Knight: Becoming King of the World

Chapter 158: Chapter 137: Silent Hobia

"The enemy is retreating!"

"Kill them!!!"

Henry hurriedly shouted, "Cease the attack! Do not pursue!"

Hearing Henry’s command, the surrounding soldiers echoed the order, "The lord commands! Cease the attack! Do not pursue!"

The infantrymen, splattered with green blood, halted their advance. They regrouped and pulled back as the cavalry also ceased their pursuit, watching the three hundred or so Lizardmen withdraw.

Bain quickly rode over, dismounted, and asked, "My lord, are you alright?"

Henry gazed at the field of corpses, sighed, and commanded, "I’m fine, Bain. Have the men quickly gather the armor and weapons. Make sure to take the Lizardmen’s Obsidian Weapons, too. They’re very unusual."

Bain nodded repeatedly. This battle had shown them just how special these stone weapons were; they were nothing short of miraculous.

The battle, a victory that didn’t feel like one, was over. The soldiers moved quickly, following Henry’s orders to collect the armor and weapons from the battlefield.

Armor was carefully stripped from the corpses. Every sword and spear was meticulously collected to be used again.

The Lizardmen’s Obsidian Weapons were given special attention. The soldiers had experienced firsthand how deadly these weapons were. They were picked up one by one, wiped clean with cloth, and stacked neatly together.

Henry picked up one of the Obsidian Weapons. Its shape was somewhere between a sword and a saber, with a sharp edge and a piercing point that could tear open great swaths of an enemy’s flesh in battle.

He hefted it, guessing it weighed about eleven pounds—only three pounds lighter than his great-axe. And that was with the great-axe in his hands; it would take three or four other men just to lift it.

He couldn’t help but sigh. In the hands of the Lizardmen, such weapons were undoubtedly a powerful force.

Henry, Boman, and Fass stood on a sand dune, watching the soldiers busying themselves below, their faces etched with worry.

"The strength of these Lizardmen far exceeds our expectations. And this was just a small contingent. If the Lizardman army in the Hobia region has reinforcements, our situation will become even more difficult."

A flicker of concern crossed Boman’s eyes. "Yes, their combat prowess is too great. Faced with that kind of power, our soldiers seem overwhelmed."

"Weren’t there reports that the Lizardmen have new, terrifying mounts? If that’s true... does our reinforcement army even have a point?"

Fass’s words silenced Henry and Boman. Their conversation revealed a deep anxiety about the battles to come.

As the battlefield cleanup neared its end, the soldiers began to gather the bodies of their fallen comrades. In the desert, the wind and sand were too strong to hold a funeral or cremation. Their only option was to bring the bodies to Hobia for burning, after which their ashes would be placed in jars.

After quickly clearing the battlefield, the armies of Henry, Boman, and Fass pushed carts laden with the collected armor and weapons, the bodies of their comrades, and the heads of the Lizardmen. Under Salim’s guidance, they moved rapidly toward Hobia City.

"My lord, your army is incredibly powerful, able to fight the Lizardmen head-on."

Henry looked coldly at Salim and asked, "Is that so? If that’s the case, how did you and your people manage to repel the Lizardmen back then? Are your tribesmen more elite than my army?"

Boman and Fass also turned to look at Salim, their expressions cool.

Salim shook his head and said, "Before that... my tribe had over a thousand people..."

Henry, Boman, and Fass took a deep breath and asked no more questions.

Riding his horse, Fass squinted and asked, "Henry, what was the Lizardman leader’s strength like?"

Henry thought for a moment before answering, "He’s about as strong as a Bearman and as agile as a Tiger-man. A truly fearsome enemy."

Fass sighed, his face grim. ’And those Lizardman leaders are just their officers, not even their elites.’

"My lord, we can reach an oasis tonight. We can replenish our water there. Tomorrow, if your army force-marches, you might be able to reach Hobia before nightfall."

Henry took Salim’s advice and increased their pace. True to his word, they arrived at an oasis under the starlight of the night sky.

Although the oasis wasn’t large, it was a precious resting place for the long-traveled soldiers.

The soldiers approached the water source cautiously. In the desert, water was a symbol of life and had to be cherished.

The men filtered the water with clean cloths, then took iron pots from the carts to boil it, ensuring it was safe to drink.

At the same time, they carefully filled their waterskins, preparing for the next leg of their journey.

However, after a few squads of infantry had collected water, Salim strongly advised against more soldiers going to the spring.

He explained that every oasis in the desert was a fragile treasure. If Henry’s army used too much water, it could cause the oasis to dry up, which would be a disaster for the people of the desert.

After hearing Salim’s words, Henry showed no dissatisfaction and immediately ordered his soldiers to stop drawing water from the oasis.

Their own water reserves were still sufficient; there was no need to destroy one of the desert’s few natural supply stations for a moment’s convenience.

"My lord, you are a merciful nobleman."

Henry smiled, directed his men to set up their tents and circle the wagons, and assigned the night’s patrol shifts. He then told the soldiers to eat some dried meat and boiled grain and get some rest.

The night deepened, and the oasis returned to its tranquility, disturbed only by the occasional gust of wind. Henry and his soldiers camped at the edge of the oasis, the campfires providing warmth that helped them fall asleep quickly.

"My lord, your army..."

Henry drank the salty meat broth from his bowl and gestured for Claude to continue.

Claude frowned as he reported, "One full company of Senior Infantry was wiped out. After reorganizing the Skilled Infantry Team, one company is short by over thirty men. After reorganizing the Grassland Warriors, one company has only eleven men left."

For Henry, this was the first battle with such large-scale losses.

Henry closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then asked, "And the wounded?"

Claude shook his head and explained, "There are almost no wounded."

Henry nodded helplessly. ’Against the Lizardmen, it seems you either die outright or survive. Simply being wounded is a rare outcome.’

"How many Lizardmen did we kill?"

Claude immediately replied, "Two hundred and sixty-three."

"What about casualties in Boman’s and Fass’s armies?"

"I’m not sure, but Knight Boman and Knight Fass looked terrible..."

Henry waved his hand, dismissing Claude to get some rest as well.

’Based on the bodies on the battlefield, I’d estimate Boman and Fass each lost around three hundred soldiers... That means our combined forces have lost over eight hundred men, yet we only managed to eliminate fewer than four hundred Lizardman Warriors...’

The army was awake and moving before dawn the next day. After a grueling, near-frantic day of marching, the armies of Henry, Boman, and Fass finally arrived at Hobia City.

The scene outside the city was even grimmer than they had imagined. The Lizardman army was encamped on the distant dunes, forming patches of green camps that looked like moss on the desert floor.

Hobia City’s gates were tightly shut. Outside the walls were several sprawling stockades made of high wooden walls, built to prevent the Lizardmen from posing too great a threat to the city’s supply lines.

Henry, Boman, and Fass raised their noble banners, a symbol of their status and a signal to the defenders of Hobia City.

Even after suffering such heavy casualties, their force was still a sizable army. Soon, a unit of Mamluk Cavalry galloped out from the city gates.

They wore shining armor and carried long spears, warily eyeing the newly arrived army.

After a brief exchange and verification of their identities, the Mamluk Cavalry confirmed the noble status of Henry, Boman, and Fass. They showed respect for an army that could fight the Lizardmen head-on and achieve results.

More reinforcements meant everyone would be a little safer.

Led by the Mamluks, the armies of the three nobles were assigned to a stockade near the eastern gate.

This stockade was constructed of sturdy, reinforced wooden palisades and earthen walls, sufficient to withstand a typical Lizardman attack.

Tents and simple barracks had already been set up inside, providing places for the soldiers to rest and store their supplies.

The soldiers busied themselves within the stockade, setting up their tents, organizing their equipment, properly storing the collected Obsidian Weapons, and beginning preparations for the cremation of their fallen comrades.

The other soldiers in the camp merely glanced at the new arrivals before turning away.

They had been fighting the Lizardmen here continuously for two months. The faces around them had changed again and again; they no longer had the heart to make new friends.

"Officer, do you have any idea how many enemies there are?"

The Mamluk Cavalryman, who had been about to leave, paused and said, somewhat numbly, "The Lizardman army is massive, and they seem to have an endless supply of reinforcements."

Henry, Boman, and Fass exchanged looks, then began directing their soldiers to pitch tents, position the wagons, and set up camp in their designated areas.

The lights of Hobia City were sparse that night. The three nobles changed into their noble robes and entered the city, which was under a military-enforced curfew.

Under curfew, Hobia City lacked the bustle and vitality of a great desert metropolis of over one hundred thousand people. The streets were deserted, with only the occasional clatter of hooves from patrolling soldiers and cavalry.

The three men’s noble robes were proof enough of their identity; the patrolling soldiers simply greeted them before moving on.

The doors and windows of the shops were shut tight. Even the taverns and inns that should have been brightly lit were dark and silent.

Two months of high-intensity fighting had rendered the once-beautiful city deathly silent. The very air was thick with an atmosphere of tension and oppression.

The shadow of war loomed over the city. The colorful fabrics, fresh fruits, and various handicrafts were nowhere to be seen, replaced by sandbags and checkpoints in the streets and alleys.

Walking through such streets, Henry, Boman, and Fass felt their hearts grow heavy.

They unconsciously arrived at the city’s central plaza. The fountain there had run dry, and only a few statues cast long shadows in the moonlight.