The sound of brass trumpets came from afar, breaking the tranquility of the noon, as if it was an omen, and the birds in the courtyard also stopped chirping.
Duke Willian Borg knew that the time for a decisive battle had come.
He looked away from the frescoes of His Majesty Tifeko, and turned his head to look at a delicate full-body armor that was inherited from his grandfather. After many repairs and polishing in his hands, each piece of armor was soaked in grease. , almost equivalent to another layer of skin.
A line of small characters is engraved on the right arm armor, which is the family's advice: "Loyalty, never forget."
Wearing this armor, he captured the rebellious old duke alive under the rain of arrows in the melee, and was conferred by His Majesty as the new guardian of the East.
Although Tifeko has fallen, the duty of guardianship will not be interrupted.
He will never live up to this honor.
"Lord Duke, the fourth prince's troops have moved closer to Golden Spike City, and there is no trace of large firearms found in the team." A subordinate walked into the hall and reported to him.
"Very good," Willian nodded. "Notify the others that they will be in place, and I will be there right away."
"As ordered!"
Then he took off his coat, walked to the armor, and said to his chief knight, Glenna, "Put the armor on me."
"Yes," the woman rolled up her sleeves and began to undress him. Those rough hands full of calluses, like soft water, gently took off his coat and inner lining. It is hard to imagine that in battle, Glinna also used these hands to hold the spear tightly, piercing the enemy with armor and shield.
Whenever he saw it, the scene fascinated him.
"Do you… regret it?"
"Of course not, my lord," Glenna replied calmly, "the day you decided to make a woman your chief knight, I decided to always be by your side, no matter what happens, I will do my best. responsibility."
"But this time the enemy is stronger than ever, if possible," the Duke said, when he was interrupted by the belt that was suddenly tightened around his waist.
"Since you know that your opponent is strong, why do you refuse the covenant of the Lord of Dawn? It's fine if you don't agree. You even blasted the messenger out of the Golden Spike City in public. If they knew about it, they would blame you for not knowing what to do."
"Tsk, let's not talk about whether the help of Radiance City can resist the fourth prince's army, just asking me to provide a seaport for his troops to station is too much." Willian pouted, "The east is Your Majesty. Is there any difference between giving the territory given to me and giving it to Ampein Moa and giving it to Roland Wimbledon? If I really promise the other party, I will betray Your Majesty's trust."
"Then my answer is the same," Glenna said without hesitation. "Loyalty is not the unique quality of the Borg family, my lord, please don't mention those words again, otherwise it will be nothing more than an insult to me."
Willian was silent for a long time before he said, "Unfortunately, most nobles have forgotten this now... I understand, you can follow me. Although the opponents are strong, I will not let them take it easily. For this decisive battle, Jinsuicheng has been waiting for a long time."
"Yes, my lord." The female knight chuckled.
"Bell!" he shouted the clerk's name, "come to me!"
A bald middle-aged man walked in quickly outside the hall, "Sir, what are your orders?"
"Remember, King Killer Roland Wimbledon's minions officially launched an attack on Golden Spike City today after a night of rest. The guardian of the east, Duke of Golden Spike Willien Borg, in the name of the late king, decided to attack Golden Spike City. This blocks the enemy's footsteps. His chief knight, Glenna Wayne, also walks with him, and his courage and loyalty show no doubt that the gods will bless them." Willian paused, "Of course... If you think this paragraph If the description is slightly subjective, the last sentence may not be written."
Bell nodded, and quickly recorded the lord's statement in the notebook with the charcoal pen he carried with him, "I think it's okay to add it, my lord. There is no absolutely objective record in this world. I am the secretary of Jinsui City. It's not surprising to be a little biased, or rather, it's part of the objective."
"Then keep it, but no matter what the result is, you have to record it truthfully, understand?" Willian emphasized, "It is your mission to pass on the cause and process of this incident in its entirety."
"Don't worry, my lord," the secretary bowed, "I will definitely make the world remember this history."
Willian stopped talking, picked up the steel sword hanging on the wall, and walked out of the castle without looking back.
…
The two climbed to the watchtower of the city wall, the bonfire was already lit, and the oil was churning in the pot, giving off a pungent smell. The soldiers were busy up and down, stacking the stone and rolling frames on the wall.
According to the experience of the first battle in the Royal Capital, Roland's most threatening siege method was a snow powder weapon called artillery, whose range was far greater than that of a trebuchet. On the day when the capital was breached, Tifekoto's confidant handed over all the snow powder recipes, weapon principles and manufacturing methods to Willien, and his purpose was self-evident.
After the Duke took over, he invested a lot of energy and money on it, and found some ways to limit it. For example, the artillery itself was very heavy and needed to rely on flat terrain to exert its power. In addition, its erection process is very slow and needs to rely on the protection of muskets. In other words, it's more suited to defense than offense.
In order to meet the war that will come sooner or later, Willian is well prepared. In addition to widening the city wall and installing barbs, he also sent people to dig all the roads in the suburbs, and flood the farmland with river water, making it a swamp. There are also many hidden piles in the Sanwan River, making it difficult for inland ships with a single mast or more to pass. The two years of maintenance have completely changed the surrounding environment. Now, not to mention horses and horses, even walking with heavy loads is quite laborious.
Although the cost is quite heavy, the interruption of roads has led to the disappearance of the prosperity of the city of commerce and the reduction of farmland area, which has greatly reduced the population, but the benefits are also obvious. .
Obviously the other party has also realized that if a road is not repaired first, it is almost impossible to drag the artillery to the city wall.
The next one will undoubtedly be a tough battle.
The enemy's musket fires very fast, but there is no shelter under the city, and with the barbs on the wall, it is not easy to climb up. On the contrary, he has set up four trebuchets and two large artillery pieces in the city, especially the latter, which can attack the enemy within a thousand paces.
"They're coming," Glenna reminded.
Following her voice, a group of soldiers dressed in brown commoners stepped out of the line and surrounded the city gate. Their speed was not fast, but their footsteps were particularly firm. Soon, this group of people lost the orderliness of the formation due to the muddy ground, and scattered in twos and threes, like old farmers burying their heads in the fields. In addition to the gray-black long guns on their backs, there are also barrels the thickness of the thighs, but in terms of weight, it is definitely not a kind of artillery.
Willian estimated the distance, raised the red flag, and waved it downward.
"Boulder cannon, launch!"