The scimitar-like moon slipped below the horizon as the dark clouds of the night dispersed, and the scorching heat of the desert was about to be revealed to the world under the scorching of the day.

With the first rays of sunlight on the horizon, the full sun slowly appears from the horizon, although it is only newborn, but it still exudes a compelling heat wave, and a new day begins. At the same time, the emergence of the light of this new day also put an end to a brutal massacre in the desert last night.

But each one of them did not feel as sleepy as they had been when they first woke up in the morning, and their nerves were now completely taut with the scene before them, the chaos of the previous night.

Few people knew how many attackers had come, but with the thick smell of blood on the tip of their noses, they knew that there were definitely not a few attackers last night.

Vultures were hovering above the camp, their sharp eyes fixed on the corpses that could be found everywhere in the camp, ready to peck at any moment.

What could be more wonderful for a scavenger than the scent of a carcass?

"Rustling ............" Vicos and Shabak walked through the camp, the indentation created by the contact of their boots with the sand ground made a rustling sound. The two of them slowly moved forward step by step.

"You said old Jock, something wouldn't happen to them, right?" Shabak asked Vicos as he looked at the soldiers carrying corpses along the aisles of the camp. Last night's killing, the number of people who died was too many.

"Who knows, but there shouldn't be any problems. Vicos' eyes were always looking straight ahead, and there was no change in the way of the tragic deaths on both sides of the road.

The reason why the two of them came out of the tent so early was to meet up with Old Jock and the others to confirm the situation of the two of them. After all, in this desert. The only thing the two of them knew was Old Jock and Leechden, as did Old Jock and others. Although these four people with different identities did not say anything. But each one divided himself into a small group of four.

"Why are you so sure?" Shabak sniffed the smell of blood in the aisle and swept the air from the tip of his nose with his hand. The smell of blood is really not very good.

"Isn't this obvious?" Vicos glanced at a corpse lying on the side of the road, judging from the clothes on this corpse, the identity of this corpse was definitely not simple.

"Heh......" The middle-aged uncle-like knight smiled, although Vikos didn't say it explicitly, but he knew what Vikos wanted to convey to him.

What does that mean? Vicos glanced at the corpse next to him with his eyes, just to draw his attention to the identity of this corpse, it was obvious that it was a dead nobleman, and there were more than seventy corpses that Shabak and Vikos saw along the way. Nearly twenty of them were the corpses of nobles.

Don't underestimate the number of nobles who died less than half of the total number of deaths, you must know that in this era, there is often only one nobleman out of hundreds or even thousands. Even though the number of soldiers and nobles dispatched by the Duchy of St. Colesmans in this conquest was unprecedentedly large, the ratio of soldiers to nobles (including knights) was only twenty to one, which still counted the new nobles who came from afar and had an unstable foundation.

The number of the entire army was just over 20,000, and there were only about 1,000 nobles and knights, large and small, and the number of nobles who died in a corner of the camp alone was about 20......

The corner of the camp they were in was only about one-twentieth of the entire camp.

What is this qiē? Both Shabak and Vicos are well aware. These nobles were deliberately slaughtered! According to the normal rate of battle losses, the casualties of the nobles were definitely not so heavy. Moreover, the other soldiers who were killed were obviously not ordinary poor people who went to the battlefield without any family background, but the guards of the nobles.

So who did it? Shabak smiled wryly. Looking at the blonde youth beside him. No, if it was an attacker, it should be Alphonse V or supplies, so that the expedition could be dealt a heavy blow. And not these old aristocrats of low status. There was little to gain for them to kill the old nobles.

If this thread is followed, who will gain the most by killing these old nobles?

You don't have to think about it. The elimination of the old aristocracy is ineffable for the interests of the king, the new nobility, etc. But is it really that simple, and Shabak doesn't think so. This thing is later. There must be a bigger conspiracy.

Who has the audacity to offend the biggest force in the kingdom, if this operation fails, the fate of the masterminds of this massacre will be absolutely miserable. But for now, it appears that the operation has been successful.

While the two of them were having an unnutritious conversation, the two hunters were walking side by side and talking.

"Huh...... Bah. Old Jock bit a verdant twig in his mouth, and a look of enjoyment appeared on his face.

".................." Liechtendon still looked at old Jock in silence.

He didn't understand what the branch in Old Jock's mouth was good to bite on, and that it could fetch ten copper Tolia coins in the market, which was enough for him to sell two arrows.

This branch is said to help people lift their spirits, but it is dangerous to be addictive.

"Huh...... I said actually...... Bah...... You're not too young, you should learn it...... Enjoyed. Old Jock looked at Liechden, who was speechless, and said.

"......" Liechtendon looked at old Jock helplessly, and walked forward quickly.

"Tsk...... Tsk, this little one, ......."

The two of them had the same idea as Vicos and the others, and they were in a hurry to make peace.

"Ahem...... Lord Viscount, Lord Knight. Old Jock and Liechden were also heading in the direction of Vikos' camp, and happened to meet Vikos and Vikos, who had the same purpose. By this time, however, Old Jock had already bitten off a branch that had no effect, and he pinned the rest to his waist.

Liechtendon still followed behind old Jock with a calm face without saying a word, but there was a vigilance in his sight, and this vigilance was not aimed at Vikos and Shabak. It's a way of coping with your surroundings.

During the attacker's night attack, almost all of the attention was focused on the attacker's side. Basically, no attention was paid to the area where the nobles were located, as the defense of the noble district was arguably the most heavily fortified in the camp. No one would have imagined that the biggest massacre of last night would be carried out here.

Seeing that old Jock and the others were safe, Vicos turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Shabak, as if to convey a message, and the content of the message was - look, I'm right.

What a child. Shabak smiled inwardly, slightly amused by Vikos's smugness.

Alphonse's actions were so elusive that it stands to reason that with so many casualties to the old nobles in the camp, a normal person's choice would be to abandon the expedition. Return to the principality to recuperate.

Because of the death of this group of nobles, it was announced that a large number of the rank and file commanders of this army were killed.

In the armies of this era, only those large empires with complete state institutions, in a state of war or peace, were able to equip each unit with junior officers who had been selected after a certain degree of professional training. Other small states, such as the Duchy of St. Colesman, could only temporarily recruit and form armies with the personal armies of their own nobles and nobles, and of course the responsibility of the commanders at the grassroots level fell on these nobles, large and small, who provided private armies.

Of the 20,000-strong army of Saint-Collesman, only about 5,000 were regular troops belonging to the two major knightly orders and the royal family, which belonged to the standing army. Well-armoured, they also have the most lucrative money, and they don't have to do farming or other activities on weekdays, but only concentrate on how to fight and train. Therefore, the combat effectiveness and discipline of these 5,000 people are the strongest.

Of the remaining fifteen thousand. There were more than 5,000 men who were the private armies of the various nobles in the principality, and they belonged to the standing army of the nobles in a sense, because they were troops paid directly by the various nobles. However, on weekdays, instructors are not hired for special training like the regular army, so the combat effectiveness is a little weaker than that of the regular standing army. The direct commanders of these people were the nobles to whom they were allegiated. Therefore, it is not necessary to think much about expecting them to be able to cooperate with the common actions of the large forces. However, most of the knights in the principality were in the private army of 5,000 men, of which there were more than 3,000 descendants under the control of Aimo himself.

The new nobles from elsewhere on the continent brought with them an army of about two thousand. The combat effectiveness of these units is not very strong, but it is not that weak either, because these people have very little experience fighting in the desert, so the combat effectiveness they exert remains to be considered. And among the more than 2,000 people, there may be some very elite troops, after all, not every new nobleman comes unprepared. Those great nobles of other countries who tried to infiltrate their own power in the principality definitely provided a lot of help to these people.

The weakest of the 20,000 troops is probably the 6,000-strong conscripted militia, who usually only cultivate in the fields, and do not have much expectation of combat ability, and the commanders just want these 6,000 troops to temporarily resist the enemy's attack. Their lives are not of much concern, and such conscription militias can have as many as they want.

There are also 2,000 men, their equipment may not be the best, their discipline may not be so strict, and their teamwork is not very well-trained, but their individual combat ability must be top-notch. Their identity is mercenaries, these people who fight specifically for money are the least afraid of death, and every time the blood of the enemy is spilled, it represents the splash of gold coins. Their morale is also the highest, for them, this battle is just a little more than the previous fighter, they are veterans of the battlefield for many years, how to effectively kill the enemy has long been figured out to them.

Whether it was a new noble, an old nobleman, or a knightly nobleman, they had more than 11,000 people in the entire army, and they had recruited more than 2,000 mercenaries. Therefore, last night's attack shook the aristocratic system of more than 13,000 people, even if it was only the bloody massacre of the old nobles, but at the same time it caused a major change in command and control in the army, and most of the noble officers were killed.

If this army does not solve the problem of officers in a timely manner, the army will face a serious crisis, not only the decline in the combat effectiveness of the army. More likely to let the entire army get out of control. Last night's massacre didn't go very clean, and there were still a few lucky nobles who escaped the massacre. As long as they want to and put it into action. He could take advantage of the whole opportunity to turn against the five thousand soldiers loyal to the old aristocracy to inflict a heavy blow on the army in retaliation for the massacre last night.

Normally speaking. What the expeditionary army should do now is to return to China as much as possible and settle down. While this will deal a blow to it, it is better than rebellion. But Alphonse did not do this, and instead ordered his army to continue its advance, moving towards the predetermined city of Safat.

"Goo...... Vikos opened his water bladder, took a sip, and looked at the marching cavalry in deep thought.

Alphonse not only did not give the order to return, but continued to attack uncharacteristically, and there must be something unknown about it. Maybe he's ready for anything.

However, what made Vicos even more puzzled was that Alphonse had the remaining cavalry team of more than 3,000 people in the army to split into two parts and move separately from the main army.............

What is the effect of this? Vicos was puzzled that it was not a wise move to separate the most elite parts of the army like this. This will not only reduce the combat effectiveness of the army, but will also put the 1,000 people in danger.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, Vikos was among the thousandth, and because of his status as a viscount, he was temporarily assigned to forty-nine cavalry subordinates. Each of these subordinates is a well-trained professional sergeant, and their combat effectiveness is definitely not to be underestimated.

One thing to note: Among these thousands, there were eighteen detachment captains, that is, fifty captains like Vicos, all of whom were new nobles...... There were also two commanders, each commanding the movement of 500 men. And these two commanders were soldiers in the royal guard.

What is the reason why the 1,000 people are divided into two different parts and march in different directions?

Vicos stroked his hair lightly with his hand and narrowed his eyes.

If Shabak, who has a lot of battlefield experience at this time, is here. Then I must be able to give him some good Jianyì, but it's a pity. Shabak was not assigned to the thousand, but followed the large army to attack the Safat.

In fact. If Old Jock, an experienced hunter, is also here, he can also unravel the puzzle of Vikos very easily, this hunter is not simple.

Suddenly, Vicos's mind lit up that he might know why Alphonse did this......

Alphonse's actions were really elusive, and it stands to reason that with so many casualties among the old nobles in the camp, the choice of a normal person would be to abandon this expedition and return to the principality to recuperate.

Because of the death of this group of nobles, it was announced that a large number of the rank and file commanders of this army were killed.

In the armies of this era, only those large empires with complete state institutions, in a state of war or peace, were able to equip each unit with junior officers who had been selected after a certain degree of professional training. Other small states, such as the Duchy of St. Colesman, could only temporarily recruit and form armies with the personal armies of their own nobles and nobles, and of course the responsibility of the commanders at the grassroots level fell on these nobles, large and small, who provided private armies.

Of the 20,000-strong army of St. Colesman, only about 5,000 were regular troops belonging to the two major knightly orders and the royal family, which belonged to the standing army, were well-armoured, and had the most lucrative income, and they did not have to engage in farming or other activities on weekdays, but only had to concentrate on how to fight and train. Therefore, the combat effectiveness and discipline of these 5,000 people are the strongest.

Of the remaining 15,000 people, more than 5,000 are the private armies of the nobles in the principality, and they belong to the private standing army of the nobles in a sense, because they are troops paid directly by the nobles, but they do not hire instructors for special training like the regular army on weekdays, so their combat effectiveness is a little weaker than that of the regular standing army. The direct commanders of these men were the nobles to whom they were allegiated, so it was not surprising to expect them to be able to act in concert with the large forces. However, most of the knights in the principality were in the private army of 5,000 men, of which there were more than 3,000 descendants under the control of Aimo himself.

The new nobles from other parts of the continent brought an army of about two thousand, and these troops were not very strong in combat, but they were not very weak either. Because these people rarely have the experience of fighting in the desert, the combat effectiveness they exert remains to be considered. And among the more than 2,000 people, there may be some very elite troops. After all, not every new nobleman comes unprepared. Those great nobles of other countries who tried to infiltrate their own power in the principality definitely provided a lot of help to these people.

The weakest of the 20,000 troops. I'm afraid it's the 6,000-strong conscription militia with only a lot of blood, usually they only work in the fields, and their combat ability does not make people have much expectations, and the commanders just want these 6,000 troops to be able to temporarily resist the enemy's attack. Their lives are not of much concern, and such conscription militias can have as many as they want.

There are also 2,000 men, their equipment may not be the best, their discipline may not be so strict, and their teamwork is not very well-trained, but their individual combat ability must be top-notch. They are mercenaries. These people who fight specifically for money are the least afraid of death, and every time the blood of the enemy is spilled, it represents the splatter of gold coins. Their morale is also the highest, for them, this battle is just a little more than the previous fighter, they are veterans of the battlefield for many years, how to effectively kill the enemy has long been figured out to them.

Whether it was a new noble, an old nobleman, or a knightly nobleman, they had more than 11,000 people in the entire army, and they had recruited more than 2,000 mercenaries. Hence last night's attack. The aristocratic system of more than 13,000 people was shaken heavily, even if it was only the bloody massacre of the old aristocracy, but at the same time it caused a major change in command and control in the army, and most of the noble officers were killed.

This army does not solve the officer problem in a timely manner. The army will face a serious crisis, not only the combat effectiveness of the army will decline, but it is more likely that the entire army will get out of control. Last night's massacre didn't go much clean. There were still quite a few lucky nobles who escaped the massacre. As long as they wanted to and put into action, they could take advantage of the whole opportunity to turn against the five thousand soldiers loyal to the old nobles and inflict a heavy blow on the army. in retaliation for last night's massacre.

Normally, what the expeditionary army should do now is to return to China as much as possible. Settle down. While this will deal a blow to it, it is better than rebellion. But Alphonse did not do this, and instead ordered his army to continue its advance, moving towards the predetermined city of Safat.

"Goo...... Vikos opened his water bladder, took a sip, and looked at the marching cavalry in deep thought.

Alphonse not only did not give the order to return, but continued to attack uncharacteristically, there must be something unknown in this, and perhaps he was fully prepared.

However, what made Vicos even more puzzled was that Alphonse had the remaining cavalry team of more than 3,000 people in the army to split into two parts and move separately from the main army.............

What is the effect of this? Vicos was puzzled that it was not a wise move to separate the most elite parts of the army like this. This will not only reduce the combat effectiveness of the army, but will also put the 1,000 people in danger.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, Vikos was among the thousandth, and because of his status as a viscount, he was temporarily assigned to forty-nine cavalry subordinates. Each of these subordinates is a well-trained professional sergeant, and their combat effectiveness is definitely not to be underestimated.

It is worth noting that among these thousand people, there are eighteen detachment captains, that is, fifty captains like Vicos, all of whom are new nobles...... There were also two commanders, each commanding 500 men, and these two commanders were soldiers of the royal guard.

What is the reason why the 1,000 people are divided into two different parts and march in different directions?

Vicos stroked his hair lightly with his hand and narrowed his eyes.

If Shabak, who has rich battlefield experience at this time, is here, then he must be able to give him some good construction, but unfortunately, Shabak was not assigned to this thousand people, but followed the large army to attack the Safat.

In fact, if Old Jock, an experienced hunter, is also here, he can also unravel the puzzle of Vikos very easily, this hunter is not simple.

Suddenly, Vicos's mind lit up that he might know why Alphonse did this...... (To be continued......)