Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

The knights looked up in horror and saw dozens of gray-white planes swooping down on their assembly point at an almost vertical angle.

Fear gripped everyone's heart.

The next moment, the bomb detached from its rack and landed at the Knights' command post and assembly area.

“BOOM, BOOM—!”

The violent explosion sent the knights flying into the air.

A knight attempting to construct a shield using Originium Arts had his shield shattered by the shockwave of a bomb the moment it took shape.

The air raid had just ended when the frequency of the earthquakes became even more intense.

On the horizon, the First Armored Division of Letania appeared.

The Tiger tanks were arranged in a wedge formation, firing the surviving resistance fighters with the coaxial machine guns on their turrets while using their main guns to take out the remaining defensive fortifications one by one.

"For Kazimir!"

A knight captain, his eyes bloodshot, raised his lance high and led the remaining dozen or so knights in a desperate charge.

They are the pride of Kazimir; their charge is powerful enough to crush rocks.

However, they were facing frontal armor made of Drummond I alloy.

The knights' lances struck the tank's sloping armor with a sickening metallic scraping sound before bending limply.

The knights were jolted by the enormous reaction force, causing them to cough up blood.

Leon, who had been promoted to tank commander, calmly turned the turret of his Tiger tank, No. 37, and aimed at the knight captain who was still struggling to get up.

"Goodbye," he whispered.

The roar of the cannonballs firing heralded the final lament of the knights of the old era.

……

Grand Knights' Territory, Headquarters of the Supervisory Council.

The meeting room was in complete chaos.

The news of the collapse of the northern defense line and the breach of the eastern defense line shattered everyone's illusions.

The president of the business association, Charné, was pale and covered in cold sweat. His cigar had somehow fallen onto the expensive carpet, burning a hole in it.

"How is this possible? How could this happen?" he muttered to himself, completely unable to comprehend what was happening before his eyes.

"Have the Ursus people gone mad? Have the Letanians gone mad too?"

Aren't they afraid of trade disruptions?

"Charne!"

The voice of Grand Knight Commander Ioleta Russell woke him up.

"Now is not the time to think about those things! I warned you long ago that the logic of war is different from that of business!"

She slammed two battle reports from the front lines onto the table.

"In the north, the Ursus Third and Fourth Armies have broken through the first line of defense and are advancing deeper into the territory!"

"In the east, two armored divisions from Letania tore through our lines in five minutes and are now advancing towards the Great Knight Territory!"

A representative from a business association said, trembling:

“We can…we can pay reparations! Give them money! Give the Ursus people winter supplies, give the Letanians…give them more business opportunities! Doesn’t Minister Mecklen love money?”

"Naive!" Russell almost laughed at the stupidity of this group.

"Do you think this is a children's fight? When the tanks cross the border, the only things that will stop them are more tanks or corpses, not your worthless checks!"

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

"Immediately issue a nationwide mobilization order! Order all war knight orders to retreat and consolidate their defenses in the Grand Knight Territory! Order the Silver Spear Pegasus Knights..."

"Head to the front lines immediately and delay the enemy's advance at all costs!"

Charné slumped into a chair, utterly dejected.

He finally realized how vulnerable his long-held belief in measuring everything by money was in the face of real state violence.

The business empire he built, under the tracks of a tank, seemed less than a piece of paper.

The shadow of war has completely loomed over the skies of Kazimir.

……

Holy Leitanian Empire: Chapter 113: Battle of the Red Pine Forest

Red Pine Forest Town, eastern Kazimir.

The name carries a pastoral, idyllic feel, but this place has been a strategically vital passage fought over by military strategists since ancient times.

Beyond this vast red pine forest and the town nestled within it lies the flat central plain of Kazimierz.

After that, there will be no more strategic locations to defend, and the outline of the Grand Knight's territory will be directly exposed to the enemy's advance.

Knight Bolesław, commander of the Seventh Banner of the Knights of the Expedition, stood on the makeshift defensive line on the outskirts of the town, observing the east through his binoculars.

The scars on his face, relics from the last Uka war and the conflict with the Ursus, were now contorted by his taut jaw muscles.

His regiment was the main force of the Eastern Front.

But at this moment, he felt like a bricklayer left in front of a breach in the dam, and the roar of the flood that was about to destroy everything could already be heard.

Intermittent battle reports came from the front lines, but they were more like the wails of routed soldiers than battle reports.

"They have flying iron birds that can drop explosives from the sky!"

"The spears couldn't pierce their armored vehicles, and our lines collapsed at the first touch!"

　Bolesław put down his binoculars and rubbed his throbbing temples.

Most of his knights were still young, their faces bearing the pride and bewilderment of those untouched by war.

They listened to the cries of the fleeing soldiers, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The business guild leaders are still bickering over border disputes, unaware that the enemy's blade is about to pierce the heart of Kazimir.

"Sir, are we just going to wait here?"

A young adjutant couldn't help but ask.

"Three scout teams have been sent out, but none have returned. We know nothing about the enemy."

“Then we should prepare for the worst,” Bolesław said in a deep voice.

"Pass down the order: disperse and take cover in small teams..."

But at that moment, a cloud of dust rose on the western horizon, and an army was approaching at an alarming speed.

The knights immediately tensed up and gripped their lances tightly.

But soon, they recognized the banner of the newcomers—the Silver Spear Pegasus Knights!

Nearly eight hundred silver-lanced celestial horse knights marched in perfect unison across the open field at a speed comparable to a warhorse charge.

Their armor was superior to that of ordinary knights, and each knight carried a signature silver javelin.

The leading commander was a middle-aged male knight who went straight to Bolesław.

"Galahad Koval, commander of the Third Knights of the Silver Spear Pegasus, has come to assist in the defense on the orders of the Grand Knight Commander."

“Bolesław, commander of the Seventh Banner of the Conquering Knights.” The old knight nodded in greeting.

"Welcome, Your Excellency Galahad, but with all due respect, you have come too late. The eastern defense line is now practically defunct."

Galahad ignored his complaints and directly conveyed the order: "The Grand Knight Commander's order is: at all costs, delay the main force of Letania in Red Pine Forest Town, and buy at least seventy-two hours for the Grand Knight Command to redeploy."

"We will fight to the last drop of blood here to break the Letanian offensive!"

Bolesław felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the handsome face that was contorted with fanatical loyalty.

He understood the Grand Knight Commander's intention; it was a classic case of trading space for time.

They, along with the eight hundred of Kazimir's most elite Silver Spear Pegasus warriors, became chips on the table in this high-stakes gamble.

“My men will carry out the orders,” Bolesław replied in a deep voice.

"However, Your Excellency Galahad, you would be better off hearing the accounts of those routed soldiers for yourself."

"Our enemy is unlike any we've ever faced before."

“Glory will protect us, and the knight’s bravery is enough to overcome any trickery.” Galahad’s answer was firm and resolute.

He turned and began ordering her men to take up positions.

That confidence and pride seemed to infect the surrounding Seventh Banner Knights, reigniting their fighting spirit.

Bolesław said nothing more, but silently examined his spear.

……

Meanwhile, at the Letania field command post a few kilometers away.

As the commander of this offensive against Kazimir, Taylor was staring at the model of Red Pine Forest Town on the sand table.

An intelligence officer reported: "Minister, we have detected a large-scale gathering of enemy elite troops. According to database comparison, it has been confirmed as the 'Silver Spear Pegasus Knights' of Kazimir."

“Silver Spear and Pegasus…” Taylor repeated the name.

The pre-war intelligence manual specifically noted that this unit possessed exceptional individual strength, outstanding mobility, and tremendous javelin power, making it the elite of the Kasimir Army.

"It seems that the Grand Knight Commander isn't completely stupid; he knows to use his trump card at crucial moments." Taylor smirked.

"They want to trap us here and then try to outmaneuver us with a knight's charge across the plains?"

"Minister, should we adjust the plan?" the operations staff officer asked.

“No need, the plan remains the same.” Taylor waved his hand.

"Order the air force wing, it's time to get to work."

“Tell them I’m going to let those knights taste the fury of the sky before our tanks even get close.”

He picked up the communicator and connected to the communications channel of the 1st Armored Division.

"Leon, can you hear me?"

"Team 037, Lyon received! General, we are eager to get started!" came the excited voice of a young man over the channel.

"Keep your temper in check, kid," Taylor said with a laugh.

"Once the bombers have cleared the area for you, I want your tanks to be the first to charge into the red pine forest."

"Remember, don't get bogged down in battle. Tear down their defenses and throw them into complete disarray."

"Our infantry will follow and clean up any that slip through the net."

"understand!"

After hanging up the communication, Taylor turned his attention back to the sand table.

His finger traced across the model of Red Pine Forest Town, finally resting on the symbol representing the Great Knight Command, the capital of Kazimierz.

The logic of war is simple: break the enemy's bones, and they will naturally kneel down.

The Silver Spear Pegasus Knights are the toughest nut to crack in Kazimierz.

　Research zero sulfur 7 ga {scar...

It was exactly seven o'clock in the morning.

The Kazimierz knights on the defensive line had just finished eating their cold, hard rations, and Galahad was giving a final pep talk to the troops.

"...For the glory of knights! For Kazimierz!"

Before he could finish speaking, a chilling whistling sound came from the horizon.

The sound grew sharper and sharper as it approached.

"What was that sound?" A young knight looked up at the sky uneasily.

Bolesław's pupils contracted sharply, his battle-hardened experience serving as a frantic warning.

He saw a large patch of black dots appear in the dimly lit sky at dawn.

Those black dots magnified at an alarming rate, turning into what the fleeing soldiers called "flying iron birds."