Grand Knight Commander Gorn fell into deep thought.
He could understand that reinforcements from the south would arrive here; they would definitely be returning to defend key positions.
But why are there enemies coming from the north as well?
His brain was a bit Overload.
If those people came from the north to support the south, wouldn't that mean Commander Marba's plan has failed?
Without a second thought, Gorn immediately ordered the defensive line, originally intended only for the south, to be reshaped into a circular shape.
Not long after the order was given, the third scout, carrying a back full of arrows, struggled to reach Gorn.
"Grand Knight Commander, a troop of enemy soldiers has appeared behind the hill to the west."
Gorn was completely speechless. Being surrounded by enemies on three sides meant their position had been completely exposed. The only chance of Vitality was to enter the forest in the east, which was exceptionally dense even in winter.
And so, unsurprisingly, the last scout appeared before him:
"Grand Knight Commander..."
Gorn sighed:
"Enemies are coming from the east too?"
"No, that's not it."
The scout said:
"The enemy has sent two men who wish to see you."
"What do you want with me? Are you going to try and persuade me to surrender? No way!"
Gorn waved his hand, intending to drive the two men away, but the scout said again:
They also brought you a gift and asked me to pass on a message.
Looking at the box in the scout's hand, Gorn took it and slowly opened it.
A pale face was presented to him. Gorn's expression gradually became serious, and finally turned into fear. He wanted to throw away the wooden box in his hand, but it seemed to be stuck to it.
He forcibly suppressed his fear and anger, and asked the somewhat unfamiliar scout in front of him:
What message did the rebels ask you to convey?
Upon hearing this, the scout swiftly reached for the wooden box, grabbed Antiya Lisi's head, and lifted it into the air.
"Listen up, everyone! Marba's raiding party has been completely wiped out. Fir City has been captured. Archbishop Antiya Lisi's head is here. Anyone who surrenders and binds Gorn will have their punishment reduced by one degree!"
"Kill him!"
Before he could finish speaking, Gorn's shout rang out. After a brief moment of shock, the people around him immediately drew their weapons and rushed forward. Two of them killed the Hoofed Beast, and two others killed the fake scouts on it.
The players' voices were instantly drowned out by the shouts of battle, and the volunteer [ Ginseng Rooster ] died at the hands of the Holy Crusaders.
On the hillside, [ Gu Gugu ] put down his crudely made simple monocular telescope and pointed it at Gorn in the distance, saying:
"Boss, it's confirmed. This is the guy who led the charge in stabbing me to death."
"Alright, pass on the word: our envoy has been killed. Prepare for the attack."
"Okay!"
A pre-prepared message was sent out by [ Gu Gugu ] to the mercenary leaders from the other three directions. The message was very simple:
As the old saying goes, "In war, one should not kill the messenger!"
Although our envoy killed the enemy scout and even disguised himself as one to infiltrate the enemy leader and threaten him, he was simply making the same mistake that every envoy makes.
Putting aside the facts, wasn't Gorn completely without fault in this matter?
He was merely incited by someone pointing fingers at him, yet he dared to kill [ the Ginseng Rooster ]! They must pay for this in blood!
Press forward with the entire army, forcing them to make a choice!
Meanwhile, in Gorn's army...
Antiya Lisi's head rolled around, his empty eye sockets seeming to stare at everyone.
"Gurgle."
Someone swallowed hard; normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but at this moment, the strange sound seemed to be urging something on.
"Whoosh!"
Antiya Lisi's head was pinned to the ground by Gorn.
"This is fake! You bunch of idiots, give me the right amount of seeds, and I can make as many heads as I need. Look at you all, do you really think they won't kill you if you surrender?"
Gorn's words went unanswered, making him realize that his prestige among the Holy Crusaders was rapidly declining.
Although many of these officers were promoted by him just yesterday, if he couldn't even pass this test, what loyalty could these people possibly have for him?
Gorn gritted his teeth:
"All personnel, listen up: return to your posts and prepare to engage the enemy!"
The squadron leaders slowly moved away from Gorn, some even glancing back at Gorn riding on his Hoofed Beast, seemingly hoping that some unknown expert would one day pierce him through the heart with an arrow, so that everyone could lay down their weapons with a clear conscience.
As enemies approached from all four directions, Gorn realized that he still didn't have enough men.
Originally, the Holy Crusaders outnumbered the rebels outside, but after several waves of devastation, the number of combat-ready troops on both sides is now almost identical, which makes Gorn somewhat worried.
"Tighten the formation and strengthen the defense!"
"Yes!"
A group of people were still strictly following his orders. The soldiers at the front used Directed Alienation to connect everyone's thick wooden shields, and spikes grew on top of them to prevent the enemy from leaping over them.
Seeing the thousands of old, weak, sick, and disabled surrounded by the mercenaries he had brought, [ Good Times Don't Last ] rode the Hoofed Beast he had borrowed from [ Shit Appraisal Master ] and went forward alone, arriving at a position only a dozen steps away from the shield formation:
"This is the last time I'll tell you: capturing Gorn and the rest of the gang will reduce your sentence by one degree; if they resist, they can just wait to die!"
"Whoosh!"
A powerful arrow was aimed at [ Good Times Don't Last ]'s face first. He barely managed to dodge it to the side. The arrow flew backward and eventually pierced a player's knee.
As soon as the arrow was fired, countless other arrows followed closely behind, raining down arrows as the players raised their weapons to desperately defend themselves.
This volley of fire seemed to dampen the rebels' morale, but in reality, it made Gorn even more apprehensive.
Because the one who shot the first arrow was none other than himself.
The enemy is practically defecating on their heads, yet not a single one of their many subordinates dares to retaliate first; they all have to wait for him, the commander, to set an example...
Gorn rode on the back of the Hoofed Beast, his hands trembling slightly beneath his robes.
He tried to look around as quietly as possible, but found that there wasn't a single reliable person around him.
Why did it turn out this way?
If Antiya Lisi is really dead, surrendering isn't out of the question, but why target us specifically?
Gorn was completely baffled by this, while on the other side, [ the Good Times Don't Last ], who had just returned to the army, already had a gloomy face:
"The enemy formation has contracted. Order everyone to give me the veterans' barbecue."