Chapter 490: Reasons, Last Year's Battlefield

"Then, back to the previous question, who was the commander of the unit you were in before your defeat? Which noble baron, or knight?"

Facing the questions of Knight Jier, this Lenglian Bert hesitated for a moment; he seemed extremely reluctant to divulge this intelligence, but he was clearly even more afraid of the ordinary water bucket beside him.

"I'll talk, I'll talk. Our unit belonged to Baron Beliers. The Baron conscripted about 1,500 people from his territory in total: 1,000 Warriors and 500 responsible for transporting grain and equipment. The unit I belonged to was about 200 people strong, led by the Knight Lord of the settlement where my family lives, Knight Hartna."

As soon as the name of Knight Hartna was mentioned, the soldier's shoulders slumped entirely, as if he had given up on everything; the soldier, who had been hesitant before, suddenly began to speak fluently.

Jier nodded: "So, last year your unit was defeated by the neighboring country's army, the leading knight died, and your unit, having lost its leader, fled the battlefield without authorization? You fled all the way into the uninhabited deep mountains, crossed the entire mountain range, and finally arrived at Changmai Cunzi in Sasi County, right?"

Hearing Jier's words, the soldier's expression turned strange; he was just about to nod, but after seeing the wooden bucket to the side, he shook his head instead.

"Oh, what part of my statement is wrong?"

These were guesses and judgments Jier had reached after synthesizing various pieces of intelligence and news, and they shouldn't have been wrong, but since this person felt otherwise, Jier became curious and wanted to know where his deduction had gone astray.

"Sir Knight, your guess that the unit crossed the mountain range is accurate, but everything else is wrong."

"Huh? Everything is wrong?" Jier's expression changed, and even the two Priests outside the room looked at each other in surprise, nearly making a sound.

This Defeated Soldier, who had surrendered and been tortured by Jier until he lost his spirit, sighed and carefully corrected Jier's statement: "Sir Knight, actually, the unit I was in last year didn't really engage in battle with the enemy country's army. The reason we were able to retreat—oh no, to flee—at that time was entirely because the place we were at was still some distance from the main front line; the enemy was simply too terrifying."

"Tell me in detail," Jier requested.

"They, they, they wielded fire!"

The soldier's eyes were somewhat unfocused, clearly his thoughts had returned to the battlefield of last year: "When their weapons swung, they were accompanied by flames; their bodies were covered in flames, and they could even walk through the fire that blanketed the battlefield without harm. They, they were simply messengers of fire. Any army that approached them would ignite. I saw with my own eyes that when the vanguard of the army gathered by the noble lords made contact with the enemy's flaming army, the soldiers turned into fire-men one after another and were burned to charcoal, but the enemy was not afraid of fire!"

Jier's expression shifted constantly. Although he didn't believe what this person was saying, he didn't interrupt. After all, he would have to go to war with the neighboring country's army later, and this was first-hand intelligence from a soldier who had encountered the enemy last year. Although these words were full of exaggerated terms, there had to be some truth in them, right?

"At that time, the Knight of our unit saw that the battle situation ahead was unfavorable. Ignoring Baron Beliers' order to retreat, he joined the units of several other young knights, formed a combat unit composed entirely of young knights, and charged up!"

When he said this, the soldier even lifted his chest slightly; clearly, the heroic act of the knight who led their unit made them feel proud.

But soon, his expression changed: "The Sir Knights were much more powerful than ordinary soldiers. They weren't afraid of those enemy soldiers whose bodies were covered in fire, nor were they afraid of the flaming Long Swords in the hands of the enemy soldiers. A few knights pierced through a unit of hundreds, and not a single rider was shot down. But just as they wanted to turn around and charge back, a terrifying knight riding a mass of flames charged and scattered them with a single impact. Knight Hartna—oh, that is the knight who led our unit, he was also the Knight Lord of the settlement where I live, and also the lord of several villages and settlements around my home—he was grabbed by that terrifying existence, who extended an arm dozens of meters long, held him high, and ignited him into a fire-man!"

Jier frowned: "He died? Just burned to death that easily?"

"No, no, sir. At that time, the entire army of tens of thousands, from nobles to ordinary soldiers, was terrified. The armies gathered from various places were all trying to find ways to retreat, not wanting to face the enemy's fire directly. The result was chaos, it was so chaotic at that time. Our unit's Adjutant desperately waved Knight Hartna's military flag and blew the horn, which kept our unit from being scattered."

The soldier looked regretful: "But we all saw it. Other units that were charged by those fire soldiers were all routed. Everyone was too afraid to fight them and only cared about fleeing. Some particularly powerful Sir Knights rode glowing warhorses and charged up, but none were a match for that powerful knight existence riding a mass of flames. Not a single person was his match! The Long Sword in his hand could transform into a whip of fire, and could even change into a Large Bow that shot fire. The powerful warhorses ridden by some Sir Knights were all swallowed into the belly by the fire ridden by that knight. Without warhorses, the others were even less of a match."

Jier frowned tightly. This enemy sounded like a true powerhouse who could take on ten thousand alone; he estimated that even Knight Kela would be no match at all.

Added to the fact that the enemy country had this batch of troops that could be covered in fire and were themselves unafraid of fire, the defeat last year was truly normal.

If the various Noble Lords could have gathered the knights under their command, perhaps they could have maneuvered against the enemy on the battlefield for a while, but once the tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers under their respective commands were added, the result was instead a total collapse like a mountain falling.

"And then? How did you run away? And how did you plan to enter the uninhabited mountains and forests to reach Sasi County?"

Jier asked.

The soldier smiled awkwardly: "Sir, at that time, under the leadership of the unit's Adjutant, we only cared about running. We didn't expect that after losing our direction, we would rush into a valley on the side of the battlefield. There was thick smoke and fire everywhere outside, and we didn't dare to go out, nor did we dare to expose ourselves, so we all hid in the dark in the woods and waited for three days before sending people out to scout."

The soldier shook his head: "But the unit sent out to scout—yes, that is the unit of mine you killed today—we few discovered that our position at that time was too awkward. The coalition of the Southern Province had been defeated and routed, retreating from the land of an entire county at once, and the enemy's army had been pursuing us. So our unit of two hundred people was completely left behind in the area controlled by the enemy."

"The roads were full of the neighboring country's armies regrouping and advancing. Although there were no enemies covered in fire, our numbers were too small, and we couldn't beat any of them. Until one night, Knight Hartna, whom everyone in our unit thought was dead, actually found our unit again!"

"He didn't die?" Jier was exceptionally surprised.

As soon as this knight of their unit was mentioned, the soldier's expression became a bit strange. He continued: "Knight Hartna did not die, but he wasn't doing well either. It was too terrifying, too terrifying. He, he usually always wore that Knight Armor passed down from his ancestors, but at that time, this armor had already been firmly burned and melted onto his body."

Upon hearing this, Jier thought of Knight Lanisha, who had fought alongside him last winter; she had also once been soaked in the blood of a Wolf King that carried high-temperature Magic Power, and had been severely burned because of it.

It seemed that in many cases, knights' armor provided good protection against ordinary weapons, but had no way to deal with high temperatures.

"Then what happened later? Did he die from his injuries?" Jier asked.

The soldier shook his head: "After Knight Hartna found us, he told us to follow him. Everyone didn't know what to do at the time, so we had to follow orders. But no one expected that Knight Hartna would actually want to lead us across the entire Southern Border Mountains!!"

"He didn't know where he got a map of the Southern Border Mountains, and he explained his plan to us soldiers responsible for scouting. At that time, the battlefield had already extended forward. Although the enemy had many troops in the rear, most of them had not sent out scouts. So as long as we hid during the day and moved at night, we could avoid the enemy's army and rush into the vast mountain range from a direction no one would think of. As long as we crossed the entire mountain range, it would be just about the south of Sasi County!"

Jier's eyes darted around. He noticed many details, such as how this Knight Hartna survived the battlefield? How did he find this hidden army? And how did he happen to have a map of the Southern Border Mountains with high strategic value in his hands? And, what gave this Knight Hartna the confidence that he could lead a unit of two hundred people across the difficult-to-traverse mountain range?

"Then, how exactly did you cross such a large mountain range?" Jier asked.

He thought it would be some kind of Magic or a secret passage, but the soldier's answer shocked Jier.

"After Knight Hartna led us into the mountain forest, a group of half-man-high, hairy, long-tailed aliens actually found us. They seemed to have lived in the mountain forest for generations, so even though there wasn't a single road in the mountain forest, they still led us around and around, and around and around, and we were actually led out by them!"

"Long-haired Lynx Beast!" Jier said loudly.

"Sir? What did you say?" The soldier clearly hadn't heard this term, and he looked at Jier in confusion.

Jier then said: "This alien race, are they like a group of big cats that walk on two feet and are particularly fond of metal objects?"

"Yes, sir! They, they—now that you mention it, they are indeed very fond of metal objects. Sometimes at night, they would quietly sneak up to the companions and steal any metal objects they could carry away. And if they were caught, they would deny it and run away. They are agile, and basically no one can catch them."

"Then it really is the Long-haired Lynx Beast. Hmm, looking at the distance, it should be another tribe of Mao Mao. It's just that the Mao Mao of this tribe seem to have sticky fingers. But the fact that they were willing to lead you across a mountain range that no one had ever walked through clearly means they also accepted your employment—no, it should be said, the employment of that Knight Hartna," Jier said with certainty.

"Continue. It's fine that you crossed the mountain range with the help of those aliens, but why, after you had already arrived on your own land, did you still attack the village of Changmai Cunzi in Sasi County? Isn't your knight afraid of offending the Sasi Baron? If the other party reports it to the Noble Council, the knight territory of that Knight Hartna of yours won't be kept."

Speaking of this, the soldier fell silent. Jier knew at a glance that there was a big problem here, and he needed to dig deep.

"When I was killing your companions, I once heard them say that the captured Villagers seemed to be sent to a certain 'hole'? What is this 'hole' for?"

Jier became serious and questioned the other party.

The soldier wanted to speak, but didn't know what he thought of, and his mouth closed again.

Jier smiled: "Oh, it seems you have taken a liking to this Water Torture of mine? You want to taste its flavor again, right? Ah, I understand, some people just like to experience that feeling on the edge of life and death. Are you one of them?"

Upon hearing Jier say this, the soldier immediately shook his head frantically. There are few people who truly like suffering.

He was certainly one of them.

"Sir, Sir Knight Jier, before I answer your question, I hope you can guarantee to me that you promised to spare my life, right?"

The soldier verified, his face full of pleading, his body twisting as he knelt on the ground, maintaining a humble posture.

But Jier was not deceived by his attitude. This kind of person was clearly the type who bullied the weak and feared the strong. In front of him, he was groveling, calling him 'sir' and 'knight' at every turn, but when he was in front of the Villagers who were weaker than him, he was clearly a different kind of person.

Jier had seen many people like this chameleon in this life and his previous life, and he would not be easily deceived by the performance of such a person.

"I promised you, as a surrenderer, that I would not kill you, but would hand you over to the people of the local village to deal with. Hmph, you don't think the locals don't want you dead, do you? Believe it or not, if you go out alone now, you will immediately be stoned to death by the people in the village, one stone each!"

When Jier said this, the soldier's face was full of despair.

But Jier then added: "But I am a warrior of the Agricultural God Church, and also a young knight. If I speak up, I can't say I can save you from a beating, but at least your life can be saved."

Lenglian Bert, who was this Soldier, gritted his teeth and finally said what Jier wanted to know most.

"That 'cave' is actually, well, it's a Mine located in the mountain forest near the south side of Changmai Cunzi!"

Jier's eyes widened, and he immediately asked: "Here is the question: your entire squad, everyone, is here in the vicinity of southern Sasi County for the first time. How did you know there was a mineral vein there and start digging for Mineral Ore? Furthermore, after you dug up the Mineral Ore, how did you process it? Trade it to those alien races who like metal? Ha, they don't even have smelting technology, so what use is metal ore to them? To feed the beasts and Monsters in the surrounding mountain forests? Ha, ridiculous."

Jier looked straight at the other person and said solemnly: "Then this Mine obviously requires manpower to dig, right? It couldn't have been you yourselves doing the digging; this is dangerous, heavy manual labor. Having escaped from the battlefield, it is impossible for you to throw your lives away once again in a Mine that demands lives. Therefore, you shamelessly attacked Changmai Cunzi even though you knew it was the territory of Sasi Baron!"

Bang!

The wooden door of the room was pushed open hard from the outside, slamming against the wall with a loud noise.

Bata'er Jiaoshi rushed in with bloodshot eyes, grabbed the Soldier who was kneeling on the ground, and questioned him loudly: "So, you attacked Changmai Cunzi! Just to make the Villagers go into the Mine to dig for ore? Why do this? Why not manage the Mine properly and spend money to hire the Villagers during their farming off-season? Why, just because of this, did you attack the village?"

As if his weak spot had been poked, the Soldier turned his head to the side and simply did not answer the question from Bata'er Jiaoshi.

?? Welcome everyone to subscribe to this book, and support this book with recommendation votes, monthly tickets, and tips. Thank you.

? (End of this chapter)