I was a knight in the Middle Ages

Chapter 403 Simple Processing

"Captain Wesley, look at this group of people in front of you, can you call them knights? They have absolutely no discipline at all, where is the solemnity of military orders? I can't imagine how they survived such a brutal battle." Captain Karl stood on the high slope, his hands folded across his chest, his brows tightly twisted into the shape of a "川" character, his eyes full of disgust and disdain, staring straight at the group of troops below who were reorganizing, and the strong dissatisfaction in his heart surged like a raging tide.

Recalling the last battle, although Captain Carl experienced a brief defeat, he learned from his mistakes, reviewed the experience and lessons in a timely manner, and with his outstanding adaptability and command ability, he successfully counterattacked in the subsequent battles and won the victory, so he did not receive any punishment.

On the other hand, Billy, the captain of the Third Regiment, was not so lucky. Just because of a defeat, he suffered severe punishment. Not only was his position in jeopardy and his dignity destroyed, the entire Third Regiment was directly merged into the Fourth Regiment, and its past glory vanished in an instant.

"Captain Wesley, look over there!" Carl suddenly raised his voice and pointed to a place not far away, with a look of surprise and contempt in his eyes, "That guy actually brought a woman with him to the war? He is exactly the same as the legend says. He is not only lustful, but also values ​​money like his life. He has no bottom line in his actions. How can he be responsible for a big responsibility with such a style?" He had sharp eyes and caught the female figure among Alpha's escort knights at a glance. This discovery made him more convinced of his negative evaluation of Alpha.

"Don't worry, Captain Karl." Wesley narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression calm, his tone steady and with a bit of indifference that comes from seeing the world, "The weaker they appear, the less of a threat they pose to our Ottoman Empire."

Wesley's observation is obviously more profound. Unlike Carl, he only looks at the surface and is confused by temporary phenomena. In his view, the essence of things is often hidden under the appearance, and requires deeper observation and thinking to see through.

Wesley quietly watched the crowd below. He could clearly feel that these seemingly undisciplined people were actually "lions" who had experienced hundreds of battles. The confidence and competence they revealed in their gestures, especially the murderous look in their eyes, all told of the countless life and death tests they had experienced. This was completely different from the knights in the Ottoman Empire who had not been baptized by war and lived a life of luxury.

"However, their equipment is really good." Carl said as he walked to the scattered armor on the ground, squatted down and examined it carefully. He soon discovered the opponent's equipment advantage. "But why are more than half of them half-armed knights? Is it because of insufficient funds that they are unable to purchase complete equipment?" Carl stood up, patted the dust off his hands, and looked at Wesley with a puzzled look on his face.

Captain Wesley was silent for a moment, his eyes still fixed on the team below, as if he was looking for deeper secrets through their figures. Slowly, he said, "Captain Carl, we can't make hasty conclusions about them based on superficial phenomena. The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, and there may be unknown reasons behind everyone's behavior and decision. Discipline is certainly the soul of the army and an important cornerstone to ensure combat effectiveness, but in some special circumstances, flexibility and adaptability are also indispensable and may even become the key factors in turning the tide of the battle. We should still observe more and understand more, and don't make judgments too early."

Captain Carl frowned even more, his face full of doubt and dissatisfaction. He took a step forward, waved his hands vigorously in the air, and argued with a little excitement: "But, Captain Wesley, what you said cannot be a reason to ignore discipline! An army without discipline is like a pile of loose sand, how can it win a battle? They are in such a loose state now. Once they encounter an emergency on the battlefield, how can we expect them to obey orders and play their due role at the critical moment? This is not a joke, it is about life and death, and discipline is absolutely the top priority!" His voice echoed in the air, revealing unquestionable determination.

Captain Wesley looked calm, with a gentle smile on his face. He looked at Carl firmly and said slowly, "Captain Carl, I completely understand your concerns. The importance of discipline is self-evident, and I have never underestimated it. However, we cannot completely deny them just because of the discipline problems we see on the surface. You see, they have survived time and time again in such a cruel combat environment. This is not something that can be achieved by luck. Behind this, it shows that they must have their own unique way of survival and combat skills, but they may be different from the ways we are familiar with. We might as well give them a chance and observe their performance in actual combat. It will not be too late to draw conclusions then." His tone was calm and clear, trying to calm Carl down and look at the matter from a different perspective.

While the two were talking, Alpha slowly appeared. He walked with seemingly casual steps, his eyes wandering, as if he didn't care about anything around him, and he exuded an aura that made people feel contempt.

Alpha looked up at Wesley and Carl, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he pulled out a smile that seemed humble but also carried a bit of arrogance, and said pretentiously: "Two captains, I have heard of your names for a long time! It is a great honor to meet you today. I am Alpha, and I thank you for taking the trouble to come personally to welcome my knights." As he spoke, he waved his hand casually, pointing to the slightly messy team behind him, "Look at these knights of mine, they are all good at battlefields, the most brave and skilled in fighting. Of course, I also know myself, and compared with the well-trained teams under your command, I may still be slightly inferior." His words were self-deprecating on the surface, but his condescending demeanor and tone revealed arrogance everywhere.

Captain Wesley nodded slightly, keeping a polite smile on his face, and responded: "Hello, Captain Alpha. Your team is quite famous in this area. I have heard of it a long time ago and am indeed quite interested. However, in my observation just now, I also noticed some areas that need improvement. For example, in terms of discipline, the team seems a little loose; and equipment, I found that many knights' equipment is not complete. I wonder what your opinion is on these situations?" He stared at Alpha, trying to find more information about the team from the other party's answer.

Alpha took a deep breath, put on a sincere expression, and said in a straightforward tone: "Captain Wesley, you have a keen eye and what you said is absolutely right. Our team does have a lot of room for improvement in terms of discipline, and I never deny that." He paused slightly, glanced at his knights, and continued, "However, discipline is not completely equivalent to combat effectiveness. Our team members are all warriors who have fought through life-and-death battles. Each of them has rich practical experience and has an indomitable fighting spirit and the ability to adapt to changes when facing danger."

At this point, Alpha changed the subject and said, "As for the equipment, you have also seen that some knights are not fully armed yet. This is really a helpless move, mainly because of limited funds and the inability to purchase enough equipment at the moment. However, we also have our own way to deal with it. Our team's magic gun technology is relatively advanced. With the power of the magic gun, we can make up for the disadvantages in equipment to a certain extent."

Alpha deliberately exaggerated the team's dependence on equipment and emphasized that combat effectiveness needed to be supported by equipment. His purpose was to make the other side underestimate their true strength and thus take the initiative in the subsequent dealings.

Late at night, the thick night sky was as dark as ink, and there was silence all around, only the occasional chirping of insects broke the tranquility. Wesley hurriedly walked to Captain Alpha, his expression solemn, his tone firm and with a bit of unquestionable urgency: "Captain Alpha, come with us and leave here! Prince Ahmed is anxiously waiting for you."

There was a flicker of anxiety in Wesley's eyes, as if if he stayed on this land for one more second, unpredictable danger would come. He was also afraid of delaying the appointment with the prince and missing a crucial opportunity.

However, Alpha behaved extremely calmly. He raised his hand slowly and yawned long and deliberately. A sleepy look appeared on his face, as if he was hypnotized by the silence of the night and immersed in laziness.

"Master General Wesley, you have been traveling all the way, don't you need to rest?" Alpha narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at the knights behind Wesley, and continued, "Look, your knights' faces are all full of fatigue. The heavy steps and drooping eyelids all reveal their extreme physical fatigue. In this state, once they encounter the enemy, they will not be able to exert their strongest combat power. Moreover, it is now the middle of the night, the night is dark, and the road is difficult to distinguish. I am afraid it will be inappropriate to continue marching!" There was real worry in his words, as if he was considering Wesley's side, but there was also a hint of wanting to delay time.

Upon seeing this, Captain Carl also stepped forward and said, "Master General Wesley, why don't we rest for a night and continue our journey tomorrow." His voice was a little tired and hoarse. Having experienced a life-and-death battle, he knew the soldiers' current physical condition well.

The scenes of fighting on the battlefield were still vivid in his mind. The wounds on the soldiers' bodies and their exhausted expressions made him realize that everyone needed time to recuperate, pack their bags again, and adjust their state to prepare for the next journey.

After hearing this, Wesley fell into deep thought. His brows knitted tightly, and he kept weighing the balance between reason and urgency. He understood that Alpha's worry was not unreasonable. It was indeed difficult for tired soldiers to perform at their best in battle. A small negligence could lead to a reversal of the battle situation.

Marching at night, with obstructed vision and unknown terrain, undoubtedly increased many potential risks, and they could fall into an ambush by the enemy if they were not careful. But he also knew that Prince Ahmed was waiting for their news in a distant place, and time was running out. Every minute and every second that passed could affect the prince's plan and delay the overall situation.

After a fierce ideological struggle, Wesley finally made a decision. "Okay, Captain Alpha, you make sense. We do need to let the soldiers get enough rest." There was a hint of helplessness in his tone, but more of determination, "We will camp here tonight and set off early tomorrow morning." He raised his head and looked into the distance with a firm gaze, as if he had already seen the scene of a smooth departure tomorrow.

Captain Alpha nodded in agreement. "Then let's decide. We can use tonight to check our equipment and replenish our energy." He turned around and shouted orders to his soldiers. His voice echoed in the night sky, and the soldiers immediately took action and began to prepare for the camp.

Thus, the originally quiet camp suddenly became lively. Some soldiers were busy setting up tents, their rough hands skillfully fiddling with ropes and canvas; others were looking for a suitable place to light a bonfire. The flames gradually burned, and the warm light dispelled the chill of the night.

Wesley and Alpha also called the captains of each team together and sat around the campfire to discuss tomorrow's marching route and possible situations. Their faces were red from the campfire, their expressions were serious and focused, they pointed at the map with their fingers, and from time to time they spoke out strategies for dealing with various emergencies.

At this moment, Alpha accidentally caught a glimpse of the condition of the Imperial Knights and cried out in shock: "Oh my God, how can you treat your knights like this! Not treating them and letting them move around with injuries will only make their injuries worse!"

Alpha saw that the wounds on the Imperial Knights had only been simply bandaged, and some were even bleeding, but they were asked to continue their mission as if those injuries were just insignificant matters.

This scene made Alpha feel unbelievable. In his understanding, the health and safety of soldiers are of vital importance. Treating injured knights like this will not only affect their combat effectiveness, but also be disrespectful to them.