The Fall of Bertley Fortress

Looking at the information about Flying Bear Fortress in his hand, Hudson nodded in satisfaction. There was no other reason than its antiquity.

On the Aslant Continent, power is what matches antiquity.

The Elvin Family, who were granted fiefdoms here, have been in power for over forty generations. In terms of strength, they have consistently ranked among the top noble families in the Moxi Duchy.

The fortified lair of the old nobles is undoubtedly well-defended.

Even the ancient nobility eventually run out of luck, Viscount John, the current patriarch of the Elvin Family, is one such unlucky fellow.

When Augsburg fell, as part of the support team, they unfortunately encountered Beastfolk in the wild.

Not only did he die in battle, but the family's private army he led was also almost completely wiped out, leading to the decline of the Elvin Family.

The decision by the high command of the Moxi Duchy to abandon the rescue of Augsburg was also directly related to this battle.

The feudal nobles suffered heavy losses, but the defenses still had to be held.

The task of defending Flying Bear Fortress naturally fell to the Duchy.

"Viscount Racquel, why do you look so pale?"

Hudson asked, puzzled.

Being stationed in a heavily fortified area like Flying Bear Fortress seems like a pretty good job.

Even if you're not celebrating, there's no need to put on a deadpan face.

Perhaps startled by his words, Viscount Racquel hurriedly explained:

"I apologize, Count Hudson, I just lost my composure."

My elder brother was not present at today's meeting.

As the commander of the main army corps, he shouldn't have been absent from such a meeting.

If someone who shouldn't be absent is absent, it's either because something came up or something happened.

Judging from the situation at the front, no bad news has been received, so it is highly likely that they are besieged by the Beastfolk army.

As a second-generation heir, Rackel wasn't truly ignorant; he was well aware of what this meant.

Although he became the heir to the title after his elder brother's accident, his brother also took the family's most elite troops with him on this expedition.

If an accident were to occur, the family's strength would inevitably suffer a severe blow.

For a large family, once its vitality is severely damaged, it is often the beginning of its decline from prosperity.

Rackel was self-aware and fully aware that the worst-case scenario had occurred, and he was not capable of turning the tide.

This is just the family; looking at it on a larger scale, the fate of the Moxi Duchy is also uncertain, and the slightest misstep could lead to its demise.

Hudson could only express his sympathy for this turn of events.

Surrounded by the Beastfolk army, they had no better option than to fight to the death.

The only way to obtain reinforcements is to drag the war into the later stages when reinforcements from various countries arrive.

"Don't worry, based on past experience, the risk of being besieged by Beastfolk army is not too great."

Unless it's a strategically vital location like Augsburg, heavily fortified by a large military stronghold, the probability of withstanding an attack by Beastfolk army is at least 60%.

As soon as he finished speaking, Hudson realized something was wrong. It seemed that his words of comfort had backfired.

A probability of over 60% applies to the Alpha Kingdom, which has extensive experience in being besieged, but it doesn't mean the Moxi Duchy can do the same.

Since the start of the war, no fortress in the Moxi Duchy has been able to withstand an enemy siege for six months.

Even the best-performing city only lasted less than three months after being besieged by the Beastfolk army.

Of course, this is also because the war had only recently broken out. As time goes by, some people will inevitably stand out.

However, surviving the Beastfolk army's siege required not only personal strength but also a great deal of luck.

Once the Beastfolk are determined, there is no fortress they cannot conquer; the only difference is the extent of casualties.

Those who survived were all lucky.

For Rackel, luck was far too elusive. Once his family's power was severely damaged, his good days as a second-generation heir would be over.

Hudson didn't say anything more. These kinds of awful things happened every day on the front lines.

The old aristocracy declines, and a new aristocracy rises. In times of chaos, anything is possible.

Bathed in the autumn wind, the Alpha Kingdom's expeditionary force, which had been plagued by setbacks, finally reunited in Dexat.

Before Crown Prince Caesar could even celebrate the five legions he had assembled, a new problem arose – there weren't enough training grounds.

It wasn't that the Moxi people were uncooperative; it was simply that the expeditionary force was too large. Five legions, totaling over 75,000 officers and soldiers, required a considerable amount of space for training.

The first two legions could allow soldiers to take turns resting and training. That's definitely not possible now. With all five legions rotating at the same time, it becomes a five-day training session, which completely negates the purpose of pre-battle assault training.

Unless it's a heavily armed front line, who in the rear would be so bored as to set up such a large training ground?

It was impossible to seize the wheat field, and the local nobles were not pushovers. Besides, Crown Prince Caesar could not risk being branded as a bully for the sake of a training ground.

Coordination was nonexistent. The high command of the Moxi Duchy was nearly driven mad with anxiety in their efforts to get the expeditionary force to the battlefield.

Almost every day, Crown Prince Caesar received urgent letters pleading for help. Even his beloved princess complained to him more than once.

If our stance hadn't been firm enough, we probably would have already fallen.

However, as time went on, the political pressure on Crown Prince Caesar continued to increase.

If it weren't for the First Army's previous good performance, which earned the Expeditionary Force a lot of points, the criticism from the outside world would have been even greater.

"Snort!"

"The Moxi people are truly useless, wasting such fertile land. They possess considerable national strength, yet they couldn't hold out for even a short time."

Our First Army has all gone to the battlefield, yet they keep urging us on every day, as if they can't survive without us.

The reinforcements that just arrived can't even get a few days of rest now. Can't they even buy themselves that little bit of time?

As he spoke, Crown Prince Caesar tore the parchment in his hand to shreds. His impatience was written all over his face.

"Your Highness, the Moxi people are truly on the verge of collapse. The reinforcements from the Duchy of Orton that just arrived have also been sent to the front lines."

Reinforcements from various countries are advancing rapidly, and official documents have also been sent from within the country, urging us to do everything we can to help the Moxi people get through this year.

The situation is tense right now, so why don't we go to the front lines to help first? We can then decide on the next steps based on how the situation develops.

Count Jose tried to persuade him.

The situation on the battlefield changes every day. As the weaker party, only by constantly adjusting our plans can we keep up with the pace of development.

To lure the Beastfolk deep into our territory using "Dapes City" as bait and carry out our encirclement and annihilation plan, we must hold the line.

If the Moxi people's defenses collapse, the Beastfolk army will advance unimpeded instead of penetrating deep into enemy territory alone.

At this moment, Crown Prince Caesar also became conflicted. Continuing to observe would indeed be beneficial for implementing the encirclement and annihilation plan, but that depended on whether the Moxi people could hold out.

If the Moxi people's defenses collapse again, it will be much more difficult to rebuild them.

Even if they could organize themselves, they would still need people to defend the area. With their elite troops gone, the serf soldiers they had temporarily conscripted would not be able to stop the Beastfolk army.

Remembering the orders from home, Caesar sighed helplessly. Compared to national interests, any plan was insignificant.

Ultimately, he wasn't a reckless gambler. He dared to gamble with the fate of the Moxi people because the Moxi Duchy wasn't his own.

But when it comes to the Alpha Kingdom, things are different. This is his ancestral homeland, and Caesar isn't so crazy as to risk his entire family's legacy for a single plan.

That's enough!

"Pass down the order: the army will set off tomorrow."

Making this decision relieved Crown Prince Caesar considerably. The army's continued entourage had placed him under considerable pressure.

No matter how perfect the plan was, it was useless Beastfolk were unwilling to cooperate, and there was nothing he could do.

Although deep down he still believed that the Beastfolk would send troops to attack Dapes City, the timing was unpredictable.

If the Beastfolk at the front are relatively stable, it's not entirely impossible for them to push their way through.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Accompanied by shouts of battle, a deafening roar shot into the sky. The city wall that had been blocking the Beastfolk army finally collapsed after being repeatedly ravaged.

The appearance of the breach immediately attracted a massive influx of Beastfolk troops.

The city's garrison rushed forward to intercept them, while noble officers charged directly to the front lines, and countless soldiers followed suit to plug the gap.

The collapsed city wall became the focal point of the struggle between the two sides. In an instant, severed limbs and corpses flew everywhere, and blood stained the ruins red.

"The Bear Tribe Heavy Infantry are launching an attack!"

At the command of the Beastfolk commander, a squad of heavily armored soldiers appeared on the battlefield and joined the battle for the breach in an instant.

Faced with a group of heavily armored enemies, the officers defending the city also dispatched elite Heavy Infantry.

Unfortunately, despite being Heavy Infantry, the human Heavy Infantry were significantly weaker than the bearmen in both stamina and size.

It often takes two to three human Heavy Infantry to fight against one Bearman Heavy Infantry. In this clash of steel, they were quickly put at a disadvantage.

Despite the defenders' valiant efforts, the Bearman Heavy Infantry relentlessly pushed them back.

"Archers, use your Magic Crossbow to suppress the enemy Heavy Infantry!"

In this life-or-death situation, cost was no longer a consideration. Ordinary bows and arrows were of little use against these iron lumps; only Magic Crossbow and Magic Crystal Cannon had sufficient lethality.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

One crossbow bolt after another was fired, and the charging Bearman Heavy Infantry quickly suffered casualties. Unfortunately, compared to the charging Beastfolk army, the number of Magic Crossbow was ultimately too small.

As for the more powerful Magic Crystal Cannon, they had all been lost in the previous battles, with only the last one still serving its purpose.

In an instant, the Beastfolk centaur archers also appeared on the front line and launched a counterattack against the crossbowmen.

Theoretically speaking, the Magic Crossbow has a longer range and doesn't require as much stamina to fire, so it should have an advantage in a firefight.

Unfortunately, like Magic Crossbow is determined by the user.

Maintaining distance resulted in a terribly low hit rate. Closing the distance improved the hit rate, but it also exposed the user to the enemy's firing range.

In fact, the Beastfolk army was also equipped with Magic Crossbow and Magic Crystal Cannon, but in far fewer numbers than the human army.

Normally, it's only used in critical moments. Unlike the Terran, who equip almost every important military stronghold with it.

Unfortunately, this equipment was still pitifully scarce. The entire Bertley Fortress was equipped with only six Magic Crystal Cannons, and the combined number of light and heavy Magic Crossbow was less than one hundred.

The limited quantity and high price forced the garrison to use them sparingly. Under normal circumstances, they were reluctant to use them at all; once they were used, it meant danger was imminent.

Seeing the enemy relentlessly charging up the city walls and the original fortifications gradually becoming ineffective, Count Landon, realizing that the situation was hopeless, hurriedly gave the order:

"Retreat to the inner city!"

The retreat horns sounded, and the defenders' withdrawal further fueled the Beastfolk army's frenzy. Bloodthirsty Beastfolk soldiers poured into the city, unleashing a massacre.

At this moment, the consequences of poor troop quality became apparent. The originally planned orderly retreat did not take place; instead, a large-scale stampede occurred due to the haste to retreat.

"Everyone retreat in an orderly manner. Anyone who disrupts the order will be killed on sight. The Supervision Team will oversee the process!"

Count Landon's order came too late. The Beastfolk army surged forward the moment the defenders were thrown into chaos.

The battle intensified, and the original battle for the outer city spread directly to the inner city.

To avoid the chaos impacting the inner city's garrison, Count Landon had no choice but to sacrifice his pawns to save his king.

"Close the city gates and block all entrances and exits!"

With the order issued, countless garrison soldiers who were unable to evacuate were left forever in the outer city.

In an instant, the insults and curses resounded through the sky.

None of this could shake Count Landon's resolve. Watching countless soldiers fall, though his heart was bleeding, he chose reason at this moment.

The bloody battle continues. Along with the fall of the outer city, a cluster of fortifications attached to Bertley Fortress also fell.

Shouts of battle and cries of anguish assaulted Count Landon's senses. Gazing at the falling family banner, he knew that the era of the Laibolong Family was drawing to a close.

He should have been trying to boost morale, but at this moment he had lost all interest. Like everyone else, despair washed over him; he simply didn't believe that an inner city could withstand the Beastfolk's onslaught.

Back at the city lord's mansion, after a lingering look, Count Landon instructed his eldest son, "Bertley City cannot be defended. After dark, you will take your younger siblings and leave through the secret passage."

The family's trained bodyguards and assassins were also taken along. They would take as much of the family's legacy as they could.

Don't go to Dapes. The family's century-old business has fallen so quickly. I'm afraid the Moxi Duchy won't last much longer either.

Chaos is coming, and this is just the beginning. The Beastfolk army is advancing with overwhelming force, and the northern kingdoms will likely be doomed this time.

The future of the Laibolong Family now rests in your hands. Remember, the family line must never be broken!

After saying this, Count Landon's expression darkened. He had originally hoped to lead his family to greater heights in this chaotic world, but he never expected that the Laibolong Family would be eliminated so soon after it had just begun.

"Father, please come with us! Without you, we alone cannot support the Laibolong Family."

The eldest son's words did not shake the Count Landon's resolve. He glanced kindly at his son and shook his head directly:

"You may leave, but I cannot. Nobility is not just an honor, but also a responsibility and an obligation."

As a lord, I must live and die with my territory. You should understand what leaving at this time would mean.

Okay, you're not a child anymore, you need to learn to face all of this.

I cannot allow the Laibolong Family to become even more glorious in my hands, but I also cannot bring shame upon our ancestors.

The war has dragged on for so long, and quite a few nobles have died in battle. Others are willing to die for their families, and I am no exception.

It's almost time, go and make your preparations! From now on, I won't be by your side, and you'll have to rely on yourselves for everything.

There are quite a few people outside who are eyeing the succession of the Laibolong Family. Even some of their old relatives and friends may not be reliable now.

After you leave here, you must act with extreme caution. Do not rush into anything; opportunities are never lacking in chaotic times.

No one wants to die, and the Count Landon was no exception. But he had no choice; the obligation to "defend the territory" bound him to stay.

Especially when fighting against other races, if he dares to run away with them, he can expect to be hunted down by the Human Alliance!

"Father, take care!"