Chapter 208: The Royal Legion Trial!

Thirty li east of the Gryphon Capital lies one of the Royal Family's most luxurious imperial estates: Golden Shield Manor!

Today, on a slope outside Golden Shield Manor planted with tulips and lavender, colorful banners fluttered in the wind.

Nobles dressed in opulent attire took their seats at the arranged tables and chairs.

Marquis Mi Xiu and Deputy Commander A De Li were among them.

It goes without saying that the nobles surrounding them were of equally exalted status.

"Prince Bruce arrives!"

A loud cry rang out; all the nobles rose to their feet, including Marquis Mi Xiu and Deputy Commander A De Li.

Immediately, a luxurious carriage drawn by twelve warhorses halted before the red carpet, surrounded by a host of knights.

The carriage door opened, and a middle-aged man in an ornate ceremonial robe stepped out.

This man was none other than Prince Bruce, one of the kingdom's most powerful nobles.

Prince Bruce was the ninth younger brother of Gryphon VII, born to a concubine.

Originally, because his mother was of low status, he was shunned from childhood.

Yet Gryphon VII, then the Second Prince, took great care of this younger brother, forging an unusually deep bond between them.

When Gryphon VII later contested the throne with his elder brother—the Crown Prince of Gryphon Kingdom—Prince Bruce played a decisive role.

For Prince Bruce possessed extraordinary cultivation talent, reaching Earth Knight rank at a very young age.

It was his intervention that secured Gryphon VII's ultimate succession and kept him firmly seated on the throne for decades.

Over these decades, Prince Bruce became the stabilizing pillar of Gryphon Kingdom.

Even now, as Gryphon VII grows old and frail, unable to manage state affairs personally, the kingdom remains secure.

"We salute Your Highness!"

"We salute Your Highness!"

As Prince Bruce walked along the red carpet to the central seat, the nobles bowed their heads in respectful greeting.

Prince Bruce, stern and expressionless, nodded faintly at the assembly only after taking his seat.

After scanning the crowd, he asked: "Are you all ready?"

"Your Highness, preparations are complete. For this exercise, Marquis Mi Xiu and Deputy Commander A De Li, as the attacking force, command fifteen hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry."

"Meanwhile, Marquis Weikes and Deputy Commander An Dong Ni, as the defending force, command five hundred cavalry and eight thousand elite infantry!"

"Then begin. Let them prove who deserves this year's generous rewards!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" A subordinate responded and swiftly approached Mi Xiu and the others.

"Your Excellencies, His Highness has ordered the exercise to commence!"

Upon hearing this, Mi Xiu and the others rose immediately, walked to the front of the gathering of nobles, and ordered their messengers to sound the war horns.

Amid the blaring horns, hooves thundered.

A force of fifteen hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry entered the Royal Hunting Grounds one li away.

They were the attacking force—the Royal Army's Iron Guard Legion—under the command of Mi Xiu and A De Li.

The defending force, as previously reported, consisted of five hundred cavalry and eight thousand infantry—the Royal Guard Legion.

By regulation, they had entered the Royal Gardens three hours earlier to conceal and deploy their troops in advance.

This exercise, held annually, determined the future privileges each legion would receive, so both sides took it seriously.

The rules were simple.

Ahead, in the Royal Hunting Grounds, lay a broad hilltop, over two hundred meters high, stretching two to three li in depth.

At its peak flew a vibrant Gryphon battle flag.

The objective of Mi Xiu's attacking force was to storm the summit and seize the Gryphon flag within the allotted time to claim victory.

Likewise, the defending force under Marquis Weikes and Deputy Commander An Dong Ni must protect the flag and prevent its capture within the time limit to win.

Though Mi Xiu's attacking force held a thousand extra cavalry, seemingly an advantage,

terrain must also be considered.

Cavalry were indeed an unstoppable iron tide across open fields.

But against a forested slope rising over three hundred meters, their advantage would greatly diminish.

Moreover, only three paths led up the hill; the defenders, with overwhelming infantry numbers, could simply lie in ambush and wait for the enemy to walk into their trap.

The key to the attackers' victory lay in mobility or accurate judgment of assault routes.

If they could probe the enemy's weak points and exploit their cavalry superiority, they could swiftly storm the summit and seize the flag.

Currently, the defenders had revealed only a small portion of their troops along the mountain paths.

The rest remained hidden within the forest; choosing the correct route depended entirely on experience—or luck.

"Mi Xiu, A De Li, His Highness has begun. Why are you two still fiddling with those tubes?"

"If you're afraid, just surrender now. An Dong Ni and I only want the two rabbit-girl servants His Majesty granted you!"

While Mi Xiu and A De Li planned their assault, Weikes and An Dong Ni taunted them.

Of course, this might well have been deliberate distraction.

Upon hearing the mockery, Deputy Commander A De Li set down his tube and sneered, "Weikes, An Dong Ni, do you really think such crude distractions will secure your victory? You're two naive fools!"

"Besides, make sure you've prepared those two barrels of Elven wine. Mi Xiu and I plan to split one barrel each after defeating you!"

"Hmph, let's see if you have the skill!" Having their scheme exposed, Marquis Weikes and An Dong Ni ceased their taunting, embarrassed.

Soon after, Mi Xiu and A De Li finalized their plan and ordered their messengers to relay their commands.

Instantly, the messengers delivered the orders; the fifteen hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry surged into a nearby grove of trees.

Once hidden within the grove, the attacking force waited seven or eight minutes.

As the watching nobles grew puzzled, suddenly two thousand infantry burst from the grove and charged toward the left and central mountain paths.

Clearly, the attackers judged these two routes, being flatter, as more advantageous.

Naturally, the defenders, resting and waiting, understood this too.

As soon as the two thousand troops reached the hill's base, they were met with resistance.

Each side deployed one thousand infantry to block the advance—matched in strength.

After brief combat, at Mi Xiu's signal, a horn sounded, and from the grove surged two detachments of three hundred cavalry each.

Both cavalry units headed toward the left and central paths.

With cavalry reinforcements, the defending one thousand infantry were overwhelmed and began retreating.

Within roughly eight minutes, both flanks had been pushed halfway up the slope.

At this moment, the defenders' hidden ambush troops emerged.

Two detachments of one thousand infantry each charged from the underbrush on the mid-slope, halting the attackers' advance.

Instantly, the battle stalled at mid-slope.

Wooooo!

Another horn blast rang out; the final thousand infantry and nine hundred cavalry of the attackers burst from the grove, charging toward the left and central paths.

Thus, the entire attacking force had now been deployed.

On the left path: fifteen hundred infantry. On the central path: seven hundred fifty infantry.

The defenders, meanwhile, had committed only four thousand infantry—two thousand each on left and central paths.

Due to the overwhelming disparity in numbers, the previously stalled battle now tilted in favor of the attackers.

The defending soldiers began retreating step by step, pushed back toward the mid-slope.