"My lord, are you really ready? to ambush these northern invaders in the forest?"

In the dark castle, the butler Mulos came to Rod's office. Talked about the upcoming big war. The scale of thousands of people was unimaginable before. Since its establishment, the castle has not been invaded on such a large scale. Back in Magnus's time, there was a Great Wall in the north, and the empire was extremely powerful and prosperous, and Kislev was in the midst of a revival. Northern Chaos has long since vanished. Invasions of hundreds of people are rare, let alone the thousands of people that are now encountered.

Muros looked at his young lord worriedly, for him, Rhodes was still very young, although he was thirty-six years old, but in the eyes of the old butler, he was still young. He assisted Rhodes' father for 30 years and watched Rhodes grow up. For Rhodes, for this castle, there is a deep affection. That's why Rod asked him to keep it a secret for Dennis Jr., and he was willing to do so.

"Can I say it's not ready? An army of this size, no matter how well prepared, is not adequate. But we have no choice, we will not win a head-to-head battle. ”

The pale sunlight poured through the window on Rod's face, and there was a bit of tiredness in his words.

Muros heard it.

"It's also ......"

He sighed.

"Also, in the future, you can just call me by my name in private. You've been to Blackhammer Castle all your life, and you've assisted three lords, and you're the oldest here. ”

Rhodes turned around and said with a smile.

Looking at the young lord, Muros did not speak, but his eyes told Rod that he was very moved. Perhaps Blackhammer Castle will be revived in the hands of this young lord......

Muros nodded, not saying anything more.

"By the way, Muros, do you know much about the god of sadism over the years?"

Rod asked casually. Although I know some of it, it would be better if I could get more information from others.

"One thing, but that's only what I learned when I was a young man at the Imperial Monastery. ”

"Tell me about it. ”

"First of all, as the most brutal of the four gods of chaos, Sadism tends to give bloodthirsty and brutal tasks to his followers. His followers never pay attention to honor and morality, and only endless killing will satisfy them. He despised all cowards and cowards, and the warriors who believed in the god of sadism mostly used melee weapons. They can become furious and irritable in battle, and once they get bloody, they can't stop. So, my lord, oh...... Rod...... You're doing the right thing, ambush them. However, one must be careful of the frenzied counterattacks of these savages. Some sadistic believers have the mark of sadism on them, and these people tend to be more powerful and bloodthirsty. As for the sadistic appearance, legend has it that he is a human god with red skin. He sits beneath a brass throne made of countless bones and skulls. Of course, it's just a legend, after all, no one has really seen it, has it?"

The old butler spoke, with a look of fear in his eyes from time to time.

"Well, legend...... But the reason why a legend is called a legend still has its initial meaning. After all, people don't make up images of gods out of thin air. It must have been some vision that proved the existence of his image that would have been passed down and recorded for thousands of years. ”

Rhodes returned calmly.

"My lord, there are deserters......

While Rhodes was talking to Muros, the guards barged in.

"Let's go, let's see. ”

A few minutes later, they arrived at the school grounds. Here, several deserters from Blackhammer Fort have been tied up. In addition to fear, there was also a trace of resentment in their eyes. Rhodes knew what they hated. Since the advent of the Evil Moon, they have had to face terrible enemies again and again, and although the salary is not low, no one wants to risk their lives for this salary.

"Is there anything else you want to say? ”

Standing in front of several deserters, Rhodes asked in a low voice.

"Tell my mother that I died in battle with the barbarians. ”

A young soldier said weepingly.

But Rhodes didn't promise him. Just looked at him silently, walked up to the next deserter, and asked-

"What about you?"

"Kill if you want, I won't die for you again, since you became the lord here, how many wars have you caused for Blackhammer Castle......?"

The soldier was about to speak, but Rhodes drew his sword and slashed off his head. Everyone didn't dare to say anything, only to see that the Black Hammer Lord had another sword and personally executed another deserter. On the field, there was silence......

......

Three days later, the Dark Forest.

Troll Country is a vast land, mostly tundra and wilderness, where the Norscans travel south from the north and must pass through the dark forests to reach Blackhammer. Unless they take the sea route, but according to the information from the sentinels, the Norsca tribe is still marching on the steppe. This also strengthened Rhodes' determination to ambush them halfway.

The Dark Forest is a huge forest that borders the land of trolls. To reach Blackhammer from the north, you have to pass through this forest, which is dense but has only one road.

Hunters and adventurers who are scattered on weekdays can advance without using the main road and go through the dense forest area, but the army is different, there is a road to reach it quickly, and no one will let a large army march in a dense forest without a road, which will not only reduce the speed of the march, but also the danger of getting lost.

So, without much thought, Rhodes could also predict the route of the Norsca tribe's march. He will trap his subordinates in this area and wait for the other party to send them to the door. This is Rhodes' main battlefield, and he has been leading the Norsca hunters to hunt in this forest for the past few months, and he has long been familiar with the topography and climate of the forest. Now is the time to take advantage of these strengths. Therefore, the time is not as good as the place, even if the Norsca tribe is stronger at the moment, but they do not know their opponents at all.

"Brothers, hurry up, we must cut down enough trees to make traps in two days, and we must set up the defenses before the tribe enters the forest. This battle is about the lives of all of us. ”

After choosing the ambush site, Rhodes gave his soldiers a job assignment. The previous militarized training of the Norsca Marauders now comes in handy. The same Gnoscans, under Rod, these barbarians were not only masters of combat, but also of builders. They can build a barracks in a short time, or they can dig trenches and traps in a short time. This is something that other Norsca marauders do not have.

The reason why this place was chosen as the location for the ambush battle was the unique terrain conditions. There is a small raised high ground on the left side of the road, on which the time comes for the archers and all ranged troops to ambush and fire from a high position. On the right side of the road is a swampy area.

Ambush the troops heading south from the Norscans here, and the Norscans will have no way to escape. Climbing high ground slows down the sprint speed and consumes a lot of stamina, and if these Norskar wildlings have to storm the high ground, they will pay a heavy price. On the right side is the swamp, and if they want to retreat, they have no way to go from the swamp, so they can only return the way they came. However, the forest march is a long snake, and returning the same way will inevitably cause great confusion in the army, because the people behind may not know what is happening in front of them at all, and when they see their comrades in front of them fleeing, they think that they have lost a big battle, and they will also flee with it, and in that way, the morale and morale of the army will collapse. This is the chain reaction in the game. Of course, this is not a game, but the truth is the same......