Time flew by.
A brutal battle was about to begin, like a storm brewing.
The enemy army across the river below the city had nearly finished assembling. Their attack looked moments away. Brook began directing the soldiers to set up defenses atop the walls. Under his orders, some of Chambord City's ordinary young and middle-aged men also took up positions along the walls, armed with crude defensive tools such as machetes, wooden sticks, and farming implements, to help the king's guard defend the city.
Even so, the defenses were still a little thin. After accounting for the wounded and those absent, the king's guard numbered fewer than 400. Together with over 1,000 hastily conscripted young and middle-aged men who had received no military training whatsoever, they made up a ragtag fighting force of less than 1,500 in total. This was the strongest defense Chambord City could currently muster.
Compared with the enemy's more than 2,000 well-trained black-armored soldiers, however, their forces fell far short. The difference was like heaven and earth.
Fortunately, Chambord City could rely on its natural defenses, giving it a significant advantage in terrain.
Even so, the situation was hardly encouraging.
In wars on the Azeroth Continent, the role of powerful fighters could not be ignored. If the black-armored soldiers had another expert or two comparable to Langde, the three-star warrior, Chambord City would be in danger.
That was what worried Sun Fei most.
The sun rose higher, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
It was as if invisible flames filled the air, burning painfully in their chests when they breathed.
Sun Fei stood beneath the watchtower atop the city wall, waiting for the battle to begin.
That fat pig Gejir stood nearby, his legs trembling with fear. The bloodshed of war had left the exceptionally pampered young master's mind blank. Fortunately, his father Bazel had sent several guards loyal to him to protect Gejir. Otherwise, Gejir would probably have fainted from fright by now.
Bazel himself, on the other hand, surprised Sun Fei a little.
According to Brook, the old man in red had no fighting ability whatsoever and was just an ordinary person. So after dealing with Conca, the military magistrate, and Oleg, the warden, Sun Fei had paid him no attention. Sun Fei had originally assumed the old man would slip off the wall and flee for his life. Who would have thought he would come beneath the watchtower and stand beside his son?
I didn't expect that old fox to care so much about his son. I suppose he still has a shred of humanity.
Sun Fei looked back at Bazel and said nothing more.
Everyone was waiting for the battle to begin.
Across the river.
A full ten formations of black-armored soldiers had finally assembled. They marched toward Chambord City in lockstep, weapons raised like a forest. Blades and spearheads glinted coldly in the morning sun, and a chilling killing intent swept toward the city.
A pin could have been heard dropping on the wall. Everyone could hear their own heartbeat.
Some of the hastily conscripted men could not stop their legs from trembling, and sweat dampened the palms gripping their weapons. A bloody battle was imminent, and none of them knew whether they would survive it. But for their parents and loved ones, they could not retreat.
Thud, thud, thud, thud-!
The black-armored formations advanced like a black torrent, neither hurried nor slow, their footsteps falling in an eerily uniform rhythm. They brought an immense, unimaginable pressure with them. The sound struck the hearts of Chambord City's soldiers like a drumbeat, faster and faster, until it was almost suffocating.
At the very front was a formation carrying tower shields.
A hundred black shields, each two meters tall and painted with a grotesque demon face, covered all the soldiers behind them as they advanced, like a horde of devils bearing down on the city. When they approached the near end of the narrow natural stone bridge, the hundred-man tower-shield formation shifted from ten columns to three, just enough to cross the bridge. Then they continued forward, their steps pounding like drums.
There was not a single stray sound throughout the entire process. The black-armored soldiers were like ruthless, precise killing machines, operating in strict order. Displaying incredible discipline, they advanced methodically.
The sight made Sun Fei's heart sink once again.
Without a doubt, this was a well-trained elite army.
Then he looked at the somewhat disorganized soldiers around him... This battle would be a tough one.
The distance between them slowly closed.
In less than ten minutes, the leading tower-shield formation had nearly reached this end of the bridge. Once they set foot on the northern bank of the Zuli River, they would enter the range of Chambord City's archers, and the brutal battle would begin.
Clang-!
Brook drew his longsword, planted one foot on a battlement, and shouted, "Archers... ready!"
Creak, creak, creeeak-!
Bowstrings tightened as more than a hundred longbows were drawn into full moons. Their cold, gleaming arrowheads were like Death's cruel grin, waiting only for Brook's order to fly.
But just then-
Thud!
For some unknown reason, the tower-shield formation at the front suddenly stopped. Immediately afterward, the other nine formations behind it-the spearmen, swordsmen, archers, and the rest-also halted one after another.
The entire movement was perfectly coordinated, as though they were a single person.
"What is going on?"
Seeing this, Sun Fei frowned slightly. He could not imagine what the enemy commander was up to.
Brook, who was directing the overall defense some distance away, could not guess the reason either. But he did not let his guard down for a moment. He jumped up onto the wall and shouted, "Archers, ready! Everyone, stay focused! No one is to leave their battle position without orders!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than something else changed among the enemy below the wall.
Four knights in black armor slowly emerged from behind the formations and made their way through the ranks. The knight in the lead held a stout lance about three meters long, with a perfectly ordinary helmet raised on its tip. He urged his horse forward with his whip and slowly approached the wall.
Brook's expression changed.
He slid his broadsword back into the scabbard at his waist, hurried over to Sun Fei, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the enemy wants to negotiate."
Negotiate?
Sun Fei was amused.
So on the Azeroth Continent, raising a battered helmet on a lance meant you wanted to negotiate with your opponent. Sun Fei made a note of that little fact; it might come in handy someday.
But these bastards clearly had the advantage. Why had they come to negotiate?
"Let them through!" Sun Fei ordered Brook. He wanted to see what trick the enemy commander was playing.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Brook turned and went back, instructing the soldiers to signal their agreement to negotiate.
Seeing the response, the four black knights urged their black horses forward. They passed the end of the bridge and soon entered bowshot, then kept going until they reached the main gate of Chambord City.
"By my master's command, the king of Chambord City is to come out at once and receive his orders."
The black knight codenamed [One] planted his lance on the ground, raised his head arrogantly, and shouted. His strength as a one-star warrior carried his voice across the entire wall. Everyone heard him clearly, and they could all sense the barely concealed condescension in his words.
"If you've got something to say, spit it out!"
Sun Fei stood at the bridgehead and gave a crude reply. The man's attitude had rubbed him the wrong way, so Sun Fei showed no courtesy and cursed right back.
Below the wall, Black Knight [One]'s pupils contracted.
He had never imagined that the king of Chambord City was the same brute who had gravely wounded Langde, a three-star warrior... Damn it, hadn't the Eagle Group's intelligence said the king of Chambord City was an idiot? How could this be?
In the distance.
The Silver-Masked Man, who had been watching from the opposite riverbank, was also a little surprised.
But soon, the corners of his mouth curved upward. This is even more interesting. Sending a lofty king to the arena-that wonderful spectacle will definitely drive those perverted noblewomen wild... Heh, things look even more interesting than I expected!
Below the wall.
"My master is tolerant and merciful. He is willing to give you a chance to live..." Black Knight [One] raised his whip and shouted arrogantly, "King of Chambord City, listen carefully! My master has ordered that if you open the gates and surrender, the royal family and officials will receive the protection of our army. The commoners will be spared and made slaves..." At this point, Black Knight [One]'s tone changed. He sneered and threatened coldly, "If you don't know what's good for you and dare to keep resisting, then once the city falls, not even a chicken or a dog will be spared. The slaughter will last three days."
The black knight's words carried clearly up to the wall.
The people on the wall reacted in different ways. Bazel, Oleg, and several officials lowered their heads in thought, their resolve already beginning to waver. A few commoners who feared death also bowed their heads; becoming slaves seemed far better than dying in battle. Others, of course, showed disdain and tightened their grips on their weapons with even greater resolve.
Everyone looked toward the young king, Alexander.
The decision lay in the young king's hands.
Sun Fei did not rush to refuse. His gaze swept over everyone's face, taking in expressions of all kinds. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he said slowly, "I didn't expect the enemy to pull something like this... This is a difficult choice. Ha ha, let's hear what all of you think. What should we choose now?"
Before he had even finished speaking, Warden Oleg eagerly stepped forward first.
The sycophant's expression flickered as he said with a fawning smile, "Your great Majesty, Oleg is willing to die fighting for you. But I still think you should consider the enemy's offer. After all, we have fewer than 400 soldiers, and almost all of them are wounded. If we keep resisting, we may well fail to hold the city and also enrage the enemy. Then everyone in the city will die... Oh, of course, Oleg isn't saying this because he fears death, but for the sake of our subjects."
Though his words sounded righteous, the expression on the sycophant's face betrayed his true thoughts. The warden was also an official of the city. As long as he received the enemy army's protection after surrendering, he would neither have to die nor be made a slave. It would have been strange if the death-fearing Oleg had chosen otherwise.
Countless looks of contempt and disgust immediately shot toward Oleg like arrows, but he pretended not to notice.
Tomorrow starts another week. Kingdom still wants to maintain its position on the new rankings from this week, and I hope you brothers will continue to support me.
Today's three chapters are done.
Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, brothers.
May we live long and share the moon's beauty, though a thousand miles apart.