CH 162 The Battle Of Destiny

The main force of this army led by Pope Theolde was the Knights Templar, and the subsequent reserves were mainly composed of fanatic believers. The army started from the territory of the Mason family, bypassed the Puluo Hills on the left side of the Mason territory, crossed the Donard Plain, and headed all the way towards Newt City.

The marching route of this Holy Legion of the Holy Land was much longer than the route taken by Bress's old aristocratic army led by Duke West to attack the city of Douro. However, the Knights Templar commanded by Pope Theolde were strict in order, lightly armed, and advanced much faster than the northern army composed of Bressi's old nobles.

A few days later, the Knights Templar arrived at the south side of the West Dort River, not far from Newt City.

"The wind is not in our favor, Your Majesty."

Sisian accompanied Theolde and stood on the river bank to watch.

The wind blew from the northwest, and the fleet of small ships that had come up here along the lower reaches of the West Dort River on the order of the Pope gathered on the river. However, the wind was so strong that the fleet located on the south side of the river could not set sail. The West Dort River was turbulent and wide and at this time, the army that was the first to reach the river bank watched anxiously.

Originally, there was a bridge with two sides on the West Dort River. But at this time, the Legrand garrison on the other side of the West Dort River blew up the bridge early. Within sight, at the end of the broken bridge on the other side, stood a Legrand bunker as the outpost of Newt City.

The sky gradually darkened, but the wind direction never changed and the wind force did not necessarily decrease.

"The soldiers are already a little anxious."

Sisian whispered to Theolde.

Their army moved so fast at the cost of giving up carrying a large amount of supplies. Before the march, the time required had been calculated, and everyone only carried the necessary food rations according to the time. If they were trapped by the wind and forced to stay here for one more day, the soldiers' food rations would be consumed for one more day. This was a terrible thing for a main army of nearly 20,000 people.

It was Pope Theolde's guarantee before departure that allowed such a huge army to make such a march plan that allowed no mistakes and no delays.

The guarantee made in the name of faith and gods was comparable to a double-edged sword. Although it could drive believers, it would also turn around and stab its wielder once it encountered resistance.

Sisian knew this very well and could not help but feel extremely anxious about it.

Pope Theolde glanced at him: "Our war is blessed by the Holy Lord."

But the Holy Lord might not…

Sisian was about to say something when he saw Theolde walking forward.

Theolde, who was wearing a white robe, stepped on the wet sand on the river bank and kept walking forward. His actions caught everyone's attention. As night fell, the sun hung slantingly on the top of the mountain in the west, and the bloody glow spread along the rapid river, sparkling brilliantly.

"Your Majesty!"

Seeing that Theolde was about to walk into the river, Sisian was startled and immediately rushed forward.

Theolde took a step forward, and the water from the river flowed under his robe.

He turned around as if he were saying Mass, as if the Father had spread his arms toward His people. Sisian's steps paused suddenly. His familiar old friend carried a majesty like a towering mountain at this moment. The river surged past behind him, and the setting sun shrouded him in this scene that overlaid with the images on the title pages of all holy books.

At that moment, everyone thought they saw——

The Holy Father!

"The Holy Lord summons us and bequeaths you swords. He wants you to walk on the earth and establish His kingdom for Him. In the past, you have always been engaged in unjust wars; you have always been motivated by greed and arrogance and brandishing weapons against each other, thus you will suffer eternal death and damnation."

"But I will now lead you to war that will bring everlasting glory."

"This battle is a sacred battle! This battle is a battle that has received a divine blessing!"

"All that hinders us will turn into all that will protect us!"

Theolde's voice carried far away in the wind, clear and powerful, with unshakable majesty. The crowd exclaimed, not only because of this moment, the strong majesty displayed by Pope Theolde in front of them, but also because of the miraculous scene happening in front of them——

Following Theolde's firm words, the wind coming from the northwest gradually changed its direction.

As soon as the last command-like words fell, the wind blew wildly between the sky and the earth, whistling loudly on the other side of the river——the direction of the wind had completely changed!

The sails of the fleet, which was stuck on the river and was unable to move forward, suddenly flapped and fluttered.

Heaven reflected Theolde's words!

"Fight for the Holy Empire! Fight for glory!"

Theolde said loudly.

"Fight for the Holy Empire! Fight for glory! God bless us!" Sisian shouted, pulled out his sword and raised it high. Behind him, all the silver-armored warriors drew their swords at the same time. The last ray of light from the sky slanted across the earth, and their swords pointed at the sky, appearing as majestic as a forest.

The sails were beating, and the army began to board the ship quickly. With unprecedented high morale, thousands of troops crossed the river.

On the other side of the river, the Legrand soldiers who were paying close attention to the enemy did not hesitate to start shooting arrows from the guard bunker at the army crossing the river. On the top floor, someone blew the bronze horn vigorously.

The desolate horn sound echoed between heaven and earth, and the war had begun once again.

………………

The earth was flooded with the flames of war, and armies and soldiers seemed to be rushing to the battlefield all the time.

The scarlet royal Rose flag flapped in the wind. The King led an army of more than 10,000 people across the Kava Mountains to the west of Yoringshire County, and arrived early in the northeast of Yoringshire County, at the foot of the Kava Mountains, near the city of Douro.

What they were about to face was an army of around 30,000 people. As the armies of both sides continued to approach, the scouts were finally able to monitor the enemy's army again. Their opponents were not the Knights Templar, but a huge army composed mainly of the cavalry of the old nobles of Bressi.

After the enemy's military situation was determined, the military officers had no choice but to be convinced of the King's decision.

——The Knights Templar did not protect Pope Theolde in safe territory, but went out on the battlefield with the Pope.

Pope Theolde's military plan was far more bold than the military officers imagined. Douro and Newt were both his targets——he had divided his forces. If they really acted according to the battle plan drawn up by the military officers, then when they concentrated all their efforts on defending either Douro or Newt, the other one would definitely be breached.

By now, when the King led his troops to arrive in Douro City in advance, General Johan was also leading another army to launch an operation against the Knights Templar.

Today's Legrand battlefield——or the battlefield in this world——was like a game of chess, with the Pope and the King rapidly fighting each other on the chessboard with pieces in hand. Only the two of them were equally matched opponents. The army, the people, the country, the faith... were all pawns driven by them.

They pushed the entire war situation into an unpredictable frenzy, and even pushed themselves into this frenzy.

This was a battle of two kings.

Outside Douro City, where Legrand's army was stationed.

The King rode his war horse slowly, inspecting his troops. Everywhere he went, the soldiers stationed raised their swords high and saluted their king.

The King responded with a knightly courtesy in return——whether they were infantry, archers, or reserve soldiers. 

The Devil accompanied the King, and he happily disguised himself as a human knight——and except for his excessively pale face, he indeed looked no different from a human being. In the eyes of the Devil, human soldiers were just ants and did not deserve the King's attention at all.

However, he still concealed his disdain for these ants very well——after all, they were His Majesty's army.

In fact, the sudden appearance of a completely unfamiliar knight beside the King still attracted the attention of many people. Moreover, this strange knight had practically replaced the position of the Head of the Households, accompanying the King at all times. However, the King seemed to acquiesce to this, and although the military officers were unhappy, there was nothing they could do.

"How did you guess that the main force attacking Douro City would be the main force of Bressi's old nobles and not the annoying knights of the Holy Court?"

When the Devil was willing, he would never let the atmosphere fall into silence, and obviously, at this time, the King was more concerned about the current battle situation than other things.

"Because compared to the title of Pope, the title of the Emperor of the Holy Empire is more suitable for Theolde." The King passed by the stationed longbowmen troops and while checking whether the trenches to protect the longbowmen had been dug, he replied, "He would not allow his army to disobey his command. Instead of waiting for Bressi's old nobles to interrupt his plan in the middle of the war, it would be better for them to choke a hard bone first and learn a lesson. On another aspect, Douro City is relatively close to Herrid City, and if there is really too much impact on the battle, the Blessed Ones from Herrid City will intervene in the battle."

While speaking, the King left this battle line and moved to the next battle line amid the salutes of the longbowmen.

The King chose a gentle highland in front of Douro City as a place to deploy tactics and troops. It was sandwiched between the Kava Mountains and the northern plains of Donard. On one side of the highland was the forest, while on the other side a stream flowed slowly through it, and in front of the battlefield was a low depression. The King's army deployed here would rely on the forest, towns and villages, and open a battle network to intercept the old aristocratic army of Bressi.

"And…."

The King revealed a cold smile.

"He knows that we would definitely intercept the old nobles of Bressi."

The city of Douro was too close to the Doma River. In the long run, it posed a greater threat to Yoringshire County than the city of Newt. Because once the city of Douro was controlled, the fleet of the Holy Legion was likely to pass through the Doma River and attack Yoringshire County from the waterway together with the army on land.

During their conversation, a scout hurried over.

The King reigned in the reins.