Mesta City, the capital of County More.
The gunpowder smoke filled the air, and fires were lit in many parts of the city. Above the city tower, the smoke from the beacon tower shot into the sky, and the huge plume of smoke shot straight into the sky!
This black wolf smoke has been around for three full days. The sound of fighting on the city wall has gradually calmed down. There were screams of crying fathers and mothers everywhere, and the living soldiers looked desperate, some of the injured were rolling in the corner, while the others who were not injured also looked terrified.
Although the city of Mesta is the capital of County More, it is also the largest city in County More. But unlike Denzel City, Denzel City is a frontier military town after all, and it has always been the location of the garrison. It has also experienced the last war with Odin. As a theater command post, the city walls are in accordance with the standards of imperial military fortresses built.
But although Mesta City is the capital, the city wall is a lot shorter than Denzel City! Moreover, the imperial armament was slack, the city walls had not been repaired for many years, and many places had already been damaged.
At this moment, the baptism of war has just been experienced, and the city defense that is not majestic has already been crumbling!
Clincia stood on the city wall, the forty-six-year-old county magistrate of More County, although a civilian official, but at the moment was wearing a military uniform, and the armor on her body was pressed against her slightly weak body. , seems a little overwhelmed.
But the forty-six-year-old county magistrate's expression was absolutely utterly unremarkable. He still stood upright, reluctantly waving a long sword in his hand, desperately urging the terrified soldiers around him, Clincia ran a few steps back and forth, The soldier who shrank in the corner kicked and shouted loudly: "Hold on! Continue to hold on!! Those who retreat will be executed!!"
Although his voice was sharp and weak, at this moment it showed a somewhat majestic taste.
Under the urging of the county governor, the already collapsed defenders were reluctantly reorganized. There were only less than 200 people left on the city wall. Although the two sieges of the Odins were barely repelled, Clincia knew very well: This city cannot be defended! !
Mesta City is backed by mountains on one side, flat plains on three sides, and fertile soil around it.
In the wilderness outside the city, the flag of the Chixue Army fluttered, and the huge military camp had already been set up. The Odin warriors had been besieging the city for three days, screaming and killing day and night. The horn, bit by bit, destroys the last hope in the hearts of the imperial defenders on the city wall! !
Standing on the city wall and looking around, the dense army of Odins outside the city had already surrounded the city of Mesta.
And Klincia knew better in her heart that she was able to hold on to the city for three days, not because of how good her defense was, nor because of the outstanding courage of the soldiers. The real reason is: these Odins didn't bother to attack the city at all!
Manninger's Chixue Army made a long-distance rush, gave up Denzel City and did not attack, and went all the way south, and the biggest goal was naturally Mesta City! The capital of the county of More is where the wealth of the county of More lies! There are countless merchants in the city, and they are hoarding food, taxes, and wealth! And tens of thousands more!
However, when the Manninger army came, it only surrounded the city outside the city, but did not attack the city immediately, but divided teams one by one to spread out outside the city, and searched down the roads one by one, one by one. A village-by-town search!
The Odins are collecting food!
All the food has been exhausted, and the Chixue Army has been reduced to slaughtering mounts. Under the leadership of Manninger, they did not immediately attack this rich city that made them jealous, but divided almost half of their troops around. The nearby villages and towns spread out, collecting food at the fastest speed, while Manninger continued to besiege Mesta City with the remaining part of his troops to prevent the defenders from breaking through and escaping.
His strategy was successful.
As early as after Green in Denzel City got the news that the Odins were heading south, Green had already sent Xingye Express to Mesta City to report the news. Even the messenger brought Green's advice: do it yourself scorched earth!
However, Clincia rejected Green's suggestion. After all, as the county magistrate of More County, he is also a civilian official, after all, he does not have the ruthlessness of Greene! He hesitated again and again, and really couldn't make a ruthless strategy like scorching the earth by himself. He just ordered all the garrison troops in the city to concentrate and prepare for the battle with all their strength.
But even though Manninger's army was delayed for a few days in Denzel City, after all, the tens of thousands of troops were complete. Once they came to Mesta City, Clincia immediately understood that she couldn't hold it!
There was only one battalion of garrison troops in the city. Although the armament was relatively neat, even if some young men and women were temporarily mobilized in the city, even Klincia and some officials and wealthy households in the city sent all their servants to the city. In the city, it still looks sparse, but only more than a thousand people.
The Odins were busy scavenging everywhere. For three days, the Odins’ squads roamed the countryside. At night, when Klinthia stood on the city wall, she could see the direction of many villages and towns in the distance outside the city. There is a faint glow of fire!
These Odins were raging like locusts. For the past three days, the small troops of Odin who were searching everywhere, pulling animal carts, returned with full loads and reunited in the large camp outside the city.
There are also many villagers and farmers from the surrounding villages and towns who were also driven out before the iron-hoofed swords of the Odins.
Outside the city at night can be heard a mournful cry.
The three sieges of the Odins were just pretending. Until all the small groups of troops that were scoured around came back, the Odins would not really attack the city.
But even though it was just three pretended sieges, there were less than 300 soldiers left in the city of more than 1,000 soldiers that were temporarily assembled! And the living people are obviously already in a state of panic!
Clincia is neither Char nor Green. He has no personal bravery, and no strategy to boost morale in the face of battle. He just ordered the taxes collected in the spring from the warehouse in the city, and transported more than ten boxes of coins to be piled under the city, so as to collect the young men in the city with heavy rewards.
There were some effects at the beginning, and many people signed up for the big rewards. But after the Odins attacked the city three times, seeing that the first batch of people who went to the city were already dead, the remaining people were terrified. Even if the coins were piled up in the city, there were only a few people who signed up.
The Odins outside the city are not eager to attack the city, but they just make a noise every day, and then wreak havoc in the surrounding villages and towns.
Standing on the city wall at this moment, Clincia was exhausted. Although under the protection of several guards around him, he was not injured, but the shock in his heart made him almost blank.
Just when the Odins were attacking the city just now, a flowing arrow almost killed him. If a loyal guard beside him hadn't hurriedly pushed him away, he would have been shot through by an arrow! But the loyal guard was pierced by an arrow and nailed to the tower!
The Odins are sturdy and savage, and the bow and arrow have such power, which makes the living people even more terrified.
In the evening, the camp of the Odins was full of lights, and there were countless smoke from the cooking. Seeing the road in the distance, groups of Odins returned with full load, and many farmers and villagers who drove the captives were crying. shouting all day long...
Clincia's lips had been bitten, and with great perseverance, she forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart.
"… grown ups… "
With a slight voice behind her, Clincia turned around and saw the person speaking, the tax officer in the county governor's office in the city. This man was also pale, and if he hadn't forcibly stomped against the wall, he would have been sitting on the ground.
"… my lord, Odin, maybe…"
"Perhaps what?" Clincia's voice was hoarse.
"Maybe, they won't attack the city tomorrow." The official's face was sad: "I see that the teams they sent out have returned in the past few days. Even if they are collecting food, they are almost collected. I am afraid that the nearby villages and towns are caught in the flames of war. I heard that they did not attack Denzel City... Maybe if they have enough food, they will go directly south or maybe... "
Clincia shook her head: "No, they will definitely attack the city and won't let us go."
The county governor's expression was miserable, and he smiled bitterly: "Although I don't understand military strategy, I still understand why the army needs food and grass supplies. They didn't attack Denzel City because the guy Green was ruthless enough to burn himself out. The land and food in the villages and towns outside the city! Forcing these Odins to rush down south to raise food. But we are different... Look outside, what these Odins have been wreaking havoc in the past three days! We are now a piece of fat , how could they not bite! They didn't bite a few days ago because they had to recover their vitality first, our fat meat was trapped to death by them anyway, and we couldn't escape if we left it here."
After a pause, Clincia lowered her voice and said, "Besides, I'm the county governor! I know very well that the Odins must break our city! The spring tax food was collected a few days ago, so These days, in the homes of farmers in villages and towns, there is not much food in their homes. Even if these Odins are all looted, how many days can they survive with tens of thousands of troops? We are different! The city now has the county's taxed grain that has just been collected! If it falls into their hands, it will be enough for this Odin to consume for more than two months! How can they let us go?"
Having said this, Clincia smiled sadly: "Even if they want to snatch these supplies, they will never abandon us and go south."
The county magistrate sighed softly: "Unfortunately, I am too pedantic, and I am too ruthless, and I did not learn Green's scorched earth strategy... Alas, in fact, even learning Green is useless, the Odins have already given up on Dan when they go south. Zell City, when they came to us, they had already driven to a dead end, and they had to grab food to attack the city no matter what…”
The tax officer said angrily: "It's all the Green! If he didn't mess around, the Odins wouldn't abandon them and come to us so quickly! He's cruel enough, but he's hurting us together!"
"Shut up!" Clincia snarled and said angrily: "What are you talking about! Denzel City is a county's military headquarters! Keeping them is far more valuable than keeping us! As long as Denzel City is still there , the garrison of our county is still there! It's a nail stuck in the back of Odin! Instead of hating him, I am grateful for Green's actions! I only hate myself for being too pedantic and not having the courage to make a decisive decision... If I With such courage, the Odins will not even try to grab this food!"
The tax officer sighed: "Sir, it's too late to say anything now... It seems that our city may not be able to stay until it gets dark tomorrow..."
"It will be dark tomorrow?" Clincia sneered: "Tomorrow morning, the Odins will definitely be able to break through the city."
The tax collector was about to speak, but suddenly he heard a shout from the city behind him: "It's on fire! The warehouse is on fire!!"
Looking back, deep in the city, there is a fire in the distance, as if the direction of the warehouse!
The tax officer suddenly changed color: "My lord! The warehouse!! The warehouse is on fire! Too bad! Our reserves are all there! Could it be that the Odins have spies in the city?!"
He was about to go down town anxiously, but Clincia grabbed him! I saw that the county guard's face was resolute, his eyes flashed, and his face was obviously weak, but at this moment, he looked a bit hideous.
"Don't go, it's not the spies of the Odins... I sent some of my personal guards to do it!"
Klincia's eyes were like blades, and she also looked back at the fire in the city. The warehouse in the city is the tax reserve of the whole county. Once it is burned, the fire will fill the sky, and almost half of the sky will be burned red! The smoke billowed straight up, and it was frightening to see!
The tax officer was stunned for a moment, but when he saw Klincia's expression, his heart suddenly became brighter! He said in a low voice, "Sir?!"
"Hmph." Clincia bit her lip, and let the blood flow, but sneered: "I won't burn myself, should I leave it to the Odins to eat after the city is broken!"
As he spoke, he suddenly roared, raised his hands, and looked up at the sky!
"I hate it! I hate it!! I hate traitors in the empire!! I hate the decline of the country! I founded Byzantium for a thousand years, have I really come to the end of the road!!! God! You are blind!!"
Hoarse, crying blood every word!
※※※
In the camp of the Odinites outside the city, Manninger was having dinner when his generals came in and asked for an order: "Patriarch, let us attack the city early tomorrow morning! The warriors are full and rest! The defenders of Mesta City are too weak, these Byzantine sheep, I can break the city gate in an hour at most!"
Manninger smiled lightly: "Of course, this piece of fat, it's time to stop talking!"
He was laughing when he heard someone anxiously rushing in from outside. Seeing that it was his own guard leader, he knelt down in front of him: "Patriarch! There is a fire in the city!"
Manninger's expression changed suddenly, he strode out, looked up and saw the direction of Mesta City, the city was full of red light...
Manninger only glanced at it, then immediately shouted and stomped his feet, and immediately turned his head and shouted: "The order! Immediately attack the city! Quick! Let the warriors attack the city immediately! At all costs, be sure to rush in as soon as possible!! Quick!!"
※※※
The Odins attacked the city quickly and violently, and the general who boasted to Manninger did not lie. In an hour, the city gate was breached, and the Odins drove straight into the city, almost without any decent resistance. But when he was about to reach the warehouse, he stopped helplessly.
Where the warehouse is located, the entire street has become a sea of fire! The fire is raging, where can manpower be able to put it out? !
Although Manninger has ordered his soldiers to put out the fire, but such a big fire, even if the Odins tried their best, they could not control it.
The fire burned to the next morning, and it didn't have the momentum to go out at all! The Odins tried their best, but they were not able to grab much food.
At dawn, in Manninger's tent, several Odin warriors pushed a person in.
"Patriarch, this guy led people around the fire to fight to the death. In the end, everyone around him died. In the end, he suddenly shouted that he is the county governor and wants to see our general. Hmph, we see him as a leader, I captured it alive and presented it to you."
Manninger looked at the man in front of him, his body was tattered, blood was everywhere, his armor was taken off, but his robe was black and red, and his hair was burnt in many places. Just from Manninger's eyes, one can see that this person is not a martial artist at all.
With a move in his heart, he stood up and walked in front of him: "Who are you?"
This person is naturally Crinthia. He raised his head and stared at Manninger proudly: "The Governor of the Byzantine Empire of More County, Krinthia!"
"Sure enough, it's you." Manninger's expression was not severe, but rather polite: "I am the chief of the Odinbasak clan, and the commander of the Chixue Army, Manninger. Your Excellency Klincia, since the defeat, why the need to see me?"
"Hmph, just look at what the enemy chiefs who dare to invade my territory look like." Klincia sneered.
Manninger's expression remained the same: "You ordered my food to be burned, right?"
Klincia was instantly furious and yelled: "Damn thief!! What your food! It's all owned by my Byzantine Empire! When did it become yours! What a robber talk!!"
His words made the surrounding Odin warriors furious, and immediately got two kicks on the body, but Manninger waved his hand to let others dodge, and stood in front of Clincia with a faint smile: "Okay, it doesn't matter who it is, anyway, now It's all burnt. Hmph…”
He pondered for a while, then said: "Clincia, I know your name, you have been the county governor in Moore County for seven years, right? You are Moore in the two wars between your country and ours. The county magistrate is responsible for assisting in the preparation of weapons and supplies. So, you have taken credit for your country's repelling our troops the first two times. Hehe."
"Humph!" Clincia sneered: "Unfortunately, I haven't done well enough to help our country kill more Odin thieves!"
Manninger sighed: "You Byzantines, you just like to talk. I won't argue with you, just ask you, you have worked in More County for seven years, and I heard that you have managed More County very well, More County is rich and fertile. It's all your credit. It's a pity that you haven't moved your butt and haven't been promoted for seven years. It shows that your Byzantine Empire is incompetent, and such talents will not be used. I think you are a capable guy. , Since the Byzantine Empire is incompetent, why don't you help me! This Morshire is my territory after the war, why don't you help me manage this place, I think... "
When he said this, he saw that Clincia was just looking at himself and sneered, and Manninger knew it in his heart: "Why, don't you agree?"
"What do you think?" Clincia rolled her eyelids.
"...Okay." Manninger sighed: "If you were the kind of person who was willing to surrender, you wouldn't have burned the food in the city. But...why would you refuse? The Byzantine Empire can't use you, but I can reuse it. You! The Byzantine Empire doesn't know anyone, why are you loyal to these idiots?"
Klincia shook her head: "There is no reason. The empire has been established for a thousand years, and in the event of a national disaster, how can there not be one or two loyal people who will die! Hmph, Your Excellency, please kill me."
Manninger looked a little complicated. Looking at Klincia, there was a hint of respect in his eyes: "Do you have any other requests?"
Clincia laughed: "If you're thirsty, here comes the bowl of water."
Manninger waved his hand, and someone immediately brought a bowl of water. Clincia drank it all in one go, and laughed: "Cool! After putting on the fire all night, my mouth was dry, and this water was so refreshing! Never I thought drinking water would be so refreshing!"
He threw the bowl and looked up at Manninger: "Thank you! The second request, please cut off my head and hang it on the city wall!"
"Why?" Manninger sighed: "Your Excellency makes me respectful, even if you are going to die, I will keep your whole body."
"No! Please hang my head!" Clincia smiled proudly: "My head is hung on the city wall, because I want to see with my own eyes that you Odins will come in the future... How to fight in, how will you be defeated! Don't you Don't you dare!"
Manninger was stunned for a moment, laughed, with a hint of suffocation on his face, he waved his hand and shouted: "Go! Cut him off, and hang his head on the city gate of Mesta!"
A few Odins rushed over like wolves and tigers. Clincia smiled boldly, without any fear, turned around, held her head high, and strode out!
After Clincia went out, Manninger turned around and walked back a few steps, sat down heavily, the suffocating energy on his face subsided, but gradually revealed a trace of complexity and emotion.
In a short while, someone came to report that Klincia had been decapitated, and her head had been hung above the city gate as ordered.
"Did he... have anything to say before he died?"
The person who replied whispered, "No... It's just that after he chopped off his head, he couldn't stop staring at him."
Manninger looked indifferent and waved: "I see, let's go out."
After a while, the Patriarch of the Basak tribe sat alone in the tent, but suddenly sighed softly.
"... A thousand years after the founding of the country, when the country is in trouble, how can there not be one or two loyal people who will die!" He savored these words carefully, and sighed in a low voice: "Well said! Hmph... I'm afraid I didn't think about this road to the south. It's that simple."
…
A few years later, Ms. Osi, a disciple of Caviehir, a wise man of the empire, wrote an article describing the war that Odin invaded. In an article "Afterglow of the Last Dynasty", she wrote that Odin The first heavy city that was broken during this invasion was written like this: "... The red snow army Kemesta city, the imperial county governor, Lord Klincia, burned all the food in the city, fought hard and was captured, and the enemy chieftain Lord Klinthia refused, and died generously, hanging his head on the city gate for ten days. The people of More County were deeply moved by his virtue and weeping in tears for seven years. At that time, in the spring, the grass grew long and the eagle was flying, and the head of the Lord was hanging. On the city tower, birds pecked, and the people in the city asked to take their heads and bury them, but the enemy was not allowed, so the people of the city spontaneously stayed under the city, day and night, shooting birds with slingshots, not allowed to peck at the heads of adults, and they would not leave for several days. People shed tears."