Chapter 114: Check Each Body
"I hope Captain Lancelot is safe!"
Thinking of the past grievances with Lancelot, which were all matters from Simon’s previous life, but in recent days, Lancelot has indeed been the only reliable person in the army.
"My Lord, there’s no need to worry. Back in the day, Captain Lancelot could move freely even amidst the thousands of reaver troops. These ragtag militias are no match for him." Baldwin said without a hint of concern.
As they spoke, the Brambleford Army had already engaged in close combat with the Redwyck family’s militia.
The initially disorganised Brambleford Army quickly formed into a neat square formation amidst the chaos.
The front row consisted of swordsmen and shield bearers, followed by spearmen, and the last row was again swordsmen and shield bearers.
"Kill!" With a loud shout from the Brambleford Army, a row of spears thrust out from behind the shield wall, immediately felling a row of the Redwyck family’s militia charging forward.
"Kill!" The spears retracted, the shield bearers advanced a step, and then the spears thrust out fiercely again, followed by another round of agonising screams.
The Redwyck family’s militia was in complete disarray, clumped together chaotically. They had never undergone strict battle formation training, usually only practising with swords, spears, and staffs. In terms of individual skill, they were not inferior to the Brambleford soldiers, but facing such a tight formation, they had no strategy to counter.
As the spears thrust out, the Brambleford Army steadily advanced. When the front row of shield bearers feels injured, those behind immediately fill the gaps, maintaining the formation without a hint of disorder.
Soon, the Brambleford Army pushed forward to where Lancelot was.
At that moment, Lancelot was locked in a fierce battle with a burly man wielding twin hammers. Lancelot’s chest plate was deeply dented by a hammer blow.
The burly man was even more severely injured, with long gashes on his exposed arms and legs, bleeding profusely.
As the Brambleford Army approached, Lancelot glanced approvingly at the formation he had trained and shouted to one of the commandants. "Advance!"
"Kill!"
Another roar erupted, and the Brambleford Army continued to advance like a harvesting machine.
Bertram, hiding in the distance, was filled with anxiety. He looked across at Simon, knowing there was no longer any chance to capture him.
A wave of despair washed over Bertram, and a hint of madness flashed in his eyes. He shouted. "Kill, kill, kill! Whoever brings me Simon’s head will receive five hundred thousand caps of silver!"
Under normal circumstances, the Redwyck family’s militia would have erupted in frenzy.
But now, they were only filled with fear.
The Brambleford Army’s sharp spears were like the scythe of death, each thrust reaping lives.
Bertram repeatedly ordered his men to break through the shield wall, but they were all speared to death.
Fear among the Redwyck family’s militia grew, exacerbated by the increasing pile of corpses at the front.
"Run! We can’t win!"
"I don’t want to die!"
"..."
Amidst the continuous losses, the Redwyck family’s militia finally collapsed. Signs of rout began to appear, with those who had fought bravely now retreating, some even fleeing outright.
Seeing this, Bertram roared. "No one is allowed to retreat! Those who retreat will be executed!"
With that, he killed a fleeing servant.
But more and more deserters appeared, scattering like a receding tide. For every one Bertram killed, two more took their place.
Watching the growing number of deserters, Bertram’s face turned pale. He had failed. Once the militia scattered, the ambush would be a complete failure.
After a moment’s hesitation, he fled with a few close followers amidst the deserters.
Some in the front lines of the Redwyck family’s militia saw Bertram fleeing and immediately shouted. "Sir Bertram has run away!"
Instantly, the Redwyck family’s militia lost all will to fight. They had only been following orders, not even knowing whom they were supposed to kill. Now, with the Brambleford Army’s appearance, they understood.
With Bertram gone, there was no reason to continue risking their lives. Most dropped their weapons and surrendered, while others scattered like birds and beasts.
The battlefield was littered with over five hundred corpses.
The beautiful pond was stained red with blood, the intense metallic smell of blood filling the air, nauseating.
Looking at the devastation, Simon said to Lancelot. "No matter what, we must capture Bertram."
"They won’t escape," Lancelot replied.
As soon as he spoke, the sound of hoofbeats approached from a distance. Three hundred cavalry appeared, blocking the path of the fleeing Redwyck family’s militia.
The deserters were driven back, dropping their weapons and surrendering.
Five hundred had died, and the remaining seven to eight hundred surrendered. Bertram’s plan had been completely thwarted.
Soon, the captives were herded together, but Bertram and the other nobles were nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Bertram? Whoever speaks up will be rewarded."
The eight hundred Redwyck family’s militia squatted on the ground as Lancelot questioned them.
Simon and Baldwin also approached, scanning the crowd but not seeing Bertram.
"Strange, everyone should be here," Lancelot said, gritting his teeth.
Simon glanced at the dent in Lancelot’s chest plate and spoke. "You should return to the city and see a physician. Looks like you might have broken a few ribs."
"Who could have injured the captain like this?" Baldwin asked.
Lancelot pointed to a large man squatting in the crowd. "That guy. He’s got some serious strength. If it were anyone else, they’d be dead. He’s quite something, Your Highness. Can I have him?"
"We’ll discuss that later. Let’s find Bertram and the others first." Simon said. The three of them scanned the surrendered militia again, and Simon said. "Have them walk past one by one."
Lancelot nodded and had the captives walk past Simon one by one.
Soon, all eight hundred had passed, and several nobles hiding among them were captured, but Bertram was still missing.
"Damn it." Lancelot frowned. "Could he have been killed?"
Simon and Baldwin looked at the piles of corpses, and Simon asked. "What should we do with the bodies?"
"Usually, we hire some labourers to bury them," Baldwin said.
After saying this, Baldwin understood and said to Lancelot. "Check each body."
The Brambleford Army immediately began inspecting the corpses. Soon, they brought someone over; it was indeed Bertram. In the chaos, seeing no way to escape, he had disguised himself as a corpse among the dead, planning to escape when labourers came to collect the bodies. But he was discovered.
"Sir Bertram went through so much trouble to kill me; how thoughtful. But five hundred thousand caps of silver for my head seems a bit low. They say you are stingy, and it seems true."
Bertram snorted. "Do as you will. I want all of the Eldorian Empire to see how you, Simon, treat the nobility. Your efforts to strengthen the empire are all for the throne, aren’t they? Let’s see which noble family will support you then."
