"Release!" Auvicis, who had just been promoted to a Gold Knight, gave a high-spirited order, and the ten catapults let out a deafening boom. Ten round stone balls the size of washbasins flew into the sky, becoming smaller and smaller until they disappeared without a trace. After another two or three seconds, a cloud of dust erupted from a lonely city wall in the distance, shrouding the entire city wall. After the dust settled, the originally neat city wall had become dilapidated, even revealing a large gap.
Count Kenneth, Baron Philim, and Baron Shahin all widened their eyes, staring in shock at the dilapidated city wall on the distant hillside. Just a moment ago, they had solemnly declared that they would attack this kind of city wall, and that they could only rely on numbers to rush to the bottom of the city and build ladders to besiege the city, exhausting the strength of the defenders and paying a high price of casualties to take down this city wall.
Who would have thought that Lorrain would specially order Auvicis to bring these ten so-called catapults, and just three hundred and fifty meters away from the city wall, which was outside the firing range of the ballistae on the city wall. Just by throwing the stones, the seemingly sturdy city wall had been smashed into pieces. This was simply a slap in the face to their previous claims.
"Next target, the tower on the right side of the city wall. Fire Meteors, prepare!" Auvicis ordered again.
Fire Meteors were made by tying hemp ropes soaked in kerosene around the round stone balls, and placing them into a concave iron launch tray. A soldier came over with a torch and lit them up one by one. Soon, all ten stone balls were burning fiercely.
"Release!" The burning stone balls flew into the sky, their target a square tower on the distant hillside.
Perhaps because the target was relatively small, this time, seven of the ten burning stone balls landed beside the tower. The fallen leaves and dried branches on the ground quickly rose into thick smoke, and the flames ignited. The three stone balls that hit the tower left three large holes in it, and soon, flames and black smoke appeared within the tower as well …
"Amazing …" Baron Philim exclaimed in admiration, "With such a weapon in hand, would there still be an impregnable fortress in the world?"
Earl Kenneth excitedly pulled on Laurist's arm, "So this is the confidence you were talking about. Hahaha, the Grand Duke of Madras would never have thought that even if he hides in his turtle shell, we will still be able to smash him out. Nothing can stop our attacks! Unless he fights us out in the open. Hehe, he'll only lose faster if he fights us out in the open. "
"Locke, give me a few of these catapults. I want to smash all those watchtowers and walls by the river!" Baron Şahin clenched his fists tightly. It seemed that he had a deep hatred for the defensive facilities that the Madras Duchy had set up on the lower reaches of the Mitubro River. He could not forget the two fishing boats that were destroyed by the arrow towers in the river.
"Don't worry, after conquering the Madras Principality, I can sell you as many of these Thunder Catapults as you want. However, Henned, I can first have Overkiss's Thunderbolt Catapult team work with you to destroy the defensive facilities at the riverside, forcing the Madras Duchy to gather a large number of troops there to defend against our surprise attack from there. Once you return, gather manpower to build a large number of flatboats by the river. First, the Thunder Catapults can be used on flatboats, and second, the flatboats can be used to build pontoons in the future. We will also send shipbuilders and carpenters to support you, "Laurist said with a smile.
"Alright, I will prepare the materials for the flatboats and gather manpower when I return. But Locke, are you sure that we won't arouse the Madras Duchy's suspicions by building boats by the river? "
"It's fine, the bigger the better. It will be best if the Madras Duchy gathers a large number of troops to defend against you. Then, the defenses in other places will be weakened, and it will be perfect for us to launch a surprise attack."
Şahin Henned rubbed his palms together, "Haha, I'm just saying. With the help of Overkiss' Thunderbolt Catapults, I'm confident that I can smash my way all the way to the seven castles in the Xindesen mountain range. I'll smash them all to the ground and vent my anger. "
Laurist shook his head, "I don't recommend that, Henned. Don't forget that the Henderson Mountain Range is reserved for your family's replacement territory. Destroying it will be even more disadvantageous for you. In fact, I have an idea, which is to force the garrison there to surrender and hand over the seven fortresses to you in one piece. That way, you won't have to think about how to arrange your family's armed forces. It will save time and expenses, and that will be the best outcome. "
"You mean to break through the Mitburo River and drive straight to Vanades City, then conquer Sith Castle and go straight to the Sidgre province. Once you're at the city gates, we'll strike fast and slow, and win the battle. As long as we take down the Madras Duke, regardless of whether he's dead or alive, the garrison troops and nobles in the places we haven't visited will obediently surrender to us, right? "Baron Philim asked from the side.
Laurist nodded slightly, "That's the initial idea, but we can't rule out the possibility of making changes at the last minute if there's a better way. If we go through the river, the only thing we have to worry about is encountering the Madras Duke's massive army. If that happens, we'll have to worry about prolonging the war. Although we have a powerful weapon like the Thunder Catapults, we still have to be careful of accidents.
Even if the Madras Duke is an old tortoise, he's an old tortoise who's been on the battlefield for a long time. We can't be careless. It's August now, and at the end of October, we'll launch a probing attack along the river to see if we can attract more of the Madras Duke's garrison troops to suffer in the cold. If the Madras Duke's troops spend the entire winter defending against us, they won't be able to fight much in the spring. At that time, our chance will come. "
After Earl Kenneth, Baron Filim, and Baron Shahin went back to make preparations, Bofinger found Laurist.
"My lord, I heard that you want to sell the Thunder Catapults to the three allies?"
"Yes, what's wrong?"
Bofinger stood at attention, "My lord, I'm against this. Although the three of them are our Norton Family's allies, the Thunder Catapult is our family's weapon of war. It's the best choice for sieging cities and defending castles. Selling these Thunder Catapults to our allies will also pose a new threat to our family. "
Laurist laughed, "A weapon that will soon be obsolete, it's not as serious as you make it out to be."
"Obsolete? That can't be, how can the Thunder Catapult be obsolete … "
"Have you forgotten about the bronze cannons that the Sea Legion is equipped with? Master Sid and Professor Bob from the gunpowder laboratory have already successfully trial-produced artillery tanks for use on land. They're much more powerful than the Thunder Catapult. Compared to these artillery tanks, the Thunder Catapult will only be a target. I've already ordered Schwald to select a group of reliable people to train. In time, these artillery tanks will be officially included in your army. "
"Oh, my lord, I understand. Please forgive me for being presumptuous, I just didn't know about it, "Bofinger said.
Laurist waved his hand, "Alright, do you think I don't know you? You've been instigated by others to ask me, right? Actually, you should know that even Shredder didn't say anything about this. If I really disregarded the family's safety and sold the Thunder Catapult, he would have made a big fuss with me long ago. "
"My lord, I didn't think it through …"
"Alright, are the commanders of the Sea Legion and your Monolith Legion all here? If they are, we'll start the meeting. "
…
Laurist faced the gathered family knights, picked up a slender stick, and pointed at the large map on the wall, "What I'm talking about now is the real attack plan. Even our three allies don't know about it. They always thought that we would attack from the river and rely on the Thunder Catapult to destroy the enemy's defensive line, forcing them to fight us in the field. In reality, this is just a plan to lure the enemy, to have the Madras Duchy gather their troops by the river, and to reduce the defenses in other places. "
"The real place we want to attack is here." Laurist pointed the small stick in his hand, "Silver Beach, Sidgler Province. The attack time is at the end of December."
Apart from Fatty Shi and a few others who knew what was going on, many of the family knights let out gasps of disbelief.
"The Monolith Legion will be in charge of this attack, and the Sea Legion will assist. Everyone can raise any questions. "Laurist looked at the family knights who were whispering to each other.
Bofinger stood up, "My lord, it's very risky and dangerous to land from the sea in winter. The North Sea has always been stormy and windy in winter. If we aren't careful when we land, we can cause a lot of casualties. "
Laurist laughed, "Sambarwood, answer Bofinger's question."
Sambarwood stood up, "Lord Bofinger, in recent years, my lord has ordered us to record the changes in the North Sea's climate. We found that every year from the 32nd to the 35th of December, which is a few days before the new year, the North Sea always calms down. If we land at this time, there won't be any accidents. Apart from the small boats, my lord has also ordered us to prepare many movable wooden dock components. In just ten hours, we can quickly build two movable wooden dock that leads to the shore. This will ensure that our brothers from the Monolith Legion can land quickly and safely. "
Malek stood up and asked, "My lord, how can we prevent our landing from being discovered by the Madras Duke's garrison? Sidgler Province is the Madras Duke's base. If our movements are discovered, it will greatly affect the surprise attack. After all, the enemy is in the city, and has the advantage of the terrain. "
Laurist nodded, "In fact, every year from the 32nd to the 35th of December, I've sent people to land from Silver Beach to scout Sidgler Province. We found that the defenses in Sidgler Province are unusually lax. The enemy can't possibly expect us to land from the sea and launch a surprise attack. This is Adelice City, the capital city that the Madras Duke named after his daughter. It's also the seat of the Madras Duke's family.
Every winter, the Madras Duke will invite the nobles of the duchy to gather here for a welcoming banquet. The banquet will last for several days, and this is also the time when the defenses in Adelice City are the most lax. The reason why I decided to attack at the end of December and land on the Silver Beach is because I want to take Alice City by surprise and capture all of these nobles in one fell swoop. That way, I can effortlessly take over the entire Madras Duchy.
Our plan is to land and launch a surprise attack. After taking over Adelice City, we'll immediately use the Madras Duke's seal to mobilize or launch a surprise attack on Sith Castle, Vanades City, and Kebo City. This is a line. Once we take over these three cities, the Madras Duchy's fate will be set. I'll be the first to land in this surprise attack. "
Bofinger stood up again, "My lord, you don't have to take the risk. Just leave the attack to us. We won't let you down."
Laurist shook his head, "The Madras Duke has a level-2 swordsman by his side. He's my target. The Monolith Army will be moving to a temporary camp at the foot of Blade Peak Mountain and prepare to land. During this time, Bofinger and Malek, you'll have to prepare the soldiers to get on and off the ships to prevent any mistakes. "
"Yes, my lord."
"Freya, after the Monolith Army leaves Cilovas Island, you'll be in charge of the island's defenses."
"Yes, my lord."
"As long as we take down Kebo City, the granary city that the Madras Grand Duke rebuilt, then no matter if it's the garrison of the seven fortresses in Henderson Mountain Range or the heavily armed troops gathered by the river, they will soon face a situation where they don't have enough rations and fodder. Other than collapsing, they can only surrender. That's why I want to take down the Madras Duchy this winter. I hope everyone can make new contributions to the family! "
"Yes, my lord."
"The meeting is adjourned. Ferocious Tiger Roth, Dolus, Jorge, and Yuri, the three of you stay behind."
In addition to these four people, Fatty Shi also stayed behind.
"If everything goes smoothly, we'll have to deal with House Fisablon after we take down the Madras Duchy." Laurist muttered to himself for a moment, "Once Earl Gaimus replaces his family's territory, the Flying Tiger Army will be stationed in the eastern region of the north. They'll maintain military pressure on Makinohara Province. However, strictly speaking, the Flying Tiger Army is a heavy cavalry. They can defend well against House Fisablon's ranger army, but they can't attack well. After discussing with Knight Shredder, we've decided to form a light cavalry army similar to the rangers. We'll call it the Hunting Cavalry. Jorge will be the commander, and Yuri will be the vice commander. "
Jorge paused and was about to say something, but Laurist waved his hand, "Jorge, I can't think of anyone else suitable. Yuri is willing to be your vice commander. The best way to deal with the rangers is to use light cavalry. Otherwise, we'll need to gather a large army and compress the battlefield to defeat them. However, the plains are House Fisablon's territory. We don't have the geographical advantage, and we can't gather all of the family's armed forces to fight. That's why I'm pinning my hopes on you. Can you do it? "
Jorge jumped up, "My lord, I won't let you down."
Laurist patted Jorge's shoulder in satisfaction, "Time is tight. After we take down the Madras Duchy this winter, we'll need about a year to stabilize the situation and let House Gaimus and House Shahin complete the migration. However, after next year, we'll have to deal with House Fisablon. Jorge, Yuri, I've already ordered all the armies to relax the restrictions on your numbers. You can pick whoever you think is suitable, but you must leave some seeds for your original army. However, you only have a year to form this hunting cavalry army. Can you do it? "
Jorge and Yuri stood up and bowed to Laurist, "My lord, please don't worry. We won't let you down."
… …
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