Fort Dorgnitz is situated on a low, layered cliff face, nestled between two cliffs overlooking the flat land below. The cliffs extend east and west along the fort, forming a continuous natural wall, five to ten meters high and over a hundred kilometers long. This natural wall naturally divides the Lunlang family's territory in two, with the northern portion, including Fort Dorgnitz, firmly held by the Donic family.
At this time, Dorgnitzburg had a thousand infantrymen and two hundred cavalrymen. In addition to Cyrus, the direct commander of these troops, Yun Zhe and Philby of the Donic family were also stationed in the city.
The castle's perimeter was still adorned with banners, but the army had long since been replaced by the Lunlang family's troops. Clearly, while everyone understood the laws and established customs, the Lunlang family, having suffered a loss, wouldn't stoop to the level of the Donic family who had gained an advantage, and they also had their own unique understanding and perspectives on the relevant laws and customs.
Moreover, what level is your Donic family that you dare to play the mercenary game like me?
It's hard to imagine what resources the Lunlang family used to gather an army of nearly three thousand men and arrive at the gates of Dorgnitzburg in such a grand manner, vowing to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.
Looking at the dark mass of tents outside the castle, Philby was not angry but pleased. "Hmph, Serena stopped us from pursuing them after they crossed the river, which annoyed me for a long time. I never expected them to come to us again."
Yun Zhe looked at the eager Philby with annoyance, "If you want to fight, go ahead and fight. Anyway, if things get out of hand, we'll all end up dying."
Philby was somewhat surprised by Yun Zhe's reaction, and pointed to the army below, "With this kind of battle, it will be hard to end without a proper fight."
“Most of the enemy are mercenaries. We don’t know anything about them. If they are more elite, for example, if they are all veterans, how long do you think our castle can hold out?” Yun Zhe was very puzzled by Philby’s optimism.
“Ha, so that’s what you’re worried about. There’s nothing to worry about. Although I can’t see the other side clearly, I recognize a few of their flags. That black flag,” Philby pointed to the only black flag in the distant camp, with a red bird-shaped symbol on it, “is a famous mercenary group from the south called the Phoenix Mercenary Group.” Philby then pointed to a blue flag embroidered with a gold horseshoe, “That’s the famous ‘Golden Horseshoe’ of the capital. Legend has it that they have close ties with the royal family and are responsible for the security of several important trade routes in the capital.” “And those red flags, they’re just bandits and brigands. Don’t worry about them.”
Yun Zhe nodded, his attention drawn to the Golden Horse Hoof mercenary unit. Their connection to the royal family meant this operation was supported by royalty. Indeed, as Philby had said, a fierce battle was unlikely to end this easily.
But once this battle is over, will it really be over?
"Let me put it this way, if we defend the castle to the death, we can definitely hold it, but if they surround us, we won't have much of a chance to escape," Cyrus shrugged. "If we go out and fight, maybe we'll have a chance..."
Yun Zhe knew Cyrus's thoughts. He didn't necessarily believe that going out to fight would actually alleviate the problem here, but rather that he had been fighting too smoothly lately. Whether it was the attack outside the city or the subsequent night raid and pursuit, he had scattered and fled the human forces, achieving quite a few victories. This made him somewhat complacent, feeling that he did indeed have some luck in battle, especially since the troops in front of him were a motley crew. This made him harbor even more unrealistic ideas.
“They have a lot of people, and with more people, they have more room to maneuver. For example, if they send five or six hundred people to cut off the ferry crossing, do you want to go to the rescue? If you do go to the rescue, how many people do you think you need to send to save them? How many people do you need to leave here to hold the line? The other side is determined to win, it's not that simple.”
After listening to Yun Zhe's words, Philby and Cyrus both fell into deep thought. Clearly, Yun Zhe was right; this situation was indeed difficult to handle.
“What if we pretend we don’t know, or pretend we don’t care?” Philby looked at Yun Zhe. “If we hold out, we can wear them down eventually.”
Yun Zhe sighed softly, "Defending to the death is certainly possible, but how much loss can you bear? Cyrus, how many Aruru soldiers can you accept falling here? I admit that the enemy will completely collapse once they lose six or seven hundred men, but what about us? We've all fought and led troops before. Do you think we can hold this city without reinforcements, without supplies, and with several hundred more men falling?"
Philby and Cyrus exchanged glances, their spirits low and a shared question forming in their minds: Yun Zhe seemed excessively pessimistic today.
"Yun Zhe, just say what you want to say," Philby asked directly, leaning against the city wall with his arms crossed.
“Indeed, Yun Zhe, you must have a way. Tell me, what are your thoughts?” Cyrus stared at Yun Zhe and said in a low voice.
Looking at their eager eyes, Yun Zhe couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "To be honest, I do have a way, but it's too risky."
"Ha, tell me, is it a night raid or arson?" Philby's mood immediately brightened when he heard Yun Zhe say he had a plan. He jumped to Yun Zhe's side, patted Yun Zhe's shoulder, and asked cheerfully.
Upon hearing that there was a solution, Cyrus's eyes lit up.
"Simply put, we need to abandon the city's defenses, then circle around to the enemy's rear, seize their supplies, pretend to be a supply convoy, and launch a night attack."
Philby and Cyrus were genuinely frightened by Yun Zhe's words, especially the first one: abandon the city's defenses.
"There are two risks involved. First, we have withdrawn more than half of our troops and have been away for a long time. If the enemy launches a full-scale attack on the city at this time, we will be completely ruined. Second, we need to accurately locate the supply convoy. If we miss it, it will increase the likelihood of the first risk."
Cyrus swallowed hard. He couldn't imagine how future generations would judge their operation if it succeeded; it was practically a gamble!
“No, the risk is too great. To do it secretly, we’d have to take a long detour. In short, I find it hard to agree to this plan,” Philby said first.
Yun Zhe wasn't angry; instead, he looked at Cyrus.
“Besides this method, do we have a better way?” Cyrus asked.
Yun Zhe shook his head, "I haven't thought of anything yet."
"Let's do it!" Cyrus clapped his hands. "Who will go out of the city, and who will defend it?"
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