The Witcher: Make Witcher Great Again

Chapter 415 A Great Victory Over the Enemy Army
The nobles were in an uproar, and King Niedamir was also having a hard time.

Even as the nobles were attacking each other, they did not forget him.

Every now and then, someone would bring up his old grievances: if King Niedamir hadn't agreed to King Ryd's request to invade the Talgo Kingdom, the Grand Duke of Koviel wouldn't be here to settle scores with them now.

No matter how you look at it, today's situation is entirely King Niedamir's doing.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, if nothing was done soon, they might start stabbing each other in the back before Kowell's army even arrived...

At that moment, a soldier suddenly ran in from outside.

"Your Majesty, the Koviel army has arrived."

King Niedamir was invigorated upon hearing this.

He never imagined that he would ever feel a sense of relief upon hearing that Kowell's army was attacking.

He sent people to summon the other nobles to the city walls, while his servants dressed him in armor.

When he finally donned his armor, grabbed his weapon, and rushed to the city wall...

And finally, they saw the Kovel army that the messenger had mentioned.

The other side stopped far outside the city.

To King Niedamir's bewilderment, the enemy forces neither attacked nor besieged the city.

The other side didn't even cut down any trees to prepare for setting up camp.

What exactly is the other party doing?
Although it's unclear what the other side is thinking, continuing this stalemate would undoubtedly be advantageous to our side.

King Niedamir naturally wished that the other party would stay there forever, or even until the seas dried up and the rocks crumbled.

Just then, the other nobles finally arrived.

After understanding the current situation, the other nobles were also puzzled by the actions of the Kowell army.

And their thoughts were the same as King Niedamir's.

Dragging it out will only benefit them, not harm them.

However, the wishes of King Niedamir and the nobles were destined to be in vain.

Because the opposing Kowell army suddenly moved.

Instead of attacking the city, they turned around and left Creo City.

The soldiers on the city wall, who had been tense and uneasy, suddenly erupted in thunderous cheers.

Although we don't know what happened, it's always good that we don't have to fight.

Some of the nobles also wore smiles.

They believed that their allied forces had deterred the Kowell army, causing the other side to back down.

But King Niedamir, and a considerable number of nobles, were not so optimistic.

They always felt that something was wrong.

But what exactly it is, they can't quite put their finger on.

at last……

A nobleman from Holoppel discovered the truth:

"Holoppel!"

As the nobleman exclaimed in surprise, the other nobles, whether they were deep in thought or cheering, suddenly realized what was happening.

indeed.

Kowell's army did turn around.

But the direction they were heading was damn high, right in the direction of Holoppel!

It should be noted that Holoppel was undefended at this time.

If Kowell's army had actually gone there, even if they had only raised a flag, the people in the city would have been so frightened that they would have surrendered by raising a white flag.

As a result, the nobles from Holoppel began to get anxious.

"Your Majesty Niedamir, we must pursue Kovir's army; we cannot simply let them attack Holoppel."

Before King Niedamir could speak, the nobles of Kreo stepped forward to offer their advice.

"Don't get excited, Kowell's army may not necessarily be going to attack Holoppel City."

"The territory they're going to attack isn't yours, so of course you're not in a hurry."

"What did you say?!"

"Quiet down! How dare you make such a racket before His Majesty like those ignorant commoners! Do you still have any dignity or elegance as nobles?"

"Your Majesty Niedamir, if you have any concerns, please at least allow us, the nobles of Holoppel, to lead our troops in pursuit!"

“Your Majesty, this could be a trick by the Koviel army. Istrad of the Thyssen family spent twenty years scheming and plotting to finally reclaim the throne of Koviel. Like lord, like vassal. His grand dukes may be just as treacherous and cunning as he is. I think we must not act rashly, or we may fall into the enemy's trap.”

Seeing that the nobles of Creo and Kangon had united to oppose the pursuit, the nobles of Holoppel were all furious.

Consider the lessons of Marlul and Kreidon; if Holoppel follows in their footsteps, the nobles of Holoppel do not believe that King Niedamir and the other nobles will help them reclaim their lost territory.

Just then, Count Cleo suddenly stepped forward and said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, I have a proposal that could extricate us from our current predicament."

King Niedamir's face lit up with joy: "Speak quickly."

“We can send some scouts to follow the enemy at a distance to see if they are just using a smokescreen or if they are really going to attack Holoppel.”

"Holopell is several days' journey from here. Once the scouts confirm that the enemy is indeed heading straight for Holopell, it won't be too late for our army to pursue them."

Everyone else was simply venting their emotions, but Count Cleo offered a solution.

The nobles of Kangon and the other nobles of Cleo City had no objections, only the nobles of Holoppel still had objections.

"What if the enemy arrives at Holoppel before our army? The city is poorly defended, and we don't know if reinforcements will arrive."

"If the Kowell army seizes Holoppel first, it will be difficult for our army to take it back."

Count Cleo was not angry when his proposal was questioned; instead, he smiled and replied.

"Gentlemen of Holoppel, there is no need to be anxious. When faced with any problem, being hasty will not solve anything."

"You may have been too angry and forgot that the Bra River behind Creo City originates from the Flying Dragon Mountains and flows through Holoppel City as well."

“As long as we sail upstream to the north, we will definitely be able to reach Holoppel before the Kowell army.”

Count Cleo spoke with great conviction.

Now the nobles of Holoppel had no objections.

The city gates of Cleo opened, and a dozen cavalrymen galloped out, heading in the direction where Kovir's army had left.

Meanwhile, the nobles who remained in Cleo were not doing nothing; they began to requisition ships.

Half a day later, several cavalrymen returned to Creo City and reported what they had seen to the impatient noble lords.

"The Kowell army has been advancing towards Holoppel without looking back, it seems they are indeed going to attack Holoppel."

Upon hearing this, the nobles of Holoppel immediately stood up: "Let's go!"

"and many more!"

The nobles of Holoppel looked at Count Cleo, who had spoken, and said angrily, "What's there to wait for? Haven't we already confirmed the enemy's movements?"

However, Count Cleo didn't even glance at them. Instead, he walked up to the few cavalrymen who had come to report and were kneeling on one knee: "Has the enemy spotted you?"

"No, Your Excellency, we heeded your advice and always carefully followed the enemy from a distance, maintaining a great distance at all times."

How many enemies do you see?

"We...we didn't see clearly."

"How can you be sure that it's the enemy's main force? What if the enemy only left a small force to distract you?"

“My lord, although we couldn’t see the number of the enemy, we did see that the dust from their marching column was very thick, so it couldn’t have been just a small force.”

King Niedamir, who had remained silent until now, asked, "Count Cleo?"

Although it was Count Cleo who proposed the idea, his voice now lacked confidence: "Your Majesty, I have a bad feeling. I think we should wait a little longer."

The nobles of Holoppel were immediately thrown into an uproar.

It was clearly agreed that once the enemy's movements were confirmed, the army would immediately head north along the Bula River.

What does it mean to say that we have to wait a little longer?
You see, the Bula River flows down from the Flying Dragon Mountains, and now they're going to go upstream along the Bula River to Holoppel, which is against the current.

Even though traveling by water is faster than traveling by land, going against the current is never as good as going with the current.

If they delay for too long, it's hard to say whether they will be able to catch up with the enemy before they reach Holoppel.

Therefore, King Niedamir finally decided that the entire army should immediately board the ships and pursue the enemy.

Two hours later, it gradually got dark.

Some suggested that we should go ashore to rest and continue our journey the next day.

However, this was met with unanimous opposition from the nobles of Holoppel.

What if Kowell's army continues their march at night as well?
But this time, King Nidamir did not tolerate their misbehavior.

The Bula River is not like the Pontal or the Yaruga; its channel is much narrower, especially towards Holoppel.

It's alright when visibility is clear during the day, but at night, even with torches, it's no different from being blind.

Especially since they were marching on the river.

Although soldiers could be arranged to take turns rowing, visibility was poor at night, making the probability of an accident too high.

If an accident occurs, the casualties are one thing, but more importantly, it will cause blockage of the river.

Once the river channel is blocked, cleaning it will be a real hassle and will take even longer.

Therefore, despite the opposition from the nobles of Holoppel, King Niedamir ultimately overruled their objections and ordered them to go ashore, set up camp, rest for one night, and then continue their journey.

Nothing happened that night.

The next day at dawn, the Allied forces continued their march.

After sailing on the river for half a day, someone suddenly noticed that several boats loaded with firewood were moored side by side in the middle of the river ahead.

Furthermore, a faint smell of oil can be detected in the air.

On both sides of the river, an army was already in formation, ready for battle.

It was as if they had been waiting for them for a long time.

The army deployed on both sides of the river was flying a banner with a black and gold double-headed eagle.

"It's the Kowell Army!"

A sharp-eyed soldier exclaimed in surprise.

King Niedamir also saw it.

He immediately realized that this was a trap.

"Stop the boat! Stop the boat now!"

Unfortunately, it was too late.

At a command, the Kovel soldiers on both banks threw torches onto the boats, which were piled with firewood and doused with oil.

Soon, a fire broke out on the ship.

Then they untied the ropes binding the boat and let the fire ship drift downstream.

As mentioned earlier, the Bula River originates from the Flying Dragon Mountains.

In other words, the ships that King Niedamir and his entourage were on were going upstream, while once the Kovir soldiers untied the ropes of the fire ships, the fire ships went downstream and headed straight for the Allied fleet.

The Bula River is narrow, and it becomes even narrower as you move towards Holoppel.

Turning around is impossible in this narrow river channel.

Sliding directly backwards is not impossible.

However, in this state of panic, there is only one possible outcome: the river will be blocked.

Apart from the Humphries soldiers near the riverbank who were able to react quickly and jump ashore, the rest could only watch helplessly as the burning fire ships crashed into the Allied fleet.

A piercing scream immediately rang out.

The Humphries soldiers were engulfed in flames, a scene resembling hell.

The fire began to spread to the rear of the Allied fleet.

Panic and fear prevented the soldiers from navigating the boats to a safe distance, instead completely blocking the waterway.

They had no choice but to abandon ship and flee to shore.

shhhhh--

Meanwhile, the Kovel soldiers positioned on both sides of the river had formed a semi-circular encirclement of the Allied soldiers.

The first row of Kovel longbowmen fired horizontally, while the second and third rows of longbowmen fired volleys.

Arrows rained down, and allied soldiers fell one after another into pools of blood.

"Everyone, move towards me!"

Even at this point, King Niedamir was still unwilling to give up.

He shouted loudly under the cover of some guards.

Some panicked soldiers, upon hearing his words, seemed to have found their pillar of support and gathered around him.

"Raise your shield!"

The shields were erected like a shield wall.

The incoming arrows stuck in the shield.

Even if stray arrows occasionally penetrate the gaps in the shield wall.

However, the gap in the shield wall was quickly plugged again.

"Listen to my command..."

King Niedamir was interrupted by the heavy sound of horses' hooves before he could finish speaking.

He was stunned for a moment, and then through the gaps in the shield wall, he saw that there were hundreds of shock cavalrymen, arranged in a wedge formation, charging towards them.

Each member of this shock cavalry carried a long lance under his arm, and not only were the men dressed in reflective armor, but even their warhorses were clad in armor.

The terrifying sense of oppression made many Allied soldiers' legs go weak.

After all, armored cavalry is essentially the tank of the cold weapon era.

Despite his bravery, Wallace commanded a group of ragged peasants who, with just spears, utterly defeated the English heavy cavalry.

But in reality, heavily armored cavalrymen who have increased their speed cannot be stopped by a few spears.

It was also something that the remnant army temporarily assembled by King Niedamir could not stop.

When the cavalry was about thirty meters away from the Allied forces, several Witchers at the head of the wedge formation each took out two high-grade honeycomb bombs and threw them into the Allied formation.

Boom boom boom!
After an explosion, the shield wall formation that the Allied forces had been able to maintain was instantly shattered.

Taking advantage of this great opportunity, the cavalry charged into the already chaotic ranks of the Allied forces, cutting through them as if they were in an empty field, leaving only a trail of blood and flesh.

"kill!"

Lynn drew the Lake Maiden's sword and slashed downwards.

Kowell's infantry also attacked from all directions.

The heavily damaged Allied soldiers could no longer hold on and began to scatter and flee.

(End of this chapter)