Chapter 51: A One-Sided War

Before the two sides clashed with bared fangs and brandished claws, they often first loosed a volley of arrows to bolster their courage.

As the soldiers of Soren Territory advanced, the peasant soldiers in the front ranks had already entered the range of the enemy archers.

Since the archers of Idar Territory were equipped mostly with enchanted arrows, their range was clearly superior to that of Soren Territory's archers.

"Hold your fire!"

Sam frowned as he issued the order.

Though the peasant soldiers were numerous, they were of little real threat due to their weak combat ability. Sam Layton was waiting for the personal guards and knights of Soren Territory to step into effective range.

As the enemy closed in, finally... it was time to shoot!

"Fire!"

The moment Sam Layton gave the command, enchanted arrows streaked through the air, whistling toward the personal guards behind the peasant soldiers.

"Their range is this far?!" Herman Buckley was shocked.

"Quick! Shields up! Raise your shields!"

But the enchanted arrows were simply too fast. In the blink of an eye, several personal guards were pierced through, blood splattering in all directions.

Although enchanted arrows provided a huge advantage, their numbers were limited. In just two volleys, the hundred or so enchanted arrows were completely depleted.

However, these enchanted arrows had greatly demoralized Soren Territory's soldiers and yielded excellent results. Most of the fallen were Soren's archers, which significantly weakened their ability to return fire.

"Charge! Charge!" Herman Buckley roared.

Orders were orders. Driven forward by the personal guards in the rear, the peasant soldiers of Soren Territory had no choice but to grit their teeth and advance toward the Idar forces.

Four hundred peasant soldiers surged forward in a disorganized mass, a black wave of bodies that, from a distance, carried a semblance of intimidation.

Lacking quality, they made up for it with numbers. To Herman Buckley, these peasant soldiers were expendable cannon fodder.

If some were to lose an arm or a leg, he felt no sympathy whatsoever. Instead, he saw financial gain families of the wounded would face heavy costs, and if they couldn't make ends meet, they would have to borrow from the lord. Soon enough, Soren Territory would have a fresh batch of serfs.

No matter how one looked at it, this was a profitable deal.

As the two sides drew closer, the soldiers of Idar unsheathed their swords, howling as they charged under the command of their officers.

"This is our chance to earn glory and rewards! Charge!"

The soldiers of Idar were brimming with fighting spirit, for each enemy slain earned them a bounty of twenty copper coins!

That was nearly half a month's wages for an average worker in Idar!

Four hundred enemies stood before them—that was eight thousand copper coins scattered across the battlefield!

"For the love of copper coins uh, no, I mean, for Idar! Kill them all!"

The soldiers charged like madmen, eyes bloodshot with excitement. This was the road to riches!

Each additional kill meant twenty more copper coins!

Many of them even abandoned their usual coordinated tactics and precise maneuvers, opting instead to recklessly charge forward!

Although the soldiers of Soren Territory had the advantage in numbers, the sheer ferocity of the Idar soldiers struck fear into their hearts.

Many of Soren's troops had fought in battles before, but this time felt different. Their enemies were… too aggressive.

In the past, when two groups of cannon fodder met, they would mostly wave their weapons around in a halfhearted struggle. But now, these Idar soldiers fought like ravenous wolves…

They couldn't help but wonder weren't they all conscripted men forced into battle? Did they really need to fight this hard?

Clarell, clad in a slightly worn chainmail suit, led the charge. Nearly every regular soldier in Idar's army had received new gear. Bruno had allocated almost all the weapons and armor from the lord's castle to equip this newly formed army.

The armor Clarell wore had even been stripped from one of the statues inside the lord's castle.

With fully armed regular soldiers pitted against nearly defenseless peasant troops, the battle's outcome was already clear.

Clarell plunged into the ranks of Soren's forces, his blade slicing through enemies like a knife through butter…

Twenty copper coins…

Forty copper coins…

Not far away, Herman Buckley saw his forces wavering. He was utterly dumbfounded why were these Idar soldiers fighting like men possessed?

Yet he and his knights dared not act rashly, as Idar's personal cavalry remained nearby, watching them like hawks.

No more hesitation!

Herman Buckley clenched his teeth—if his cavalry did not engage now, his infantry would be annihilated!

As a nobleman, retreat was not an option. The army he had assembled represented nearly all the forces Soren Territory could muster. If he lost here…

Herman Buckley dared not entertain that thought any further. His only chance of victory was to break Idar's cavalry!

"Charge with me!" With that command, Herman Buckley led the charge himself.

On the other side, Sam Layton also urged his cavalry forward, engaging Soren's knights head-on.

Fifty against fifty.

In theory, this should have been an even fight…

But…

As Sam Layton clashed blades with Herman Buckley, Sam tightened his grip and delivered a powerful strike…

Clang!

Their weapons met in a resounding impact, and then—

Sam suddenly exerted all his strength.

Herman Buckley felt a shockwave through his grip.

A tremendous force surged from Sam's weapon, and in an instant, Herman Buckley was thrown from his horse!

Soren's cavalry was momentarily stunned…

But their horses continued galloping forward, rushing toward the Idar cavalry.

Herman Buckley's downfall was like toppling the first domino.

Idar's cavalry, now fueled with adrenaline, fought with an unstoppable momentum, tearing through Soren's knights like a hurricane…

Looking around, he realized—

Soren Territory's cavalry had been utterly wiped out.

At this moment, Sam Layton couldn't help but marvel at his lord's brilliance.

Simply equipping the horses with such simple gear had drastically enhanced their combat effectiveness!