Sending four or five thousand men from the cavalry to the central part was indeed a little trick by Yom. He did this for two reasons: one was to see the other side’s reaction, and the other was to replace the five thousand cavalrymen with the real cavalrymen in the central camp.
When the scouts relayed the enemy's unwavering stance to Yom, Yom couldn't help but laugh. He was then filled with deep confusion. Judging from their reaction, they shouldn't have any reinforcements. But how dare they send less than ten thousand troops to stop or annihilate our eighty thousand-plus men?
So, should we eliminate this team? Although they don't seem like a threat, let's eliminate them to avoid any unforeseen complications.
So Jom sent out all the cavalry he had available, adding about four thousand new ones, plus the seven or eight thousand cavalry he already had, and even five or six thousand infantry, making a total force three times the size of the enemy's, and pressed towards the enemy camp.
"If they escape, give them a token chase; if they come to fight, annihilate them completely," Yom instructed Kruger, who was preparing to go to the battlefield after recovering from a serious illness.
"Ha, don't worry, I'm just physically ill, not mentally. I know exactly what to do," Kruger said nonchalantly from his horse. He had just recovered and was eager to prove himself, so he was naturally impatient with these instructions.
Yom remained silent; he trusted Kruger's combat abilities. Unfortunately, the cavalry commander, Kelling, was still in poor health, leaving the cavalry force in the hands of the incompetent Marquis Kurman. This was a minor concern for him. However, considering that all the centurions in the cavalry were seasoned veterans, he figured there shouldn't be any major problems.
While the main force continued to move toward Gularborg, this force of 18,000 men formed a semicircle and headed toward Tedler's camp.
"Seven or eight thousand cavalry, and even five or six thousand infantry?" In the camp, faced with the latest intelligence from the front lines, even the battle-hardened Tedler couldn't help but panic.
He sat behind the table, tapping the corner of it with feigned composure. His heart, however, pounded between fighting and fleeing. Things were starting to turn out differently than he had imagined. Before seeing the secret letter, he thought his mission was simply to meet Yun Zhe and help them retreat. After reading the letter, he didn't feel the mission had changed much. In short, from the very beginning, he hadn't considered actually engaging in a battle with Belvedere's army.
It wasn't that he was cowardly or afraid of battle. Rather, he knew perfectly well what kind of men the six thousand he had brought were. The real elite cavalry were all in the capital, preparing to fight against other dukes and marquises.
Escaping seems like the right choice. But is there still enough time for him to escape?
This is also where Tedler hesitates the most.
"Prepare for battle! Tell the soldiers to line up and await my command!" Tedler finally made up his mind. Escape seemed too late; rather than be shot in the back on the way, it was better to fight a fair fight!
When Yun Zhe arrived at Tedler's camp, some time had passed since Tedler ordered a resistance. Looking at the bustling people in the camp and the ranks of cavalrymen standing in formation, Yun Zhe couldn't help but rub his forehead with one hand; he was still a step too late.
Yun Zhe couldn't understand how Tedler couldn't grasp such a simple situation. What the other side truly cared about was whether the looted goods from the capital could safely enter Gularburg. As for Tedler, he was merely an eyesore. If the other side deployed troops, it wasn't to eliminate Tedler, but to send him on his way. All he had to do was run; the other side wouldn't pursue him too far, and might not even bother…
If you stay and resist, aren't you just making the enemy more determined to eliminate you?
However, seeing the resolute look in Tedler's eyes, Yun Zhe did not say these words. Instead, he said in a calm tone, "Running away may give you a chance to live, but staying to fight may really mean you have a slim chance of survival."
Tedler was burning something when Yun Zhe came in. He was still reading the secret letter. When he saw Yun Zhe come in, he immediately threw the secret letter into the brazier.
“Running away is too humiliating; dying in battle suits me better.” Tedler continued to throw some letters into the brazier, glanced at Yun Zhe, and said leisurely.
Yun Zhe stared at the brazier. "I'll go prepare. We'll charge together later."
Tedler paused for a moment, then suddenly realized that perhaps Yun Zhe's death here would be a good thing for him. He wouldn't have to worry about the secret letter anymore; in short, it was a win-win situation.
Thinking of this, Tedler suddenly felt relieved. He no longer hesitated and quickly threw the letters and parchment into the brazier.
Back with his team, Yun Zhe hesitated, feeling embarrassed by everyone's eager gazes.
“We may have to fight again. The enemy outnumbers us by two or even three times, so our chances of winning are slim.” He then glanced at Cyrus. “You are mercenaries, and although you are the main force of my unit, I don’t force you to stay. If you want to leave, I will put you at the back and give you the title of a supervisory team. If things go wrong, you can just run away.”
Cyrus frowned, then suddenly laughed as if he realized something. "Sir, we actually wanted to stay. After all, dying here means double the compensation, which is a good price you can't earn anywhere else. Mercenaries, of course, want to maximize their profits."
Yun Zhe smiled wryly, then looked at Morrison and Blazer, "You are not actually soldiers I have ever led, but since you are now my personal guards, you definitely can't escape. So I can only apologize in advance."
Blazer shook his head indifferently. "It's not like this is the first time I've charged at them. I survived when things were even worse last time, so this time is no different."
Morrison didn't speak, but simply gave a solemn bow.
Yun Zhe nodded and looked at Akdina beside him. She was putting on a pair of leg wraps, and there was a set of leather armor, a short sword, and a one-handed crossbow next to her.
Yun Zhe walked over and stopped Akdina, who was still binding her legs, saying, "Don't even think about charging with us. You have more important things to do."
Akdina glared at Yun Zhe, bit her lip, shook her head, and pushed Yun Zhe's hands away while continuing to tie her leg bindings.
Yun Zhe continued to stop Akdina's movements, but Akdina stopped moving and turned her head to the side, no longer looking at Yun Zhe.
"I will give you all our keepsakes and family letters in a moment. Take them back to Dorgnitzburg and give them to Gao."
Akdina remained silent, so Yun Zhe forcibly moved Akdina's shoulders and stared into her eyes as he spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Listen to me, Akdina. As soon as we set off, you take these things to Gao. That's an order!" Seeing Akdina's evasive gaze, Yun Zhe couldn't help but raise his voice.
Akdina glanced at Yun Zhe, her eyes already filled with tears, then quickly turned her head away and nodded.
Yun Zhe let out a long sigh of relief and turned to look at everyone. "Everyone, I'll give you five minutes to hand over your tokens or anything you've written to Akdina so she can take them back to Dorgnitzburg and give them to our families!"
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