Royalist Army
At this moment, inside the Broomflower Pass, just as Ulf had suffered a crushing defeat at the Carnford City.
His Great Chieftain force, led by his chief commander Harald, also encountered unexpected and fierce resistance at the walls of Old Osric Fortress.
The fierce attacks that lasted for several days crashed against the sturdy walls of Old Osric Fortress like a surging tide, but they could not budge it an inch.
The Gorse Knights, who appeared suddenly like a ghost and quickly seized actual command of the castle, displayed astonishing military talent and personal bravery.
He seemed tireless; wherever the battle was most critical, he would be there.
The knight's longsword in his hand, imbued with Battle Qi, was like the scythe of death; every swing of it inevitably brought forth a shower of blood.
The Sauron soldier would finally manage to gain a small foothold on the city wall, but before they could even expand their gains, they would be met with a fierce counterattack from the defending troops led by this knight who seemed like a god of war descended to earth, and they would be pushed off the city wall.
After several days of fierce fighting, the Sauron left thousands of corpses at the foot of the city, but failed to capture even a single section of the city wall.
Although most of the corpses were Broomflower slaves and surrendered soldiers, this victory still troubled Harald somewhat.
He had to admit that the fortress's defensive strength and the defenders' fighting spirit far exceeded his expectations.
The Gorse Knights suddenly appeared was an extremely difficult opponent.
"Brother, the cost of continuing this assault is too high," his younger brother, Asgeir, Corps Commander the Tiger Corps, said worriedly. "Old Osric Fortress is important, but it's not our only route south."
"In previous years, when we raided, we often bypassed it and went straight to the capital of the Broomflower Royal Capital. Although the journey was longer and the supply lines were stretched, it was still better than fighting a tough battle here and wasting our troops."
Harald stood on the makeshift command platform, his gaze still fixed on the ancient castle in the distance, its stone fragments flying everywhere from the catapults, his resolute face showing no sign of wavering.
He slowly shook his head, his voice steady and carrying an unquestionable authority. "Asgeir, your vision is still too shallow. Do you think my goal is merely to take down this troublesome fortress?"
He turned around, his deep gaze fixed on his brave but somewhat impatient younger brother, a knowing smile playing on his lips, "No, my real target is the Broomflower Royalist Army stationed in the rear, those who are gathering and preparing to come to the rescue of this fortress."
Asgeir paused for a moment, seemingly not fully understanding.
Harald continued, "If we split into several groups as we have in previous years and go deep into their territory to plunder, we can indeed get a lot of things, but then our strength will be scattered."
"The Goldspur aren't fools. They'll definitely seize the opportunity, concentrate their superior forces, and defeat our scattered units one by one. At that time, no matter how brave our warriors are, they will inevitably suffer heavy losses when facing an enemy several times their size."
He pointed to the vast plains behind Osric Fort: "But now, our army is gathered here, launching a fierce attack on this strategic fortress they absolutely cannot lose, like a piece of meat dangling in front of a hungry wolf."
"The King of the Broomflower will do everything in his power to protect his capital and will surely order all the main forces he can muster to come to the rescue! What I want is for them to come to me of their own accord!"
Harald's eyes sharpened, as if he could already see the enemy's main force rolling in. "We must seize this opportunity, on this battlefield we have chosen, and have a fair and square decisive battle with them!"
"With the overwhelming force of our Sauron warriors, we will crush their main force in one fell swoop! Once we defeat this loyalist army, there will be no more respectable resistance in the northern part of the Goldflower Kingdom!"
"By then, not only will this fortress be within our grasp, but the entire rich Northern Territory, and even their Royal Capital, will be at our disposal! This is the only way to achieve a permanent victory!"
Asgeir listened to his brother's analysis, his eyes gradually brightened. He suddenly realized, "Brother, you mean... to besiege the enemy's stronghold and then attack their reinforcements?"
"Exactly!" Harald nodded in satisfaction, patted his younger brother's strong shoulder, and said with a hint of instruction in his tone, "In war, you can't just rely on bravery; you have to learn to use your brain and make the enemy act according to our intentions."
"Learn more, my brother. True victory is often decided outside the battlefield."
By the end of September of the seventh year of Heinrich XI's reign, Old Osric Fortress had been besieged by the Sauron army for over a month.
The atmosphere in the Royal Capital had long since shifted from initial shock to anxiety, and finally to chaos and accusations.
The King's secretaries, prosecutors, and scribes were in a frenzy, and a series of strongly worded edicts and memorials impeaching local nobles and Lord for "delaying and watching the Royal Capital fortresses perilous" piled up on the table at the Imperial Council.
Under the King's almost hysterical urging, the nobles from all over the country finally could not withstand the enormous pressure from the Royal Capital and reluctantly began to mobilize their troops and gather in the Royal Capital.
From the vast plains of Saxony to the fortified fortress of Nuremberg, from the hilly region of Rothenburg to the frontier of Pushtenberg, and then to dozens of territories large and small, including Koblenz, Essenburg, and Heidelberg, Royalist Army bearing different coats of arms embarked on a long journey to the Royal Capital.
Their varied equipment, inconsistent morale, and slow movements fully exposed the sluggish military mobilization and internal coordination difficulties under the feudal system of the Goldflower Kingdom.
It wasn't until mid-October that this diverse and ambitious noble coalition finally managed to assemble on the outskirts of the Royal Capital.
A rough estimate suggests that the total strength was close to 50,000 men, with banners waving and horses making a great show of force.
After some less-than-harmonious negotiations and compromises, the group elected Duke Auston, who was the most prestigious and had extensive experience fighting against the barbarian tribes on the border, as the commander-in-chief of the allied forces.
On the surface, the various tribes claimed to obey Duke Auston's orders, but in reality, each noble had their own agenda. Preserving their strength and avoiding a direct confrontation with the Sauron was their unspoken consensus, and very few were truly willing to fight to the death for the King and the kingdom.
Under the Duke Auston's vigorous urging, this massive allied army finally left the Royal Capital and slowly advanced towards Old Osric Fortress in the north.
Ten days later, the army crossed the Elbe River, which served as a natural barrier, with great difficulty.
At this point, only twenty kilometers remained to reach the besieged Old Osric Fortress.
The Sauron scouts moved about like ghosts, keeping a close watch on the movements of this large but cautious Broomflower army.
Harald had already given strict orders to all his units not to launch any provocative attacks; he wanted the allied forces to continue their advance into the battlefield he had carefully chosen for the decisive battle.
At the Duke Auston's insistence, the Broomflower army set up camp and rested for two days after crossing the river.
On the one hand, it was to allow the army, which had traveled a long distance, to recover its strength; on the other hand, it was also to carefully test the Sauron's reaction.
However, the Sauron Army camp was quiet, with no sign of a large army being mobilized to meet them except for the patrolling scouts.
This unusual calm, however, made many nobles in the allied forces even more uneasy, and various suspicions and a cautious avoidance of war spread.
Seeing that the Sauron Army remained inactive, and under the King's repeated urging to advance, Duke Auston had no choice but to bite the bullet and order the entire army to continue marching.
The 50,000-strong army, marching in a less-than-perfect formation, filled with doubt and fear of the unknown battle, cautiously made its way towards its final destination, a battlefield whose fate lay in uncertainty, twenty kilometers away.
Every step felt like walking on soft, shifting sand; ahead lay Harald's deadly trap.