Imperial Crown

When Wesasin put on his armor and rushed out of the castle, his eyes were still dry and red.

Wails could be heard everywhere in the town, some houses were smashed by stones, and broken arms and limbs could occasionally be seen.

Some people were holding their dead relatives and wailing, and the displaced residents were shivering. Some were squatting by the wall, and some were running around on the ground, trying to knock on the door on the street, but no one would pay attention to them.

Knight Fick, who was in charge of defending the city, saw Wessassin arriving and immediately saluted and reported the current situation: "Lord Baron, Broca has assembled the trebuchet. It has already fired 2 rounds. It seems that it is slowly calibrating. I’m afraid it won’t be long before we can hit the city wall accurately.”

Versasin climbed up the city tower without saying a word. From a distance, he could see the trebuchet firmly protected by Broca's army. It was about 300 meters away from the city wall. The towering wooden frame was clearly visible, like a large sticky mouse board. , the wood junctions are also reinforced with animal hides and steel.

Trebuchets are not a new thing, but they are notoriously bloated and difficult to maintain. They will slump when exposed to wind and rain. Therefore, they are usually made from local materials before the war and are made by craftsmen accompanying the army. Some of them are made in advance. It is built and then assembled when it arrives at the location.

After being apart from the war for a long time, Wessassin had never seen this thing in his life, so he didn't expect Broca to use this move in advance.

"put--"

Slogans pierced the sky. The pole of a trebuchet on the far left was raised high. When it reached the top, it was stopped by the horizontal bar. With a sound, the huge boulder in the soft leather net bag was thrown high.

The boulder whistled past the tower, smashed a corner of the tower, and crashed into the city, causing a burst of screams and howls.

"Lord Baron, what should we do?" Fike's face turned pale. Even if he was a first-order knight, he could not withstand the power of the trebuchet. Once he was hit, he would die.

"Why are you panicking!" Wesasin said with a cold face and a calm voice: "It's just a few trebuchets."

"Where's the bed crossbow? Why don't you organize a bed crossbow counterattack?"

Fick lowered his head with a complicated expression and did not respond.

"I'm asking you about the bed crossbow, you..." Wesasin pointed at Fike's nose and was about to scold him, but suddenly he thought that the person responsible for maintaining the bed crossbow was his wife's brother.

The first time bed crossbows were used to defend against enemies in Kejia Town dates back to 170 years ago.

At this point, Wessaxin couldn't offend anyone. In fact, even he himself never thought that there would be a day when he would need bed crossbows to defend against enemies.

The whistles sounded one after another, and the remaining five trebuchets began to operate one after another.

As Fick said, including this round, the trebuchets were just testing and calibrating. The stones were like the sheep dung eggs thrown out by the shepherd boys when they were playing. They were thrown irregularly and splashed in the city. The smoke and dust caused the ground to tremble slightly.

But judging from the distribution range of the stones, it won't take long before the city wall becomes the real target.

"Don't panic, it's just a few broken stones. Even if it hits the wall, it won't be that easy to break through the city wall." Wesasin acted very calmly, and he had to show calmness: "Continue to strengthen the city wall and defend firmly. I Let’s find the masons and carpenters in the city——

He built a trebuchet, so can I! "

As he spoke, Wesasin patted Fike on the shoulder: "The city wall will be left to you. Don't forget that your, my wife and our children are all in the city!"

Fick accepted the order solemnly, but as soon as Wessassin left, his face fell.

Keep it, it’s easy to say, but how to keep it?

The trebuchet can't damage the city wall for a while, but the flesh and blood body will be gone after just wiping it!

Wessasin's calmness only remained on the surface. When he returned to the castle and saw the body of the housekeeper on the ground that had not been cleaned up, and smelled the nauseating smell of blood, he immediately became furious and took out the long hair from his waist. The sword cursed into the air.

Scold Broca, scold Doreen, scold Raven, scold Sereva, and scold the Slater family.

This behavior frightened everyone in the castle. The maid went to the madam, but there was nothing she could do about it.

A clerk bravely approached to give him advice, but before he could speak, a cold sharp blade cut off half of his shoulder.

The warm blood flowed to the ground and splashed on Wessazin's face and mouth, making him gradually calm down.

Wiping the blood on his face into a deep red, Wesasin ordered: "Put away all the corpses, go find the blacksmith and carpenter, repair the crossbow, and build the trebuchet. I have to come to a preliminary conclusion within one day, otherwise I will end up..." Just like this guy!"

After saying that, Wesasin ordered someone to get pen and paper, locked himself in the dungeon, and began to write frantically, asking for help from everyone he could think of, even writing to the mercenary guild, which he had always looked down upon.

The words used were cowardly, as if a subordinate was writing a letter to a superior.

Wessazin's state was close to collapse, because the appearance of the trebuchet made him realize one thing——

Broca really wants to destroy the Kovoga family!

This is simply unreasonable.

Even if Broca kills him, he will not be able to annex his territory. Instead, he will be punished and seize the title, which is of no benefit at all.

But the trebuchet does not have eyes. Even Wessassin will be seriously injured by it if he is not prepared, and it is even possible to die on the spot!

The letter was taken out of the city wall by the dead soldiers, and Vesassin began to look forward anxiously to the reply.

Bad news comes one after another.

First, on the afternoon of the second day, a servant reported that the carpenters and blacksmiths in the city did not know how to build a trebuchet, and the drawings stored in the warehouse had long been rotten, and many key designs were missing.

Under such circumstances, it would take at least 20 days to build the first trebuchet from scratch, and its reliability could not be guaranteed.

It will take at least half a year to figure it out enough to use it.

The core mechanism of the bed crossbow has been damaged, and rebuilding it requires level 2 material star iron, which is still in stock in this blacksmith shop; however, the level 3 magic beast tendon that serves as the string of the crossbow cannot be found at all.

According to Wesasin's brother-in-law's confession, that thing had been replaced by the Angel's Glory on his sister's dressing table.

I thought the situation couldn't get worse.

But on the morning of the third day, Fick's retinue came over to report that Fick himself led 50 people out of the city last night and wanted to attack Broca's army at night and burn the crossbows, but he was ambushed and the entire army was wiped out.

At the same time, a reply was sent from the nearby mercenary guild. They made it clear that they would not be enemies of the imperial army. They also sent a reply from their neighbor, Baron Sereva.

The content of the reply was just like ordinary greetings. It seemed enthusiastic, but there was no substantive content, and it also contained a subtle reminder to Vesassin to bow his head and surrender.

Weissachin looked at the letter and smiled.

That night, the city wall was hit 7 times by trebuchets, 2 of which hit the same section, causing a certain degree of collapse. However, the soldiers pushed back, but the defense line was also in danger.

On the morning of the fourth day, Wesasin, who had not slept all night, summoned his elite "Night Horse Legion" and two squads of light cavalry.

The wind was strong, and the big red cloak was flapping in the wind. Wessazin was sitting high on the horse wearing armor, his eyes swept over the soldiers under his command, and his voice was as hoarse as steel:

"The wall is about to break and we have no reinforcements."

"We were told to surrender. By doing so, I would survive, but the town of Koga would fall into Broca's hands."

“Your wives will become other people’s playthings and your children will become other people’s slaves.”

"If you can accept this fate, then lay down your arms now and I won't blame anyone."

There was a brief silence, no one left the team, and the soldiers silently raised their weapons.

Weisazin took a deep breath: "Very good, if that's the case, then come and kill the enemy with me!!"

The city gate creaked open, and the first to rush out were two squads of light cavalry, totaling 200 people.

Broca's soldiers who were attacking the city were caught off guard and were scattered and divided by the hooves of horses.

The light cavalrymen held their scimitars horizontally.

In front of the sharp blade powered by horse power, there is no difference between leather armor and skin, and they will be cut open easily. Broca's light infantry sprayed blood fountains, then fell to the ground wailing, and were trampled by horse hooves, crushing their bones. , squeeze out the internal organs.

The cavalry marched out of the city, their blood-stained hooves creating a scarlet path.

Howell was very nervous, with a hint of excitement mixed with it, and kept licking his lips. This was the first war he had faced in his life, and the shouting of kill was so exciting.

Looking back at his father, and receiving a positive nod, Howell raised his command flag and loudly ordered: "Prepare - shoot!"

Viscount Broca's army strictly followed the imperial infantry drill. The sword and shield soldiers in front squatted down, providing the crossbowmen with a good shooting field of view.

The enchanted crossbow arrows flew out like a curtain, roaring through the air, and then disappeared into the light cavalry formation with a muffled sound, like a sickle cutting through wheat, and dozens of cavalry fell down in an instant.

The screams and the sound of bones breaking spread out along with the blood, and were covered up by the messy sound of horse hooves.

Just as they were halfway through the charge, the two cavalry groups drew a beautiful arc, made a large circle to the left, and headed straight for the right wing of Broca's army and the direction of the trebuchet.

Howell had an "unsurprising" smile on his face, and immediately ordered his left-wing infantry to throw a "big pendulum" and rush to support his right wing to eat up both groups of cavalry.

Now, excluding the 300 soldiers who were originally attacking the city and the battle losses during this period, there are still about 1,400 soldiers in Broka's main formation, 200 in the center and 600 on the left and right wings.

The 600 men on the right wing were enough to block the hooves of the light cavalry, and the left wing that surrounded them from behind could block the retreat of these light cavalry.

If he had more combat experience, or if there had been no previous night attack by Fick, Howell might have judged that this was a feint, intended to spread his forces.

But Howell didn't, and neither did Broca, his father.

Two small groups of light cavalry rushed into the right wing of Broca's army, and their speed inevitably slowed down. At this time, Broca's left wing also attacked from the rear, encircling the two groups of light cavalry.

The combat effectiveness of light cavalry that has lost their speed is not even as good as that of infantry with intact formations. It is only a matter of time before they are completely wiped out.

Just then, the ground began to shake!

Amidst the thunderous sound of horse hooves, Vesasin held a spear and led 100 elite heavy cavalry under his command to rush out of the city gate!

When the heavy cavalry appeared in front of him, Howell finally understood why the heavy cavalry was called the king of the battlefield!

There were only 100 people, but they rushed out with a terrifying momentum like a flood breaking the embankment.

Howell was about to order the crossbowmen to fire, but at this time his formation was in chaos due to the encirclement and suppression of the light cavalry, and he could not give up enough space at all.

His face was pale and he could hardly think.

At this time, Broca stood up and shouted loudly: "Silver Yak Army, raise your shields and stop the enemy!!"

The horn sounded long, and the Silver Yak Legion moved. The soldiers in the front row raised the huge shield, which was as tall as a man, and held it with their shoulders.

Under the sunlight, the smooth shield reflected the snow on the battlefield, like a steel wall, and the spears and halberd axes that emerged from the gaps in the shield added bloodthirsty thorns to the wall.

It was an extremely stupid tactic for the heavy cavalry to attack the heavy infantry phalanx, but at this moment, Vesasinn had no choice. If he could not take this opportunity to defeat Bloka, then what awaited him would be a slow death!

Bloka also knew this. The reason why he activated the catapult was that he did not want to give Vesasinn a chance to fight him, but he did not expect that he would still be spotted.

The distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer, and Vesasinn and Bloka could see each other clearly on the warhorse.

But immediately, Vesasinn turned his eyes away, because he had already rushed to the thick shield wall!

The long spear in his hand was wrapped in the chaotic color of the fighting spirit. Vesasinn swung it horizontally, and the void fighting spirit turned into ripples and spread out. The sharp fighting spirit of the third level cut the shield, as well as the arms and torso behind the shield.

There was not even a scream, blood and internal organs were almost splattered like an explosion, steaming in the cold winter wind, and hanging on the heads and faces of every soldier around.

Behind Vesasi, the Night Horse Legion smashed into the formation along the torn gap.

Some of the knights in the front row were pierced by the lance, and the inertia made him crash forward along the lance, rolling with the person who killed him.

Some dodged the spear tip, but were dragged to the ground by their dead horses and their legs were broken, and then they were smashed open by the lances and axes coming from all directions.

Others pierced the enemy with the lance in their hands, but they also stopped in place because of the loss of kinetic energy, and were squeezed into the enemy formation by their colleagues running behind them.

Although the losses were heavy, with Vesasi as the vanguard, this team still smashed into the Silver Yak Legion fiercely, and even had the potential to penetrate it faintly.

Brocka raised the spear in his hand, and the light of bright fighting spirit flowed on it. The shadow of a huge bear head flashed on the spear, and then accompanied by a terrifying roar, the spear flew out of his hand and hit the handle of Versacim's spear!

Light and chaos surged and intertwined, like thick smoke in the fire, and a clanging fire burst out between the tip of the spear and the spear shaft.

With a click, the spear in Versacim's hand broke from the middle, but the flying spear tip also used up all its strength.

Versacim reached out to pick it up, held it high and aimed at Brocka, with the pleasure of revenge in his eyes!

His fighting spirit may not be as deep as Brocka's, but in terms of combat experience, Versacim, who has experienced the battle of the Hand of Death and the experience in the arena, is more than one step ahead!

Once the two face each other, Versacim is confident that he can capture Brocka!

He waved his spear, forced back Howell who wanted to stop him, and urged his warhorse to move forward.

However, Brocka was also very clear about the difference in strength between the two, so he waved his hand calmly.

Behind him, a small group of crossbowmen suddenly stood up. They were wearing snow-white cloaks, which blended in with the silver makeup on the ground and were almost indistinguishable.

Each person's crossbow was loaded with enchanted crossbow arrows.

Regardless of the soldiers in front of him, Brocka gave an order: "Shoot!"

The crossbow arrows almost hit Wesacim like a nail board. His fighting spirit surged wildly, and he waved his spear in his hand. With a burst of metal explosions, many enchanted crossbow arrows broke into two or three pieces, or fell to the ground in pieces.

But there were too many of them. Even if Wesacim tried his best, he still couldn't protect himself. With the sound of the arrows hitting the flesh, the warhorse under his crotch wailed and slowly fell to the ground. He himself was also shot by three crossbow arrows, one in the lower abdomen, one in the right thigh, and another on the shoulder.

The first feeling was not pain, but numbness and itching.

"Shameless--!!!"

The crossbow arrows were actually poisoned!

Broka waved his hand expressionlessly, and the Silver Yak Legion began to rush towards Vesasinn at all costs, and a team of crossbowmen behind him started to reload again.

Looking at the surging enemy army, Vesasinn's heart suddenly froze - he was not going to capture me alive?

He really wanted to kill me! ?

The shadow of death loomed in Vesasinn's heart, and he roared and pulled out the crossbow on his thigh, with a bit of grief and anger in his voice.

At this moment, a night horse cavalryman rushed to his side and stretched out his arm: "Baron, let's go!"

Seeing that the enemies around him were gathering more and more, and his night horse legion was in a deadly battle, Vesasinn glanced at Broka sitting on horseback, and his heart was full of unwillingness.

But suddenly, he saw Broka took another long spear from his soldiers, and the bright fighting spirit had begun to be injected into it.

Fear suddenly exploded in his chest, and Vesasinn grabbed the arm of the cavalryman who helped him and jumped on the horseback.

The cavalryman asked, "Sir, where are we going?"

"I'll remember you." Wesasi said.

"What?"

Before the cavalryman could react, Wesasi grabbed his neck and lifted him up high, slammed him into Broca, then turned his horse's head and ran away!

"Ab, Ab——"

This is a local dialect in the Nord Province, which means "escape"!

As the commander fled, the battle soon came to an end. A few of the remaining cavalrymen ran away, but more surrendered on the spot.

Broca led his army into the city and took over this prosperous town, while Howell was responsible for managing the battlefield, treating the wounded, and taking in prisoners in the rear.

Howell learned a lot from this battle. Some things he could not fully understand, but there was only one thing he remembered in his heart.

That is calmness. Only calmness can make the most accurate decisions in the ever-changing battlefield.

He was busy outside until the evening. Although there were many trivial matters, Howell was still very excited about this victory.

But this excitement gradually disappeared after entering the city.

Fire and smoke could be seen everywhere. Howell thought it was the army's bonfire, but it was clearly the houses that were ignited.

The bodies of civilians fell to the ground in an interlaced manner, naked, and the coagulated blood under their bodies reflected the fire.

The burned beams and pillars collapsed in the flames, but they could not cover the cries and screams around.

Some soldiers snatched money bags and iron pots from the houses, and immediately drew their swords to attack anyone who tried to stop them.

"Ah, ah... ah!!!!!!!"

A beast-like roar came, and Howell followed the sound and came to the door of a house.

It can be seen that this family is not rich, and the clothes on the clothesline are full of patches.

In the yard, there was an old man's body, his head and body were separated, and the blood had solidified in the cold temperature.

The cheerful jokes and the girl's wailing filled Howell's ears.

This made his sense of justice swell, and he rushed into the house in two steps, and saw the still burning stove and the oatmeal porridge in the pot. The family was obviously preparing for dinner.

On the only table in the house, a girl with disheveled hair was lying there, her body was constantly shaking, her mouth was full of blood, her fair skin was covered with purple handprints, and there was no spirit in her empty eyes.

A man was lying on the kang, his legs had been cut off, blood was flowing everywhere, a soldier was laughing and stepping on his back to make him unable to move, and another was twisting his chin and holding his eyes, making him look at the tragic scene in front of him.

"Who told you to do this?" Howell shouted, "Stop!"

"Master, it's not that we don't want to leave you a mouthful of soup!" The soldier who was working hard under the girl raised his head and said with a flattering smile, "This family is really dishonest. They actually wanted to poison the porridge. We just want to teach them a lesson!"

This sentence immediately attracted the soldiers' laughter.

A sense of absurdity rose in Howell's heart.

Howell knew this soldier. He was the son of a blacksmith and a very honest man. How could he become like this now?

With a clang, Howell drew out the long sword from his waist: "I order you to stop!"

The soldiers saw that Howell was really angry. You looked at me, I looked at you, and all restrained their smiles. With resentment on their faces, they put on their clothes and walked away in disgrace.

Howell walked to the kang, looked at the man and asked with concern: "What's going on? Tell me, I will definitely do you justice!"

The man's lips were whispering.

Howell put his ear close to it.

The man suddenly roared: "Damn you, you bastard from Xiechaling!"

He opened his mouth full of broken teeth, as if he wanted to eat Howell alive, but Howell was a first-level transcendent after all, and almost reflexively put the long sword into his mouth.

An innocent life died in his hands, and Howell couldn't bear to draw out the long sword. The blood that he was used to was now slippery and a little disgusting.

He moved his eyes to the girl on the table.

Her eyes were still open, but she had stopped breathing.

Howell panted violently, he strode out of the door and went directly to the castle to find Brocka: "Father, please restrain the military discipline, this is really outrageous!"

Brocka looked calm: "Oh, why?"

Thinking that his father didn't know what happened, Howell raised his tone and told everything he saw almost like an accusation.

At the end, Howell blushed: "We are nobles. Should our soldiers be as vulgar and brutal as orcs and barbarians? This is not in line with the creed of nobles, father!"

"Please immediately order the rectification of military discipline and severely deal with those soldiers who make trouble!"

Looking at the hair on Howell's lips, Broca's expression was a bit complicated, and he sighed softly: "I acquiesced to the massacre."

Howell opened his eyes wide, full of confusion.

"It's a good thing that you don't understand. You will understand it slowly in the future." Broca said lightly: "Go down, take a good bath and rest."

"Yes... father..." Howell walked out in a lost soul, the light in his eyes gradually disappeared, the concept he had shaped since childhood had been shattered, and he didn't know when to reshape it again.

At the door, he stopped, but didn't look back, with a hint of crying in his voice: "But... father, why!?"

Broca took a deep breath, held the pipe in his mouth, and took a sip.

Looking at the gradually rising flames, Broca said calmly:

"Child, this is war."

...