The Passage Opened
Harald stood on the hillside, his cold eyes fixed on the dead zone in the middle of the passageway, soaked in flames and blood.
The charred corpses, the twisted remains, and the still stubbornly standing boulder, seemingly mocking all the sacrifices of Sauron army, created an extremely oppressive scene.
The air still seemed to faintly carry the stench of burning flesh and the scent of defeat.
He remained silent for a long time, and the oppressive aura emanating from him made the generals around him afraid to even breathe.
After a long silence, he took a deep, icy breath of air, as if trying to suppress the rage in his chest. His voice, as cold as the ice of the Northern Territory, was devoid of any warmth as he gave the order, "Order the artisans to work through the night to build even stronger Shield-carts. The tops must be encased in iron and completely fireproof. By tomorrow morning, I want to see these new siege weapons on the front lines. Attack! Continue!"
Svein, standing to the side, felt a chill run down his spine. He knew his brother all too well; behind this extreme calm lay a truly thunderous rage.
Harald had rarely encountered a worthy opponent in his life. Even against the elite legions of the Goldflower Kingdom, he usually won with overwhelming force. How could he have ever suffered such repeated setbacks and paid such a heavy price at Carnford, a seemingly insignificant border fortress, without even touching the edge of the walls?
This is not merely a military setback, but a provocation against his authority and dignity.
Svein moved his lips, wanting to persuade his brother to change tactics or temporarily surround and refrain from attacking, but seeing Harald's unquestionable gaze, he ultimately swallowed his words.
He knew that any advice at this moment would be futile. The honor of the Sauron army and Harald's prestige were now firmly tied to the capture of Carnford. The die was cast, and the arrow had to be released.
The entire Sauron camp remained awake all night under immense pressure. The craftsmen toiled like worker ants under the torchlight, the sounds of hammering and sawing filling the air.
Harald personally oversaw the process, demanding the utmost attention to every detail.
The next morning, sunlight barely pierced through the clouds, illuminating the grim battlefield.
The new siege weapon, a massive Shield-carts that had been thoroughly enhanced and now had a ferocious appearance, was slowly pushed to the front of the battle line.
This new Shield-carts is quite different from the previous version; it is more like a huge sedan chair or the base of a siege tower covered with iron sheets.
Up to eight pairs of sturdy wooden wheels are mounted on the bottom to distribute the enormous weight.
The most noticeable change is at the top, where the thick wooden planks are tightly wrapped in a layer of shiny iron, enough to withstand ordinary fire arrows and Fire oil.
Moreover, this time the top structure is no longer a foldable ladder, but has been designed as a fixed ceiling.
Its core improvement lies in the front, where the main shield, designed to withstand frontal attacks, can be lowered by removing the pins. Once it successfully approaches the boulder, the lowered shield will rest directly on the boulder, forming a sturdy assault ramp!
What propelled this behemoth was an extremely long and thick central beam, with numerous handrails extending from both sides. It required the combined efforts of sixteen strong slaves to slowly move it forward through the rugged passageway.
Harald waved his hand expressionlessly.
The bugle call to attack sounded again, piercingly. Under the cold blades of the Supervisory team, sixteen slaves, in groups of sixteen, chanted muffled slogans and used all their strength to push the steel behemoth slowly into the narrow tunnel that had swallowed countless lives.
The heavy wheels rolled over yesterday's charred corpses and frozen blood, making a teeth-grinding sound.
Karl stood behind the crenellations of the city wall, one hand on the cold parapet, the other holding a brass telescope, staring down at the death tunnel below.
When Karl saw that grotesque new Shield-carts, propelled by the slaves with their lives, stubbornly crushing through layers of charred corpses and frozen blood, crawling upwards inch by inch, Karl couldn't help but feel a strong sense of unease, and even a touch of admiration.
"These Sauron ... are truly beyond my expectations," he said in a low voice to Brendan beside him, whose expression was equally grave. "Their ability to learn and adapt is astounding."
"This is something that nomadic tribes on the Skarn Grassland who only know how to cavalry and raid could never do. Look at the design of this Shield-carts; its structure is ingenious and highly targeted. The level of manufacturing and use of siege equipment is in no way inferior to the kingdom's best engineers."
His judgment was quickly proven correct; the reinforced Shield-carts posed an unprecedented challenge to the defenders on the mountainside positions on both sides of the passageway.
The lead bullets fired from muskets only managed to create a few sparks when they hit the iron-clad roof, failing to penetrate it; arrows were like mere tickles.
The defenders' greatest asset was the rolling stones and logs. When these hit the sloping and reinforced roof, most of them would only bounce off and roll down the slope. Although they could kill or injure some slaves or soldiers who were following behind the Shield-carts and couldn't get out of the way in time, they caused very limited damage to the Shield-carts themselves and the slaves who were pushing them.
To make matters worse, the Sauron's massive archer corps was constantly providing ranged fire suppression.
Despite the protection of the Suspended Shelters and Grass Bunkers, the defenders would inevitably be exposed to stray arrows if they tried to peek out to throw rolling stones or fire. The muffled groans of soldiers wounded by arrows could be heard from time to time, and the effectiveness of the defenders' long-range blocking was minimized.
Under the cover of Sauron archers and the formidable protection of the Shield-carts themselves, the steel behemoth slowly but steadily approached the boulder that had been blocking Sauron days.
The most tense moment arrived, Shield-carts successfully held the front end against the base of the boulder.
Urged frantically by the overseers, the slaves inside braved the stray arrows raining down from the crenellations of the city wall and used pre-prepared wedge-shaped stones to firmly jam the rear wheels of the Shield-carts, preventing it from slipping off.
In this way, the Shield-carts itself becomes a stable and safe platform and passageway leading directly to the foot of the boulder.
Immediately afterwards, a series of dull thumping sounds and shouts came from inside the Shield-carts, as the slaves inside were struggling to knock off the pins securing the huge front shield!
With a loud crash, the massive, iron-clad former main shield slowly tilted forward under the force of gravity, its top edge landing precisely on the summit of the boulder!
Even more astonishing is that the Sauron craftsmen had already designed and fixed simple yet practical crossbeams on the inside of this shield, forming a sturdy staircase!
The massive stone, the natural barrier that the Carnford defenders had relied on for so many days, was finally "built" into a passage to the inner wall by the Sauron with astonishing perseverance and ingenious siege techniques!
"Boom!" A deafening cheer erupted from behind the Sauron Army! On the city wall, the faces of the defending soldiers turned deathly pale instantly.
The passage is open!