(Alphonse Chapter)
"(Silver) was ambushed in the forest and quickly retreated to the Cross Valley a kilometer away, but the only smooth retreat route was blocked by the Horus River."
The most difficult situation could be one where, ahead lay the turbulent, treacherous river of muddy water, and behind them, the pursuing southern barbarians, a mix of humans and demons. The silver-clad soldiers, swords drawn and shields held, were forced to fight, their strength only six-tenths restored.
—The allusion "The Great Radiance of the Narrow Passage (Part 1)" is excerpted from "Wang Shi Tong Jian" by Sir Alex.
Kingdom of Valentino, Alchemy Era 131...
The Silver Knights had been marching south for three months. Before setting off, Elfons reunited with his only relative, the Holy Dragon Desfield, after a long separation. The Holy Dragon transformed into a winged phantom dragon mount and followed closely by his side.
Priscilla ran away from the palace, ignoring her father and Vanrexor's admonitions, and resolutely joined the southern expedition, traveling with her beloved Alphonse.
The closer they got to the southern border of Valentino, the more pronounced the weather changes became. Until this point, the sun shone endlessly, and the weather was unbearably hot.
For those who have lived in the capital for a long time, it's simply torture.
But what do these things matter to the Silver Knights, who are warriors?
Given the current situation, what do these things amount to?
Their entire army was retreating rapidly, avoiding the enemy. According to the map, they would soon reach a vast valley, from which the valley's peaks could already be seen in the distance.
Prior to this, they had fought several battles with the southern barbarians. The battles were fierce, with both sides winning and losing.
The first battle took place two months ago, when Baiyin had just arrived in the south. The moment they stepped into the first village in the south, they were shocked to find that it was already a scene of devastation.
Sparsely populated.
The plague was rampant.
Crops are abandoned.
A place uninhabited by humans.
The barbarian invasion left its mark on almost the entire south. If the silver had arrived just one more month later, the south would likely have been swallowed up by the foreign barbarians and completely separated from Valentino's territory.
The south is dominated by villages. These villages have been completely occupied by barbarians for several years, and more than half of the residents have suffered cruel abuse and murder at their hands.
Occasionally, they would discover a large cauldron in the forest, along with scattered fragments of bones. After careful investigation, Silver learned that these barbarians had even held several cannibalistic feasts.
Women and children were mostly abducted by barbarians and subjected to all kinds of abuse. After the violence, they became prey for the barbarians.
This tragic situation lasted for several years. For a long time, the royal army did not send soldiers to rescue the people and drive out the invaders. It wasn't until Baiyin received the king's order and, after a march of more than half a month, arrived in the south.
These villages clustered together, and because they were backed by the Southern Mountain Range, the kingdom called them "Southern Wall." In the past, nearly half of the grain was sent out from here to other places.
Due to the invasion of barbarian tribes, food shortages of varying degrees occurred in various regions.
The capital's food supply was never interrupted, so the king failed to notice the food shortages in various regions and neglected the suffering in the south.
There are a few magicians among the barbarians, but they have another name: "wizards".
The kingdom's soldiers stationed in the south had all died at their hands long ago.
The wizards, dressed in human skin and wearing menacing masks, ruled the south as its overlords.
According to surviving villagers, they were able to summon wind and rain, and to call upon evil spirits. By harnessing the evil power contained in the totems of demons and monsters, they controlled the forces of nature, possessing boundless magical power that no one could rival.
The barbarian shamans even forced villagers to convert to other religions and become slaves of the barbarians.
Bai Yin and his team devised a strategy to launch an attack on the enemy, starting from the mountains south of the wall. They bypassed the enemy's line of sight, lay in ambush on the mountains, and waited for the opportune moment when the timing, location, and personnel were all in harmony.
On the second night, Silver launched a military offensive, launching a lightning attack on the southern wall guarded by the barbarians, quickly seizing control of the southern mountains and overlooking the enemy.
In the second step, Finch used fire and, with the help of Priscilla's wind manipulation, launched a meteor shower attack on the barbarian base.
Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, Alphonse led his army in a frontal attack, seizing control of the south wall in one fell swoop...
The first battle was a great victory, and the barbarians fled in panic from the south wall just as night was falling.
Having settled everything, Silver continued his pursuit of the barbarians, with the goal of driving them all out of Valentino's territory.
Soon, the two armies clashed for the second time. This time, Baiyin had calculated the Southern Army's movements and destination, and decided to lay an ambush in the forest they were bound to pass through, intending to "catch them like turtles in a jar".
The schemes and strategies were almost as meticulously planned as a net. But what no one expected was that the Southern Barbarians would actually use their tamed demons to assist in the battle.
The Southern Barbarians' fighting force included magical beasts, and their numbers surged. These magical beasts had long entrenched themselves in the forest, and it was the Silver Knights who were ultimately ambushed.
The Southern Barbarians were greatly strengthened in this battle, and before their forces suffered serious losses, Baiyin decided to temporarily retreat, while also carrying out guerrilla tactics during the retreat.
During the retreat, Priscilla kept blaming Alphonse for his reckless operation.
At this moment, the Silver Legion entered a valley ahead. Finchley urged the starlings to fly across the valley and survey the terrain.
From a bird's-eye view, this valley looks like a mountain that has been cleaved into four parts from its peak by a giant cleaver, with huge "cracks" forming a cross shape.
One of the cracks has formed a wide river, blocking the road that was previously blocked.
This road was the original route for Baiyin's retreat.
They thought that what was blocking their way was just a straight stream.
But to their complete surprise, the Horus River was actually as wide as twenty meters.
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