You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 293 Welcoming Our King
This winter is particularly cold.

The Jihadist army deployed 3,000 troops downstream of the Bro River to prevent Roman's army from crossing the border.

The area was originally a desolate wilderness with mixed forests, rarely visited by people and undeveloped.

Roman landed here when he plundered the territory of Kant, fought against the noble coalition, and fought against the anti-rebel army.

The three wars were each larger in scale than the last.

With people and horses trampling and supplies being transported, the laborers cleared away the thicket of miscellaneous trees and renovated it into a simple ferry crossing.

Now it has actually made things easier for the Jihad Army – as long as the key crossings downstream are blocked, there will be no more large-scale landing crossings for dozens of miles up and down the Bro River.

The Jihadist army built camps here, cut down trees for warmth, and had a very short supply line to Kande, which could be delivered in just three days. It was practically impregnable, and it was difficult for any army to get ashore from the river.

Just as it is difficult for external forces to invade Origin City, it is not easy for Origin City to escape.

Heris is the garrison commander and a member of the Sinnoh nobility.

When he learned that Roman's fleet had appeared on the river, he immediately assembled the holy war army and began to deploy his troops.

In the autumn, the Holy War Army launched an attack on Origin City, but suffered a crushing defeat.

Because the number of crossbowmen in Origin City was too large, and they weren't even an army, they were driven back.

Those hateful yet pitiful scoundrels, completely disregarding the Holy See emblems and divine symbols floating on their ships, dared to fire crossbow bolts at them!
They've come to help them, to rescue them from the clutches of blasphemers and evil witches!
Heris believed that the crossbowmen had been deceived by the blasphemers.

If they have any intention of repenting, then spare their lives. If they have no intention of repenting, then kill the witch along with them. Those who do not believe in the gods cannot be saved.

'Roman the Blasphemer, what goes around comes around. This time, I'll let you taste what it's like to be covered in arrows!' Heris thought to himself.

He was convinced that the blasphemers were only acting out of spite and wouldn't be arrogant for long.

The Jihadist army's crossbows were already poised for action.

Half of his garrison consisted of archers, giving them a significant advantage.

The Papacy and the Holy See were wealthy and powerful, and the Holy War Army carried more than 100,000 arrows.

But it would be more than enough to defend for several days, and who knows how many casualties those arrows would cause.

Heris firmly believed that the Holy War Army would strangle the blasphemers in this valley!
Get out of customs?

Don't even think about it!

As they drew closer, the outline of the ship gradually became clearer, and the target was only three hundred meters away.

The ship's thorn-ringed flag was very eye-catching: a white flag, bright red iron rings, and several golden spears inserted inside.

Heris squinted and gazed into the distance.

Archers stood at the riverbank ferry, armed and ready for battle.

But before the marshal could give any orders, they could vaguely hear some commotion in the rear, and the commotion was getting bigger and bigger.

"What happened?!" Herris exclaimed angrily.

To cause a disturbance in the face of battle and disrupt the formation is a major taboo in the army and can result in execution.

"Marshal! Enemy attack! Enemy attack from the rear! Knights! They're all infantry knights!"

An urgent report came from the soldiers guarding the rear of the camp.

A jet-black crow swept across the mixed woods next to the camp and plunged into the water.

"Cuck!!"

It let out a mournful cry.

The river was deep and cold, and the crows cried out, their cries echoing through the empty valley.

Heris suddenly realized that the fleet had increased its speed. He was immediately thrown into a panic. There was definitely an enemy attack coming from behind, but where did it come from?

They're all warrior knights? How is that possible?!
Bullshit! Helping a blasphemer is tantamount to making an enemy of the entire world of gods. Who has such audacity and courage?
"Fire the arrows!" he shouted.

There was no time to think; the ships had already entered firing range.

As arrows rained down, the unrest in the rear spread rapidly like a plague, becoming increasingly clear.

It was as if an invisible wall was rapidly advancing; anyone who touched it only had time to scream before falling silent.

The soldiers guarding the riverbank also began to feel uneasy, not knowing what was happening.

"Ah!" someone screamed again.

Herris turned his head abruptly, his pupils shrinking. An unfamiliar army was charging out of their camp. These strangers had clearly come at breakneck speed, their breaths mingling with the cold air to form a thick white mist.

They were well-trained and agile, consisting of dozens of squads, each with about ten men, some wielding spears and others carrying light shields, who directly pierced their buttocks.

The rear guards attempted to engage them, but were swiftly and decisively killed. They encountered no resistance along the way and suffered no casualties.

Because they were all wearing steel plate armor forged from complete sheets!

Herist was stunned.

This is equipment for a battle knight. Where did these hundreds of people come from?

The infantry knights, leading the charge, roared, "Fifth Battalion! Sixth Battalion! Follow me and smash them to pieces! Prepare to welcome our king!"

The two flag bearers at the rear raised five-meter-high flagpoles, with banners hanging at the top fluttering in the wind, and thorny iron rings leaping out from them, echoing the flags of the boats on the river.

Herris was struck dumb!
Hundreds of foot knights charged into the crowd like sharp blades piercing pork, wreaking havoc.

Heris was horrified to realize he was doomed. He tried to get the garrison to fight the attackers from the rear, but turning the rear into the front line was too difficult, and most of them didn't know who to fight.

Bang!
The boats that had been drifting on the river finally came to shore, and one after another, lightly armored soldiers jumped off.

Fighting is taking place at the front lines, and fighting is also taking place in the rear.

……

Half an hour later, the entire riverbank was stained red with blood.

Marshal Heris was killed in battle, and the defending army's camp was completely wiped out.

More than 1,500 people were either killed on the spot or, having nowhere else to go, jumped into the river and froze or drowned.

They captured approximately 700 people, and several hundred others took advantage of the chaos to hurriedly disappear into the wild forest. The pursuit was too difficult, so the valley army chose to abandon them and let them go.

The seven hundred veterans, panting heavily, took a short rest under the supervision of their respective squad leaders and company commanders, and then stood in neat rows on the riverbank.

A sailboat drifted ashore and crashed into the bank. Dozens of soldiers pulled on ropes to keep it stable.

Roman climbed down the makeshift wooden ladder step by step from the sailboat until his feet touched the blood-stained ground, where the corpses had been cleared to the sides.

"The Fifth and Sixth Battalions respectfully welcome Your Majesty. We hope these scenes have not offended you." The returning battalion commander knelt on one knee.

Roman came up to him. "Get up. Fana, when did you learn to be so glib?"

Fana stood up. Half a year ago, Roman appointed him as the battalion commander, leading the 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions to aid Haibao. It was a test, and he did very well. Now he has returned with the first two battalions.

“You’ve given us so much to learn,” Fana said. He was strong, dark-skinned, and muscular. He used to be a guard in Sig’s town and was now quite capable of handling things on his own.

"I'll teach you something useful."

“You sent us out to study, but without you, we can’t tell what’s useful…” Fana looked at Roman, his thick beard twitching from not being groomed for days, and said with undisguised joy, “Now we’re back by your side.”

"Hmph..." Roman snorted softly.

He tilted his head slightly, glancing at him sideways, and then gently raised his right hand in an incredibly elegant gesture.

The captain bowed down devoutly and respectfully, his expression filled with joy. He took the right hand as if it were a precious treasure, bent down, and gently kissed the back of the hand with his lips.

(End of this chapter)