Chapter 51: Chapter 51: The High-minded Beastmen

Run through by Robson’s spear, the Wolf Cavalry Commander’s eyes held only indignation and shock.

He forcefully flung the enemy’s corpse from his Knight’s Spear.

’Why would someone actively charge onto a spear?’ Robson wondered, quite puzzled.

If the Wolf Cavalry Commander knew what Robson was thinking at that moment, he would have been angry enough to come back to life. Was his all-out, desperate attack nothing more than suicide in his enemy’s eyes?

Of course, he would never know. Robson possessed the Eight Knightly Arts at the Perfect Level, in addition to ancestral techniques from the Deriman Family!

His usual preference for picking off kills with a bow from the sidelines was simply because he, Lord Robson, disliked all the fighting and killing. Not using a skill didn’t mean he didn’t have it!

In Robson’s eyes, the few moves the Wolf Cavalry Commander had just made were so full of openings that they were practically indistinguishable from a suicide attempt.

...

"The... the boss is dead?"

"That human! He killed the boss!"

Meanwhile, some of the Wolf Cavalry had finally escaped the range of Huang Na’s oppressive aura. They were confused and seething with frustration, about to resume their charge, when they looked back and saw the Wolf Cavalry Commander impaled on the human Knight’s spear.

Due to the vast territory of the Beastman Empire and its primitive internal tribal system, slavery was widespread among the Beastmen. Social hierarchy was even stricter in Beastman society than among humans.

The Wolf Cavalry Commander had risen to his position largely because he himself was a major slave owner. Many in the Cavalry Corps were his personal soldiers, and many others were his relatives and friends.

This organizational structure was strikingly similar to the Noble Alliance Army of the Human Race, and their respective strengths and weaknesses were also very much alike.

Normally, the low-level commanders and soldiers were familiar and trusted one another. There was no need to spend time fostering camaraderie; they were combat-ready from day one.

But the weakness was also glaringly obvious: if anything happened to a commander, the unit’s morale would drop exponentially.

The principle that an army grieving its commander is bound to win only applies when the fallen leader had sufficient prestige and accomplishments before their death. For example, when Count Offman sacrificed himself for all the nobles of Sunset Fortress, they were genuinely grateful from the bottom of their hearts.

For a thoroughbred slave owner like the Wolf Cavalry Commander, his subordinates feared him far more than they respected him. Why would they even consider avenging him?

At that moment, the fleeing nobles of North City also managed to turn their horses around. They had been pursued by this pack of Wolf Cavalry for a long time and were simmering with rage. Seeing a chance to turn the tables, they looked as if they wanted to tear a piece of flesh off every single one of them!

"Charge!"

"For the Lord of Dawn!"

Shouting their battle cries, the North City nobles charged toward the Wolf Cavalry formation once more.

Just as the North City nobles began their charge, the cavalry behind Robson were already plowing into the chaotic Wolf Cavalry formation.

The effect Huang Na had was far from over. The Wolf Cavalry who had recovered from the chaos were, after all, a minority.

Most of the Wolf Cavalry were still playing a pleasant game of bumper cars with their teammates. Their entire formation was a disorganized mess, completely lacking any semblance of a defense.

Robson’s cavalry was led by the Fourth-rank Frank Skilled Cavalry, followed by several hundred Third-tier Frank Cavalry.

Even in a direct charge, Robson’s cavalry could fight the potion-fueled Wolf Cavalry to a 50/50 standstill. In the current situation, however, the Wolf Cavalry was in such disarray they could only be passively beaten.

If the noble cavalry from the east and west were two needles, then Robson’s cavalry formation from the north was a giant iron club. The combined three-pronged assault battered the Wolf Cavalry Corps so badly they were crying for their mothers.

"Turn back! Turn back and retreat!"

"Behind you! You idiot! Look out, a human spear is about to run you through!"

Facing the human assault, the now-leaderless Wolf Cavalry Corps was powerless to fight back. The riders at the front wanted to escape the danger while those at the back wanted to resume the charge. The result was a ’free-for-all’.

"Ding! A Frank Skilled Cavalry has successfully killed a Werewolf Rider. +300 experience."

"Ding! A Frank Cavalry has successfully killed a Skilled Werewolf Rider. +500 experience."

"Ding!..."

Robson listened to the chimes in his ear, his heart filled with uncontrollable joy.

At this rate, he estimated he’d have several dozen more Tier Four Cavalry after this battle. As he thought this, his gaze toward the Wolf Cavalry softened a little.

’Are they really here to make trouble for me? It’s obvious they felt I was gaining experience too slowly from just grinding goblins and came here specifically to contribute to the great cause of Lord Robson!’

’This generation of Beastmen is so enlightened!’

After a round of charges, the tightly packed Wolf Cavalry formation finally scattered. However, that wave had inflicted heavy losses on the entire Wolf Cavalry Corps, with just over a hundred riders remaining.

Some of the more skilled riders managed to break away to the sides and escape the battlefield, but the majority of the Wolf Cavalry were herded by the humans toward the West City Gate of Mold Fortress.

"A human formation!"

"They’re all wearing iron armor!"

"This is bad, turn back! Quick, turn back!"

"Arrows! They’re still shooting arrows from above!"

The West City Gate stood wide open, revealing several hundred human Armored Warriors in neat, gleaming silver ranks. The shield-bearers in the front row had planted their greatshields on the ground, and between the gaps in the shield wall, longspears were held at the ready, their tips seeming to exude a bone-chilling air.

And on the walls of West City, hundreds of Archers had already drawn their bowstrings, aimed right at them.

The barren Beastman Grassland doesn’t have many iron mines, so their cavalry is comprised mostly of Light Cavalry. Facing a disciplined formation of iron-clad infantry, charging them meant certain death. There was no alternative.

"Damn it! Since there’s no way out, let’s take these humans down with us!"

"Just charge! Take one of them down for each of us!"

A race that could truly establish a foothold on the Beastman Grassland never lacked a warrior’s spirit. Seeing that they were surrounded with no hope of survival, the remaining Wolf Cavalry cast aside all fear. They waved their scimitars, intending to rely on their final burst of ferocity to break the infantry formation at the gates of Bo Yang City.

Unfortunately, sometimes a win is a win, and a loss is a loss.

Some of the Wolf Cavalry were shot full of holes by the Archers on the wall before they even reached the infantry formation, falling to the ground along with their mounts.

Even for those who made it to the infantry line, a "fearless" charge from Light Cavalry was completely useless against Robson’s Heavy Infantry formation. Their scimitars couldn’t reach the enemy’s heads before longspears pierced their chests.

....

The moment Robson saw the Wolf Cavalry being brought to a halt, he realized what was happening and ordered his army to slow its advance.

Sure enough, the notifications from his Mount & Blade panel soon began to chime.

"Ding! A Frank Skilled Infantry has successfully killed a Skilled Werewolf Rider. +500 experience."

"Ding!...."

Gazing at the notifications flooding his Mount & Blade panel, Robson could only sigh in admiration. This generation of Beastmen was just too enlightened!

’They knew my, Lord Robson’s, infantry and archers were just shy of the experience needed for Tier Five, so they deliberately charged my Heavy Infantry formation on horseback.’

After this wave, he had gained at least twenty-odd Tier Five infantry and over ten Tier Five Archers.

’Who said Beastmen are savage? This generation of Beastmen is just enlightened to a whole new level!’