King Claudus rode his warhorse at the very center of his army. As he gazed at Benwick's distant castle, he could not keep the smile from spreading across his face.
Twenty-seven years ago, Aramon of Brittany had joined forces with King Uther of Britain to crush him.
And now, he had rallied his forces once more!
Uther and Aramon were dead. Aramon's successor, Aurelion, was a spineless brat who possessed none of his father's kingly bearing.
Conquering the entire Kingdom of Brittany would be child's play for him now!
Strictly speaking, Aurelion was indeed the target of King Claudus's revenge, but to him, defeating Aurelion would be far too much like... beating up a weakling.
Yes, beating up a weakling.
King Claudus's assessment of Aurelion was even more blunt than Sovell's:
No true wisdom, just a head full of petty tricks.
According to the reports from his spies in Brittany Royal City's capital, the current army of Brittany was even weaker than it had been under Aramon.
Moreover, taking Benwick meant taking the gateway to the Kingdom of Brittany.
Benwick's terrain and Royal City were easy to defend and difficult to attack from both north and south. Once he took Benwick, the success of his revenge was all but assured!
Over the course of two months, King Claudus's army had swept through everything in its path, breaking through all five cities and defensive lines between Benwick's Royal City and its southern border.
Now, King Claudus's army was encamped three li south of the gates of Benwick's Royal City.
This was King Claudus's third assault on Benwick's Royal City.
Despite being the attackers in a siege, King Claudus's forces had worn down most of King Ban's and King Bors's elite troops in the previous two assaults, suffering an exceptionally low casualty