Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords.

Chapter 429 The So-Called Hero

Wirtz is the commercial center of the southern province of the Persian Gulf Empire, with a permanent population of nearly one million. It usually has forty to fifty thousand elite city guards, plus the main force of the Persian Gulf Empire, totaling at least one hundred thousand.

Although Li Wei knew that the Sith army was well-trained, well-equipped, and possessed various alchemical artifacts, the Persian Gulf Empire's garrison in Wirtz was no pushover either.

Moreover, the enemy is relying on a fortified city; they should be able to hold out for a while.

In the end, it was captured in less than half a month.

Lia added softly, "The letter said that the siege went surprisingly smoothly, the defenders' resistance was not strong, and the enemy's main force was not found inside the city."

"Did they run away again? Anyway, it's not uncommon for the other side to abandon the city and flee." Heather nonchalantly munched on the apple in her hand.

She was just a magician; when it came to battle, all she needed to do was cast spells from the back. Nothing else mattered to her.

The lord used to have the same mentality: if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, so what's there to worry about?

But without realizing it, he himself became this tall man.

"Regardless of what they're up to, our peaceful days are over for now, and we have to head to Wirtz." The lord tossed the letter onto the table and began thinking that if he were to actually be stationed in Wirtz, he would definitely have to take over the city's defenses.

It's hard work, but at least I feel more at ease having control of the city walls. I can also collect entrance fees reasonably and fill my own pockets.

"By the way, Swain, what kind of trouble do you think that marshal of the Persian Gulf Empire is up to now?"

Li Wei glanced at the burly man who had been acting as a background figure.

Since surrendering, this legendary strongman of the Persian Gulf Empire has been directly appointed as the lord's sword attendant, and his daily task is to follow him around with the holy sword.

After all, using a legendary figure as a bodyguard makes him the first person in history to do so, and the reason for doing so is simply because it brings him prestige.

Ironically, although the opponent was a legendary expert, he didn't actually know much. He had only cultivated the Blood Qi Secret Manual to its limit and knew a talent magic called "Metal Solidification".

"Metal Solidification" is a spell that enhances oneself; it has no offensive power whatsoever, but its defensive capabilities are so impressive that even the lord has to praise it.

Not only does it possess extremely high magic resistance, but once it's unleashed, even Sersni can't break through its defenses for a short period of time.

Its only drawback might be its lack of offensive capabilities.

“Sir, I think it’s possible that old man Howard was afraid of your power and fled with his soldiers.” Swain’s face was full of flattery as soon as he spoke.

In fact, Swain had considered running away, but ever since his incredibly confident "metal solidification" was nearly killed by someone's punch a few days ago, he vowed to be a squire for the rest of his life.

Although I feel a sense of loss because some things are gone forever, I'm surprised to find that things are actually not so bad.

This kind of low-level flattery made the lord roll his eyes.

To be honest, the war with the Persian Gulf Empire was not as easy as a national war; it was more like suppressing some rebellious armed groups.

Each expeditionary force's mission involved eliminating small groups of troops, and large swathes of the Persian Gulf Empire's territory fell into the hands of the expeditionary force. Now, even Wirtz has fallen.

There wasn't even a single large-scale battle involving a million people.

This can no longer be explained by mere conspiracy or trickery.

Because no matter what the conspiracy is, it must be for the purpose of seeking benefits, but Li Wei really couldn't understand what benefits the other party could gain by so easily giving up the southern province.

The Persian Gulf Empire has at least a hundred legions and millions of soldiers, but so far only the main force of about 500,000 men that retreated from White Whale Port has been discovered. Where did the other legions go?

And what about their legendary experts? The fire mages of the temple? Those warriors skilled in blood magic? Where did all of them go?

Given a nation's resources and strength, it's simply impossible for them to have been reduced to this state by an expeditionary force of about 500,000 people.

Could it be that someone finally couldn't stand Fern IX anymore and launched a coup in the palace, which led to the isolation and helplessness of the southern provinces?

But that's unlikely; if that were the case, they would have received at least some information.

Li Wei has never been able to understand these questions, and he still can't now, because there is simply too little information.

……

Five days later, the Gaoyabao allied forces finally joined up with the main force of the expeditionary force.

More than 40,000 people and truckloads of supplies poured in at once, filling the specially reserved plain to capacity.

After handing over the resettlement task to Layton, Livy rushed to the expeditionary force's marshal's camp without stopping, because this was different from what had been said in the previous letter.

Weren't they supposed to be stationed in Wirtz? Why is the entire expeditionary force stationed on the hills twenty miles away from Wirtz?

Li Wei was a little confused about what Bernard was up to.

So the lord saw Bernard again, whom he hadn't seen for several months, in a clearly luxurious and large tent located in the center of the expeditionary force.

"Old man, what the hell are you doing? Didn't you tell us to move into Wirtz? Why are we all stationed outside the city? Is there some kind of ghost in Wirtz?" The lord began to interrogate as soon as he entered the tent.

But I was startled as soon as I went in.

"almost."

Unlike the confident and triumphant Governor Debey a few months ago, Bernard now had bloodshot eyes, and his words made Levi's heart skip a beat.

Li Wei saw some familiar faces in the tent, who all nodded at him, but they were clearly preoccupied and somewhat absent-minded.

"What exactly happened? Tell me in detail."

Li Wei squeezed between Ansuna and the Muslims, his face full of curiosity: "Could it really be a ghostly disturbance?"

"Good day, Your Excellency Li Wei. Seeing you has indeed put us at ease." The beautiful mage Taylor Swift visibly relaxed. "Let Lord Bernard say all this."

“Li Wei, there is no ghostly disturbance.” Bernard’s face was weary and silent.

"Then why do you all look so grumpy?" Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

Wirtz has a population of over a million. If the undead were to truly cause a disturbance, the scene would likely be a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. To be honest, just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.

It wasn't fear, but the fact that millions of lives had vanished without a sound gave him a horrifying feeling that his life was less than that of a blade of grass.

“But the demons have appeared.” Bernard then gave a wry smile.

"A demon?" Li Wei looked around, and everyone's expressions clearly acknowledged this fact.

"Was it the work of the Persian Gulf Empire?"

“Worse than that.” Bernard walked to the huge sand table and pointed to the location representing Wirtz. On the sand table, the model symbolizing the city was surrounded by small flags representing the expeditionary force, but the city itself was covered by a patch of glaring black pebbles. “According to the staff’s speculation based on General Tokai’s last message, these demons suddenly attacked Wirtz and somehow managed to eliminate the main force of the Persian Gulf Empire stationed inside. Hundreds of thousands of Sith soldiers, General Tokai, and the millions of residents who couldn’t escape are now trapped inside.”

"In fact, we only found out two days earlier than you. By the time we arrived here, the entire Wirtz region was shrouded in a black fog that blotted out the sky."

"Didn't you send scouts in to check?" Li Wei asked.

"We sent out several scout teams to investigate, but none of them returned."

All we can hear now are inhuman screams and deafening roars coming from inside. We all agree that General Tokai is still resisting inside, but considering everything, it's not advisable to send soldiers in for rescue without a clear understanding of the situation.” Bernard’s eyes were even more bloodshot.

"We tried to probe that area of ​​black mist with ranged magic and catapults. But whatever we did, it was like throwing stones into the sea, as if it had been swallowed up."

"So that's why you're holding back here?"

“That’s right.” Bernard nodded frankly, not avoiding the scrutinizing gaze.

As a marshal, the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers depended entirely on him. He couldn't possibly sacrifice hundreds of thousands more just for the sake of Tokai's mere hundred thousand or so.

"Then what do we do? Are we just going to stand here and do nothing?" Li Wei dropped his nonchalant attitude and frowned deeply.

He realized that the seriousness of the situation was far greater than he had imagined.

I originally thought that coming to guard a commercial city would be like a vacation, but I ended up running into these old acquaintances, the devil.

A city of millions, with hundreds of thousands of troops, were trapped in one city without anyone noticing. This was a million times more bizarre and terrifying than the disappearance of the main force of the Persian Gulf Empire.

The atmosphere inside the tent was as oppressive as the dark clouds on the horizon.

Bernard frowned; the experienced general was under the most pressure right now.

Ansuna's face was somewhat pale; demons were like snakes, insects, and rats to this highly skilled mage.

The other officers looked worried. The appearance of the demon meant that the journey to conquer the Persian Gulf Empire had completely changed, and everything they had done might have been in vain. What was even more terrifying was that if the demon appeared in more than just Wirtz in the Persian Gulf Empire... that would be a disaster!
“Right now, Wirtz is like another world to us, completely isolated from the rest of the world. We have absolutely no idea what’s going on there. We need concrete intelligence,” Bernard said.

“The scout team is not strong enough and has no way to contact us. We need stronger scouts, preferably a small elite force that can go in, find out the situation, and ideally contact us outside to pass on information or find Tokai.”

Li Wei raised an eyebrow.

Elite squad?

Isn't this just a suicide squad?

Moreover, they were facing a demon capable of devouring millions of people and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

The lord has absolutely no interest in it whatsoever.

Although he may seem reckless in battle, those who understand him know that he never fights a battle he is not confident of winning.

Everything is uncertain in Wirtz right now, and he doesn't want to be a scapegoat for High Cliff Fortress.

"Li Wei, why don't you slash a few times at Wirtz City and see what happens? In my Dragon Legacy, Holy Light is extremely effective against these demons." Black Dragon Queen Sersney, while painting her delicate nails with Black Fairy Lanji, offered this terrible idea, seemingly enjoying the spectacle.

With a charming smile on her face, everyone present knew exactly what she was thinking.

Although this black mist can devour magic, it is completely unknown whether the magic has disappeared or actually crashed into Wirtz City, only to be concealed by the dense fog.

If it's the former, that's fine. But if it's the latter, and this dragon knight were to strike, how many people in the entire Wirtzli would survive is completely unknown.

“That is indeed a good idea.” The lord pretended to suddenly realize something, and he and Sersney laughed incessantly, looking like two fools in cahoots.

"Lord Levi, your abilities are evident to all," Bernard said softly, rubbing his temples.
“A small team with too many people is too conspicuous and easily detected. On the other hand, a small team composed of truly strong individuals is more mobile and has a better chance of accomplishing its objectives.”

“So we’ve discussed this before, and we hope that you will be the captain of this team, leading the strong from all sides to Wirtz City to scout out the situation.” Ansuna continued, speaking softly, “Muslim, Master Faen of Debe, and I will all join and enter Wirtz together.”

The beautiful mage's eyes seemed to hold the promise of spring blossoms as she looked at the lord with anticipation.

Li Wei looked around at the faces, some expectant, some admiring, and some trusting, and finally nodded slightly: "Okay."

If the other party were to send the Gaoyabao Brigade as a suicide squad, he would definitely start cursing as soon as he opened his mouth.

However, it would be fine for a team composed of strong individuals from all sides to enter.

He also wanted to go to Wirtz to grab a few old acquaintances and ask them how the hell they got back to the material world.

The lord felt like he had stumbled upon a den of demons, encountering these disgusting creatures everywhere he went.

If there are still those teleportation portals this time, they definitely won't let anyone close them; they'll make High Cliff Fort a treasure trove for grinding experience.

It remains to be seen whether, with his legendary cultivation, the max-level "Holy Words Manual," the blessing of the sea goddess, and his still-developing talent, he can defeat that demon prince.

The lord has never forgotten this one who was the only one to give him a hard time.

“And another thing.” Li Wei turned to look at Ansuna and the Muslim:

"You mages, don't just sit around doing nothing! Give me as many enchantment scrolls and spell scrolls as you can, don't be stingy."

Ansuna nodded with a smile: "Of course, we at Taylor will immediately mobilize all the magicians to work through the night to produce magical items."

These things are of little use to the lord; they are only being done so that the few remaining ordinary soldiers in Wirtz City can deal with high-level demons.

(End of this chapter)