Chapter 180 Trebuchets and Whispers
It turned out that the Snow Fox Countess's strategy was very effective.
The Snow Fox Countess was also very surprised. This group of people actually watched them continue to use local materials to build catapults.
They pushed forward, and no cavalry really came to stop them.
As a result, the efficiency of catapults has increased dramatically.
The catapult technology of this era was very poor, but the city wall technology of this era was not very good either.
Not to mention the polygonal sloped bastions that can withstand artillery fire, the current tower technology is not very perfect.
Not to mention that this line of defense was only built for half a year, and was rushed out under the harassment of the enemy.
The city walls were already very short, and they had to face the continuous bombardment of the increasing number of catapults day and night.
At least in many places, obvious gaps have appeared.
The Snow Fox Countess believed that within half a month at most, she would be able to command the army to launch a formal attack.
She was still a little worried at first, but now, she was sure that the people on the other side were just a group of cowards.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
At this time, the second prince in the defense line finally couldn't bear it anymore.
If everything went as he expected at the beginning, he now feels a little overwhelmed.
At the beginning, whether it was applying for this line of defense, arranging looting, or building good relations with the military nobles, although the results were quite general, it was still under control anyway.
But now, it’s different. The other side has built at least fifty catapults that are smashing there day and night. It’s simply a nightmare.
It’s not right to say it’s a nightmare, because under such a frequency of attack, they even find it difficult to fall asleep.
After all, no one knows whether a huge rock will fall down and smash them into meat paste after they fall asleep.
Moreover, the loud noise of stones hitting the city walls and the ground made it difficult for both nobles and soldiers to sleep.
"If we don't counterattack quickly, the defense line will soon collapse." The second prince's adjutant judged.
"How to counter?" The Second Prince also had dark circles under his eyes at this time. Although it was relatively safe here, it was obvious that the Second Prince could not sleep in such an environment.
"Charge out and fight in formation to defeat the enemy." The adjutant gave a plan. Although this military conflict was theoretically used to gild the children of high-ranking nobles in the country, it was still equipped with some adjutants who were experienced in battle. "Or use a large number of cavalry to launch a surprise attack and destroy the catapults by surprise."
"Sir, I suggest the former option." The adjutant suggested after thinking, "After all, if we choose the latter option, it can only alleviate the emergency temporarily."
The second prince was still sitting in the main seat, but the nobles were all whispering at this time. It was not until the second prince spoke that they slowly quieted down.
"What are your choices?" The second prince told everyone present about the adjutant's two suggestions and then asked.
The originally quiet meeting place became noisy again.
Some people chose the first and second options, while others suggested delaying it a little longer or giving it another try.
Everyone was talking at once, saying all sorts of things.
However, the two suggestions from the adjutant who was experienced in battles received more support.
The pros and cons of these two suggestions are clear at a glance.
The former is risky. If you win, you'll solve the problem once and for all, but if you lose, you'll suffer a huge loss.
Originally they were very confident and did have a combat advantage.
But now both of these are gone.
After being bombarded by catapults for a period of time, the defense line lost a lot of soldiers, and the soldiers' mental state was not very good.
If the knights did not have relatively strong control over the army in this era, the mercenaries and conscripts under their command might have mutinied.
As for confidence, the second prince had no confidence in facing the army led by the Snow Fox Countess. What was the reputation of the Snow Fox Countess? If the famous battles she had fought were written on paper, they would become a thick stack.
And if they really lost the battle, all of them, whether nobles or royal family members, would be captured.
The latter has less risk. Although failure would be a big problem, at least the second prince himself would be safe.
If this plan fails, they can actually be said to have "tried their best". Although failure is shameful, there is nothing wrong with the overall plan.
At least as the second prince and the chief officer, he can find a way to shirk responsibility.
Anyway, there was no need for him, the second prince, to personally lead the cavalry charge to try to destroy the catapult.
Although this plan is only a stopgap measure, he has recently received news that the situation on the other two fronts is very good.
If we delay a little longer, the troops from other routes will be able to come over and encircle us from both sides.
By then, dealing with the Snow Fox Countess will be like catching a turtle in a jar.
The second prince licked his lips. He had heard that the Snow Fox Countess was quite pretty and he really wanted to taste her.
As for if they really fail and the defense line can't hold up, then they can just retreat. Anyway, the direct loss is the property of the Viscount Crescent.
If the defense line is breached, the Crescent Territory will definitely be ravaged by the Snow Fox Countess and her army, but there is no way they can fight all the way to the Royal City, as the enemy's military force is totally insufficient.
And if the defense line is breached, Lord Viscount Rand might have to bear some responsibility, such as doing a perfunctory job in building the defense line?
Although the second prince did not want to fail, he had already thought of a way out if he really failed. Anyway, as a member of the royal family, as the second prince, and as the younger brother of the current eldest prince, he would definitely not bear any responsibility.
Thinking of this, the second prince spoke up and made a decision: "Send the cavalry to try to destroy the enemy's catapults. Be sure to find the right opportunity and succeed in one go."
The second prince looked good, and he was able to give orders in a professional manner while sitting in the main seat, but many nobles were already somewhat dissatisfied.
One incompetent general can cause the entire army to suffer.
If the decision had been made at the beginning, it would undoubtedly have been much more proactive than it is now, and the prince's orders have always been a joke and harassment.
What's the point of a few cavalry harassing?
The control over internal affairs is also extremely poor. The food standards for the soldiers have been lowered again and again, and the nobles are not eating very well now.
You have to know that at the beginning, because of the order not to plunder their own side, the Black and Brown Marquis prepared enough food and grass for them to sustain for three months.
But it has only been a short time and the nobles’ food cannot be guaranteed. You can imagine how poorly the people below eat.
Although the nobles did not understand the significance of morale, if they were hungry, even horses could not run, and naturally people could not run either.
After leaving the relatively safe but somewhat dilapidated meeting hall in the core fortress, the nobles began to whisper to each other.
The plan has been decided. If it is not implemented, they will definitely be blamed later. Moreover, there is nothing wrong with this plan. These military nobles also received intelligence at the same time as the second prince and knew that the battle situation on other routes was good.
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However, this did not affect their dissatisfaction with the Second Prince, but it was true that the Second Prince's identity made it difficult for them to vent their inner resentment.
But it doesn't stop them from talking about these things with each other.
However, even though they are extremely angry about the current situation, for these northern nobles, it is still better than staying on the defense line and being hit by huge stones from catapults.
Since the nobles of the Northern Alliance have always been involved in the Autumn Defense of the North, their classes are at least not completely rigid like those of many southern kingdoms. Moreover, since their culture advocates bravery and glory, they are not afraid of dying on the battlefield.
Of course, the premise is that such a death in battle would not be humiliating and meaningless.
After complaining, the nobles immediately began to prepare.
Coming in person to participate in the friction naturally means wanting to gain glory and benefits from the war.
I was passively beaten on the defensive line before, which was really frustrating. Now I can finally vent some of my feelings.
During this period, they have been sending cavalry to harass the enemy, so it is not completely in vain.
At least they had some idea of the shift frequency and patrol routes of the Snow Fox Countess's army.
Nothing has changed during this period of time, perhaps because I look down on them too much.
But the negligence of the Snow Fox Countess can obviously be exploited.
This plan of using cavalry assault seems to have a high success rate.
The nobles began to choose the knights who would participate in the plan, arranged for them to eat some high-quality food, fed the horses some fine grains, and then all they had to do was wait.
Then some nobles who wanted to retrieve the weapons found that the weapons were all a pile of rusty and unusable garbage.
Fortunately, the knights were equipped with their own weapons.
There is nothing good to be found in the food.
The nobles and knights could only cope with it.
Corruption is common in aristocratic political systems, but it is still somewhat shocking to see it reach this point.
These could not dampen the morale of the nobles, at least not much, but undoubtedly, their evaluation of the second prince was further lowered.
With the help of his servants, he put on the complicated armor and then inspected the knights.
After everything is prepared, all that is left is to wait. When the two patrol shifts on the opposite side take over, you can launch the attack.
The plan was simple, charge, throw flammable kerosene on the catapults, and then throw torches.
After making sure most of the catapults are destroyed, you can return to your defense line.
Now these nobles are somewhat glad that they did not choose the other option. If they had chosen that option, they felt that they would definitely fail.
At this time, Taner behind the defense line also received information from the traitor.
Looking up at the already tattered defense line, Taner felt depressed again and expressed concern about their military strategy.
Taner didn't think that such a famous Snow Fox Countess would have such a big flaw.
Fenris also read the intelligence report and asked, "What are you going to do?"
Taner read the insider's intelligence again, then took another look at the tattered defense wall, and carefully recalled what he had learned about the situation inside the defense line during this period.
He felt that as an outsider outside the defense line, he understood the internal affairs and the status of the soldiers inside the defense line better than the second prince.
Taner actually didn't want the Second Prince to fail, because that would mean they would have to fight back and face the thousands of troops under the Snow Fox Countess.
But now, he is pessimistic.
He stood up and gave the order: "Let the soldiers get ready and be ready to take over the defense line at any time."
Also, Taner said to Fenris, "Write a reply letter to the inner ghost and ask him to prepare it as well."
(End of this chapter)