Compared to Viscount Aaron, there are a lot more standing soldiers in Hanks Castle, a full five hundred!

Of course, like Viscount Aaron, Viscount Hanks took only four hundred direct standing soldiers.

After all, this is his lair, and if he doesn't leave some troops to defend it, he probably won't dare to leave the nest to fight.

The total strength of many nobles when they joined forces reached 2,400, and there were 50 nobles above the knight level!

These are all nobles with bloodline activation.

Suffice it to say, this army can go to the wilderness and destroy several barbarian tribes.

This is not an exaggeration at all.

Here, it is not common for an army to be composed of all standing soldiers, an elite division!

Viscount Hanks took this elite army and slowly marched along the Blackwater River towards Earl Max.

I have to say that this viscount is old in war, and his march is quite orderly.

A few knights were sent in front to scout the way, hundreds of soldiers were sent on both sides as wings, the rest were all Chinese troops, and behind were several caravans that heard that the army was on the march and hurried in.

Well, these caravans will be tasked with collecting the spoils of war and providing some of the military rations.

This is the practice of marching and fighting in this world.

The last time Viscount Hanks conquered the barbarian tribes, those caravans didn't follow because they didn't like the barbarian land.

The reason why the Heishui River is called the Heishui River is entirely because part of its section was once covered by volcanic eruptions, leaving a lot of obsidian at the bottom of the river, and through the clear water, a large amount of obsidian can be faintly seen at the bottom of the river, hence the name.

Of course, Zhou Mingyue's march had not yet entered the county of Max at this time, so he did not see the obsidian at the bottom of the river.

The journey went up the river bank and went smoothly.

However, before stepping into the county of Max, they were targeted by the knights sent by the other side.

To say that those knights are also cautious, seeing the huge momentum of the coalition forces here, they retreated decisively after staring at the distance for a while.

The knights sent by Viscount Hanks as scouts tried to catch them, but they ran in time, and when they rushed over, they could only look at their backs.

Obviously, Count Max did not garrison on the border, and he even abandoned most of the villages and towns along the way.

It wasn't until Viscount Hanks' coalition forces approached Max's castle that they saw Max's assembled army.

Zhou Mingyue rode a war horse, followed Viscount Hanks and other nobles, went up a hill, looked at the military camp outside Max Castle, and couldn't help but sigh, this earl is indeed stronger than the viscount.

Not to mention the army in the castle, the number of troops gathered outside the castle alone exceeded three thousand!

In other words, these alone have exceeded the number of Viscount Hanks's coalition army, and Namax Castle covers an area of hundreds of acres, and there are five or six hundred people in it.

Seeing this scene, Viscount Hanks's face was a little unpleasant.

No way, whoever it is, seeing that the enemy's strength is stronger than his own, I'm afraid he won't be in a good mood.

Because the enemy was outnumbered by his own, Viscount Hanks did not dare to attack easily, but set up camp several miles away from Max Castle.

That night, Count Max's side sent men to carry out a night attack.

In this regard, Viscount Hanks also expected it and successfully thwarted the other party's night attack.

It's just that the other party's night attack is more like harassment, and there are not many people sent, so the loss is not big.

The commotion caused by the night attack woke Zhou Mingyue from his sleep.

But he was not afraid, it was after such a fuss, and he was not in a good state of mind when he woke up in the morning.

While he was scolding and participating in the military council, Count Max's side began to line up outside the castle, and Count Max's direct troops also drove out of the castle.

After hearing this news, Viscount Hanks could not hold a meeting, so he could only leave the tent with everyone and go outside to observe the movements of the enemy army.

By this time, the strength of the army on Count Max's side was fully displayed.

The total number of its troops is staggering 4,500!

It turned out that behind the castle there was also the army of a viscount.

As for the knights, there are more than eighty on Count Max's side!

This situation made the faces of many knights on Viscount Hanks's side change a little.

After all, in the case of little difference in individual strength, more numbers can undoubtedly obtain absolute superiority on the battlefield.

Of course, they are also knights who have experienced many brutal battles, even if Count Max's side has the superior army, under the command of Viscount Hanks, they have driven their own soldiers, formed a phalanx, and confronted Max's side.

As for Zhou Mingyue, he was put by Viscount Hanks.

Well, Viscount Hanks is not a fool either, and the elite level of the army under Zhou Mingyue makes him a little smacked.

What's more, those 6 ballistas are even more powerful weapons on the battlefield, and it would be a waste if such elites were placed on the less important flanks.

In the face of the superior enemy army, Viscount Hanks was more cautious, and after the army was lined up, he did not move.

However, Zhou Mingyue's 6 ballistas came in handy at this time.

Six ballistae lined up in front of the formation, their long crossbow arrows already loaded, and as the hammer on the shooter's right hand slammed down on the trigger, a series of clangs rang out.

A three-meter-long crossbow arrow was the first to shoot out of the groove, spanning a distance of more than three hundred meters, and with a pop, it pierced the three soldiers standing at the front of Count Max's side.

Six crossbow arrows were fired one after another, and in an instant, gaps were opened in the formation of Count Max's army.

Of course, it can be said that the lethality of this crossbow arrow is strong, but the number is always too small, and after one round of shooting, Max's side was shot and killed more than 20 people.

However, the terrifying scene of huge crossbow arrows continuously piercing the human body and blood splashing really shook the morale of the enemy soldiers.

Several soldiers were so frightened that they dropped their weapons and fled, only to be chased and slashed by the knights of the overseer.

The Count Max, who was riding a red war horse and was in the middle army, saw that his eyes were about to bulge.

I'll go!

Lao Tzu is enough to be yin, paid a huge price, invited two viscounts, eight barons to help, you kid actually borrowed a giant crossbow from the royal city?

Apparently, Count Max misunderstood.

He mistook Zhou Mingyue's ballista for a giant crossbow that only Wang Cheng had.

But then again, the two look somewhat similar, except that the ballista can move with the army, making it more agile.

But he didn't think about it, how could a viscount like Hanks borrow a giant crossbow that only existed in the royal city?

Before Count Max could react, the opposite ballista had already loaded its bolts and started the second round of shooting.