197 、 Siege Battle
El Mar had ordered the soldiers stationed in the city to hide in a safe place at the base of the wall, and the horses were led to a corner where the boulders could not hit. Outside the city, Felix showed joy on his face when he saw this scene, and shouted: "They can't hold on any longer, launch a strong attack!"
Two rows of giant warriors raised their giant shields to cover the front and the sky, and carried a huge battering ram as they rushed towards the city gate. In other directions, there were also warriors with giant shields and ladders rushing towards the lower part of the city wall. Lucien gathered the mages to set up a magic formation in front of the battle formation. Countless chanting sounds came from the sky, and light fell to impose various protections on the siege soldiers. Wind blades and energy blasts cut holes in the magic formation guarding the fortress.
Felix used the mages at the critical moment, letting them form a magic formation to cover the warriors' charge. By now, the mages in the fortress should be tired. Whether it was breaking through the gate or climbing the wall, the combat power of the giant warriors should not be something that the soldiers defending the fortress could resist.
The crossbowmen stood on the high platform, and if anyone on the wall poked their head out to counterattack, they would immediately be shot at by the crossbows. This was the most common tactic used by the Giant Legion when attacking a fortress. Suddenly, many soldiers appeared on the wall of the fortress, wearing helmets and leather armor. The trained soldiers had formed a subconscious habit, and the crossbows shot at the target in an instant.
This first round of shots was fast and accurate, and the giant warriors' heavy crossbows were really powerful, and some of the arrows actually hit the wall. Almost all the soldiers on the wall were hit by the arrows, but they did not fall immediately. The arrows in the air were like rain, and some soldiers were hit by several arrows in a row. At this time, the chief priest Lucien shouted: "Look carefully before shooting, those are dummies!"
Only then did the giant crossbowmen realize that someone had stretched helmets and leather armor out of the battlements with wooden poles, but the giant crossbowmen on the high platform had already shot the first round of arrows, and the heavy crossbows needed to be reloaded. At this moment, soldiers appeared on the wall again, and with loaded crossbows, they fired in unison from the gap in the battlements. Their accuracy was still a bit lacking, and they were far less well-trained than the giant crossbowmen, but this sudden volley of shots still hit quite a few giant warriors, and more than a dozen giant crossbowmen fell from the platform.
Battle cries finally rang out, and the attacking soldiers also rushed up, raising their shields and setting up ladders. The giant crossbowmen no longer fired in unison, but instead aimed at the walls above the attacking soldiers and fired alternately, making it impossible for the defenders to stop the giant soldiers from ascending the walls. Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound in the air, and dozens of fire snakes fell, turning into a sea of fire along the long ladder set up by the giant soldiers. This was the counterattack launched by the magic formation.
The soldiers of the Giant Legion also rushed to the gate, and the battering ram hit the gate with a loud bang. The gate did not move, but the entire wall nearby trembled slightly. The magic formation connected the impact of the city gate with the city wall. Either the formation was broken, or the entire tower was destroyed. Hot oil poured down from the tower, ignited in the air, and fell on the shields of the giants, turning it into a sea of fire.
Even if the giant warriors attacking the gate were not doused with oil, their shields would be too hot to hold after a while, and they would drop their shields with a strange cry, only to be hit by stones thrown from the city. The giant crossbowmen then fired arrows, and many of the soldiers fighting back on the wall were also hit by arrows, some lying on the battlements with arrows stuck in them, some falling down, and there were casualties on both sides.
The Giant Legion first bombarded the walls with flintstones, consuming the defensive power of the fortress's magic formation, and once the two sides clashed, the battlefield was extremely fierce. The magic formation surrounding the walls suddenly flashed, and the crossbow bolts shot by the giant crossbowmen seemed to be pulled by the viscous air, their range greatly reduced, and they fell to the ground midway. The power of this magic formation suddenly recovered!
Felix turned to look at Lucien, his expression clearly blaming the chief priest for his error in judgment. How did the other side's magic formation suddenly recover its power? Didn't they say that it would be difficult to hold on after half a day? Lucien's face was also a little ugly, and he whispered: "This is a last-ditch struggle, they can't hold on much longer, we have already attacked the walls!"
Felix immediately ordered the chariots set up on high platforms to move forward. No matter how good the magic formation was, it would not be able to stop so many crossbows at close range. But as the crossbowmen moved forward, they entered the range of the bows and arrows of the defending soldiers. The arrows and crossbows of both sides shot at each other in the air, and the people on the walls kept throwing down the long ladders with oil and boulders, and the sounds of wailing and shouting mixed together.
In the underground hall of the fortress, El Mar had replaced Raphael's position, and the ten mages who had just assisted in setting up the formation had all been replaced. Raphael was instructing the six generals in the city: "The first force must hold on and consume their flint and heavy crossbow bolts, these things are not easy to replenish, and once they lose their spirit, the next step will be easy. As long as this attack is repelled, our soldiers will also have real confidence and learn how to fight."
The reason why Felix mobilized the siege equipment and concentrated on attacking a fortress was because he received a report from the scouts shortly after he set up the formation that the troops of the Salem Legion that went out of the city stayed outside the city for a while before returning with their banners, and did not dare to rush to the front line to reinforce the fortress, so he attacked with confidence.
In Felix's battle plan, by taking this fortress in half a day's time, the other fortress would lose its support, and the defending soldiers would fall into despair as they watched the fortress fall and fall into a state of despair. Then, they would be able to take it down with the momentum. These two fortresses would become the forward bases for the attack on Salem, and then the advance would be unstoppable.
But the situation was unexpected, and after a fierce attack from morning until dusk, at the cost of nearly a hundred casualties, the fortress was still not breached. The magic formation guarding the fortress was still running, and its power was adjusted according to the intensity of the attack, and it could launch a sudden counterattack while defending.
When the fire dragons in the air poured down the long ladders of the siege, Lucien also directed the mages in the Giant Legion to activate the magic formation, and streams of ice mist rolled up and blew away the fire dragons, the scene was both tragic and dazzling. Lucien was very shocked, the fortress's defensive formation had been running for most of the day, was the supreme mage presiding over the formation not tired yet? He had commanded the mages to set up the formation to assist in the siege, and he was already feeling a little tired.
At the critical moment, he must not be discouraged, otherwise all his previous efforts would be in vain. Lucien directed the focus of the mages to avoid the most heavily guarded gate, and rays of light fell on the giant warriors who were rushing up the long ladders to the top of the wall. The arrows and stones shot by the defending soldiers were blocked by the giant shields, and the magic formation guarding the fortress was also breached by Lucien's magic, and there were already soldiers about to climb up the wall.
The sound of drums conveying orders sounded in the fortress, and armored guards appeared on the wall that was about to be captured. The skilled giant crossbowmen then cooperated with the attacking soldiers to shoot at this section of the wall. Many of the defending soldiers were hit by arrows, and there were already giant warriors brandishing machetes and jumping up the wall. As long as these people gained a foothold on the wall, the giant warriors behind them would continue to rush up.
At the critical moment, a strange roar was heard, and a huge long tail flashing with golden light suddenly rolled up from the air and swept down fiercely, knocking over three long ladders erected on the wall. The defending soldiers rushed over and surrounded the five or six giant warriors who had climbed up the wall, taking the opportunity to slash and kill them.
The soldiers of the Giant Legion who were watching the battle outside the city were stunned for a moment. There was a terrible monster in the fortress! Could it be that the mage presiding over the magic formation was also proficient in summoning magic? Lucien raised his staff in shock, and the priests around him chanted in unison. The smoke and flames in the air quickly condensed, and a giant snake appeared, emitting thick smoke and flames as it pounced towards the city. No matter what, he must break through the gap and use this giant snake transformed from magic to fight the monster.
But after the long tail swept over, there was no sound of the monster. The giant crossbowmen outside the city only felt a blur in front of them, and then they saw a beautiful girl suddenly jump on the battlement. The girl was petite and wore a fiery red battle robe, which was so bright and dazzling on the battlefield that the crossbowmen even forgot to shoot at her for a moment.
Although the girl was beautiful, the thing in her hand was terrible. Her slender hand was raised high above her head, holding a stone ball that was half the diameter of her body. It was wrapped in fire hemp that was extinguished after burning halfway. It was the firestone that the giant army had just shot into the city with the catapult. As soon as the girl appeared, she swung the big stone ball and smashed it towards Lucien!
With a sharp whistling sound, the stone ball reignited in mid-air due to the violent friction with the air. If this hit, the supreme mage Lucien would definitely be turned into a flying pile of flesh and blood on the spot. It was too sudden. Lucien was directing the magic formation to assist the warriors in attacking the city, and it was too late to dodge. He hurriedly raised his staff, and the giant snake that had just condensed in the air met the huge stone ball. The giant snake was smashed into pieces, but the flying stone fell into the magic formation.
With such a large stone rolling over, it would not be a problem to kill two or three mages. At this time, there was another loud roar, and a dazzling brilliance flew over, smashing the huge stone ball into pieces. It turned out that Felix, the Head of the Giant Legion, suddenly took a step in the air on his chariot and jumped in front of the formation of the mages with his giant sword. Felix himself was also an eighth-level supreme warrior, and due to his talent as a highlander giant, his strength was amazing.
When El Mar saw that Felix had made a move, she shouted from the tower: "Stupid and stupid big man, if you have the guts, come up to the wall and fight me!"
Lucien hurriedly shouted from behind: "Lord Head, you are the commander of the entire army, you can't go up the wall yourself!" He was afraid that Lucien would really rush up the wall, and if the commander was trapped in the fortress and the soldiers could not attack, then the morale of the army would be in chaos. Unexpectedly, not only was there a supreme mage in the city, but the girl was also obviously a supreme warrior. Looking at the flying stone she threw with her bare hands, she could even fight with Felix.
No matter how powerful Felix was, he was not an invincible warrior like Enkidu, not to mention that he was the commander of the entire army. Even if he could rush up the wall alone, he could not act so rashly. He waved his giant sword in front of the formation and shouted: "Girl, if you have the guts, come out of the city and fight me!"
The crossbowmen finally released their arrows, and dozens of heavy crossbow strings sounded, and huge arrows shot towards El Mar with the sound of breaking through the air. El Mar suddenly took out a long-handled mace from behind the wall and swung it in the air, smashing the crossbow arrows into pieces with a gust of wind. The length of this mace was twice as long as her height, and the huge hammer head was covered with spikes, so the giant warriors on the opposite side were dumbfounded.
El Mar shot down the arrows and pointed at Felix with the mace in her hand. "Do you think I'm as stupid as you? Come out of the city and fight you? In your dreams! … Aren't you attacking the city? Then come in yourself! "After saying that, she turned and jumped off the wall and disappeared. Felix stared at her for a long time with his giant sword in his hand, and just then, another scout sent to the front galloped back to report that the army of Salem had moved out again.
… …
At dusk, the fierce attack of the Giant Legion finally came to an end, and the sounds of fighting subsided. The fortress withstood the first round of attacks, and the defending soldiers also paid the price of nearly a hundred casualties. Five hundred soldiers had such a high casualty rate, and if they had been in formation on an open field, the battle formation would have been broken long ago. Fortunately, they relied on the fortress to defend.
Except for some of the civilians sent by Syah, these soldiers had never experienced war before. When the siege battle first started, everyone was very nervous, and when the tension reached a certain point, people either became numb or collapsed. After successfully withstanding the fierce attack of the Giant Legion, everyone had real confidence instead of unreasonable fanatical confidence. It turned out that they could also fight!
In the underground hall in the center of the castle, Raphael was resting. There was a parangon in each of the two castles that could show each other's image, and Raphael was talking to Link in the other castle. Link asked: "What are the casualties?"
Raphael replied: "With the support of the magic formation and the fortress, there are still nearly a hundred casualties, and the casualties of the defending side are similar to those of the attacking side. The combat effectiveness of the Giant Legion is indeed strong."
Link: "Commander George said that the combat effectiveness of the army is fought, and that was the case with the An-Ra Legion. The Giant Legion is coming aggressively, and the first wave of attacks is the fiercest. If you can withstand it, you will win. "
Raphael: "This kind of siege consumes too much, and the Giant Legion can't be consumed indefinitely, but I don't know how many more rounds of such fierce attacks they can launch. Even if the soldiers can hold on, the impact of the magic formation is too great, and the spare parangons I have stored here have been consumed by half today. "
Link: "I have been watching the battlefield. Their consumption of firestones and heavy crossbow arrows is very high, and these things can't be replenished at will in a short period of time. Out of the fifty catapults, seven were damaged. I didn't expect you to be so difficult to deal with. Having paid such a high price, they should launch a more intense round of attacks, and you have to prepare for another fierce battle. If you can't hold on, I will send reinforcements immediately. "
Raphael shook his head and said: "In any case, I will hold on to the next round of attacks. George has ordered you not to act rashly in the first two rounds of attacks, unless the magic formation is broken, and El Mar will take us to break through to your side. Before breaking through, I need you to activate the formation and send troops out of the city to feign an attack. I think it's time for Salem to act according to plan now. "
… …
By dusk, the attacks had to stop, and the Giant Legion should also rest. The soldiers launched three waves of attacks in rotation, but they did not take the fortress, and the army that was on guard also stood for a day. It was not suitable for large legions to fight after dark, and the crossbowmen who shot the arrows could not see the target clearly, so the whole army needed to camp, eat and rest, and send scouts to stand guard in all directions.
The location of the two fortresses was a bit awkward, and it was a bit far for Felix to retreat back to Enril, so the army had to spend the night on the road. He had planned to retreat three miles back to camp, and then organize a strong attack tomorrow. The quartermaster reported the consumption of the day's battle. In addition to nearly a hundred casualties, one-third of the firestones and heavy crossbow arrows carried by the army had been used up.
The catapults threw stones, and in theory, as long as the weight did not exceed the limit, stones of about the same size could be thrown. But well-trained soldiers used stone balls of specific specifications and shapes to hit the target with the longest range and the most accurate hit rate, and the firestones were specially mined and processed. The heavy crossbow arrows, of course, also required specialized craftsmen to make, and there were many processes involved, and they were important strategic materials.
It was impossible to carry too many firestones and heavy crossbow arrows in the army, and they were all rationed according to the needs of the battle. The supplies needed to be continuously transported to the front line by the logistics and military supply teams. Felix had originally planned to break through the walls of Salem and occupy the fortresses, but he did not expect that he would not succeed today. Looking at the situation, the firestones and heavy crossbow arrows carried by the legion would be used up by the time the two fortresses were captured, and he hurriedly ordered the logistics team to urgently transport them from Enril.
While the logisticians were setting up camp, most of the soldiers in the legion did not rest. After the siege battle formation retreated, the remaining two thousand soldiers again set up a military formation on the avenue, and there was a murderous aura in the dusk.
According to the news reported by the scouts, the Salem Legion had more than a thousand men in formation outside the city in the morning, but they soon withdrew and returned to the city. In the afternoon, more than a thousand people came out of the city and lined up towards the two strongholds. Many of the soldiers were holding torches that had not been lit yet. It was obvious that they wanted to take advantage of the night to provide reinforcements. Were they going to fight a night battle?
Fighting at night was most feared when men and horses trampled on each other in the chaos, unable to distinguish between friend and foe, so Felix ordered the army to maintain the tightest assault formation and wait for the decisive battle. If they could defeat the main force of the Salem Legion, the two fortresses that were waiting for reinforcements would collapse by themselves sooner or later.
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