Viscount Bartley's territory is located 45 kilometers southeast of Mussey, and includes seven villages, a stone quarry, a mill, and the fortress where the viscount himself resides.
Before deploying his troops, Todd repeatedly discussed the details of the operation with Cumberland.
The old knight advised him that he didn't need a large number of troops, but should mainly rely on cavalry as the main fighting force. If the viscount deployed his troops to the field, then he should rely on the numerical superiority of the Twilight Knights to defeat the enemy forces and seize the fortress; if the enemy chose to hold their ground, then he should abandon the attack on the fortress and focus on plundering the population and wealth within the territory.
In terms of troop deployment, Harkins' "Successor" combat squad was the first choice, followed by Cumberland drawing 20 sergeants and 10 light cavalry from his subordinates as support, and finally selecting 60 militiamen from Muxi Town as auxiliary troops.
Todd initially expressed his concerns to Cumberland about the attack on the fortress by an army of only a hundred men, but the old knight was unconcerned and said bluntly, "Grand Master, your worries are unnecessary. In my opinion, there is no army in the Silver Ring Kingdom that can stand against your alien cavalry head-on."
As for who would command this battle, Cumberland was busy taking in prisoners and maintaining order in Mussey, so he naturally had no time to attend to it. The other members of the Knights didn't have enough prestige to manage such an army. In the end, Todd had to step in himself and assume the command. To his surprise, Rachel volunteered to accompany the troops.
On April 3, 1171 in the Christian calendar, an army composed of aliens, soldiers, and militia left the camp and began the first external battle in the history of Twilight Town, which also marked the official start of the Twilight Knights' expansion.
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"These serfs don't seem afraid of us?" Walking along the dirt road in the village, Todd looked at the men, women, and children standing in front of the farmhouses of all sizes. Their faces showed curiosity and excitement, but not fear or unease.
Harkins rode closer and whispered, “The fact that Muxi Town is a land of miracles has already spread throughout the kingdom. Moreover, several serf families in our town come from here, and their lives, comparable to those of nobles, have long been embellished and told to the people here by merchants. If it weren’t for the lord’s forceful obstruction, these people would probably have already given up their lives here and gone to Muxi Town.”
Todd nodded upon hearing this, glanced at the flag behind him, the red cross in the 'Umbrella' emblem fluttering in the wind, and turned to ask, "How far is it to Viscount Bartley's fortress?"
Edgar munched on his flatbread and mumbled, "It's another twenty minutes' walk through this village."
When the troops finally reached the fortress, Todd looked at the buildings before him and was immediately disappointed.
The so-called fortress was a wall made of polished stone, 25 meters long and 20 meters wide, with six spires and crenellations built on the three-meter-high wall. A one-meter-wide passage was left at the top, and a crenellated wall was built next to the passage to block arrows from the attacking army. Inside the wall, there were the lord's residence, barracks, warehouses, wells, and some civilian facilities.
When Todd first heard the word "fortress," his mind immediately conjured images of moats, barbicans, castles, watchtowers, and towering walls stretching for miles. But the pile of stones before him was utterly pathetic. The vast gap between reality and his expectations left him somewhat bewildered.
The Twilight Knights' troops stopped 150 meters from the fortress. Todd looked at the densely packed soldiers standing on the city wall, and several people dressed as nobles in full armor were pointing and gesturing in their direction.
Edgar used his "Eagle Eye" ability to carefully count the number of people on the city wall, and then said to the Grand Master, "There are about 110 people on the wall."
Todd assessed the strength of the troops and realized that, under the current circumstances, the defenders were unlikely to launch a preemptive strike. Therefore, he dispersed 20 soldiers and 60 militiamen to the surrounding villages, organized the serfs to load their carryable valuables into wagons, and began the transfer of people and wealth, leaving only Huggins' "Successors" squad and 10 light cavalrymen with him.
The people on the city wall saw this and began to discuss it, and the increasingly heated argument reached Todd's ears.
After repeatedly confirming that the invading enemy had dispersed most of its forces elsewhere and could not return to reinforce in the short term, Viscount Bartley opened the gates of his fortress and mobilized all the garrison, intending to achieve a swift victory, and launched a full-speed attack on Todd's troops.
To boost morale, the Viscount, along with his barons and knights, shouted battle cries and charged to the front of the attacking force.
In contrast, the Knights of Twilight, Harkins and his "Successors" squad, calmly mounted their horses, stretched their arms and necks, and then turned their horses around and charged towards the fortress's garrison.
The two armies clashed, and the difference in their strength was immediately apparent.
The fortress garrison, regardless of their weapons, could not inflict any substantial damage on the "Inheritors," who possessed four layers of protection: armor, "dragon bones," "metal skin," and "regeneration." The "Inheritors," however, could easily defeat any enemy before them, relying on their exotic warhorses and the "dragon bones" they wore.
The battle lasted only five minutes, ending with the viscount being captured alive.
Apart from a small number of people who escaped, the vast majority chose to surrender to the Knights of Twilight.
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