In the afternoon of the next day, Raymond and his party successfully rendezvoused with Makudi's troops.

As Raymond expected, Marcudi successfully captured the town of Gallina, and his own losses were very small. However, due to an omission, an enemy soldier escaped the siege, and the town of Kennett should have received the news of the attack by now.

Kennett Town was the largest of the three towns and, due to its location, had the largest garrison. Now that the news has leaked, it's not so easy to come up with a surprise sneak attack.

Moreover, the soldiers were also very tired due to the continuous travel. So Raymond decided to let the troops rest and recuperate, and then make plans after finding out the situation in Kennett Town.

The troops then rested on the outskirts of Kennett Town, and after the sun went down, Baster took advantage of the darkness to lead the scouts to find out the news.

Everyone was anxiously waiting for the return, because the capture of Kennett was very important for this plan, Raymond and the others even decided that if it really didn't work, within the acceptable range of losses, it was not impossible to attack.

An hour later, however, Baster and the scouts returned, with startling news.

The enemy has absolutely no intention of resisting, because... They all ran away.

"The enemy has all fled?" Raymond said incredulously, "Are you sure?"

Bath nodded affirmatively: "Meow, of course." We carefully checked the town and the town, and the enemy did run away. Local residents said that all the enemy troops had withdrawn this morning, and that the whole town of Kennett was now unprepared."

This sudden good news surprised and delighted everyone, but they didn't expect that the combat strength of Gaspard's army was so rotten that they all ran away before they arrived.

"Great, even the god of war is helping us. Bryce couldn't help but say excitedly.

This news made everyone very excited, and they couldn't take any more rest, and Raymond gave an order. The troops immediately moved on to the town of Kennett.

Half an hour later, they captured the town and completed the battle plan with great success.

As in the previous capture of Canton, the inhabitants of Kennett had no objection to the arrival of the Headington Army. The mayor of the town, elected by the inhabitants, even came to ask when it would come under the rule of Princess Sophia.

Look at the expectant eyes of the residents. Raymond had to do just that, because they weren't destined to hold out here, at least not yet.

"Lord Raymond, do you want to move these residents away?" asked Marcudi reluctantly.

Raymond shook his head: "No, it's too late, it's less than two days before the arrival of the Dirk army, and doing so will only hurt them." We still follow the original plan and make some arrangements that can delay the enemy. ”

As he spoke, he patted Makudi on the shoulder: "Don't worry." Someday we'll call back. ”

Raymond knew what he was thinking, and the inhabitants of Kennett had great expectations of the crowd, so no one could imagine how they would feel when they withdrew again a few days later, giving up the town to the Dirk Army.

After all, a large part of the Headington army was made up of Gaspards, so how could they deal with their fathers and fellow villagers? But there was no way, this was war.

Bryce saw that Marcudi was full of disappointment. He furrowed his eyebrows and scolded: "This is a war." Not so much nonsense, carry out the order!"

The military order is like a mountain, and Makudi can only stand up: "Yes, I understand!"

After Marcudi left, Harlot rushed over again: "Boss, what a good harvest." We found a lot of good things in the enemy's warehouse. Those guys must have been in too much of a hurry to take them away. ”

Not a drop of blood was shed, and there was still loot? Tonight was a pleasant surprise. Led by Harlot, Raymond and his party arrived at the enemy warehouse.

At this time, there were already quite a few Hedington soldiers outside the warehouse. Everyone held up torches, and the light was bright.

The huge warehouse is littered with all kinds of materials, from cloth, wood, food, oil and salt and other miscellaneous items, to medicines, pig iron, weapons and other strategic materials. However, most of the supplies did not have military standard packaging, but were varied, more like they were collected from the hands of the residents of the town.

And in the innermost part of the warehouse, there are two large boxes of gold and silver coins. These coins are quite worn, and they are obviously in circulation on the market, which further confirms Raymond's suspicions.

Most of the supplies in this warehouse were plundered by Kennett's people.

"Lord Raymond—" Bryce clearly saw the oddity as well.

"Boss, we're going to get rich this time, and we didn't run in vain. Harlott was overjoyed: "Send someone to collect them quickly, and I will bring them back to the Giant's Seal." ”

Looking at the messy warehouse full of supplies, Raymond didn't speak.

Thinking that he didn't believe him, Harlot patted his chest and said, "I promise that a gold coin will not be corrupted, after being with you for so long, you still can't trust me?"

Raymond shook his head: "No, move everything out." Then in Harlot's stunned gaze, he said, "Give them to Kennett's people." ”

"What!?" said Harlot, incredulously, "This—this is our trophy." ”

"Don't you see it yet?" said Hilnis, angrily, "These are all stolen from the town." ”

"But what I took from the enemy was not the spoils of war—" Harlot did not dare to object, and muttered quietly.

"Needless to say. Raymond said resolutely: "Gather the residents and give these things back to them." ”

Harlot had no choice but to direct the men to carry the supplies.

Soon, the townspeople were also gathered in the largest square in the town.

It was late at night, but everyone was called up and brought here, but in the face of an unknown fate, the faces of the residents couldn't help but be filled with fear.

In this era of war and chaos, it is these ordinary people who have the most inability to resist. Although they are facing Princess Sophia's army, who knows what these soldiers will do?

So, in this uneasy mood, the residents waited for the fate.

However, there were no high-ranking officials or anything like that. Instead, groups of soldiers kept carrying out all kinds of things, and soon they were piled up in front of everyone.

Many people had already recognized that it was their belongings that had been looted by the Gaspard Army, and they did not understand the reason for the actions of the Headington Army, and the buzz soon became loud.

At this time, Raymond walked out.

"What are you doing here, sir?" asked the mayor of Kennett, puzzled.

Finally. He added cautiously: "All the belongings in town are here, and we really can't get anything out of them." Apparently he was afraid that Raymond would come and raid again.

"These things were stolen from you by Duke Charles' rebels. Raymond raised his voice to the crowd, "Now, I will give them back to you." ”

"What!?" "Give it back to us?" "How is this possible!"

......

All the residents were stunned, they never expected that the looted belongings could be returned, and for a moment no one dared to believe their ears.

"Your Excellency, you—don't be kidding. The mayor tried hard to squeeze out a smile: "We don't dare to ask for these things anymore, and we are willing to give them to the soldiers." ”

He thought that Raymond was just tempting and playing tricks on them. Where dare to ask.

Looking at the trembling appearance of these ordinary people, Raymond sighed in his heart. He had no choice but to say: "We are an army that follows Princess Sophia, and unlike those rebels, we will never rob ordinary people of their property. ”

"Take it back, it's yours. ”

"Cut, not the best, this would have been our trophy. Seeing this, Harlot, who was on the side, muttered quietly. It seems that he is still haunted by Raymond's generosity.

Hilnis shut him up with a straight kick.

Afraid that people still have doubts, Bryce pulled Lorna and said, "I'm Bryce of the Royal Guard. This is Lorna, the lady's attendant of Her Royal Highness. Rest assured, this is the princess's reward for you. ”

Although the residents didn't know who Blaise and Lorna were, the names of the Royal Guards and the princess's squires reassured them. Especially hearing that it was a gift from the princess, they were finally dispelled, even though no one thought that the princess was not here at all.

At all costs. In the name of justice, the residents finally dared to take action.

At first, only a few people cautiously stepped forward and took their belongings. Gradually, the soldiers around him did not stop. More and more people gathered around, and almost everyone rushed forward to try to get back what they had been robbed.

So much so that Hilnith had to maintain discipline with a squad of soldiers so that there would be no chaos.

"Lord Raymond, your actions are of the noblest chivalry, and we thank you for your kindness on behalf of the people of Gaspard. At this time, Bryce, Marcudi and other officers from Gaspard came over and gave Raymond a solemn military salute.

Never before has there ever been such a distribution of money to the people. You know, Raymond took these things away as trophies, and no one could say anything, so it was even more valuable.

Therefore, Bryce and others sincerely thanked Raymond for his behavior. In particular, the officers from the Royal Praetorian Guard believe in chivalry, and their loyalty to Raymond can't help but deepen.

"Hehe, I just did what I had to do. Raymond said modestly.

But in fact, he did this in addition to pitying the inhabitants, and there was a deeper consideration.

This time, their battle plan to occupy Kennett and other towns was only to delay time. Therefore, as soon as the Dirk army arrived, they would evacuate and hand over the three towns to others.

However, the inhabitants of Kennett saw them as liberators and had great expectations for the people. Therefore, once the Headington army withdrew as planned, without even putting up a decent resistance, the expectations of the inhabitants would naturally turn into extreme disappointment.

In this situation, Raymond and the others also took away the looted belongings of the residents. Then in the eyes of the residents, the Hydington Army is just a vote and left, regardless of their life or death, and their hatred of the Hairington Army will be even worse than that of the Gaspard Army.

This would also be a great damage to the prestige that Headington had built up with Sophia's hard time.

Therefore, for the sake of the future, Raymond cannot tolerate this kind of thing. The return of these belongings to the inhabitants of Kennett was the best remedy.

In this way, the inhabitants are very grateful to the Headington Army, and even if they withdraw in the future, the people will be much less disappointed.

and by their mouths. The kindness of the Heddington Army would continue to spread to other towns. It will be of great help when Raymond actually recovers the kingdom of Gaspard in the future.

This is fame, invisible and intangible, but more important than anything else.

So while there are people like Bryce who are extremely grateful to him, there are people like Harlot who are so unwilling. None of the people present could really see through Raymond's long-term thinking.

And the loss of some property, but in exchange for a good reputation among the people of Gaspard, and the loyalty of Bryce and other officers, it is a great bargain.

Thinking of this, Raymond couldn't help but smile bitterly. Maybe it's because he's been with a big businessman like Reed, or a shrewd person like Freddy, and Raymond's consideration of things is becoming more and more inclined to weigh the pros and cons.

The residents of the square were grateful. And it didn't impress him. Now all he thinks about is the benefits that this move can bring.

Perhaps, this is the only way to be a qualified commander, because war is such a cruel thing.

"Lord Raymond, what's wrong with you?" Lorna noticed Raymond's strange expression.

"No, nothing. Raymond shook his head, shaking off the distractions in his mind.

This is just the beginning. The real battle is just about to come.

Two days later, the Dirk army finally arrived.

The first to arrive. is a squad of scouts on horseback. They came to the outside of Kennett, and when they saw the Beddington flag flying high in the town, they did not stop and immediately roared away.

Then, two hours later, a mighty army appeared in everyone's field of vision.

A large field of colorful flags. First appeared on the horizon. Gradually approaching each other, the pattern on the flag was completely exposed to everyone's eyes, in addition to the coat of arms of the Dirk Kingdom, there were also the flags of each army.

This was followed by a huge enemy army under the banner.

As the second most powerful power on the continent of Veronica, second only to the Krot Empire. The army of the Kingdom of Dirk was extremely powerful.

The infantry at the forefront, dressed in bright armor, lined up in neat rows, marched forward in unison to the beat of impassioned military music and drums, and the sound of uniform footsteps shook the earth.

These infantry are dressed in red, blue, green, yellow and black uniforms according to the assault troops, spearmen, archers, shield men, tomahawks, etc. From a distance, the colors are bright, but they do not appear frivolous and cluttered, giving people a strange sense of coordination.

It is important to know that the production of military uniforms and armor of different colors according to the type of military is not only convenient for command, but also a manifestation of national strength. Especially when Renard came with him this time, it was the elite troops of the Dirk Kingdom, and the sense of shock was even stronger.

Flanked by the infantry were cavalry units dressed in blue armor. Unlike the Knights of Divine Punishment of the Sidonis and the heavy cavalry of the Royal Praetorian Guard, the Dirk Army admired mobility, so the cavalry was mainly light cavalry, and the color of the uniform was also cyan to represent the wind.

At this moment, they marched neatly on both flanks of the team, although they were not as shocking as the heavy cavalry, but they also had a majesty of their own, which made people dare not underestimate them.

In this way, the 50,000-strong army slowly approached at a neat pace, like an unstoppable flood. In front of it, the little Kennett was like a sandcastle, ready to be crushed and swallowed at any moment.

"Good boy, this is the Dirk Army. Seeing the imposing army on the other side, everyone on Hedington's side let out such an amazement.

Although it was not the first time they had fought against the Dirk army, the team in front of them was obviously different from the army under Belen, and this was the atmosphere that the elite of a country should have.

It was also at this moment that everyone understood what a difficult battle they would face in the future.

So, will the enemy army be fooled?

Everyone watched with bated breath the enemy's movements, and if the other party rushed up like this, they would definitely not be able to cope with the fact that they stayed in the town.

Fortunately, 1 kilometer away from Kennett, the Dirk army stopped advancing.

Then, a large number of logistics soldiers rushed forward, dug trenches, erected logs, and began to build barracks. Seeing this, Raymond and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After all. The false information they released, at this moment, Kennett gathered tens of thousands of elites of the Headington army, and put on a posture of fighting to the death here. No matter how strong the Dirk army was, it had to deal with it seriously, even though there were only 2,000 people in the town.

If all goes well, this alone will delay the enemy for about 2 days.

The 50,000-strong army could not be built in a moment. Coupled with the fact that the enemy is coming from afar, it seems that there should be no more fighting today.

Leaving some people to monitor the movements of the enemy army, Raymond and the others returned to the town.

At the moment, the whole town of Kennet is also busy. The army pressed the border, although it did not intend to defend it, but it still put a lot of pressure on everyone.

Bands of Headington soldiers hurried by, barricades lining every road in town, and many digging traps for the enemy to enter. Hold them back as much as you can.

The townspeople all hid in their homes and were warned not to go out at will, and not to resist when the Dirk army had entered, lest they become the target of the attack.

Sure enough, there was no fighting that day. After the Dirk army had set up its camp, it began to rest, apparently preparing for an all-out attack the next day.

Until now, they had assumed that the Headington Army was planning a decisive battle here. Next. It depends on how long the enemy will be confused.

Nothing happened overnight.

Early the next morning, with the sound of trumpets. The enemy camp began to move.

Groups of troops of different colors poured out of the camp, and a strict queue was laid out. Flags with various coats of arms flutter in the wind in the early morning sun, looking imposing.

Contrary to the imagination of others, although Renard has the title of "Mad Prince", he is extremely disciplined in his marching formation. The formation is also often meticulous, never giving the enemy any chance to take advantage of, which is very different from his usual crazy behavior.

"Well, that's amazing. Looking at the neat appearance of the enemy army, Bryce couldn't help but admire.

"Lord Raymond. What's next?" asked Makudi.

Raymond narrowed his eyes slightly: "No matter how arrogant Renard is, when the situation is unclear, he will never attack with all his strength at the beginning." We'll just have to survive the first wave of attacks and withdraw immediately, so that when the enemy finds out, we won't be able to continue our march until at least tomorrow. ”

"Understood, then it will be done according to the plan. Makudi nodded.

Follow him and shout: "Get ready to fight!"

The remaining 2,000 Hydington soldiers immediately entered the defensive positions in front of the town. They spent the next two days building it, and it wasn't very strong, of course, but it was enough for showmanship.

As Raymond expected, a group of enemy troops soon rushed towards this side and began to make the first wave of tentative attacks.

It can be seen that the other party is also quite cautious. First of all were the shieldmen in yellow armor, who marched slowly with their large shields, followed by the red assault soldiers and the green archers. The two groups of cyan cavalry scattered far away to prevent someone from sneaking up on the flanks.

The Heddington troops left behind this time were all elite, and they were not afraid of the enemy. At the behest of Makudi, the archers behind the fortifications attacked first.

For a while, I heard the sound of swishing and swishing, and arrows rushed towards the enemy army. However, the shieldbearer who was at the front raised his shield and stopped most of the arrows, causing little damage to the enemy.

Hilnis stretched out his bow and arrows, holding two arrows between his fingers, and shot them out with a slight aim. Two arrows pierced the sky, accurately penetrating through the gaps in the enemy's shields and penetrating the chests of the two assault soldiers.

In the screams, the two assault soldiers fell to the ground with blood splattered on their faces, while the other soldiers were also hit by the arrows that came one after another, and they fell one after another. However, the enemy army was not affected in any way, and still approached this side at the same pace.

After they passed, they left the dead and wounded all over the ground, but there was no trace of confusion in the formation, which shows the strictness of their military discipline.

Approaching, the enemy's green-armored archers drew their arrows in a neat movement and began to counterattack.

I heard the bowstrings tremble almost in unison, and in an instant the arrows fell like a torrential rain, and the Heddington army was already prepared. Soldiers with shields raised their shields to protect their companions, while their archers did not hesitate to shoot at the enemy.

In the midst of a dull popping sound, arrows continued to fall to the ground, while enemy archers lost cover and were shot by arrows. However, relying on the defensive facilities, the losses on the Heldington side were significantly smaller.

After two more volleys, the enemy finally rushed closer. The shieldmen in the front were divided into two sides, and the assaulters in red armor behind them rushed towards the outer fence like a ball of flame. (To be continued......)