"Quick!"

Hearing the dense sound of gunfire from afar, the Duke of Cambridge and Fatima quickly headed towards the source of the gunfire.

Just as the Anglo-Turkish cavalry regiments were rushing to the site to provide support, a troop of several hundred cavalry came towards them, led by none other than Sir Lagan.

At this time, he no longer had the commanding presence he did when pursuing the Cossack cavalry; instead, he resembled a dog being chased.

Behind the cavalry led by Sir Lagan was a group of about a hundred Cossack cavalry.

This group of Cossack cavalry, wielding sabres, pursued Sir Lagan's troops while issuing bizarre taunting noises at them.

The taunting made every light cavalryman behind the Duke of Cambridge feel indignant. The commander of the Fourth Light Cavalry Corps, following the Duke, couldn't help but request permission to engage. He truly didn't want to see the reputation of the Kingdom of Britain's light cavalry tarnished by a handful of aristocrats who didn't understand cavalry warfare.

"Go!" The Duke of Cambridge, his expression somewhat grim, tersely granted permission to the cavalry corps commander while keeping his gaze fixed on the disgraced Sir Lagan.

For a moment, the Duke of Cambridge hoped Sir Lagan would die like a knight on the battlefield, rather than being chased by an enemy with a fraction of his own numbers — it was truly humiliating.

"Yes!" The commander of the Fourth Cavalry Corps immediately led his men towards Sir Lagan's direction upon receiving the order.

Meanwhile, as Sir Lagan, chased by the Cossack cavalry, saw the Duke of Cambridge and Fatima, a joyful smile appeared on his face.

Sir Lagan knew he was saved... No matter what punishment awaited him upon his return to camp, he was now safely out of danger. All he needed to do now was...

In the Duke of Cambridge's view, Sir Lagan's speed slowly decreased.

"Halt!" Sir Lagan shouted with all his might.

The bewildered light cavalry instinctively obeyed Sir Lagan's command, and the several hundred-strong cavalry group came to a stop.

Then, Sir Lagan drew the longsword from his waist and ordered the cavalry to turn around. The cavalry immediately changed direction.

After the light cavalry changed direction, they saw that the Cossack cavalry that had been pursuing them was now being attacked by the Fourth Light Cavalry Corps.

The brave and fearless Fourth Light Cavalry Corps, led by Major John Douglas, engaged in combat with sabre-wielding Cossacks. Due to the vast equipment disparity and equal morale and combat willingness, the nearly hundred-strong Cossack cavalry were swiftly defeated by the Fourth Cavalry Corps.

Watching the panicked retreat of the Cossack cavalry, Sir Lagan and the surviving members of his cavalry felt deeply ashamed.

"Colonel Lagan!" A voice full of anger reached Sir Lagan's ears. There was no need to guess; it was the Duke of Cambridge.

Sir Lagan turned towards the voice, seeing the enraged Duke galloping towards him.

"Deputy Commander, sir!" Sir Lagan greeted the Duke with a bitter smile, using the Duke's military title.

"What on earth happened? How could you make such a basic error... And you call yourself an experienced commander... Couldn't you see this was a basic trap?" the Duke of Cambridge reprimanded Sir Lagan explosively.

Sir Lagan silently accepted the Duke's scolding. The Duke was right; such a basic mistake should not have been made by an officer of his standing. He was willing to accept all criticism from the Duke, even if the Duke decided to send him to a military court; he had no complaints.

From another perspective, the Duke's scolding also served to protect him.

If the Duke had said nothing, Sir Lagan would undoubtedly face harsher criticism upon returning to camp.

Now that the Duke had chastised him in front of everyone, he had a reason to speak favorably on Sir Lagan's behalf to Commander Lagren.

After severely reprimanding Sir Lagan, the Duke of Cambridge, noticing the returning Major John Douglas of the Fourth Light Cavalry Corps, gestured for him to come forward, pointing at John Douglas and Fatima, saying to Sir Lagan, "If not for them, you and your men would be dead! You should thank them quickly!"

Sir Lagan hurriedly expressed his gratitude to John Douglas and Fatima, also apologizing for his earlier verbal confrontation with Fatima.

Fatima forgave Sir Lagan in consideration of the Duke of Cambridge.

Subsequently, the Duke of Cambridge inquired whether Sir Lagan's light cavalry had encountered infantry units of the Russian Empire.

Sir Lagan nodded and said to the Duke of Cambridge, "Your Excellency Deputy Commander, the Russian Empire has hidden about a division of forces in the dense forest! My troops and I were careless and fell into their trap."

"Careless? I think you were rather complacent!" The Earl of Cambridge criticized Sir Lagan bluntly.

"Yes! I was indeed somewhat complacent! I am willing to accept any punishment from the Allied Forces!" Sir Lagan continued to self-criticize.

"Enough of that for now! You lead the way!" The Earl of Cambridge said to Sir Lagan, "At least we should properly bury those soldiers who fought for freedom!"

"Your Excellency Deputy Commander, do we have to go back?" Sir Lagan said to the Duke of Cambridge with a slightly trembling voice.

"What's wrong? Are you scared? Weren't you the one with the big guts!" The Duke of Cambridge answered mockingly to Sir Lagan.

"What if they're still there, I fear..." Sir Lagan voiced his concern.

"They won't be there anymore!" The Duke of Cambridge replied to Sir Lagan confidently, "The reason they ambushed us there was to catch us off guard! Now that their goal has been achieved, staying there would only put themselves in danger."

The Duke of Cambridge's words somewhat reassured Sir Lagan.

Under Sir Lagan's lead, the Duke of Cambridge and others arrived at the location where Sir Lagan had been ambushed.

Just as the Duke of Cambridge had predicted, after a successful strike, Menshikov's Seventeenth Division moved without any hesitation.

The ground was full of the corpses of the British Light Cavalry Corps. Upon careful counting, it was found that there were 267 corpses in the dense forest, approximately half the number that followed Sir Lagan in the breakthrough attempt, and considering a corps is initially 1000 strong, it meant 199 remained missing.

In just this one encounter, Menshikov had eliminated nearly two British companies (a British company is 250 men) of cavalry forces.

"Bury them!" Looking at the corpses of the British soldiers under the sunset, the Duke of Cambridge sighed slightly and addressed Major John Douglas next to him.

Major John Douglas immediately organized personnel to bury the dead British cavalry on the spot. Sir Lagan and Fatima also ordered their men to assist with the burial.

It took nearly an hour for everyone to bury all the bodies. During this process, a few British cavalrymen coughed occasionally, but the Duke of Cambridge and the others present paid no heed.

"Let's head back!" After all the bodies had been buried, the Duke of Cambridge commanded all present to return.

Upon returning to the British camp, the Duke of Cambridge immediately, along with Sir Lagan, went to Commander Largren and reported the mistake committed by Sir Lagan.

"You! You! What were you thinking when you made that promise to me?" Commander Largren exclaimed, disappointedly pointing at the downcast Sir Lagan.

Sir Lagan silently accepted all of Commander Largren's criticisms without utterance.

Looking at Sir Lagan, who humbly accepted the criticism, Commander Largren sighed and asked, "Tell me! How do you want me to deal with you?"

"Your Excellency Commander, you know I have made a grave mistake! You can punish me in any way you see fit!" Sir Lagan earnestly pleaded with Commander Largren, "I only ask not to let my ancestors be shamed by my actions!"

"So you still know shame!" Commander Largren mockingly commented, "If your ancestors could see you now, they would probably..."

Commander Largren stopped short, then sighed again. After pacing back and forth twice, he said, "Forget it! For now, I relieve you of your position as commander of the Thirteenth Light Cavalry Corps, and you will stay by the Duke of Cambridge and learn well!"

"Yes!" The lenient measure from Commander Largren allowed Sir Lagan to remain in the camp, and he hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

"Behave yourself in the future! Use your brain more when you encounter problems!" Commander Largren warned Sir Lagan once more, indicating he still had the intention to reinstate Sir Lagan in the future.

"Yes!" Sir Lagan replied resolutely to Commander Largren.

Early the next morning, the Anglo-French Alliance Army, using the pontoon bridges constructed overnight by the engineers, continued their advance, swiftly crossing the Bourganak River toward the Alma River. Commander Largren, who had been tacitly acknowledged as the successor to Marshal Saint Arno after his illness, was determined to reach the northern shore of the Alma River before nightfall and then take a week to eliminate the Russian Imperial Army on the southern shore, wiping out the disgrace previously suffered by the British Army.

Therefore, in this Battle of Alma, the Kingdom of Britain aimed to take the primary offensive role.

With this in mind, Commander Largren couldn't help but glance to the right, where the troops of the French Empire were progressing in orderly pairs.

At this moment, Pellissier, the newly appointed acting Commander-in-Chief of the French forces, was closely eyeing the distant Alma River.

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