Ironvine Territory (37)

"Bang bang bang."

Arrows rained down, planting them densely in the open spaces of the camp, while the soldiers hid behind shields or sturdy wooden walls.

Marvin and Foss stood on the fortified watchtower, observing the battlefield in front of the camp. They saw the Coalition of Nobles soldiers launching repeated charges, but they would only run to the bottom of the slope in front of the camp, drop a bag, and run back.

Foss, not looking closely, poked his head out of the watchtower to try and see, but Marvin pulled him back. Suddenly, an arrow struck the shield in front of him.

Foss touched his head, looking lingering fear. "How come these guys have so many arrows? They keep shooting non-stop. Can't we get our archers to fight back? Otherwise, we'll keep getting pushed back, and the morale of the troops will drop."

Marvin disagreed with him. "But according to the command's battle plan, we cannot reveal our strength at the beginning, and even if we let the archers fight back, we must control the size of our forces."

According to intelligence from the other side, we have at most 3,000 men, and our crossbow unit will not exceed 1,000.

Sending just this few men to shoot at them won't be very effective. Judging by the size of the enemy, there are at least three large battalions taking turns firing arrows. It's not a good idea for one person to fight three.

Foss scratched his head. "Who commands the opposing force? They're being far too cautious. They're using crossbows to suppress our troops, and the charging troops aren't attacking our camp. They're just carrying soil to clear the trenches and embankments in front of the camp."

Marvin raised his binoculars to examine the flags of the War Department opposite him. He frowned as he looked at the flags. "What is this emblem?"

He handed the binoculars to Foss: "Do you remember whose coat of arms this vine is? And that yellow orchid coat of arms?"

Foss shook his head. "I don't know him either. By the way, isn't Manzo in our camp?"

He's from a noble family, so we should know him. Let him take a look.

Manzo was quickly summoned. After ascending the watchtower, he saluted Marvin and Foss: "Regimental Commander, is there anything I can do for you?"

Marvin patted Manzo on the shoulder, "Could you help us figure out which noble army is on the other side and tell us about them?"

"Leave it to me, I'm pretty good at heraldry." Manzo took out his binoculars, glanced at the object, and quickly put it down.

"It should be Viscount Golden Sword Orchid and Viscount Greenleaf Vine from Cornwall County. The one that looks very similar to the Green Leaf Vine coat of arms should be the Yellow Leaf Vine family coat of arms, which should be from Viscount Yellowleaf Vine from Hampshire. It should be a joint force composed of the private armies of these three noble families."

Foss was somewhat surprised. "These three noble families are quite powerful. Judging from the size and equipment of their troops, they are not much weaker than the White Asparagus Territory private army we fought in Boler County. Each family has at least one regiment of soldiers."

Who knew that Manzo shook his head. "The private armies of Golden Sword Orchid Territory and Greenleaf Vine Territory should not be that large. Their strength is considered to be in the middle to lower range among the viscount families of Cornwall County."

However, Yellowleaf Vine Territory in Hampshire is quite powerful; this force might very well consist mostly of Yellowleaf Vine Territory's private army.

Marvin nodded. "Manzo, do you know these three nobles?"

Who do you think is commanding the troops? Is it that Viscount Yellowleaf Vine?

Manzo shook his head. "Impossible. The Huangye Teng family is very famous and a very wealthy business aristocracy. It is rumored that their family likes to engage in smuggling with the East Sea Alliance, but I have never heard that the current Dawan is good at military affairs."

Viscount Melendo of the Green Vine doesn't seem to have much military ability, but Viscount Asur Viscount Golden Sword Orchid is quite famous. He has participated in several battles against the East Sea Alliance Invading Forces and seems to have achieved some good results.

My uncle, Viscount Ferry, had told me about these battles before, using his command as an example, but unfortunately I was too young to understand them.

Marvin and Foss looked at the young officer with a full beard and thought to themselves, "You're not that old either."

Marvin stroked his chin and said, "It seems that the one commanding the battle is Viscount Golden Sword Orchid. He is indeed capable and very steady. I estimate that he will definitely fill in the trenches and high platforms before launching an attack."

After hearing this, Foss immediately said, "Then what should we do? Should I take some men out and launch a counterattack? We can't let them have it so easy."

"Don't rush, there's still plenty of time before the agreed time. Let's continue guarding. As long as we keep fighting, that's enough."

"Alright, I'll go down and check on the troops. It's getting frustrating to just stay in the watchtower all the time and not be able to do anything."

After saying that, Foss descended from the observation deck.

Manzo found Foss's behavior somewhat strange. In his memory, the Regimental Commander of the Golden Sunflower Territory had always been quite composed, so why did he seem so unsteady today?

Marvin noticed Manzo's confusion and explained, "Foss is actually quite good in every way, except he's not a very good swimmer and gets seasick easily, so he's a little nervous after learning about the details of this operation."