The rebellious nobles were vulnerable in front of the First Army. They only exchanged fire a few times, but the outcome was always decided after a round of volleys. They did not even need to replace the cartridge before they were routed and fled, leaving dozens of corpses behind. Most of the time, the First Army only pursued and hunted them down.
Iron Axe cleared a piece of territory every day and captured the Elk, Wolf, and Wild Rose families' encampments one after another. However, when the troops advanced to the Maple Leaf territory, their attack momentum slowed down.
They had run into unexpected trouble.
"Damn it, this is no different from a stronghold." Brian looked at the towering Earl's Mansion in front of him and spat angrily. "It even has a moat!"
"Was anyone injured in the last round of attack?" Iron Axe asked coldly.
"Two unlucky guys were injured. One was shot in the arm, and the other was shot in the back while retreating. Fortunately, it's not a big problem," Brian said with a frown. "The soldiers were at a disadvantage shooting at the roof from below. Even if they only had arrows and short bows, we would still be at a disadvantage."
Iron Axe knew that Brian was right. No one had expected that the Earl of Maple Leaf would build his residence in the form of a tower, which was built on a mountain and backed by a rocky cliff. The stream flowing down from the Impassable Mountain Range was led into a ditch more than five meters wide, forming a "small moat" around the mansion. Because it was running water, it was not completely frozen even though it was covered with floating ice and snow. There was only one entrance to the whole tower. If they wanted to attack the gate, they had to cross the arch bridge, which was also an important part of the enemy's defense.
There was no cover around the Earl's Mansion, only flat snowy ground. The First Army could shoot from a high vantage point to make up for the short range of their bows. After two rounds of probing attacks, the First Army only managed to kill three or four of their opponents, while several of their own were wounded.
"If only the Artillery Battalion was here," Brian said bitterly. "I don't believe that he won't surrender after a few shots at the gate."
"Unfortunately, they can't come here. This place is too far from the stronghold and the snow is too deep." Iron Axe looked up at the sky and said, "Let's call it a day. Arrange for the soldiers to set up camp."
The fief of the Maple Leaf Family was located in the northwest of Longsong Stronghold, next to the Impassable Mountain Range, which was also the edge of the Western Region. Just walking to this place took almost a day's worth of effort. In addition, there was no one to clear the snow on the road, so the 12-pound field artillery could not move an inch.
According to the information they obtained, the Maple Family had contributed very little to the rebellion. Even the Earl himself didn't show up, which meant that the enemy's strength was almost intact. If they were all holed up in this fortress-like tower without siege weapons, it would be very difficult to deal with them.
After nightfall, a bonfire was lit in the tents of the camp.
"What should we do tomorrow?" Brian added a piece of wood to the fire pit. "Order the soldiers to rush forward while facing the arrows? As long as we can blow up that damn iron gate, their time of death will come. "
But the First Army would also suffer a dozen casualties. Iron Axe shook his head and did not answer. If he had been in Iron Sand City before, not to mention ten guards, even if he had to lead a hundred guards, as long as he could complete the task assigned by the chief, he would not hesitate to sacrifice all of them. But after coming to the Western Region, he saw how these soldiers had grown to where they were today. At the thought of His Highness Roland's painstaking efforts on them, he felt a little reluctant.
After a long silence, he exhaled a white breath and said, "Let's ask the witches."
Brian was startled. "Ask them?"
Iron Axe did not want to do so. He remembered His Highness had once said that a qualified army should have the ability to complete a task independently at any time. But now was not the time to compete. In order to achieve the goal of unifying the Western Region within a week and to reduce casualties as much as possible, he would not bite the bullet with an inexplicable pride.
Because His Highness had also said that a good general was responsible for the lives of his soldiers.
"Send out a messenger and tell them that we're in trouble and need Miss Maggie's help," he ordered.
The next morning, Maggie and Lightning arrived at the camp. "What happened?"
"Coo coo?"
Iron Axe coughed twice and briefly explained the current thorny problem. "The enemy is mainly concentrated at the top of the tower, so the damage to them is limited. In addition, there is an iron gate at the entrance, so it's difficult for the First Army to get close to it. We can only ask you to open the exit."
"Leave it to us," the little girl said, patting her chest.
Both of them were familiar with throwing, as they had trained with the First Army in Border Town. Iron Axe nodded and immediately began to arrange the soldiers to prepare for the final attack. Regardless of whether the bag could achieve the desired effect or not, at least it could deter the enemy. Taking advantage of this time, they should have enough time to destroy the iron gate.
"You want to go into battle yourself?" Brian looked at Iron Axe in surprise and stuffed the loaded cartridge into his belt.
"It's not so much for me to charge, it's better to charge with me," Iron Axe smiled. "This is what His Highness often says."
…
When the two of them led the soldiers into the charging position, the figure of Maggie appeared on the horizon.
She turned into a giant beast and swooped down to the tower along the rocky cliff, holding a bag in her sharp claws. Everyone saw this amazing scene. The First Army suddenly burst into loud cheers, while the top of the tower fell into chaos. The mercenaries and guards of the Maple Leaf family all turned their bows and shot at the giant beast, but it was a pity that the effect was negligible.
Maggie had finished accumulating speed. She spread her huge wings and flapped them hard, abruptly pulled her body up, and at the same time, released her claws. The bag was like a cannonball, whistling straight to the top of the tower.
Iron Axe felt the surroundings suddenly fall silent, and then he saw a dazzling fireball rising from the top of the tower. In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains shook! The whole world seemed to be trembling. A huge column of smoke rose into the air with snow and fog, and a wave of heat rushed toward him. He could not help but take two steps back, his ears hurting from the shock.
This is … the power of God!
Iron Axe could not help but recall the scene of the first time he witnessed His Highness's test explosion. This time, the explosion was far more powerful than before, and he could still feel the scorching heat contained in the fireball from a distance of nearly 100 meters. As for the enemies who were close to God's Punishment on the top of the tower, it was easy to imagine what would happen to them.
After silently praying to the Three Gods, Iron Axe raised his hand and shouted, "For His Highness, the First Army, charge!"
"For His Highness!" The soldiers shouted the slogan and swarmed toward the Earl's Mansion.
This time … no one dared to stop them.
When Iron Axe returned to Longsong Stronghold, it was the evening of the sixth day.
The entire Western Region was finally under the control of Roland. (To be continued.)
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