The two leaders were almost at the edge of the crowd, but they didn't immediately leave it, because that would be too conspicuous!
Even if these dismounted Knights entered the forest, they wouldn't be a match for the Knights even without their horses.
Although if they turned back and blocked these Knights, the Knights outside would definitely not dare to enter, the two, lacking troops, could only fantasize in their minds before immediately abandoning the main body of the crowd and following along its edge to avoid being conspicuous.
Given their positions, both could leave the crowd at any time without being swept in, and the perfectly chosen middle ground meant they didn't have to fear the blocking force ahead or the constantly pursuing Knights behind.
Artoria watched the dismounted Knights enter the dense forest and gently shook her head, recalling that Kayal had made it very clear during her tactical lessons that dense forests and canyons were excellent places for ambushes, reaching SS-level, second only to low-lying terrain.
No matter how thick the Knights' armor was, it couldn't withstand branches and vines; the former could turn the Knight's own momentum into lethal force, impaling them directly on branches, while the latter were natural tripwires, where a horse's hoof could easily stumble if not careful.
At the speed of a Knight, combined with centrifugal force, either scenario would result in a minimum of broken bones and a maximum of death.
When Kayal taught her before, she didn't think much of it, but when it came time to apply it, she realized that the limitations of Knights were truly too great!
Perhaps Knights could serve as a deterrent force, fighting ten against one, or even a hundred against one on flat terrain! (For example, it wouldn't be impossible for Gawain or Beowulf with a good horse; Artoria herself, under Teresa's tutelage and with a magical horse, believed fighting a hundred was no problem.)
However, in mountains, forests, deserts, swamps, and at sea, these were all fatal weaknesses for Knights; they gained almost no geographical advantage.
Kayal used to talk about the right time, the right place, and harmonious relations among people. The right time required experience, the right place required reconnaissance, and harmonious relations required calculation.
If so many areas were unsuitable for combat, what was the use of so-called high combat power?
Were they to let the enemy cross the strait, trample the fields, and destroy the crops before allowing them onto the plains for a decisive battle?
An army that cannot protect its people has no value!
Kayal's words resonated deeply with Artoria and became the royal path she followed as a King.
But Knights are spears! Not a shield! The greatest strength of Knights lies in their charge and offense, not defense! This kind of army... finally, under Kayal's tireless teaching, the seed in Artoria's heart sprouted and bloomed, and without Kayal ever explicitly saying it, she issued her first command as a King, from her heart—the plan for forming an infantry was put on the agenda!
If Kayal knew, he would surely be very pleased, right?
However, Kayal was right beside Artoria, watching as the battlefield was almost being cleaned up, with several still-furious Knight Captains and the lingering satisfaction of Gawain and others nearby.
It was Gawain and the other six Knight Captains of the Round Table who had encircled the enemy, while the others had gained nothing.
So these six were beaming with joy, while the other six were seething with anger, among them the most furious being Grand Duke Andrei...
Originally, it was Kayal's intention that Grand Duke Andrei, being of high moral standing and prestige, was best suited to guard the Royal City, but Grand Duke Andrei, in his capacity as Kayal's father, insisted on participating in this great battle, which had the potential to be recorded in history.
Kayal, unable to refuse, could only agree.
Unfortunately, his troops were heavy cavalry, whose mobility differed vastly from Gawain's light cavalry. Even after Gawain's multiple charges back and forth, he only saw the heavy cavalry, who were preserving their horses' strength and dared not gallop, arrive belatedly...
It truly made Grand Duke Andrei, who used to be proud of his heavy cavalry, so enraged that he almost ordered them to remove their horse armor and speed up!
But thankfully, he hadn't completely lost his head and still arrived here, full of anger, to gather.
Kayal suddenly rode his horse alongside Artoria, turning half his body to whisper a few words into her ear.
Artoria nodded gently, showing no expression, and her composure greatly pleased Kayal.
When all the Knight Captains of the Round Table arrived, Kayal began assigning tasks one by one.
From time to time, Knight Captains of the Round Table would take their orders and lead their troops into the jungle.
And soon, there was no one left here... On the empty grassland, apart from the long stretch covered with blood and the trampled corpses of the Scottish, weapons, helmets, and shields could prove that a great battle had just taken place, but now it was deserted...
In less than five minutes, vultures began to descend from the sky, and after the vultures had enjoyed themselves for a full ten minutes, civets, bobcats, and jackals began to appear on the ground, joining the bloody feast.
Nature would decompose the remaining residue with microorganisms over the next three to six months—if it didn't trigger a plague.
Chasing these Scottish were Gareth's unit and Bedivere's unit, a total of six thousand people, a mix of Horse Archers and light cavalry.
Because they had abandoned their warhorses, and their comrades behind them would take care of their horses, the Knights were quite relaxed without worries. The Horse Archers constantly drew their bows to kill those trying to hide among the trees, while the light cavalry casually used discarded spears, lances, or their greatswords to stab the Scottish lying dead on the ground.
This was because many stragglers had previously erupted and injured people when their ears were being cut off, causing Gawain's pursuit unit to lose face. They didn't want to be the second Gawain's unit.
Also, those who ran until they had no strength were also cut down.
It was like bleeding a horse, constantly stimulating these already exhausted 'poor horses' with slaughter and death.
Although there were many young and beautiful women, how could the Knights, as aristocrats who upheld their status, pay them any mind?
To them, apart from Rome, the country that had invaded them, all other countries were Barbarians like the Gauls. These women could be secretly enjoyed alone, but if one acted as eagerly as a virgin who had never seen a woman in front of comrades or superiors, that would truly disgrace the nobility.
In fact, this was precisely the advantage of the aristocratic military system; they consistently maintained a high standard of conduct until soldiers gradually evolved from nobles to prisoners, and then from prisoners to ordinary conscripts.
Moreover, the two countries spoke different languages, so how could even pleas and cries soften the hearts of these battle-hardened Knights? Women, old people, and children were all killed without mercy—this was Kayal's command!
So when these remaining fifty thousand Scottish refugees were driven into a certain canyon, Seville's unit and Laulan's Knight Order had also arrived, replacing Gareth's unit and Bedivere's unit, who were slightly fatigued but not very tired, and began the work of driving them into the valley.
This canyon was called Sunset Canyon; although it was unnamed at the time, it would become famous in the future...