The First Vampire

The setting sun was as red as blood.

It coldly and mercilessly illuminated the horrific and bloody scene on the Ice Plain.

When the military formation of the over two hundred thousand-strong Troll Army was completely broken through by the Dark Cavalry, it marked the end of this battle.

The fate of the defeated Troll Army was already sealed – faced with the cavalry that came and went like the wind, even if they managed to escape temporarily, they would eventually be caught up with again.

Many panic-stricken trolls surrendered on their knees under the sword blades of the cavalry.

This time, the Dark Cavalry unexpectedly spared these surrendered troops, leaving them alive as long as they put down their weapons.

This, naturally, hastened the collapse of the Troll Army, as more and more trolls began to surrender to the Dark Cavalry, following the example set by their fallen comrades.

Squadrons of the cavalry began to spread out, chasing down those escaping and gathering up those who surrendered.

Those of the heavy cavalry, who had dealt a deadly blow to the Troll Army, paused on the edge of the battlefield.

Of the three thousand Heavy Cavalry, just over a thousand remained.

More than half had been horrifically wounded!

In order to break through the Troll Army’s formation, they had paid a terrible price!

The remaining thousand-plus riders, all covered in blood, appeared to be a group of red, iron statues when seen from a distance.

Colin removed his helmet and let out a long breath.

An indescribable pleasure coursed through his body like electricity, keeping his spirits high even though he was physically exhausted!

This battle, although it appeared extremely dangerous, felt surprisingly straightforward when it was over.

Of course, he understood that this was an illusion.

One look at the casualty rate of the heavy cavalry was enough to see that this battle was by no means easy.

However, the feeling of being invincible on the battlefield was as addictive as opium and hard to abandon.

The only thing that had slightly hindered him was when he had come across the Prince Gambick of the Troll Army, who had unwisely launched a counterattack.

Colin didn’t know what rank this warrior prince Gambick was, but anyone who dared to charge headlong into the peak of the Heavy Cavalry’s momentum… well, their end…

Didn’t even leave a complete corpse.

“We won!” Colin excitedly shouted to the Marquis Garcia standing beside him, a man similarly bathed head-to-toe in blood.

But Marquis Garcia did not share Colin’s excitement. It seemed that this kind of major victory was as normal to him as eating or drinking:

“Do you know why we won?”

“Of course, it’s all thanks to your peerless strategy and wise decisions!” Colin quickly flattered in response.

Naturally, his flattery was heartfelt.

Marquis Garcia absolutely deserved such praise.

But the marquis shook his head, speaking seriously, “No, it’s because of them.”

His eyes slowly swept over the battlefield, his face filled with pride as he watched the members of the Dark Cavalry who were still galloping across the battlefield and pursuing the remaining Troll soldiers.

Colin also put away his smile, seeming to understand Marquis Garcia’s meaning.

Marquis Garcia turned his gaze back to Colin, “Strategies aren’t unimportant, but if a general relies too much on them, always trying to succeed through devious tricks and cunning, he’ll suffer a fall one day.”

Seeing the still somewhat perplexed and unconvinced look on Colin’s face, Marquis Garcia smiled, “To a lion, a fox’s cunning only seems ridiculous.

I’m not trying to deny the importance of strategic tactics, I’m just trying to tell you that the secret to winning on the battlefield is a strong army!

That’s why I said that I depended on them – the Dark Cavalry in this battle.

Looking over the first half of my life, my invincibility over the past twenty years has relied on the same thing — the Dark Cavalry!”

Colin fell silent in thought.

He had finally understood what Marquis Garcia was really trying to say.

The other man was warning him not to rely too heavily on strategic tactics.

The execution of such tactics required strength as a foundation.

Henow realized he had indeed previously relied too heavily on cunning tactics, or even conspiracies.

All the events that happened while on the run, Knight Blis must have already informed Marquis Garcia.

Even if Knight Blis isn’t entirely certain about what he has seen, Colin doesn’t believe that Marquis Garcia wouldn’t see through his little conspiracies.

It must be said, after the battle in River Bay, Colin began to be quite pleased with himself.

He thought he had mastered the secrets to winning on the battlefield.

Furthermore, coming from the age of an information explosion, he always believed himself to be well-read and experienced.

He had some understanding of The Art of War, the Thirty-Six Strategies and with these, plus his own cunning, success on the battlefield would not be difficult.

But fortunately Marquis Garcia woke Colin up just in time.

Conspiracies and tricks are never the righteous path.

The mainstream victory on the battlefield always involves defeating the weak with strength.

Even though this time the trolls were the more powerful side, under Marquis

Garcia’s careful plan, they continued to create a stronger state of affairs for the Dark Cavalry on the battlefield, constantly overpowering the weak and eventually defeated a seemingly powerful enemy.

Also, considering the tactics Marquis Garcia used previously.

They were not complicated at all.

First by pretending to be at odds with the Duke, tricking and catching off guard the trolls, then suddenly leading the army north, finding the main force of the troll wolf cavalry, launching a successful surprise attack, and afterwards, constantly harassing the exhausted troll army that lost the protection of cavalry, finally using the heavy cavalry to find the flaws and deliver the killing blow.

The entire scheme wasn’t complicated at all, and could hardly be considered brilliant.

It’s likely not even worth recording in military books.

However, Colin who personally experienced all this was very clear.

These simple steps, pointed directly at the vital part of the troll army and constantly pressured them, not giving the enemy a moment to breathe.

From the start to the end, no matter how the trolls struggled, they couldn’t escape the fate of defeat.

Of course, what’s more important is the elite Northern First Cavalry – the Dark Cavalry in the hands of Marquis Garcia!

This way, Marquis Garcia is not only extremely talented in his command skills, but likely even more so in his military training skills.

It’s precisely because he personally drilled this Dark Cavalry, that he created the most fundamental basis for this series of victories.

At this thought, the idea that had been circling in Colin’s mind could no longer be suppressed —

Marquis Garcia’s Black Cavalry ensured his invincibility, Where then, is my Black Cavalry?

The wind and snow continue to howl, as if countless wronged spirits of the heaven and earth were crying.

On the ice plains, large numbers of troll surrendering soldiers were gathered together.

They were surrounded by the watchful eyes of the patrolling Dark Cavalry.

A few surrendering trolls could no longer bear it and couldn’t help shouting at the patrolling Dark Cavalry soldiers:

“Hey! Brothers! We are starving, could you give us some food!”

His shout immediately incited the agreement of his companions, causing confusion all around:

“Yes, I’m freezing, give us something hot!”

“And my leg! The blood’s nearly dried up, could you treat my wound!”

However, the patrolling Dark Cavalry soldiers ignored these troll surrenders’ requests.

They only warned and chastised whenever a surrendering soldier tried to leave, and even shot arrows or brandished swords.

Left with no choice, the trolls could only wait patiently.

This wait seemed to last forever.

Many surrendered trolls couldn’t stand it and lost their breath. However, those who were still breathing didn’t get the results they hoped for. The military order from Marquis Garcia finally came down — “Kill all the surrendered trolls!”