Provocation

Beneath the battle-worn walls of Old Osric Fortress, hundreds of Sauron cavalry rode slowly and arrogantly.

They held aloft the various captured banners of the Royalist Army, the once magnificent silks embroidered with family crests now stained with mud and blood, fluttering helplessly in the bitter wind and rain.

Even more infuriating was the sight of a group of Plantagenet officers, bound by ropes and dressed in Broomflower, being escorted by Sauron soldier, walking dejectedly past the castle.

They were forced to face the city wall one by one and announce their names and former official positions in hoarse or trembling voices.

On the city wall, Friedrich and all the garrison soldiers silently watched this humiliating scene.

The city walls were completely silent, save for the mournful sound of the wind.

The last glimmer of hope from the outside was utterly extinguished as the familiar and unfamiliar names were announced from below the city walls.

Despair, like an icy tide, overwhelmed everyone's heart.

At the heart of the Sauron Army, Asgeir, unable to contain his excitement, exclaimed to his brother Harald, "Brother! Your tactics are truly brilliant! These Broomflower barbarians are indeed no match for you!"

Harald, however, showed little pride. He simply smiled, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield strewn with corpses and the dejected prisoners, and said calmly, "It was heaven that helped us. This timely rain was the key to victory."

He paused, then his tone returned to its usual calm and pragmatic tone. "There's no need to be overly arrogant; we need to properly digest the fruits of victory."

Asgeir nodded, then asked, "So, what's next? How do we deal with this Old Osric Fortress? Continue the assault? We've captured tens of thousands of prisoners; we can use them to fill in the trenches and deplete the defenders' arrows and energy!"

To Asgeir's surprise, Harald shook his head. "Never mind, we've already achieved our main objective in this battle—annihilating their last mobile field force. This castle... is now an isolated city."

"A direct assault would be too costly. Let's go around them. These prisoners are a valuable asset; they must be well cared for to replenish our urgently needed slave population."

He gazed at the castle, still standing silently in the rain, and gave his final order, "Send someone to write a letter urging them to surrender, shoot it in with an arrow, and tell them that resistance will only lead to death, while surrender will save their lives."

"If they remain stubborn... leave a small force to continue the siege and starve them, while the main force prepares to march south and strike directly at their rich interior!"

The order was carried out swiftly, and a strongly worded yet enticing letter of surrender was attached to an arrow and shot into Old Osric Fortress.

Most of the Sauron generals believed that after witnessing the horrific annihilation of the Royalist Army, the castle garrison had no choice but to surrender.

However, just as everyone was waiting for a response, a sharp-eyed sentry suddenly pointed to the city wall and exclaimed, "Chief! Look at the city wall!"

Harald immediately raised his binoculars and looked in the direction the sentry had pointed.

Through his rain-soaked glasses, he could clearly see that on the flagpole of the tallest main tower of Old Osric Fortress, besides the Broomflower Royal Standard that was still stubbornly flying in the wind and rain, there was a hideous, rotting human head held high by a spear!

Although the face was somewhat blurred and distorted, Harald and the surrounding Sauron generals recognized it at a glance. It was the head of the Sauron general, the Knight Stark, who had been killed by Friedrich a month ago!

The head was deliberately displayed in the highest and most conspicuous position, silent yet more impactful than any War Drum or shout.

Even more infuriating was the fact that a huge banner, written in both Sauron and Broomflower language, hung below the head; the writing was clearly visible through the binoculars:

Resist to the very end, just like this skull!

Abandon darkness and embrace light; treat prisoners of war well!

Those who defect on the battlefield will be pardoned, their military pay will be reimbursed, and they will be granted land!

Friedrich von Schmidt!

This blatant attempt to persuade them to surrender and its provocation was like a resounding slap across the face of all the Sauron soldiers!

"Asshole!"

"Damn Broomflower bastards!"

"How dare you insult us like this!"

When the Sauron soldier below the city saw this, they were immediately enraged, shouting and cursing. Many of them were so angry that their eyes turned red, and they wished they could rush up and raze the castle to the ground.

But looking at the heavily armed defenders and the dense fortifications on the city wall, and recalling the heavy losses suffered in the attack a few days ago, no one dared to advance easily.

Asgeir gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, this is a calculated move! They're forcing us to continue the attack! If we take a detour now, what will the soldiers think? They'll think we're scared! That we don't even dare to avenge our comrades and wash away our shame! That would be a huge blow to morale!"

Harald slowly lowered his binoculars, the faint smile on his face vanishing completely, replaced by a complex expression that mixed with solemnity, anger, and a barely perceptible hint of... appreciation.

He knew perfectly well that Asgeir was absolutely right; the other side's move was extremely ruthless and precise!

This is not only a personal insult to Stark, but also a blatant humiliation to the entire Sauron army.

It was like a ladle of boiling oil, instantly pouring it onto the flames of victory burning in the hearts of all the Sauron soldiers who witnessed this scene, igniting them into a raging inferno!

Now, every Sauron warriors, from officer to soldier, is filled with a ferocious rage, a desire to tear down the walls, slaughter the defenders, and avenge Stark.

If Harald were to choose to avoid battle at this moment and instead march south around the city, it would undoubtedly be announcing to the entire army that he was afraid, that he dared not face this provocation, and that he dared not avenge the fallen warriors!

This will deal an immeasurable and devastating blow to the morale and cohesion of this army that has just achieved a great victory and is in high spirits.

Once morale is low, it's difficult to rebuild it.

At the same time, Harald also saw through Friedrich's deeper intentions: this was a plan to wipe out his family line!

This move not only enraged the Sauron army outside the city, but also completely cornered the defenders inside the castle!

One can imagine that after witnessing the annihilation of the Royalist Army, despair and panic must have filled the castle, and voices advocating peace or even surrender must have been present.

But Friedrich's move effectively extinguished all possibilities of surrender.

He made it clear to every garrison soldier that the Sauron outside the city, who were now thoroughly enraged, would never accept any form of surrender!

The day the city falls will be the day of bloody revenge!

To survive, the defenders had no choice but to fight to the death!

This, in turn, forced the entire city to unite and unleash their strongest will to survive and their fighting power.

"This Friedrich ... is truly difficult to deal with." Harald finally spoke slowly, his voice low and unreadable, but those who knew him well could sense the suppressed turmoil beneath his calm tone. "He's using a head to force both us and him to choose the bloodiest and most costly path."