King, Good Luck

The next morning, the somber sound of horns rang out again from the Sauron camp, signaling the start of a new day's siege.

However, when the garrison on the walls of Old Osric Fortress nervously looked out of the city, the scene they saw was completely different from what they had seen before.

Instead of a barrage of arrows or Sauron infantrymen charging madly with Cloud Ladder, a group of ragged, emaciated, and crying Goldspur surged toward the city walls!

They were dressed in tattered, even filthy, broom-patterned Broomflower uniforms or civilian clothes, staggering as they ran, shouting hoarsely towards the city walls:

"Help! Brothers on the city wall! Open the gate!"

"We've come to surrender! We no longer want to be slaves to the Sauron Barbarians!"

"Lord Friedrich! You promised to treat prisoners of war well! Please save us!"

"Let us in! We want to go home!"

The cries of women and children were mixed in with the crowd, creating a tragic and chaotic scene.

On the city wall, the soldiers guarding the city were immediately agitated upon seeing this scene.

Many people showed expressions of reluctance and hesitation, and the bows and muskets involuntarily fell to their sides.

After all, those running and crying outside the city walls were their own people!

A young officer rushed to Friedrich, who was calmly observing from behind the crenellations, and asked anxiously, "Sir! What should we do? Should we open the city gates? They... they said they've come to surrender, and we did post notices..."

Another, more experienced officer immediately objected. "No! Absolutely not! Look closely! Although these people are wearing our uniforms, their formation is scattered, and their running posture is strange. There are definitely Sauron mixed in. Once the door is opened, they will take advantage of the chaos to seize it! Then it will all be over!"

The two argued back and forth, both turning their attention to their leader Friedrich.

Friedrich's gaze swept over the crowd below the city walls. His face was expressionless, devoid of sympathy or anger, only possessing a cold, all-knowing sharpness.

He was silent for a few seconds, then slowly spoke, his voice eerily calm. "Did you hear what they were shouting?"

The two officers were taken aback, and instinctively replied, "They... they're shouting surrender..."

Friedrich shook his head and said coldly, "No, they are not surrendering, they are trying to persuade us to surrender. They are spies sent by the Sauron, dressed in the clothes of our people, using the cries of our people to shake our morale and trick us into opening this gate that guards the lives of all people."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every soldier around him. "What should we do with these traitors and spies who willingly serve as barbarian lackeys, attempting to capture our city and harm our people?"

The two officers instantly understood Friedrich's meaning, a resolute glint in their eyes, and roared in unison, "Kill!"

They immediately turned around and shouted orders to the artillerymen and archers behind them, "Did you all hear that! They are spies in disguise! They are Sauron's lackeys who came to persuade us to surrender! Fire! Release the arrows! Leave no one alive!"

The moment the order was given, the soldiers on the city wall, though still reluctant, were quickly overcome by the hardships of war and their unconditional trust in their commander.

Military orders are absolute!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Cannon on the city wall roared first! Heavy shells whistled as they crashed into the dense crowd, instantly carving out several bloody, mangled paths! Limbs, torsos, and entrails flew everywhere!

Immediately afterwards, a dense rain of arrows poured down like locusts! The explosions of muskets also rang out one after another!

The crowd below the city, who were crying out for surrender, were immediately plunged into a hellish massacre!

The real Broomflower slaves were shot down in despair, while the Sauron elite warriors mixed in among them did not expect the defenders to be so ruthless and decisive. They had no time to react and were shot down by arrows or torn apart by cannonballs!

Screams, cries, and curses filled the air, turning the area below the city into a scene of carnage.

In the distance, on the high ground in front of the Sauron camp.

Harald looked through his telescope at the relentless barrage of cannon fire and arrows raining down from the walls of Old Osric Fortress, his face ashen.

He lowered his binoculars and sneered, "This Friedrich... he's truly ruthless and heartless! He can even ignore the pleas of his own people!"

Although Leon's plan had been exposed, he showed little disappointment. Instead, he smiled sinisterly and said, "Great Chieftain, this is for the best. His barrage of artillery fire has completely shattered his 'loyalty and benevolence' act that he had displayed on the city walls!"

"From then on, which surrendered soldier would dare to believe his lies? This was a huge blow to the morale of their garrison!"

Asgeir asked somewhat impatiently, "Brother, are we still attacking the city today? We can't just let it go like this!"

Harald's eyes flashed with a cold light. "Attack! Of course we must attack! This is the last major assault! Let the surviving slaves, mixed with the newly captured Broomflower soldiers, charge forward! Let them be at the forefront, wearing down the defenders' arrows and stamina!"

"Yes!"

Soon, the War Drum thundered in the Sauron camp! Driven by the whips and swords of the Supervisory team, the remaining Broomflower slaves and surrendered soldiers, mixed with the newly captured Broomflower Royalist Army, launched a frenzied charge against Old Osric Fortress once again!

On the city wall, many of the defenders looked at the Royalist Army that had come to their rescue yesterday, now their enemies. Their eyes were bloodshot, their hearts filled with complex emotions, but they had no choice; they had to do it.

"For our fallen brothers! Kill!"

"Hold the walls! We must not let them get up!"

Muskets roared, arrows rained down, and the last Rolling Stone and Logs poured down like a torrent!

The slaves and surrendered soldiers at the forefront fell in droves, but were quickly driven up by the Sauron behind them, who continued their fierce attack over the corpses!

The Cloud Ladder was erected time and time again, only to be toppled and set ablaze time and time again!

The battle instantly entered its most brutal and intense phase!

Every inch of land, both above and below the city walls, was the subject of fierce fighting!

Every now and then, the defenders would be hit by stray arrows or cut down by slaves who climbed onto the city walls, but more defenders would immediately take their place!

Friedrich was like a firefighter, rushing around the city walls. Every time his longsword appeared, it stabilized a section of the crumbling defense!

Blood stained the city walls, and corpses piled up like mountains.

But this time, the defenders, with their ample strength, newly boosted morale, and the commander's leadership, managed to withstand wave after wave of the Sauron's frenzied attacks!

The battle raged from dawn until afternoon. The Sauron left behind nearly a thousand corpses at the foot of the city walls, all of them driven-out Goldspur, yet they were unable to gain a foothold on the city walls.

Harald, gazing at the castle that had been attacked for so long without success and whose morale was only growing stronger, finally lost all patience.

He knew full well that continuing like this would only increase casualties and would be pointless.

He abruptly waved his hand, issuing the final order, "Send word! Retreat!"

Ugh!!!

The bugle call to retreat sounded mournfully.

The slave army, which had been unable to break through the siege, felt as if they had been granted a pardon and fled in disarray, retreating back to their camp.

Harald stood on the high ground, taking one last look at the fortress that stood as firm as a rock, his eyes filled with resentment, but even more so with determination.

He turned to the general beside him and said in a deep voice, "Asgeir, you lead three thousand of your most elite cavalry and surround Old Osric Fortress completely! Do not let a single man or horse escape! The rest of the army, follow me and break camp immediately, bypass this city, and head straight for Plai!"

"Yes, Great Chieftain!"

The order was relayed swiftly.

No one in the Sauron Army objected. After all, compared to avenging their comrades, raiding south was the most important thing, and that was their main purpose for entering the pass.

Sauron's massive main army began to move, slowly bypassing the thorn in their side Old Osric Fortress, and surging towards Prye City, the heart of the southern Goldflower Kingdom!

Only three thousand elite cavalrymen remained, patrolling the castle like ghosts, maintaining a tight blockade.

On the city wall, Friedrich and all the garrison soldiers leaned wearily against the crenellations, watching the main force of the Sauron army march south around the city, the dust obscuring the sky.

They held the castle and won this fierce defensive battle.

But everyone knew in their hearts that the real disaster had only just begun.

The Sauron army's advance was already heading unimpeded toward the poorly defended Royal Capital.

Friedrich looked south, his face, stained with blood and soot, etched with solemnity and a deep sense of powerlessness.

He has done all he could.

"Your Majesty, good luck," he murmured, a bitter undertone in his voice, "We...have done our best."