But they waited and waited until midnight when the moon was shining, but they still didn't see the shadow of Salem's army. Finally, the reconnaissance returned, and the Salem Legion advanced all the way and lit torches on the road. It looked like a fire dragon from a distance, but after 30 miles out of the city, it suddenly changed its formation and went back! Philistines waited most of the night.
The general next to him asked: "Master Legion, they retreated suddenly at night. Maybe they sent scouts to find that we were already waiting in formation and dared not fight. Should we pursue or not?"
The Philistine stared and shouted: "How to chase? Do you want me to set up an army to chase for fifty miles in the middle of the night? This distance just can't catch up. When we reach the city, we will have no rest for a day and a night! Go back to the camp to rest and send out guards Be alert at all times."
…
In the underground hall of the fortress, Raphael was still talking to Link through the communication stones in the two magic circles, only to hear Link laughing: "The Philistines lined up and stood in the cold wind for most of the night. I finally couldn't stand it anymore and went to sleep. The road is a bit long, and it is not convenient for them to go back to Enlil City, so they set up camp three miles back."
Raphael smiled wryly and said, "This battle is very wicked. It's definitely not a formal method of warfare. Who made the battle plan? It doesn't look like Lord George's style."
Link laughed and said, "I led my people to hunt those ferocious herds in the mountains many years ago. That's what I did. I can't fight those wild beasts."
Yunmeng chuckled next to Raphael: "I know it's your idea to prevent people from eating and sleeping properly."
Link: "No matter what, the fortress can only be defended, otherwise everything is empty talk. You should rest well, and I will leave it to me in the middle of the night."
…
The Army of Salem seemed to have expected that the Philistines would attack the fortress first on the road, and they would not be able to take it for a day. They went out of the city early in the morning to put on a battle posture, and then retreated and went back to eat. When it was almost sunset, they went out of the city again, pretending to reinforce the fortress at night, and retreated halfway to go back to sleep, tossing the Philistines enough.
The soldiers of the giant army finally rested after a tiring day, and the Philistines sent out patrol teams to take turns to guard. In the middle of the night, when everyone was sleeping soundly, the fortress where Link was located in the distance suddenly became brightly lit. A team of cavalry with bright armor rushed out.
Hundreds of soldiers also appeared on the city wall, beating drums and trumpets, and the chaotic shouts of killing went straight to the sky and were deafening. Out of the castle was a cavalry force of a hundred men, led by Amon's personal guard general back then. All armored warriors were no less powerful than giant warriors. Although they were small in number, they were among the elite of the Salem Legion. elite.
The giant legion had been on alert for a long time, and the Philistines had ordered to keep an eye on the fortress. The alert giant warriors hurriedly drew their weapons and rushed forward to fight. Of course, such a big movement alarmed the sleeping soldiers in the camp. They all took up their weapons, put on their armor and got out of the tent. The Philistines urgently assembled a cavalry team and rushed over.
When Hua Nani saw it, he alarmed the large group of people, and they drove away and galloped towards the fortress. The giant warriors behind chased outside the castle, and suddenly countless sharp rays of light shot from the sky. It was a counterattack launched by the magic array, and instantly knocked down dozens of enemies who were chasing to the front. Under the cover of a large formation, they fled into the fortress.
Immediately afterwards, the light of the large formation suddenly disappeared, and the surrounding fields were once again in darkness. Link's tactic was not to rush over to reinforce Raphael, it was purely to keep the giant army from sleeping, but going out to harass the city was also a big risk, so all the elite cavalry were sent. The scale of this battle was not large. He suddenly charged and killed more than 20 enemies. Link also lost eight cavalrymen, and then closed the door silently.
The Philistine's nose was almost crooked. He finally figured out the tactics of Salem City, which was to use the powerful magical array protection of these two fortresses to restrain and harass the giant army, and let him consume his combat power here. What is consumed is not only the siege combat materials, but also the physical strength and morale of the soldiers. Although giant warriors are strong, they are not made of iron after all. They need rest and encouragement from victory, so they cannot be constantly restrained and harassed.
The next morning, the generals of the Giant Legion discussed the military situation in the big tent of the Philistines. Judging from yesterday's battle, the opponent's style of play was very rogue. , contain, consume, harass. However, the purpose of the Philistines was to capture and conquer the city of Salem. The logistical cost of the Assyrian kingdom crossing the plateau was too high.
There was a choice before the Philistines—
One is to continue to attack the fortress where Raphael is located, step by step to win the first victory, erode the enemy's vital strength, and pull out the strategic stronghold of Salem City. But the guarding power of the fortress was beyond the expectation of the giant legion. The one-day onslaught failed to win, and such a magical formation was built in a small fortress. Not only was it presided over by a great magician, but it could also summon terrifying monsters. Even a girl who jumped out of the city wall was actually a great warrior, which seemed unfathomable!
If too much combat power is consumed when attacking the fortress, they will be unable to continue attacking Salem City in a short period of time or even give the enemy an opportunity. The most difficult thing to judge at present is how much will it cost to break that fortress
The second choice is based on an assumption, assuming that the fortress is full of elite combatants from Salem, and they happen to encounter the strongest fortress, then it may be much easier to attack another fortress. However, what happened in the middle of the night yesterday also clearly proved that another fortress was also guarded by a large magic array, and a great magician presided over it. As for how strong its defenses are, it is impossible to find out without launching a fierce attack. Maybe another fortress is better to attack, and if it is successfully occupied, it can also reverse the strategic situation.
The third option is to attack the city of Salem directly. If the city of Salem puts the most important forces in the two fortresses, then the defense of the main city must be weak. Both Philistines and Lu Sien judged unanimously that it was impossible for Salem to have the same magic array as these two fortresses.
If such a city-state wants to build a magic array of that scale, it will take a hundred years of operation and invest countless manpower, material and financial resources. Only one kingdom can bear the consumption of full power during the war. If there are not enough great magicians and priests to take turns to preside over the big formation, it will not work at all. Therefore, it may be easier to transfer the siege firepower to the city of Salem, to capture a section of the city wall and rush into the city than to attack these two fortresses.
How to choose between these three options, the generals discussed for a whole morning, and finally decided to concentrate their forces on storming the fortress where Raphael was. The reason is simple, they have already spent a lot of money, and they may almost be able to break through the magic formation in the fortress, so giving up at this time is tantamount to wasting all previous efforts. There is a prerequisite for continuing to attack the fortress, that the fortress cannot be reinforced, and the Philistines immediately formulated a battle plan.
The arms of the Giant Corps include cavalry, chariot soldiers, sword and shield soldiers with spears, crossbowmen, and stone slingers. They don't have many cavalry, because the giant warriors are too tall, and it is difficult for ordinary war horses to withstand the long-distance riding of giant warriors. The chariot soldiers were the main arm for their formation and charge, because the city of Enlil lacked enough horses to pull the carts, so the number of chariots was also limited.
Slingers are long-range combat forces, mainly used to attack city walls and fortresses, and can also bombard army formations. Crossbowmen set up high platforms on chariots to release arrows, which is also one of the siege tactics. As for the large number of sword and shield soldiers that can be used in various occasions of combat, giant warriors can pick up heavy shields and wield long swords to fight.
The Philistines divided the giant army into two parts. More than a thousand cavalry and sword and shield soldiers formed two battle formations between the two fortresses. Be alert to counterattacks in the direction of Salem City. The remaining crossbowmen, chariot soldiers, catapults, and hundreds of elite sword and shield soldiers gathered outside Raphael's fortress, trying to break it in one fell swoop.
The Philistines did not start a battle right away. The battlefield was peaceful the next day. He ordered his soldiers to take turns to be vigilant.
Just when the generals held a meeting, the reconnaissance cavalry reported that the Salem Legion had left the city again. This time it was much more noisy than yesterday. Same as who's at war. When the chariots were charging, they fired all arrows, and then sent people to pick up the arrows that hit the ground, and then re-arranged, and the chariots behind them rushed out again with swords and shields. There are samples.
The Philistines were stunned when they heard the news, and then slapped the table and cursed: "Damn it, you actually practiced the military formation at this time! Why did you go so early? Are we sure we won't attack the city?"
Lu Sien frowned and said: "For the mob, the formation drill is the best at this time. Everyone is in danger when the soldiers are overwhelming, and it's not like doing hard labor in empty space. It's just that the coach is brave enough, so he is not afraid of rushing Do you want to fight us?"
The Philistines scolded: "They didn't intend to fight at all. As long as our army moves, they will definitely withdraw their troops and return to the city. They just want to fight a defensive battle relying on the strong city. It was a pretense to go out of the city yesterday to disturb us so we can't rest. The military formation exercise outside the city today is to provoke me to give up the fortress and march forward. I will not be fooled by this! The order is passed on, as long as they do not advance to thirty miles away from the city, we will ignore it. Today the whole army rests. Continue to attack that fortress tomorrow."
There was no battle on this day, and the giant army stood by and rested. As expected by the Philistines, the Army of Salem practiced the military formation outside the city. Seeing that the Philistines were not fooled, they withdrew their troops and returned to the city at dusk, instead of advancing to reinforce the fortress.
In the underground hall of the fortress, Raphael's face sank like water, and he said to Yunmeng: "The Giant Corps has not made any movement this day, it's like closing a punch before punching, and it will definitely launch the most violent attack tomorrow. It is a crucial battle, and there must be a lot of casualties, and you need to take the warriors to the city wall tomorrow, so be careful."
Yunmeng's expression was also a little nervous: "If you really can't stand it, you can send a signal to Link in advance. Link and George will attack from two directions and cover us to break through."
Rafael shook his head and said: "If that's the case, the entire battle plan will be ruined. No matter what, we must try our best to defend it tomorrow. I have a batch of sacred stones here. You give them to the magician who assists in defending the city. Keep it intact." He reached out and grabbed it out of thin air, and took out a large leather bag, opened it and saw that it was full of ordinary divine stones.
Yunmeng exclaimed: "You have ambushed so deep, you have hidden so many sacred stones, and I don't even know?"
Rafael smiled faintly: "This is not from the city-state of Salem. Have you forgotten my origin? I am also one of the heirs of a prominent noble family in the Kingdom of Hatti. This is most of my property. Some of it is The teacher, Ge Lie, gave it to me, saying that it might be useful at critical moments, and the old man really got what he said. I have been storing it in the interspatial ring, and this interspatial ring was also given by the teacher."
Yunmeng took the leather pocket and said: "I will definitely make it clear that these are all your private wealth. In the future, when the war is won, I have a spare sacred stone that requires Aesop to return the principal and interest to you. I don’t know if your magician who runs the big formation can hold on?”
Raphael said with his back: "War is equally cruel to both sides. The Philistines use one day to let the siege soldiers rest, and this day's respite is more important to our magicians. Take a good rest tonight. Get ready for a life-and-death battle tomorrow!"
Yunmeng looked at him, couldn't hide the admiration in his eyes, and suddenly grinned, "The Philistine really attacked the wrong fortress, he didn't know you were here. People only know that Amon is invincible, but they forget Ge Lie, the great magician of the Kingdom of Hatti, uses soldiers like a god. He is just not as lucky as God Amon. You are the most proud disciple of Ge Lie, and you have participated in many battles with your teacher. Now you are still a member of the city-state of Syria High Priest. Letting you guard a fortress is really too insignificant. With your talent, you can be the commander of a large army!"
Raphael shook his head: "Don't praise me so much, I'm far behind the teacher, the teacher sent me here to accept the experience. Since it's an experience, I have to face a difficult test, I took the initiative to ask To guard this fort."
…
On the third day, the worst battle on the Duke Plain finally broke out. The Philistines gathered all the heavy crossbowmen and catapults, and urgently dispatched siege flint and a large number of arrows from the city-state yesterday. This kind of head-to-head offensive and defensive battle is to test the will of both sides. The giant army began to attack with flint from the morning, consuming the defensive power of the fortress's magical array.
Raphael didn't use his full strength to defend the formation, but just extinguished the flames on the stone balls. Countless huge stone balls smashed into the fortress over the stone wall. He was trying his best to protect the weak part of the city wall from being collapsed by the flint. Under the whistling flint flying in the sky, Lu Sien commanded the priests to form an array to cover the sword and shield soldiers attacking the city with long ladders. The giant crossbowmen also stood on the high platform, pushed forward by the chariots, shooting arrows in the air like rain, shooting and killing the guards on the city wall.
After half a day of fierce fighting, the magic array defending the city remained intact, but its strength had begun to weaken, because the magicians who assisted Raphael in operating the array were tired after repeated rotations. In the afternoon, giant sword and shield soldiers finally rushed to the city wall, and the first to bear the brunt was Ju Fei, the former commander of the giant army and a seventh-level warrior.
There were six of Amon's personal guards in the fortress, and now they are the generals leading the army in Salem. Yunmeng led the six generals and all the reserve forces in the city to rush up to the city wall and fight fiercely. Raphael could only launch a large formation to try his best to prevent more reinforcements from rushing to the city, while Lu Sien led the priests of the giant legion to attack the magic formation and break through the gap in the siege.
Yunmeng transformed into the prototype of an iron-clad beast on the city wall, its body covered in hard scales, impenetrable for arrows, its sharp claws and long tail sweeping unstoppably. Ju Fei struggled to the death to barely resist Yunmeng, a scuffle formed on the city wall, and the fierce fighting continued until almost dusk.
Since it was attacking the city at the gap where the protective magical array was torn open, it was impossible to deploy too many troops. The Philistines concentrated all the heavy crossbowmen to cover the salvo, and the sword and shield soldiers attacked in turn. On the city wall, more than two hundred people were killed or killed. As for the soldiers defending the city, more than 200 people were killed, and the rest were injured, only slightly or severely. The catapults of the giant legion almost used up all the flints stored in the camp, including the ones brought in from the city of Enlil just yesterday, and there were not many arrows left by the giant crossbowmen. In the end, they became the priest's shield sword The hand-to-hand combat of the shield hand rushing to the city.
Why did the Philistines pay such a high price? Because in the end he was already riding a tiger. He always had an idea in his mind that the fortress would soon be taken down after the attack had reached this level, as long as there was another wave of attacks, it would be like the last straw that broke the camel's back, but the camel still couldn't be crushed.
He kept thinking this way in the morning, and he still thought so at noon, but he continued to fight until dusk, and there were no more flints and heavy crossbow arrows to use. Within the walls of the fortress, all the weak buildings were smashed down, but the walls are still there. The Philistines also saw their own disadvantages. If they could not break through the magic array and open a gap in the city wall, it would be very expensive for the sword and shield soldiers to charge the city with long ladders.
He wanted to reverse this disadvantage, but he was still unsuccessful. In the end, the power of the fortress's magic formation had been reduced to the weakest, and it only connected the frontal defense of the city wall as one, and firmly protected the city wall. The offensive and defensive battle ended with Ju Fei being swept down the city by Yunmeng's tail, the commander in front was seriously injured, and all the giant warriors who rushed up the city wall were killed.
The plan of the giant army to capture the fortress failed, and the armored beast that Yunmeng transformed into was also scarred. At the last moment of the fierce battle, four more big armored beasts went up to the city wall to assist Yunmeng in fighting together, and managed to stabilize the situation.