The forest of spears was raised once more, but the pursuing cavalry charged straight into them without hesitation. These cavalrymen, well-equipped and charging with overwhelming force, had expected the infantry to scatter upon impact, just like the farmers or cowardly mercenaries they had encountered before. However, Norn's elite guard stood firm, with soldiers lowering their centers of gravity to better withstand the shock.
A wave of water crashing against a reef, the cavalry shattered upon impact. The gleaming spears thrust forward, and even the strongest warhorses let out a mournful cry. Yet the immense inertia still snapped the spears and drove the horses into the ranks, leaving several soldiers' fates uncertain. The knights, now dismounted and lying on the ground, struggled but were quickly pinned down by Norn's men, who dispatched them with daggers slipped through the gaps in their armor.
A small number of skilled horsemen managed to pull up short before the spear wall. They anxiously circled outside, eager to rescue their officer but unsure of how to do so.
"Charge!" A line of spearmen leveled their spears and jogged forward, quickly impaling or surrounding the slowed cavalry. For these riders, the only outcomes were death in battle or capture.
"It seems this officer is of high rank; otherwise, his guard wouldn't be so desperate to save him," Norn thought to himself, realizing he had inadvertently captured a significant figure.
The deep sound of a war horn blew from the direction of Ascalon Fortress. Rolling clouds of dust and the cries of battle came from afar. In front of Norn, there were no longer organized enemy forces, only a group of fleeing soldiers.
"It's finally over!" Norn exhaled deeply, but the intense pain that had been suppressed by adrenaline suddenly flared up.
"My lord is injured!" It was the observant Sasan who noticed Norn's discomfort and quickly bandaged him with linen cloth.
Norn looked at the soot-covered Sasan and suddenly smiled, half out of concern and half in jest, "Promise me, don't do that again."
The green eyes stared at Norn, and after a long silence, a barely audible "Yes" came out.
After being bandaged, Norn surveyed the battlefield. The enemy forces had already been split into two wings by Norn's army. With the repeated flanking maneuvers by the kingdom's knights from behind, the enemy was either collapsing or being divided into small groups. Defeat was only a matter of time.
But Norn's side was not in good shape either. After being attacked by enemy arrows and forcing a minority to charge against a majority, the guard that had originally numbered 120 men was now down to less than 80, with a significant portion lightly wounded. William and Patrick were also covered in injuries. The various mercenary phalanxes in the distance had thinned by more than a third and were in no condition to pursue and expand their gains.
"Well, I suppose our achievements are sufficient," Norn ordered his troops to regroup and clean up the battlefield.
As Norn's army was still reassembling, a group of knights wearing white tabards with red crosses and the kingdom's blue emblem approached. At the forefront was King Baldwin and several nobles.
"Baron of the Windmill, Norn Adler," King Baldwin addressed him. Norn saluted simply from his horse and gestured for the crowd to disperse.
King Baldwin, riding in a somewhat awkward posture, circled Norn twice on his horse.
Just as Norn began to wonder if the king had peculiar tastes, Baldwin spoke: "All the kingdom's vassals claim to be valiant warriors. I never expected that in a moment of life and death, it would be a ten-year-old child who would come to the rescue first."
Norn felt as if he were being roasted over a fire. In order to continue dealing with the kingdom's nobility in the future, he quickly humbled himself: "I merely held Saladin's army at bay. The victory was truly due to the efforts of your excellencies' elite forces."
Unexpectedly, Norn's modesty made Baldwin laugh: "Modesty is a virtue, but excessive modesty is hypocrisy. Your role is undeniable, and even without reinforcements, it was only a matter of time before you defeated this ten-thousand-strong army."
"Ten thousand?" Norn was puzzled. "I thought the rumors said Saladin had an army of fifty thousand. So unreliable are these rumors."
"Indeed, it seems there are only ten thousand here," King Baldwin sighed. "Saladin led part of his forces to attack the Holy City three days ago. It appears he still has at least twenty thousand men."
Norn now didn't know whether to feel fortunate or unfortunate. On the one hand, the big move he had prepared for Saladin had only yielded such results. On the other hand, if Saladin hadn't taken some men away, the outcome of today's battle would have been uncertain.
"By the way, may I ask the Grand Master, is my uncle Otto Adler alright?" Norn quickly inquired of the Grand Master beside him.
"Rest easy. Otto sustained a minor injury earlier and is now in the castle," Grand Master Odo glanced at Sasan, who was still wearing Saracen armor beside Norn, and said with a teasing tone, "But you, young Norn, have quite a few secrets, don't you?"
As Norn was at a loss for how to explain, a commotion arose from behind: it was the kidnapped officer who had awakened.
Unaware of his predicament, he shouted in a language that Norn couldn't understand.
"Oh, Baron Norn, I was worried he might have escaped, but you've captured him!" Duke Renaud revealed a cruel smile. "I wonder if Baron Norn would be willing to hand over this prisoner to me. You will receive a promise and the friendship of my family in return."
"Who is he?" Norn asked curiously.
"The commander of the army you defeated today, Saladin's nephew," Renaud recited a long string of names, but all Norn caught was "Taj al-Din."
"Rather than torturing him to satisfy one's thirst for revenge, it would be more beneficial to the kingdom to interrogate him for intelligence," Grand Master Odo stepped in front of Renaud.
"Hand him over to me! The Knights Templar will give you a satisfactory price," Grand Master Odo glanced at Duke Renaud. "A price that someone definitely can't afford."
The word "someone" was particularly emphasized.
Norn pondered for a moment. Compared to a vague promise and friendship, solid gold coins were more practical, and emotionally, he felt closer to the Grand Master.
So Norn instructed his men to hand over Taj al-Din to Grand Master Odo.
The Grand Master, now in possession of the prisoner, laughed heartily, ignoring the stern-faced Duke Renaud, and loudly praised Norn.
Norn, forced to smile, felt as if he had just emerged from one quagmire only to step into another.
Ignoring the disputes among his vassals, King Baldwin rode up to Norn, "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, a victory banquet will be held tonight. Baron Norn, as the guest of honor, your presence is required."
"I will arrive on time."
With that reply, King Baldwin turned and left. Even with the great victory, there were still many decisions awaiting his command.
After all, Saladin was still out there, with his twenty thousand troops.