"Good morning, my lord." Several patrolling soldiers stood at attention and greeted Edward Walker. Edward Walker nodded at them and turned towards the stairs leading to the rooftop.
This was the city of Pidro. A few hundred years ago, a count named Pidro had built a fortress here to resist the plunder of the Grass Barbarian tribes. He hoped to block the Grass Barbarian horsemen entering Winston Province through the gap in the Pisper Mountains. After hundreds of years of wind and rain, the fortress had been destroyed and rebuilt over and over again. The moss-covered stone steps were left with many sword marks and axe marks. Some of the stone cornerstones had been stained with rust by the blood of the past. It was as if they were telling the story of the cruel battle in the past …
Until the establishment of the Crimson Empire, when they seized a large piece of land from the Grassland Barbarians in the northeast and established Muye Province, Picdro Fortress finally became peaceful. It became a fortress pass between Winston and Muye Province. As Winderbury City became the largest livestock trading center in the northeast, Picdro Fortress gradually became the main transportation route for the herdsmen in Muye Province to Winderbury City. The herdsmen would stop here to rest, so many merchants set their eyes on this location and set up trading points in Picdro City. Just like that, Picdro City slowly developed into a fortress city.
The struggle for the throne of the three kings and the seven years of civil war did not affect the peace of Pedro City, but the abandonment of the livestock trading market in Winderbury City had dealt a fatal blow to Pedro City. Without the herdsmen who drove their cattle and sheep to Winderbury City to trade, the trading points and industries that provided convenience for herdsmen in Pedro City lost their business and closed down one by one due to the depression. When the second prince established the Iberian Kingdom, the oppressive taxes on Picdro City accelerated the loss of merchants and residents. In particular, in order to go to the Duchy of Merlein, the second prince transferred the last garrison of Picdro City away. It was as if he had given up on Picdro City.
Soon, Picdro City became a place of freedom for deserters, bandits, and bandits. It was a safe haven for lawless bandits. Because of the bandits' abduction of the herdsmen in Muye Province, Duke Fisablon sent out his family's armed forces to wipe out the bandits and brought Picdro City under his jurisdiction. Compared to the incompetent and ignorant second prince, Grand Duke Fisablon valued Pitdro City more. He regarded Pitdro City as a strategic location that could suppress the second prince and provide support to the capital city of Wendelbri. He specially ordered his eldest disciple, Viscount Christopher, to lead two frontier ranger regiments to be stationed here.
Later, the Cummings family built a chain bridge in the eastern part of the North that connected the North and the Mustang Plains Province. Thus, there were two trade routes from the Cummings family's territory in the eastern part of the North to the Mustang Plains Province, and then to the Eastern Wasteland Province or Winston Province. All kinds of goods produced by the Norton family in the North were transported through these two trade routes to the Duffisablon family's territory and the Royal City of Winderbree through the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce (which was still an earl at that time). Picdro City, as a resting place for caravans on their way to Winderbury City, benefited greatly and finally regained some of its former liveliness.
However, the Norton Family sent troops to Winderbury City to take revenge on the second prince for sending Master Swordmaster Jared to assassinate the family head, Lollister, and captured the second prince. Viscount Christopher, who was stationed in Picdro City, led two border patrol squads to fight against the Norton Family's armed forces. In the end, he fell into a trap and was captured. Although Grand Duke Fisablen had resolved the enmity between the two families by customizing armaments and other friendly means, and had even ransomed Viscount Christopher and the other soldiers from the Norton Family who had been captured by the Norton Family, he had begun to be wary of the four northern families that had formed an alliance with him.
However, Duke Fisablon did not expect the attack from the four northern families to be so sudden and fierce. Picdro City, the garrison of the fourth border patrol squad, was only able to hold out for one night under the surprise attack of the Flying Tiger Corps led by Ross the Ferocious Tiger. As the fourth border patrol squad was beaten into a sorry state by the Norton Family's Hunting Corps, they could only retreat to the east bank of the Sochus River. Picdro City had already begun to be rebuilt into a fortress with a strict defense system.
As the commander of the 23rd Imperial Guard Battalion, Edward was very anxious at this moment. Three days ago, Picdro City had taken in a few dozen fleeing soldiers from the Hunter Corps. They had brought shocking news to Edward. The Hunter Corps had suffered a great defeat, and the defeated soldiers were speaking incoherently. Barbarian cavalry covered the sky and covered the earth. They had fought with the enemy for a whole night, but in the end, they were separated from the main force and had no choice but to run to Picdro City. The last order they received was to break through the encirclement. Breaking through would mean victory.
The most painful thing was that the 23rd Imperial Guard Battalion had not been equipped with messenger eagles, so they had no way of passing on this news. After all, it was extremely difficult to nurture these Messenger Eagles. Basically, they were used to take care of the main army and the naval army. A Close Guard Army had five divisions, and twenty-five Close Guard Battalions. Each division was allocated two Messenger Eagles to facilitate communication. The Close Guard Battalions still relied on messengers and messengers to communicate with the other divisions.
Although Picdro City had been occupied for nearly six months, there were only three thousand soldiers from the 23rd Imperial Guard Battalion stationed there. There were also more than ten thousand strong laborers working on the construction of the fortress. Six months had passed, and only half of the construction had been completed. The only thing that made Edward happy was that the other half of the construction was facing Makinohara Province. In other words, when the barbarian cavalry attacked, the soldiers of the 23rd Imperial Guard Battalion could still rely on their complete defensive facilities.
After receiving the news of the defeat of the Hunter Corps, Edward immediately sent someone to the capital of Winderbri to send a letter and request for reinforcements. He had a strong premonition that the armed forces of the Fisablun Family and the grassland barbarian cavalry would soon attack Pidro City. When he thought about the grassland barbarian cavalry that stretched as far as the eye could see, he didn't think that he could defend Pidro City with just the three thousand guards he commanded. He needed reinforcements!
However, the messenger that came back the next day brought him bad news. Commander Baron Freya was not in Wenderbri Capital City. There was only Baron Camorra and the acting city lord appointed by Lollister, Viscount Eddis, who had defected to the family before the war. After receiving Edward's message, Baron Camorra ordered that Picdro City must be defended no matter what. However, Wenderbri Capital City only had the twenty-first Imperial Guard Battalion stationed there. Commander Baron Freya was not there, so they could not mobilize their troops.
However, Baron Camorra and Viscount Eddis still gave Edward two hopes. Camorra promised that when the five guards escorting the supplies returned, he would immediately order them to reinforce Picdro City. Acting city lord Viscount Eddis, who could order the twenty-first Imperial Guard Battalion to maintain order in the city but could not mobilize them, decided to immediately summon the private soldiers and armed forces of the nobles in Winston Province to reinforce Picdro City. However, this would take time. Edward estimated that he would have to defend Picdro City for five to six days before the reinforcements arrived.
Finally, Baron Camorra gave Edward an idea. Organize and arm the ten thousand strong laborers. This was an urgent matter, and Edward, as the commander of the Imperial Guard Battalion, no longer had the authority to recruit soldiers. As long as they could defend Picdro City, Baron Camorra was willing to bear all the consequences. After all, whether Picdro City could be defended or not was related to whether the family's strategy could be completed. This was the most important thing.
Edward accepted Baron Camorra's suggestion without the slightest hesitation, forcefully conscripting more than ten thousand strong laborers as reserve soldiers. When faced with some laborers who were unwilling to become soldiers, Edward told them that not only did Duke Fisablun bring his family's armed forces, he also brought countless grass-barbarian cavalry. It was also said that Duke Fisabulon had promised these barbarian cavalry that they could plunder as much as they wanted after they broke into the city, and everything they stole would belong to them.
That's it. Think about it. Do you want to become the slaves of the barbarians, or rise up and protect your family in Winston Province from falling into the hands of the barbarian cavalry? After all, being captured by the barbarians to become their slaves was a fate worse than death. The fate of countless rescued slaves over the past hundred years had clearly illustrated this point. If you die as a soldier of the Norton Family, you won't have to worry about your family's livelihood. All the soldiers who have sacrificed their lives will receive a generous pension every month. It will be enough for your family to live happily ever after.
If you don't die on the battlefield, you will also receive generous rewards after victory. Whether you choose to retire or continue to be a soldier, you can choose freely. The Norton Family never mistreats those who serve the family. Even if you retire, the factories and workshops in the family's territory will give you priority in recruiting. Whether it's the distribution of land or housing, you will receive priority. So think about it. Although you will have to go on the battlefield and face life and death, this is also an opportunity for you. It all depends on whether you are willing to take the risk. Edward Walker said so.
All of the able-bodied men obeyed Edward's call. This was a chaotic world, and Edward was right. This was also a chance for them to control their own destiny. If they became soldiers of the Norton family, at least their families would be able to live a good life. It was better than being captured by the grassland barbarian cavalry and forced to become cannon fodder in the siege of the city. If they won and survived, a beautiful future would no longer be a delusion. Almost all of the able-bodied soldiers thought so.
Edward Walker heaved a sigh of relief with an additional ten thousand soldiers under his command. But what made him feel strange was that it had already been three days, and the Fisabulon Family's armed forces and barbarian cavalry were nowhere to be seen. This allowed Edward to gain three days of crucial time. Day and night, he had the ten thousand soldiers who had just become the family's reserve soldiers dig countless pits and trenches of different depths in front of Pitro City. This would serve as a hindrance to the barbarian cavalry's rapid attack.
If only the Flying Tiger Army's logistics camp, scout camp, and female camp were still stationed here. That way, I would feel more secure. At least I would have someone with a higher position than me to take the blame … Edward Walker let his imagination run wild as he leaned against the wall of the rooftop. Unfortunately, the Flying Tiger Army had been transferred to the frontlines of the Southern Province three months ago. Because the Flying Tiger Army had made great contributions during the second battle in the Southern Province, they had also suffered heavy casualties. They needed the logistics camp to replenish and take care of them.
At that time, the Hunting Cavalry was still galloping unhindered in Muyehara Province, showing off their might. Although Pitro City was a strategic location and a fortress city between two provinces, it had always been peaceful and peaceful. Who would have thought that after only three months, the Hunting Cavalry would suffer such a huge setback in Muyehara Province, to the point that Pitro City was about to face a cruel offensive and defensive battle …
"Time really flies, it's already been more than ten years …" Edward muttered to himself as he looked at the large piece of land that had been dug up in a mess. He felt a little uneasy about how to defend Pitro City.
This was the first time Edward had faced a real battle, and also the first time he was in charge of commanding the 23rd Guard Battalion in a real defensive battle. This wasn't a daily training, nor was it a drill, but a real defensive battle.
Edward could still clearly remember the first time he had met Lollister ten years ago. At that time, he had only been a small carpenter in the family's castle manor. He had been in charge of sawing wood, collecting sawdust and handing it to his mother, the head of the kitchen. The sawdust would be mixed with flour and baked into unpalatable black bread, which would then be distributed to the servants in the castle manor. He remembered that he had asked his mother why the sawdust was mixed with the baked bread, and his mother had only replied, "It's a family tradition."
That was the most difficult period for the family. The eldest young master had died on the battlefield, the third young master had also died, and the old master had also died while ill. Although the old master was Edward's birth father, Edward didn't feel sad about his death. Instead, it was his mother who cried bitterly. Soon after, there was news that the Kenneth family next to the territory had risen in revolt. At that time, Kenneth, who was still a viscount, had led his family's private army and besieged the family manor for nearly three months. In the end, they had to retreat after running out of food.
At that time, everyone in the family manor was in a state of panic. There was no one to lead the family, and it was all thanks to Kleis who dragged his sick body to support the family. At that time, Miss Bai Sha had wanted to push the posthumous son of the eldest master to the position of family head, but she had been unanimously opposed. The mother of Morosinger and Wiligson, who were also illegitimate children of the old master, had jumped out and said that they were closer in terms of blood relations. They were both of the old master's blood, so it was only natural that they could inherit the position of family head.
At that time, his mother didn't want to be left out and said that she also had the right to inherit the position. However, the adorable Edward knew very well that he was only the result of the old master venting on his mother when he was drunk. At that time, his mother was still young and was the old master's personal maid. However, all of the seven or eight personal maids by the old master's side had slept with the old master. His mother had only been appointed as the head of the kitchen after giving birth to him because she was pregnant. However, his mother seemed to love the old master very much, so she didn't remarry. Unlike Morosinger and Wiligson's mothers and other maids, who later married the servants in the manor.
It was also at that time that Laurist came. Although he had been exiled by the family, no one had any objections to his return to inherit the family's territory and title. He remembered the first day he took over the family's power, Laurist had taught the bad-tempered Miss Bai Sha a lesson and asked him why he was sawing wood every day. When he told him the whole story and explained that it was a family tradition, Laurist rudely said that such a family tradition was not worth it. After that, Edward found out that he had lost his job. He asked Laurist what he should do, and Laurist looked at him and said that he should join the family's armed forces and work for the family, not letting down the Norton bloodline that flowed in his body …
In these short ten years, the Norton family had simply soared to the sky. Thinking back to their initial predicament and development, Edward was very glad that Laurist had returned to take over the family. He had also grown from a kid who didn't know anything to a 2-star Silver family knight, and had the great surname Norton in front of his name. Morosinger and Wiligson were currently in the distant Haneabada Archipelago as the commander of the garrison, while he had also become the commander of the 23rd Guard Battalion.
Perhaps he wouldn't be able to get through this. Edward looked at the Raging Bear flag fluttering in the sky above Pidro City, and his eyes started to become resolute. I am a descendant of the Norton family, and I swear that I will not let down the great Norton family's honor. As long as I stand here, Pidro City will not fall!
In the distance, a plume of black smoke rose into the sky from the top of the Spiegel Mountains. That was the alarm signal that the scouts sent out by the Guard Battalion had lit. It meant that there was an enemy attack!
"Blow the horn and sound the alarm! Everyone, be careful, the enemy is coming! "Edward shouted loudly.
… …
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