Opening a fantasy anime world with the style of Mount & Blade

Page 60

But in any case, the four hundred men in the square, apart from the somewhat shabby archers, were all elite troops, representing the wealth that Count Axel had accumulated over several decades.

Looking at the soldiers standing motionless in the cold wind, waiting for Count Axel's personal inspection, his ambition, which had been somewhat extinguished by old age, was rekindled with boundless pride.

"Father, why gather all the elite troops of the family? As far as I know, Storm Territory has almost no regular army, only militia. Isn't it too much of a waste of resources and manpower to lead so many troops out?"

The streetlamp didn't seem to sense his father's lofty sentiments; he simply offered some practical advice to Count Axel.

Upon hearing his son's advice, the Count of Axel, full of pride and ambition, immediately felt as distressed as if he had been abruptly stopped from ejaculating.

"This is probably my last battle. My farewell battle must be a grand performance! Besides, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit."

"If I, as your father, were to crush Viscount Storm with overwhelming force, he would surely surrender without a fight, which would be a cause for celebration!"

Count Axel glared at the streetlamp with annoyance, then ignored it and walked to the square. He mounted his horse and shouted loudly at everyone:

"Set off, target: Stormy Grasslands!"

"For the glory of Axel!"

Upon hearing Count Axel's words, all the soldiers responded with an excited battle cry.

"Just you wait, Viscount Storm, I'm coming. I hope you're young and impetuous enough to accept the challenge and die on the battlefield. That would be good for both of us!"

Count Axel led the charge, his old face beneath the massive helmet adorned with sword and shield emblems revealing an excited and bloodthirsty gleam.

Chapter 84 The Stormy Plains About to Be Stained with Blood [Two Chapters Combined]

The Stormy Plains, before the goblin's black blood has dried, will once again become a battlefield of carnage.

However, this time, it wasn't an adventurer and Stormtrooper army sweeping through the goblins.

It was a surprise attack by the Earl of Axel against the Viscount of Stormwind.

One can imagine that once the war officially begins, the blood flowing on the grassland will provide a rare source of fertilizer for the weeds.

As the sun rises higher, an army is galloping across the stormy grasslands at full speed.

Well-equipped and exuding a murderous aura, they were clearly up to no good. Most importantly, they were flying banners with the Black Phoenix emblem!

"Huh? Everyone, stop!"

Count Axel, who had been leading his soldiers on a forced march for a long time, suddenly saw a troop in the distance and immediately ordered everyone to stop.

Just ahead, a well-disciplined and equally well-equipped army blocked the advance of Count Axel and his entourage.

"Heh, they're here pretty fast. I thought they'd arrive in the afternoon, but they're here before noon. Looks like this old man is really impatient!"

Liu Tianyu, Akavi, Eleanor, and Ark had already led their troops to the only road to intercept Count Axel.

What surprised Liu Tianyu was that Count Axel arrived too quickly. If he had led his troops later, they might not have been able to wait in comfort but would have been caught off guard.

Fortunately, Liu Tianyu had already assembled all his troops, so if Count Axel wanted to pass, he would have no choice but to fight a real battle.

But to fight a fair and square battle in the field is exactly what he wants!

Now, the Nord Royal Guards, Vigia Guards, and Sarand Guards at the forefront of the infantry are already itching to charge forward and wreak havoc.

The eyes of the veteran Nord soldiers, Vigia infantry, and Sarand infantry in the back row were bright and alert, waiting for Liu Tianyu's order.

On the left flank of the infantry, the Swadian knights, Sarand Mamluks, and Vygian knights in the cavalry were also ready to attack at any time, either to charge or to drag Count Axel's cavalry into a fierce melee.

On the right flank of the infantry was a unit of Khergit lancers and experienced Khergit horse archers, responsible for harassing guerrillas.

At the very back were two top-secret defensive lines composed of Rhodok sergeants, veteran Rhodok spearmen, Swadian sergeants, and Swadian infantry.

Their duty is quite simple: to protect the rear guard, which consists primarily of Vaegir archers, Rhodok archers, Swadian snipers, and Sarranid archery masters, supplemented by Vaegir archers, Rhodok veteran crossbowmen, Swadian crossbowmen, and Sarranid archers.

In addition, there was a reserve force of royal death-defying swordsmen and royal armored cavalry at the very back, bringing the total number of troops to 530.

In order to fight Count Axel, Liu Tianyu practically laid bare the entire resources of Storm Territory, including its six villages.

The purpose of doing this is to face his first real battle in the field and take the most important first step on his path of conquest!

"Count Axel's army is well-coordinated and well-equipped, no less than our troops. However, the coordination between the units is not very disciplined, which means they have just marched here quickly. We, on the other hand, have been waiting in ambush and have a numerical advantage over them. We will surely win this battle!"

Akavi stood in front of Liu Tianyu, constantly observing Count Axel's troops, and quickly analyzed the current situation.

"Well, Count Axel certainly didn't expect to run into such a tough opponent. He must be facing a dilemma now. To be honest, I really want to see his interesting expression!"

Elaine said with a mocking expression.

"Whether to fight or not, the initiative is now in our hands."

Yak simply said one sentence.

Liu Tianyu didn't speak again, but instead turned his attention to Count Axel's troops, which were beginning to get a little chaotic.

"My Lord, what should we do now? It's obvious that Viscount Storm came prepared, and judging from the quality of his army's equipment, they don't seem to be any worse than ours!"

In addition to his soldiers, Count Axel was accompanied on his campaign by eight knights.

Now that they saw Liu Tianyu leading a large army to block them, they, who had initially thought it was just an armed parade, suddenly became hesitant.

"Tsk, how is that possible? Just looking at the numbers, Viscount Storm's army is much larger than mine."

And their equipment is so sophisticated—where did he get his soldiers? Where did he find blacksmiths to forge so many weapons and equipment?

Count Axel, who was originally full of confidence and already thinking about how to deal with Liu Tianyu, couldn't help but grit his teeth as he looked at Liu Tianyu's well-disciplined and well-equipped troops.

Hearing the knight's words, Count Axel, his old face grim beneath the great helmet, took a deep breath and regained his usual composure, saying:

"What are you all panicking about? Don't forget, Stormhold is just a village with a population of just over two thousand. Now that Viscount Stormhold has brought out so many people, he's obviously desperate."

As for the equipment on those peasants? Ha, do you believe that? It's definitely just a smokescreen.

Even if we assume he really didn't know where he conjured up so many weapons and equipment from, those who wield them are still just a bunch of peasants. What, are you afraid of peasants?

Rather, what I'm most curious about right now is how Viscount Stormwind knew I was going to raid Stormwind Territory? Hmm!

Count Axel first gave a loud pep talk to bolster the somewhat uneasy morale, then his eyes, hidden beneath his helmet, began to scan the crowd with a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through their hearts.

“My lord, the fact that Viscount Storm was able to mobilize an entire army to our only route clearly indicates that someone leaked secrets. However, the most urgent task is not to find the mole, but to resolve the current situation!”

The eight knights were somewhat hesitant to meet Count Axel's hawk-like gaze and lowered their heads. However, one young knight mustered his courage and stepped forward to make a suggestion to Count Axel.

"Hmph, Sir Muke, you make a good point. The most important thing right now is to deal with the current situation. Hmph, after I've dealt with the Storm Territory matter, I'll go and find that undercover agent and hang him myself!"

Now, you will go and convey my wish to meet with Viscount Storm across the way, to him, that I may have a private meeting with him.

Seeing the young knight step forward, Count Axel took a deep breath and then gave him his orders.

"As you command, Your Excellency!"

The young knight named Muke had no objections and immediately pulled on the reins of his warhorse, charging towards Liu Tianyu's army formation.

"What a hothead!"

Seeing Muke's fearless and reckless demeanor, a seasoned knight muttered something under his breath.

"Oh, a knight has charged out from Count Axel's army. Looks like he's a messenger!"

Liu Tianyu looked at the knight charging towards his own army formation with a slightly amused expression.

"Whether it's us or them, we've already taken the stance; it's safe to say we're ready to fire."

Now Count Axel is still planning to send people over. What is he planning? Is he seeing how strong we are and preparing to surrender to us?

Elaine quipped with a smile.

"You'll know just by listening to what he says."

Liu Tianyu remained expressionless, also wanting to see what Count Axel was up to.

"Greetings, Lord of Stormwind!"

Knight Muke stopped his horse less than 30 meters from Liu Tianyu's army formation and then gave a formal greeting.

Upon hearing Knight Muk's voice, Liu Tianyu rode Snow Shadow slowly out of the army formation, removed his winged helmet, and stared at him expressionlessly, waiting for him to continue.

Looking at Liu Tianyu's face, which was even younger than his own, and the elite troops he led, Muke, who had become a knight at the age of twenty-two, suddenly felt ashamed of himself.

However, he quickly regained his composure and continued:

“Greetings, I am Sir Muke En, and I have come to pay my respects on the orders of my lord, Count Ludendorf Essele, Lord of Axel.”

After he finished speaking, he performed a simple salute on horseback.

"Greetings, Sir Muk. I am curious, what brings your master, Earl Axel, with you and so many soldiers to Stormy Plains?"

Liu Tianyu's expression was calm, and his tone was deep and unfathomable.

"My lord, Earl Axel, has brought so many people to visit Stormy Plains to pay our respects to Viscount Stormy Plains."

After all, the Stormy Plains are notorious for natural disasters and man-made calamities. For my lord's own safety, I brought more people with me. I hope you can understand.

Muke's answer, on the other hand, was perfectly watertight.

"This isn't just a small number of extra people; I think it's a huge number!"

Count Axel must have brought all the elite troops of Axel with him, hasn't he? Such a grand visit is hardly something I can accept!

Since the initiative was now on his side, Liu Tianyu saw no need to feign politeness and brought the topic to the forefront.

"Hehe, Viscount Storm is quite the joker. Well, it's like this, my lord, Earl Axel, wishes to meet with you alone to clear up any misunderstandings. I wonder if Viscount Storm has the courage to do so?"

Hearing Liu Tianyu's undisguised words, Muke felt embarrassed and had no choice but to speak frankly.

My lord, Count Axel, wishes to meet with you alone; it remains to be seen whether you have the courage.

"A clumsy attempt to provoke me. Do you think I, an eighteen-year-old, would be afraid of Count Axel, an old man with one foot in the grave?"

"Hmph, I'll set up a camp between the two armies. If that old Deng dares, he's welcome to come at me. I'd like to know if he can spit out dragon teeth!"

After Liu Tianyu finished speaking, he glanced at Muke, said nothing more, and returned to the army formation. Soon, more than a dozen soldiers rushed out and began to set up camp.

Seeing that Liu Tianyu had stopped talking and started to act, Muke had no choice but to pull the reins and return to Count Axel's army, relaying Liu Tianyu's words to Count Axel in detail.

"Haha, young people, they're just so hot-blooded!"

After hearing Muke's retelling, Count Axel removed his helmet and burst into laughter, seemingly unconcerned about Liu Tianyu's sarcastic remarks.

However, the cold glint that flashed in his slightly narrowed eyes indicated that he was definitely not as magnanimous as he appeared on the surface.

"My Lord Earl, that scion of Viscount Storm was so rude to you, why don't we just attack him directly!"

"That's right! Your Excellency, didn't you say that the guys over there are just a bunch of peasants putting on airs? I believe that I can crush them with just one charge of my cavalry!"

"Mar, you're blind! Didn't you see their disciplined military bearing? They have no shortage of cavalry either. What will they do if they get caught up in melee combat?"

Before Count Axel could even speak, his knights were already in high spirits, eager to help their lord out of his predicament.

"Enough! We just arrived here after a forced march. The most important thing for the soldiers now is to rest. How much fighting power will a tired army have left?"

I'm going to meet with that arrogant young man, Viscount Storm, to buy you as much time as possible. You all need to rest and regroup!

Hearing his knights chattering amongst themselves, Count Axel roared at them like an eagle with its mane and beard bristling.

Although the eagle was old, its imposing presence remained, and it quickly silenced the chattering knights.

"While I'm gone, you all need to rest and prepare, then command the troops and get ready. Once I return after negotiations with that kid break down, I want everyone to be in combat readiness!"

Count Axel gave a final word of advice, then turned and rode his black horse toward the camp that had already been set up in the center.

"Ho, Count Axel, I didn't expect you to actually come. It seems you, eagle, still have some courage. I thought you had lost all your spirit after being frightened by my military might!"

Liu Tianyu, who was already sitting in his tent slowly drinking tea, looked at Count Axel as he entered the tent with a slightly surprised expression.

Liu Tianyu really didn't expect Count Axel to dare to come to the camp alone, so he planned to leisurely drink a cup of tea and then go straight back to the army.

"Hehe, how could I, as an elder, refuse an invitation from a young man like Viscount Storm?"

Count Axel wore a kind smile, as if he were truly a benevolent elder.

If you ignore the fact that he was wearing a blinding full suit of mithril plate armor and a magical sword that looked like it was glowing with fire hanging at his waist...

"Hehe, now that you know you're almost in your grave, don't suddenly cause any trouble. I'm really worried you'll ruin your reputation in your later years!"

Hearing that Count Axel was trying to adopt a superior attitude, Liu Tianyu didn't say much, but simply poured him a cup of tea.

Hearing Liu Tianyu's sarcasm, Count Axel remained unfazed, calmly sat down, took a sip of tea, and continued:

"I'm curious, how did you know I would come to Stormy Plains, and how did you happen to have your army deployed? Don't talk about coincidences, even a child wouldn't believe that."

"That's a novel idea! You can plant spies in my camp, so why can't I plant spies in yours? It's just a pity that all the spies you planted have been imprisoned by me, while you haven't been able to find my spies."

Alright, let's be frank. Right now, my army is stronger than yours in both quantity and quality, and this is my home turf. So, what do you plan to do now?