Earl Royce, the current Protector of the Vale, was overjoyed upon receiving Daniella's secret report regarding the whereabouts of the Highland Clans. Once these Highland Clansmen reached the plains, they would be nothing more than a disorganized rabble. His Vale Knights could easily annihilate them.
These Highland Clans had been the most troublesome force for the Vale for thousands of years. Every harvest season, especially when autumn and winter arrived, they would swarm out to plunder the villages around the Vale's river valley, leaving nothing behind.
Historically, several noble castles near the outer reaches of the Brightmoon Mountains had been breached and destroyed by these Mountain Clans. To this day, no family has been able to occupy that area.
Because they rode the unique short-legged, slender horses of the Highland Clans, they could easily traverse the Brightmoon Mountains, whereas the Vale's tall warhorses could not move well within the Brightmoon Mountains.
Therefore, with the exception of a few major noble territories near the coast, almost all families faced the threat of the Highland Clans.
The Vale, with its superior geographical conditions and strong knightly culture, had always maintained a mid-level population among the Seven Kingdoms largely due to the Highland Clans' long-term raids and abductions.
Upon receiving the news, Earl Royce immediately mobilized a thousand knights from Bloodgate and several nearby major families, and they set off in a mighty procession, pursuing the Highland Clans towards High Heart.
Other families, upon hearing the news, also began to converge on the Trident River. They decided to guard it strictly, absolutely not giving those Highland Clans another chance to return to the Brightmoon Mountains.
Because the Highland Clans had not stopped burning, killing, and plundering since Harroway Town, they left clear traces. On the second morning, while they were still plundering a small village, they were already caught by Earl Royce and his men.
Seeing the small village engulfed in flames and filled with screams, the Vale Knights, who already harbored extreme hatred for the Highland Clans, quickly divided into four groups under Earl Royce's command and surrounded the small mountain village.
Accompanied by rising dust and the neighing of warhorses, the knights surged forward like a silver torrent. The Vale Knights were known as the most elite cavalry in the Seven Kingdoms; even with only a little over two hundred knights in each direction, they had the imposing presence of a thousand armies.
Sunlight glinted off their armor and sharp weapons, reflecting dazzling light, and an aura of grim determination sent shivers down one's spine.
The Highland Clans, who were rampaging through the village, had no defenses whatsoever. Thus, facing the well-trained Vale Knights, they appeared utterly powerless. In the charge of the Vale Knights, hardly any Mountain Clansmen could escape.
Wielding long spears, the knights, utilizing the momentum of their warhorses, sent the poorly equipped Highland Clansmen back to their Old Gods' home with a single strike.
Even if some knights were momentarily halted by a few Highland Clansmen working together, their excellent armor helped them withstand the Mountain Clansmen's attacks unscathed. They swung their sharp swords, and with spurts of blood, Highland Clansmen warriors screamed and fell one by one.
Relying on the might of their warhorses and the superiority of their equipment, the Vale Knights were high-spirited, their battle cries deafening, as if a thousand years of accumulated grievances were finally released. When the sun reached its zenith, the area near the small village was almost entirely covered with the bodies of the Highland Clansmen.
Although the Highland Clans warriors were brave, their weapons, equipment, and tactical coordination were inferior to the Vale Knights. They wielded crude weapons, and despite desperately trying to block the Vale Knights' assault, it had little effect.
Except for the skilled fighters within the clans, few were able to survive the charge of the Vale Knights.
Gradually, even the fearless Highland Clansmen began to fall into disarray. They watched as their kin were trampled by hooves and pierced by sharp blades.
Their blood had stained the land, and severed limbs were scattered everywhere. In less than two hours, hundreds of Highland Clansmen from this small village had been cut down by more than half.
The remaining people were demoralized, their eyes filled with fear and despair. Yet, the Vale Knights' offensive showed no signs of slowing, as if they would not rest until the Highland Clans were completely annihilated. In the end, only a dozen or so Highland Clansmen managed to escape.
When the encirclement ended, and Earl Royce ordered his men to clear the bodies, some surviving villagers slowly emerged from the ruins. The small mountain village, which once had a population of several hundred, now had only twenty or thirty survivors.
Looking at their almost completely destroyed homes and their family members lying in pools of blood, they all burst into tears.
Remembering Princess Daniella's instructions in her secret letter, Earl Royce immediately ordered the Vale Knights to help these poor villagers rebuild their homes.
"Villagers, I am Earl Royce of Runestone City in the Vale. I have received orders from Princess Daenerys to clear out bandits in this vicinity. Princess Daenerys also instructed that we help you rebuild your homes within our capabilities."
With the help of over a thousand strong warriors, the bodies of the Highland Clansmen were directly cremated and buried. The murdered villagers were also properly interred with their assistance.
The crude equipment and weapons of the Mountain Clans were given directly to the villagers by Earl Royce. Although these items were not valuable to the knights, they represented a considerable income for the villagers.
Through everyone's efforts, in just one afternoon, the half-destroyed small village was revitalized. The Vale warriors also cut down many trees and helped them build wooden fences around the village, greatly increasing its defenses.
Rejecting the villagers' warm invitation to stay for dinner and spend the night, Earl Royce left them 100 silver deers and continued on his way with his troops.
This undoubtedly made the villagers feel immense gratitude towards the Vale Knights and Princess Daniella.
Because Dona and her group periodically provided Earl Royce with the latest movements of the Mountain Clans, over the next few days, the Vale Knights killed nearly two thousand Mountain Clansmen in total, saving no less than ten small villages.
However, because the Vale Knights had now caught up with the Mountain Clans' trail, they were often apprehended by Earl Royce and his men just as they were about to commit atrocities, which meant they did not cause much harm to those villages.
Under the strong encirclement of the Vale Knights, the remaining Highland Clansmen, numbering less than a thousand, were forced to retreat into the mountains.
Earl Royce had originally intended to use the hundreds of short-legged, slender horses captured from the Highland Clans to continue the pursuit, but unexpectedly, he encountered many members of the Poor Fellows Gathering.
These fanatical followers of the Seven Gods, without distinguishing right from wrong, directly launched an attack on them.
"Kill these executioners! They are all servants of the evil dragon..."
"Kill them..."
Although these members of the Poor Fellows Gathering had no grievances with the Vale Knights, they would not be merciful when faced with people wielding weapons against them.
Therefore, they charged at them mercilessly. The fighting ability of these people was even worse than that of the Highland Clansmen. A Poor Fellows Gathering numbering several hundred surrendered after a hundred of their members were killed by the Vale Knights.
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