"Hold steady, hold steady, don't just fire arrows willy-nilly, let a few more in."
"Don't panic, there are carts blocking the way in front! Those little creatures can't jump over."
"Even if they do jump over, don't you run around in disarray. With your uncle here, such little creatures, I can take them down with a single sword strike, no doubt. In my lifetime, I've slaughtered more Goblins than cattle or sheep. These bullies who prey on the weak but cower before the strong, as long as you're fiercer than them, even if three come at once, they'll turn tail and run upon seeing you."
Even though there was only half a night's time to prepare, Zalanda's arrangements were more meticulous than those Gaven had planned.
Apart from the twelve regular Cavalry and twenty armed Militia members who stayed by her side, the remaining thirty-two medium-armored Militia were scattered about, interspersed among the civilian Crossbowmen.
There were three advantages to this setup.
First, as a temporary squad leader, she could convey orders from above in a timely manner.
Second, she could stabilize the soldiers' morale, using her own extensive combat experience to alleviate the civilians' tension in their first battle.
Third, it served as an effective protective measure. Should any Goblins slip through, they would be quickly dealt with by these Militia.
Zalanda may not have read military texts, but her tactics conformed to their principles in every aspect.
"Fire at will!"
The Crossbowmen behind Nort Castle's walls all stood up and unleashed nearly two hundred bolts in a volley. The Goblins charging outside the city let out howls and, in an instant, twenty or thirty of them fell.
The Felen People were unlike the Earth's leisurely and casual populace; the environment in which they lived was teeming with far more monsters than Humans, and almost every person, to some degree, received Militia training, women and children not excluded.
Drawing bows and firing arrows were as routine to them as eating and drinking, with only the matter of accuracy being in question.
"Long Spear thrust!"
"Long Spear retract!"
Ordered commands echoed from behind the semi-circular barricade of carts, as countless Long Spears thrust out from behind the barricade and then were systematically retracted.
In the space of this thrust and retract motion, another dozen unsuspecting Goblins were harvested.
The Goblins still pushing and shoving at the back hadn't realized what was happening when numerous Long Spears thrust out again, reaping another round.
Most Goblins didn't see their adversary before they met their end.
"Humans are cunning, it's a trap, retreat... retreat..."
A series of Goblin gibberish issued from the green-skinned dwarves who had charged into the tunnel.
Even those who didn't understand Goblin language could roughly guess what they were saying.
Another well-known trait of Goblins—timidity. When they didn't have the upper hand in numbers, they would turn and run without any psychological burden.
Honor! Duty!
Such concepts didn't even exist in their minds.
Survival always came first in their philosophy of life.
But the problem was, while the Goblins who had charged in understood the situation, those outside the castle, limited by their line of sight and distance, couldn't hear clearly what was being said inside. They continued to howl and desperately charge through the tunnel into the castle.
Zalanda's regular Cavalry and the twenty heavily armed Militia didn't make a move.
The Goblins, in their confused scrambling, had jammed themselves into the gates of Nort Castle like corks.
The Goblins inside couldn't rush out, and those outside couldn't break in for a while.
Seeing the situation, Zalanda was not eager to deploy the heavy-armored Militia to clear out the Goblins who had broken in. Instead, she ordered the Long Spears behind the wagon fort to stab rhythmically, only striking with lethal force at those Goblins that dared to get too close; she ignored the others for the time being.
The Crossbows on the city walls continuously rained down on the Goblins outside, and by the time the Hobgoblins outside Nort City had realized what was happening, at least three to four hundred Goblin corpses had been left outside the walls.
The charge of the Goblin troops had obviously thinned out a lot.
Even the foolish Goblins sensed something was amiss.
Those who kept mindlessly charging forward were especially stupid.
Those hesitating on the spot were not completely foolish.
Those sneakily retreating were relatively clever.
"All forces, attack!" Zalanda swung her hand down heavily and charged out in the lead.
The Long Spear in Zalanda's hand came alive, fluidly dancing as she moved. In the blink of an eye, the three Goblins blocking her path were sent flying, each strike unerringly targeting the vital spots on their chests. They were dead before they even hit the ground.
"Kill!" The first to respond to Zalanda's call was not the twelve Regular Cavalry behind her, but Gaven, who had only recently obtained a warhorse from Zalanda. He was still in makeshift armor, wielding a Long Spear just as proficiently, if not more so, than Zalanda.
Within three rounds, both sides had cleared the Goblins blocking their path and converged in Nosenburg's small square.
"Stay close to me!" Zalanda didn't waste words, just giving a brief instruction before turning to charge toward the city gates.
Even without Zalanda's warning, Gaven would have done so, falling one horse length behind her, guarding her side like a true Knight.
At that moment, the twelve Regular Cavalry of Nort Castle also charged out in a wedge formation.
The twelve Regular Cavalry were bona fide professional soldiers from Nosenburg, following Zalanda for many years, each with a Professional Level, the least of them a Level 2 warrior.
Zalanda and the twelve Regular Cavalry could be seen as a single large spear.
Zalanda was the spearhead thrusting forward, while the twelve Cavalry were the shaft vibrating back and forth, insanely enlarging the area of destruction. Where they passed, Goblins were swept away.
With Gaven's addition, the spearhead had doubled, but his transcendent spearmanship and horsemanship didn't become a disturbance; instead, he became an excellent escort, helping Zalanda reduce the resistance of the charge, allowing her to move faster and more effortlessly. The shafts behind naturally followed more swiftly and easily.
Subsequently, twenty heavy-armored Militia followed with steady steps—they were the thorough sweepers. Even the Goblins playing dead on the ground were not spared; seeing any still whole, they would strike with their swords first and ask questions later.
Under the lead of thirty-two mid-armored Militia, over a hundred Long Spear civilians lined up in a neat spear formation and slowly followed.
Compared to killing, they were more for making an impression, and they were also the reserve forces Zalanda had prepared. Later on, they were to stay half inside the city, guarding both sides of the city gate, with the other half venturing out to meet them.
If the assault failed, Zalanda could still lead her troops back into the safety of Nort Castle.
What was expected to be a bloody battle at the city gates waiting for Zalanda turned out to be much easier with Gaven's involvement.
They continuously picked off seven or eight Goblins, chilling the courage of more Goblins that continued to surge forward. Those Goblins chased out by them naturally helped to break the encirclement, running back in frenzy while shouting loudly, spreading Fear among their own kind.
Against such panic-stricken Goblins, Zalanda and Gaven paid no attention, instead choosing to slaughter those stupid ones who were still charging mindlessly forward.
In just a few rounds, a strange scene unfolded.
Zalanda and Gaven, two riders against the current, passed by Goblins who then turned around and ran toward their own kind. Some even swung their weapons at comrades who impeded their way, as if the two were leading a group of Goblins attacking other Goblins.
This was the second step of the counterattack strategy—herding sheep.