Harald took everything in. He waited until the clamor of the crowd had subsided somewhat before slowly rising from his throne. His burly frame was like a moving mountain, radiating an invisible pressure.
His gaze swept across the face of every general, then at last seemed to pierce through the thick stone walls and turn southward.
"The Goldspurs have sent cannon, hoping Karl and we will fight until both sides are crippled." Harald's voice was not loud, yet it clearly overrode every other sound, carrying icy mockery and absolute confidence. "They have calculated well. But they have forgotten that when beasts clash, the victor devours everything and grows even stronger!"
"Carnford must be uprooted! Karl must be destroyed! This is not merely for revenge or wealth, but for Sauron's future! We absolutely cannot give him any more time!"
"According to our scouts' investigations and estimates, Karl's core force numbers around ten thousand. Even if that old fox Rochfort supports him with everything he has, the mobile troops he can send will not exceed twenty thousand. Together, thirty thousand at most. As for us, we can muster over a hundred thousand warriors! A tenfold advantage in numbers is enough to crush them beneath us!"
Asgeir raised a question. "Carnford City's defenses are formidable, and its cannon are deadly. Won't a frontal assault cost too much? We suffered there two years ago."
"That is precisely the key! To expand and accommodate more people and workshops, Karl extended the main body of the city onto the plains. What he possesses now is no longer merely that mountain castle, easy to defend and hard to attack, but vast, vulnerable districts below the mountain—warehouses, workshops, and farmland! This means he can no longer abandon the outskirts as easily as before and retreat into his lone