Fortress

At this moment, the atmosphere in Carnford City was heavy yet bustling.

Accompanied by Brendan, Karl entered a semi-subterranean house used as a temporary wounded soldiers' camp.

The air was thick with the smells of herbs and blood, along with the suppressed groans of the wounded.

The fierce exchange of fire with the Sauron archers during the day, although the defenders gained the upper hand due to their advantageous terrain and firearms, did not come without a price.

"How is the situation?" Karl asked in a low voice to the medic who was bandaging a soldier's arm.

The physician wiped the sweat from his brow. "Your Excellency, we were fortunate. The Sauron, in pursuit of greater range and density of arrows, mostly used light arrows, which lacked penetrating power."

"Two are seriously wounded, both shot through the shoulder or thigh by arrows, losing a lot of blood, but they have taken medicine and the bleeding has stopped, their lives should be fine. One died... was hit by a stray arrow that happened to enter his eye socket, and died on the spot..." The physician sighed, "The remaining dozen or so have only minor flesh wounds, they can recover after a few days of rest and treatment."

Karl nodded calmly, walked to the straw mats, checked the wounded one by one, gently patted the uninjured shoulders, and whispered words of comfort and encouragement, "Take good care of yourselves, Carnford needs you."

When the wounded saw their Lord arrive in person, their pale faces showed excitement and relief.

After visiting the wounded, Karl and Brendan stepped out of the low-ceilinged house and into the cold air.

Brendan immediately began to report more specific details, his tone tinged with worry. "Sir, we suffered heavy losses in the daytime battle. The Musketeers fought fiercely, using up eight hundred fixed-charge Gunpowder pack. We still have enough gunpowder reserves, but our stock of pre-made standard ammunition packs is running low. I have already instructed the logistics personnel to organize all the women in the city who know how to sew to work through the night to make new ammunition packs."

"Yes, but make sure to guarantee supplies, and provide adequate wages and food." Karl approved without hesitation; this was the foundation for maintaining firepower.

Brendan continued his assessment of the battle results, "Based on our observations during the day and our subsequent count, it is estimated that around five hundred slaves died on the spot, and the number wounded and lying on the ground is probably around the same. Given the Sauron ' attitude towards slaves and their medical conditions, those wounded... will likely have little chance of survival."

Seeing that Karl had no reaction, Brendan continued, "But the casualties among the slaves will not shake Harald's foundation. He has only lost expendable resources. The real Sauron Combatant have probably suffered very few casualties today, perhaps only a dozen or so archers."

Karl was silent for a moment, then said coldly, "It's alright. Harald's patience is limited. He can't keep filling the gaps with slaves indefinitely. When he can't hold back any longer and sends out the real Sauron elite attack, that will be our chance to inflict heavy casualties on their core forces."

He paused, then pointed to the positions on the mountainside on both sides of the passageway, faintly visible in the darkness, and explained his proposed improvement plan, "The daytime exchange of fire also exposed our problems. The projectile fire of arrows poses a great threat to our Musketeers. Pass down the order to immediately reinforce the positions on both sides of the mountainside under the cover of night!"

He specifically instructed, "In front of all key musket firing positions, urgently construct a sturdy breastwork up to chest height using sandbags, wood, and stones. This breastwork must be able to effectively defend against stray arrows and shrapnel. More importantly, immediately build Suspended Shelters and Grass Bunkers behind the breastwork."

Seeing Brendan's focused gaze, Karl explained in detail, "Suspended Shelters is a large net made of Hemp Rope, hung about one or two meters above the back of the breastwork, and covered with cotton quilts or straw mats soaked in mud."

"When the Sauron light arrows are hurled at us, they are first blocked and entangled by this soft Suspended Shelters, greatly reducing their downward force. Even if an arrow does pierce through, its force is minimal, making it difficult to inflict fatal wounds on those below."

"The Grass Bunkers is even simpler; it's just a sloping canopy quickly erected above the position using wooden poles, thatch, and branches. Its function is similar, mainly to cushion and intercept projectiles. With these two layers of protection, our Musketeers can be much safer when loading and aiming."

Brendan's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood the ingenuity of the plan. "Your Excellency is wise! This will greatly reduce the threat of the Sauron archers! I will immediately arrange manpower and materials, and start work tonight, prioritizing the reinforcement of the main firing positions facing the tunnel!"

Karl nodded, and the two continued their patrol along the narrow, muddy roads of the inner city.

Due to the large influx of civilians and wounded soldiers fleeing the war in a short period of time, the once relatively orderly inner city became extremely crowded and chaotic.

Despite the repeated orders and strict sanitation regulations issued by the steward Edgar, prohibiting the indiscriminate dumping of garbage and excrement, the regulations were difficult to enforce due to the pressure of survival and overcrowding.

The ground was muddy from melted snow, spilled sewage, and countless footprints, and the air was filled with the smells of smoke, herbs, sweat, and a faint odor of decay.

As Karl walked, his gaze was drawn to a high platform under construction nearby.

This platform, built from logs, stones, and rammed earth, has a solid foundation and is even taller than the outer crenellations of the main city wall.

The top of the platform is much wider than the walkway on the city wall, obviously to leave room for operation. Behind the platform, there is a thick wall of sandbags, which is a buffer zone reserved for the recoil of the Six-pound Cannon.

Carpenter Vali, along with several apprentices, was chanting in unison as they busily installed a complex pulley system, clearly to safely hoist the incredibly heavy Cannon to this high vantage point.

"Is this for that Six-pound Cannon?" Karl stopped and looked up at the nearly completed artillery position.

"Yes, sir," Brendan confirmed. "Vali said it would be finished by noon tomorrow at the latest, and the cannons would be positioned here with an excellent field of fire, enough to cover the middle of the tunnel and all the way to the enemy's possible long-range assembly area."

Karl paused for a moment, then exhaled softly, as if speaking to Brendan, yet also to himself. "Hopefully this cannon... will really come in handy."

Today, every shell is extremely precious, and the value of this new artillery position must be demonstrated at critical moments.

Brendan replied firmly, "It will, my lord! Once the cannons are in position, they will effectively suppress or even drive away the Sauron archer formation. If they don't want to be picked off one by one, they will have no choice but to retreat and create distance."

"In this way, their suppression of the tunnel positions will be greatly reduced, and our Musketeers and archers will be able to kill the approaching enemy more easily."

"Yes," Karl nodded, "Once we suppress their ranged power, the pressure on our defense will be greatly reduced. Moreover, the very existence of this cannon is a continuous blow to Sauron's morale, making them nervous every time they assemble."

He could almost see how the deadly flames spewing from his high-ranking cannons would disrupt the rhythm of their attack and tear a bloody path through their dense formation as the Sauron soldier surged forward once more.

"Alright, Brendan, get on with the planning for the breastwork construction. Time is of the essence; the Sauron won't give us much of a breathing space."

Brendan accepted the order and hurriedly left to organize the manpower.

Karl stood alone, the cold wind ruffling his cloak.

He gazed at the lights of the enemy camp in the distance, knowing that behind the temporary calm, a more violent storm was brewing.