Ch. 137 - A Tentative Attack

Standing atop the castle walls in full armor, Grand Duke observed the vast plain before him, filled with an overwhelming force of fifty thousand enemy soldiers. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he gazed at the sheer numbers. While he was confident that the fortress could hold out for at least half a year, facing an enemy force twice their size made him uneasy.

Among the armored masses, a sea of banners displayed various insignias. As the flag bearing a bear's head at its forefront swayed, the entire fifty thousand-strong army came to a halt, leaving only three miles between them and the fortress. Faintly visible at the front were King Philip of Malta and King Lex of Aixinzhe, both assessing the heavily fortified stronghold.

Philip, with his black and white beard quivering, examined the towering walls that reached twenty meters in height. He looked at the fortress that would soon be under attack, his eyes scanning the enemy forces assembled to face him.

Meanwhile, Lex, with his distinctive purple hair, approached eagerly. He scrutinized the colossal walls before him, standing at a staggering twenty meters in height, his voice tinged with anticipation as he said, "It's getting late. Let's give Victoria a welcome gift." Philip nodded in agreement. The two of them exchanged glances and simultaneously raised their hands, bringing them down with a forceful motion.

Beside them, the standard-bearers received the command and began to wave their flags vigorously. The vast army quickly scattered, and some militia, dressed in plain attire resembling commoners, pushed numerous wagons filled with various wooden pieces and ropes to the front. They then proficiently began assembling and constructing the pieces.

Upon witnessing this scene, the doppelganger standing on the city wall and the soldiers couldn't help but wear troubled expressions. These were clearly massive trebuchets being constructed!

In no time, colossal trebuchets, each towering seven meters in height, were assembled. They were displayed in front of the army in a neat formation, resembling rows of stone statues. Seven-meter trebuchets were already among the largest available, and due to their immense weight and the enormous space required for their operation, it was impossible to install them on the city wall. Instead, the attacking side could employ these trebuchets to gain a strategic advantage.

As they witnessed around fifty of these gigantic trebuchets, the soldiers on the city wall became increasingly anxious. Unconsciously, they raised their shields to protect themselves and alleviate their unease. With the sun on the castle's edge gradually sinking, casting a dusky light over the battlefield, an indistinct command was heard from the opposite side, accompanied by a cacophony. A large group of militia laboriously piled massive stone blocks, loading them onto the trebuchet's throwing pouches. The war began with the flags in the hands of the standard bearers swaying.

Fifty colossal trebuchets, one after another, started swinging their enormous arms, launching terrifying boulders that soared through the air, heading straight toward the fortress!

"Dodge!" Upon seeing the enlarging boulders in mid-air, including the doppelganger, all the commanders immediately shouted at the top of their lungs. The soldiers swiftly crouched down, seeking refuge behind the parapets, trying to shield themselves from the stone barrage. However, against boulders as large as a person, their armor and the parapets proved woefully inadequate.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The boulders pounded the castle walls, sending a shower of debris flying. They even left faint, nearly invisible cracks on the walls. Worse yet, some of the boulders sailed over the walls, rolling down the uneven stone surface. They shattered the parapets, swallowing five or six spearmen hiding behind them in the shadow of the stones. Not a single scream was heard as only bloodstains and armor fragments remained. The boulders that crossed the walls crashed down onto the stone-paved road below, pounding a residential building, reducing it to rubble. "Ah!! Help!" "Ahhh!"

Short, frantic screams echoed as the archers waiting on the streets and rooftops and the soldiers on the city walls were indiscriminately crushed by the boulders. Some even flattened entire houses! A haze of dust enveloped the area. Soldiers cried out for help everywhere. Quick-thinking veterans immediately worked together to lift and carry the wounded but still living soldiers lying in pools of blood to the nearest gathering of priests for treatment. The once blue-gray walls now bore streaks of red, like a mischievous child wielding a red paintbrush.

Some good friends who had been talking about their future just moments ago now stared blankly at the bloodstained spots where their friends had been. Fear, the fear of their lives being threatened, shrouded these new recruits. However, they remained silent, as this was a reality they had prepared for. Before each of them departed for this campaign, they had imagined death and the cruelty and despair of war. But when war truly came, it was sudden and cold, catching them off guard.

However, war never waited for anyone. Just as these soldiers were still reeling from the first wave of attacks, the enemy militia once again pulled back their wooden poles, and massive boulders were placed on top of them. Accompanied by the creaking of the wooden poles and the setting sun in the west, another wave of stones filled with death's cries hurtled toward the city walls! Boom! Another torrent of stones was catapulted into the air, and a cloud of dust rose as they impacted the city walls. At this moment, Count Carmon, clad in full armor, ascended the city gate. Drawing his sword, he shouted in anger, "Ballistae, ready, aim skyward!"

The soldiers who received the command immediately busied themselves, rotating the windlasses on one ballista after another. They adjusted the aim to the sky and placed long, beam-like bolts, each as thick as a roof beam, into the ballistae. Soldiers were ready, eagerly and filled with the desire to kill, all looking towards the city gate, where Count Carmon stood like a war god.

"Don't hesitate! Fire! Let these scoundrels witness the power of Kasmi!" With Count Carmon's thunderous command, his sword pointed directly at the enemy trebuchets. The soldiers, having suffered two rounds of attacks, immediately released the tension in the windlass. The massive ballistae drew the long strings tight and launched a barrage of bolts into the sky. In mid-air, the bolt swarm descended like a massive hand, heading towards the arrayed trebuchets!

Boom! Boom! Boom! With tremendous force, the bolts pounded the trebuchets, which had been weakened by the previous attacks. These war machines, originally deemed invincible, now appeared frail and powerless against such an assault. "Retreat! That's it for today."

Seeing their trebuchets being shattered after just one round of ballista fire, King Philip immediately issued the order to pull back. On the side, King Lex, who had been observing from a distance, couldn't help but chuckle and said, "It seems like Victoria has turned the tables with that one." "Rest assured, in a siege, there won't be a quiet few months. This is just the beginning. They'll bask in the short-lived joy of victory and then face ruthless defeat," Philip declared as he retreated with a large portion of his forces, setting up camp ten miles away.

The enemy was retreating, and this brought immense relief to all the soldiers. It meant they had successfully defended against the first wave. Everyone rejoiced and exchanged hearty laughter, releasing the fear that had gripped them just moments before.

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