Empire Intervention (Three Chapters in One)

Grand Knight Commander Job was the first to arrive beneath Bili City, but he did not take the initiative to attack it.

He knew very well how terrifying the defenses of a duchy's capital could be. Unless they used overwhelming forces to force open a breach, they would be dragged into a battlefield of slaughter and flesh.

Thus, he would not use the three thousand knights of the Duchy of Taikos to assault the city. On one hand, he had to wait for the siege machinery to be transported there. On the other, he had to wait for the other three duchies to make their moves.

When the other three duchies arrived, a strange situation appeared beneath Bili City. None of the four duchies had any intention of attacking first.

The Grand Knight Commanders leading the four duchies all understood one thing clearly: they were knights, and sieges were not their strength. Moreover, whoever attacked first would face the fiercest resistance.

They had two choices before them:

The first was for the four duchies to cooperate, capture Bili City, and then distribute the spoils.

There were many problems with that. The four duchies were not on friendly terms. Too many grudges existed between them, and no one could guarantee that they would not be sabotaged by their allies during the coordinated assault.

Their knight legions represented the full military strength of their respective duchies. If their losses were too great, their national power might decline.

During this extraordinary period, with crop yields continuing to fall, any decline in national power could turn them into the second Keen Duchy. None of them wanted to see that happen.

Thus, coordinated warfare was not very feasible. Fighting separately was more likely.

The second choice was to wait for reinforcements, which would also bring