Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 400 Sweeping the Surroundings
Compared with the elite knights and city defense forces of the Ralph family in Fengyuan City, the vassal nobles scattered in the fiefdom towns around the city were vulnerable.

Most of the nobles and small landowners were unable to put up even an effective resistance and were quickly defeated by just one volley in a head-on firefight. The Northern Army soldiers who were responsible for clearing the city did not even need to change their magazines during a battle. It was as easy as practicing target shooting in the pioneer camp.

The Northern Army, in the form of small teams, quickly cleared out the settlements of small nobles around Fengyuan City, encountering almost no major obstacles. It was not until they retreated to Duke Ralph's hunting fort in Fengyuan Ridge that the momentum of the mopping-up finally slowed down.

The soldiers, armed only with magic rifles and machine guns, encountered unexpected troubles.

"Isn't this really just a tortoise shell built of stones?" Team leader Newman said, gazing at the sturdy stone fortress nestled against the cliffs before him, and spat in annoyance. "They even dug a moat!"

Captain Chiron was a veteran pioneer who had joined the army the earliest. He was much more experienced than all the junior officers present. At this moment, he had a cold face and said nothing. He could not think of a good way to immediately gnaw off the stone turtle shell.

"When we were conducting a exploratory attack near the fortress, the enemy fired a large number of bows and crossbows at us... Many soldiers were wounded by arrows."

This expedition did not bring any alchemical vehicles for the soldiers to ride. Most of the teams that went out of the city to carry out the cleanup operations relied on carriages confiscated in the city. The mobile military medical team lingering nearby also needed most of the day's journey to get here.

Chiron rationally believed that he could no longer recklessly attempt a frontal attack, otherwise once the soldiers were seriously injured, they might die because they would not have time to receive treatment.

"Boss, this stone fort is separated by a moat, and the gate is blocked by boulders and logs. The sniper team killed a few enemies who showed their heads on the wall, and they no longer dared to reveal themselves. They can only fight us like this."

If they completely ignored the issue of time, the Northern Army could certainly set up camp on the spot and surround them tightly. When the food, arrows and ammunition of the enemies who were stubbornly resisting in the stone fortress were exhausted, the fortress would naturally collapse. But the key point was that the commander only gave them three days, and they had no time to waste with these cowards.

"We can only ask the artillery battalion for help..." Newman muttered softly, "We just need to fire a few shells at the gate. It won't take much effort at all, and we'll scare them into surrendering on the spot."

Chiron's face froze, and he remembered that when he went out of the city to clear the city, he and several team leaders laughed at the guys in the artillery battalion for their "short legs", and disliked them for not being able to keep up with the pace of the infantry while pushing heavy cannons... Wouldn't it be a slap in the face to ask them for help now?

Thinking of this, he spat in anger and cursed, "Damn it, which bastard from the Ralph family built this fortress!"

An intelligence officer accompanying the army came over and replied, "Baron Frosthawk… Duke Ralph's nephew and the former leader of the Fengyuan Knights. He was considered a direct descendant of the Duke, but he was seriously injured in battle several years ago and can no longer serve the Duke. He was subsequently abandoned and sent to garrison in a hunting fort on the edge of his fiefdom."

The secret police trained by Harvey were quite active in Fengyuan City, but they could only hear about the situation around the Duke's fiefdom - no one expected that Baron Frost Eagle would build this deserted hunting castle as solid as a war fortress. Not only did he take advantage of the terrain advantage of being built on the mountain, but he also diverted streams from the mountains to pour into an artificially dug canal more than five meters wide, forming a semi-circular "small moat".

The entire fortress has only one entrance and exit. If you want to break into the fortress, you must cross the moat and lower the drawbridge. But now even the drawbridge gate is piled with boulders and huge logs by the enemies in the fortress, and it is obvious that they are determined to defend the city to the death.

According to information gathered by the secret police, Duke Ralph fled to the capital without a single Frosthawk knight. This meant the enemy within the mountain fortress was well-equipped and would be difficult to defeat without siege weapons. "Notify the artillery battalion and send a crew for support," Captain Chiron sighed and resignedly instructed the messenger. "It will take them another half day to arrive, so we'll stop here for now and arrange for the soldiers to set up camp."

……

As soon as the sun set over the hilltop, a bright bonfire was lit outside the tents of the Northern Army's camp. Even from a long distance away, the people in the mountain fort could see that the soldiers carrying strange spears were on guard and patrolling around the camp, with no intention of relaxing.

A fully armored knight trudged down from the battlements and hurried into the dark and cramped meeting hall in the fortress. "Your Excellency, it looks like the enemy is planning to lay siege to the city and trap us to death..."

Baron Frost Eagle, with his unkempt gray hair and beard, sat in a chair and frowned. "Where are the spies we sent out? Has Fengyuan City really been breached? Has my uncle... the Duke really abandoned his fiefdom and fled to the capital long ago?"

The young knight sneered in disgust. "The Duke was so frightened by that horrific assassination attempt that he abandoned his territory and family, only caring about how to save his own life."

He paused, then whispered tentatively, "Father, ever since you angered the Duke by opposing his massive conscription of laborers during the spring plowing season, the major families in Fengyuan City have become increasingly ostracizing and making things difficult for us. And now... there's no need for us to pledge allegiance to him anymore. Ralph isn't worth it..."

Before the young knight could finish his words, Baron Frosthawk slapped the armrest of his chair and scolded him, "How could such words that tarnish the honor of a knight and violate his oath come out of the mouth of my own son? If I hear one more word, I will personally throw your sword and armor into the ditch!"

The captain of the baron's personal guard came over and said, "The spy we sent out yesterday has returned. He said he saw with his own eyes that the enemy possessed a rumbling magical weapon that could directly attack the defenders in Fengyuan City from a distance of hundreds of meters. It seemed to be an alchemical weapon made of some kind of dragon flame powder, and it blew the entire outer city gate to pieces."

"The Mage Lords of Grizzly Castle... naturally possess the same magical artifacts as the Union. They've long been plotting a rebellion against His Majesty the Grand Duke. Their raid on Fengyuan City was likely intended to collaborate with the spellcasters of Daeus."

The young knight was stunned for a moment before he hesitantly explained, "Father, it was Duke Ralph who first sent troops to Grizzlie Castle... harassing the people and looting villages and towns... Frostflower County is said to have suffered the most from the Duke's army, and refugees are flocking to Grizzlie Castle in droves..."

Baron Frost Eagle opened his mouth, but was blocked by this indisputable fact. He could only turn his head away awkwardly and ignore it.

The captain of the guards changed the subject at the right moment, saying, "I'm going to check the weapons and food reserves in the basement. Since they want to stalemate with us..."

Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden earth-shattering explosion outside. The rumbling thunder seemed to roll across the sky, and even the top of the stone meeting hall was shaken and countless dust fell.

The three men stumbled out of the hall and were shocked to find that the originally heavy gate of the mountain fortress had been completely broken open. Several soldiers guarding the gate were lying on the ground in a bloody mess, having died on the spot.

Baron Frosthawk felt a surge of despair... The enemy used that terrifying alchemical weapon to deal with us!
(End of this chapter)