I'm not a lord

Chapter 324 Armored and Shielded
War has always been a game for the brave.

When he heard that a small group of enemy troops had secretly escaped, Count Vasa's first thought was not to pursue the fleeing group, but to attack the enemy's main camp.

From Vasa's perspective, since the enemy chose a tactic similar to sacrificing a pawn to save the king, then the enemy's command structure and core forces should be in that retreating force of two or three thousand men.

This unit was prepared to retreat, so its marching speed must have been extremely fast. Moreover, it took advantage of the darkness to move ahead of time, so it would probably be very difficult to catch up with them.

Moreover, the risk of pursuing this force is extremely high.

After all, the enemy still had more than 7,000 men left in their camp. If Vasa led his troops to pursue them, the city of Solu would most likely fall into enemy hands.

At that time, it would be his troops who would be caught in the crossfire, and they would be wiped out if they were not careful.

Therefore, attacking a camp that appears to be heavily fortified by a large force is actually a relatively safer option.

"Brother, when should we attack?"

Damien was fully armed, not only wearing a helmet but also carrying a gleaming axe on his back. He rubbed his hands together impatiently.

Count Vasa of Mirror Iron was putting on his plate armor with the help of his attendants. He first glanced at the still dark window, then turned to his brother and replied, "No rush. Let's wait until all the soldiers are ready before we attack, preferably an hour before dawn."

The plate armor he was wearing was presented by his subordinates, who said it was stripped from the corpse of a knight from the South.

Although the size was slightly unsuitable and there were still faint traces of blood at the joints of some rivets, Count Mirror Iron still loved it dearly.

Having fought on the battlefield for many years, he could naturally tell the difference between superior and inferior armor.

Once the war is over, he will gather skilled blacksmiths to mass-produce replicas of this armor.

It is said that the White River Territory in the north can produce a new type of armor that is of even higher quality than plate armor, but Lynn treasures it so much that he is unwilling to sell it to anyone.

In an attempt to steal the relevant technology, Vasa also sent many spies to the Three Rivers City and the White River Territory, but so far he has gained nothing.

"We have to wait? What if Lynn comes? Then we'll have to share the spoils with him." Damian's impatience was not without reason.

If we strike now, we can ensure that we get ahead of Lynn and have all the prisoners and spoils in the enemy camp to ourselves.

This invading army from the south has fought across hundreds of kilometers in the Valley Territory, capturing and looting numerous cities and estates, and must be incredibly wealthy.

The two or three thousand who escaped were lightly armed and carried little spoils; the majority of their loot was likely left behind in the camp.

The enemy commander has most likely already fled, leaving the remaining troops in the camp in disarray. They would probably collapse at the slightest provocation.

How can such a good fighter jet be wasted?

Damian was itching to strike immediately and seize the spoils of war.

Count Vasa of Mirror Iron glared at his younger brother and scolded him:
"The spoils of war are indeed valuable, but how can they compare to the lives of our soldiers? If we launch an attack now, the soldiers will not be properly armored, nor will they have time to drink water or eat anything. Do you expect them to attack the enemy camp in linen shirts?"

We've already taken the Valley Territory; our next target is the entire North. The Valley Territory is already lacking in excellent soldiers; how can we ignore the enormous future gains for a small, immediate benefit?

Damian is an illegitimate child and cannot inherit the territory, so he always prioritizes making money.

Vasa, on the other hand, has to consider more aspects, including the future development of the entire territory and his own power.

The city's garrison was completely unprepared for a night raid on the enemy camp.

Vasa decided to launch a night raid on a whim because of an unexpected situation.

Moreover, it is still unknown whether this is a trap set by the enemy, so we must make preparations before launching an attack.

“Brother, I understand. Please forgive my ignorance and shallowness.” Damian didn’t dare to argue and obediently lowered his head to admit his mistake.

The former Earl of Mirror Iron died young, and his elder brother was like a father to him. In Damian's eyes, Vasa, as the elder brother, was not much different from his father.

Without his elder brother's protection and approval, he, as an illegitimate son, would not have been able to hold a high position in the territory.

"Hmm." Count Vasa of Mirror Iron nodded slightly and instructed, "Go out and take a look, urge all troops to prepare as soon as possible, and be careful not to make any noise, so as not to alert the enemy outside the city."

Although his illegitimate younger brother was greedy, he also had some obvious merits. At least he was brave enough to charge into battle and was fairly loyal to him.

Before dawn, the four thousand defenders of Pikeperch City were fully prepared for their attack.

The soldiers put on their armor in the dark, and when they had a spare moment, they hastily ate a couple of bites of dry rations with cold water. They quickly assembled at the three city gates.

Looking up at the dark city gate, many soldiers could already foresee an unprecedented great victory.

Those damned Southerners are burning, killing, and looting on their land. They're all seething with rage and just want to unleash their fury on the Southerners.

Count Mirror Iron stood atop the city wall. Through the darkness of the night, and with the help of the campfires in the enemy camp, he could see squads of soldiers patrolling the camp, and enemy soldiers still standing on the watchtowers with spears.

Seeing that there seemed to be no panic in the enemy camp as expected, Earl Mirror Iron muttered to himself, "Strange, if Leiner has already led the main nobles to retreat, how could the remaining few thousand men not react at all?"

He was startled and thought to himself: Could this really be a trick by the enemy to lure me into a trap?

But then he dismissed that possibility.

No, that shouldn't be the case. Reiner must have known that Lynn landed on the south shore. If he doesn't leave now, he really won't be able to leave by dawn.

Lynn's reinforcements, along with the garrison in Perch City, outnumber the invading army from the South. They also have the advantage of home ground, a pincer attack, and terrain. There is no way Lyner can win!

Reiner must have already retreated with that small force beforehand, but he had made prior arrangements, and he had also specifically ordered most of his soldiers to launch a siege during the day, which caused these soldiers to sleep soundly and not notice anything amiss.

Yes, that must be the case!
Count Mirror Iron was also anxious.

He stood atop the city wall, turned to look at the rows of soldiers below, drew his longsword, and shouted, "On my command, the entire army will launch a simultaneous attack from all three gates according to the established plan. The target is the enemy camp to the south. Annihilate all those damned Southern Wild Dogs!"

Although he repeatedly admonished his younger brother not to value the spoils of war too much, after careful consideration, he actually coveted the conspicuous covered wagons inside the enemy camp.

Those were all spoils of war that the damned Southern Wild Dogs had seized from the Valley Territory; they all rightfully belonged to him!
Is it fair that he wants to take half of his money when Lynn arrives?

Moreover, Count Mirror Iron not only had his eye on the spoils of war, but also on the enemy's seven or eight thousand men.

Those enemy soldiers are all top-notch personnel; even if we can't afford to support them, we can throw them into the mines to work.

Faced with the invasion of the Southerners, Vasa's Mirror Iron Territory stronghold was the first to bear the brunt, and many miners suffered at the hands of the Southerners.

To make up for this loss, he also had to take over the enemy's camp.

We must take the enemy camp before Lynn does!
After giving the order, Count Mirror Iron strode down the city wall, mounted his beloved warhorse, and led his core force of one thousand cavalrymen out of the south gate.

Clad in armor and gag in their mouths, they charged straight into the enemy camp!
In this battle, Earl Mirror Iron mobilized over three thousand troops, leaving only a few hundred elderly and weak to garrison Perch City. However, even though Earl Mirror Iron tried his best to conceal his movements, he still could not escape the notice of the Southern Army sentries.

With over a thousand cavalrymen and two thousand infantrymen, even in the dead of night, and despite taking every possible measure to conceal their movements, the noise they made was still astonishing.

Count Reiner was, after all, a veteran general with a long history of military discipline. The combination of daytime marches and nighttime sieges did not hinder the effectiveness of his hidden sentries.

This is why successful night raids in history inevitably bring fame, and why many military generals and strategists oppose night raids.

This is simply because the success rate of a night raid is extremely low.

In most cases, the success of a night raid depends entirely on the skill of the enemy commander.

If the enemy has even a little bit of skill, even just a little, the night raid will not succeed.

Under Count Reiner's arrangement, these sentries were distributed in the narrow strip of land between the camp and the town of Pikeperch.

Limited by their line of sight, the sentries could only notice the movements of the city's garrison, but not the small groups of friendly troops secretly retreating from the rear of the camp.

Upon noticing a large number of cavalry pouring out of Perch City, the Southern Army's sentries immediately blew their bone whistles, the piercing sound instantly cutting through the night sky.

"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"

The soldiers on the watchtower then blew their bone whistles, and the Southern Army's camp was thrown into chaos.

Even if the soldiers who were attacking the city overnight were exhausted, they had to force themselves to put on their armor despite their fatigue, as they were well aware of the terror of a night raid.

At the same time, Count Reiner, who was wearing plate armor and dozing off on his pillow, suddenly opened his eyes.

The enemy is here?

He was instantly wide awake, grabbed his sword, and rushed out of the tent: "What's going on? Where are the enemy troops?"

The attendant guarding the tent entrance had already learned of the enemy situation and shouted back, "My lord, a large number of enemy troops are attacking the camp. They seem to be the garrison of the city of Perch!"

"Perch City? Good, good timing!" Count Reiner was more pleased than surprised.

Count Mirror Iron's night raid was exactly what he wanted.

After all, the city of Pluton only had about four thousand people, while the army he left in the camp numbered seven thousand.

As long as the enemy's reinforcements haven't arrived, with 7,000 against 4,000, the advantage is definitely his!

If we can defeat this rashly attacking enemy force, we might be able to take advantage of the situation and capture the city of Shoal.

At that time, he will be able to use the defenses of Perch City to hold back the two Northern army offensives.

This could not only cover the withdrawal of the core troops, but also potentially allow them to hold out until Harvey arrives with reinforcements.

If the two of them join forces, they might be able to turn the tide and defeat Count Lynn of Shirakawa and Count Vasa of Mirror Iron in one fell swoop!

Count Reiner immediately realized the enormous opportunity hidden behind this battle. Without thinking twice, he waved to his servants.

"Follow me, come with me to the North Camp immediately!"

Leiner set up three camps in total: north, central, and south. The three camps were arranged in a north-south line south of Perch City. He himself was stationed in the central camp, while the southern camp had been secretly wiped out under his orders.

The key to this battle was undoubtedly the northern camp, which was closest to the city of Pike-perch.

If the four thousand soldiers of the Northern Camp can withstand the enemy's offensive, and then the soldiers of the Central Camp can flank them from both sides, the battle will be won.

On the way, Reiner encountered several mid-level commanders from the central camp. After ordering them to seize the opportunity to move out, he ran briskly towards the northern camp.

At the same time, after seeing the enemy's scouts' reaction, Count Vasa immediately ordered his cavalry to drop all disguises and rush straight to the enemy camp at top speed.

Since it can't be hidden anymore, there's no need to hide it any longer.

With three armies advancing simultaneously, the night raid has evolved into a full-scale assault. Therefore, we must break into the enemy camp before the enemy can fully react!

The mere three kilometers were covered in the blink of an eye by the cavalry charging at full speed.

Due to a lack of time to prepare, the enemy camp's defensive facilities were quite rudimentary, lacking deep trenches and barricades, consisting only of two rows of hastily erected wooden fences.

These well-trained Mirror Iron Cavalrymen worked in perfect coordination. The vanguard cavalrymen quickly dismounted, hacked and pried open the fences, while the following cavalrymen charged into the enemy ranks despite sporadic crossbow bolts.

As they rode their horses recklessly through the camp, they shouted slogans they had prepared beforehand.

Count Reiner had just reached the gate of the northern camp when he heard enemy soldiers shouting from the north, "Reiner has fled! Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately!"

Upon hearing this, he immediately sensed something was wrong: Had the enemy already discovered the unit that had secretly escaped?
At this moment, the morale of the Northern Camp was in chaos, and many soldiers of the Southern Army lost their will to fight after hearing that their commander had fled.

Some mid-level officers, finding themselves unable to locate their superiors, were equally disoriented and confused.

Reiner ran into the north gate of the camp, grabbed a panicked soldier who hadn't even had time to put on his helmet, and shouted, "Why did you run away?"

The soldier, barefoot and bleary-eyed, asked with a bewildered look, "Leiner ran away, why shouldn't I? Who are you, and why aren't you running?"

Earl Reiner raised his hand and slapped him: "I am Reiner!"

"what?"

The soldier was instantly jolted awake by the slap, and he stood at attention. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were Earl Reiner! Please forgive me, Earl!"

Reiner pushed the soldier aside and shouted to the soldiers fleeing south beside him, "I am Earl Reiner, I did not run away!"

His attendants immediately understood and shouted in unison, "Count Reiner is right here! He didn't run away!"

Many soldiers had seen Reiner before, and upon hearing the voice, they immediately stopped running and quickly gathered around him.

As Reiner ran and shouted, he gathered hundreds of soldiers who were trying to escape in less than two minutes.

Then, he ran right into a hundred or so cavalrymen led by Count Vasa of Mirror Iron.

"That's Reiner, kill him!"

Enemies meeting are bound to be furious, and Vasa charged forward with his lance.

(End of this chapter)