Entering June, even the always cold Shattered Stone Plain began to burn with passion.

The Dusk Bell Valley, shrouded in clouds for seven or eight days, finally cleared up after a light rain last night.

The scorching sun pierced through the soft blue sky, pouring its vast heat on the emerald grassland, causing a swathe of twisting mist to rise.

In the rising mist, on the slightly damp ground, hooves splashed up fresh mud.

The Kush Cavalry and Border Light Cavalry chased each other, sabers and straight swords danced like butterflies.

Each clash of swords and blades was accompanied by a resounding clang.

This was a cavalry engagement between the strongest in Kush Grassland's history and the strongest in its modern era.

Both wore the unique half-sleeved cloaks of the Kush Grassland, and their silver blades traced arc after arc through the air.

If this were held in a knight's arena, it would surely receive countless cheers and applause.

Unfortunately, this was on the battlefield.

"Pfft—"

After another clash, a muffled sound of penetration was heard, but it wasn't a sword or blade—it was lead.

A border knight clutched his bleeding shoulder and fell sideways, his face still in disbelief.

"Ambush! No sense of martial virtue!" Leaving these as his last words, the hoof of a Kush Cavalry accurately stomped on the neck of the border knight.

The Kush Cavalry, who killed the enemy, glanced complicatedly at the Dragon Cavalry who mounted beside him, unsure of what to say.

He looked up toward one side of the battlefield and whistled.

"Toot toot toot—"

The sharp whistle turned into flag signals, then into a resounding military horn, finally reaching Horn, who was already standing on the high tower of Ladan Castle.

After three days of rest, the Border Knight Order launched another attack.

They repaired the shield cars once more, even bringing in twenty to thirty more from the rear using barges.

Rows of shield cars connected side by side, stretching from the fields in front all the way to the riverbank, forming a slowly moving long wall.

Unlike the previous probing single-point attack, this time they learned and spread out the shield cars.

As for the Dusk Bell Mountain, shouts and cries for battle were already sounding, with thick smoke and flames, and many arrows soared into the sky.

On both the mountain and valley of Dusk Bell, the border knights launched their attack simultaneously.

After the female knight incident ended, significant changes appeared in the Border Knight Order's deployment.

First, they built scattered camps along the river instead of gathering a large army as before, planning for long-term warfare.

Next, Priest-in-Charge Wacław returned to the saltpan gathering, and even further north to Silver Bay City, continuing negotiations for grain and fodder with the Broken Stone Primordial People.

Following that, a large number of centaurs, carrying live fire, began hunting down the shepherds of the Shattered Stone Plain to replenish manpower for the attack.

Lastly, many border soldiers began to enter Dusk Bell Mountain for a sweep, aiming to pave a new route bypassing to the rear of Ladan Castle.

Further north, in the former buffer zone, they built a pontoon bridge, and had the laborers from Thorn Garden bring more digging tools.

Recently, the Empire market saw a surge in orders for shovels and cross-picks.

"This is a full-scale attack, and the Saint Leader's move is really ruthless," said Lauren, shaking his head as he watched the gradually approaching border knights. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Even though now everyone calls him the Pope, Lauren, as an old veteran, still preferred to address him as the ancient term, Saint Leader.

Just like how Zhongsi always called Horn the Godfather, and Hilov the Principal.

Compared to the solemn expressions of others, Horn appeared relaxed: "The meal's gone cold, and the guests finally arrive at the table."

"Do you have the assurance of victory in this battle?" Bether couldn't help but ask, "The fighting capability of the border knights should not be underestimated, and they are not without experience and resolve in siege warfare.

In the 1436 Gutenberg siege, when the border knights laid siege, they exhausted half their manpower without collapsing and even counterattacked the ambushing Vampire Army.

With their morale, training, and equipment, they aren't as easy to deal with as the Imperial Knights."

"Ah, that's really terrifying." Horn took two steps back, sat back on the small stool, and began pouring coffee slowly with a teapot.

After drinking coffee and eating bread, it was past six in the morning when the previously noisy sounds outside suddenly quieted down.

Horn immediately knew this was the Border Knight Order about to launch an attack.

Sure enough, with one command from the Grand Master, the Knight Commander beat the drum to boost morale, and this time the border knights themselves pushed the shield cars.

For the past three days, although they had not launched a major offensive, they had allowed the peasant soldiers and laborers to operate at night.

They filled most of the crisscrossing trenches that hindered the shield cars and cleared away most of the bombardment markers.

Although it was unclear what the bombardment markers were for, since the Thousand River Valley People had put them there, they must have had a use.

Regardless of their purpose, they wouldn't let the Thousand River Valley People achieve their goals, and so they swept them away.

Because of these relatively smooth roads, the shield car was able to advance quickly without any obstruction this time.

If it were the Imperial Knights, they would never stoop low to push the carts.

But the Border Knights are different; they do not have the noble honor or the king's honor like the Imperial Knights.

All they have is the knight honor brought by victory; in their eyes, there is only victory.

"Charge!"

"Keep up, keep up, don't stop!"

The knights shouted with hoarse voices, raising thunderous roars, while the soldiers carrying sandbags and the farmer soldiers carrying planks followed breathlessly.

The spring cannons on the Triangle Fort roared again, eighteen cannons firing in crossfire, iron balls and stone bullets rolling through the sky and ground once more.

Thanks to the terrain of the Shattered Stone Plain, now and then a cannonball would carve out a bloody line.

This time, however, the progress of the Border Knight Order was much greater than before, and the casualties were much smaller.

Firstly, the shield cars were dispersed, making them difficult to hit.

Secondly, the artillery markers were gone, and the accuracy was insufficient.

Thirdly, the knights pushed the shield cars with varying speeds, causing constant errors in the estimated artillery target.

After almost two attacks, around noon, the Border Knight Order reached the first trench of the first line of defense.

Originally, there were three breastwork trench defenses, a fence defense, and a Triangle Fort defense in front of Ladan Castle before reaching the city walls.

Each breastwork trench defense consisted of two trenches, one in front and one behind.

The trench the knights encountered now was newly built by idle soldiers of the first line of defense several days ago, positioned on the outermost area, thus quite narrow.

"Praise the Holy Wind!"

Within a seventy-meter range, two hundred lead shots cut through like the scythe of Death God, piercing the leather of the shield car with thudding sounds.

In an instant, the thick shield car that once blocked light had three or five small holes penetrating it.

Unfortunately, most were blocked by dirt-covered grass mats, only a few pierced through weak spots and struck the bodies of soldiers and knights.

One after another, dozens of knights or soldiers cried out miserably or fell backward behind the shield cars.

The shield car's shielding area was too small, and its back was too densely populated; any shot penetrating the leather would hit at least one person.

As for the soldiers, they immediately pulled out bows and started launching retaliatory volleys.

Wave after wave of arrows fell on the breastwork, creating an incessant drumming sound, and within moments, the breastwork was covered in arrows.

Both the farmers and the knights themselves carried sandbags, throwing them into the trench to cover the sharp wooden stakes at the bottom.

Long planks extended and were placed over the trench.

The heavy shield car actually crossed the trench on the thin planks—was this some kind of Divine Art? Had the Holy Father manifested?

Even the officers on the city walls were stunned, not just the soldiers at the frontline.

Upon closer inspection, they realized it was the Border Knights.

One by one, they jumped into the trench, using their Extraordinary martial skills, and managed to support the planks with shoulders and back, moving the shield car across the trench.

Even Horn was astonished by this scene.

This was not the image they had of nobles or knights.

Due to various religious and cultural reasons, although their bodies surpassed those of ordinary people, the Imperial Knights hadn't fully utilized the various applications of physical strength.

But the Border Knights, under battlefield pressure, had developed their bodies to their utmost potential.

Being run over by cars, crawling, digging through dog holes were all acceptable; as long as they win, all disgrace would be washed away.

Because they were the "Shield of the Saint Master," safeguarding the entire "civilized Miserian Religious World."

The sword is always clean, but where is the shield ever spotless?

"Corps Commander, they have breached!"

Brune, the Corps Commander of the Guard Vanguard Corps on the first line, tightened his long spear, "Holy Gunmen, fire another round of Holy Wind. Long Spearmen, prepare."

At this moment, the second echelon of shield cars stopped at the first trench front and began to fill in paths for warhorses.

The first batch of shield cars stopped at the second trench front, also starting their excavation and filling, while nearly a hundred Border Knights crossed the trench, charging towards the close-by breastwork.

"Praise the Holy Wind!" With the command from the Corps Commander, lead shots whistled out, and ten or so knights fell.

The rest crossed the third trench, reaching the face of the Guard Knights.

"Prepare for close combat! Cover the Holy Gunmen!"