Watching messenger after messenger dash out of the camp left Hudson feeling rather awkward. While others could easily persuade people, he found it difficult to do the same.
If Baron Redman got wind of this information, he would certainly hasten over with his guards which would promptly hand him control of the situation.
Having a traditional knight as a father led to a perilous situation on the battlefield.
The thought of initiating a knight's charge with Baron Redman made Hudson back off decisively. Compared to military achievements, he considered life far more important.
The most relevant thing was to survive. Even if he died, no matter how significant his military achievements, they would be claimed by someone else.
In the extraordinary world, a small elite group could cover hundreds of miles in a day without question. In an emergency, even two to three hundred miles was not a problem. But an untrained mob couldn't.
Being untrained, they were just ordinary people. Along with long-term malnutrition, most of these people were in a sub-healthy state. Although it wasn't difficult to march more than a hundred miles in three days, it wasn't easy either.
As soon as their speed increased, problems arose. They hadn't felt it during the march, but when it came to setting up camp, a scenario of "soldiers not knowing their generals, generals not knowing their soldiers" arose.
The situation with the Koslow Family was still alright. Thanks to Hudson's previous training, although they weren't exactly in formation, their soldiers hadn't gone missing.
Still, at the final headcount a problem arose, with over thirty additional troops popping out from nowhere.
The officer in charge of the headcount went up to them for an explanation but the poor souls were so confused they couldn't even correctly state the full name of their lord.
If it weren't for the fact that espionage wasn't popular in these times, Hudson would've considered them spies. Of course, the main reason was that no one would choose such fools for espionage.
Even when they resumed the march the next morning, twelve soldiers remained unclaimed, leaving Hudson extraordinarily speechless.
All the lords in the alliance had already introduced themselves, where did these extra troops come from?
Whether the guys were too dazed to recognize their soldiers, or other noblemen had overlooked them, it was hard to determine. Hudson directly accepted he now had an additional twelve troops.
The march continued, but everyone's morale was low. The incident from the previous night seemed to have been a wake-up call.
The most obvious change was that everyone started assigning trusted retainers to keep an eye on the troops, fearing another embarrassing incident.
As expected, problems arose at the next camp setup in the evening. The various forces within the alliance were back to mixing, awaiting the various lords to claim their troops.
The farce was repeated, and the most direct effect was the sudden rise in Hudson's standing within the alliance, as everyone began to praise him as the "Leader of The Elite".
Typically for a business mutual-praise session, Hudson naturally couldn't refuse. To deny this title would imply everyone else was incompetent.
Hudson, with a passable EQ, readily accepted this praise. Even his soldiers' morale soared as if they too were a true "Elites Force".
Though the title was empty, the real gain was Hudson having to accept the bitter reality of "troop count + fifteen".
He could now confirm that besides the alliance there were other nobles' armies nearby, and not too far away at that. Otherwise, he couldn't explain why his troops were growing.
Keep the knowledge to himself, Hudson kept his nose out of it. Silently claiming the lost troops and making a fortune was enough for him; it would have been foolish to return them.
Even though such moves neither fit the image of a nobleman nor followed the knight's code, it was very much Hudson's style.
In Hudson's mind, troops that required no salary and were simple-minded were welcomed in abundance.
Thankfully, the period of "high intensity" marching was short, and they reached the front line on the third day. Otherwise, Hudson really worried that one day the original owners would turn up at his doorstep.
Looking at the Ersel fort nearby, he barely had time to catch his breath when the rebel army swooped down on them.
"There's no chivalry. They don't have any knightly spirit."
Hudson silently grumbled.
Well, since the enemy was attacking, they had to fight back.
The knight's code did include retreat, but not fleeing without fight.
As the nominal boss of the alliance, Charles decisively commanded, "Everyone, charge with me!"
No sooner had his words fallen than he spearheaded the charge. The other noble lords also responded immediately, showing knightly "bravery" with their actions.
"Leaving the army behind for a charge?"
The sight before his eyes directly reshaped Hudson's worldview. He had no choice but to join amidst the attention of everyone present.
Luckily, he was cautious enough to position his army at the rear from the beginning. The chaotic mobs in front blocked his way perfectly.
If it had been any other noble, they would likely have rushed forward, but the merciful Hudson wasn't like that.
In order not to stand out, he had to initiate a charge. After surveying the battlefield, Hudson commanded his subordinate, "Tyre, follow me and attack from the left flank."
After saying this, Hudson charged out. At this moment, Charles had led several noble knights into the rebel army. In just one face-off, seven or eight rebel soldiers were sliced in half.
In front of Charles, the rebels were nothing more than paper dolls. The following noble knights didn't lag behind. Even though they weren't as swift as Charles, they were equally ruthless in their killing.
Watching his side massacring the enemy, Hudson's morale soared. He couldn't help but admire, "Worthy of the Great Knight, his one-man fighting ability is strong."
Either affected by the battlefield's atmosphere or due to the forward path being difficult, Hudson's mount suddenly became obstreperous.
Despite his best efforts to control the situation, the horse circled wider and wider. Even though they were getting closer to the rebels, there was still a considerable distance.
"Unscrupulous beast, why are you so timid? Where is the courageous spirit of a knight's mount? Wait until this war ends, I'll replace you first!"
Hudson couldn't help but scold angrily.
Though he talked tough, his body told a different story. Considering it was his own mount, he ultimately couldn't bear to whip the horse.
Watching his comrades clashing on the front line, Hudson could only give them a helpless look. Seeing a lone enemy soldier approach, he quickly raised his knight's spear, charging and killing him with one move.
Perhaps because he hadn't controlled the angle properly, blood sprayed all over Hudson when he pulled out his spear, instantly changing the color of his brilliant armor.
Seeing the blood, Hudson was neither annoyed nor bothered, instead, he was delighted. Finally, he had broken his zero kill streak, and he wouldn't have to worry about saving face.
It was as if he had unlocked a mysterious talent, Hudson was always on the edge of the battlefield, picking off the slacking rebel soldiers.