Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty-One

Once he made up his mind to intervene in this matter, Vipond became more and more eager to see Kyle's plan, but the time spent on this plan was not three hours, but more than three days.In response to Vipond's repeated urging and request for at least a rough idea, Kyle replied: "Do you want it immediately? Or do you want something good?" Vipond has always been calm and resourceful, but this time he did not. Uncharacteristically impatient, both because the deaths of the villagers disturbed him deeply, and because the massacre confirmed the reports given by the heretic refugees from the north.Brizka's glove deeply stimulated Viponder, as if all the evil and hatred in the world had taken form with this glove, whether it was its exquisite design, meticulous sewing, or the ingenious combination of blade and leather. The exquisite craftsmanship of the connection reflects this.In particular, he has always believed that he has enough insight into the world and people's hearts, and he is basically cynical and definitely pessimistic.He doesn't have much hope in people, and his judgment is almost never wrong. The killing and cruelty in this world are not news to him.However, this pair of gloves has witnessed terrible things unimaginable to human beings. It is as if Hell, whom he regarded as a lie to scare children and has not thought about it for a long time, suddenly sent a messenger. This messenger has no horns and hooves, but Appeared in the form of a pair of exquisitely crafted gloves.

It is not an easy task for Vipond to influence the strategy of the Materaz military, because the latter attaches great importance to its decision-making power in the military, even to the point of hysteria.Vipond is not a soldier, but he is a politician, and this identity will also arouse suspicion from others.There was another problem. The marshal's health was declining. What had been a nagging throat discomfort had turned into a chest infection, leaving him increasingly weak and unable to attend the countless preparation meetings.Vipond had to deal with this new reality, even if it was only temporary.But he has always been good at dancing with his sleeves, and this crisis is no exception.When Materaz's reconnaissance team lost the Templars in the Hessel Forest, the military didn't pay much attention to it. From their point of view, the enemy's whereabouts were very clear, and they must have gone to the road leading to the scab. the only path.

It was at that time that Vipond had a secret meeting with Amos Nasses, the deputy commander of the Materaz army, and informed him that his own news network had obtained the true intention of the Templar army, but due to various complications He had no intention of revealing his involvement in the matter.If General Nasses presented this information himself at the meeting, the credit would be entirely his own, and if the general wanted to, he would also provide the battle plan.Vipond realized that General Nasses was suffering at this time.He's not stupid, but he's just passing the grade, and the Marshal's health is terrible, and he's stressed out by the realization that it's his duty to take command of the entire campaign.Although he won't admit it to anyone, in his heart, he has no confidence in it.In order to get his full cooperation, Vipond made a promise in a roundabout way but made it clear that he would change the tax law, which would greatly benefit Nases, and promised to resolve a protracted estate lawsuit for him. Enormous, Nases had been wrestling with it for twenty years, and it looked like he was about to lose.

But the General wasn't exactly a greedy man, and even he couldn't accept a plan that would put the entire empire in jeopardy.He had spent hours studying Viponder's plan, that of Kyle, and finally realized that his own financial interests and military conscience did not conflict in the matter.Whoever made the plan, he told Vipond, knew what he was doing.He condescends not very sincerely, expressing his embarrassment to take credit for others, but Vipond reassures him, saying that this plan is the crystallization of collective wisdom, and in any case, what is really rare is the leadership of those responsible for carrying out the plan ability.In every respect, the plan belonged to Nasses, inside and out.By the time the General presented it and defended it before the Council of War, much argument was not needed to convince the members, for the vanished Templar Army appeared where Narcesus had predicted.

There was once a famous saying: If the war is not so expensive that people will go bankrupt, people will not stop.Well said, but people always seem to forget that, while wars can be just and unjust, they are never cheap.The trouble with the Materaz was that the empire's most professional financiers were Jewish.The Jews are very alert to other people's wars, because no matter what the outcome of the war is, they are usually unlucky.If they lent money to the defeated side, they were never paid back, but if they lent money to the victorious side, they were held responsible for the war in the first place and should therefore be expelled.As a result, there is no longer any need to pay them back.Hence, the promises made by the Materaz to the Jews to pay back their loans after the war were not so sincere, and the Jews were equally dishonest in declaring that such huge amounts of money would be difficult to raise and would only be possible by paying high interest rates.It was during such tug-of-war negotiations that Hare Katie saw a business opportunity and proposed to bear all the military expenses of the Materaz people.The news came as a relief to Jews who saw Cat City as an unclean thing before their gods.As we all know, even if they pay the price of deportation, the Jews will not do business with the owners of Cat City.From Kitty Hare's side, it was the Materaz people who worried him even more.For all his bribery, extortion, and political interference, he also knew that public opinion in Memphis was increasingly unfavorable to the Cats, and that sooner or later the authorities would take action against him.His wishful thinking was that such an emotionally charged battle would come at just the right time, enough to put aside the moral condemnation leveled at him.By financing what he thought must be a brief war, Katie Hare had reason to believe that the money out of his pocket would buy him peace for a considerable period of time.

With the money and the guidance of Nases' great strategy, the Materaz people were finally ready to face the Temple.As a result, 40,000 heavily armed soldiers set off amidst the sound of farewell from the crowd.It is said that the marshal will rendezvous with the troops after completing the strategic plan.But this statement is not true.In fact, the field marshal suffered from a chest infection that seriously affected his health and made him unable to participate in this war at all. The Templars, on the other hand, fared far worse.Dysentery broke out in the army, killing few but debilitating large numbers of soldiers.To add insult to injury, their original plan to lure Materaz's army to wait in front of the scab while they themselves advanced in the opposite direction had apparently failed.As soon as they emerged from the Hessel Forest, they found a Materaz advance force of more than 2,000 people trailing all the way on the other side of the Osas River.Since then, every step of the Templars has been under the scrutiny of the Materaz, and the information was quickly sent to General Nasses.

To Princepes' surprise no steps were taken to intercept his army, which had advanced nearly sixty miles in less than three days.At this time, dysentery had weakened the physical strength of more than half of the soldiers, so he decided to rest for half a day at Point Mills.He sent messengers to the town, threatening to massacre the town, as in the village of Montenuquiente, but if they surrendered unconditionally and provided food for the troops, they would escape.The townspeople complied.The next morning, the Templars left the town and continued towards the mouth of the Balin River.Realizing the deterrent effect of the massacre on the minds of the local population, Princepus sent a detachment of two hundred men to lead the charge, and in like manner secured a constant supply of food for his still weak troops.Much of the food was much better than what they were used to, which was a big morale boost.

So far, Kael's strategic plan for a tentative assault on the Materaz Empire has been effective, but the area they are now entering is only roughly marked in the Templar Library's texts.One of the most important goals of this strategy was to take twenty cartographers with the army, divide them into ten separate groups, and map in as much detail as possible the areas that the Temple would attack in the coming year.The three advance cartographic teams had not yet returned, and Princepus was entering an area of ​​which he had only a vague notion.The next day, Princepus wanted to lead the team across the Osas River from White Beach, but the number of enemy troops following on the other side had increased to 5,000.He was forced to abandon this plan, the road ahead was difficult, and the few villages that could have been used for supplies were evacuated by the Materaz, and everything useful was removed.

In the next two days, the Templars continued to advance, and their anxiety in finding a way to cross the river became more and more anxious, while the Materaz army on the other side tried their best to prevent them from crossing the river.Plagued by food scarcity and dysentery, Princepus' army grew exhausted and enfeebled with the passage of time, and could only march ten miles a day.But they soon turned around.The scouts captured a local cattle herder and his family.The cattleman, who was eager to save his family, told them that there was an abandoned ford, and it was estimated that even a large army could cross the river through it.The reconnaissance team called to report that crossing the river was not easy, and it would take a lot of work to restore the shoal, but it was indeed a feasible route.Also, there was no one there to watch.It was a good thing, and the vast swamp across the Osas forced the Materaz scouts to stay far from the river bank and out of sight.The Templars, who were almost completely desperate, suddenly saw hope.In less than two hours, they built a bridgehead on the other side of the river, and the rest of them took the time to build bridges with stones removed from surrounding houses.Before noon, the preparations for crossing the river were completed, and the main force began to cross the Osas River.As the sun went down, the last soldier was on the other side.Although a small number of Materaz people appeared in the distance at the last moment of crossing the river, they did not take any action and only reported the situation to General Nasses.

The next day, after a three-mile march, the Templars saw what Prince knew was the end.The muddy road was trampled like plowed field, and the bushes had been rolled down ten yards on either side—apparently tens of thousands of Materaz had passed before them.Realizing that an army many times their size was waiting between them and the mouth of the Balin River, Princepes took every measure imaginable to protect the intelligence that had been at the heart of Kyle's plan.He ordered the remaining cartographers to make as many copies of the map as possible, and then changed faces and fled in twelve different directions, hoping that at least one would survive to bring the map back to the temple.He said a short mass and set off with his party.For two days, except for the muddy road ahead, they found no movement or trace of the enemy.Then, it started to rain heavily and the temperature was very low.The Templars climbed the steep hill against the wind and rain. At this time, they were still able to maintain order, but after crossing the hill and entering the flat ground, the Materaz army appeared in front of them.At the same time, more soldiers were pouring out from the valleys on both sides.The rain stopped, the sun came back into the sky, and the Materazs unfurled their banners, red, blue, and gold banners waving majesticly in the wind, and the silver armor of the soldiers shone brightly in the sun.

Although General Princepes tried his best to avoid a direct confrontation, this disparate encounter was inevitable.Just not on the day.It was almost dark, and the Materaz people had successfully injected the fear of defeat and death into the hearts of the Templars, so they stopped pressing that day and retreated a little to the north.Seeing the enemy's actions, Princepes ordered each archer to cut a six-foot-long stick from the trees on both sides for defensive purposes. Afterwards, the Templars also retreated a little and set up camp. There is hardly any cover to be found.Fearing a nighttime raid by the Materaz, Princepes ordered that no fire should be lit, lest the position of the camp should be revealed.Wet, cold, and hungry, the Redeemers lay down on the spot, repented, prayed, and waited to die.Princes walked among them, handing out metal badges of St. Jude, the saint who protects the defeated.He and everyone, from the two bishops leading the army down to the diggers, prayed for himself and for all souls. "Remember, brothers," he said with emotion to each redeemer and soldier, "we were dust, and to dust we shall return." "We will all be dust by this time tomorrow," said one of the monks, at which Princeppus unexpectedly laughed. "Is that you, Dunbar?" "It's me," Dunbar replied. "Well, you're right." Most of the Materaz were within half a mile of the Templars, and they had a roaring bonfire, and the Redeemers could be heard singing, cursing the Templars as the night wore on , and the usual voices of conversation could be heard in the quiet air, though the words were not well understood.Sergeant Major Trevor Bell was temporarily transferred to General Nasses' command for this campaign. At this time, he was lying on the ground less than fifty yards away from the Templars, ready to move. Afflicted by the clammy rain and hunger, and worried about the unknown fate that awaited him, the miserable Father Colm Malik made his way to one of the few tents carried by the Fourth Army. "Anyway," he thought, "it's your own fault. Who asked you to volunteer here? You could have been safe in the Temple kicking the asses of the monks." He ducked into the tent and saw Vidal Brizka staring at a boy sitting on the ground.The boy was about fourteen years old, with his hands bound behind his back, and a strange expression on his face—pale, understandably frightened, but also one that Malick wasn't sure about.Maybe it's hatred. "You want to see me, Redeemer." "Yes, Malik," Brizka said, "I want you to do me a favor." Malik nodded, his lackluster face perfectly placed, showing reluctance without offending Brizka. "The boy was sent by the Materaz, either as a spy or as an assassin, because he told me that he was a witness to the events at Montenuguint. He must be dealt with." "What do you want me to do?" Malik was really puzzled, not prevarication. "I had just received forgiveness from the Archbishop himself for all my sins before the sentinels caught him and brought him here." "Oh." "Apparently you don't understand yet. Killing an unarmed man, no matter how well he deserved it, requires a formal pardon. I can't kill him myself and then ask for a pardon from His Excellency--he'll think me an idiot. Have you ever repented?" "not yet." "Then you'll be all right. Take him into the woods and dispose of him." "Can't you find someone else?" "No. Go ahead." So Malik had no choice but to lead the petrified boy through the camp that was soaked in drizzle, through countless mumbling monks, and finally crossed the cordon of sentries and entered the nearby woods.With every step, Malik's heart sank a little, until it sank into his wet boots: it was one thing to kick the asses of the assistants and spank them, another to cut a child's neck, and even more so. Not to mention the fact that he had witnessed an atrocity that made him sick to think he had anything to do with it, and that was unacceptable to him.And tomorrow, he will go to see the Creator.As soon as he entered the woods and was out of the sight of others, he grabbed the boy and said in a low voice, "I'll let you go. Listen, you run in that direction and don't look back. Got it?" "Understood," the boy replied in horror.Malik cut the ropes that bound the boy's wrists and watched him sobbing as he staggered off into the darkness.He waited for a few more minutes to make sure that the child would not be frightened, and bumped into the police line again.By tomorrow, it doesn't matter if someone finds out.Perhaps such an act of kindness would atone for the many sins he had committed against the young man, and Malik headed towards the camp, finding Sergeant Major Trevor Bell on the point of his knife. Kyle was up long before the first light of dawn, and slowly, it was dawning, first with Henry Vague, then with Kleist, and finally, at dawn, with Idris Pook.They stood on the top of Silbury Hill, from where they could clearly see the entire battlefield.Strictly speaking, Silbury Hill is not really a mountain, but is in fact a great mound of earth, raised by some long-forgotten man for some purpose now unknown.The flat top provides an excellent viewing platform, and not only the sentry can monitor the enemy's movements - in fact, the terrain where the Materaz army is located makes the battlefield situation unobstructed - there are also many people watching the battle in the palace : Diplomats, military staff, important non-military figures, and even noble Materaz women.One of them was Abel Materaz.She came despite her father and Kyle adamantly disapproving of her watching the battle, believing that she would be a prime target for the Sanctuary, and that no one would be able to ensure her safety in the foggy, chaotic battlefield.She reasoned that the presence of other Materaz women would make her absence shameful, not to mention that the war was to save her life.People risked their lives for her, and her absence could only be interpreted as cowardice.The day before the battle, they were still arguing about this matter, and the marshal did not back down until General Nasses reconfirmed the enemy's inferiority in numbers and combat power and the security provided by Silbury Hill.Silbury Hill is very steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and can retreat quickly and safely.In this regard, Kyle has nothing to do, but he has already planned to take her away immediately if there is any danger, even if he needs to force her.However, after seeing the battle array in the morning, most of the anxiety in his heart disappeared. The battlefield is triangular in shape.The Silbury Hill where Kyle was standing was at the lower left corner of the triangle, the Materaz army of about 45,000 people spread out at the lower right corner, and the Templars occupied the apex of the triangle.On both sides of the triangle are deep, almost impenetrable woods, almost blue-black when viewed from a distance. The woods enclose a large field, most of which have been recently plowed, but there is still a bright yellow stubble of grain, marking the Follow the position of the Materaz army.They estimated the distance between the two armies to be nine hundred yards. "How many do you think they have?" Kyle asked Henry vaguely, nodding towards the Templars. It was half a minute before Henry answered. "About five thousand archers. There may have been nineteen hundred infantrymen." "Leave it to Nases," Idris Puk said with a yawn. "The Templars have no retreat, and if they attack under such disparity, Nases will tear them to pieces. I'm going to have breakfast." Kleist went with him, an old The servant was blowing the fire, his face as red as a lobster, and beside him was a plate full of fried eggs and a piece of prosciutto as big as a horse's leg.While they were standing there watching, a certain lady's setter also ran over, wagging its tail and trying to divide the meat. In the Materaz camp below the mountain, no one gave Nasses anything except headaches.Although his general plan won widespread support and respect, these men were all experienced and skilled generals.Over the past twenty years, they had become accustomed to the absolute authority of the Marshal in military matters.Unfortunately, His Majesty was absent from this battle, which brought to the surface a long-standing and insoluble battle.To make matters worse, Nasses had to adjust his battle plan three times due to the changing situation—even great generals sometimes had to do this.This meant that some nobles who had been assigned important positions on the front lines were asked to accept less prominent but equally crucial rear positions.But to those nobles, the adjustment was an insult and a devaluation of the cause to which they had devoted their lives, and to them the strength and honor achieved in battle was the meaning of their existence.The cleverness of this strategy is precisely to trap the enemy in a narrow place so that it cannot be used, but now a new trouble has appeared. There are so many nobles with experience, skills and courage, but there are not enough places to place them. What's more, everyone has enough reasons to believe that they are the most competent candidates, and stepping aside for peace of mind will endanger the empire that everyone is willing to protect with their reputation and life.Everyone's words make sense, and it's hard to refute them.Only the Marshal, with all his diplomatic skills and years of authority, could have brought about an arrangement that would make everyone obedient, and Nasses, though competent, was neither.In the end, he decided that all the most powerful nobles would lead their respective troops at the front, while those generals whom he felt he could offend would be placed in secondary positions.This deployment made the combat sequence extremely complicated, but this was already the best plan he could come up with.To make matters worse, the situation became increasingly chaotic as more nobles arrived, all demanding their befitting roles in this great event.The only consolation to Narcesus is that, although the problems faced by Princepes are much simpler, the situation on his side is also much worse.He pretended to check the enemy's formation, and left the general's white battalion and its endless strife.It was at this time that he saw Simon Materaz in full body armor. He was demonstrating the few sword moves he had just learned to a dozen soldiers, which caused quite a commotion.Seeing this, Nasses immediately pulled an attendant aside, and whispered to him: "Hurry up and get your majesty's mentally handicapped son to the rear, and find someone to watch him until the war is over. Lose your life." To be on the safe side, he kept watching his subordinates take away the furious but helpless Simon.Koolhouse just went to find water to drink, and did not see this scene. Kyle and Vague Henry were still standing there observing and thinking, but no matter what they thought, no matter how they looked for countermeasures from the standpoint of Prince, it was still Yufa who overturned Idris Puke's conclusion.They started to feel less nervous. "This is actually your strategy," Henry looked at the majestic army and flying flags below with admiration. "It's my idea. Nases is the one who made it happen. It looks fine. It's just a little too crowded. Too crowded." Thinking of the not-so-optimistic prospect that the Templars below will face, he feels satisfy. Even so, as they watched the Templars begin to line up, they were filled with an unpleasant mix of hatred and fear.The infantry of the temple was divided into three parts, separated by a small part of cavalry in the middle.There are also archers on the left and right sides. Despite harboring bad feelings about the Temple, Kyle and Vague Henry could see how bad their situation was.So far they had barely eaten, and it was wet and cold—steamed up on them as the sun moved.Those with dysentery were even worse—with no chance of leaving the battlefield, they had to deal with it on the spot.And all of this happened in front of enemies who were well equipped, full of wine and food, and far outnumbered their own.Just think about how uncomfortable it is. Below, the infantry of the Materaz people is roughly divided into four groups, all of which are fully clothed (but many are not fully prepared), each with more than 8,000 soldiers.There are about 1,200 cavalry on both sides and the rear of the four divisions.The front line hadn't been formed yet - lots of people were still sitting on the ground eating and drinking, and there was shouting, laughing, and cheering everywhere, as people jumped and shoved to get into the front seats.A sheep and a horse were roasted, and the smoke evaporated with the steam from the kettle.Some people were too emotional to bear to continue to eat and drink sitting cross-legged on the stubble without wearing their lower body armor. They got up and dressed, took a good position, and pushed forward hard, trying to get closer, but these pushing and pushing did not arrive disorderly. to the point of giving rise to any violent conflict. Two hours later, still nothing happened.Pale-faced Abel joined them, along with Idris Pook and Kleist, already full, and Reba.Despite losing a lot of weight over the past few months, Reba is still a stark contrast to her mistress.She was almost eight inches shorter than Abel, with black hair and brown eyes with rounded curves, while Abel was blond and tall and slender.They looked as different as doves and swans. Anxious Abel asked them what they thought of the war, and all agreed that Materaz would be able to stop, because sooner or later Princepes would have to attack.No matter how Kyle viewed it, the prospects for the Templars were hopeless. "Has anyone seen Simon?" Abel asked. "He must be with His Majesty," replied Idris Puke.These days, Simon and the Marshal are inseparable. "It's almost like father and son," Kleist joked, with Abel behind his back.But Abel was still worried, and she sent two servants to confirm where Simon was.At this moment, five soldiers came towards them on horseback.One of them was Cohen Materaz.He hadn't been near Kyle since the last conflict. "I am here on the orders of General Nasseth to confirm your safety." "I'm safe. Have you seen my brother?" "Yes. I think it was him—about an hour ago. He was in the White Camp with the idiot who translated for him." "You have no right to say that about Koolhouse. Please go find Simon and bring him here." After she finished speaking, she turned around and gave the same instructions to the two servants, sending them to the White Camp. Until then, Cohen Materaz looked at Kyle. "I bet you're safe here." Kyle ignored him.So he turned to Kleist. "What about you? If you have more seeds, don't sit here, let us help you, and I will find you a place on the front line." Kleist put on a look of interest. "Okay," he replied happily. "I still have something to do here, why don't you go first, and I'll find you in a few minutes?" Cohen had no sense of humor, but even he could hear people making fun of him. "You guys who put on airs at least have the courage to fight for themselves, unlike the three of you who only dare to stand here and let us fight for you." "Well," Kronst's tone seemed to be explaining to a mentally handicapped person, "Since there is a dog, why do you have to bark yourself?" But Cohen is not so easily irritated, or he is born with such high self-esteem that he doesn't care about such sarcasm at all. "You have more reason than any of us to be in today's fight. If you think that's funny, then I don't need to listen to a clown to judge what kind of people you are." After reaching this conclusion, he turned his horse's head and left.In fact, his words basically had no effect on vague Henry, and even less on Kleist, but it touched Kyle's sore spot.The victory over Solomon Solomon had shown him that his skill depended on a terrible force that could come and go at any moment.What's the use of having that talent if it's going to be dispelled by panic?He knew that the reason why he stayed on the top of the mountain was because this war was not strictly his war, and responsibility and love also required him to protect Abel Materaz, but there was another reason, that is, he I still remember the trembling, weakness and a little bit of broken will - the despair born of feeling scared and vulnerable. Another visitor came to the top of Silbury Hill, and his presence among the great men on the summit caused a commotion.The visitor had come to the foot of the hill in a large carriage, but had replaced it with a covered sedan chair, the kind that the Mme de Materazzi used when going out of the narrow streets of the old town where carriages could not pass.Eight people carried the sedan chair, obviously exhausted, and ten bodyguards followed. "Who's that?" Kyle asked Idris Pook. "Well, I can't say I'm one to be surprised, but this was a surprise." "Could it be the Ark of the Covenant?" "Look down, don't look up. If anyone can control the devil, here's the one who can. It's Katie the Hare." Kyle was taken aback.He stared at the ten bodyguards for a while, and then said, "They look pretty good." "Naturally, they are Laconic's mercenaries. The asking price is not cheap." "What's he doing here? I've always thought he was a little bit of a dragon." "Go ahead and talk sarcastic. If you really meet Katie, you will regret it. He probably came to see his investment. Besides, you can witness history today without taking any risks." While the two were talking, the door of the sedan chair opened and a man came out.Kyle grunted in disappointment. "That's not Katie," Idris Puke said. "Thank goodness, the devil should look like a devil too." "Sometimes I forget that you're only a child. If you ever meet that person," Idris Puke added, nodding his head at the man, "Remember, kid, play somewhere else go." "Now you scare me to death." "Don't be ignorant. That man is Daniel Cadbury. Go to Dr. Johnson's dictionary and you'll find his name under the entry for 'hawk dog.' Look up 'assassin', 'murderer' and ' Sheep thief'. But he's a charming guy - so obsessive that you think he'd lend you his anus to pull your shit out between his ribs." Kyle was still thinking about this interesting comment, and saw Cadbury walking towards them with a big smile on his face. "Long time no see, Idris Puke. Still busy?" "Hello, Cadbury. Are you going to strangle a bunch of orphans today?" Cadbury smiled, and seemed genuinely unfazed by Idris Puke's nasty joke.He was quite tall, so he had to bow his head when he cast his admiring gaze on Kyle. "Your friend is quite a character, isn't he? You must be Kyle," he said, suggesting that "it was Kyle" was a big deal. "I was in the Red Pavilion when you killed Solomon Solomon .If he had been a good man. Nothing like that would have happened. Great, young man, great. After this trouble is over, we must have lunch together.” After he finished speaking, he bowed respectfully, As if Kyle was someone of his stature and worthy of his respect, he turned away and sat back in his sedan chair. "He seems nice," Kyle contradicts Idris. "He'll be kind until he gets an assignment and has to slit your throat with deepest regret." Henry yelled vaguely.The Templars began to move.About ten people lined up, and five thousand archers and nineteen hundred infantry moved forward slowly.They advanced fifty yards to the edge of the plow, which was almost followed by Materaz's army at the other end, and then they stopped and the Redeemers in the front row knelt. "For God's sake, what are they for?" Idris Puke wondered. "Take a bite of dirt," Kyle replied, "to remind them that people are dirt and will return to dirt." After the first row stood up and walked into the plowed field, the second row followed, knelt down, ate a mouthful of soil, stood up, walked forward, and followed behind.In less than five minutes, the entire Templar reverted to their loose order of battle, marching slowly, one foot high and one foot low, over the uneven ground.All the Materaz army and the spectators on Silbury Hill could do was watch and wait. "When are they going to pick up the pace and attack?" Idris Puk asked. "Not accelerating at all," said vaguely Henry. "The Materaz people don't use archers, so what is their killing range? Six feet? There is no need to rush forward." The Templars have marched for five minutes, and the distance from the front line of Materaz was nine One hundred yards, now only two hundred yards left.At the order of the centurions, the whole procession stopped.