It was around five in the morning when Laurist, Pat, and Jim arrived at Monolith Castle with three horses each.
The camp outside Monolith Castle was ablaze with lights and bustling with activity.
Butler Boris and Father Barlek hurried out to greet them after being notified by the guards.
"How's the situation on the wall?" Laurist asked about the defense.
Old Man Barlek replied, "Sir, it's fine. Yesterday, the House of Kenneth's army only launched two attacks. After they were repelled, they didn't attack again. They set up camp one grid away from our wall and only finished in the evening. It was quiet last night, and there were no alarms from the wall. "
Grid was the unit of length in Galinthia. It was said that in the earliest elven era, the basic unit of length was Mager, which was the distance between two horses of the elven light cavalry. Later, in the Age of Magic, Magi changed Magi to Gem. One grid was equivalent to one thousand Gems. Two thousand years had passed. Although the units of measurement from the Age of Magic had been used until now, there were many simplifications. Gems were now called meters, and Grid and Li were the same.
Laurist let out a sigh of relief, "Why is the camp so lively?"
Butler Boris said, "Sir, we're building wooden sheds."
"Wooden sheds?"
"Yesterday, the longbowmen of the Kemus Family inflicted heavy casualties on the soldiers guarding the first line of the wall with their hanging arrows. Master Xiluba suggested building wooden sheds on the wall so they wouldn't have to be afraid of the archers. As for direct fire, we have the protection of the wall at a distance of a hundred meters, and the ballistae can counterattack, "Father Barlek said.
"Master Xiluba? Is his idea trustworthy? "Laurist was doubtful.
Butler Boris and Father Barlek laughed, and Butler Boris said, "Sir, we discussed it and found no problems, so we accepted his suggestion."
"Then what if the enemies use fire arrows to burn the sheds and attack while the smoke obscures the guards' vision?" Laurist asked.
"Don't worry. After building the sheds, we'll use a thick layer of green clay to make the fire arrows ineffective. Another advantage is that rain and snow won't affect the soldiers guarding the first wall, "Barlek's father explained.
"Alright, you guys continue with your work. I'll go take a look at the wall in front." Laurist once again mounted his horse and headed towards the wall in front.
…
Ovis was fully armored and leaning against the wall of the room, snoring. However, he was very alert and opened his eyes as soon as Laurist walked in.
"Continue resting. Don't worry about me." Laurist patted Auvikis' shoulder twice. "You've worked hard."
"My lord, I'm fine. He had slept for more than two hours. I went out to patrol and saw that there was nothing going on, so I came back to sleep … "Auvicis said with bloodshot eyes.
Laurist did not force the issue. "What are the exact numbers of casualties?"
"Sir, the two groups of longbowmen from the House of Kenneth are too powerful. They're shooting at our first wall from more than three hundred meters away. Their arrows are raining down like rain. Our guards have nowhere to hide. The entire team was wiped out in less than a quarter of an hour. There weren't many casualties, only twenty-seven, and all of them were hit in the vitals. The rest were all wounded. I sent a small team with shields to rescue them, but in the end, another thirty or so were injured. Fortunately, we were all wearing armor, or else the casualties would have been even greater … "
Ovis continued to narrate the battle from the day before. "We retreated to the second wall, and the soldiers of the Kenneth Family took the opportunity to attack the first wall. Then, they were dumbfounded and could only use their swords to hack at the three iron gates that connect the two walls. We used the ballistae to counterattack them from inside the house. The first wall was filled with enemies, and we would often kill two or three with each arrow. Not long after, the enemies that were attacking collapsed and quickly fled back.
"That Viscount Kenneth was stupid and ruthless. He beheaded the first few soldiers that escaped in front of everyone and ordered a second attack. This time, when they reached the first wall, they pulled up the ladder and wanted to climb up. However, I brought a few dozen people to stand guard at the top, and we killed every enemy that came up. The ballistae also continued to fire. This attack lasted a little longer than the first time, and they fled back. There were two hundred and fifty-nine corpses on and below the first wall. Including the wounded, I estimate that the Kenneth Family lost around four to five hundred people.
"That Viscount Kenneth was not willing to let it go, but the soldiers below seemed to be in an uproar, and they even drew their swords at each other. After a long time, they finally calmed down, and he brought his men to set up camp. I had Father Barlek bring a team of laborers to collect the corpses of the soldiers that died in battle. I wanted to send them to the back to be buried. However, in the evening, an envoy came and asked for the return of the corpses. I had people strip the corpses and give them to them. It saved us the trouble of burying them … "
Loriste was speechless. This bearded Ovis was indeed a bandit. He was used to stripping corpses.
"Did our guards suffer many casualties in these two attacks?" Loriste asked.
Ovis grinned. "There weren't many casualties. The first time they attacked, we were in the house, and they couldn't attack us. The second time, the guards I brought had the protection of the city walls, and they wore armor, so they could look down from above. When they climbed up, they had to worry about the ballistae in the house, so they couldn't pose a threat to us at all. After they escaped, the two squads of longbowmen started firing at us from above. However, I was prepared. Everyone who went up carried a large shield, and they relied on the city walls to protect themselves. Apart from an unlucky fellow who exposed his feet and got hit by an arrow, everyone else was fine. "
… …
Father Barlek brought the laborers up the city walls. The wooden huts they wanted were very simple. First, they had to erect a wooden pillar every three meters on the first wall. Then, they would attach a wooden frame to the pillar, and then place two fingers' worth of wooden planks on top of it. The planks would protrude a meter out of the wall, and then tilt down slightly. The laborers had safety ropes tied around their waists, and as they laid down the planks, they added a thick layer of green clay to the planks.
Loriste went into the house to take a look, and found that the wooden huts did not affect the range of the ballistae. He then went up to the roof of the city walls and saw that many laborers were building a wooden hut with a very steep slope. Father Barlek said, "The wooden hut above needs to prevent snow from accumulating in the winter, and the slope is large enough to allow snow to slide down. The main reason is that the wooden hut below is easier to clean, and it's not easy for the people above to go up. "
Loriste nodded. He saw that the father and son were inspecting a ballista, so he walked over.
This ballista still had quite a few arrows stuck in it. They should have been fired by the longbowmen after the Kenneth Family's soldiers retreated from the second attack.
"What's wrong with this ballista?" Loriste asked.
"Oh, Lord, this ballista is pretty much useless. Look, these arrows were specially made during the era of the former Empire, and they are used by longbowmen to deal with defensive equipment during sieges. The arrowhead is square, like a small shovel. The arrowhead is heavy, and when it is shot from the top to the bottom, it increases its power. Look, there are four arrows on the ballista, and there are four small cracks. A few arrows might be fine, but the next arrow might cause the ballista to crack and injure the operator … "Master Falin replied.
"Sigh …" Loriste sighed. Even the fourteen ballistae on the first wall had been destroyed before they could fire a single arrow. Although they were the simplified version, it was still a huge loss to lose so many ballistae.
Nearly a thousand workers built the wooden huts very quickly, and by the time the sky was bright, they were almost done. This was mainly because the wall was only seventy to eighty meters long, and all the materials had been processed in the camp outside the city. As long as they were assembled, it would naturally be very fast.
The Kenneth Family's armed forces had also noticed the strange situation here. Two squads of longbowmen hurriedly left the camp, arriving at a distance of three hundred meters from the wall and starting to fire. The first and second rounds of arrows were densely packed on the wooden huts, and for the third round, they started to use fire arrows. However, the green cement on the wooden planks was very thick, and the fire arrows only lasted for a while before extinguishing.
Not long after, a knight in extravagant armor led a few dozen attendants out of the camp. He inspected Monolith Castle for a long time, then ran over to the squad of longbowmen to talk for a long time before returning to the camp helplessly.
'That should be Viscount Kenneth,' Loriste thought to himself.
The two groups of longbowmen followed Viscount Gammus back to the camp, but to no avail. Father Barlek ordered the labourers to continue their work. This time, it was to cover the round wooden pillars and the roof of the wooden huts on the first wall with green clay. He ordered a few labourers to collect the arrows that were still intact, and to use the green clay to mend the places that were hit by the arrows.
That day, Viscount Kenneth did not send out any more troops, and the camp was in chaos.
In the evening, Paul Binns and Sadekamp brought a squadron of family soldiers to Monolith Castle in a carriage. Laurist could finally relax. The Monolith Castle was now impregnable.
The Kenneth Family did not launch any night attacks.
At noon the next day, three armies of a few hundred soldiers arrived in front of Monolith Castle and set up camp next to the Kenneth Family's camp. Barlek's father recognized the emblem on one of the flags. It was the emblem of an old noble in the Northern Territory called Earl Spencer. If the second prince had not conferred more than 40 nobles in the north, then Earl Spencer would have been the closest neighbor to the Norton Family.
Butler Boris recognized the other two families. Like the Kenneth Family, they were newly conferred nobles in the north by the second prince. The one with the pegasus emblem was said to be a wandering knight who had sided with the second prince during the civil war between the three kings. He was ordered to lead a temporary group of knights and performed well. He even saved the second prince's life in a time of crisis. After the civil war, he offered a large amount of wealth he had plundered during the war to the second prince, and was conferred the title of a baron.
The emblem on the other family's flag was a golden flower with three petals. Butler Boris laughed. He was originally a nobleman who had married a very beautiful wife. His wife then hooked up with the second prince, and out of compensation, the second prince conferred him to the north but left his beautiful wife in the capital …
Everyone laughed. Butler Boris said that this matter was very famous in the capital, Winderbury. Many people said that a beautiful wife in exchange for a hereditary fief was worth it, so many people brought their sisters, daughters, and wives to find opportunities to see the second prince every day, making the atmosphere of the court a mess.
On the third morning, another four noble families arrived with a few hundred soldiers. This time, it was three old northern lords and a new noble.
Loriste was puzzled. Was the Kenneth Family preparing to form an alliance to attack the Norton Family? The total number of troops brought by the seven noble families did not even amount to two thousand. What use was that? Could it be that the Kenneth Family wanted to use the soldiers brought by the noblemen as cannon fodder?
Before Loriste could figure it out, he saw another large army in the distance. There were many carriages and horses, probably more than 2,000 people. However, the flags were very messy, and he could not see them clearly.
However, this army did not set up camp next to the Kenneth Family's camp. Instead, they chose a flat area to set up camp. The place they chose formed a triangle with the Kenneth Family's camp and Monolith Castle.
Loriste felt that this army was very strange. Beside him, Jim laughed. "This is great, we have something to play with."
"What do you mean, Jim?" Jim? "asked Loriste.
"Sir, this is the Battlefield Merchant Group. It is organized by merchants. They are neutral and do not participate in the war. They appear near the battlefield to do business, such as providing food, weapons, and other resources. Of course, the price is higher. They also buy the spoils of war from the victors. Their camp also provides food, wine, and women. There is also a gambling house. No matter which side you are on, you can go in and spend money. As long as you follow the rules of the camp, you can play without worry. Also, look, that Blood Moon flag is one of the three largest mercenary groups in the Iberian Kingdom. They are as famous as the Flying Feather Mercenary Group. However, the Flying Feather Mercenary Group is gone. There are only two large mercenary groups left. "
"Sir, look at that Blood Moon flag. It means that the Blood Moon Mercenary Group is responsible for the safety of this Battlefield Merchant Group. Anyone who attacks this camp will be an enemy of the Blood Moon Mercenary Group. Yes, the Blood Moon Mercenary Group likes to do business with the Battlefield Merchant Group. It is said that they have a large share in the merchant group. There are one, two, three, and four other mercenary group flags below the Blood Moon flag. This means that there are four mercenary groups in this Battlefield Merchant Group that can be hired by any side. Let me see, the Sharp Spear Mercenary Group, the Night Bat Mercenary Group, the Cromwell Mercenary Group, and the Five Swords Mercenary Group. They are all old acquaintances. "Jim was very excited.
"Are these four mercenary groups very powerful?" Loriste asked.
"They are about the same as us, just that they have more people. The four mercenary groups add up to about six to seven hundred people. If Hawkes and I had gathered more than a hundred people in the past, we could have formed a mercenary group. It is all because Hawkes said that we need to choose reliable companions, so the sixty of us can only form a mercenary group, "Jim replied.
Loriste thought for a moment and asked again, "Do you think Viscount Gaimes will hire them to attack our castle?"
Jim shook his head. "No, even if Viscount Gaimes wants to hire them, they will not agree. Attacking our castle is just sending them to their deaths. No mercenary group leader is a fool. He will not let his members attack our sturdy walls. The most he will accept is to escort supplies and investigate the enemy's situation. "
"Yes, then contact them when you have time. Find out what the Gaimes Family has been doing for the past few days. I think some of them will go to the Battlefield Merchant Group's camp to play. Find an opportunity to buy a few glasses of wine and ask them, "Loriste ordered.
"Yes, sir."
… …
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