Chapter 154: The Outbreak of War (Part 3)

Realistically speaking, Guo Lang and the defenders were now strapped to the same boat; right before a battle, it was not the time to boost others' morale while dampening one's own. However, Guo Lang was a transmigrator and a reborn one at that, naturally well aware of the methods employed by these zealots. Given the sheer power level displayed by this plane thus far, defeating the zealots was simply impossible!

Soon, accompanied by the frantic drumming of the drummers atop the gate tower, the thousand-strong cavalry had already charged into the open area outside the city gate!

Guo Lang observed them for a moment. The commander's experience was extremely seasoned; instead of mindlessly charging straight into the enemy formation, he halted his forces outside the city gate to reorganize their ranks. Both in terms of momentum and military competence, this was truly a remarkably elite cavalry unit.

At that moment, every single one of them was clad in heavy armor, with precious swords hanging at their waists, glittering longspears in their hands, and crimson cloaks fluttering in the wind, creating a rather formidable impact.

The middle-aged leader standing at the vanguard raised his longspear high and shouted aloud, "For our Royal Court—"

Instantly, the cavalrymen behind him roared in unison, "Might! Might! Might!"

The leading commander laughed heartily. "Warriors, let these lapdogs of Ross witness what a true iron cavalry is!" With a wave of his spear, he commanded, "Charge with me to slay the enemy!"

With that, he took the lead, galloping swiftly toward the enemy forces.

In an instant, the thousand-plus cavalrymen surged forward like a quantum-gathered torrent straight toward the enemy!

Seeing this from atop the city wall, Guo Lang narrowed his eyes slightly.

The soldiers' performance was exceptional. Not only was the commander seasoned, but he was also adept at boosting morale. First, his voice possessed an infectious quality—a natural talent—followed by his daring and bloody valor in leading from the front. From every perspective, he was a rare and valuable military talent.

What a pity, though...

Just then, some fast-talking soldiers not far from Guo Lang could not help but exclaim in admiration, "As expected of Lord Batu! He is the hero who once followed the Prince to conquer these six northern cities, and the cavalry behind him are the Red Lotus Guards left behind by the Prince himself. These are one of the six elite forces under the Prince of our Baila Royal Court. Look at this momentum, tsk tsk, it's completely different from the Lord's cavalry. They're definitely going to teach the enemy a severe lesson this time!"

Hearing this, many others chimed in with agreement. "That's right! These little bastards of Ross, how could they possibly defeat the Prince's subordinates? In the open field, the knights of our Royal Court are invincible. There is no army in this world that can fight us in the field!"

Even before the battle had truly begun, the momentum stirred up by the cavalry below had greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers above. Guo Lang paid special attention to the quartermaster. According to the intelligence provided by Ah Er, the factions within the six northern cities were not united; the general down below and the quartermaster on the city wall belonged to two opposing factions—namely, the local lord, the Seventh Prince, and the Prince whom these soldiers spoke of.

Yet, Guo Lang closely observed that even amidst such fervent adoration for the Prince by the soldiers, the quartermaster from the opposing faction showed no signs of displeasure, gazing ahead at the battlefield with an utterly solemn expression!

This was a man of great discretion and usable talent, Guo Lang deduced inwardly.

On the battlefield, facing the sortie of the Red Lotus Guards, the enemy side quickly arrayed a formation of cavalry.

"They're only starting to form up now?" Many experienced veterans atop the city wall let out a round of sneers. It seemed that the so-called military genius of the Ross Empire was nothing special after all.

Guo Lang frowned at this. Their reasoning was not entirely unfounded; judging by the speed demonstrated by the Red Lotus Guards, if the enemy was only beginning to form up now, their own cavalry would practically be upon them by the time the charge commenced.

Much like automobiles, horses could not attain high speeds instantly; they required a certain amount of time to build up momentum. Once his side seized the initiative while the enemy was merely starting from a standstill, it would be impossible for the latter to withstand a cavalry force that had already successfully accelerated.

However, that was only the rule for ordinary cavalry!

Guo Lang cast a glance at the opposing cavalry that had sortied. The battlefield was over three miles away; most people, even standing atop the dozen-meter-high city wall, could barely make out the situation. But Guo Lang was different—his extraordinary vision allowed him to see everything with absolute clarity.

The opposing cavalrymen who had sortied were all clad in heavy black armor, their bodies almost entirely enveloped save for a slit for their eyes. Yet, Guo Lang could still see through those slits that the soldiers possessed bright red pupils! And the heavily armored horses they rode also had bright red pupils!

The Chaos Clan!

Guo Lang's heart sank. Furthermore, the enemy's development had clearly progressed quite far; even their horses had been enhanced. In his view, this battle had virtually no suspense left!

Sure enough, the next moment, the enemy's lead knight raised his longspear, and the knights behind him suddenly neighed loudly. The horses' neighs were vastly louder than those of ordinary steeds, a piercing screech that practically blanketed the entire battlefield. It startled the mounts of the charging Red Lotus Guards so severely that they ground to a sudden, violent halt. Many knights in the front ranks were thrown forward due to the sudden inertia, smashing into bloody pulps even before the fighting began!

A ferocious grin crept across the corner of the enemy cavalry leader's mouth as he pointed his longspear forward and shouted, "Slaughter them all!"

Neigh! A shrill equine screech pierced the air, and these black-clad cavalrymen charged toward the enemy like a torrent. Their speed was astonishingly fast, far surpassing that of the Red Lotus Guards just moments ago. It caused Batu, the leader at the vanguard, to abruptly constrict his pupils!

How was this possible? Everyone witnessing this scene expressed utter bewilderment!

With a gloomy expression, Guo Lang naturally understood what was happening. Once enhanced, the horses not only improved in performance but also gained greatly enhanced self-control. The transition from zero speed to maximum speed was exceptionally rapid—a hallmark of high agility!

Soon, the two sides plunged into a chaotic melee... though it could hardly be called a melee, because a single charge by the enemy nearly shattered the entire Red Lotus Guard!

Leaving the soldiers on the rear city wall dumbfounded!

What kind of cavalry was this? Were they heavenly soldiers and generals? Where was there ever a cavalry battle decided in a single clash? Normally, two opposing cavalry forces would exchange blows for at least ten rounds, but the enemy had settled it in one go. Almost all the soldiers of the Red Lotus Guard had been speared off their horses, including the seasoned veteran Lord Batu, whose gruesome head was now hoisted high upon the enemy's longspear!

"Lord Batu... is dead?"

After a long period of stunned silence, someone finally broke, voicing the thought aloud.

The city wall instantly fell into a state of mourning and utter chaos. They simply could not fathom how a legendary hero who had once followed the Prince to conquer the six northern cities could die just like that. How could the fiercely formidable Red Lotus Guard prove so utterly fragile, annihilated by the enemy in a single engagement?

Most of them turned pale with panic, their faces full of terror. Even the quartermaster wore an iron-clad expression, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh!

The only one who remained relatively calm was Guo Lang, who knew the inside story. He saw it very clearly: it was not that their own knights were weak, but that the enemy knights were simply too strong!

In his past life, during the early stages of ground-level frontal warfare, cavalry was the mainstream, and among the ten races, the cavalry of the Chaos Clan was universally acknowledged as the most formidable!