"Ahhhhhhh—"

The shadow of spring fell on the knight's helmet, illuminating his frantically struggling body.

His feet were shackled with iron, his throat fiercely bound with a leather cord, and his golden hair was soaked with sweat.

Once a high and mighty Extraordinary Master Knight, he now had to kneel tearfully before the former farmer, begging for mercy.

The surrounding infantry captains showed no sympathy, only watching with smirks.

Only a few nobles from the Falan Observation Team standing beside Jeska showed signs of reluctance.

Using thumb clamps during interrogation had always been a tactic used by noble lords against farmers; no one expected it to be used on a noble.

Jeska sat boldly on a rock, his single eye emitting a chilling light.

"Any more?" Grabbing the knight's beautiful golden hair, Little Hart, with bristles on his temples, pressed a short knife against his neck.

The Extraordinary Knight, having already been subjected to Cheka's water torture machine, and with his thumb almost crushed, was left dazed.

He could only weakly say, "I really only know this much, I really only know this much..."

"Lord Jeska, that's enough," Thierry couldn't hold back any longer, "He could still be ransomed later. If this continues, his family won't pay."

Hearing this, the infantry captains restrained their smiles and looked at Jeska.

Jeska waved his hand.

Baring his fangs, Little Hart gripped the knight's chin and shook it, then landed a backhanded slap: "Consider yourself lucky!"

After speaking, he turned his head with a bright, sunny smile, and ran up to Jeska like a loyal dog: "Battle Commander, I think he really only knows this much."

"What intel do we have, tell me."

"Yes." Little Hart stood up straight, "Reinforcements from River Island have arrived; they reached Iron Gate Town a few days ago, reportedly they're all mercenaries.

As for the Oslar Clan, according to a few captives, the Oslar Clan itself has mobilized over a thousand Square Banner Knights and a team of Land Servants.

Other allied and vassal families have contributed between three hundred to five thousand soldiers each, totaling about thirteen thousand soldiers."

"Who's leading the troops, do you know?"

"It's the current Duke Oslar, Omes, along with his third son Blacks and youngest son Puzilio."

"Any idea about subordination and troop distribution?" a Corps Commander asked.

"I don't know."

The Leia Army is essentially pieced together, even the Oslar Clan's allied forces are a patchwork.

Their own army, sometimes even the main general doesn't know who is under whom.

This trait of the Leia Army is both loved and hated by the Corps Commanders.

On one hand, they couldn't learn the enemy's exact strength, but on the other, the enemy also couldn't ascertain their own.

Often, intelligence was inaccurate, with the Leia Army unexpectedly growing or shrinking.

"Three days ago, the knights we met at the Tinsmith Crossing, were they from the Oslar Clan?" Jeska turned to Thierry and others, asking.

"Yes." Thierry nodded solemnly, "The Oslar Clan is wealthy, constantly in conflict on the borders with the Norn people, experienced in large-scale operations, unlike those flashy knights from Dawn Island or River Island."

"Doesn't matter where they're from, if any of them dare to charge our Wild Wolf Soldiers, it's a one-way ticket to death," Little Hart loudly interjected.

Thierry snorted through his nose; just like Old Pierre said, Little Hart was one to flatter those above and oppress those below.

Jeska, however, appreciated his confidence: "Alright, since you have such confidence, during combat, I'll have you be the first to wield the lance and slay the commanding officer."

"I won't fail the mission!"

Seeing the two getting louder, Bernardo brought the topic back: "Let's not talk about the command company first, didn't the Mountain Knights say there were Red Knights? Why haven't we seen any?"

Strangely enough, the frequently seen Red Knights among Mountain Knights during the initial attack were seldom seen after Xia Lvcheng fell.

During the Battle of Marenpo, some claimed to have seen these Red Knights, yet none were captured.

"Maybe they're afraid of us?"

"Or perhaps Red Knights are rare, so they're used sparingly."

The Corps Commanders chattered without much progress.

It was Jeska who finally ended the increasingly off-topic discussion.

"Regardless, since the enemy reinforcements are arriving gradually, we can't dilly-dally any longer; we must set off early to seize Shuimi Town."

...…

Along the King's Path, reconstructed by the Church and Advisory Council, the Wild Wolf Army continued their march.

It must be said, marching is the Wild Wolf Army's forte, honed during the earlier rescue of Xia Lvcheng.

After selling a bulk of war spoils at a low price at Tinsmith Crossing, and sending the Gold Pounds back to base, they marched nearly seventy miles a day.

It took them just two days to reach the vicinity of Shuimi Town and occupy a local manor.

Like Marenpo, this area near Xia Lvcheng is a mix of hills and fields, with knights' fortified mansions built on gentle slopes.

However, after the Thousand River Valley War, the Master Knights either disappeared or died in battle.

Following the Hundred Households District reform, Alfred the steward to previous knights was made the Hundred Households Captain.

When the Leia people conquered it, the unfortunate Hundred Households Captain was dismissed and detained, and a new Leia Knight was subsequently enfeoffed.

But this new knight was shot to shreds in the Xia Lvcheng rescue battle, and no new knights were ordained by the Leia people thereafter.

Thus, Redway Manor fell into a state of autonomy, with only a mysterious Night Watcher maintaining order.

Yet on this morning, the villagers scrambled up onto their rooftops, curiously peering out towards the Knight's Mansion.

Outside the manor, on the pastureland, groups of black-clad soldiers from the Holy Alliance were transporting bricks and mortar.

Meanwhile, along the 1.2-meter-wide field ridges, two lines of black-clad soldiers queued towards the granary, led by a few local landlords.

Before the villagers could grasp what was happening, several young men began shouting.

"There's going to be a war, the officer lords want to rent our houses!"

"Anyone not afraid of death, stay and work, earn three Dinar a day, if you're scared, take the travel allowance and get out."

"Go hide in the reed marsh for two weeks; your house will still be yours when you return, and damages will be compensated!"

The villagers buzzed with chatter.

What the villagers thought, Jeska neither knew nor cared to know; that was the military chaplain's responsibility.

His current primary task was to fight.

"Have there been any sightings of Leia people?"

The Ranger Captain stood upright: "The Oslar Army has handed off; currently, two thousand Kingdom Army soldiers are nearby.

We estimate they'll reach Shuimi Town or our current location in a day's time."

From the pontoon bridge to here, they had been scouted at least five or six times, their movements long exposed.

Yet the Leia people perhaps didn't expect the Wild Wolf Battle Group to be this swift or simply couldn't catch up even if they anticipated it.

So within two short days, the Wild Wolf Battle Group reached a mere twenty miles from Shuimi Town, at Redway Manor.

They hadn't faced any obstruction.

However, Jeska didn't intend to continue assaulting Shuimi Town fiercely.

The enemy's main force was nearby, the Wild Wolf Cultivators needed rest, and when outnumbered, it was better to adopt a breastwork defensive battle.

At least so far, the Leia people hadn't cracked the breastwork tactic.

If it works well, it should be used frequently.

Based on prior intelligence, Jeska deduced that to prevent them from easily attacking Shuimi Town, the Leia Army would likely take the initiative to attack them.

Of course, it was also possible they wouldn't attack.

In that case, Jeska would simply wait for Dass to join them.

Dass's arrival was merely five or six days away.

If not for logistical issues requiring them to split their forces, Dass's Chongxin Battle Group would already be here.

Though battles on the training ground were intense, the military chaplains' ideological work was solid, always supporting allied forces without the slightest hesitation.

To engage five thousand against twenty thousand Kingdom Army in a defensive fight and hold out for three days, that was the ultimate goal.

Watching the smoke rising behind the rolling hills of grass, Jeska squinted.