Super Magician: The Magic Network Collapsed Again at the Start

Chapter 168 Slinging Tactics
After a few casual words, the gathering quickly dispersed as everyone went about their own business.

Anser had originally intended to recruit Macaria, but seeing her greedy attitude, he simply stopped trying.

The Philo mercenary group is mainly composed of Tiflins and is relatively united. It is unlikely that they can recruit Macaria alone, but given his and the Federation's financial resources, they cannot afford to support such a mercenary group.

Still no money.

At that moment, Kaleino rushed over, his face ashen: "The Am army has broken camp."

Anser frowned, got up and went upstairs to the corridor window, where he took out "Super Vision" to observe the situation.

The Ammunition were still ten kilometers away, just beginning their march, heading straight for Drag.

"He's still up to no good! Notify Giant Tail to lead a team to guard the South Gate."

"Okay." Careno turned and left.

Anser dared not be careless; the Ammun must have come prepared, and might even have some underhanded tricks up their sleeve.

The Am army numbered about two thousand, mainly ground troops, with only one hundred-man cavalry unit followed by hundreds of large wagons loaded with supplies, escorted by hundreds of auxiliary soldiers.

From a distance, the vast and imposing sight of the procession, with its fluttering flags, resembled a gray-black tide surging towards Durag, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

Their marching was made without any attempt to conceal it, and news of it quickly spread throughout and around Dragne.

It was not uncommon for refugees and civilians outside the city to flee into the city to avoid being captured and enslaved by the Amm.

The Durag Guard assembled and successively sealed off the four gates, placing them under military control. The main force gathered at the south gate, ready for battle.

The city's residents were abuzz with discussion, while the newly arrived refugees were filled with anxiety. In contrast, the locals and adventurers ate and drank as usual, only keeping a close eye on the battle.

There's no way around it, the new president's record is just too brilliant.

He dealt with the thousands of Amn troops, the Black Dragon, the Mind Flayers, the foreign nobles, and the werewolf threat one by one; it seemed there was nothing he couldn't handle.

Comparatively speaking, an army of over two thousand doesn't seem like much.

Just past noon, the Amm army was about to besiege the city, but they made a feint and turned northeast.

Judging by the direction, they were clearly heading towards Jacquelineburg.

Jacqueline Castle is located on a small hill three or four kilometers east of Durräger. It is a scenic spot, and the surrounding orchards and farms are all private property of the Jacqueline family, with no outsiders.

Marching in this direction, it can't be just passing by.

At the Federation headquarters, Anser put down his binoculars, his face gloomy.

'I'd like to see if you really have the ability, or if you're just trying to disgust people!'

He gave Kaleno a few instructions, then used his flight technique to soar into the sky before rapidly flying towards Jacquelineburg.

The guards at Jacqueline Castle also noticed the situation, sounded the alarm, closed the city gates, and went on high alert.

When Anser arrived, Elise was hovering above the castle, gazing at the menacing Am army from afar.

“They’re coming for us.” Anser stopped beside her and handed her the “Super Vision”.

Elise took the binoculars, held them up to her eyes, and chuckled, "As far back as I can remember, it seems like no one has ever dared to besiege Jacqueline Castle. It feels quite novel."

"The Anmu are looking down on us," Anser laughed.

If the magic network hadn't been damaged, and if Stoll hadn't died, the Ammun would never have dared to do such a thing.

A level 16 high-level warlock and a level 17 peak warrior could easily wipe out two or three thousand ordinary soldiers. The level 17 warrior, in particular, is known as the pinnacle of mortals, a near-legendary professional. Charging into battle with their bare hands, ordinary people can't even touch them.

When the cost and the reward are disproportionate, the shrewd Amm will not act foolishly.

“Give me some more time, I’ll teach them a lesson.” Elise raised her eyebrows, her tone menacing.

A sorcerer who wants to master magic casting must start from scratch, learning step by step. She currently has proficient in fewer than ten spells, and her casting ability is far inferior to before. The magic network is incredibly convenient, greatly reducing the difficulty of casting. Without it, the difficulty of casting increases more than fivefold, making it extremely difficult to master.

“Take me with you then.” Anser sat down on the flying carpet next to her. “How many soldiers does the castle have? How strong are its defenses?”

“One hundred guards, and more than seventy knights and auxiliary soldiers each. The city walls are high and thick, but there is no magical protection. The magic array only has detection and warning capabilities,” Elise said softly.

"A force ratio of one to nine, the risk is still very high?" Anser played with Elise's hair, somewhat puzzled.

A direct assault on the castle would be extremely costly. If the casualties were too heavy, a combined attack from Jacqueline Castle and Durrag would ensure that the enemy would not return.

"Don't be careless. The Ammun are particularly good at dealing with spellcasters, and they've recruited many renowned high-level professionals," Elise warned.

"Don't worry, I haven't lived enough yet."

As they were talking, the Am army had already approached the foot of the mountain, but instead of going up, they split into six groups, surrounded the hill, and set up camp on the spot, as if they were going to starve the enemy out.

The hill where Jacqueline Castle is located is not large, oval-shaped, no more than 300 meters high, and very flat. More than 2,000 people are enough to completely block it, making it impossible to get in or out.

Anser and Elise exchanged a puzzled look.

"Besieged? The castle has ample reserves, enough to last for several months." Elise frowned slightly.

“I can cut off their supplies by myself,” Anser chuckled, unable to understand what the Anmurs were up to.

Both he and Elise can fly, and there's an alternate dimension, so there's no need to worry about logistics.

On the contrary, the Am army is large and far away, and its supplies will definitely not last long. If it wants to rely on manpower for transportation, it will inevitably face air resistance from the two.

According to his observation, the Amne army only brought a few light, small-caliber cannons, which were insufficient to breach the gates of Jacquelineburg.

"There's definitely a trap." Elise controlled the flying carpet to increase its height, using "Super Vision" to carefully observe the enemy's situation from above.

Anser knew this, of course; the Ammun weren't fools.

Given the enemy's numerical superiority, it was impossible for Drag and Jacquelineburg to engage them in open battle.

However, the siege could only confine the two inside the castle. To kill them, the castle would either need to be breached or they would need to be lured out.

"Thinking about it, there are many ways to breach a city: poison, magic, explosives... and some kind of alchemical weapon." As Anser spoke, he suddenly remembered the organization of mechanics that cooperated closely with the Kingdom of Am.

"You... shut your mouth," Elise said irritably.

Hearing Anser say that, she felt inexplicably panicked, as if her castle was about to collapse.

“Haha, the Ammun people are probably not as smart as me, because I’ve always been the one winning,” Anser joked. “But we can’t just wait for them to make a move; that would be too passive. We should take the initiative and catch them off guard.”

"How do we fight?" Elise flipped her hand and took out the anti-magic arrow. "They're definitely on guard. If we accidentally fall into enemy territory, we'll probably be gone, and the Jacqueline family will be wiped out."

"Fly higher and throw stones down." Anser said seriously.

"Hmm?" Elise's watery eyes were full of surprise. She thought it was some kind of brilliant plan, but it turned out to be so "simple".

"Just throwing stones, a standard tactic," Anser said with a calm smile.

Stone throwing has been a common warfare tactic since ancient times. Stones are used to defend cities, catapults are used to attack cities, rolling stones are used in mountain warfare, and slings are used for hunting. Most large monsters have throwing skills.

Aren't javelins and throwing axes also evolved from stone throwing?

For other spellcasters, carrying several heavy stones into the sky and then throwing them down, only to miss, and then having to carry more stones, is both tiring and ineffective.

But Anser has a different dimension and a dragon skin pouch, so throwing stones is easy for him.

'Give them some more ingredients...'

(End of this chapter)