"I think... it should be Ryan..."

"That's a beautiful piece of bronze skin! The family is prominent, beautiful, and can speak likeable words, and stick it on Thomas with a silly face. If it is peaceful and prosperous, sticking him on your door will make the door look more brilliant. But don't expect him to resist the enemy's slam and turn the tide. Don't expect him to become your sharp blade and kill your enemy! In the troubled times, that kid is not only useless, but also harmful. Because he is too ambitious, it will cause trouble to you sooner or later. If you have the chance, it's good to get rid of him!"

"Let's talk about it, who else is more useful?"

“…Sir William Daly…”

"That's just a piece of pig iron. It's so dark that it's inconspicuous. It's everywhere in the world and can be seen everywhere. Is your eyes only this level? I thought you have great potential!" The old man in black roared and poked the girl's body with his cane. Although the girl curled into a ball of pain, she did not dare to escape.

"Can't you see that Ashu Rufate is a truly valuable thing? If Thomas is a piece of gold, Ashu Rufate is a pearl! You can temporarily abandon the gold because it is always so dazzling that you can find it again at any time. But if you abandon the pearl, it will be submerged in the dust and you will never find it again!"

The old man in black robe stopped and took a breath.

"That kid is absolutely extraordinary, arrogant and confident, full of strength!" He no longer cared about his granddaughter on the ground, but began to murmur to himself. "The power in him... simply transcends the scope of human beings... If he can make good use of it, he can use him to create supreme treasures. But if he is not careful, he will slip away from his hands..."

...

Although in many records, the Greyhound Knights (or the Greyhound Legion) is a group of bandits, robbers, hooligans and fugitives, a shameless and unhonest army, and has no combat power at all. But in fact, in addition to the robber bandits recruited from Casillos, a considerable part of the Greyhound Knights is composed of the Paro people, and there are also a large number of temporary mercenaries. Although their equipment is worse than other Paro troops, they also have a large number of muskets. This army is not only fierce, but also light in equipment and fast speed. This is also why they can chase Princess Irina all the way and cannot settle down.

Under the high-speed pursuit of the Greyhound Knights, the city fortresses along the way were almost all captured without any defense. Often Princess Irina entered the city with her front legs, and the Greyhound Knights rushed into the city gate with her back legs.

However, as Princess Irina formally organized an army in the mountains, the Greyhound Knights stopped their previous pursuit. In the mountains, they suffered some losses by ambushed by Count Thomas, and had lost a great opportunity to eliminate Irina.

The Greyhound Knights began to gather troops and try to launch a battle to eliminate the target. This was of course the correct choice, but unfortunately, they delayed for too long. By the time the Greyhound Knights gathered their troops, Princess Irina had received full support from the lords of this remote mountainous area, thus having an army of 350 formal knights.

The one who commanded this army was Saint Gene's most legendary veteran Thomas, who had the reputation of "invincible".

Although the Greyhound Knights have a numerical advantage, the sophisticated Thomas chose the battlefield in an unknown valley where superior troops are difficult to expand...

——Excerpt from "History of the Stigia War"

...

"The latest information is here!" Thomas pointed to the map and said to all the officers. "The main force of the Greyhound Knights has arrived in this area... The total force will not be less than 5,000 people, including 800 musketeers and the same number of cavalry, without magicians, and no cannons. This number means that they have pieced together all the forces. Once we can win this battle, they can only shrink and defend and can no longer fight with us."

Thomas spoke very calmly, as if he had forgotten that his entire army had less than 4,000 people and more than 300 knights. This was to prevent the Greyhounds from raiding, and some of the troops must be equipped at various intersections just in case.

"It seems that the Greyhounds also want to have a big battle with us to avoid delaying time. I think we might as well meet their requirements. Let's go back and have a good rest and organize their weapons and armor. Tell all soldiers to prepare a piece of dry food, which may be eaten on the battlefield, or even have no time to eat. We will fight tomorrow morning, and we must defeat the enemy before dark."

"Everyone go back and prepare. Ashu Rufate, Leo, and Ryan, you three stay."

The crowd dispersed, and now there were only four people left in the tent.

"Now the troops and configuration of both sides are very clear, and you have seen the terrain. Tell me, how to fight this battle? Let me talk about it first, Ryan."

"The enemy has the advantage of numericality, and our terrain advantage. So the basic idea is to defend and counterattack." Ryan answered immediately.

"Very good, just like textbooks, the exact right idea. Leo, tell me how to defend and how to fight back?"

"The Greyhound Knights are mainly bandits." Leo thought for a while and replied. "The characteristic of bandits is that they are fierce in attack, but they are not determined in fighting will. They have strong fighting power, but they cannot last long. Therefore, in terms of defense, they must set up corresponding battlefield fortifications, relying on the terrain to constrain the enemy's physical strength and will. I suggest setting up chest walls and trenches that resist bullets. In terms of counterattack, I think I will leave a reserve team to attack when the enemy retreats and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. Considering that there are mountains here, there is only flat ground in the middle of the valley, and there is no room for war horses to gallop across and detour. The enemy will definitely let the cavalry dismount, so we can also let the knights dismount."

"Ash Rufate, what do you think?" Thomas asked.

"I think... the enemy should think so too. If I were the Greyhound Knights, I would definitely recruit suicide squads with high rewards and forcefully break through the defense from the front. After all, even if there are fortifications, my defense ability is limited. It is likely to be broken by the suicide squad. If the suicide squad fails to break through, I would simply stop fighting, evacuate the mountainous areas and wait for reinforcements. Paro may be able to reinforce the Greyhound at any time, but the mountain lords have all gathered here. If they are blocked here by the Greyhound Knights, they will be wiped out sooner or later."

"Hahaha... Ashu Rufate, I'm really glad you are not an enemy. That's true. I'm most afraid that it's not that they come to start a war, but that they use their superior forces to block us in the mountains. However, Ashu Rufate, you think about it one thing but not the second point. That is, the Greyhounds must fight us. This is their situation. Let's continue."

"And I think that although there are few flat grounds here, the knights still do not need to dismount and fight in the field. The advantage of the enemy's light cavalry is roundabout, so it is useless here. However, our knights have excellent equestrian skills and can attack the enemy's battle formation head-on. Although there are few flat grounds here, it is enough to accelerate the war horses."

"Did you forget their muskets? It is extremely unwise to charge head-on in front of the muskets." Ryan suddenly spoke up and retorted.

"That's true. Okay, you guys go back too." Thomas waved.

Ryan and Leo went straight back, but Ashu Rufate turned his head and returned to Thomas's tent. He saw Thomas sitting on a chair and looking thoughtfully at the top of the tent.

"General Thomas." He called out. Thomas blinked as if he had woken up from a dream. After discovering that it was Ashu Rufate, he smiled bitterly.

"General, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm just thinking about tomorrow's war. They said I was an invincible general, but in fact I don't have that much confidence. I'm just an ordinary person. At most I'm a little clever."

"Have you figured out what method you have done?"

"I am the commander of the Greyhound Knights. I know who my opponent is. It is a master of strategy with undefeated reputation and changeable tactics." Thomas did not answer, but said as if he was talking to himself. "It is a cunning and dangerous opponent. This battle took place in a mountainous area with complex terrain, which is a good terrain suitable for setting up ambush. Before, I had an ambush and suffered heavy losses. Although I now have the advantage of military strength, I am not familiar with the terrain. My opponent came to the battlefield a few days earlier than me and had already touched it here.

There is no doubt that my opponent is willing to fight with inferior forces and must have arranged some traps. I will be the attacking side, but I will be very careful and make various preparations to avoid being caught in the enemy's plan... After arriving at the battlefield, I will place the musketeers here to ensure their safety and at the same time have a good shooting angle... I will place the infantry here... I will leave a unit behind to prevent the enemy from raiding in the rear... I will let the cavalry be a horse infantry and support any battlefield at any time..."

"No plan is needed tomorrow." Thomas suddenly smiled. "Attack head-on. The knights are arranged on the left wing. Ashurufate, you will lead the enemy. The enemy will attack immediately when it appears!"

...

When the sun rose to the middle, the flag of the Greyhound Knights finally appeared opposite the valley. One by one, the square formations entered the battlefield under the military flag.

"The whole army is ready to attack!" Under the banner of the Central Army, Thomas wore a dazzling silver armor and issued an order to attack.

"William Dale, you lead the militia and lead the team to strode forward. Once the knights fight with the enemy, you can start a charge. Leo, you go to lead the archers and run forward. After reaching the range, you can shoot three arrows at the fastest speed and retreat immediately. Ashu Rufate, lead the knights to attack first, don't hesitate! Ryan, you go to the reserve team immediately and let all the apprentices take off all the armor except the helmets and breastplate, and the vests too."

The knights' queues slowly moved and began to approach the enemy.
Chapter completed!