Trap

Late at night, in the stone castle on the west side of Carnford, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the dead silence before a storm.

The bloodstains left by the brutal fighting during the day have not yet dried up, and the air is filled with the pungent smell of blood and gunpowder smoke.

The garrison commander who received the order to retreat, an officer with a new scar on his face, could hardly believe his ears.

He glared at the messenger who came to convey the order, his voice trembling with anger and confusion. "Retreat? Abandon the fortress? You say it again! Brothers fought hard to hold on! Do you know how many people died? Now let us just give it up to those Sauron mongrels!"

The soldiers behind him also gathered around, their faces full of shock, humiliation and anger.

Most of them were injured and wrapped in bleeding bandages, but their eyes burned with the ferocity and unyielding legacy of the bloody battle during the day.

Every stone in this fortress has been soaked with their sweat and blood, but now they want to give up on their own initiative?

The messenger's face was solemn, but his tone was extremely firm. "This is a military order personally issued by Lord Lord! There is no doubt about it! Execute it immediately! Take away all the weapons, arrows and intact armor that can be taken away! The reserves that cannot be taken away... pour Fire oil on them and prepare to be burned!"

"Burn it down?" The officer punched the cold stone wall beside him. "We burned down our own fortress? Why on earth is this?"

"For the final victory! For the total annihilation of Sauron outside!" The messenger raised his voice and glanced at all the angry soldiers. "Master Lord has a comprehensive plan! We need Sauron to believe that we are at the end of our rope and can't even defend the flank fortress! This is the bait! This is the bait to nail them here completely! Execute the order!"

"Bait..." The officer chewed the word, and the anger in his eyes was gradually replaced by a deeper emotion, mixed with pain and determination.

He looked around at the brothers who lived and died together, saw the unwilling expressions on their faces, and finally gritted his teeth.

He squeezed out these words through his teeth, his voice hoarse. "Everyone is here! Execute the order!"

Although my heart was filled with endless doubts and frustrations, long-term military training and trust in Lord eventually overcame personal emotions.

The soldiers acted silently, suppressing their inner turmoil, and began preparations for retreat.

The process was breathtakingly quiet.

No one spoke, only the sound of heavy breathing, the soft sound of metal armor clashing, and the sound of heavy footsteps while carrying supplies.

They bundled up the few remaining arrows and collected the swords, shields and a few Chain Mail that could still be used.

Some bulky city defense equipment that could not be taken away, such as the huge Wolf Tooth Rake and the stored stones, were pushed to the corner.

Finally, several soldiers brought the only few barrels of Fire oil used to defend the city and attack the city.

They silently poured the viscous dark brown liquid on the wooden structure of the fortress, the piled debris, and the remains of their comrades who could not be taken away. They could not leave the remains of their comrades to Sauron to desecrate.

When everything was ready, the more than thirty surviving defenders lined up silently, taking one last look at the fortress that they had sworn to defend to the death but now wanted to destroy with their own hands.

Everyone's eyes are extremely complicated, including sadness, unwillingness, and anger, but most of them are a forcibly suppressed obedience to orders and a desire for final victory.

"Evacuate!" the officer roared hoarsely, turned around first, led the team, and evacuated quickly and silently along the passage leading to the rear.

A veteran at the rear, after the team all entered the corridor, took a deep breath and threw the burning torch in his hand towards the pile of debris behind him that was soaked with Fire oil!

Boom!!!

The flame exploded instantly!

Greedy tongues of fire quickly rose up, licking the wooden structure and devouring everything that could be burned. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky, turning half of the night sky orange-red!

The huge firelight and thick smoke were particularly dazzling in the silent night, and undoubtedly alerted the Sauron sentries outside.

The retreating defenders could even vaguely hear the exclamations and commotion in Sauron coming from the distance.

Without looking back, they quickened their pace, and everyone's heart felt as if it was being burned by the flames.

They abandoned the fortress and burned the remains and supplies of their comrades, leaving behind a burning ruin.

All this is just for a vague and dangerous plan to lure the enemy into the final death trap.

Sauron Army camp, inside the Chinese army tent.

Unag and Invag were sitting opposite each other. On the fire pit in the middle was half a wild boar leg that was roasted brown and oily, exuding a rich meaty aroma.

The two of them were cutting hot pieces of meat with sharp daggers and eating in silence. The atmosphere seemed a bit depressing.

A low-ranking officer was kneeling on one knee and reported the casualty statistics during the day in a low voice, "... Seventy-three people were killed, including 16 Berserker, 41 soldiers, and 16 light infantry and archers."

"Severely injured... eleven brothers who were seriously injured did not make it through and died before dark. There are more than 20 seriously injured. Whether they can survive... depends on their own lives."

There was an imperceptible hint of fatigue and numbness in the officer's voice.

For Sauron army, although such casualties are heavy, it is not unacceptable, especially in a critical battle.

They do not have relatively complete fortresses and logistical support like the Carnford defenders, and can treat the wounded in a timely manner.

Sauron's expeditionary force carried mostly weapons, armor and rations, and was extremely short of medicines.

Seriously injured people often can only rely on simple bandages and their own tenacious vitality to carry them. It is luck to carry them through. If they cannot carry them... they will be abandoned in the wilderness like grass.

Human life, in Sauron's value system, especially during foreign conquests, has never been a priority.

Only the loss of those elite soldiers and Berserker who spent huge resources to train will make the commander feel truly distressed.

Unag bit off a piece of muscle and chewed it, frowning and saying nothing.

Invag irritably inserted the dagger into the piece of meat and said in a dull voice, "Damn... I lost almost a hundred brothers who could fight in one day! The wealth I brought with me was almost wiped out! This Carnford is much harder to chew than expected!"

Unag swallowed the food, tapped the table with greasy fingers, and looked solemnly. "The loss is indeed huge, but what worries me even more is... We made such a big noise here, with cavalry siege and infantry attack. Fran City That Count can't keep pretending to be deaf and dumb. If he sends troops out..."

Invag's face changed. "You mean... he might come to reinforce? And Carnford's defenders will attack from front to back?"

"It's not possible, it's inevitable," Unag said in a low voice, "It's just a matter of time. Our rangers have been monitoring the direction of Fran City. We haven't found any signs of large-scale troop dispatches yet, but the longer it takes, the greater the risk. Once his reinforcements arrive and we are dragged here... it may not be that easy to leave by then."

This worry weighed on both of their minds like a huge boulder.

The reason why they dared to besiege Carnford was that the defenders of Fran City did not dare to leave the city to fight easily, and they were betting that they could win the battle quickly.

But now, the war has fallen into stalemate and exhaustion, and time is no longer on their side.