I was a knight in the Middle Ages

The morning light pierced through the curtains, and Philos's fingertips unconsciously stroked his head, the shock brought by last night's intelligence still surging in his heart.

It turns out that Alpha's statement "They won't let any supplies or equipment leave the mining city" showed that he had already calculated Quintiles and Rowling's tactics.

Those seemingly random harassment attacks were actually restricted areas drawn in blood, and any team loaded with supplies would become a moving target.

From outside the tent came the clanking sound of weapons colliding, mixed with the suppressed groans of wounded soldiers.

Philos walked to the wall where a huge sand table was hung, and the bronze candlesticks cast interlaced shadows on his face.

Philos's gaze passed over the red-painted outpost marking the mining city, and suddenly stopped at the second half of Alpha's promise: "Evacuate within three months, and this place will be turned into an undefended commercial port."

On the sand table, the silver flag representing the Allied forces and the black flag of the enemy were intertwined, and the mining city was stuck in the throat.

Philos ran his fingers across the cinnabar-stained area, and he seemed to see the grand scene of the city gates opening three months later: the camel bells of the caravan replaced the war drums, and the unarmed miners pushed wooden carts loaded with ore and bargained in the bustling market.

If we could really capture this strategic location without bloodshed, why would we fight the enemy to the death on a scorched earth?

The curtain was suddenly opened, and Habel rushed in with a chill, the cracks in his armor still stained with morning dew. "General, the right wing has established a foothold in Wenni City. Do you want to..."

The words stopped abruptly, and Habel saw Philos staring at the sand table in a daze, the candlelight reflecting two dancing flames in the general's eyes.

"Pass the order down. The entire army is to leave the mining city lightly." Philos' voice was low but carried an unquestionable determination. "At the same time, send scouts to closely monitor the mining city's movements. Every three days, they will check the city gates and the flow of supplies in and out."

As Philos turned, his cloak swept across the scattered secret letters on the table. "From today on, we must learn to win this war with the calculations of a businessman, not the swords of a warrior."

As dusk fell over the camp again, Philos stood alone on the watchtower.

In the distance, the lights of the mining town flickered in the night sky, like stars on a chessboard waiting to be placed.

Philos gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, but the coldness in his palm was not the usual one - this wait was perhaps more thrilling than any battle.

At dusk, when dark clouds were gathering over the city, Mashu hurried into the tent. The knight's emblem on the bronze breastplate was still stained with lingering mud.

"Lord Alpha! The main force of the Pirate Alliance is withdrawing from the South Gate. Should we chase them?" The neighing of war horses was heard outside the tent, and Mashu rushed over to report the situation immediately.

The smoke from the tenth day of the siege had not yet cleared, and this news made the atmosphere instantly tense.

Alpha stroked the Holy Sword of Light, and the candlelight cast a swaying shadow on his silver temples.

A parchment-scrolled map of the mining city's defenses lay spread out on a long oak table, with wax-sealed intelligence letters scattered around. "How much supplies did they take? How many troops are left in the city?"

His deep voice was hoarse from having experienced hundreds of battles, and his fingertips tapped the table unconsciously, making a light tapping sound.

Mash unfolded the blood-soaked scroll, the wet ink gleaming faintly in the candlelight. "Ten magical prison carts loaded with equipment. According to spies, the carts are covered in high-level confinement spells. The only supplies taken were beer and bacon, while the alchemy workshop and mining equipment remained intact."

Alpha's brows were twisted into a knot, and the Holy Sword of Light suddenly lit up with a faint blue light under the nourishment of Alpha's fighting spirit.

Alpha certainly understood the deeper meaning of this - to evacuate with such light equipment, the core equipment must be strictly protected by magic.

Although there were 4,000 knights outside the city, their swords and shields were futile in the face of the prison carts reinforced by magic and the protection of tens of thousands of cavalry.

"How many troops did they take away? How many defenders are left in the city?" Alpha slammed his wand heavily on the map, and a wisp of green smoke rose from the mark of the mining city.

"Ten thousand elite troops were transferred yesterday, leaving the city with approximately fifteen thousand defenders." Mash lowered her voice. "The south gate is guarded by the Black Sail Pirates, the east gate is guarded by the Blood Axe Mercenaries, and the core mineral veins are guarded by the Pirate Alliance's personal guards."

Alpha stared at the cinnabar mark on the map representing the enemy, and ran his fingertips over the scarlet area marking the mineral vein.

It is the lifeline of the entire city and also the toughest nut to crack.

"Pass the word down, have the Nightingale Scouts infiltrate the city." Alpha suddenly looked up, a cold glint in his amber eyes. "I need to know how many defenders there are in each area, their shift patterns, even their mentality... which region's mud is on their boots."

The dusk was like blood, dyeing Philos's gilded armor red.

Philos rode on a tall horse and looked at the rolling hills in the distance.

There, a few faint wisps of smoke and dust were faintly visible, hanging behind the marching troops like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.

"General, the scouts report that the enemy's presence is ever-so-close." Kakalos spurred his horse closer, his face tense beneath his bronze helmet. "They neither attack nor retreat, like a flock of vultures waiting for their opportunity."

Philos stroked the sapphire-studded hilt of the sword at his waist and sneered, "Don't worry about it. Send the order to speed up the march and make sure to reach Vinny's garrison tonight."

Philos turned his gaze to the west, which was the direction of the mining city, and a glimmer of greed flashed in his eyes.

Habel rode up to Philos, his armor still stained with blood from the previous day's battle. "General, should we gather the surrounding escorts? All that supplies and equipment..."

"Do you think the enemy is foolish?" Philos interrupted him, his voice tinged with sarcasm. "If we make the slightest move, if we try to get close to any supply point, they'll attack us immediately. These jackals are just waiting for us to show our weakness."

Habel gripped the reins tightly, a look of resignation on his face. "But General, we've suffered heavy casualties these past few months, are we just waiting for an uncertain agreement? Can the Alpha people really be trusted?"

Philos pulled the reins and the horse raised its head and neighed.

Philos looked at the last rays of the setting sun in the sky, a meaningful smile on his face. "Of course I can't believe it. But this is our chance. When we get to Vinny, immediately send someone to spread the word about the agreement between Alpha and me. I want to see what choice he will make. Want to cooperate with me? Let's get through this first."

"General, why don't we just attack the mining city directly?" Habel still refused to give up. "With our strength..."

"What's the rush?" Philos glanced at him, a fierce look in his eyes. "Let's see how that kid performs first. If he keeps his word, after we capture the mining city, we'll spread rumors and make him a target of public criticism. If he dares to break his promise, then we'll use both rumors and weapons to show him the consequences of offending me. Remember, real wars are never fought with swords alone."

Outside the tent, the night wind whistled, making the military flags flutter.

Looking at Filos's resolute profile, Habel felt a chill in his heart.

They finally understood that this game about the mining city was far more complicated than they had imagined.

And their generals had already laid out numerous killing strategies on the chessboard.

"General Mingyi!" everyone responded in unison, with awe in their voices.

Led by Philos, this tired but still elite team continued to advance towards Vinny.

In the night, their figures gradually merged into the darkness, leaving only a series of heavy horse hooves echoing in the empty wilderness.

As dusk soaked into the cowhide map, Mash's animal hide wristbands were still dripping with mud.

Mash stood in front of the battle table and saluted, "Lord Alpha! The main force of the Philos force bypassed the three transport convoys and went straight for Vinny!"

Alpha's baton pointed at the amber nail marked Vinny, causing the miniature castle on the sand table to rustle.

The candlelight cast a shadow on Alpha's angular features. His hawk-like eyes were fixed on the ruby ​​emblem of the mining city. "Send a message to Rowling and Quintey. Lead the ranger archers to launch three rounds of mounted archery against the enemy. Make sure to create the illusion of a large-scale attack. Once the enemy pursues us, immediately turn back and pick off the three transport convoys one by one."

On the sand table, the bronze chess pieces representing the enemy's transport team glowed coldly under the candlelight.

Alpha's fingertips passed over the south gate of the mining city. The obsidian mark there was heavily circled by a trace of cinnabar: "Muna, lead 3,000 lightly armored soldiers to occupy the south city. Remember, this is not a desperate defense of the city-"

Alpha suddenly looked up, a wolf-like fierceness flickering in his amber eyes. "If the enemy attacks, feign defeat and retreat while fighting. Make sure to lure them into the heart of the city!"

Makina's chain mail made a crackling sound. The battle-hardened general frowned and said, "But sir, the south city wall has been in disrepair for a long time. I'm afraid it will be difficult..."

"We don't want the city wall!" Alpha's scepter suddenly pointed to the core area of ​​the mining city, where the piles of emerald marks represented abandoned alchemy workshops.

"If the enemy army rushes in in full force, they will be held back by the South City. Once they penetrate into the empty city, we will be able to catch them in a trap!" Alpha turned around, grabbed the wolf hair brush on the desk, and wrote quickly on the parchment, with ink splashing like blood.

"Phyllis! Write a leaflet immediately and make it into a vivid story about the crimes of the Pirate Alliance plundering the people and abandoning the city. Remember, make sure every word is like a poisoned dagger, piercing the hearts of the defenders!" Alpha looked in the direction of Phyllis on the other side.

Clerk Phyllis's quill scratched across the parchment, her purple skirt sweeping across the strategic maps scattered across the floor. "Do you need to add some inflammatory ballads? Folk songs are the easiest to spread..."

"That's exactly what I want!" Alpha laughed and threw the scroll full of secret orders to Baras.

The dwarf leader took the command scroll and said, "Use the catapult to throw leaflets into the city. Let rumors and flames burn through the enemy's defenses!"

Alpha stood in front of the sand table, watching the silver-white chess pieces representing his own army slowly move in the night.

Alpha's lips curled up into a hunter-like smile - this carefully planned hunt was finally about to close.

……

Late in the evening, Alpha's lips curled up slyly, his gaze fixed on the elf in the corner who was elegantly enjoying a piece of fruit. "Melissa, accompany me to the underground ruins to explore."

Melissa snorted softly and turned her face away, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the fruit bowl: "If you want to go, go by yourself."

Thinking back to the day before when Alpha had not listened to her advice and openly provoked Princess Evelyn, she was filled with anger. "It's all your fault for provoking the elf princess. Now I don't know how to face her."

"Stop it." Alpha said without hesitation. He grabbed Melissa's slender wrist with his big hand and dragged her towards the entrance of the ruins.

Stepping into the dark passage, Melissa twisted her body uncomfortably.

As Alpha's personal bodyguard, Melissa was naturally aware of the complicated relationship between this lord and Princess Evelyn.

But being forcibly dragged to such a place still made her feel uneasy and she didn't know how to face the elf Evelyn.

"Put me down!" Melissa struggled, but Alpha picked her up and his warm breath brushed against her ears. "Evelyn won't bother with this. Relax."

In the narrow passage, the flickering candlelight cast strange shadows on the stone walls. Even though countless candles illuminate the way ahead, it is still difficult to dispel the endless darkness.

Melissa curled up in Alpha's arms and suddenly shuddered. "Master Alpha, there's a disturbing aura here. I feel very uncomfortable."

Alpha frowned slightly, holding his breath and concentrating on sensing the surrounding atmosphere. His sharp eyes swept through every corner of the passage. "It's just an ordinary underground environment. Don't scare yourself."

Although there was a strange sense of oppression in the air, as a seasoned warrior, he did not notice any signs of danger.

The depths of the mine were filled with the cold blue light of fluorite, and Alpha walked steadily down the wet gravel.

The patina on the guards' armor shone against the torches along the way. These most elite guards of the mining city cleared the way for him with a standard military salute, and the sound of metal gauntlets colliding with shields echoed in the alleys.

When the light of Darwin's sheepskin lantern pierced through the mist, Evelyn jumped up from the pile of runes almost instantly.

The beige-haired elf leaped like a deer through the woods, her light green skirt sweeping across the gravel, the laurel wreath in her hair swaying slightly as she moved. "Lord Alpha! Why have you come here in person?"

Evelyn's amber pupils reflected the magical patterns flowing on the stone wall, appearing particularly lively.

Alpha swiftly removed his leather gloves and tucked the cool metal gauntlets into his belt. "How's the investigation going? Are there any anomalies?"

Alpha took advantage of the situation and pulled Evelyn into his arms, which scared Melissa behind him so much that she almost flew out.

Evelyn broke free from Alpha's arm and pulled Melissa towards the giant stone door. On the door panel made of black iron, dark golden runes flickered and glittered like living things.

"We found this gate to the ruins in the folds of the rock." The elf's fingertips slid across the rune array, and the scales and armor collided with each other, making a crackling sound.

"But all attempts to crack it have failed. These lines seem to repel any non-original power." Before she finished speaking, Melissa suddenly broke free from Alpha's shackles, her silk skirt raising fine dust, and rushed straight to the entrance of the passage.

Darwin was kneeling before the rune, the tip of his quill trembling slightly as it hovered over the parchment.

The gray-haired scholar's forehead, dripping with sweat, was almost touching the stone door. The monocle on his nose shone coldly. "These combinations of symbols... seem like some lost..."

Darwin's voice stopped abruptly, and as Alpha approached, a subtle magical resonance suddenly appeared in the air.

Those distorted symbols kept overlapping on Alpha's retina, turning into fragments deep in his memory.

Alpha's temples were throbbing. The murals in the underground secret chamber of the Church of Light, the inscriptions on the Pope's scepter, and the mantras of praise for light that were engraved deep in his soul all came flooding back like a tide.

"Is this...is this Vatican magic?"