Behind again

"That's Schmalen's army? Doesn't look very formidable." Damian stood beneath the black banner of the Sword Angel, gazing at the distant hills.

The Sword Angel was the symbol of the von Nosnberg family to which Conosa belonged, which explained why Damian's own banner featured a black and white angel. The coat of arms of subordinates often inherited from their lords.

On the opposite side, Schmalen von Nosnberg, also from the von Nosnberg family, chose a red angel with a lion crown as his banner.

In fact, Damian's side was also quite rudimentary in terms of combat.

Over a hundred knights, after unanimous deliberation, believed that Damian's large group of peasants was not suitable for a direct confrontation, so they suggested that Damian deploy below the small hills, where the advantage of having more archers could be fully utilized. Let the archers line up along the slope to shoot, which could also effectively prevent friendly fire.

Damian naturally accepted their proposal without finding any fault in the plan.

On the other side, Schmalen's army, with over a hundred and sixty knights, couldn't help but laugh when they saw Damian's army deployed below the small hills.

"He's really foolish. By doing this, his flanks are exposed to our cavalry's attack. If he orders the flanks to retract, then so many knights would be rendered useless, all gathered below the small hills, like sitting ducks." Schmalen glanced a few times, and his evaluation of Damian plummeted even further.

In Schmalen's view, with so many of his own knights, he should take the initiative. Damian's failure to consider seizing the initiative and instead clinging to his original position was truly foolish. Although other knights felt something was amiss, they generally agreed with Schmalen.

After all, in the Middle Ages, whoever had more cavalry held the truth.

So Schmalen directly sent someone to deliver a challenge to Damian's army.

This was also an interesting medieval rule.

In medieval knightly social life, there were basically few dishonorable ways of fighting, such as attacking without declaration or surprise attacks. Even if it was a rebel siege, they had to send a challenge, agreeing on the time and place of the battle, for a fair fight.

Therefore, Damian couldn't ambush Schmalen, or even let Jeffrey, who was lying in ambush, rebel in battle. Because no matter which side played a role, it would greatly tarnish Damian's reputation.

"Tomorrow? Alright, tomorrow it is!" Damian and Schmalen's envoy settled it with a word, to battle at dawn tomorrow.

But turning around, Damian called over the accompanying team of craftsmen and logistics soldiers. "Start preparing breakfast at 3 o'clock tomorrow morning, and make sure the soldiers are well-fed and watered by 5 o'clock, before heading to the battlefield. The enemy will surely be caught off guard, unable to have breakfast in time."

This was a small trick, to have their own troops well-fed and the enemy starving. For the sake of face, the enemy usually would not refuse to fight.

Although despicable, it was very effective.

At the same time, Damian also brought out his modified Damian trebuchet. This improved version of the torsion trebuchet was placed at the highest point of the hill, able to attack enemies within a radius of two hundred meters around the small hills with the advantage of high altitude.

Not only that, the despicable Damian also had the axemen cut down trees, topple them down the hill, and carve them into simple, large stakes, slanting them into the ground in front of the spearmen and archers. This strategy was particularly disgusting to the knights, although it existed in this era, it was not widespread.

So Baron Kenan and Knight Wagner discovering Damian behind the stake, both expressed disdain towards him.

Then they join in chopping the stakes too.

After all, who wouldn't want to stop the enemy cavalry's charge and reduce the losses of infantry a little?

...

Damian was busy orchestrating the battlefield on his side, while Schmalen across from him opted to relieve stress by drinking.

Recent encounters with numerous marauding knight-bandits had seriously disrupted Schmalen's sleep. At five in the morning the next day, just as he had risen from his bed, his subordinate burst into the tent to inform him that the enemy had finished breakfast and was preparing for battle.

Schmalen was immediately alarmed. "How can this be? They're up before us! This is embarrassing!" he muttered.

In haste, Schmalen dispatched his own troops, who hadn't even had breakfast, nervously forming loose lines outside the camp. The noble knights and bandit knights split into two factions, squabbling over common peasant soldiers. Due to verbal and behavioral clashes, both sides nearly escalated to war.

With a noisy departure from camp, Schmalen's army marched towards Damian's forces by half-past seven in the morning, with the sun already up. The peasant soldiers, having missed breakfast, were ravenous. Even many knights felt their steeds were weaker than the day before.

Meanwhile, Damian's soldiers sat beside rows of stakes, receiving not just breakfast but extra perks. Though all peasants, they were eager to serve Damian as long as they could eat their fill.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Schmalen was astonished to find Damian had fortified himself behind numerous stakes, muttering curses at Damian's cunning.

However, Schmalen noticed that the forces from Gothingen County were divided into three parts, each engaged independently. It was now or never to attack.

Thinking quickly, Schmalen sent his proper knights to surround the enemy's right flank, where Wagner's knights were stationed, while the bandit knights tangled with Baron Kenan's veterans. He personally led the center, advancing towards the small hills.

Both sides deployed peasant soldiers in makeshift armor wielding spears to open the battle. However, Damian's peasants, trained and using stakes to their advantage, easily routed Schmalen's farmers, many of whom fled. Schmalen had always subconsciously believed in the peasantry's duty to serve him due to feudal exploitation, neglecting their need for motivation and morale.

These peasants held more grievances against Schmalen than against Damian. With no economic incentives or rewards, it was no wonder they lacked enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, Schmalen's proper knights clashed head-on with Wagner's right flank. Both sides, comprised of youthful and vigorous warriors, engaged fiercely.

Though Wagner's army also buried stakes, but the haphazard arrangement of the stakes had little impact on cavalry warfare, allowing the enemy to still break through and cut down a swath of soldiers before continuing the battle.

Rash young knights poured in, joining battle with Damian's knights.

"This is bad! We're losing ground, and merely depleting our knight numbers won't suffice!" nearby, Amelia watched anxiously, itching to rush to their aid.

"Then let's pit our archers against theirs," Damian suggested with a smile.

He directed the forest hunters and longbowmen, both exceptional professional units known for their range and advantageous terrain.

The archers drew their bows, and arrows aimed with piercing power flew, aided by the wind, striking the heads of Schmalen's knights.

Screams of agony echoed as the arrows relentlessly rained down upon them, causing painful wounds despite not being fatal.

Seeing his knights within range of enemy archers, Schmalen hastily signaled for his left flank knights to withdraw.

Yet again, Schmalen found himself a step behind Damian.