Gibson rode on horseback, the cold wind hitting his face like a knife.Behind him, the Knights advanced in formation, their hooves heavy."Faster! A little faster!" he urged in a deep voice.They had been traveling for five days, using their combat aura to rush, with almost no rest.He understood the importance of this operation and knew that the situation at Qingyu Ridge was not optimistic.Two Barons and over a hundred men fighting against eight hundred Snowsworn cavalry was already a miracle if they could hold out for a few days."Hurry!" Gibson roared, "If we're late, we won't even be able to retrieve their bodies!"His warhorse panted heavily, foam at its mouth, and even bloodstains splattered from its hooves.He did not stop, only continued to charge forward.But when they finally arrived at Qingyu Ridge, the sight before him made him pause slightly.The camp was orderly, bonfires burned, and soldiers patrolled; everything was calm as usual.There were no enemies.No bodies.Not even a trace of battle could be seen."What's going on? Was the intelligence wrong?" Gibson frowned, dismounting from his horse.He had traveled for five days, rushing through the night, only to see this scene, and a surge of anger immediately rose in his heart.The guard, seeing him wearing Duke Edmund's family crest, immediately stepped forward and saluted: "Are you the reinforcements sent by Duke Edmund? Lord Calvin instructed me to bring you over."Gibson nodded, suppressing his anger, and followed the guard into the main tent.Louis stood before a battle map, his expression focused.Hearing the movement, he turned and offered a faint smile: "You must have had a hard journey, Sir.""Where are the enemy troops?" Gibson couldn't help but ask, his voice cold and hard, "You weren't attacked? Or was the intelligence false?!"He stared intently at Louis, his tone full of anger.Five days of continuous travel, day and night; if it was all a hoax, he truly couldn't swallow it."We encountered them," Louis nodded, "but they have been dealt with.""Dealt with?" Gibson was stunned, "Are you saying that those Snowsworn wolf riders were completely annihilated by you?"Louis did not explain, only waved his hand: "Come with me."The two climbed a slope and arrived at the side valley of Qingyu Ridge.As soon as they approached, a pungent odor assailed them.Gibson frowned, instinctively covering his mouth and nose.The mist had not dispersed, and a pale yellow poisonous smoke permeated the valley.The stench of decay, charring, and blood mixed together, slowly drifting in the cold wind, like an invisible venomous snake coiling and flicking its tongue.He looked down; the entire valley seemed to have been scorched.Piles of charred body remnants formed small hills, some so corroded that only vague human shapes remained, bones exposed, like offerings thrown up from hell.Gibson stood rooted to the spot, his pupils constricted slightly, his throat moved, but he couldn't speak.He had imagined the most gruesome battlefields, but this scene far exceeded his imagination."How...how was this done?" He finally spoke, his voice hoarse."A minor trick, not worth mentioning," Louis said casually, feigning modesty.Gibson turned his head to look at him, observing this young noble carefully for the first time.Louis's expression was calm, without a trace of pride or pity.Yet beneath his feet lay the bodies of eight hundred elite Snowsworn troops....The night wind was biting, and a Gale Bird broke through the air."The battle report has arrived; it's from Qingyu Ridge," the attendant quickly handed over the envelope.Duke Edmund stood before the map in his military robe, and ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) upon hearing the words "Qingyu Ridge," his brow immediately furrowed."Qingyu Ridge?" He reached out and took the envelope, muttering, "Gibson's reinforcements just left; why is there a letter so soon?"His heart sank slightly, a vague premonition of ill omen.Had that pass already fallen?He sat down heavily, tore open the envelope, and quickly scanned its contents.The next instant, his expression changed dramatically.From confusion to surprise, then to shock and ecstasy, it only took a few seconds."Eight hundred enemy troops, ambushed and annihilated? Magic Bombs, Hidden Mist Mirror...battle resolved in minutes?"He repeatedly muttered in a low voice, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.The letter contained no superfluous words, only a concise report:The enemy misjudged the disguised stronghold, fell into an ambush, and was routed by multiple Magic Bombs and a mountain collapse, then immediately encircled and annihilated by the Red Tide Knights; not a single enemy survived.Qingyu Ridge was safe and sound.And the one who spearheaded this battle was a young Baron lacking practical combat experience."What an extraordinary young man."He suddenly burst into laughter, slamming the battle report shut and ordering: "Send word! Dispatch another thousand Knights and six thousand soldiers to Qingyu Ridge within eight days! Order Gibson to seal off that mountain valley tightly!""Yes!""Also, don't stop the nine thousand men previously assembled; immediately redirect them to gather towards Snow Eagle City!""Understood!"In fact, before receiving this battle report, Duke Edmund had already decided to adjust his strategy.Completely eradicating the Snowsworn within this year was impossible.Those rats were cunning, dispersed, and troublesome; several large-scale encirclements had failed to clear them out.The army had shown signs of fatigue from continuous combat, and with the autumn harvest approaching, the Northern Territory needed to prepare for winter grain storage.He had already ordered a change in combat strategy:Abandoning a full-scale advance, concentrate forces to clear out the remaining Snowsworn within the Empire's controlled areas.Then gradually compress and drive the enemy, forcing them into Ice Sea County and Snowfall County.That would be the main battlefield for next year's decisive battle.And the victory at Qingyu Ridge undoubtedly provided a good start for this plan."Well done, young man of the Calvin Family," he praised in a low voice, a smile playing on his lips....Snow Eagle City had now completely devolved into a bloody playground for the Snowsworn.The streets were full of tattered flags and collapsed mansions; the former banquet halls now served only as entertainment venues for the Snowsworn.Barnes lay on a long chair covered with bearskins, drinking the last of his strong liquor, a bound noblewoman at his feet, her eyes vacant and her body covered in bloodstains.He was not worried about the besieging imperial army.As soon as Qingyu Ridge fell, reinforcements would stream in from the rear.And now he only needed to enjoy the afterglow of victory.However, a disheveled wolf rider with vacant eyes stumbled into the hall."Report...report!!""Who allowed you in looking like that?!" Barnes waved his hand impatiently.But when he heard the news the rider brought, Barnes's face instantly changed."Qingyu Ridge wasn't taken...eight hundred brothers, completely wiped out!""What did you say?" He suddenly stood up, the wine glass in his hand falling to the floor."They...they used a strange thing...the ground split open, fire! Poison gas! Everything was gone!!""Are you crazy!?"The rider cried and laughed at the same time, kneeling on the ground: "I saw it with my own eyes...they burned one by one, twisted...I...I don't want to die...""Shut up!!"Barnes overturned the table in front of him, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, his fingers trembling slightly.Eight hundred wolf riders, completely annihilated.How was that possible? They were his self-proclaimed most elite assault force!Even worse, the best time for an attack had already passed, and the Empire's reinforcements were continuously arriving.And Qingyu Ridge was notoriously easy to defend and difficult to attack.He could only hope that Ice Sea County could launch a large-scale attack quickly.Otherwise, his side would surely be annihilated.

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