Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

Leslaufer certainly didn't intend to make Angelita and the others repeat the path he had taken, and the same was true for other employers, especially since the person in charge of the Outer Territory was now Skudy.

“Well then, I am truly honored,” Skadi said with a smile and bowed to Angelita after hearing Raslaufer’s request. “To have an imperial princess as a bodyguard is an honor that even the king probably doesn’t have. Rest assured, I have no intention of joining the fray, and the two of you will be perfectly safe with me.”

This sounds a bit absurd, but everyone understands that when Raslaufer says he wants Angelita and Marie to be Skuld's bodyguards, it's actually Skuld who needs to protect Angelita.

“In that case, I’m relieved,” Leslaufer nodded with satisfaction. “Is the plan finalized? If not, I can introduce you to some experts in this field—hopefully they’re still in Eastern Inassassins.”

A declaration of war is a declaration of war, and conscription is conscription. Although both sides have entered a state of war, arming the rural farmers is not something that can be done in an instant. The two sides will not actually engage in combat for about a week, at which point it will be perfectly timely to formulate a strategy.

“Thank you, but you needn’t trouble yourself with this matter,” the countess chuckled. “Have you forgotten? You left me another Duple, and he’s already taken care of the manpower for this.”

"Based on intelligence and the advisors' calculations, we can mobilize approximately 56 knights and their squires, which is about 150 men; 300 to 500 militiamen; plus 500 professional soldiers. Doble's ratio is probably 20 to 15 to 1. And the forces that Nedoule can mobilize will definitely not be more than that."

“That means the strength is roughly equal, so we still can’t be careless.” The argument that “there won’t be more” couldn’t fool a veteran, but Leslaufer was still quite satisfied with the number. “Five hundred mercenaries? Our King must have spent a lot of money.”

“After all, it was my father who was assassinated. Anyone would have lost their mind in that situation,” Skuld said. She was unaware that the person who killed King Erich was standing right in front of her. “That’s part of our confidence. Although the number of conscripts in Nedolle may make our numbers seem comparable on paper, the quality of professional soldiers is far superior to that of the militia.”

"Even in Eastern Inasas, it's the same—unless this is Ampiri."

“Then, we need to make the most of our advantages…” Angelita fell into thought, and then she noticed the topographical map on the table next to Skadi. “Is this a map of the area around our territory and the enemy’s territory? Can I borrow this?”

“You can do whatever you want, Your Highness. Please consider this your other home, even if you are not wealthy,” Skadi laughed. “I have nothing to offer, so I can only give you everything.”

“Please don’t say that, I just wanted to take a look, um…” After browsing the map for a while, Angelita closed her eyes, seemingly recalling something. After a moment, she pointed to an area drawn on the map, “What is this place?”

“That’s a valley formed by the confluence of two hills, wide at both ends and narrow in the middle, without a precise name,” Skottie said after a glance. “In the beginning, the inner and outer Dole territories were divided along the edge of this place. However, due to constant friction between the two sides, the boundary has been constantly changing. Now, as you can see, about 80% of this area is within our territory, but in return, we have lost several farms and fields.”

"It's a losing proposition." "Exactly, but there's no other way."

“Perhaps we can take advantage of the terrain here,” Angelita casually picked up some small items from the table, representing the two armies, “Do you have a habit of agreeing on battle locations?”

“Eastern Inassassins doesn’t have that many formalities, Anne,” Leslaufer cautioned, “and it’s winter now, without the busy farming season and various festivals, so the major religious orders probably won’t get involved in this matter.”

“So, following the usual marching routes, I think we can predict that the battle will take place in this location,” Raslaufer pointed to the open area next to the valley. “There are no towns or castles, and large tracts of farmland are barren, so there will be no additional losses. It’s also open terrain, making it a very suitable battlefield.”

Raslaufer liked this kind of place, where he could see everything that threatened him and what he threatened at a glance. Although the knights' charge was troublesome, it was a small-scale battle after all, with only a little over a hundred knights on both sides combined, which was not much.

For the militia, such a place allows them to fully utilize their skills without fighting amongst themselves in the chaos.

“Uncle Raslaufer’s judgment is certainly correct,” Angelita nodded, but resolutely slapped a brass brooch on the valley again. “So we must fight them here; only in this way can we gain a complete advantage.”

“By limiting the militia’s effectiveness, we’ll push the mercenaries to the front,” Raslaufer saw through Angelita’s intentions and moved his finger to the patterns depicting hills. “We can even ambush some of the crossbowmen in advance, or construct simple fortifications to further expand our advantage. It’s unethical, but effective.”

"The only problem is, why would they give up their advantageous terrain to come here? Anne, even if you are a princess, you can't order your enemies to do as you say."

Chapter 397 Inside and Outside Doule

The counterattack from Nedoule was swift.

As a qualified lord, keeping enemies out of the territory is the most basic requirement. If you allow the enemy to enter the territory to plunder, burn, kill, or even attack the castle, even if you win the battle, the losses will be far greater than if you lose.

An army of over a thousand men, carrying various equipment, advanced in an orderly fashion along the main road between the two territories. The newly enthroned earl, leading the ranks, was accompanied by seven hundred heavily armed mercenaries and knights in the center. Seventy knights and the rest of the squires were scattered on the flanks, led by the earl's two brothers. Further ahead of the column were even more numerous than the central army, and their brother-in-law, the old earl's son-in-law, was the main commander of these conscripts.

“Those country bumpkins from Outer Dole are actually responding so enthusiastically to that tyrant’s call,” the newly appointed Earl of Inner Dole said with a grim face. “Are they just itching to die?”

Their father was killed for no reason, and he and his brothers didn't even have time to avenge him. How dare that tyrant denounce them? He simply doesn't respect people at all!

“Our king’s reign is coming to an end,” the leader of a mercenary band immediately chimed in. He had contributed more than 80% of the spearmen to his band. “As for Waidole, I heard they recently got a new countess, a witch from Ampire. It’s understandable that they’re eager to show their loyalty.”

"But she certainly doesn't realize that you are far stronger than her."

"Old witch?"

"Oh no, young and beautiful, and she even had two children with the previous count." Upon hearing this, the count's expression immediately became quite interesting.

Although the leader next to her called her a witch, this actually showed that the widow did not possess magic.

"If you marry her, you might be able to smoothly take over that territory."

"No, do you think I'm a fool?" The count rolled his eyes at the other man. "How many wives did her husband lose? She actually managed to wait for his death. I'd rather make myself miserable than resort to such a method!"

"As for those two little ones, once we win, if we handle things properly, the inner and outer Doule will surely be able to reunite, and the hopes of my family for generations will be fulfilled in my hands!"

Nedoule was richer on the other side, and this gap widened further after they traded a barren valley for several farms. However, for Nedoule, the outer ring was still the territory that successive lords had longed to reclaim.

The reason is simple: while Outer Dole was poor, its complex terrain naturally formed several barriers to defend against external enemies, whereas Inner Dole, though wealthy, was entirely flat. Now, in order to resist the tyranny of the new king, they were immediately facing an enemy!

If the internal and external forces are united, their defenses will be even more secure once the king's army has assembled.

The previous king used trickery to sow discord between the two sides, and now this division is finally coming to an end with him!

"My lord, look! They actually came to greet us!"

At this moment, the commander of another battle group pointed, and Count Nedoule, sitting on his horse, looked up and saw dust rising at the end of the road in the distance, with a few flags fluttering in the air, creating mottled patches of color, and gathered under the flags was a force much smaller than theirs.

"Sir, something seems amiss!" The regimental commander, pointing out the approaching enemy, frowned immediately. "They probably don't even make a third of our strength!"

According to their pre-war calculations, even with the difference in territory between the two sides, the number of Waidole should have been around two-thirds or three-quarters of theirs, but now it seems that it is far less than the estimated minimum.

What about the rest?

"Don't worry, old buddy. You just got back from the central border recently, so you probably don't know yet, right?" Another regimental commander waved his hand dismissively. "They had an internal conflict before. Those two spendthrifts squandered almost all their wealth just to capture their sister-in-law. In the end, they lost more than they gained and even lost their own lives."

"But even though they're dead, the debts still need to be paid—otherwise, are we brothers supposed to make a wasted trip? Impossible." They're all mercenaries from Eastern Inasas, how could they possibly have such mercy and magnanimity?

"In my opinion, that witch must have used the remaining resources to pay off her debts, which is why she could only muster such a small force."

"That doesn't quite add up..."

"Who's in charge over there? Come out and speak!"

This explanation convinced the count, but not his colleagues. The captain hesitated, wanting to refute it, but the militia in front of him had already parted to the sides in a chaotic manner, making way for the lord behind them.

Skadi rode on a yellow horse, surrounded by her knights, while a small number of mercenaries were positioned on either side, the exact opposite of Nedole's arrangement.

Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it's hard to say which one better reflects the coach's competence.

“Women are just women,” the newly appointed count said. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the two commanders began to whisper among themselves. “They have no sense of security at all. How can they accomplish anything great? With her doing this and us doing that, her small group of people won’t even be able to escape.”

"She probably doesn't trust mercenaries anymore. If what you just said is true, her assets were just emptied."

"Now it's her turn, haha!"

While the two commanders were conversing, the lords on both sides, as was customary, began arguing. One side accused the traitor, the other the lackey of a tyrant; naturally, both wanted justice to be served on their side. In this respect, the local lords of Eastern Inassassins were clearly defeated.

"Enough! Since you insist on becoming a pile of bones before the tyrant's grave, then I shall have your way!" The count, his face flushed with anger at Skadi's repeated retorts, turned his horse around and rode straight back to the rear. "Let's settle this with our skills!"

“Stubborn to the end!” Skadi retorted immediately, but when the militiamen in front gathered again, she smiled and nodded to the girl with thick, long braids beside her in thanks.

"Thanks to you, Miss Mary, he must be furious by now."

“It’s just a merchant’s trick, nothing to brag about,” Mary said, bowing slightly. “Now it’s up to you.”

"Don't worry, everything will go according to plan."

Almost simultaneously, both sides rallied their militia at the forefront, while elite knights and professional soldiers advanced from the rear, both to provide support and to supervise the battle. However, Skuld's side was already outnumbered, and with crossbowmen firing from the rear from Inner Dole's side, it wasn't long before Outer Dole's troops began to show signs of rout.

"I curse you, you wolf cubs of Nedoule!" Seeing the unfavorable situation, Skadi's eyes widened in fury. "Retreat! Retreat! Back to the castle, we still have a chance!"

"You think I'd let you go back unscathed, as if nothing happened?" Seeing the enemy lines crumble, the captain beside Count Nedoule sneered. "Order the knights on the flanks to flank them and block the road!"

"I'm going to wipe them all out in the wild!"

Chapter 398 This road is blocked

Siege warfare is a major challenge everywhere. Even in a city like Leslaufer, the advantage lies in the fact that the enemy has no will to fight. For a leader of a warband, the most important thing is to avoid forcing his troops to start a siege.

The knights immediately obeyed and carried out the battlefield commander's orders, and the cavalry's power was on full display in the pursuit of the retreating enemy. Anyone who refused to change course would become a skeleton in their own escape route; no one was spared.

However, the other, who was also a chapter leader but had not been granted command by the Earl, frowned deeply.

“Too few, two of you, too few,” he said, looking at the dead and still-living people lying in pools of blood. “Something is very wrong. Perhaps we should abandon the pursuit.”

"What did you say? You must be joking!" The count looked at him incredulously. "This is the best opportunity! We should crush them in one battle, not drag it out—that tyrant will deal with Baron Scott's heir after he's finished off the tyrant, and then he'll come after me. We need more time to prepare!"

"Are you planning to send your men to attack the city?" his colleague roared at him. "Fine! If you insist on letting them go, I want your men at the forefront of the upcoming siege. What do you think?"

"If we don't take advantage of our current position to pursue them, do you expect these knights to be riding their horses on the siege ladders as well?"

"But something's not right! If they really are going to run back—"

"Shut up, you pig! Are you blind?! They're running away! Running away! Are they charging at us with their backs to the ground?!"

Some people fell silent, because all their judgments were based on intuition or guesswork, while the enemy's escape was a fact.

"They can't take it anymore!" A cheer erupted from the pursuing crowd ahead. "Look, the knights of Waidole have even thrown away their shields!"

"Ha, what's he doing? He's throwing away his helmet!" "That won't make you run any faster, friend!" "You'll also need to take off your armor. I can help you!"

Behind Wai Doule's group, the jeers and taunts from their opponents rose and fell like another blade piercing their backs.

"I can't take it anymore, madam!" A knight finally lost his temper. He was a loyal man who had never switched sides even in Skadi's most perilous times. "Give the order! If you don't give the order, I'll go myself! I'm going to fight them!"

"We've lost our shields and helmets, what else do we have to lose? Are we supposed to give them our swords too? We might as well just surrender!"

“Don’t say that, sir. In fact, quite the opposite,” Skuld looked at him, and the knight saw the determination in his mistress’s emerald eyes. “In any case, hold your sword tight.”

"Because it must be stained with the blood of the enemy—right ahead!"

They had reached the narrow valley between the two hills. And right behind them was Nedoule's army.

"They've arrived! Let the Countess and her men pass!" On the hilltop, the commander of the Thorns of Dole was watching all this with bated breath. His arm was raised high, and just as his own routed troops rushed through the narrowest mountain pass, and the enemy's knights on horseback had just crossed the pass, his arm suddenly fell.

"Fire arrows!"

In an instant, the whistling of over a hundred crossbows rang out in unison, and a hail of arrows rained down from the hills on both sides. Even fully armed knights were not immune to injury and falling from their horses, let alone the militiamen following behind, who were almost completely unprotected. Before the third volley even began, the narrow passage and valley were already filled with cries of agony and screams, blocking out the last gap in the path.

"That cursed witch!" Count Nedoule nearly ground his teeth to powder at the sight of the sudden ambush. "Fight back! Fight back now! Charge up the hill!"

In such chaos, an uphill attack is by no means the best strategy, but if they do not, they will be like fish in a stinking puddle with nowhere to escape, and can only wait to be shot into sieves!

With rudimentary organization, the elite soldiers in the rear managed to form a battle formation in the narrow terrain, with as many as fifty Dobuls at the forefront of the column, and began to charge up the hillside.

But there, amidst them and those despised crossbowmen, a group suddenly charged in. Judging from their attire, they were undoubtedly mercenaries as well, and ahead of this group, though there were only about thirty warriors wielding two-handed greatswords, the leader stood out conspicuously.

Because on this battlefield where all constraints have been abandoned, leaving only anger and fear, the joy in those icy blue eyes was so pure.

"I recognize him!" one of the duples shouted. "One person can't take him down, let's all attack together!"

Three greatswords came at him almost simultaneously. Raslaufer parried the first one, but in the process of turning around, he found himself surrounded by enemies. However, the next moment, the blade of the greatsword slit open a man's throat, and the second man was struck in the chest by an elbow, staggering backward, allowing Raslaufer's headbutt to smash solidly into the third man's face!

The greatsword, its momentum still lingering, crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as Reslaufer continued his charge. The two retreating Dopplers and the others swarmed in again, posing a deadly threat from almost every possible angle. Some of their attacks had already landed solid cuts and stabs on Reslaufer's body. Under such onslaught, even the heaviest armor would crack and shatter, and even the strongest physique would be wounded and bleed, but all of this only fueled the glaring smile on Reslaufer's face.

"Good, good, good! They're all back!" The "death" of the Duples raised his hand and grabbed one of the swords, forcefully pulling it towards his chest. When another sword came slashing from behind, the controlled Duple didn't even have time to react before being pushed under his companion's sword, his neck offered for execution. With Reslaufer's maniacal laughter, one man's right knee was kicked backward, and two others died instantly on the ground.

What's even more troublesome than the initial crisis is that Raslaufer was merely the starting point. The two sides quickly clashed around this central point, and under the swords, spears, and blades, everyone was equal and had only one life.

But there are always some people who are more equal than others.

"Bang, bang, bang!" Raslaufer released his grip, slamming the two heads, each with one side flattened, to the ground. He was struck again in the back, but it only made him stagger. He then drew his sword and slashed his opponent to the ground.

The Empire's mercenaries offer only solace; for a truly satisfying experience, this is the place to be! Raslaufer, sword in hand, looked around. He noticed a large clearing had formed around him, filled only with corpses. Although the blood everywhere made it impossible to distinguish which side was on which side, some were retreating down the mountain.

Feeling satisfied, Raslaufer swayed and used his knife to steady himself. As his gaze followed his opponent's slump downwards, he saw the count sitting on his horse, staring at him in disbelief.

Leslaufer shook his head at the other person, regardless of whether he could actually see clearly.

"This road is blocked."

The mercenaries began to pass him, charging down the mountain instead. Their mission had never been to protect the crossbowmen on the mountain!

Chapter 399 Skadi's Counterattack

"These damned scoundrels deserve to be beheaded!"

Count Nedoule watched angrily as the mercenary captain beside him directed his men, ultimately managing to hold off the Dubler's charge down the mountain at the cost of an entire platoon of spearmen. However, the threat of the crossbowmen was not eliminated; although they too carried bows and crossbows, the difference in altitude was an issue that could not be ignored.

What enraged the Earl even more were the militia blocking the narrow passage ahead—the knights had charged too fast and were now completely separated from the mercenaries behind them. And the ones who had done this were the very conscripts who thought they could overwhelm their opponents in numbers!

"Make them clear the way! These idiots are still huddled together!" Even the count, who wasn't very knowledgeable about military matters, could see that they were in complete chaos. The militiamen were desperately trying to dodge the arrows coming down from the mountain, but how many blind spots could the crossbowmen on both sides give them? They were just blocking the passage for nothing!

"We must bring the knights back and regroup them!"

“We all want to do that, sir!” The battle group leader, who had been hesitant from the beginning, was now the most enthusiastic. “But unfortunately, we can’t command your peasants!”

If they can't be commanded, then who can?

The count wanted to find his brother-in-law, but in such a chaotic battlefield, even horses could no longer give him much of a visual advantage.

“We should be grateful. Although the ranks are in disarray now, given some time, we can regroup. At least we have repelled their knights, and they should be able to fight back in a short time—” The commander, who had command authority, waved his hammer and staff, deflecting all the incoming arrows, and responded loudly.

However, his words seemed like a curse. When the group looked again at the knights separated by the militia, their prey had returned behind the pursuers.