Unknown Knight

Aix saw that Bestur, who had broken in, was holding a bird in his hand. It was a bird larger than a pigeon. Although it was not big, judging from its strong beak and sharp claws, it should be a bird of prey such as a falcon.

"Sir, this is a hunting falcon used by the enemy for reconnaissance and communication. I found this little creature hovering over the camp suspiciously, so I shot it down and found that it was indeed sent by the enemy for reconnaissance.

I have seen this little thing raised by people in the tribe before. It is very intelligent and can be used not only for hunting, but also for reconnaissance and transmitting intelligence. "

As he said that, Bestur handed over the falcon he had shot down like he was presenting a treasure. Aix took it and looked at it carefully. Sure enough, he saw a leather ring on the falcon's claw, which should be used to tie a message.

It was then that Aix realized that it was no wonder that the enemies in Berbera City retreated before their arrival. It turned out that they had falcons that could quickly transmit information.

He had also seen a report that said that in ancient times there were people who made a living by raising falcons. Domesticated falcons can not only be used for hunting, but also for transmitting intelligence and even scouting the enemy. Experienced falcon keepers can roughly judge the enemy's movements and simple intelligence based on the falcon's calls and flying posture.

Moreover, this little thing can act at night, which can also explain why the army of Berbera suddenly withdrew back to the city in the second half of the night. There should be falconers in the army of Lord Ghalib. It is unlikely that they would send someone alone to notify Lord Humamu to withdraw when they retreated in a hurry, but it is still possible to release a hunting falcon to send a message.

This can also explain why the armies of the two places can be highly coordinated. With falcons transmitting information, Berbera and Memphis can exchange information in three or four hours.

In ancient times, the falcon was a bird of prey that was used to transmit intelligence and conduct reconnaissance. However, due to its raptor nature, it was difficult to tame and raise, and its numbers were scarce. Later, it was replaced by pigeons, which are easy to raise and breed. Raising falcons became a pastime exclusive to dignitaries and became increasingly rare.

Aix once wanted to use pigeons to transmit information, but after coming to this world, he had never heard of anyone raising pigeons for messaging. Secondly, he had heard of people raising falcons, but there were very few people who raised falcons. He had never met one before and could not recruit any, so he had to give up.

Now that he had the news about the falconer, Aix's interest was rekindled, and he chatted for a long time with Bestur, who knew something about hunting falcons.

After this series of battles and the hasty journey, although the camp outside Berbera was not lost in the end, the army suffered many casualties, and everyone was exhausted both mentally and physically.

Aix had no choice but to decide not to take any other actions for the time being. Except for a few personnel who took turns to escort the prisoners to repair the camp, the rest of the army rested and reorganized for a few days.

Not only that, he also ordered people to slaughter cattle and sheep, and gave each soldier some beer, so that everyone could have a good meal and restore their physical strength and morale to prepare for the upcoming war.

However, the suspension of his actions did not mean that the enemy would remain idle, especially the Lord Ghalib of Memphis. Although the Lord ordered the materials from the surrounding towns to be transferred to the city as much as possible, there were not many in total, because most of the surplus grain produced each year was transported to Berbera. Some time ago, in order to prepare for the expedition to Fort Standstill, a considerable amount of grain and supplies were also requisitioned by Lord Humamu to Berbera.

Now, with the addition of some nobles' relatives, there were nearly 14,000 people in Memphis, and he had to pay for their food, clothing and other expenses.

Although he has worked hard to govern the territory in recent years, most of the surplus in the territory has been used to train elite warriors. The huge daily consumption makes him, who already has a weak foundation, like an ant on a hot pan. As time goes by, he suffers more and more.

Originally, he had the idea of ​​defeating Aix in one fell swoop. Although this would result in the loss of some money and food, as long as he won, he could not only preserve his existing property status, but also gain fame and fortune and the reputation he had been striving for.

But now, not only did he fail to defeat Aix, he also lost a lot of troops. If it weren't for the elite warriors he had trained at a great cost fighting hard at the critical moment, he might have lost his life in the battle in the valley.

Now it is impossible for Aix to be defeated in a short period of time, so the troops he concentrated in the city became a serious burden for him. In order not to be dragged into bankruptcy, although he was unwilling, he had to obey the order from the lord of Humamu and find a way to transfer the troops concentrated in Memphis to Berbera. This is not entirely a bad thing, at least it can save the huge daily expenditure.

Moreover, transferring most of the troops to Berbera can also put pressure on Aix's camp outside Berbera, firmly pinning Aix's troops in the camp and leaving him no time to take care of other things, which will make Memphis safer.

Thinking of this, the Lord of Ghalib City did not hesitate. After some preparation, he quickly summoned the army and set off.

In order to increase the success rate, he led the army on a long detour, using falcons to scout and evade during the day, and moving forward in groups of fifty at night, with each group member holding a rope. It took a day and a night, and he covered nearly forty miles more, and he actually took a detour and quietly brought the army to the vicinity of Berbera.

Also because Aix had the entire army hide in the camp to rest and did not send out too many scouts, even if there were scouts approaching them during the day, they were discovered and avoided in advance with the help of the air advantage of falcon reconnaissance. As a result, it was not until the morning of the third day that Aix received a report from the scouts that the Memphis army was already three miles outside the city of Berbera.

Aix was shocked when he received the letter and wanted to gather his troops to stop them, but it was too late. Moreover, he had very few cavalry, and sending them to harass would not be able to stop the enemy.

At this time, the defenders in the city seemed to have received the message and discovered the army coming from outside the city. They immediately sent three thousand troops to support them. Even the Bedouin cavalry of up to a thousand horses appeared nearby. If the few cavalry under Aix were really sent up, they would definitely not gain any advantage and could only watch the enemy enter the city.

As a result, the number of troops in Berbera reached more than 14,000. Although a considerable number of these soldiers were newly armed recruits, the total number far exceeded the army in Aix's hands. Moreover, they were all young and strong, with excellent weapons and equipment, and their strength should not be underestimated.

After discussing with Nizza, Bestur and others, Aix decided to keep the troops in place for the time being. Anyway, they had no shortage of food and supplies, so it just depended on which side would lose control of their temper and reveal a flaw first.