As if it had begun without warning, no one knew exactly when this sudden battle would end.

Everything was silently submerged in the billowing smoke and the grass under the iron horses.

In the light of the setting sun, flags were waved across the battlefield, the sounds of fighting and roaring faded, and the grass beneath his feet was littered with fallen corpses, broken blades and banners.

It was exactly what Loren had expected at the beginning - deliberately putting the centaurs within two hundred paces was not because of the conceit of the Byrne knights, but because they wanted to annihilate the enemy without leaving them alive.

The strength of the Byrne knights lies in their breakthrough and explosiveness, and a perfect charge can even crush a phalanx of heavy infantry head-on, but on the other hand, the long-range run and agility are much inferior.

In this kind of unobstructed great plain, once the centaurs use their agility advantage to harass again and again, besiege but not attack, there is actually not much choice but to hold their positions and advance step by step.

Therefore, Tris Eckert decisively spread out to attract the enemy, put the attacking enemy within two hundred paces, and crushed them in one go with the advantage of the Byrne Knight's charge, and then the Rangers were responsible for sweeping away the remnants of the enemy, leaving no one behind.

This is not some "chivalry", this is a calm judgment of the situation at hand based on experience, as well as absolute confidence in the strength of the Knight of Byrne.

Even if you charge in a scattered formation, you can completely crush the enemy in just one round.

The sun was scorching in the west, and under the cloudless clear sky, the endless grasslands were dyed a bright red color like blood.

Byrne's hoplite knights had begun to return home, leaving only the Rangers of Lookout Peak still cleaning the battlefield and sending the badly wounded and dying centaurs to meet their ancestors.

On the other side, the Boi hussars, who appeared out of nowhere, carrying the banner of the Varna family, also came to join Byrne's headquarters after eliminating the remnants of the fleeing centaurs.

They wore uniform leather armor and smocks, under which was very simple and thin chain mail, and they held a short pistol in their right hand, and a scimitar and four or five throwing spears hung from the saddle.

The flag-bearing cavalry and a few hussars dressed as officers at the front, had an extra horned bow and a pot full of arrows on the left side of the saddle, and the armor was noticeably finer, with more shoulder pads and large stalks.

Compared to the heavily armed Byrne knights, who were eager to wear their horses, the Boi hussars were significantly better suited to fighting on the savannah, and their horses, though slightly shorter, were more agile than Byrne's horses.

Upon entering the battlefield, the hussars did not rush directly into the center of the battlefield, or in front of the charge of the Byrne knights, but roamed the edge of the melee, constantly killing lone centaurs with their spears and bows.

It wasn't until the main force of the centaurs was completely routed that they finally drew their sabers and short spears, and joined the battle from all sides together with the rangers, and the scattered array was like a gust of wind, quickly "sweeping away" the battlefield.

If it weren't for their presence, this raid would not have ended so quickly and before evening.

But none of these are Loren's main concerns right now.

Holding on to the reins, Loren squinted his eyes, and not far away, the blood-soaked Count of Bosival confronted the hussar who raised the flag, staring at each other coldly.

"What's going on?"

"That's... It seems to be a side branch of the Varna family, the head of the Braha family, Count Seth. Eckert leaned forward and sighed softly, "It's also the uncle and brother-in-law of Count Bosival." ”

"Uncle and... Brother-in-law?" Loren looked confused.

"It's complicated, but... Roughly the Count of Bossival eloped with Seth's sister, and later Count Seth also took advantage of his absence to curry favor with the elders of Hopefulpeak and marry Bossival's sister back. ”

Eckert shook his head helplessly: "Since then, the two of them have been each other's uncle and brother-in-law. ”

"But you don't need to worry about that, Duke, both of you are afraid of your sister... Therefore, this kind of private friendship will not affect our relationship with Poland. ”

"......" Loren Turin.

resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but Loren, who didn't want to interfere in the "family affairs" of the vassals, still stopped and changed the topic aside:

"This Count of Seth, does he have a high status in the Duchy of Boi?"

"He is the confidant of the Grand Duke of Varna and the Lord of the Little Boi, who is the most supportive of the Varna family's re-election as duke. Eckert bowed slightly, and he understood the meaning of Loren's words:

"So, it is strange that he is here—if the situation is really as dangerous as the Grand Duke of Varna describes, the Count should be on the battlefield, and not on the border between Boe and Byrne. ”

"And the centaurs who just raided us......" Loren frowned slightly: "They seemed to expect someone to appear here, but they didn't expect it to be us." ”

"Or not a patrol of more than a thousand people, but a fully formed corps. Count Eckert said in a deep voice, his gaze shifting to the leader of the hussars who was about to draw his sword against Bosival:

"I guess... Count Seth Braha has the answer you want to know, Duke. ”

Loren nodded: "Let's let the soldiers camp first, we have time to talk about this war with these Boi's 'good brothers'." ”

He always had a hunch, whether it was the Heavenly Dome Palace or the Grand Duke of Varna... None of them are completely telling the truth about this war.

And... And then there's Farnesis, and if he does come east, is the war inextricably linked to him?

If it's true, then in addition to the centaurs, will he face thousands of boundless mutant monsters like he did at Ebolden or Broken Mountain, as well as the fallen evil gods that he "summoned"?

The battle of Ebotden is enough to illustrate the problem - in the face of evil gods, even if they are only "shells", the number of troops without dragons is meaningless, and can only be ravaged by one-sidedness.

Looking back slowly, Loren looked at the battlefield that was gradually clearing away in the distance, leaving only patches of corpses and blood soaked in the grass.

Cold bones, dried blood... There were centaurs, Boi, and Byrnes.

Either it is complete, it is mutilated, or it is only a "beach" that cannot be seen in shape......

This centaur war has just begun.

..................................................................

It wasn't until nightfall that the soldiers finally let their guard down and began to camp themselves.

Compared to the Sakrands, the Byrnes camp was much simpler, with no makeshift wooden fences and watchtowers (which would not have been possible in the steppe), and no pits filled with sharp stakes and oil.

The whole camp was completed by a long trench dug along the edge of the camp in a circle of wagons, and the soldiers' tents were arranged in the shape of a neat checkerboard around the campfires, even after the influence of the Sakrins.

This made Loren, who had visited Broken Mountain and seen the camp of the Sakran Legion in person, frown, and although Byrne's army was also highly disciplined, it was clearly not as rigorous as the Empire in terms of logistics.

But that's all for later.

Although the camp was very simple, and there was not much logistics to prepare for the long journey, Byrne's knights still warmly welcomed Boe's brothers;

However, these bold hussars were even more enthusiastic than the Byrnes, and did not regard each other as outsiders in the slightest. Even if the two sides are only meeting for the first time, they are close as if they are a family;

It was in such a lively atmosphere that Loren met with Bosival's "brother-in-law and uncle", Count Seth Braha, a confidant of the Grand Duke of Varna.

The Earl of Seth was even more "bold" and informal, and without waiting for a summons, he rushed directly into the camp, stood in front of Loren and asked:

"Duke Byrne, how many people have you brought with you this time?!"