Ogarth was organizing his troops and engaging in a mêlée with Jessica's forces. He hadn't expected Jessica's contingent to be so formidable; despite being caught off guard, they were pushing his men back repeatedly.
This was partly due to their own strategy. His own forces had initially intended a feigned retreat, but it had gradually devolved into a genuine one. Although he managed to hold the line, facing the barbarians' fierce assault, he wasn't sure how long they could last.
Seeing his troops on the verge of collapse, he had to be prepared to retreat at any moment.
Just then, the sound of hooves echoed from behind. Ogarth turned to see Pelisa and breathed a sigh of relief, "Pelisa! Where is Lady Mileidy?"
Pelisa laughed heartily, "Aaron subdued Lady Mileidy himself without my intervention. He sent me to hurry and assist you!"
Ogarth inwardly acknowledged how close they had come to disaster.
Pelisa's army soon joined the fray, merging with Ogarth's contingent to launch a fierce onslaught against the barbarians.
The armies of the Saint Romans and the barbarians clashed fiercely on the narrow mountain path. Both sides were equally tenacious, neither willing to yield an inch. Bodies piled up thickly, making it difficult to advance, and the heavy scent of blood assailed them from a distance.
Despite Jessica's ferocity, she couldn't understand why the Saint Roman army seemed to grow in number. Initially, she could count them, but then they appeared in waves, a dense, dark mass covering the mountainside and spreading as far as the eye could see.
Meanwhile, the barbarian rear guard had fallen into a desperate encirclement. If they didn't retreat now, they risked being annihilated by the Saint Roman army.
Though Jessica lacked experience in battle, even a fool would realize that pressing forward was futile at this point. She immediately dared not continue the fight, turning her horse to break through the rear.
In fact, Jessica's rear guard had already been largely devastated by the Saint Roman forces and was continually shrinking.
As Jessica's front line became the rear, the original front line quickly devolved into a rout. Thousands of barbarian troops were completely surrounded by the Saint Roman army.
However, with Jessica present, the barbarians' counterattack was exceptionally fierce. Despite their numerical superiority and overwhelming advantage, the Saint Roman army found themselves in a stalemate with the barbarians.
Jessica, the beloved daughter of the Barbarian King, cherished as the apple of his eye, had never found herself in such dire straits.
Even when Ogarth and Hecaster had planned their breakout years ago, they had not fallen into such a predicament.
The dense, wave upon wave of Saint Roman soldiers attacked the barbarians silently, the quietness stifling. Even when struck down or wounded, they merely grunted, were quickly dragged to the rear, and replaced by other Saint Roman soldiers.
Such stoic and resilient troops exuded a ferocity that radiated from within. Consequently, Jessica fought with increasing panic, feeling a sense of helplessness, her spirit teetering on the brink of collapse. She longed to cry, but she knew she couldn't, for there was no shoulder to lean on.
Just as Jessica felt her taut nerves were about to snap, she suddenly felt the pressure in front of her ease. Jessica took a deep breath, the strong scent of blood filling her nostrils, invigorating her spirit.
She looked up and saw the Saint Roman soldiers who had been locked in close combat with her slowly retreating a few steps, holding their weapons defensively and creating a distance between themselves and her contingent. However, they still watched her intently, showing no intention of lifting the encirclement.
Faced with the chilling discipline of the Saint Roman army, the barbarians dared not attack rashly. They merely held their weapons, tensely confronting the Saint Romans.
The dense sounds of clashing metal behind them further heightened the barbarians' nerves. Clearly, the barbarian forces behind them could not hold out much longer.
But soon, the sounds from the rear gradually subsided. The Saint Roman rear guard, with apparent tacit understanding, also ceased their attack.
Jessica, feeling as if she had been drained of all strength, gasped for breath. Suddenly, she heard a roar from the Saint Roman lines, "Barbarian leader, listen! Our commander wishes to speak with you! Come out and meet him!"
The barbarians' gazes instantly converged on Jessica. Jessica mustered her strength, raised her head, and rode to the front of the formation, proclaiming defiantly, "The leader is here! Speak quickly if you have something to say! Spit it out if you must!" Her voice was clear and resolute.
"Yo! It's you again, girl!"
The对方's flippant voice made Jessica lift her head and look towards the enemy commander, her eyes widening in surprise, "It's you!"
Hecaster said smugly, "Girl, trapped in encirclement, why don't you dismount and surrender?"
Jessica snorted, "Dream on! If you're not satisfied, come out for a one-on-one!"
Although Jessica's words were belligerent, the weariness etched on her face betrayed her.
Hecaster smiled faintly, "Looking at you..."
He shook his head, causing Jessica's small face to flush red. Just as she was about to erupt in anger, Hecaster exhaled, "I have no desire to take advantage of your situation. It's not too late to fight on the battlefield after you've recovered your strength!"
With that, he waved his hand, and the Saint Roman soldiers behind him parted to create a passage: "You may go!"
Upon hearing this, both the barbarian and Saint Roman armies were astonished.
Hearing that Hecaster intended to let her go, the barbarian soldiers exchanged glances. Jessica, even more so, couldn't believe that Hecaster would release her when he held all the advantages. She stared with wide eyes, incredulous, "If you let me go, how will you explain yourself to your Lord Swain?"
Hecaster looked at Jessica casually, "That's not something you need to worry about, young lady."
Jessica glared at Hecaster, snorted, "You don't appreciate kindness! Let's go!"
The barbarian soldiers in front of Jessica exchanged glances. Gathering their courage, they cautiously advanced towards the Saint Roman formation. Although the Saint Romans held their spears and swords, they made no move to attack the barbarians.
Only then did Jessica lead her horse towards the Saint Roman ranks. As she passed Hecaster, she stopped her horse, looked at his profile, and asked, "Why are you letting me go?"
Hecaster shrugged dismissively, "This general does not fight women. Since you refuse to surrender, I had no choice but to let you go!"
Jessica was amused by Hecaster's teasing words and let out a chuckle. Realizing her laughter was inappropriate, she coughed twice and said seriously, "Alright! This young lady will remember this kindness! If I capture you next time, this young lady will also let you go once!"
Hecaster looked at Jessica earnestly, "Then how do we settle the last time?"
Jessica rolled her eyes at Hecaster, "Greedy! I can't be bothered with you!"
With that, she rode away without looking back.
After the barbarian army had passed through the Saint Roman encirclement, Hecaster called out loudly, "Hey!"
Jessica turned her head, her long hair cascading like a waterfall in the sunlight, stunning Hecaster for a moment, leaving him momentarily dazed.
Jessica's large eyes flickered as she stared at Hecaster, "What is it?"
Hecaster collected himself, coughed twice, and said, "Tomorrow, bring the prisoner you captured yesterday to exchange for Lady Mileidy!"
Jessica's body stiffened, her gaze fixed on Hecaster, her eyes filled with astonishment, "You captured our... our Lady Mileidy?"
In fact, it wasn't just Jessica; the barbarian soldiers behind her also wore expressions of disbelief and shock.
Hecaster nodded. Jessica’s face hardened, and she gritted her teeth, "If you dare to harm Lady Mileidy in the slightest, I will never forgive you!"
Hecaster said proudly, "Are we, the Saint Roman army, a cruel force that slaughters the innocent?"
Jessica considered the Saint Roman army's conduct up to that point and slowly nodded, "Alright! Tomorrow, we shall exchange generals on the battlefield!"
Ogarth arrived at the front lines and stood shoulder to shoulder with Hecaster, watching the retreating barbarian army, he said, "What a pity!"
Hecaster nodded, "If the Barbarian King had arrived a moment later, we could have annihilated the main barbarian force."
It turned out that despite the Saint Roman army's apparent advantage and being on the verge of destroying Jessica's forces, the reality was not so simple.
Hecaster had already received news from scouts that the Barbarian King, Sain, had organized his forces and led his army out of the city. They would reach the battlefield within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, at which point Hecaster's contingent would be caught in a pincer movement.
It was precisely because Xiao Xun had made such arrangements beforehand that Hecaster dared to release Jessica's contingent in front of the Saint Roman army. Otherwise, even if given ten times the courage, he would not have dared to collude with the enemy and let the tiger return to the mountains.
Xiao Xun looked at the female general standing tall before him. She possessed the demeanor of a master. Although captured, her face still held an expression of pride, seemingly unconcerned about her predicament.