"It's halfway through the night, and it won't be long before dawn." The old duke said.

Baron Martin straddled his horse, turned his head to look at him, and raised his hand to straighten his armor.

"If nothing else." He muttered, "That little girl named Ann really dares to say that Kylo also believes her idea - Lorante, hmph, I didn't know there was such a family." ”

"There's a lot of things we haven't heard of, and it's just a small fraction of them right now." Langton looked at the silence and darkness ahead, and whispered, "Hopefully everything is still expected." ”

The White Oak Palace was about fifteen litres away from the Hidden Forest City, and they were in between, a little closer to the Imperial Palace. Forty years ago, when the empire built the White Oak Palace, a passage more than ten meters wide was cut down in the forest, and the road surface was rammed with triple earth mixed with gravel to allow horse-drawn carriages to pass smoothly.

But this was obviously not enough for the cavalry of thousands to be fully deployed, and on both sides of the road were deep woods with air roots that seemed to be endless.

The old duke commanded the infantry and crossbowmen to leave the main road and lie in ambush between the dense forests on both sides; He led a cavalry squad to observe the situation further in front of the ambush. He didn't send troops to lure the enemy—he was more happy to see the night in peace than an ambush. If Ann's plan is fulfilled and the empire signs an alliance with the kingdom, the losses on both sides will naturally be as small as possible.

Of course, if the Elna led an army, he would not show mercy. If the siege of Youlin City had to be lifted by force, the outcome of this encounter might be related to the final victory.

A huge creature with the body of a hippony flapped its wings and slowly landed in front of the old duke. This thing is the offspring of griffons and mares - the breeding and domestication of purebred griffons is the monopoly of the imperial royal family, and the stealing of eggs or juveniles is a felony, and the control of 'vultures' is not so strict. They are not as smart and strong as their fathers, but they are easier to tamesticate and are suitable for aerial scouting mounts.

"Lord Langton." The scout slipped off the gray creature's back, lifted his hood and bowed, "The Elna are coming, the vanguard is about three lits away, and there are about five hundred cavalry. Behind them are their sentinels, the exact number of which ...... About one or two thousand. ”

"It doesn't seem like they're slow to react." The old duke nodded, and asked the wizard beside him, "Have you spotted the enemy's scouts?" ”

"Two messengers of nature, along with a few sentinels, circled around the outside and left." The wizard stroked his chin and replied cautiously, "I can't guarantee that this is all, Elna...... There are always some tricks we don't know about. ”

The old duke stroked his chin with his hand, muttered for a moment, and exhaled.

"It doesn't matter. No matter what tricks they play, we definitely have the advantage in terms of troops. He clapped his palms to attract the attention of his surroundings, "Everything is going according to plan, as long as this attack is repulsed, they must not dare to act rashly." ”

Several lieutenants and heralds responded one after another, turned and left. Baron Martin rode forward, drew his sword from his belt, and raised it high above his head.

"The first and second squadrons obey orders!" He shouted, "Come with me, the skills of the Imperial Cavalry, just let those silver-haired monkeys see it!" ”

He clamped the horse's belly and caused the mount to trot. About a hundred riders followed him in a column of eight. They were clad in leather armor, with bows and scimitars hanging from their saddles, and a light round shield tied to their left forearm. The horses' hooves played a crisp rhythm on the ground, and the cavalry melted into the night, and soon disappeared.

Langton watched as the last row of cavalry disappeared from sight, then turned his horse's head. "Let's go back to the rear." "Wait until the enemy is surrounded before we can play," he said. ”

They didn't wait long. The air was moist and cool, the clouds obscured the direction of the moonlight, and the eastern sky was still dark—

Dawn has not yet come.

The eagle descended again, informing him that the enemy was in pursuit, and from time to time he rushed into the woods to try to outflank him. The Golden Lily Knight dares to gallop through the forest, avoiding dense aerial roots, as well as uneven ground. For this reason, he ordered the infantry to form a funnel shape and move a little further from the avenue to prevent premature disturbance of the enemy. As for Martin and his men, in terms of speed alone, the old duke was convinced that the legion, called "Tempest", would never lose to any cavalry on the mainland.

In the distance, there was the sound of rolling horses' hooves, and even indistinct shouts, obviously more than the more than the more than the hundred horses led by Martin. The Duke of Langton glanced at the banner beside him—a pegasus surrounded by two violets fluttering in the night breeze. He tugged at the reins, and the horse snorted, as if sensing his mood.

"Blow the trumpet." The old duke ordered in a deep voice, "Start the counterattack." ”

Baron Martin's cavalry pierced the night and re-entered the sight. The non-commissioned officer blew the horn vigorously, letting the high-pitched music reverberate through the dense forest and above the sky. At the same moment, however, another low, long voice sounded out of nowhere, overpowering the trumpet and shaking through the woods.

"Woo————————"

The old duke was no stranger to howling wolves, but never once did it make him shudder—it was a black mountain, a silvery snowy field, a sea of green grass and an orange lake. It was the same slaughtering guns, the rushing beast tide, the scattered blood, and the scattered army.

The long snort stopped, the hallucinations dissipated, and the eyes returned to darkness.

The cavalry had already passed him and began to accelerate, and the enemy was close at hand, and there was no reason to retreat. Langton pulled out his long knife, a familiar rough touch in his palm. He sat upright on his horse and watched as the returning team turned around in unison, charging again.

"For the Golden Rock City! For St. Violet! For the glory of the Empire! ”

The Golden Lily Knights raised their spears, but the Imperial riders broke through the enemy line one step earlier. The scimitar sliced through the unicorn's silver-white flank, or the knight's neck, disrupting their formation in an instant. Shouting slogans, the infantry rushed out of the depths of the dense forest and attacked the flanks of the Elna troops.

It's a pity that on the battlefield, everything never goes as expected.

Arm-thick aerial roots that were several meters long were pulled up from the ground and violently pumped at the surrounding soldiers, knocking them over, wrapping them, and then tightening them. The slogans quickly faded and were replaced by exclamations and wails. Langton saw a soldier staggering out of the forest, followed by two air roots, wrapped around his neck and a thigh, tearing him into three pieces as he watched in fear.

"Hell...... Damn, what's that! Langton turned his head and stared at the wizard beside him, "Tell me what to do, Tova!" ”

"I ...... I do not know! "Wizards are also six gods and no masters," I haven't heard...... Even if it's a messenger of nature, it shouldn't be able to ......."

Before the words fell, the wolf howl sounded again.

The horse neighed loudly in horror, almost throwing off its rider. As if opening the way, the forest roared in, easily overturning several riders, killing two of them, and running into the forest on the other side. Langton could faintly see its figure, huge as three horses connected end to tail, no ordinary beast of prey.

The god of the world, the old duke, remembered this title. Perhaps that was what he was talking about, and he made two mistakes: one for ignorance, and the other for underestimating the enemy.

Another mount came galloping in, and the rider almost rolled off his horse, and his words were breathless, "Great ...... My lord! Ambush in the rear and rear! It's the Thatch! ”

This was not expected at all. Theoretically, it is impossible for the Elnars to be in league with the "Northland Barbarians". But the truth is better than assumption, the enemy has already laid the bait, and they have thrown themselves into the net.

Langton kicked hard at the non-commissioned officer beside him, recovering the opponent from his sluggishness, "Infantry leave the forest, close the formation!" The cavalry continues to advance and crush the enemy army! He yelled, "All scouts, go back to the palace at full speed for help!" ”

The horn sounded.

Langton clenched the long knife in his right hand, looked straight ahead, and galloped. More than twenty horsemen surrounded him, trying to keep their lord safe. The old duke thought of Kylo's party, who should be in Golden Spright City at this moment, and the girl who called herself Ann Lorante.

If they could meet again, he planned to ask the girl's identity, no matter how unbelievable.

A shrill whistling came overhead. Langton de Saint Violet looked up and saw a large black figure spread its wings and swoop towards him.