Although the Imperial forces performed poorly in their battles against the elves, Yun Zhe dared not let his guard down for a moment.
Fortunately, the elves left behind many bows and arrows and defensive weapons before they left. Of course... these came at a price.
Although Yun Zhe had declared himself a soldier of Donic, Norton had made up his mind that this battle was inevitable.
Norton's troops began cutting down trees to make makeshift siege weapons, while Lviv, who had already fled far away, also led his army to arrive.
Looking at the vast army below the city, Cyrus couldn't help but have second thoughts. He knew his soldiers' fighting ability to some extent; although they were now fully armed, their discipline was nowhere near that of the royal army.
Yun Zhe saw through Cyrus's thoughts and smiled slightly, "Look at this army below, isn't it gleaming with armor, numerous in number, and majestic?"
Cyrus didn't know what Yun Zhe was up to, but judging from his expression, he didn't seem to take these troops seriously. He could only give a vague "hmm."
"Actually, they were terrified after being taught a lesson by the elves. Their gleaming armor is just the result of them having nothing better to do than polish it every day. They are numerous, and a third of them have been imprisoned here for more than ten days. Now, when you look at this army, do you still think they are mighty and invincible?"
Cyrus was taken aback, thinking that Yun Zhe was indeed quite capable; with just a few words, he had already made him no longer afraid of this army. Wait, how did he know I was worried about the army in front of me?
Yun Zhe glanced at him again, "So, they only appear to be at the height of their military might; in reality, their fighting spirit has already been exhausted by the elves."
"But even so, their numbers are still very large..."
"Don't worry, just defend the city walls. Once this kind of army's attack is thwarted, they will completely lose their will to fight. Then we can decide what to do based on their reaction."
Cyrus nodded, then suddenly looked at Yun Zhe, "You wouldn't..."
Yun Zhe grinned, "You're right. If possible, we should definitely pull off something big."
That night, the royal army did not launch an attack, but everyone knew that this was merely the calm before the storm.
The next morning, a powerful horn sounded, and the royal army rolled out four siege engines and a dozen ladders from their camp. They deployed and launched the first assault on the castle.
Roughly five hundred soldiers, carrying ladders and siege engines, began their assault. The Aruru mercenaries on the castle walls responded with standard archery, but the better-equipped royal troops clearly had the upper hand. Once the ladders were mounted on the high walls, the Aruru mercenaries managed to push down very few, and the royal troops successfully scaled the walls. Everything seemed so normal, so normal that Norton and Lviv believed victory was assured and began preparing their troops to capture the castle.
Just then, something unexpected happened. A cavalry force suddenly charged out from another gate of the castle. Two or three hundred cavalrymen slaughtered the soldiers below who hadn't yet scaled the walls, and in the process, set fire to the remaining ladders and siege engines. Then, right under Norton and Lviv's noses, they swaggered back into the castle through the other gate.
The Royal Legion did manage to react eventually, organizing a second attack. Their cavalry, fully prepared, launched an assault to cut off the retreat of the fleeing cavalry. However, the first wave of soldiers had been too disorganized, causing the second wave, neither infantry nor cavalry, to break through the fleeing enemy in time. They were ultimately too late, watching helplessly as the Aruru cavalry surged into the city. When the Royal Legion soldiers reached the city walls, they were met with a hail of arrows raining down from the high ramparts. Deprived of siege equipment, the Royal Legion could no longer mount an effective attack. After leaving behind hundreds of corpses, they retreated to their camp in despair.
Cyrus ran up the stairs, overjoyed. He had never been so happy; he had just led his cavalry in a successful surprise attack, a victory he had never achieved in his limited military career.
Seeing Cyrus's excited face, Yun Zhe was also in a good mood, but he still carefully reminded him, "Cyrus, be especially careful tonight. If the enemy can't launch a direct attack, they will definitely try some underhanded tricks."
Cyrus nodded repeatedly after winning the battle, but this was only a subconscious action. Deep down, he didn't think that his opponent would launch a sneak attack. And even if he did, how would he launch the sneak attack, and from where would he launch it?
He felt that Yun Zhe might be overthinking things.
Yun Zhe naturally knew what he was thinking, but he couldn't say no to this matter. He could only remind him to be more vigilant again. In short, it was a good idea.
Cyrus finally listened to Yun Zhe's advice. But at this moment, he had an even bolder idea.
“Yun Zhe, do you have any ideas on how to help us…” Cyrus realized he had made a mistake as soon as he finished speaking. But Yun Zhe had obviously heard him.
Yun Zhe's smile froze, then he sighed softly, "We'll see, we'll see."
Yun Zhe's reaction was completely different from what Cyrus had expected; his disappointed expression suggested there was some hidden reason. Cyrus quickly deduced that the count had probably used some shady means to trap Yun Zhe. This was a common human tactic, and one of the reasons the Aruru people loathed and hated humans so much.
“It’s not that I can’t go, it’s just that,” Yun Zhe looked at Cyrus, but swallowed back the words he had said about not having a good impression of the Aluru people.
"But, I've fallen for a human girl..." Yun Zhe said, his mind wandering. The girl he was referring to was Ellie, but honestly, when he said that, did he truly consider Ellie the person he loved?
Yun Zhe shook his head. But Cyrus found this answer and gesture somewhat ridiculous; it wasn't a reason at all.
"Actually, you could have come with her..."
Yun Zhe was still pondering his relationship with Ellie, "But she can't leave. She's a female knight, and there are girls she needs to protect..."
Hearing this, Cyrus was speechless. The reason was indeed quite valid... but it also fueled Cyrus's fighting spirit, making him even more determined to bring Yun Zhe to his side.
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