Chapter 1388 - 591: Strike Them Back Home! Strike Them Back to Leonais! (Part 2)

Chapter 1388: Chapter 591: Strike Them Back Home! Strike Them Back to Leonais! (Part 2)

This is also the first battle of the new army organized by Laine, the Old Guard.

The first rebellious stronghold to be attacked was Borsal Castle, located in Southern Leonais. It was a small castle whose knightly nobility had died in combat against Egil, leaving behind a group of women. The surrounding rebellious peasants occupied the castle and proclaimed themselves as Baron Borsal, seeking recognition from the local nobility.

However, what they awaited was the Old Guard and the commanding Baron Biocari, Juan Carlos the Sun Watcher.

With the Dwarf engineers working swiftly, a pontoon bridge was quickly constructed, allowing the entire army to cross the river near the castle with great speed. By the time the army reached the south of the castle, the rebellious peasants inside were unaware of the arrival of a new army.

After completing the encirclement, Juan immediately ordered Count Durin and Count Larot in the north to launch a feigned attack. Then, together with the Old Guard commander, Lord Winford "Green Arrow" Bertrand, they launched an attack from the rear of the castle.

This time, the rebellious peasants finally witnessed the might of Laine’s army.

First came the cannon bombardment, with the Dwarf Artillery’s Dwarf Cannon and Dwarf Organ Cannon launching a fierce barrage against the castle. The low walls, which had not been properly maintained after being occupied, collapsed under the power of the Dwarf Artillery. The houses within the castle were blown to pieces, with horses neighing, bodies shattered, blood and flesh flying, fires raging, and chaos everywhere.

Even before engaging, the rebellious peasants were already terrified. They cried and screamed, running back and forth, shouting that the divine punishment from the Lake Fairy had descended. Their morale plummeted. When the Old Guard, dressed in white uniforms and silver half plate armor, adorned with red or blue epaulettes and tassels, began to charge from the collapsed walls into the castle, shouting slogans, the yet-to-fight rebellious peasants were already scared out of their wits. They screamed, "The Lady’s punishment has come! We’ve lost the Lady’s protection!"

The rebellious peasants collapsed entirely, with barely any of them engaging in combat with the Old Guard.

They fled in panic.

In fact, the rebellious peasants knew that a reinforcement army had arrived to help quell the rebellion. They had prepared to fight against the legendary Duke Laine’s army. But in their minds, no matter how strong the enemy was, they were only at the level of soldiers, wearing simple leather armor with their Duchy’s crest, at most adding chest armor, using weapons similar to their own.

They couldn’t possibly imagine that the elite Old Guard, wearing half plate armor, wielding masterwork weapons produced in Dwarf weapon workshops, robust in physique, eyes resolved and brimming with killing intent, had been selected from among the peasants!

Seeing that the rebellious peasants were defeated, Count Durin and Count Larot, who were initially only launching a feigned attack, realized the situation was amiss. They promptly turned the feigned attack into a real offensive, seizing the opportunity to earn military merits.

The siege lasted only three hours from beginning to end, taking down the rebellious stronghold that local nobility couldn’t capture in several years.

The army entered the castle, and the knights and Old Guard alike frowned at the sight before them.

Everywhere was a scene of tragedy—severed limbs, piled bodies, excrement on the ground—and the rebellious peasants who could flee had already vanished during the confrontation. What remained were the old, weak, sick, and disabled, too frail to run, their eyes hollow from hunger, faces haggard, lacking even the strength to flee. Seeing the army enter, many of the aged and weak merely begged for a swift death, having given up on pleading for survival.

Count Durin and Count Larot felt extremely saddened. The two Great Nobles found it hard to decide whether to punish or pardon them. They were very distressed and could only temporarily imprison them, offering some black bread to satiate the starving elderly and weak.

This inferior food, long eliminated in Laine Territory, seemed like a supreme delicacy to the elderly and weak. Some elderly people sat in place, desperately gnawing at the bread along with plain water, their gnashing teeth echoing loudly.

As they ate, tears flowed down. An elderly peasant wept endlessly: "If we’d known there was black bread to eat, we would never have joined the rebellion!"

Such cries were heard throughout the castle.

Nightfall arrived, and in the Old Guard’s camp nearby,

Sir Bertrand chewed on raisins, donning a tricorn hat, wearing a clean Old Guard officer uniform. Nearby, the Old Guard formed a line, each holding a plate, uniformly taking their meals from the kitchen unit, preparing to enjoy dinner.

A large iron barrel was heated to boiling in the piled-up fire. A big pot of stew emitted a rich aroma. The kitchen unit soldiers wielded a large ladle, pouring huge chunks of red sausage (imported from the Empire) and aromatic meat stew into the Old Guard’s bowls.

One bread bag after another was opened, soft and delicious whole wheat bread was smeared with butter and handed to the Old Guard.

The rations of this army made the Old Musillon Nobility envious.

"They eat as well as the knights under my command," Count Durin remarked, looking at the Old Guard’s rations, with helplessness: "Lady above, red sausage, vegetable meat stew, whole wheat bread, and butter! Is this really the Old Guard?"