Free Web NovelChapter 1153: Chapter 1087: Foehn Wind (Part 2) (Double-Length Chapter)
Before he could react, Jeanne’s voice drifted over on the wind: "Fire!"
Four shotguns fired simultaneously, spraying fine iron sand, and the booming echoed through the blazing flames.
Lead bullets mixed with iron sand formed a barrage that loomed like dark clouds. The Knights at the front were instantly riddled, blood and shattered bones splattering everywhere.
Tom felt a sharp pain in his left arm. Looking down, he saw that the chain mail at his forearm had shattered, embedded with iron sand.
"Don’t retreat, keep charging, it takes them a long time to reload!"
Despite the pain, Tom continued to charge forward with a roar, only to be knocked askew by a rider turning around in front of him.
The aftermath of the shotguns hadn’t subsided, and the Knights fell off their horses like wheat swept by a storm. frёewebηovel.cѳm
By the time Tom reached the front of the barricade, fewer than forty of more than a hundred riders remained.
"Long spearmen, advance!" Jeanne’s voice rang out again.
A dense array of long spears rose from the barricade, pointed straight at the approaching Leia Knights.
These elite Border Knights were masters of open field combat, yet now faced with the barricade, their strength had no outlet. freёwebnovel.com
They tried to swing their swords to cut down the long spears, only to have their heads or chests smashed by flails.
Meanwhile, there were sneak attacks from wind-up guns, causing horses to neigh and collapse, throwing the Knights off their backs.
Tom hacked through two spears but was struck on the head by a flail. As he felt dizzy, the winding sound of reloading reached his ears again.
Instinctively, he flattened himself on the horse’s back, but the horse beneath him gave a mournful whinny and collapsed to the ground.
He rolled away clumsily, cutting through a spear shaft with his longsword, but then was hit in the back by lead bullets, rendering half his body numb.
"Knight Commander Tom has fallen," a Knight shouted tearfully.
"Retreat!" Kennard’s calm command pierced through the dust and smoke.
The surviving Knights scrambled to retreat, while the shotguns behind the barricade were being reloaded.
Behind them was the increasingly frequent crackling of fire, ahead the creaking of clockwork.
Kennard’s forehead was dotted with beads of sweat.
Tom was dragged up the slope by two Knights. As he looked up, he saw the fire growing ever brighter, causing his teeth to chatter.
"Legion Commander, we can’t charge head-on anymore!" Tom spat out a mouthful of bloody froth. "Their cannons are too powerful!"
"Easy for you to say, but we can’t flank them either, unless you can fly?" Another Knight on the side couldn’t help but shout.
But as soon as Kennard turned his head with a stony gaze, the Knight immediately fell silent.
Kennard said nothing, his eyes fixed intently on the four shotguns.
"Once more!"
Soon enough, he organized two more charges.
The first dispersed to avoid the lead bullets like sprayed water.
The second was a column charge, simply using manpower to trade for distance and time.
But the result was the same.
The Knights were either scattered mid-charge by the shotguns or repelled by the lead bullets.
The few who miraculously made it to the barricade were also pushed back by spears and flails.
The bodies and cries piled higher in front of the barricade, the scent of blood mingling with burning flesh, making one nauseous.
Meanwhile, the fire line grew closer, the Knights’ backs prickling with heat.
"What are you standing around for?" A Knight with a full beard suddenly tore off his helmet, eyes red, and charged toward the steep rocky wall on the right. "Better to die trying than here, let’s flank them from the side."
It was a near-vertical slope, with a few shallow cracks that even mountain goats couldn’t steady themselves on.
But the bearded Knight, driven by desperation, turned his horse sharply and charged down the steep slope.
The first few steps were fine, as the fine steeds of Kush Grassland could still run a bit.
But as the speed increased, the hooves couldn’t match the descent.
There were several sharp cracks as the horse’s front legs broke, and it fell down the slope with a mournful cry.
The Knight, however, had already undone his stirrups, leapt from the saddle, and was thrown clear.
When he landed, he rolled over a dozen times on the ground. By the time he stood up, he was covered in blood.
His vision blurred, limbs weak, bones unsure how many were broken.
According to the original plan, he was supposed to break through to the barricade.
But now he realized his horse was gone.
And the Defensive Army hid behind the barricade with no intention of attacking, in other words—
He wobbled to his feet, shedding his cumbersome helmet and armor, propped by his sword sheath, and hobbled along the creek.
Jeanne stood atop the carriage, watching quietly as the Knight disappeared around the corner, without ordering pursuit.
Drum stamped his feet anxiously: "Your Highness, you’re just going to let him go?"
"He won’t get far." Jeanne’s eyes returned to the slope’s top. "We’ve got dozens of scouts out there, and if he doesn’t run, how will the others?"
That Knight’s successful escape was like a crack, instantly shattering the remaining Knights’ morale.
Many hesitated for a moment, then followed his example, charging toward the steep slope.
The rest turned their horses toward the fiery end of the valley.
They preferred death to falling into the Defensive Army’s hands. The fire was dangerous, but it offered a sliver of hope.
As for why, they knew well.
Others might survive the Holy Alliance’s tribunal, but they certainly wouldn’t.
Watching the other Knights scatter, Kennard gave a self-mocking snort but made no attempt to stop them.
"Your Highness, we should retreat as well!" Tom crawled over with his injured arm, "If we don’t go now, it’ll be too late!"
Gazing at the silver flag billowing behind the barricade, Kennard suddenly laughed.
Blood mixed with his laughter, causing his helmet to tremble: "You go, Tom, I still have things to do."
