Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest
Chapter 205 - 10: Victory! Great Victory!

Chapter 205: Chapter 10: Victory! Great Victory!

The third infantry battalion was a fresh force.

They set up a second line of defense about forty meters from the first battle line.

After the first line collapsed, the soldiers desperately ran backwards.

This greatly complicated the construction of the defensive line.

Because what was hitting the defense line weren’t enemy troops, but their own.

The soldiers of the third battalion could only desperately stand their ground against the tide.

Nathan ordered them to hold their positions, unwavering.

Then Green and Aaron also led their officers to retreat in sorry straits.

The second line of defense immediately came into play, effectively blocking the Conquest Knights and the Conscript Army.

Swoosh!

A Magic Steel Arrow whistled through the air.

It shot straight ahead—above it fell a shower of random arrows, below it chaos reigned on the battlefield, it wove through the midst, finally slaying a Conquest Knight at the very front.

Roman ordered the Archers not to stop, to shoot as many arrows as they had.

The moment of decisive battle had arrived.

But the Archers were not well-trained.

Especially when they heard the earth-shaking battle cry from the front, they panicked, lost their composure, and their hands shook.

Gone was the accuracy they had during training, for they could not gauge the distance properly. Most of their arrows fell empty.

Some shot too far, others fired too errantly, hitting the steep sides.

Battles raged both in front and behind.

They were separated by just two or three hundred meters.

The rear could hear the noise from the front.

The front could also hear the commotion in the rear.

The echo effect in the valley was excellent; sound waves were reflected back.

Roman’s army was sandwiched from both sides, in dire straits, teetering on the brink of collapse, as if it would be breached in the next second.

...

Beast Family warriors fought valiantly in the rear.

Armed with logs, they first smashed through the Heavy Equipment Array.

They believed they could cause a bloodbath and break through the formation upon entry.

They were adept at attacking, at catching the enemy’s vulnerability and tearing like wild beasts.

But they soon learned that they had misjudged the people of the Carter Family.

All the Heavy Infantry were ferociously brave, no one fell back, and those who had been knocked down by logs got up and fought tooth and nail with the Carter Family warriors.

They were Roman’s most elite forces, formed of soldiers with the strongest physiques.

The physique of Beast Family warriors was half that of a Conquest Knight.

But the gap between them wasn’t really that large.

Roman’s tactical arrangement was as follows:

The frontline was four Infantry battalions as the Vanguard, in the middle were Scout swordsmen and Longbowmen, military supplies and servants, along with a large number of wounded, and in the rear, the Heavy Infantry protected the flank.

If the rear was breached, the enemy could drive straight through, threatening the Longbowmen and thereby stabbing the front line in the back.

Once caught between internal and external forces, even an ironclad army couldn’t hold out.

The Heavy Infantry knew their critical importance.

Four hundred men formed a Shield Wall four layers deep and a hundred meters long; the first three layers were breached by the Beast Family warriors, their momentum dissolved, and they finally were halted at the fourth layer of the Shield Wall.

In a more chaotic scene.

All Heavy Infantry no longer stood in formation, but formed multiple Defense circles, entangling with the Beast Family warriors.

Each Defense circle had as few as three to five men, or as many as a dozen or more.

Jet, with a steel mask on his face, no longer caring to conceal himself, wielded the Holy Light Sword Technique, and began a massacre!

His movements were swift and smooth, his Thin Sword as quick as lightning, one after another, he struck down the Beast Family warriors who had breached the formation.

In a blink of an eye, he had caused three or four casualties.

...

Clearly, they had the advantage!

They really had a significant advantage!

Pincered from both sides, vastly outnumbering the opposition!

Any observer would say they had the advantage!

But when had the tide of battle turned?

It was when more and more comrades around them fell.

It was when the onslaught of arrows from the sky never ceased.

It was when, despite the growing battle cries from the rear, the Beast Family warriors never threatened Roman’s rear.

It was when the elite Conquest Knights failed to pierce through the enemy lines, instead being blocked, forced into an enduring fight, unable to advance or retreat.

For the Conquest Knights, launching a single surprise attack was already at their limit.

When they came into Roman’s line of sight, nearly twenty Conquest Knights had been killed or wounded within two minutes—due to their dense formation, some had been struck down by a single arrow.

Earl Kant’s face turned pale as he looked out over the battlefield.

He didn’t know the specifics of the situation at the front.

But he knew...

Still desperately resisting...

Why can’t they break through! They had committed all their forces!

"Knight Foucault, Knight Steve, Knight Simon... launch another attack! If we win, everything will get better!"

Vilechka’s complexion was embarrassed.

Steve’s expression was dark as still water.

Simon was as calm as an ancient well.

Knight Simon spoke first. "Forgive me, Earl, my troops have suffered heavy casualties and can no longer launch an offensive."

"You’re withdrawing?!" Earl Kant glared at Simon with bloodshot eyes.

"As you can see!"

"You’re betraying our alliance!"

Knight Simon shook his head. "I don’t recall having any pact with you, my lord. Please excuse my departure."

He bowed and left.

Earl Kant trembled all over, clutching the long sword at his waist, his well-maintained countenance now showing signs of ageing.

"Knight Foucault, Knight Steve, Knight Flant... What about you?"

"Just once! I’ll only launch one attack!" Vilechka said.

"This is the last time!" Steve also sighed.

The noblemen’s pride and honor prevented them from simply leaving, as that would be tantamount to betraying their allies.

"Good, good, good! The Kant Family will not forget your sacrifice!" He was still desperately resisting...

The forces of the Vilechka Family and Gailande were reassembled and began heading toward that part of the battlefield.

But before they had even covered half the distance, what met them was not a volley of arrows.

It was the impact of the fleeing soldiers and the enemy’s pursuit from farther behind.

Vilechka’s eyes widened in shock.

"Run!" His head spinning, he shouted almost instinctively.

At least he had some basic military knowledge.

Valleys, routed troops, enemy pursuing.

A defeated army collapses like a felled mountain.

The enemy rolled in like a falling curtain, and they would be swallowed up by the fleeing soldiers, either trampled to death or becoming part of the rout, losing all their combat effectiveness.

Gailande’s scalp tingled, and without hesitation, he led his men in flight.

"Drop your weapons! Kneel and surrender! Those who refuse will die!!" Clad in Heavy Armor, Nathan charged to the forefront, relentlessly pursuing, his voice as thunderous as a quake.

Earl Kant watched that chaotic scene from a distance.

This was the second time he had heard that voice.

Months earlier, that roar had made him recognize the gravity of the situation and brought him back to his senses.

Now, once again, he came back to his senses, recognizing reality.

The bloody reality, the harsh reality.

He couldn’t understand why they had been defeated.

Why the enemy’s organization, armaments, and morale could be so much stronger than their Noble Alliance.

"We should go," Earl Kant said to his bodyguard, his spirit shattered.

They rode away from the battlefield.

Halfway through, Earl Kant suddenly burst into tears.

"The Kant Family’s hundred years of foundations, a century of accumulation. Now, it’s all gone... all gone..."

He felt an unprecedented sense of bewilderment and innocence.

If he had attacked Sige Town and was retaliated against by Roman, ending up in this state, he would have only himself to blame.

But it happened to be Roman who attacked his territory, plundered his population, and then beat him into this miserable state.

All Gods above...

Is there any place left on this land that still holds justice?

Roman had committed all his troops, and in the battle of the valley, he was ambushed from both sides.

With two thousand troops, he swallowed an enemy force of seven thousand.

Slaying over sixteen hundred enemies.

Capturing more than two thousand broken soldiers and fleeing troops.

Incurring casualties of over five hundred and suffering over four hundred wounded.

This battle!

Victory! A great victory!