Chapter 16: Introduction to Horsemanship

The border between the Kingdom of Saint Martin and the Empire of Calradia was marked by a long mountain range known as the Spine of the Dragon. In fact, nearly all land borders between nations were mountains, except where rivers flowed.

As they prepared to enter the mountains, Alexander observed, "If I were the lord on the other side, I would definitely ambush a unit here..."

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a sudden commotion along the road. Soldiers in Imperial armor emerged, arrows raining down from their positions halfway up the mountainside, taking advantage of their high ground for extended range.

Duke Ferdinand's army was thrown into chaos for a moment.

"Charge and take them down!" Duke Ferdinand shouted.

The Saint Martin cavalry immediately turned their horses and charged up towards the mountainside. Their sleeveless plate armor and kite shields provided good protection, but the steep climb slowed them down, negating their advantage.

"What a stupid decision. We should retreat now. What if they have another batch of troops waiting..." Alexander started to voice his judgment again, but before he could finish, a unit of Imperial cavalry came thundering down the slope.

These were heavily armored Imperial cavalry, all dressed in either heavy or fully armored suits, showcasing the Empire's top-notch equipment.

(Imperial Cavalry Promotion Path: Imperial Guard Recruit - Imperial Citizen Cavalry - Imperial Heavy Cavalry - Imperial Fully Armored Cavalry - Imperial Elite Fully Armored Cavalry)

Though their numbers were small, only about fifty riders, their charge down the slope gave the impression of a massive force.

"Oh, damn it! Let's get out of here!" Alexander could tell this wasn't going to end well. The momentum of the charging Imperial cavalry was overwhelming.

Sure enough, when the two cavalry forces collided, the Saint Martin cavalry, already on the defensive, were sent flying.

When Duke Ferdinand ordered a retreat, Alexander and his men had already run two miles.

"Thank goodness they didn't pursue us. If they had, we would have been..." Alexander was breathless, trying to finish his thought when Victor and Otto came up and covered his mouth.

"Boss, can you please take a break?"

But they were already too late. A squad of Imperial cavalry spotted Alexander's group as if they were prey and swiftly changed direction to charge at them.

"Damn it!"

Alexander had thirty men under his command, but the enemy had only ten soldiers, all mounted and armored.

They hadn't brought any long spears with them, and facing cavalry on flat ground could mean slowly being worn down to death.

"Form a defensive circle!"

Alexander had no choice but to order his men to form a hollow circle, which was the best way infantry could face a cavalry charge, though its effectiveness was uncertain.

The enemy's faces were full of mockery. Did they think just changing formation would save these infantrymen from cavalry?

"For the Empire!" A rider at the front of the enemy ranks raised his knight's lance and shouted, "Never falter!" The rest of the cavalry echoed his cry.

They charged forward, ten riders in a line, their iron-shod hooves pounding the ground with a thud-thud sound.

"Brace yourselves!"

Alexander's hands were sweating nervously. It was his first time facing a cavalry charge, and the pressure made him want to turn and run. But he knew that showing his back to cavalry would be the worst decision.

Of course, standing head-on against them wasn't wise either.

So Alexander decided to attack from the side.

The cavalry effortlessly broke through Alexander's defense line, charging into the hollow circle.

"Surround them!"

Finally, an opportunity arose. If they could hold these cavalrymen, they might have a slim chance of victory.

All the soldiers rushed in with their large shields, surrounding the ten riders.

The enemy was shocked. Their cavalry charge hadn't broken through the mental barrier of these Saint Martin warriors. Did they dare to resist?

In fact, this was Alexander's secret weapon. During this time when he couldn't train for much else, he had instilled discipline in his men. After all, it was in their genes.

The entire group surrounded the ten cavalrymen. After the initial charge, the cavalrymen's speed had slowed down, and being surrounded only further hindered their movement.

Luckily, their warhorses were strong, and they tried to break out of the encirclement with brute force.

But did Alexander just let them go so easily?

He hid within the crowd, using his high agility to quickly approach one of the riders, who appeared to be the leader.

Seizing the moment when the rider was charging, Alexander leaped from the side and kicked the leader off his horse.

With no horse to mount, the rider's fate was sealed.

"Damn it, hurry back and save the boss!"

Originally, the other cavalrymen were about to break free from the encirclement. After all, Alexander had only around thirty men, not a significant force to hold them back. But their leader was surrounded, and they had to rescue him.

No choice but to turn back, the cavalrymen prepared to aid their comrade.

Alexander grinned at their return. Afraid of slipping away, were they? If it came to close combat, he wasn't afraid of them.

"Drag them down and kill them!" Alexander commanded.

One of the riders noticed Alexander - his bright green robe made him stand out. The rider pulled out a short spear from behind and hurled it viciously at Alexander.

Luckily, Alexander had been watching the soldiers closely, coupled with his high agility and quick reflexes, he managed to dodge the attack by rolling and crawling away.

Meanwhile, Odo and Victor had already rushed behind the rider and forcefully pulled him down.

The battle became more intense.

The Imperial cavalrymen were well-equipped, and even as they were pulled down one by one, their combat prowess remained formidable.

Ordinary slashes didn't cause much damage, especially since these soldiers had leg armor, making a kick to the groin ineffective. They had to resort to thrusting to penetrate the armor.

Fortunately, Alexander had invested in strength skills beforehand. With a powerful thrust, his two-handed sword pierced through the armor of three Imperial cavalrymen in quick succession.

[Experience +300 for killing an Imperial Elite Cavalryman]

[Experience +100 for killing an Imperial Heavy Cavalryman]

[Experience +100 for killing an Imperial Heavy Cavalryman]

The remaining four riders who hadn't been dismounted realized the situation was dire and immediately spurred their horses, forcibly breaking away from the battlefield and escaping.

The remaining Imperial cavalrymen, no matter how strong their armor, couldn't withstand the onslaught of dozens of men. They were quickly dispatched one by one.

Alexander earned 900 experience points. He opened his attribute panel:

[Level]: 6

[Strength]: 10

[Agility]: 10

[Intelligence]: 6

[Charisma]: 7

[Available Attribute Points]: 0

[Experience]: 1900/3200

[System Coins]: 1000

Besides the experience, Alexander also found a book while searching the bodies - "Introduction to Horsemanship."