Summary

Although Damian considered himself somewhat skilled in tactics, he overlooked the tactical characteristics of this era: individual valor.

The lives of knights and their families revolved entirely around martial prowess. From being fostered at a young age to participating in tournaments and hunting excursions in adulthood, every aspect was a form of combat training.

To use defensive techniques in front of this group of knights who have spent their whole lives on the battlefield or are preparing to go to the battlefield, you must first have strong personal skills.

However, Damian chose a shortcut, indicating that the quality of his army was lacking.

Especially when dividing his forces to guard various towers and abandoning short walls to create temporary trap pits, it was clear Damian hoped to resolve the battle with minimal losses.

To reduce the main knights' fatigue, Damian even had them establish camps on outside hills, ensuring mutual support and deterring the enemy. This laziness and trickery aimed at achieving great success with minimal cost.

This habit nearly caused Damian to lose the war within his flimsy fortress. The knights of the Cassel family rampaged through the castle, and the archers, lacking both armor and long spears, scattered like lambs to the slaughter despite their numbers.

In other words, Damian had built himself a turtle shell, but the shell was as thin as paper. Even though it concealed numerous one-time-use spikes beneath it, the armored beasts could easily pry open the shell and devour the meat inside.

Fortunately, at this critical moment, Damian's own knights did not falter. Led by Jeffrey, more than fifty regular knights and novice knights surged down the hill, leading their attendants and servants in a fierce charge against the Cassel Count's troops.

In their haste, Jeffrey didn't even have time to pick up a lance and had to wield a sword. The kind of harness that allowed a lance to hang from the saddle hadn't been invented yet.

Similar to how Count Tepler's knights had crushed Damian's flimsy defenses, Jeffrey's knights effortlessly overwhelmed the Cassel County's ragtag infantry, who fled across the plains, unable to support their lord.

This created a dramatic scene: Count Tepler's knights surrounded Damian, Damian's knights surrounded Tepler's infantry, Tepler's infantry fled, and Damian was immobilized inside.

Although the battle changed rapidly, both sides incurred minimal losses.

The main issue now was that Damian, along with his attendants and a group of archers, were trapped in the largest castle. The thing worth celebrating was the only entrance was narrow.

At this critical moment, Damian finally demonstrated his martial prowess, engaging the enemy knights in hand-to-hand combat at the entrance.

His robust physique and systematic training made his swordsmanship formidable, repeatedly defeating the Cassel knights and halting their advance.

"This kid is tough to beat," remarked Count Tepler, who had been dug out of a pit by his subordinates and was now anxiously directing his knights in a decapitation strike.

Although thirty knights had fallen into the pit, most survived, with only seven killed and the rest lightly injured. At the same time, one of Damian's most valuable units, the forest hunters appeared.

These unique hunters, capable of both archery and close-quarters combat, formed a death squad on the rooftops, engaging in one-on-one melees with the knights. Additionally, numerous archers began to fire short volleys from towers and rooftops.

The close-range volleys, though not immediately lethal, wounded many knights, forcing them to raise shields and retreat defensively.

Meanwhile, Count Cassel's infantry, led by remaining knights, finally reached the castle to support their lord despite Damian's knights' harassment.

Seeing this, Count Tepler had no choice but to hastily withdraw with his knights.

After repelling several knights, Damian was now exhausted, barely able to stand. Gasping for breath, he reflected, "Alright, it seems we can't rely too much on trickery. It's better to launch massed knight charges."

Both sides suffered significant casualties, though Damian's losses included dozens of archers and soldiers killed or injured.

However, Count Tepler's situation was worse, having lost nearly ten knights, with the rest too injured to fight immediately.

The loss of infantry could be mitigated by recruiting refugees and wanderers, but knight casualties required a long recovery. 

Following this heavy loss, the knights of Count Cassel's house were driven by both hatred and fear, leading them to be more cautious.

Count Tepler encamped at the border between the two counties, while Damian abandoned the fragile fortress and retreated a few miles to camp on a ridge.

"This battle taught me never to underestimate the main trends of the era," Damian reflected on this fruitless stalemate. It was his first battle without gains, even requiring funeral expenses and compensation for soldiers and archers.

Knight charges were formidable, and he realized he couldn't always find ways to counter them. The quality of the army itself was paramount.

For the next half month, the armies of Cassel and Damian warily watched each other across the border, with no major battles occurring. Both declared victory domestically, but it was clear the war was likely over.

…

Nancy, the true capital of the Grand Duchy of Upper Lorraine.

"Good, good idea," remarked a simply dressed middle-aged man on horseback, flicking the letter in his hand with a tone of either doubt or sarcasm. His broad forehead and well-maintained, handsome, fair face made a strong impression.

The surrounding noble attendants sensed that this wardrobe master, who managed national affairs, was truly angry.

His sister was the first to break Adler's plan and confront him.

"I thought my sister would understand her situation after defeating our rebellious brother, but I was wrong. She's still dreaming of ruling Gothingen. Doesn't she realize how much I sacrificed to ensure her safe return to Nancy?"

Adler tore the letter to pieces, coldly declaring, "Gothingen won't survive this winter!"