On the 26th of June, the Monolith Army and the Royal Guard Corps' fleet and transport fleet arrived at Hidden Gold Bay.
The surviving troops of the Fourth B Squadron of Paragon Fleet who were holed up in Hidden Gold Bay never dreamed that the Norton Family's armed forces would impersonate the Paragon Fleet and enter Hidden Gold Bay. Although the Battle of the Romani Sea had ended almost twenty days ago, the Trade Alliance still had no idea that the Paragon Fleet was completely annihilated.
Young Master Serliham of the Chick Merchant Association who successfully escaped was unlucky. Because the two medium fast armed warships he chose had also been bombarded by cannons, he had no choice but to go ashore due to a leak when he was about to reach Chick Merchant Association's territory. After trekking in the wilderness for three days, he finally returned home and lay on his bed for another day to recover. Even if the messengers rushing to Moronte City were to spur their horses, they would still need seventeen or eighteen days to deliver the news.
That was why the Trade Alliance was still waiting day and night for the Paragon Fleet and transport fleet to arrive. They were already twenty days late, but the Trade Alliance did not have the courage to send warships to meet or search for them. Since the Norton Family had sent more than ten large armed warships equipped with bronze cannons to seal off the estuary of Hidden Gold Bay, the Fourth B Squadron would be courting death if they sent less warships. They could not afford to send more. The previous two clashes with the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet had already greatly damaged the Fourth B Squadron's strength. There were less than fifty large and medium armed warships left in good condition. Being able to defend Hidden Gold Bay from the North Sea Fleet was already the best they could do.
When the warships and transport fleet flying the Paragon Fleet's flag appeared at Hidden Gold Bay, they were greeted with dazzling cheers. Furthermore, Laurist had ordered the large armed warships cruising outside the estuary to bombard a few reefs. This caused the remaining warships of the Fourth B Squadron to be so busy defending against the North Sea Fleet that they forgot to board and inspect the ships. When they turned around, they discovered that the ships that disembarked from the transport ships were not the military supplies and supplies they had been waiting for, but fully equipped enemies …
Viscount Penélope said bitterly as he watched Redi and Seuss lead two divisions to attack and occupy the inner and outer city walls, "This is the first time that the capital of the Commerce Alliance, Moronte City, has finally fallen to its enemies. This is all because of our incompetence. It was the failure of the Paragon Fleet that caused the fall of Moronte City. We are all sinners … …"
Laurist laughed. "There's always a first time for everything. There's no need to blame everything on yourself. The failure of the Invincible Fleet cannot be blamed on your incompetence. It's just that the Trade Alliance has fallen after adopting the nobility system. It's no longer the vibrant, spirited, and united nation it once was. In the old days, Moriente was free. I loved that great city.
But now, Moronte City is filled with the stench of decay. Even if it's not our Norton Family, there will still be other countries that come to attack Moronte City. Viscount Penelope, do not feel guilty. All firsts are like women. Although some pain leaves a deep impression, you will slowly get used to it the second and third time and learn to enjoy it … … "
Genolio and the guards beside him burst into laughter on the spot. Even Duke Fausta could not stop laughing. Although the Chigda Kingdom and the Commerce Alliance were allies, the Commerce Alliance had always been in a strong position. It was true that Duke Fausta maintained the alliance between the two countries, but he did not want to be ordered around like a little brother. Now that the Commerce Alliance was at a disadvantage in the hands of Laurist, he was happy to see it, so he laughed without any scruples.
On the other hand, Viscount Penélope and a few of the higher-ups of the Paragon Fleet were angered by Laurist's words. If not for Laurist's identity as a Sacred Swordsman, they might have drawn their swords and challenged him to a duel.
"Your Highness Duke Norton, your, your words are too vulgar. It's beneath your status as a noble!" Viscount Penélope plucked up his courage and rebuked him.
"The words are vulgar, but the logic is not." Laurist said lightly, "I'm sorry, everyone. After all, I studied in this city for ten years and became a mercenary, so every time I return here, I always forget my noble identity. When I think of the happy and free life of a mercenary, I get used to speaking in a mercenary's tone. This should be the deep impression left on me by living in Moronte City.
Although my words are vulgar and unbearable, I am speaking the truth. If it was not for the sake of ending this war that has shed the blood of innocent people from both countries as soon as possible, I would not have used such a sneak attack to capture Moronte City. I hope to crush all the obstacles from the Mana Hill Plains step by step and lead my family's armed army to Moronte City. I want this great city to automatically open its gates and crawl in front of my horse's hooves … …
Please don't look at me like that, everyone. I'm not crazy, and I'm not talking nonsense. Please think about it. If the Norton Family, who has mastered the secret of gunpowder, were to move the bronze cannons from the warships onto the land, are you sure that the few fortresses and defensive facilities on the Mana Hill Plains would be able to stop the advance of the Norton Family's armed forces?
It is because we do not want to cause a large number of casualties in the Trade Union's armed forces and let more blood flow that we adopted the strategy of sneak attacking and capturing Moronte City to achieve permanent peace between the two countries. Please do not doubt the sincerity of the Norton Family. As long as the Trade Union is willing to stop the war and sign a peace agreement, we will immediately withdraw from Moronte City and return this great city to the Trade Union. As for whether this dawn of peace can shine on the Mana Hill Plains, it will depend on the efforts of all of you. "
Viscount Penélope and the others were stunned. Even Duke Fausta did not expect Laurist to say such a thing. He stopped laughing and began to ponder. Returning to his senses, Viscount Penélope bowed deeply to Laurist in excitement: "Your Highness Duke Norton, we will remember your teachings. As long as we can stop this war and restore peace, we are willing to do everything we can to help you … …"
Laurist touched his nose and nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your enthusiasm. I believe that with everyone's efforts, peace will come soon. The Norton Family will also keep our promise and return Moronte City to the Trade Union in good condition. Well, it's almost time for us to disembark. There are still many things that I need to deal with. "
The Norton Family's armed forces raided Moronte City. At first, it was peaceful, and the plan went very smoothly. Swordmaster Theseus and Redi each led two divisions to occupy the outer and inner city walls. When the soldiers of the divisions ran through the streets, they received cheers and praises from the citizens of Moronte City.
The citizens of Moronte City treated the Norton Family's armed forces as reinforcements that the Trade Union had recruited from the southern provinces of the continent. They cheered excitedly at the soldiers who ran through the streets. From time to time, they would shout slogans such as' Defeat the invaders, destroy the Andinac Kingdom's allied noble army, and fight to the imperial capital '… …
The soldiers of the Norton Family who ran to their respective targets did not know whether to laugh or cry. Fortunately, they were disciplined. Everyone followed the troops quickly without saying a word. In the end, it attracted a large number of citizens of Moronte City to watch from the side of the streets. Some people who thought that they were proficient in military affairs even loudly praised the powerful fighting strength of the army in front of them. They believed that the Trade Union was not far from victory, causing the spectators to burst into cheers from time to time.
It was not that no one doubted the emblem of the Furious Bear on the standard armor of the Norton Family. It was just that they did not expect the Norton Family's armed forces to openly march through the streets of Moronte City. This was mainly because the Norton Family's armed forces did not display any banners. Those who had doubts about the Norton Family's armed forces in the Southern Continent did not realize that the soldiers on the streets were all enemies of the Trade Union.
The occupation of the outer city walls went smoothly. The four hundred thousand soldiers of the Trade Union were stationed at the Mana Hill Plains to face off against the three hundred thousand nobles of the Andinac Kingdom led by the Second Prince. The rear was indeed a little empty. The two fortresses closest to Moronte City only had a thousand men each. This was because the Trade Union believed that the rear was absolutely safe. Secondly, the frontlines were in a tight situation. All the soldiers that could be mobilized had already been mobilized. Moronte City was left with less than eight thousand men to defend the city.
When Swordmaster Hugh and Aire led the two guards to occupy the outer city walls, the defending soldiers of Moronte City thought that they were there to take over the city walls. They were all elated that someone had finally come to replace them. Only when they were disarmed did they realize that they had become captives. At this point, they no longer had the strength to resist and could only resign themselves to fate.
However, Redi and Bofinger's surprise attack on the inner city walls failed. Unlike the guards of the outer city walls, the guards of the inner city walls were the six giants of the Trade Union and the six large merchant guilds. At first, Redi was lucky enough to take over the north gate and capture five to six hundred people. However, he was quickly discovered by the patrols. After the alarm of an enemy attack was sounded, the guards and great swordmasters of the merchant guilds in the inner city gathered together and forcefully took back the north gate after suffering heavy casualties.
Redi and Bofinger were both injured. Redi killed two level one great swordmasters before being chased out of the city by three great swordmasters. Bofinger, on the other hand, fought against a level two great swordmaster and was unlucky enough to have three holes in his body. Fortunately, his swordsmanship defense was tight and his injuries were not life-threatening. With the soldiers of the Monolith Army swarming over, the level two great swordmaster did not know the situation and did not care about taking his life.
The battle for the north gate of the inner city ended with the defeat of the Monolith Army. The Monolith Army suffered more than a thousand casualties, while the merchant guilds of the Trade Union paid close to three thousand casualties and two great swordmasters died in battle. However, they managed to retake the north gate and were currently guarding it behind closed doors. The two divisions of the Monolith Army did not continue to attack the inner city. They only firmly surrounded the inner city.
The failure to take down the inner city was within Laurist's expectations. The four divisions of the Norton Family were much more elite and valiant than the armed forces of the Trade Union. However, compared to the Trade Union, the Norton Family was far from being a match for the Trade Union in terms of high-end combat power. Disregarding everything else, the Norton Family only had three great swordmasters including Redi. However, the old man, Frederick, was afraid of death and could only hold the fort in the family territory.
Great Swordmaster Seuss was a slave gladiator and had become a great swordmaster through life and death battles. Although he was only a level two great swordmaster, his skills were not inferior to a normal level three great swordmaster. As for Redi, Laurist believed that he had reached the late fourth stage of the Dan Sea Energy Gathering Technique and had already surpassed the standard of a level three great swordmaster.
However, no matter how powerful Great Swordmaster Seuss and Redi were, there were only two of them. They could not compare to the number of great swordmasters the merchant guilds of the Trade Union had. Each of the six great merchant guilds of the Trade Union had three or four great swordmasters. The other second and third rate merchant guilds had at least one or two great swordmasters. Redi had been forced out of the city by a level three great swordmaster and two level two great swordmasters. He even had a wound on his back from a sneak attack. He could only watch helplessly as the north gate was closed.
The inner city of Moronte was where all the second rate merchant guilds and their headquarters were located. Therefore, every merchant guild would send a great swordmaster to hold the fort. This was also the main reason why the Monolith Army could not gain a foothold after taking over the north gate. The armed guards and great swordmasters of the various merchant guilds gathered together to form a powerful force. There was no lack of Gold and Silver ranked swordsmen among them. They were adept at fighting in the streets and in close combat. It was inevitable that the Monolith Army would be at a disadvantage.
At this time, Moronte City finally reacted. Alarm bells and horns sounded one after another. Cries and shouts could be heard everywhere. Panic and unrest began to spread throughout the city.
In the midst of the chaos, Laurist brought a dozen or so guards with him and charged straight for Bryn Hill. This was the area with the most beautiful scenery in Moronte City. It was also the area with the highest land and housing prices. Only the wealthy of the Trade Union had the right to build mansions here. When he had lived in Moronte City, Laurist's dream had been to own a mansion on Bryn Hill and live happily with his beloved girlfriend.
I have a house facing the sea and flowers bloom in the warmth of spring … This was referring to the mansions on Bryn Hill that faced Hidden Gold Bay. However, Laurist did not go up the mountain to fulfill his dream. Instead, it was because the Storm Sword Saint was recuperating in the Listening Surf Manor that occupied the largest area on Bryn Hill.
In the battle of life and death with Laurist, Laurist had taken a blow to his chest and his blood vessels had been severed. The Storm Sword Saint did not have it easy either, his sternum shattered as he escaped. Laurist had only spent two years recovering. Although he had been assassinated by the great swordmasters of the Trade Union, Redi had been by his side. The Pellet Sea Qi Gathering Technique that he had learnt was of great help to Laurist, allowing him to recover in the shortest time possible. However, the Storm Sword Saint was not so lucky. It was said that his sternum had only just grown after recuperating for three years. He would need at least a year to fully recover …
While the Storm Sword Saint was down, Laurist was here to get rid of him. He was not so foolish as to wait for the Storm Sword Saint to recover from his injuries before fighting him openly. Long Aotian was the only one with this idea. Laurist did not mind getting rid of this scourge as soon as possible. Without the Storm Sword Saint, the Commerce Alliance would not have such a strong backing.
It was a pity that the Storm Sword Saint was nowhere to be seen in Listening Surf Manor. After asking a servant in the manor, he found out that the old man had been admiring the scenery on the mountain in the morning. He had suddenly returned and said that he wanted to go out. He had left the manor in a carriage under the protection of his disciples. He had been gone for more than forty minutes.
Laurist ran to the place where the servant had said the old man had been admiring the scenery. Only then did he realize that he was facing the dock of Hidden Gold Bay. He could see the large battleship that he was on at a glance. Alright, there was no need to say anything. It was obvious that the old man was old and his eyes were not blurry. He had recognized him at a glance and knew that the situation was not good. It was best to leave. No wonder he had felt as though someone was watching him when he had disembarked from the ship. After looking left and right and seeing nothing unusual, he had stopped paying attention.
"Your Highness, should we give chase …" a guard asked.
Laurist shook his head. It had been more than forty minutes. Looking at the chaotic city at the foot of the mountain, it was already very difficult to find any traces of the old man's escape. In a city with a population of a million, he could hide in any corner and he would not be able to find him.
"This old man is lucky." Laurist gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go to the inner city first. The most important thing now is to control Morent City …"
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