Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

The six knights attempted to break through the encirclement using their individual martial prowess.

Busek Dub, wielding a two-handed greatsword on foot, roared, "Come on! You bandits!"

He was indeed brave, cutting down several bandits from the Nebakov castle who charged at him. But he was soon targeted. Red-bearded Andrei approached him, and the two fought like wild beasts, axes and swords clashing, sparks flying.

Finally, taking advantage of a moment when Dub was out of position, Andrei struck him with an axe at the joint of his shoulder armor. Although he failed to break through the heavy armor, the force of the blow caused Dub to stagger backward. He was then tripped and held down by several griffin guards using grappling hooks and ropes.

Knight Florian was never known for his brute force; he was far more adept at fighting in bed than on the bloody battlefield. He discarded his conspicuous helmet and cloak, attempting to slip away among the fleeing soldiers, but was spotted by the sharp-eyed "Hound" Ace. Ace pursued him like a true hound, delivering a precise trip and throw, his knee striking Florian in the back. "Trying to run?"

Sir Sammy, witnessing the massacre and defeat, was filled with sorrow and helplessness. He fought valiantly, but his age soon took its toll. When he saw Peter approaching him with his sword, he knew all was lost. Having escaped death in Griffin Valley before, no one would spare him this time. He could only hope that Peter would spare the old man out of consideration for the gifts he had received in celebration of his previous victory.

"Tie him up." Peter drew his sword, knocking away old Semi's weapon. He had no time for catching up and charged toward the other enemies.

Goat-Headed Knight Hanco was caught off guard by Big Mouth John, who slammed his shield into his side while two other soldiers used sharpened clubs to restrain him. Goat-Head sighed, threw down his sword, and surrendered.

Little-Headed Herman Knight and others were also successively separated and surrounded in the chaos, eventually becoming exhausted or being subdued.

As General Ulrich fled, all he saw was utter devastation.

"How could this be? How is that possible! We have numerous knights and three hundred soldiers!"

Ulrich couldn't understand his inexplicable defeat. He had previously thought that the young lord of Borgo's failure was due to his incompetence, and that the count's reluctance to leave the city was due to insufficient troops. He believed that if he had led a superior army, he would have easily defeated the bandits.

As a result, he only understood the cunning and power of the red griffin after experiencing it firsthand!

Seeing that all was lost, Ulrich no longer thought about victory or defeat, only about escaping with his life. He turned his horse around and continued to run back, but his frightened horse wouldn't obey and kept spinning in circles. In the end, he was dragged off his horse by several griffin militiamen and thrown into the mud.

"Don't kill me! I'm the steward! I can pay the ransom! Lots of ransom!"

The former chief steward's authority had vanished, leaving only tears streaming down his face as he begged for mercy.

An hour later, the fighting gradually subsided. The ravines reeked of blood and gunpowder. Dead soldiers lay scattered on the ground, and the groans of the wounded echoed throughout. The surrendered soldiers huddled together in fear and were guarded by Peter and Jessica's men.

In this battle, Ulrich's punitive expeditionary force was almost completely annihilated, with only a small number of lightly armed soldiers escaping by jumping into a ditch. More than sixty people were killed in the chaos, and the rest were taken prisoner, including all the important figures. The captured weapons, armor, and horses piled up like mountains. Peter and Jessica won a brilliant victory at minimal cost.

After the war, the spoils were divided: the 38 warhorses were split equally between the two families; the weapons and armor were all given to Jesca, while Peter took more than 270 prisoners with him.

Peter believed that people were the foundation of everything, and that captured laborers would continuously generate value for him. Moreover, the ransoms from the eight important figures—Ulrich, the six knights, and old Semi—would also be a substantial source of income.

Jaskar believed that with the right equipment, he could recruit more outlaws from the surrounding territories and build a larger army.

"Boss, since the weapons and armor are all ours, should we strip the prisoners of their equipment?"

One of the robbers pointed to the armor worn by the prisoners being escorted by the Griffin Guard and asked Jessica about it.

Jessica didn't answer, only glanced at the other man before turning and leaving, leaving him bewildered. His second-in-command, Michael, came over and sneered, "The Red Griffin is already being very lenient by letting those prisoners leave their weapons. Strip them of their armor? Do you dare do it?"

"Uh, I dare not." The bandit looked at the disciplined and well-equipped griffin guards, and the legendary red griffin Peter who was wiping his sword. Thinking of Peter's past achievements and how he led the charge just now, he couldn't help but shrink back.

Peter quickly left with his horses and prisoners, leaving only Jessica and her gang excitedly collecting their spoils.

Meanwhile, Troskey Castle welcomed an even larger army.

It was Count von Polgár who specifically wrote a letter to invite Mark Walter von Olitz, the military commander of Prague's defenses, to come and assist in the battle.

von Olitz was von Porgaard's good friend, a lackey of Sigismund, the executioner who destroyed Skaritz, and Henry's father's killer. Von Olitz held a high position and, invited to aid in the war, brought not only five hundred Prague collaborators but also a bronze cannon known as the "Finger of God." Because the cannon moved too slowly, it arrived a day later than the vassal army. This was why von Porgaard did not lead his troops but remained in the castle; he needed to give his old friend a grand welcome.

"Old friend, you've finally arrived."

The old count personally came to the castle gate to greet them, his voice deliberately conveying enthusiasm, and he opened his arms to welcome the arriving guests.

The military commander of Prague's defenses, von Olitz, was about fifty years old, tall, and wore a fine Milanese-style plate armor over a scarlet overcoat embroidered with the emblem of Prague's hill-shaped city walls. He had a distinctive bald head and a resolute face, but his grey-blue eyes were like the surface of a frozen lake, exuding a chilling coldness.

Behind von Olitz were two squads of fully armed guards. Their armor was covered in the dust of the journey, but it could not hide the grim aura of professional soldiers.

"His Majesty the King sent me to Kutenberg. After receiving your letter, I deliberately took a long detour to come here. I hope that after we quell the unrest in our territory, you and I will go to Kutenberg as soon as possible. The nobles there are very restless and need our joint efforts to suppress them."

von Olitz said this. It's less than 50 kilometers from Prague to Kutenberg. He deliberately went to Trossky first, and then from Trossky to Kutenberg, increasing the distance to 133 kilometers—a truly large detour.

"Old friend, thank you for your assistance, and for the Finger of God you brought, which gives me even more confidence in quelling the unrest in my territory. My vassals have already set out to recapture a small castle. Once they are done, we can attack from both sides."

Feng Boergao's voice was deep and powerful, with barely concealed excitement. After being cornered in the city by Peter for a week, it was finally his time to finally get his revenge.

The two walked into the castle together, and Feng Boer said, "To welcome you, my old friend, I have prepared a small gift for you."

"A small gift? That's not like you."

von Olitz shook his bald head and looked at the old count with some surprise.

"This is just what we need. It might be of some help to our trip to Kutenberg." The old count instructed young Semioda beside him, "Go and summon Sir Hans and his six companions. Tell them I want to give him a formal reply."

The old count trusted the Semi family, sending them provisions while he was imprisoned and having old Semi go to war with the army. The Semi family proved their loyalty, which is why the old count promoted young Semioda to take over the castle's defenses after Captain Thomas left.

"Yes." Little Semi, who was in charge of the castle's defense, responded and left, quickly bringing Hans and his six companions to the inner castle courtyard.

Hans, Henry, and their six companions also noticed an army arriving and encamping outside the city. However, they were unsure of who it was, so they were dressed casually and not on high alert.

"Your Excellency," Hans stepped forward, his tone respectful yet wary, "we have received your invitation to discuss an alliance..."

When they looked up and saw von Olitz standing with the old count, they immediately realized something was wrong.

"An alliance?" The old count suddenly sneered, interrupting Hans. "Do you really think I'd ally with a bunch of country bumpkins like you?"

The old count's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, calculating look. "Hans Capon, Henry...you've come at the perfect time." His voice sharpened. "I have a grand gift for His Majesty Sigismund and Lord von Olitz—the heir to Ratländer and the remnants of the Skarlitz!"

The old count, with a condescending air, swept his cold gaze over the six men. "Sir Hans and that servant stay. Kill the rest of you."