Arrow Towers
Karl stood on the city wall, surrounded by layers of garrison soldiers who were raising their arms and shouting.
The deafening cheers of "Long live Carnford! Long live Lord Karl!" crashed against the city walls like a tsunami. Every soldier's face was filled with the excitement of surviving a disaster, the ecstasy of victory, and the almost fanatical worship of their young Lord.
The firelight illuminated the tired yet excited faces, and morale was at its peak.
However, Karl, at the center of the cheers, remained unusually calm.
He didn't wave his arms like the soldiers; instead, he slightly raised his chin, his deep gaze passing over the cheering crowd, over the passageway filled with wreckage and corpses, and casting a distant, deathly, and oppressive view of the Sauron camp.
A faint smile played at the corners of his lips; it wasn't joy, but rather a cold understanding and a silent declaration of war.
He knew that deep within those sprawling camps, there must be a pair of eyes, peering through a telescope, just as intently watching him.
Meanwhile, at the rear of the Sauron Army, on the highest command tower.
Harald slowly lowered the brass telescope he had been holding in front of him. He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, motionless. On the lens of the telescope, it seemed that the image of the young figure surrounded by thousands of people on the distant city wall still lingered.
Despite the distance, Harald felt as if he could penetrate space and clearly sense the calm, confidence, and... provocation conveyed in the other's gaze.
Ten days of bloody fighting, thousands of casualties, and the destruction of meticulously crafted siege equipment, all for naught in the end, only to be met with such a humiliating defeat and the enemy's unbridled celebration and humiliation!
But strangely, beneath the anger, an even stronger desire for conquest is growing wildly!
The extreme difficulties and setbacks did not break his will; instead, they acted as the most powerful catalyst, completely awakening the beast within him that yearned for conquest and destruction.
Karl von Schmidt, the opponent who repeatedly surprised him and made him taste defeat time and time again, had transformed from a thorn that needed to be removed into a target that he had to crush and completely conquer with his own hands!
This sense of challenge was more intense and more exciting than any of the Broomflower cities he had conquered before.
He turned around abruptly, all emotions vanishing from his face in an instant, leaving only absolute authority.
His gaze swept over the group of anxious generals, finally settling on his younger brother, Svein.
"The tactic of using Shield-carts to forcefully attack the tunnel ends here." Harald's voice was calm and even, yet carried an undeniable sense of finality. "Facts have proven that with such a tight defense and the threat of that Cannon, continuing to commit more troops would only increase casualties."
Upon hearing this, a hint of resentment flashed across Svein's face, but he was mostly relieved.
He was about to agree and suggest a temporary siege when Harald issued new orders:
"Order the artisans to change their strategy and abandon the frontal assault on the tunnel. I want them to build arrow towers outside the maximum range of the Carnford Cannon!" He pointed to the mountain peak where Carnford was located.
"The height of the arrow tower must exceed that mountain! We need to ensure that our best archers can stand atop the tower, overlooking the entire mountainside, and even directly threatening their city walls!"
Svein's eyes lit up; this was indeed a good idea to break out of the current predicament! By utilizing the height advantage, they could suppress or even eliminate the enemy's flank firing positions on the hillside, which were their lifeline. If successful, Carnford's defensive system would have a fatal flaw.
But then a crucial question occurred to him, and he said with concern, "Brother, this plan is brilliant! However, to build a sturdy arrow tower even taller than Carnford Mountain, the required timber is enormous, and the project is massive. I'm afraid... it will take at least ten days to even begin to take shape. Isn't that... too long?"
His implication was clear: the process was taking too long and there were too many variables; perhaps a more direct approach should be considered, or a temporary retreat should be undertaken.
Harald seemed oblivious to his hesitation at the end of his sentence, adding sharply, clearly having already given it considerable thought, "At the same time, surround the passageway. Since we can't go up, let them be unable to come down either. Let them watch helplessly as we build arrow towers and then crush their castle."
After issuing this series of orders, Harald said no more, not even glancing at Svein or the others, and turned and strode down the watchtower.
Svein watched his brother's departing figure, and the words that were about to come out of his mouth ultimately turned into a helpless sigh.
He knew Harald; once he made a decision, especially after such a setback, he was unlikely to give up easily.
Building the tower in ten days... this is destined to be a longer and more brutal war of attrition.
He could only suppress his worries and turn around to deliver the order in a stern voice.
Prye City, Royal Palace.
Friedrich knelt on one knee on the cold marble floor, his helmet tucked under his arm, his resolute face filled with anxiety and earnestness.
He had just led the garrison back to Old Osric Fortress. The days of travel and the pressure of war had made him look somewhat haggard, but his eyes burned with a fierce light.
"Your Majesty! I implore Your Majesty to send reinforcements immediately to Carnford!" His voice echoed in the hall, carrying an undeniable urgency. "My brother Karl is now fighting against Sauron's army of 100,000 in a lone city! He is in imminent danger!"
"If Carnford falls, the Northern Territory gateway will be wide open, and the Sauron Barbarians will have no obstacle to march south again! I am willing to personally lead a detachment, even if it is only three or five hundred elite cavalry, to travel day and night, break through the encirclement, and protect Karl to keep this thorn in the Northern Territory for the kingdom!"
King Heinrich XI sat on his throne, his brow furrowed.
He certainly didn't want Karl von Schmidt, this young Lord who had repeatedly surprised him and was a legend in the Northern Territory, to perish like this.
The presence of Carnford did indeed tie down a large number of Sauron's troops, which was of great strategic significance to the kingdom.
but...
He glanced at the ministers who looked troubled and whispered among themselves, and felt a deep sense of helplessness.
The Royal Capital had just been besieged, its troops were depleted, and morale was low. The defending forces were his last core strength, the bottom line for ensuring his own safety and the operation of the kingdom's central government, and could not be easily mobilized.
If the Royal Capital fall, that would be a true catastrophe.
After a long silence, Heinrich finally spoke, his voice tinged with weariness and resignation. "Sir Friedrich, your loyalty and brotherhood have greatly pleased me. However, the Royal Capital has just been pacified, and our military strength is depleted. It is truly difficult to divide our forces. So be it..."
He picked up the imperial brush and quickly wrote on a blank Imperial Edict, then stamped it with the imperial seal and handed it to the attendant beside him. "Convey my decree, ordering Earl Eisenberg, the Warden of the Northern Territory and Governor of Eagle's Nest Fortress, to immediately dispatch elite troops to rush to the aid of Carnford. There must be no delay!"
Upon hearing this decision, Friedrich's heart sank to the bottom!
Asking Eisenberg to send troops? That's like asking a tiger for its skin!
He knew the true nature of that coward, that parasite, better than anyone else!
How could he possibly risk rescuing Carnford, someone he already resented and who stayed far away from his shell?
"Your Majesty! Earl Eisenberg, he..." Friedrich tried to argue urgently.
"Enough!" Heinrich waved his hand impatiently. "Earl Eisenberg's troops are well-trained and well-supplied, and Eagle's Nest Fortress as solid as a rock. It is his duty to spare some troops to rescue Carnford! This matter is settled, there is no need to discuss it further!"
Friedrich knew that further argument was futile and might even anger the King.
He could only grit his teeth and kowtow heavily. "Your subject... obeys the decree!"
My heart, however, felt icy cold.