Chapter 57: Chapter 57: The Half-Elf Family Entering the Territory
After Su Li personally led three squads of knights out of the castle, they galloped westward along the lower reaches where the Brionne River and the Black Water River converge.
The Phoenix Wing Talisman finally displayed its unparalleled strategic value at this moment. This area is originally a vast expanse of flat grassland. The cavalry galloped wildly, able to run over sixty Empire miles per hour. With the blessing of the Phoenix Wing Talisman, the cavalry was further empowered, reaching speeds of nearly 80 kilometers per hour!
Were it not for the preciousness of the warhorses and their endurance being less than that of humans, the cavalry could have galloped over two hundred kilometers in three hours.
Now, after the cavalry had been running for more than two hours, they stopped on the grassy riverbank to rest for a while.
Su Li looked around the environment. In fact, from the castle, looking westward, one could see this vast green plain.
Geographically, this area is still within the Central Plain of the Hesse Territory. The land is soft, and the grassland is extensive, making it an absolutely fertile land. It’s just a pity that the territory lacks the energy to develop it, so it has remained desolate.
If a farm could be established here, cultivating farmland on one side and grazing on the other, it could serve as both a warning outpost and a place for knights to exchange warhorses, thereby having considerable strategic value.
As he was thinking, Frederick rode his half-griffin back from the distance at high speed.
The half-griffin, being a strong magical beast, has much better endurance than a warhorse. While the other warhorses unshackled and rested here, grazing, the half-griffin had already scouted ahead far away, surveying the situation ahead.
Under the attentive gaze of the knights, Frederick sped straight to Su Li, then dismounted and reported to Su Li: "Lord, I discovered a group of half-elves ahead, but this group is not easy to deal with. Among them is a guard of ogres."
"Ogre guards?" Su Li frowned. He should have thought of this earlier! These short half-elves carry large sums of money wherever they go, but they like to travel everywhere, so there must be a guard with them!
Half-elves are a famous wealthy race in this world. They like to live together as a big family, even sleeping together in one big bed. Everyone in the family works and shares wealth together, so there is almost no private space in their daily lives, and the possibility of the family going bankrupt is very small.
It’s worth mentioning the inherently good, or rather complex, relationship between half-elves and ogres. The ogres in the Empire (not those barbaric relatives in the world’s Edge Mountain Range) highly respect half-elves. This may stem from their different yet equally passionate views on the concept of "eating". Meanwhile, their love for movement perfectly matches the ogres’ travel habit.
This allows the two to usually coexist perfectly— the former serving as cooks and brokers for the latter, while the latter acts as mercenaries earning commissions to fill their bellies, providing security guarantees.
"How many ogre guards do they have?"
Frederick recalled for a moment, then said, "I didn’t count them in detail, but the size of their team is enormous. I feel it wouldn’t be less than two squads of ogres."
That means 24 ogres!
An adequate ogre mercenary’s power is at least equivalent to that of a formal knight. They can easily defeat seven or eight human armored soldiers. Even two or three apprentice knights who have awakened their extraordinary abilities may not be able to take down a frenzied ogre mercenary.
So right now, the knights around Su Li might not find it easy to win over this ogre team in a direct assault.
The greatest advantage for the knights from the Hesse Territory is the fact that their team includes as many as six elite knights who lead the charge, a force so fierce that ordinary ogres cannot withstand.
However, if the ogres include stronger bull warriors or man-eaters, the elite knights might also suffer losses.
The knights surrounding Su Li also felt the difficulty of the situation. Someone said: "Frederick’s intelligence is crucial. As he said, this team is not easy to handle. Even the ogres are a tough target, not to mention the half-elves. Although short in stature, they are not poor fighters. When the Empire was established, after acknowledging the legal status of half-elves, their archers have fought side by side with human soldiers, guarding the Empire’s borders. Many excellent scouts, archers, and hunter units come from the half-elves."
"Exactly, and since they are generally quite wealthy, their equipment is very sophisticated. If two squads of ogres engage us in close combat ahead, coupled with dozens of half-elf archers harassing from behind, any reckless charge we make is likely to result in injuries."
This point satisfies Su Li the most. In this world of knights, the teachings of the Sun Goddess are very popular. Although knights are hot-tempered, they are not reckless or disorderly in military matters; rarely taking the kind of headstrong, undisciplined charges like those of the French Knights.
Knights have always advocated the strategic use of cavalry’s mobility, constantly compressing the enemy’s battle line from the flanks until they gain the upper hand, then delivering an all-out strike, achieving decisive victory with one charge.
After discussing tactics with the knights, Su Li ordered the entire army to mount up and shouted to all the knights: "We have the advantage of mobility; to fight or not to fight is up to me. Everyone follow me forward, and let’s test our opponent’s strength!"
"Woohoo~" The knights raised their weapons high, cheering skyward.
Whether the knights are powerful or not is another matter. In this world, the status of knights is supreme. The human desire for battle is undoubtedly unparalleled, akin to an enhanced version of the Guanlong Military Group. Hearing that a battle is approaching, everyone’s fighting spirit soared, eager to slay an ogre on the battlefield to add to their military honor.
As the cavalry advanced rapidly, approaching noon, Su Li finally saw the half-elf team meandering ahead.
As the knights had speculated, this team was very well equipped. Each male half-elf wore a helmet and a green uniform, with sleeveless leather vests inside and chain armor shirts outside, wielding longbows made of purple heartwood.
Seeing the three squads of knights spreading out in formation, banners flying like a griffin spreading its wings in a charge, the half-elves in the team immediately shouted: "Guard along the river and hide behind the carts. Put the ogre mercenaries in front; don’t let human knights drive us into the river!"
The ogres, with their immense strength and standing nearly three meters tall, quickly helped the half-elves arrange their vehicles into a simple defensive structure. These simple-minded, robust monsters then ran forward, standing at the front of the convoy, brandishing their large sticks, war axes, and machetes, roaring angrily as they challenged the human knights.
Evidently, these monsters are not very intelligent, not considering evading the knights’ power. They insist on standing in front of the convoy, using their massive bodies to hold back the tide of a cavalry charge.