Chapter181

The Edelweiss soldiers, though many in number, kept realizing in shock that their weapons could not pierce the armor of the night raid thieves in front of them. These thieves were clearly experienced fighters, each almost able to handle two or three of the soldiers at once.

They could not break through the enemy's defense and were being robbed of their supplies right before their eyes. The enemy was pressing them down and winning the fight.

The Edelweiss general's eyes turned red when he saw this. He did not understand what kind of armor the enemy was wearing that could resist their weapons. In his memory, only generals wore bronze armor that could do this.

But bronze armor was too heavy. Soldiers who were not strong or tall enough could not wear it well. Even if they forced it on, it would slow them down and make their movements clumsy. On the battlefield, it was more a burden than protection.

Now, these people were all wearing something with defense comparable to bronze armor, yet their speed and agility were not at all slow!

Why?!

Their height and build were not that tall or bulky!

Even for tall and bulky people, wearing bronze armor and still moving so quickly and flexibly is extremely difficult!

The general was shocked and stunned inside. Seeing his side, though outnumbering the enemy, being forced to retreat, he could not think about what these thieves were wearing. He could only send more soldiers forward to block them!

Unfortunately, at this moment, under the cover of Egbert and Hector's elite troops, the last few soldiers carrying food had almost all escaped.

Hector looked at the large group of Edelweiss soldiers rushing up from below and did not linger in battle. He immediately ordered a retreat.

"Withdraw! Keep covering the elite troops, retreat toward the cliff edge!"

After this battle, Hector and the elite troops had even more respect from the bottom of their hearts for the various weapons and armor made by the princess.

But no matter how good the weapons and armor are, you cannot charge blindly.

Charge when needed, withdraw when necessary. Only then can the elite troops' strength be preserved and fully used.

Under Hector's calm and wise command, the bronze-armored Edelweiss soldiers, unable to break through the armor, could only watch in shock as this group of night-raid thieves forced their way through the blockade, carrying food supplies and running fast!

"Damn! What exactly are they wearing?! Someone chase them!"

"Archers, prepare! Shoot!"

The once quiet food storage place grew chaotic.

A long black line carrying big packs of grain dashed quickly toward the cliff river in the distance under cover of darkness.

Hector led the empty-handed elite troops to block the pursuit from the Edelweiss soldiers.

When all the elite troops had exited the granary, he pulled out a longbow from behind and aimed a burning arrow tipped with oil-soaked iron at the oil barrel hidden on the granary's third floor.

"No! Stop the flaming arrows! Stop the flaming arrows!"

But the Edelweiss general shouted too slowly. Hector's archery was very accurate, and his years of strong arm strength let him draw the bow fully.

"Whoosh!"

The burning arrow, bright with flame, pierced the night sky and struck the oil-soaked grain on the third floor precisely.

A huge fire broke out!

The whole granary was almost instantly engulfed in flames!

The Edelweiss general's eyes almost burst in anger!

Amid the soldiers' screams, the general was so furious he almost vomited blood but had to order half the soldiers to stop the chase and immediately put out the fire.

The other half of the infantry covered the archers as they continued to pursue these nearly unstoppable thieves!

Half of the pursuers were gone, so the pressure on Hector and the others dropped sharply. They started taking down more and more Edelweiss soldiers.

But under Hector's command, the elite soldiers didn't let this small victory get to their heads. They still followed orders and covered the retreat of the supply carriers, heading toward the cliff.

When they finally got close to the edge, all the elite soldiers carrying heavy bags of grain tossed them off the cliff. The soldiers waiting on the boats below caught them steadily, and with their hands finally free, the elite fighters shouted and smiled, ready to pull out their weapons and fight freely.

After throwing down the supplies and freeing their hands, the elite soldiers grabbed their weapons and charged at the incoming Edelweiss soldiers with excitement.

Hector didn't stop them. After all, the boats below needed time to adjust their course and position to protect the grain inside.

The elite troops were thrilled and couldn't hold back their excitement.

In the past, they had only been bandits, rebels, or wandering fighters, with weapons that were usually broken or makeshift. Sometimes they even fought with hoes, and most of the time, they got crushed by regular armies.

But now, they had such good weapons and armor and could openly fight on a real battlefield.

Even though the battlefield was a bit small, it didn't stop them from enjoying the feeling of being part of a proper army with real backing and structure.

With much better gear than their enemies, the elite soldiers charged right to the front lines.

By the time the signal finally came from below the cliff, showing the boats were ready to leave, they had already wiped out most of the Edelweiss foot soldiers at the front.

Their side barely lost anyone, and the difference in casualties was shocking.

Hector gave a loud shout, and the still-excited soldiers reluctantly put away their blades. Then, following their general, Hector, they jumped off the cliff like fish diving through water, landing firmly on the boat decks that had been properly positioned.

"Move!"

The well-rewarded soldiers of Plumera quickly grabbed the oars and began rowing the fully loaded boats with all their strength.

Up on the cliff, the Edelweiss foot soldiers had nearly all been wiped out. Only the archers were left, standing at the edge with red eyes.

"Fire!!!"

Arrows rained down from the cliffside, but the elite soldiers around the boats had already raised their iron shields, following Hector's earlier orders.

"Form a shield wall! Protect the boats!"

The arrows hit the shields with loud thuds, falling like rain, but they didn't break through. They didn't even leave much of a mark on the shields.

The wall formed by the iron shields fully covered the boats. Not a single arrow got through.

The Edelweiss archer commander on the cliff was so furious he screamed with bulging eyes.

Laughter boomed from below the cliff. It was loud and unrestrained.

Seven or eight boats, loaded with spoils, boldly sailed away right under the Edelweiss army's nose.

At the same time, another victorious battle was unfolding between mountain cliffs in the northern part of Marigold.

In the northern part of Marigold County, on a narrow mountain path between two tall peaks, a large army could be seen approaching slowly in the distance.

Hidden within the dense forest on both sides of the mountain, General Qi stood on top of a massive rock, watching the approaching army through a gap in the woods.

"General, the scouting is complete. As you predicted, there are only about 150,000 troops marching on this road. Besides the flags with the word 'Ge,' all the others carry the 'Yan' insignia. This must be the main force led by Lord Gregory under the Yan family banner."

General Qi continued observing the troops below while listening to his subordinate's report.

Lord Gregory was indeed cunning and extremely suspicious, even of the three families—Zhu, Yan, and Lin—that had served him loyally for years. He tried to balance power among them as a precaution.

According to information from the capital, Lord Gregory commanded at least 400,000 soldiers. He claimed to be leading the entire force south.

But now, on this road below them, there were only 150,000 troops.

General Qi didn't even need to guess to understand the remaining 250,000 must have been secretly deployed along other routes to avoid leaks.

Even without finding the spy around him, Lord Gregory's instinctive choice to split the army had turned out to be the right one.

Their plan to move south had already been leaked.

But even though Lord Gregory suspected a spy and acted to divide his forces, he had no idea how deeply his enemy had already infiltrated.

Just then, a black hawk swooped up rapidly from below. It flew so fast that its figure barely registered before it dropped a sealed message into General Qi's hands.

It was an urgent message from his lieutenant, sent from a peak a hundred miles away:

[Just as the Princess and General predicted, Lord Gregory split his troops into three separate forces before departure. The Zhu, Yan, and Lin families each lead one of them, taking different routes south to attack Marigold County from multiple directions.]

[My unit has already located the force led by the Zhu family—around 100,000 soldiers. Vice Commander Li has also spotted Lin's force, with similar numbers. As the Princess foresaw, all of them are heading straight for the mountain passes we're guarding. Once the time is right, we'll strike decisively.]

[Also, the route used to transport supplies has been confirmed. Captain Yang and his team have found the tracks left by Lord Gregory's backup force. Everything is going according to plan. General, please rest assured. During battle, we'll continue to update you through messengers.]

Thanks to the black hawk, a puppet soldier from Edelweiss, which could fly up to 400 kilometers per hour, General Qi and his officers could receive real-time updates even in the middle of combat.

This gave them the ability to adjust strategies instantly, minimize misfires and delays, and seize the best moments to attack or retreat.

After reading the letter, General Qi instructed the newly appointed signal officer, assigned personally by the Princess not long ago, to write and send a message back.

Once that was done, General Qi turned again to look at the army in the distance and raised his hand to issue orders to the troops behind him.

"Notify all hidden units. Prepare to strike. Once the enemy enters the attack zone, launch the assault as planned. No mistakes allowed."

"Yes, sir!"