Crushing Defeat
On the highest tower of Old Osric Fortress, Friedrich and his wounded but determined garrison men clung tightly to the crenellations, gazing southward at the dust-filled battlefield filled with the sounds of battle.
Holding his telescope, Friedrich clearly saw through the slightly trembling lens the Wagon Fort formed by the loyalist army, the ferocious attacks of the Sauron Cavalry like a pack of wolves, the occasional bursts of fire and white smoke from the Wagon Fort, and the scenes of Sauron Cavalry and horses falling to the ground.
"The Royalist Army has really come; His Majesty has not abandoned us..." Friedrich murmured to himself.
Just days before, he was desperately preparing for his final battle to fight to the death with the castle.
At that moment, seeing the banners representing the kingdom's power and the disciplined military formations in the distance, a surge of warmth mixed with immense excitement, a feeling of relief at being saved from a desperate situation, welled up in his heart.
He intently observed every subtle change in the battle situation.
Seeing that his own Wagon Fort had successfully withstood the first wave of probing and charging by the Sauron Cavalry, and seeing that both sides were exchanging blows and suffering casualties, but the lines remained firm, he clenched his fists and couldn't help but whisper encouragement to his comrades in the distance.
"Yes! That's it! Maintain formation! The Sauron are outnumbered, and their casualties are our precious cavalry! As long as we hold on and wear them down, once their morale is broken, victory will surely be ours!"
His analysis was logical and well-founded, and it rekindled a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the exhausted defenders around him.
It seems that after more than a month of hardship, the dawn is finally breaking.
However, just as Friedrich was focused on the situation in the south and filled with hope, a sudden North Wind Stud Farm blew across the tower, carrying the biting chill of late autumn, violently blowing his disheveled hair up and slapping it against his face.
The wind came suddenly and was cold, completely different from the wind that had been blowing from the direction of the battlefield.
Friedrich's heart sank, and an ominous premonition surged within him!
He hurriedly put down his binoculars, turned around sharply, and looked towards the northern sky!
The once clear northern sky had been completely shrouded by a thick, inky cloud!
The dark clouds hung low, as if pressing down on the castle's spires, and were moving rapidly southward at a visible speed, carrying with them a biting wind!
"Oh no!" Friedrich's face turned deathly pale, and he exclaimed in alarm, "It's going to rain! And it's going to be heavy rain brought by the North Wind Stud Farm!"
He knew better than anyone what this meant!
The greatest reliance of the loyalist army on survival was muskets and Cannon!
Once the rain pours down and the gunpowder gets damp, all the firearms will become nothing more than fire sticks!
Having lost their advantage in long-range firepower, how could they possibly withstand the Sauron cavalry, who were swift as the wind and skilled in mounted archery and close combat, relying solely on Wagon Fort and melee weapons?
Sure enough, the dark cloud sweeping in from the north enveloped the entire battlefield at an alarming speed.
The sky suddenly darkened, and a biting North Wind Stud Farm howled, whipping up dust and withered grass. Then, large raindrops began to pelt down, quickly turning into a torrential downpour.
This sudden downpour was undoubtedly a devastating blow to the Duke Auston's meticulously constructed tactical system.
His entire defensive strategy was built upon the long-range firepower advantage of muskets and Cannon.
The rain poured down relentlessly, and the Matchlock Rifle watched in despair as their sizzling, rapidly extinguishing matchlocks, the freshly loaded gunpowder quickly becoming damp and ineffective in the humid air.
The gunners were at a loss; the heavy Cannon were like scrap metal in the rain, and the fuses simply couldn't be lit.
"It's raining! Firearms are useless!" Panic-stricken shouts echoed throughout the Broomflower Army's ranks.
The once orderly formation began to stir, and the soldiers looked at their muskets, now turned into burning sticks, their faces filled with fear and bewilderment.
In stark contrast to the panic of the Broomflower army, Harald calmly observed everything from within the Sauron Army's ranks, a predictable, cold smile playing on his lips.
He wasn't an astrologer and couldn't predict the weather. In his mind, even without the rain, he was certain of victory. But since the Goddess was aiding Sauron army, he wouldn't hesitate to be ruthless.
He calmly waved the battle flag and gave the order for a general offensive!
On the main battlefield, Asgeir's main Sauron cavalry force ceased its harassing patrols and began to advance slowly. The horses' hooves pounded on the muddy ground, producing a dull and oppressive sound, like a giant War Drum beating in the hearts of every Broomflower soldier.
Duke Auston was thrown into turmoil upon seeing this, but as commander-in-chief, he had to make a decision immediately.
"Dump the firearms! Form ranks! Spearmen in front, Swordsmen and Shieldbearers prepare for melee!" he roared hoarsely, trying to organize a defensive line of cold weapons in desperation.
The Broomflower soldiers hastily discarded their useless muskets, drew their swords, and raised their spears and shields, hastily assembling behind the Wagon Fort.
The two sides quickly engaged in battle!
Surprisingly, the Sauron Cavalry at the forefront did not charge directly at the Wagon Fort. Instead, they dismounted and joined up with the elite infantry following behind, forming fearless assault squads that launched a fierce frontal attack on the Wagon Fort!
The battle quickly descended into brutal hand-to-hand combat. Taking advantage of the terrain and the cover provided by their Wagon Fort, the Broomflower Army thrust their spears through the gaps and slashed with their swords, inflicting heavy casualties on the attacking Sauron.
The bodies quickly piled up beneath the Wagon Fort, and blood mixed with rainwater flowed, staining the earth dark red.
Duke Auston, seeing the Sauron seemingly only launching a head-on assault, felt a glimmer of hope rekindle in his heart, even thinking their tactics were reckless.
"I never expected the Sauron to be so foolish as to launch a frontal assault on our Wagon Fort with infantry! As long as we hold on, victory will still be ours!"
However, just as he was secretly rejoicing, a deafening cheer, like a tsunami, suddenly erupted from the right flank of the battlefield, belonging to the Sauron!
Auston's central position was obstructed by the endless Wagon Fort and the chaotic battle, making it impossible for him to see what was happening on the right flank.
But immediately afterward, Sauron army, which was attacking head-on, seemed to be injected with a violent stimulant, letting out even more frenzied shouts, and the momentum of their attack instantly increased several times!
Almost simultaneously, from the right flank of the battlefield came the heart-wrenching screams of tens of thousands of Broomflower soldiers, filled with extreme terror!
The sound was filled with despair and collapse, sweeping across the entire battlefield in an instant like a dam breaking!
"The right flank has collapsed! The Sauron Cavalry are attacking from the flank!"
"We're surrounded!"
Run!
Duke Auston then seemed to wake from a dream, his face instantly turning deathly pale!
He suddenly realized that the frontal infantry assault was actually a feint orchestrated by Harald to hold him back and draw the attention of his entire main force!
Harald's truly fatal blow came when he dispatched his most elite cavalry force, using the cover of heavy rain and battlefield chaos to launch a large-scale flanking maneuver around the Broomflower ' vulnerable right flank!
The right wing of the Broomflower Alliance was mainly composed of private soldiers of minor nobles with ulterior motives and weak fighting spirit, and its troop deployment and fortifications were relatively weak to begin with.
Under the flanking attack of the Sauron elite cavalry, which was like an iron torrent, they collapsed almost immediately!
The collapse of the flank was like toppling the first domino, and panic spread rapidly throughout the army like a plague!
The battle situation changed dramatically in an instant!
The seemingly impregnable Wagon Fort of the Broomflower Army was instantly plunged into a desperate situation, attacked from both sides and about to be completely surrounded!
Duke Auston looked at the collapsing situation before him, his heart turning cold. He knew that this decisive battle was probably beyond saving.
An hour later, the clamor on the battlefield gradually subsided, replaced by a suffocating silence.
The seemingly impregnable Wagon Fort fortifications of the Broomflower Royalist Army were ultimately torn apart and breached by the fierce frontal assault of the Sauron army and the deadly flanking maneuvers of its elite cavalry.
The 50,000-strong army collapsed. Only a few thousand soldiers who reacted quickly and fled into the nearby mountains and forests when they saw the situation was not good survived. The rest were either killed in battle or captured.
Commander-in-Chief Duke Auston fought valiantly to his death amidst the chaos, and dozens of high-ranking officers were taken prisoner.
The entire army was wiped out, and the most terrifying nightmare of the Goldflower Kingdom was once again played out in the north.