The fortress beneath him was called White Birch Fortress.

It was a military stronghold built by the Kingdom of the Holy Cross, designed solely for military purposes with no unnecessary features. It had all the essential components: towers, horse walls, and parapets.

Derrick speculated that this fortress was originally constructed to counter the threat from the Kingdom of Locke. Even if the Saint Miler Province fell, retreating forces could regroup here, blocking the enemy's advance eastward, while using it as a pivot to counterattack at any time. Geographically, White Birch Fortress had direct access to any town in Saint Miler Province.

But sadly, this war machine had fallen into the hands of the Locke people, which could now become a nightmare for the Kingdom of the Holy Cross. Derrick was rushing to repair the fortress while training his soldiers. Fortunately, with the help of his system panel, he was able to train competent soldiers in just over a month.

When the weather started cooling, scouts from the Kingdom of the Holy Cross began appearing in large numbers around the fortress. Derrick immediately ordered his troops to assemble. He had no intention of engaging in open-field battles; this was destined to be a siege. Strategic maneuvers held little meaning here.

For other Locke nobles, even if they failed, they could retreat. But for Derrick, there was no retreat. He knew that as long as he was powerful, no one would dare challenge him. But if he failed, losing his territory could be disastrous. Despite this, he couldn’t pass up such a great opportunity. He believed the chances of victory were high.

No matter when or where conflict arose, it would anger people, so why not act when the cost was minimal? Therefore, no matter how many soldiers from the Kingdom of the Holy Cross came, he had to hold his ground.

If he held White Birch Fortress, the enemy's army wouldn’t be able to cause much damage. Sending small units to bypass the fortress would be suicidal. If they sent large units, Derrick would immediately destroy the guarding forces and cut off their retreat.

Thus, Derrick’s plan was to drive a nail into the heart of the enemy forces, using the most brutal means to force the Kingdom of the Holy Cross’s army to retreat. This would result in many deaths, and Derrick knew that his ambitions would cost the lives of many—this was just the beginning.

Standing on the fortress tower, Derrick saw the dust rising in the distance. The Kingdom of the Holy Cross’s army had arrived. Their triangular banners represented knights, with a large number of ragged peasant soldiers dragging their heavy steps behind.

Despite this, Derrick did not relax. Though peasant soldiers from the Kingdom of the Holy Cross were notoriously weak in combat, they were also famously cheap. While the Kingdom of Locke smuggled quality slaves into the Kingdom of the Holy Cross, these peasant soldiers were mostly hastily recruited freemen or royal slaves, labeled as “peasant soldiers” and treated as expendable.

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Sometimes, these numb peasant soldiers could be just as troublesome as elite troops. Derrick quickly realized that the Kingdom of the Holy Cross’s army had begun their assault not long after settling in. Instead of constructing camp, they started pushing their peasant soldiers to attack White Birch Fortress.

“Cruel!” Simon, standing beside Derrick, muttered. Even he, known for his cruelty, found the Kingdom of the Holy Cross’s noble tactics harsh.

"It's all about wealth," Derrick replied coldly. He felt pity for these peasant soldiers, as they were nothing more than cheap cannon fodder in the Kingdom of the Holy Cross, but in his eyes, they were walking gold coins. Unfortunately, he would have to destroy these coins with his own hands.

That small shred of compassion wasn’t enough to sway Derrick's resolve. He coldly watched as his soldiers, under the command of their officers, ruthlessly slaughtered the attackers.

The nobility of the Kingdom of the Holy Cross might be corrupt, but they were not fools. The use of peasant soldiers wasn’t pointless—it was a way to probe White Birch Fortress’s defenses. If Derrick showed any weakness, they would exploit it and strike with full force.

However, they were soon disappointed. No matter which direction they tried, White Birch Fortress showed no sign of vulnerability.

Soon, the main force of the Kingdom of the Holy Cross arrived and began setting up camp. A group of cavalry surrounded a party of officers at the front, inspecting the area. For commanders of the cold-weapon era, relying solely on reports to assess terrain and position could easily lead to disaster. Only by personally surveying the area could they make relatively accurate judgments.

However, there was always the risk of overlooking something, and if the enemy caught on, it could turn into a legendary defeat.

As Simon saw this, he grew eager. “Lord, should I take a group and charge?”

Now that the cavalry had expanded, Simon thought they could make a move.

“If you want to die, go ahead and try,” Derrick snapped. “You fool! Can’t you see? There’s an infantry formation over there that hasn’t moved. They’re preparing for you to try a sneak attack. The people of the Kingdom of the Holy Cross value their lives much more than the barbarians.”

Simon shrank back, too frightened to even breathe loudly.

...

Meanwhile, in the distance, the Kingdom of the Holy Cross’s commanders were discussing Derrick’s actions. Unlike Locke’s purely military force, the Kingdom of the Holy Cross’s army also had the presence of clergy. Though they rarely interfered with military arrangements, they were very active in plundering wealth.

The Kingdom of the Holy Cross’s army was led by the Baron of Connell Radburn, known as the "Sword of God." He was an experienced veteran, renowned for suppressing peasant uprisings by slaughtering tens of thousands in a single campaign, earning him his title from the church.

Though he was famous for killing commoners, he wasn’t seen as anything extraordinary by the kingdom's elites. His reputation for maintaining the church’s rule earned him the title “Sword of God” and his full support from the clergy.

That said, his military skills were indisputable. Many of the nobles who had been with him during the uprisings were killed by the same peasants he had crushed.

Now, as he watched the peasant soldiers attacking, his face grew serious.

“Do we know who’s in charge of the defense here?”

“It should be Lord Derrick, I heard his fief is right behind White Birch Fortress.”

Three months ago, if you mentioned Derrick’s name, no noble from the Kingdom of the Holy Cross would recognize him, but now, hardly anyone didn’t know who he was.

“Seems the rumors were true. This Lord Derrick isn’t lucky after all. To have arranged such an excellent defense, not everyone can do that,” the Baron of Connell Radburn sincerely praised.

The more basic the defense, the more it showed true skill. In today’s kingdom, few knights possessed such fundamental abilities.

He had a premonition that the coming battle would be difficult.