Chapter 7

If one were to look down from the sky at the military town of Laidan, situated at the foot of the Andres Mountains, it would be seen that Laidan blocked the passage from north to south. Although its geographical position was excellent, the southern part behind Laidan was a vast, confusing swamp and the intersecting Naina River. In the northern defense line of the Adria Kingdom, Laidan was also far from the prosperous towns behind it. To achieve any significant plunder, one would have to make a large detour around the confusing swamp and the Naina River.

The Ossu savages often invaded the northern defense line of Adria mainly to plunder the prosperous towns behind the military towns to survive the harsh winter in the north. A place like Laidan, even if captured, would require a great deal of time and effort to gain any benefit, making such a loss-making venture rare for the Ossu savages.

However, two years ago, a massive natural disaster struck the northern grasslands of Ossu, causing severe losses in population, livestock, and food. When the northern grasslands were in crisis, the Ossu savage leadership began to formulate a grand plan to try to recover and remedy the situation!

Their plan was to break through the entire northern defense line of the Adria Kingdom, and with a large army, raid the heartland of Adria to make up for everything!

In the main strategy for the northern defense line, the Ossu savages shifted their focus to the long-neglected Laidan military town. Although Laidan was not essential for plunder, it had a certain strategic importance. The entire northern defense line of Adria could be connected for mutual defense and support, which was the main reason the Ossu savages often encountered setbacks on the northern defense line. If they could capture Laidan, the army could make a large flanking maneuver behind the northern defense line, creating a military deterrent and encirclement! Laidan, which had always been considered a cold, neglected place by the Ossu savages, had now transformed into a fragrant, roasted meat in their eyes.

Moreover, according to the intelligence they had gathered, Laidan had the weakest military strength among all the military towns on the northern defense line. The frequent rotation of noble sons from the capital as commanders of the garrison had become a fatal flaw for Laidan. Feeling as if they had divine assistance, the Ossu savages quickly formulated their plans, which included spreading false information to麻痹the Adria Kingdom and lull them into a false sense of security.

In the year of the Fog Flower, the time was ripe.

The army suddenly gathered according to the plan, and elite warriors were dispatched in advance to infiltrate behind Laidan and intercept all scouts and communication personnel. The army was divided into two parts: one to attract the attention of the entire northern defense line on the main battlefield, and the other to quietly attack Laidan.

The Ossu savage plan went smoothly, and in just one day, they breached the main walls and gates of Laidan. Although they suffered some setbacks in the street battles that followed, the army was confident that they would flatten all of Laidan by the next day. The commander of the Ossu savage army, Huroshan, had already given the order: after capturing Laidan, there would be only half a day for plundering, after which the army would immediately set out to encircle and intimidate the northern defense line according to the strategic plan.

The fate of Laidan was sealed. The soldiers who fought tenaciously in the street battles began to retreat, and the women and children in the rear, informed of the unfavorable situation by the fleeing young men, began to panic. Their resolve to hold out crumbled, and to survive, the women and children, led by the fleeing young men, fled Laidan without hesitation, even if it meant getting lost in the confusing swamp, which was better than being raped and killed by the Ossu savages.

Xialan, when the young men fled, had already informed Rona and her daughter of what Aubur had told him. As the crowd began to panic, Xialan instructed Rona and her daughter to evacuate with the group, while he went to the hiding place Aubur had mentioned to retrieve the horses. Only with the horses did they have a chance to survive!

Watching Rona and her daughter, tear-streaked, say their goodbyes, Xialan took a deep breath and looked at the burning Laidan in the distance. He needed to take a risk to gain a chance of survival. His heart began to race, and he gripped his sword, moving forward without hesitation!

The Ossu savage cavalry, holding torches, began to set fire to every part of Laidan, forcing the hidden Laidan soldiers to reveal themselves. When Aubur emerged from a burning house, a few Ossu savages saw him and immediately shouted, raising their axes and hammers to attack.

Aubur did not rashly engage in combat. In such a situation, even if he killed them, it would cause a great commotion and attract more Ossu savages. Using his familiarity with the terrain, Aubur quickly fled to another alley.

When the Ossu savages chasing Aubur finally cornered him in a narrow street, Aubur did not continue to look for an escape route. He stretched his muscles, gripped his sword tightly, and crouched slightly, facing the four approaching Ossu savages with a cautious demeanor.

As one of the Ossu savages raised his large axe to strike Aubur, Aubur, who had been closely watching his movements, twisted his body to dodge the blow. With a roar, he swiftly slashed at the Ossu savage's neck, decapitating him in a bloody manner.

The decapitated Ossu savage's body fell to its knees, and the blood gushing from his neck quickly dyed the narrow street red. The remaining Ossu savages, enraged by the death of their comrade, attacked Aubur with their weapons.

The narrow street seemed to leave no room for evasion. Despite the danger, Aubur remained calm, observing the enemy's movements. As they attacked, he predicted their trajectory and rolled to the side, immediately severing the leg of one of the attacking Ossu savages with his sword!

The attack from the front and back left another Ossu savage an opportunity to strike Aubur with his mace. Aubur, struggling to block the attack, was pushed to the ground by the force, his shoulders sinking under the impact. The Ossu savage, seeing the opportunity to crush Aubur's head into a bloody mess, raised his mace again. Suddenly, a sharp pain in his groin made him scream and fall to the ground, clutching his injured area, while his mace fell to the ground.

Aubur, quickly rolling to his feet, wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned. He had kicked the Ossu savage in the groin before the attack landed, likely turning his testicles into a bloody mess.

Seeing his comrade fall, the last Ossu savage roared in anger and swung his axe at Aubur. Despite his injuries, Aubur's movements were unaffected. He slid backward to avoid the waist-level attack and then quickly moved forward, slicing off the hands of the Ossu savage holding the axe. The sharp tip of his sword then pierced the Ossu savage's heart.

Pulling his blood-soaked sword from the body, Aubur looked at the two Ossu savages on the ground, still alive. A cruel smile appeared on his face as he picked up the mace of the Ossu savage he had kicked, and raised it high over the two helpless savages...

Exiting the narrow street, Aubur was covered in blood, even with unknown red substances in his hair and beard. Exhausted, he walked along, suddenly hearing the sound of galloping hooves. Turning to look, he saw an Ossu savage cavalryman with a heavy hammer instantly hammer Aubur several meters away!

His entire body felt as if it were being torn apart. Struggling to get up, Aubur vomited blood and internal organs, hearing the hooves approaching. He knew he was finished.

Desperately digging his fingers into the ground, Aubur felt his strength draining away. Such despair could not change anything. He thought of his Lisa and Rona, wishing he could see them one last time...

Rona, in her flight, suddenly felt a sense of foreboding and looked back at the burning and smoky Laidan military town. Her large, moist eyes filled with tears, which silently rolled down her cheeks. She did not know why she felt so sad and sorrowful, as if a voice was telling her that someone very important in her life had left her forever.

Xialan, having arrived at the Jena warehouse without incident, felt relieved when he saw the warhorse hidden by Uncle Aubur in the corner. With the horse, he had a better chance of escaping with Rona and her mother. He approached the horse, speaking soothing words, and successfully tamed the well-tempered horse. Relaxing slightly, he led the horse out of the warehouse, looking at the distant, smoke-filled battlefield, wondering how Uncle Aubur was faring. With his skills, he should be able to break through the encirclement, right?

Xialan had subconsciously avoided thinking about death.

The Ossu savage attack on Laidan was almost over. Huroshan ordered a detachment to sweep through and collect the military supplies and weapons stored in Laidan for years. Upon hearing from his scouts that the women and children had fled Laidan, he frowned.

The northern Ossu had been in a difficult situation since the natural disaster two years ago. This time, the Ossu army's mobilization was a last-ditch effort for a grand plan. If it failed, the Ossu would be in a passive and weak position for the next decade. At that time, their enemies would not just be the Adria Kingdom; the oppressed Niquins and Saboles would also rise up. Therefore, the Ossu placed great importance on population replenishment.

Now, the most important women and children had fled. Laidan, a military town, was not prosperous, and its only value was its strategic location, military supplies, and population. They had captured Laidan and the military supplies, but the most important population was gone.

Huroshan immediately ordered a cavalry detachment to intercept them. Just as he thought everything was under control, a guard in his tent reported an interesting message from one of his generals.

"The commander of the Nefal Corps in Laidan has been surrounded, but all the soldiers who tried to capture him have been killed. Should we issue a direct order to kill him?"

The page turns, and the AD begins.

The page turns, and the AD ends.