The next day, at dawn.
Sir Pell Piry and his Reconnaissance Corps had already quietly set out. Nearly all of the nearby wildling tribes had emptied their camps, leaving mostly the elderly and weak behind—that was precisely their target.
The members of the Reconnaissance Corps were the best hunters in the Claybo territory, and taking out these tribes, now largely defenseless, was naturally an easy task. However, the dozen or so tribes were scattered across the area, each with their own territory and varying in size.
Three of the tribes were the largest, each with several hundred members.
Greene's orders for the Recon Corps were to take at least two of the three largest tribes today.
Therefore, speed was the key to today's operation.
Veteran knight Pell understood this well. The terrain was too rough to ride horses, and in order to avoid slowing down the march, he didn't wear his usual bright silver plate armor, instead layering a simplified leather armor—an "invention" of Lord Greene—over his chainmail.
Sir Pell found Lord Greene's logic very compelling: as long as you always face the enemy, why worry about protecting your back?
Reflecting on past battles, Pell realized he had always fought this way.
Though Greene never said it outright, Pell felt that the lord was indirectly praising his bravery. My lord understands me!
Sir Pell had ambition. This was Lord Greene's first campaign since inheriting the Claybo family. It had to be not only victorious, but glorious—to solidify Pell's position as Whispering Town's most loyal and courageous knight.
As long as the timing and orders were precise, these three weakened tribes could all be dealt with today.
Once the large tribes were defeated, the smaller ones would be scared out of their wits—easy to take down, if they even dared to resist at all.
At dawn.
Wearing a black leather armor embroidered with the Marsh Marigold sigil, Greene stood silently at a high vantage point, observing the assembling soldiers.
The square was noisy and chaotic, filled with overlapping voices.
Greene quickly noticed that the newly formed Bramble Legion was actually the fastest to assemble... Once the troops were in formation, Emparo began inspecting their gear.
Greene knew that nothing could be achieved overnight. He simply passed along some basic reminders and pre-battle precautions he felt were important right now to Emparo.
Emparo carried out every order with meticulous precision. Greene had to admit—that was a kind of talent… or rather, the very quality he most wanted in his commanders at this moment.
Greene liked Emparo's personality very much. He planned to rely on her more in the future.
With her silver hair and sky-high ponytail, Reyna stood out in the crowd.
After helping Emparo finish inspecting the Bramble Legion's equipment, Reyna glanced at Greene in the distance, said a few more words to Emparo, and then jogged over to Greene's position.
Greene spotted her coming his way, skipping a bit as she ran with cheerful energy. He couldn't help but smile.
He waved for the guards to step aside. Reyna stopped a few paces away and bowed deeply:
"Pardon my interruption. I greet you, my lord."
She had just learned this etiquette from Emparo.
It was her first time greeting the lord face to face, and Reyna seemed very excited. Her voice was clear and pleasant.
With a faint smile, Greene said, "You're Reyna, deputy to Commander Emparo of the Bramble Legion."
"Oh wow, I haven't even introduced myself and you already know my name? My lord, you really do know everything just like the rumors say! … Also, the leather gloves you gave us are amazing—I've tested them out, and after rapid shots, my fingers feel much better. All the girls are confident about hitting the mark now. We promise to succeed!"
There was a lot of soft leather in the warehouse. Greene understood that the longbowmen's fingers would get very sore from shooting arrows repeatedly. After finishing the "new leather armor," he immediately arranged soft leather gloves for the archers.
Reyna couldn't stop talking and even bounced around in excitement as she spoke.
It was still early, and Greene was very patient with the soldiers who would soon march with him. His smile was gentle, and he didn't interrupt her, waiting for Reyna to finish.
"Hmm, time is tight, and for some people, the gloves might be a bit too big or small. But in the future, you'll all have gloves that fit properly."
"It's fine, it's fine, look!" Reyna said as she extended her right hand, showing off the gloves that fit her hand perfectly. "I fixed them last night. It was simple. The sisters whose gloves didn't fit followed me and got them adjusted!"
"Good job. Go back now, and support Emparo. Remember, unity is strength."
"Yes, my lord! Unity is strength!"
The location for the battle with the mountain wildlings was a relatively flat area about two miles east of Whispering Town.
At dawn, Greene led his troops to the designated battlefield with the wildlings.
Greene spotted a large gathering of wildlings several hundred meters away—an intimidating mass of people.
Sir Mason dismounted and shouted loudly: "Armor on!!"
Sir Mason's gruff voice echoed as he walked through the moving crowd, occasionally kicking out at stragglers.
"Shieldbearers, assemble! Assemble!!"
"Lazy bones, get into formation, hurry, hurry!"
"Don't panic! Go over there, get moving!"
"If you don't want your wife rolling in someone else's bed tonight, check your gear one more time!"
"Damn it, shoulder to shoulder! Shoulders together!!"
Greene was riding on horseback, and next to him was the Bramble Legion, now fully assembled.
Greene couldn't help but reflect on the contrast between this kind of battlefield arrangement on Crabclaw Peninsula and the tactics he remembered from his past life in the world of Ice and Fire. It seemed so different.
If his army had strict discipline and sufficient training, Greene would have already ordered his troops to form up and charge, taking advantage of the wildlings' disorganization.
As soon as Greene's formation was complete, strange growls came from the wildlings on the opposite side. Their voices grew increasingly coordinated and louder.
To Greene's surprise, despite the wildlings having no apparent formation, they were slowly marching forward toward his troops in an intimidating mass.
"Position arrows!"
"Yes! Position arrows!"
The wildlings were getting closer to the clearly visible position arrows.
"Loose arrows!!!"
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🔥 The Throne's Last Flame — A Song Forged in Ice and Wrath 🔥
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