Offense and Defense (3)

Daisy gave a shy smile and stood up from the prayer mat in front of the idol.

"Let's go, there's still so much class today. Article studies, continental history, occultism, you still have a lot to learn!" Belicha said cruelly with a smile.

Daisy's face fell, but she had no choice but to follow Belicha out of the temple and back to the royal palace. She was no longer a child, but why couldn't she escape the sea of learning?

The sea of learning is boundless; it's better to put down your books, stand up and become a house, and turn back to shore!

Daisy continued her arduous studies with Belicha. On the other side, in the Terra royal palace, Prince Gaogen was pacing back and forth in his room, as if contemplating something, his brow furrowed. Suddenly, he seemed to make up his mind, clenched his right fist and tapped it on his left hand, stamped his foot fiercely, then turned and pushed open the door to leave the room.

Outside the room, Gaogen instructed the attendants by his side, dismissed the guards, put on a hooded robe, and left the royal palace. His destination was the military camp.

In the central large tent of the Taiwei Four siege camp, Gino sat on a stool by the bed, flipping through the battle reports in his hand. Beside him stood a middle-aged man wearing leather armor and a coiled turban with a small mustache, reporting the situation.

"General, this is already the twentieth day of our siege. The Eredar have not yet broken through Fortress Two. According to the plan, if we can't take it within a month, we will merge our armies and focus on a single point. Their numbers are fewer than ours, and Terra does not want to abandon even one of its satellite cities. They will not be able to transfer their garrison to support.

Moreover, now that Terra has retreated into the city, their intelligence capabilities are far inferior to ours. To prevent us from discovering their movements and defeating them one by one, they should not dare to move rashly. Overall, Terra is already very passive!"

"But they still have reinforcements."

"Yes, Terra has an alliance with the Kingdom of Xinteland on the Asloth Continent, and Xinteland has sent troops to support them. Half of the defenders in Taiwei Four, which we are currently besieging, are Xintelandese troops. As for how many subsequent troops Xinteland has, our army is still unclear, but it is unlikely to be too many, as Xinteland also has hostile nations eyeing them.

Furthermore, the King has dispatched a thousand soldiers from the capital, and they should arrive with the next supply convoy. Accompanying them are two thousand hired soldiers from the High Mountain Clan. The King promised them that as long as they pledge allegiance to Valantis and help Valantis conquer Terra, they will be rewarded with one of the Terra satellite cities for their clan to live in."

"Those barbarians of the High Mountain Clan? For them, who were defeated by the Seljuk and became refugees after losing their homes, this is indeed an offer they can hardly refuse. How is the siege equipment production coming along?"

"The slaves are working day and night to build it. It should reach the quantity you requested in five days."

Gino nodded upon hearing this and replied:

"Well, the reinforcements should also arrive in five days. At that time, we will launch a final all-out offensive. If we can't take it, we will withdraw and merge with the Eredar."

"Can those snakes really be trusted, General?"

"The snakes cannot be trusted, and I have never trusted them, but they will not give up the benefits they have already obtained. As for what happens after defeating Terra, it will be up to each individual's ability."

Waving his hand to signal the man with the small mustache to withdraw, Gino put down the battle report, stood up, straightened his back, and then walked to the huge map hanging on the tactical board on the right side of the tent, lost in thought.

At this time, the situation inside Taiwei Four was not good. Several severely wounded soldiers had died due to a lack of effective treatment, which had a certain impact on the morale of the troops, and many soldiers were pessimistic about the war. Rexa severely punished a few soldiers who spread negative remarks, but it had little effect.

During these few days without battles, Ronan continued to train his subordinates and the militiamen. Defeating these militiamen could still provide Ronan with a few experience points, which was better than nothing.

It is worth mentioning that two Vigyan Cavalry soldiers successfully accumulated enough experience in the last battle and were promoted to Vigyan Knights. A veteran mercenary soldier was also promoted to Professional Killer, and the Rhodok people had also accumulated half of their experience. Indeed, war is the fastest way to level up.

Ronan also leveled up to 15. When choosing a specialization, he chose Night Warfare Expert, which can increase Ronan's vision brightness at night, and he gains +1 to Strength, Agility, and Stamina in night battles.

Training every day, eating, napping, waking up and training again, occasionally holding a meeting at night, and repeating this for five days, the peace was once again broken.

At midnight, the Valantis camp, like a dark monster entrenched on the earth, moved again. Valantis launched a surprise attack at night, and the soldiers quickly approached the city walls under the cover of darkness, but the guards on the watchtowers still timely discovered the movements of the Valantis army.

The horns sounded, and the soldiers in the city were awakened one after another. The on-duty soldiers quickly ascended the city walls to prepare for battle, while the off-duty soldiers helped each other to quickly put on armor and pick up weapons.

Ronan was also woken up by Mario. He quickly washed his face with cold water to refresh himself and then began to put on his plate armor with the help of an attendant. Ronan predicted that the battle tonight would not be easy.

The reality was indeed so. The siege engines dispatched by Valantis this time were more than three times the previous number, and they launched a full-scale attack from all four city walls. The number of trebuchets within Taiwei Four was limited, and it was difficult to aim under the cover of night. Although the Elf archers' lethality at night was far superior to that of Valantis, their numbers were still at a disadvantage. After paying a certain price in casualties, the enemy still managed to board the city walls.

With siege ladders, scaling ladders, and countless Valantis soldiers, they used various means to ascend the city walls and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the defenders. Moreover, Valantis had mobilized all its forces this time, giving the impression of a desperate struggle. Many well-equipped Valantis elite soldiers mixed with slave soldiers boarded the city walls.

When Ronan, after putting on his armor, rushed to the city walls with the Templar Knights, a considerable number of Valantis soldiers had already boarded the battlements. Sighing that he had just chosen a night warfare specialization and encountered a Valantis night raid, Ronan drew his greatsword and directly cut a slave soldier in half from behind.

The soldier who was cut in half did not die immediately. His upper body struggled and writhed, but he was soon trampled into a pulp by the passing soldiers. He landed a heavy punch on a Valantis heavy infantryman wearing dark gold armor, a skirt armor and matching colored combat boots, a winged helmet on his head, a scimitar in his right hand, and a crescent-shaped shield with a notch in his left hand.

The blunt force trauma from his steel gauntlet hitting the helmet made him dizzy. His armor was thick and very hard. Ronan's previous sword strike on his armor had failed to penetrate, so Ronan could only use his fists with iron gloves and the counterweight ball on the sword hilt to strike his helmet. When he was dizzy and unstable, Ronan gripped the sword with both hands and inserted it into the gap between the helmet and the armor at his neck, then pushed and pulled fiercely, slitting his throat.