Chapter 376: Fighting for Positions (Three-in-one, "Kitty Mi" 10,000 Rewards plus more! Monthly Tickets plus more!)
When Gervis stood on the gentle slope two miles away from Baiyan City and looked at Baiyan City under the setting sun, he finally understood why King Lawrence had not ordered an attack on the city during his southern expeditions in previous years.
Because this city was completely prepared for war.
In fact, the scale of Baiyan City is not very large, and the city wall is only three kilometers in radius.
However, in addition to the towering city walls that are more than ten meters high and rise directly from the flat ground, the more special thing about this city is that its city gate not only has a barbican, but also has a very small door opening, which is just wide enough for a carriage to pass through. This is something that will not appear in other ordinary cities.
In order to facilitate residents' entry and exit, other cities not only had wide doorways in their city walls, but some large cities even had two or three doorways to divert people and vehicles.
"Alice, I think we should forget about this first-place reward! It's not worth it!"
At this moment, the soldiers were busy setting up camp, and only noble lords like Gervis could leisurely stand on the gentle slope and look at the White Rock City not far away.
"This city is indeed difficult to capture!"
Although Alice is a woman, as the heir to the earldom, she has some knowledge in this area and can see the difficulty and cost of taking over this city.
"Hiss! It's not just difficult to capture. If the enemy's will to fight is strong enough, it will take at least double the price to capture this city."
"Alice, take out your telescope and look at the layout on those city walls."
Gervis understood the meaning of Alice's words. Although attacking the city by force would inevitably result in considerable casualties, Alice seemed to be tempted by the reward promised by the king.
Just now he was observing the entire Baiyan City with his naked eyes, but now Gervis has taken out the monocular telescope from the leather bag around his waist.
When he looked up at the city wall through the monocular telescope, he took a breath of cold air.
The corridor above the city wall was completely covered with wooden sheds. With the help of the telescope, Gervis could see that the wooden sheds were also covered with thick mud and sand for reinforcement.
With this roof, when attacking the city, the arrows fired by our side will basically have no effect on the enemy troops on the city wall.
In addition to this massive roof, Gervis also saw a number of catapults on the city walls.
Judging from the size of the defenders on the city wall, the catapult on the wall should be the smallest one, and the throwing distance will not be too far, at most one or two times stronger than the bow and arrow.
But there were too many catapults, basically two every 50 meters.
These catapults are placed right on the platform reserved on the city wall. This protruding platform was reserved when the city wall was first built, and it does not affect the soldiers passing on the city wall.
Just think about it, when your side attacks, in addition to defending against the enemy's rain of arrows, you also have to worry about bowl-sized stones falling from the sky like fairy flowers. Gvis suddenly felt a little chilly.
"Fortunately, there are no crossbows in this world. If there were dozens of crossbows on the city wall, what would we be able to attack? Let's all go home and have some sleep."
"But it's almost the same now. Whoever gets on top of this is an idiot!"
After silently looking at the defensive fortifications that could be observed on the city wall, Gervis complained in his heart.
Anyway, he was not going to go. He only had a few small men under his command. If they all died, he would be left alone when he returned.
In addition, Gervis was also thinking about how to persuade his cheap wife to give up this idea.
"bite!"
"You are experiencing the first large-scale battle in your life. In order to demonstrate your extraordinary status as a system owner, you must be brave enough!"
"System Task: You must be the first to enter Baiyan City in this Baiyan City Battle!"
"Mission Reward: 10 Energy Points, plus a random draw on the Lucky Wheel!"
“……!!!???”
When Gervis heard the ding in his head, he knew he shouldn't be so mean.
Because this system seems to not exist when things are going well for you, but as long as you are in big trouble, it will definitely step on you.
It is easy to set a flag in front of it, but it is difficult to keep the flag!
"System! Is it really okay for you to jump out and slap me in the face like this?"
Gervis's face turned pale and blue.
Although the system's reward for this mission made Gervis very envious, which was equivalent to a full twenty energy points, Gervis was really not sure he could complete the mission.
"Grevith, maybe you are right. Maybe we really don't have to..."
Alice used the telescope given to her by Gervis to see the defenses on the city wall clearly.
At this moment she finally gave up the idea of competing for the reward, because the Jones family could not afford any major losses.
Otherwise, even if they get the reward this time, the Jones family will attract more covetousness in the future because of their weakening strength.
"No, Alice, we can't make a decision so quickly. Let's wait and see tomorrow!"
Gervis felt his face burning. He had just said whoever came on top was an idiot, but the next second he swallowed those words.
"kindness?"
This time it was Alice's turn to be confused.
Along the way, all the vassals were discussing this reward with great interest, but only Gervis looked calm and did not say anything related to it during the journey.
He was still trying to persuade himself just a second ago, but he didn't expect that Gervis would make a 180-degree turn the next second.
"Hey! Look, the two teams of rangers down there are fighting!"
Gervis was extremely embarrassed. Just at this moment, he saw two teams of cavalry chasing and fighting each other one kilometer ahead, so he quickly changed the subject and pointed down the gentle slope.
At the foot of the gentle slope ahead, two teams of cavalry were chasing each other with bows and arrows. They belonged to the Principality of Jean and the Principality of Alban respectively.
These are two teams of scout rangers, each team consists of only a dozen people.
When Gervis and his men arrived at Baiyan City, the rangers of the Principality of Alban had been wandering around, gathering all kinds of intelligence on the southern expedition.
Of course, the rangers from the Principality of Jean would not let them have their way, as they all served under the command of King Lawrence.
From the moment they left the City of Glory, the rangers of the Principality of Zeon had been roaming around the southern expeditionary force, responsible for exploring the way or driving away enemy rangers.
Although the main forces of both sides have not yet faced each other, the battle between these rangers has been going on for a whole day.
As Gervis and his companions walked along the way, they saw many dead rangers, some from the Principality of Zeon and some from the enemy.
…
The camping lasted until dark and took more than three hours.
At present, this is still a simple camp, with only a fence placed outside the camp and a simple tall arrow tower every hundred meters. Tomorrow, trenches will be dug outside the camp to defend against possible cavalry attacks from the enemy.
This time, the camping arrangements of several earl families had no distinction between front and back, because every two earl families were divided into a group, forming a square to guard the king's camp.
That night, after dinner, Gervis received a message from Alice, asking him to follow her to the king's central camp for a meeting.
Following Alice to the king's meeting tent, Gervis discovered that the upper beam was crooked and the lower beams were crooked.
The king's meeting hall is covered with soft and valuable carpets, and is filled with all kinds of exquisite art displays.
There was a small platform at the innermost end of the tent, and the king sat on the throne on the platform.
As for the eight earls, they sat on the soft chairs on both sides below.
If you ignore the rectangular tent, the interior decoration is actually exactly the same as what Gervis saw in the palace that day.
"Now that we have arrived at the city of Baiyan, I plan to take down the entire Principality of Alban in one fell swoop. Therefore, the date for our southern expedition is very urgent. I hope to take down Baiyan City within five days!"
The king sat on the throne with his body slightly tilted back, his right hand placed on the armrest and his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
"Your Majesty, isn't five days a bit too urgent? It takes at least one day to make a siege ladder. There are 5,000 Hayden guards and more than 2,000 serfs in Baiyan City."
"Yes! It is necessary. If we want to capture Baiyan City within five days, it will inevitably require a lot of casualties. If Your Majesty can extend the time and consume the morale of the defenders in the city, then we can capture Baiyan City in one fell swoop. This is the most reasonable plan."
When the earls below heard the date set by the king, they couldn't help but frowned. If the date was too short, it meant that the momentum of both sides was at its peak, which was very unfavorable for the attacking party and would inevitably cause huge casualties!
However, if they could prolong the time, continuously consume the limited military forces in the city while besieging, wear down their will, and then capture Baiyan City in one fell swoop, this would be in line with the expectations of these nobles, both big and small.
After all, their number is more than ten times that of the enemy. When the time comes, they just need to attack in turns. After more than ten days, the thousands of people in the city will be defending day and night and living in panic. When their morale is extremely low, they will launch a general attack again. They will definitely be able to capture Baiyan City at the lowest cost.
"Oh! Then how many days do you think is appropriate?"
Hearing the numerous objections from below, King Lawrence did not show any change in expression, but instead asked a question indifferently.
The earls below looked at each other. Although they did not discuss it verbally, these veterans who had been on the battlefield for a long time naturally had the same opinion in their hearts.
"Fifteen days, Your Majesty, it only takes fifteen days, and we can definitely take over Baiyan City at the lowest cost!"
The person who spoke was Alice's grandfather, the Lord of the North. At the moment, they were all standing on a united front, and he was the most senior here, so naturally he was the one to speak.
"Fifteen days? That's too long! There are only three months left until the beginning of winter!"
The king was not satisfied with the date of fifteen days, although he knew that this was the limit that these great nobles could accept.
After all, if Baiyan City could be besieged for two months or even longer, the casualties would be much lower. However, in order to have ample time for subsequent attacks, the king could not accept spending such a long time on Baiyan City.
"Seven days, we must take over Baiyan City within seven days!"
The king thought for a moment and finally spoke again, but this time his tone was different, and he spoke in an unquestionable tone.
The earls below heard the king's words and knew that there was absolutely no possibility of bargaining now, and everyone frowned even more deeply.
The original intention of attacking Baiyan City was to take advantage of the reward of not having to hand in the spoils of war, but now it seems that the gain is not as great as the loss.
The most important thing is that only one of the families can get this reward, while the other seven families will not get any benefits. In the process, no one is 100% sure that they can be the first to attack Baiyan City and guard the entrance.
For a moment, the meeting tent fell into silence.
The king was neither anxious nor angry when he saw this situation. This was the normal state of this world.
There is no saying here that if the king wants his subject to die, the subject must die. On the contrary, it is more likely that if the king wants his subject to die, the subject will want you to die first.
"I know this attack will be a brutal one, so I will continue to announce a reward."
"In addition to the rewards promised this morning, the family that makes the most contribution in this attack on Baiyan City will receive two viscount fiefdoms!"
"In addition, according to their merits, each of the last two families can obtain a piece of viscount territory. The remaining families can obtain a piece of baron territory as long as they fight hard."
"You can choose the location of the territory at will, as long as it is a territory adjacent to yours!"
Instantly, the earls below were all shocked. Such a reward was too generous.
Not to mention the size of the territory, just the fact that the location of the territory can be chosen at will is unprecedented.
You have to know that most of the territories that can remain under the name of the king's own family are territories rich in resources or fertile land. How can they not be tempted?
"Your Majesty is so generous. My Charles family is willing to serve you!"
"Your Majesty is so generous. My Larkin family is willing to serve you!"
"Your Majesty..."
Next, all the earls stood up from their chairs and respectfully expressed their feelings to the king.
"very good!"
The king nodded expressionlessly. He was not surprised by the earls' statements. Instead, he emphasized his tone the next moment and continued with a hint of coldness: "However, I have to warn you in advance. If any family neglects to do so in this battle, not only will they not receive any reward, but the distribution of spoils in the next southern expedition will also be reduced accordingly!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Faced with such temptation, of course no family was willing to give up. Everyone's face turned grim and they agreed seriously.
"Now that the deadline has been set, I will discuss with you the distribution of this attack."
As King Lawrence said this, two servants came out and brought a wooden shelf with a simple map hanging on it. This was the topographic map of the area near Baiyan City.
The mountains, rivers and streams on the topographic map are clearly marked.
"Baiyan City is surrounded by water on one side, and flat grasslands on the other three sides. Although there is a 50-meter-wide moat, it is not a difficult task."
The king leaned sideways and pointed at the simple map.
"We have ten times more troops than the enemy. In order to quickly capture Baiyan City, we need to launch a full-scale attack on Baiyan City and not give them any chance to catch their breath!"
"We are surrounded on three sides and one side is missing. Although these direct guards of Hayden may not necessarily abandon the city and flee, in order to avoid a trapped beast fight, we still need to leave one side of the city wall open for them to have a chance to escape."
The purpose of attacking Baiyan City this time was not to annihilate the defenders in the city, but to capture Baiyan City and remove this thorn in the rear. Therefore, if the enemy really abandoned the city and fled, it would be welcomed by everyone.
"To the north is the main gate of Baiyan City, which is where we are now. This is the wall we must attack. I decided to place the other main wall on the east."
"And there is a river to the west. Even if Hayden's guards wanted to escape, they couldn't escape from there. So the south must be left for them to use as an escape route."
"So the directions of our attack this time are north, east and west!"
Having said this, the king raised the teacup beside him and took a sip. Seeing that no one among the earls below spoke, he continued.
"This time the attack will focus on the north and east. I plan to have four families on each side to coordinate the attack. I will also send people to attack the north at the same time as you do, so only three families are needed, four families are needed to attack the east, and only one family is needed to attack the west! Tell me, do you have any opinions?"
The earls below had already been thinking about the king's allocation, and when they found that there was no problem, they all said, "Your Majesty, everything is up to you!"
"Well, since you have no objection, then tell us which wall you would like to attack!"
King Lawrence nodded and said with satisfaction.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to follow your team and fight in the north!"
"Your Majesty, I would like to be in the north..."
"Your Majesty, I would like to be in the east..."
Several earls suddenly lost their composure and began to express their wishes impatiently. In fact, it didn't matter whether they attacked in the north or in the east, but no one wanted to be assigned to the west attack of Baiyan City.
Because the king there has already made it clear that there is only one family responsible for the attack in the west.
This is actually not a big deal. After all, there are few attackers, and the defenders cannot be so stupid as to have all their troops guard the west.
The problem is that the geographical location to the west is very bad. There is a big river flowing past Baiyan City. The river is only a hundred meters away from the city wall of Baiyan City. It is impossible to deploy troops because as long as you stand on the shore, you will be within the attack range of the enemy's longbowmen.
In such a position, let alone attacking, you still need to find a way to cross the river. This is a complete trap. The reason why the king set up a family here is just to disperse the enemy's forces.
As the earls scrambled for positions, the military tent became as noisy as a vegetable market. No one wanted to be placed on the west side, and the situation became tense. The king was patient and did not express his opinion.
"My Lords, please be quiet and listen to me!"
After a stalemate of half a minute, Nemio of the Charles family suddenly had an idea and thought of a solution. He immediately spoke loudly to suppress the voices of the earls.
The earls knew that this was not a solution, so after hearing Charles' words, they stopped arguing and looked at Charles.
"Your Majesty, arguing like this will not lead to any results. No one is willing to give up this generous reward. So, I think! Why don't we choose according to the order in which we set up camp outside the City of Glory? That way, no one will have anything to say!"
As soon as Charles finished speaking, the eyes of all the earls in the field lit up. It was obvious that this method was most suitable for them, since they were not the last ones in line anyway.
At this moment, everyone couldn't help but turn their eyes to Alice again.
"Charles, are you provoking me?"
Before Alice could say anything, the Lord of the North could no longer sit still. He slapped the armrest of his chair, stood up, and looked at Nemion with a stern face.
It was obvious that Nemio's idea was to target the Jones family, because the Jones family was the last one in the camp this time.
"Hmph, Gust, don't say anything careless. I just said the most reasonable arrangement. Ask other earls if they have the same idea as me!"
At this moment, Nemio was not afraid of the Lord of the North at all, because he knew that at this moment, the king would never let the Lord of the North do whatever he wanted.
Although the other earls would not agree with Nemio at this moment, this method was indeed beneficial to them and had no harm, so everyone agreed.
"Even if we rank them by strength, the Jones family won't be ranked last. Do you still dare to tell me that this is the most reasonable arrangement? Believe it or not, I will tear you apart right now!"
The Lord of the North is a kind elder when facing Alice, but when facing outsiders, he is definitely a powerful and grumpy old man.
When facing a sinister guy like Nemio, Gust always speaks with his fists.
As he spoke, the Lord of the North was ready to step forward and teach Nemion a profound lesson.
"Okay, Gust, don't be anxious, sit down first!"
Finally, the king saw that a fight was about to break out in the meeting tent, and immediately spoke in a deep voice to stop it.
"You all sit down too!"
Then the Lord of the North glared at Nemion fiercely, then reluctantly returned to his seat.
"Count Alice, do you have any comments?"
"His Majesty……"
The Lord of the North spoke again.
"Grandpa, it's okay, you don't have to worry about me!"
Alice interrupted the Lord of the North with a smile and shook her head.
"Your Majesty, Count Nemio's method is indeed reasonable. I have no objection. Everything is entirely up to Your Majesty."
Alice certainly knew what these earls were thinking, but the Jones family was weak now, and if she wanted to compete, she would inevitably offend the other five earl families at the same time, and this would fall into Nemio's trap.
It would even cause her grandfather to offend these families, so Alice simply gave up the fight.
Although attacking in the west would certainly have no future and would not bring much credit, at the same time, the casualties in the attack would certainly be much smaller, and the king would not demand too much from a single family to achieve anything great.
Moreover, they will still be able to obtain a baronial fiefdom at that time, which is also a good choice for the current Jones family.
"In that case, then, Earl Alice, the attack in the west is now in your hands!"
King Lawrence nodded with satisfaction, and there was a hint of satisfaction in his words.
After hearing this, the Lord of the North could only sigh helplessly. Alice herself had given up the fight, and there was nothing he could do as her grandfather. After all, he was not alone, and he had the Welton family behind him.
The most important thing is that he doesn't have many years left to live, and he can't make enemies for the Welton family at this time.
After the attacking family in the west was selected, the next thing was much simpler. According to the order of the families, they were assigned to the north and east of Baiyan City for the main attack.
In the north, King Lawrence led three families including the Charles family and the Larkin family to attack.
In the east, four earl families including the Welton and Kirwan families were responsible for the attack.
The Jones family was solely responsible for the attack in the west.
As for the south, it was surrounded on three sides but left one side open, with no garrison stationed there, making it easy for the defenders in Baiyan City to escape.
Well! More than 6,000 words, I will add 2 more chapters!
Thanks again to "Kitty咪" for the 10,000-yuan reward! In the future, 2 chapters will be added for every 10,000-yuan reward!
Also, thank you all for voting!
I still owe 8 more chapters, all of which are for monthly tickets! Thank you all for your support!
There's not enough time! I'll post it first and correct the typos later!
(End of this chapter)
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