Crossfire

In the blink of an eye, dozens of people had fallen in the crowded passageway, their corpses blocking the way forward. The surviving slaves cowered behind their shields in terror, pushing and shoving, crying out, and the procession descended into chaos.

The shouts and arrows fired by the Sauron soldier from the rear seemed to lose some of their effectiveness at this moment.

Faced with an invisible enemy, yet constantly shrouded in the shadow of death, primal fear overwhelmed everything.

The dense gunfire echoed through the valley, like the drumbeats of death.

Almost every precise gunshot was accompanied by the loss of a life in the tunnel.

The number of casualties among the slave ranks rose rapidly, with the cries of the wounded and the screams of the dying echoing endlessly.

The immense psychological pressure and the constant tragic deaths of their companions finally broke the nerves of some slaves.

Some people screamed hysterically, threw down their shields or the wooden poles of their carts, and turned and fled in panic.

However, they hadn't run more than a few steps when they were mercilessly shot down by Sauron archers who were covering their rear. Their bodies rolled on the ground, serving as a direct warning to the others.

The Shield-carts moved slowly forward, its wheels crushing over the corpses and pools of blood, making a sickeningly sticky sound.

"Don't look back! Keep moving forward! Charge forward if you don't want to die!" A burly, fierce-looking Slave Headman roared hoarsely, frantically whipping the hesitant or retreating slaves around him with a thick wooden stick.

Because of his previous "positive performance" and effective suppression of slave rebellions, he gained the appreciation of the Sauron and was promoted to the leader of this small group of slaves. He was even promised that if he made meritorious contributions in this siege, he would be allowed to join the official Sauron soldier and be freed from slavery upon returning to Frosgard.

Therefore, he worked exceptionally hard, trying to pave his own path to promotion with the blood of his comrades.

"Cover your faces with your hands! Hide behind the Shield-carts! Don't even think about running!" he continued to shout, trying to maintain the crumbling formation.

However, his conspicuous commands and shouts undoubtedly attracted the special attention of the defenders on the tunnel position.

An archer from the garrison calmly adjusted his breathing, squinted, and aimed at the figure that was particularly active in the chaotic crowd.

The bowstring vibrated, and a sharp arrow, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, shot down from above!

"Pfft!"

The arrow pierced the Slave Headman's gaping mouth with perfect accuracy, its sharp tip instantly penetrating the back of his head!

All his shouts stopped abruptly, his ferocious expression froze, replaced by a blank, dazed look. His body remained in the posture of waving the wooden stick, stiffened for a moment, and then fell heavily backward, splashing up a pool of muddy blood.

The sudden death of their leader was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, plunging the already terrified slaves into complete panic.

"The leader is dead!" "Run!" The survivors shouted, no longer caring about orders, and turned to flee.

But their path to survival was also blocked by death. Before they could run far, a dense rain of arrows came from behind their main force of Sauron! A dozen or so escapees at the front were instantly riddled with arrows and fell to the ground.

"Anyone who retreats will be killed without mercy!" The cold voice of the Sauron Army was like ice, shattering the slaves' last shred of hope.

With the defenders shooting accurately in front and their own arrows raining down mercilessly behind, the slaves were caught in a deadly predicament.

After a brief, desperate standoff, the instinct for survival finally compelled them to turn around. With endless fear and numbness, they once again pushed their Shield-carts, stepping over the corpses of their comrades, and slowly and desperately moved toward the breach in the city wall that had swallowed lives.

Just as the defenders on the city walls concentrated their firepower, accurately and ruthlessly shooting the slaves being driven through the passageway, the opportunity that the Sauron had been waiting for finally arrived!

Taking advantage of the brief moment when the guards' attention was drawn to the first wave of slaves, a large number of Sauron archers, who had already lined up in the rear, simultaneously drew their bows and nocked their arrows at the officer's command!

"Buzz!!!"

A chilling, piercing sound rang out from the bowstring!

In an instant, a dense swarm of arrows, like locusts, soared into the air, tracing deadly arcs as they rained down upon the walls of Carnford!

The arrows were so dense they almost obscured a small patch of sky, whistling mournfully as they slammed down on the heads of the defending soldiers!

"Raise shields! Take cover!" officers at all levels shouted hoarsely.

However, the sudden rain of arrows still caused considerable casualties. Some Musketeers and archers who were focused on aiming at the slaves below were not able to dodge in time and were instantly hit by several arrows. They fell from the position with screams, and a series of muffled groans and cries of pain immediately echoed on the position, and blood began to stain the ground red.

Otto was focused on directing the shooting when he suddenly heard a sharp whooshing sound overhead!

He instinctively tilted his head, and with a crisp "clang!" a powerful arrow struck the top of his helmet precisely. The immense impact made his neck ache and his head buzz.

Fortunately, he was wearing a well-crafted disc-shaped helmet. The arrowhead was deflected by the curved steel helmet, leaving only a noticeable dent and white spot on the top of the helmet.

Although he wasn't injured, the incident gave Otto a fright and completely enraged him!

He suddenly crouched down, using the crenellations for cover, and roared, "First platoon! Third platoon! Archers! Musketeers! Some of you, turn around and suppress the enemy's archer positions! Now!"

The order was relayed swiftly.

The defenders on the city wall immediately dispatched a portion of their men to return fire against the distant ranks of Sauron archers, braving the ongoing rain of arrows.

The battle instantly escalated into an even more intense long-range firefight!

Taking advantage of the height of the city walls and the "Three-section" precision firing method, the defending Musketeers calmly aimed and fired.

The scorching lead bullets whistled through the ranks of Sauron archers, striking them repeatedly as they fell to the ground screaming in agony, Sauron the once orderly formation began to crumble.

Sauron archers, on the other hand, relied on their overwhelming numerical advantage to launch a continuous barrage of arrows.

Wave after wave of arrows rained down on the city walls almost without stopping, suppressing the defenders so that they could not raise their heads. Any exposed figure could be hit by several arrows in an instant.

The narrow airspace between the two sides seemed to have become a death tunnel, constantly exchanging deadly arrows and bullets.

Defenders fell one after another, wounded by arrows and dragged to the rear by their comrades; Sauron archers were also killed by accurate musket shots, and the vacated positions were quickly filled by those behind them.

Otto gritted his teeth. He knew that in this exchange of fire, the height of the city walls and the range and accuracy of the muskets were their only advantages. They had to hold on and suppress the enemy's ranged attack, otherwise the city wall defense would face enormous pressure.