The siege began without warning. Neither side issued a challenge or called for battle.
James and the others had not expected the Barbarians to attack so soon. Fortunately, their preparations were nearly complete. All they had to do was carry out the defense plan.
Still, they were startled when they saw the Iron Bone Tribe roll out a vast array of siege engines, including quite a few Catapults.
"How do those people have all this?"
James turned to the man beside him—the leader of the Intelligence Department's special operations team.
The man had extracted some information from the captured Dire Wolf Guards and was still interrogating them and compiling what he learned.
With the enemy about to attack, James had called him up onto the wall.
As though he had all the intelligence memorized, the man answered at once. "Lord James, according to our information...
"The Faith Order built these siege engines. It has large teams of craftsmen with a wide range of expertise. They know how to make everything from weapons and equipment to farm implements and other tools used by ordinary people.
"Some of those craftsmen are master artisans with specialized techniques for building large siege engines and cities.
"We must not underestimate this Barbarian army or treat it like the poorly equipped Barbarians of the past. We should treat it as we would the army of another nation."
James looked at the rows of Catapults and the many siege vehicles in the Barbarian formation, with the occasional battering ram and siege tower among them.
He gave a bitter smile. "That could be trouble!"
Even when James and Victor had fought together in the duchy's Civil War, many of the Noble Legions had lacked such siege engines, let alone so many different kinds.
"Wait a moment!"
James suddenly