Chapter 85: Seething Anger
“Their military formation looks interesting.”
Using the intelligence gathered by the scouts, Hunyadi quickly indicated their alliance army formation and the Eastern Romain Empire army formation on the map.
Hunyadi’s alliance army had the numerical advantage.
However, the Eastern Romain Empire army had claimed geographical superiority by establishing their barracks on a gently inclining hill with marshes by the sides. Their command center was located on the hill’s midway point.
This meant that the deployments of Hunyadi’s alliance army would be fully exposed to the Eastern Romain Empire, and the charging prowess of their cavalrymen would be diminished. The effectiveness of their numerical superiority would also be reduced, as the soldiers who could be fighting at any given moment would be limited.
On the bright side, the Eastern Romain Empire army didn’t appear to have many cavalrymen.
So, Hunyadi gathered his commanders to formulate a strategy to bring down the Eastern Romain Empire army, but before they could get to any meaningful discussion, they suddenly heard roars and curses outside.
It sounded worse than pouring water into a pot of boiling oil.
“What’s going on outside?!” Hunyadi roared as he rubbed his temples.
There had been nonstop conflicts in the alliance army since its foundation, but it was rare for their arguments to get so rife.
“Regent!”
A commander rushed into the tent with an awful complexion. His face was reddened, and he was breathing heavily like an ox. There was no doubt that he was seething with anger, and it looked like he would explode if given a chance to.
“The Eastern Romains have requested a talk.”
“Are they arguing over that?” Hunyadi was rendered speechless.
The provocations from the Eastern Romains were maddening, and it made him feel like he had been underestimated. However, as the highest commander, he had to maintain his composure at all times. He couldn’t lose his rationality over the Eastern Romains’ provocations.
Hunyadi straightened his sleeves. “I’ll meet them. Who is their commander? Constantin?”
As soon as that question was asked, the commander tossed his sword on the ground and stomped on it. “It’s Sophia! Their commander’s name is Sophia!”
“Sophia?” Hunyadi fell into deep thought.
I don’t think there are any famous female commanders in this region named Sophia. Did the Eastern Romains hire a strong female mercenary as their commander? Or could it be a noble…
Wait a moment!
“Which Sophia is it?” Hunyadi asked with a quivering voice.
“Who else?!” The commander’s saliva flew all over the tent. “Goddamnit, it’s Constantin’s niece! She’s a fucking six-year-old child!”
A second of silence, followed by a deafening outburst of roars and curses.
It was like a bunch of wild boars in heat squealing in excitement. Their outburst nearly tore the tent down. Hunyadi felt his temples pulsating in anger.
I am the Hungarian regent, the nemesis of the Ottomains, the leader of this Crusade comprising multiple nations, the feared White Knight…
And you’re telling me that my opponent is a fucking six-year-old girl?!
He would become a laughingstock regardless of whether he won or lost the war.
In the past, even the coldest of noblewomen would reveal a gentle smile listening to his exploits; even the noblest of kings would be full of compliments for him; even the most valiant of warriors would display utmost respect to him…
But his legacy was going to unravel today!
From now on, whenever his name is brought up in banquets…
Oh? You must be the famous White Knight, right? I heard you led an army of 20,000 in your previous conquest to bully a six-year-old girl?
And if he failed to bring the enemy down…
I didn’t think that the famous Hungarian White Knight would get his ass kicked by a six-year-old girl…
Damn it! The reputation I have painstakingly built over decades is going down to the gutters!
“Regent!” the commander said with reddened eyes, “We’ll go capture that little bitch right now!”
“Enough!” Hunyadi’s chest was puffing up and down, and his teeth were gritted so hard they were on the verge of shattering. “Haven’t you been humiliated enough?! I’ll go meet the… the…”
He struggled to finish his words.
The meeting was held at the midpoint of their camps.
Hunyadi wore heavy armor with golden flower patterns, and his flowing war robe made him look incredibly majestic. Sophia sat atop a specially-made saddle on a shire horse, and with a simple tug, the well-trained horse slowly galloped forward.
“…Get your leader out to speak.” Hunyadi clenched his fists. He refused to believe that Sophia was the one commanding this army.
Sophia looked down at Hunyadi from the tall shire horse. “I am the commander of the Eastern Romain Empire army. Pleased to meet you, Varna’s coward.”
“YOU!!!” Hunyadi nearly fell from his horse.
He was a veteran who had dominated the battlefield for decades; the world knew him as a hero. Yet, a lass dared to say that he was a coward?!
“Am I wrong?” Sophia chuckled. “The Battle of Varna was a sacred fight to vanquish the Ottomain heretics and defend our brethren bathing in our Lord’s glory… Yet, you let your king and tens of thousands of soldiers die in vain as you shamelessly escape alone?
“Our Lord would be sorely disappointed to learn that there’s such a coward among his believers. And you have the galls to call yourself the White Knight? I can’t believe someone as cowardly as you dreams of rising to heaven after death to enjoy our Lord’s bestowments and blessings!”
Sophia looked at Hunyadi in disdain. “I was curious to know how you look… but now I see a coward like you isn’t worth my time. Scram, you coward. Return to your camp and wait for my declaration of war. I’ll put you in your place!”
With that, Sophia pulled the shire horse’s reins and returned to their barracks.
Hunyadi stood stunned for seconds before roaring in fury.
“ARGHHHHH!!!”
In the Battle of Varna, he, with the kings of Hungary and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, had fought off 60,000 Ottomains with just 20,000 soldiers from the Crusade. The Crusade nearly won under his command, and they would have if not for his king blindly charging in to deliver his head to the enemy…
Everyone recognized his valiance in that battle.
Yet, this lass claimed that he was a coward, a deserter?!
When he angrily stomped back to his camp, the alliance army was infuriated to learn about what had happened.
“Kill her!”
“No prisoners! Massacre all of them!”
“None of the Eastern Romains are getting away!”
The alliance army waited with suppressed anger for Sophia to deliver her declaration of war, so that they could pounce on the Eastern Romains and smash their heads in.
On the first day, the declaration of war failed to arrive.
The alliance army’s patience wore thin.
On the second day, the declaration of war still wasn’t delivered.
The alliance army started cussing out the Eastern Romain Empire army.
On the third day, the declaration of war was still nowhere to be seen.
The alliance army nearly blew up.
“Does that little twat bloody not know how to write?!”
The eyes of the alliance army’s soldiers had turned red as if they were ill.
Their honor had been sullied by that Eastern Romain lass, and they were determined to cleanse it with her fresh blood!
It was only on the fifth day that the declaration of war finally arrived.
“Kill them!”
“Slaughter them all!”
Many soldiers of the alliance army, who hadn’t been able to rest well over the past few days, brandished their swords with reddened eyes. Upon the agreed showdown time, they charged out of their tents, got onto their steeds, and charged toward the frontlines.
Similarly, the soldiers of the Eastern Romain Empire army, dressed in red robes, got into their formations on the frontlines too.
Hunyadi, despite trembling with anger, planned to make some last-minute strategic deployments. He had many cavalrymen with him, and he knew that they could unleash devastating damage if he could mobilize them effectively.
He might even be able to bring down that arrogant lass in a single strike.
However…
“CHARGE!”
Many of the alliance army’s cavalrymen didn’t bother to wait for Hunyadi’s deployment and instead charged on their own accord.
“Kill them!”
“Eradicate the Eastern Romains!”
“Heh!!” Sophia watched from the hill with a smirk as hundreds of the alliance army’s cavalrymen charged at them. “They’re on the hook.”
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