Chapter 185 - 166: Epilogue
Chapter 185: Chapter 166: Epilogue
A Knight without a mount was already halfway to being useless.
Moreover, Robson had previously scavenged a large quantity of armor, bows, arrows, and other equipment in Sirich City. He had given it all to his Tier Five and Tier Six Cavalry, so when they entered the battle, every single one of them was armed to the teeth.
In the beginning, the Beastmen were still dazed, their adrenaline not yet pumping, and many of them died. You could say the Frank Elite Cavalry gained a lot of experience with barely any casualties.
Robson’s army already had over 300 Frank Elite Cavalry, and after this battle, nearly a hundred more were promoted!
They were still in the process of hunting down the enemy, so the exact numbers couldn’t be fully tallied. However, with the enemy fleeing in the dead of night, the cavalry’s vision would likely be hindered.
The final tally would probably be around 150. If so, he, Lord Robson, would have over two hundred Frank Border Knights under his command!
At this point, he, Lord Robson, could be said to have reaped a bountiful harvest.
"Go inform the Second and Third Regiments to close in and prepare to enter the pass!" Robson commanded, looking at the personal guards gathering around him.
The Second and Third Regiments were the forces Robson intended to use as reserves. If they ended up being just shy of defeating the Beastman Wolf Cavalry, he would bring them in to completely overwhelm the enemy.
If they were far from victory, or if the Beastmen even managed to turn the tables, he would use the chaos to pull the Second and Third Regiments, along with those dozen or so Magic Crystal Cannons, into Thermopylae.
This way, even if the battle went poorly for the Fengman Knight Order, the Cavalry Team, and the First Regiment, Robson could still bolster the defenses of Thermopylae and increase humanity’s chances in the war to come.
It sounded cruel, but this plan was essentially sacrificing the Fengman Knight Order, the Cavalry Team, the First Regiment, and even the Fourth and Fifth Regiments that had not yet caught up.
The front-line troops, engaged in fierce combat on the battlefield, at least had a chance to retreat to Thermopylae. The Fourth and Fifth regiments behind them, however, would basically be left to die.
The best-case scenario was that, under the guidance of the Griffin Cavalry, they would find the approaching reinforcements of Earl Wei Man or the support troops dispatched by Marquis Oscillate.
The worst-case scenario was being discovered by Beastmen reinforcements and having their corpses left to rot in the wilderness.
But it couldn’t be helped. To a commander, soldiers were an ever-flowing resource. Sometimes, one had to be ruthless and abandon what needed to be abandoned.
An order that seems to save a small part of the army can sometimes, directly or indirectly, lead to the loss of the entire battle, or even the war.
...
"Baron Robson, is it over?"
By the time Prince Noah arrived with the Royal Guard Knight Order to find Robson, the battle was basically over. Inside the Beastman Camp, soldiers from the First Regiment were already resting in small groups.
They had been fighting all night and were mentally exhausted.
Several units emerged from Thermopylae to start clearing the battlefield, while the Fengman Knight Order had gone in pursuit of the Beastmen’s Extraordinary Wolf Cavalry.
Of course, at this stage, Valentino didn’t actually believe she could achieve any significant results. The main goal was to keep the Extraordinary Wolf Cavalry from having a chance to regroup.
Knowing Robson as she did, Valentino was sure he would have his army pursue the enemy for a full twelve hours after any battle.
Even exhausted, the Extraordinary Wolf Cavalry was still an Extraordinary Corps. Even without their aura, their physical conditioning alone was beyond what any mundane army could match.
It was unlikely they could inflict major damage on Robson’s army if they turned around to counter-attack, but it would certainly stop the pursuit cold.
Robson watched as Prince Noah ambled over.
Prince Noah’s Personal Guard Knights hadn’t appeared on the battlefield tonight. This was mainly because the prince himself was too weak, possessing only the strength of a Silver-rank.
If Prince Noah were targeted on the battlefield, Robson wouldn’t be able to ignore the prince’s safety. Even Marquis Oscillate would have to order Earl Wei Man to help Prince Noah break through the enemy lines.
The shoulders of he, Lord Robson, were not broad enough to bear the thunderous wrath of the royal family.
So, Robson had simply told Prince Noah not to enter the battlefield at all.
Fortunately, Prince Noah was a pragmatist, just like Robson. If the prince had insisted on upholding some chivalric ideal, it would have created a real headache for Robson.
"Yes, Your Highness. We’ve succeeded...
...At least, we’ve succeeded halfway," Robson said.
With the battle having gone this way, the pressure of defending the pass would be reduced many times over.
A battle like this was a tremendous boost to the army’s morale and a devastating blow to the enemy’s.
From now on, Robson just needed to lead his troops, hold Thermopylae, and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
Prince Noah took a deep breath, his gaze distant as he stared at the Beastman Camp. After burning all night, it was now nothing but ruins.
This accomplishment... Prince Noah was stunned.
Prince Noah had just seen the insignia on the Beastmen corpses and the design on their banners: a stylized great wolf of the plains.
When Prince Noah saw it, he realized just who Robson had defeated and immediately drew a sharp breath.
Robson might not be familiar with this particular army, but Noah was a student of history and knew them all too well.
Thirty years ago, they were part of the army that sent Louis II fleeing for his life.
Back then, when the Holy See’s Holy Knight Order and the various Royal Knight Orders came as reinforcements to push back the Beastmen, this very unit was part of the rearguard that covered the Beast Emperor’s retreat.
Of course, they surely couldn’t compare to their former glory. In those days, this unit was called the "Prairie Wolves" by the knight orders of the various kingdoms—not because they were exceptional fighters, but because they were slippery. Like a real wolf pack, they would shadow your army and constantly hinder your advance.
Still, it was a testament to this army’s strength. And now, the Prairie Wolves had fallen on the plains. It was simply unbelievable!
If Prince Noah had achieved such a monumental victory back then, he would have immediately made a beeline for the Royal Capital to enjoy the flowers and applause.
Historians would have called it an epic victory. The Prince had successfully reversed the decline on the Western Front, providing immense encouragement to both the military and the populace.
But alas, there are no ’what ifs.’ At the time, Prince Noah’s army never even had the chance to cross blades with these Prairie Wolves.
"Truly a glorious victory. If my father, the King, knew I participated in this epic battle, he would surely be pleased.
Alas... it is a shame that my own strength was insufficient. I, Noah, was unable to complete the great task entrusted to me by my father and my people..." Prince Noah sighed.
Robson’s eyebrows shot up. He hadn’t expected Prince Noah to be so shameless.
It was obvious what was happening. Prince Noah was asking for credit for the battle.
Prince Noah was indeed in a desperate position. The fallout from his previous military failure was immense; if he didn’t handle this correctly, even Louis III would have a hard time protecting him.
And yet, Prince Noah had been a mere spectator for this entire battle. His Royal Guard Knight Order likely didn’t have a single drop of Beastman blood on their blades.
Forget taking credit for the overall strategy—without Robson’s support, he couldn’t even claim credit for killing a single enemy. And now, Prince Noah was asking Robson if his name could be included when the battle honors were reported.
Or even... if the credit for planning and commanding the entire battle could be attributed to him, Prince Noah.
This was, in essence, stealing credit. Of course, given Prince Noah’s status, as long as Robson didn’t object, no one else would dare to say a word.
But Robson was, after all, the one who had actually planned the battle. Valentino had also been involved from start to finish. The entire army knew who the real mastermind was, so any scheme Prince Noah might try would be futile.
Besides, even if he tried such a scheme, it was questionable whether he could seize the credit. What was certain was that he would offend Robson. By extension, he wouldn’t get any favors from Valentino either, and beyond her, there was Marquis Oscillate to consider.
After all, once Robson and Valentino married, he would be the Marquis’s grandson-in-law. On top of that, he himself hailed from The Odogin Family, a southern faction, making their connection doubly secure.
If Prince Noah tried to cause trouble, the Marquis would certainly not approve. After all, Noah was just a prince—not even the Crown Prince, let alone the King.
The Marquis may have ranked lower than Louis III, but that didn’t mean just any member of the royal family could shit all over him.
In the current situation, Prince Noah still needed Robson to defend Thermopylae. That was the absolute top priority for the Western Front. He couldn’t just discard Robson after he had served his purpose.
Therefore, if he wanted credit for this battle, he absolutely had to have Robson’s support.