Imperial Crown

Many thanks to Qidian Dad [恬静崩] for the 1148-point reward!

…

June 9, 1200 in the Guangming calendar.

The Principality of Eivor celebrates its 599th anniversary.

Even though the Eagle Army was still stationed outside the city, Blue Castle became active.

Before daybreak, colorful lights were already hung on the streets, and all kinds of stalls and stages had been set up.

Especially in the square outside the Posa Palace, an extremely huge platform was built, and the strong magical lights on it could be seen from the city wall.

It was a time of war and it shouldn't have been so extravagant, but Eivor VIII insisted on doing so.

Prime Minister Gatugen also expressed his tacit approval of this.

Although Eivor VIII's starting point may be simply that he was too bored staying in the Pasa Palace, at least this National Day event can ease the increasingly tense atmosphere in the city.

And Grand Marshal Quentin, rarely stood against Eivor VIII.

"Damn it, if you have spare people and spare money, why not give me more manpower and supplies!"

Quentin stood on the bastion platform southwest of the Blue Castle and cursed at the lighted streets.

Now Quentin's temper is getting worse, and he is more concerned about the soldiers' situation.

Many problems that he had ignored in the past were now before his eyes. Now, even the soldiers on the city wall had no meat to eat, so he had to write a letter to the cabinet to make a big fuss.

It's not because he is kind.

It was because, in the past two months, he had been staying on the city wall almost day and night, and could only eat the same meals as ordinary soldiers.

The Eagle Army is so despicable!

About two months ago, the Eagle Army, which had been inactive, suddenly went crazy and sent out the Wind King's troops to harass the city walls.

In the face of the Wind King's troops, the city actually had a plan in place. After all, there were two successful examples of Tudor and Palmer.

Placing more archers inside the city walls would be enough to deter the Wind King from getting close.

But it's really strange. This group of Wind King's troops seem to have X-ray vision and specialize in attacking city walls where the number of long-range troops is insufficient.

And it’s touch and go.

By the time the ranged troops nearby gathered together, they had already destroyed several crossbows and flew away, making it impossible to catch up with them!

In order to keep an eye on the Wind King's troops of the Eagle Army, at least 5,000 long-range troops must be deployed, but currently there are only about 30,000 long-range troops in the city.

Dispersed into 6 sections of the city wall, with 5,000 men in each section, it seems that they can defend the entire wall, but in fact they can only guard a section of about 500 meters long.

And if one section of the city wall were to be stationed with long-range troops capable of driving away the Wind King, at least 30,000 people would be needed.

Taking into account the day and night shifts and alert, it will cost at least 60,000!

This is just one section of the city wall, but Blue Castle has 6 sections of city wall!

Even if Quentin worked himself to death and vomited blood, he still couldn't gather so many qualified long-range soldiers!

So in the past two months, Quentin could only lead 10,000 long-range soldiers to put out fires everywhere, rushing to wherever there was a problem, and was completely led by the Wind King.

In just one month, more than half of the nearly 500 crossbows on the city walls and bastions were destroyed, and only about 10 were replaced.

Quentin is not an idiot. The cabinet also has military advisors. After fighting the Wind King for a month, the tactics changed accordingly.

Focus on defending the six bastions, and the rest of the city wall sections can be left alone if possible.

This did not make Quentin much easier. He just went from aimlessly putting out fires to running back and forth between the six bastions.

The speed at which bed crossbows were destroyed was gradually decreasing. Recently, not a single bed crossbow would be destroyed in a day, but we still had to remain vigilant.

It also almost caused Quentin's mentality to collapse!

He gets enough sleep every day, but he never sleeps soundly. Not only will he be awakened by the slightest disturbance, but once the Wind King's troops attack, he has to bring people to drive them away.

8 hours of sleep a day can sometimes be broken down into 6 parts!

I am so tired that sometimes I can't even fall asleep.

When will this kind of day ever end?

"The long-range power is still too little!"

This is also the reason why Quentin is so resentful of Eivor VIII's insistence on holding the celebration.

Grand Duke Eivor VIII has always been careful about his life - even if he is not that kind of person, the people around him would make him careful about his life.

Not only will a celebration be held this time, but Eivor VIII will also be making a public appearance. In addition to the protective forces on the ground, of course many long-range troops will also be deployed to protect His Highness' safety.

The more people were withdrawn over there, the greater the pressure here became, making it impossible for Quentin to fall asleep!

Quentin glared hatefully at the center of the city, wiped his face, walked to the edge of the city wall on the other side of the bastion, and began to observe the Eagle Army's camp.

"Alas, there are not many nobles in the principality who are as dedicated and conscientious as me!"

Quentin could even begin to understand Gatugen's mentality.

Indeed, Quentin worked so hard, on the one hand, for his own wealth and glory - if Eivor VIII was defeated and had to give up power, his life would be over.

On the other hand, there is also his sense of honor.

No matter how selfish a person is, when he is in a high position, he will always want to do something practical and be remembered by future generations.

Quentin knew what kind of people the nobles of the Duchy were, so he had to do it himself.

At the very least, don't be recorded in later legends as a treacherous and treacherous official who contributed to the demise of the principality.

“Woo—woo~ woo~ woo~~~”

As a flash of white dawned across the sky, the sound of a horn pierced the sky, waking Quentin up.

In the distance, the four camps belonging to the Eagle Army opened their gates almost at the same time, and soldiers in black armor poured out.

In the main camp in the center, the army had already raised the battle flag. Even though it was several kilometers away, the pure black color was still enough to frighten Quentin.

That is the eagle flag of the Griffith family!

Raven, he is not dead after all, he is alive!

In fact, long before the Wind King's troops started, some people in the decision-making level of Blue Castle were discussing whether Raven had woken up and whether a decision should be made based on this.

In the end, apart from Gatugen's suggestion to send troops to test the water, even Quentin himself did not say a word.

You can't try it. What if you find out something?

At this moment, Quentin actually felt a little relaxed.

The decisive battle is finally about to begin!

The long torture is finally over!

Quentin cheered up and shouted:

"Pass on my order, prepare the army for battle - check and lay out the catapults, archers shoot at the towers, the 1st and 2nd Legions of the City Defense Army enter the city walls and prepare the city defense facilities; the 1st and 2nd Legions of the Silver Gull Army are under the city walls as a reserve, ready to go up to the city for support at any time!"

The sounds of trumpets, drums, and flags fluttering through the air rang out one after another, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the open space behind the city wall.

The prelude to the decisive battle has begun!

Quentin stood on the edge of the bastion, looking quietly at the Eagle Army.

Although he had "fought" with Raven twice, this was the first time Quentin truly saw the Eagle Army.

He is indeed a brave soldier who is victorious in every battle!

At the front of them was a row of heavy infantry carrying heavy shields. They walked steadily and from a distance they seemed to be maintaining a straight line.

After that, there were siege towers clustered together, with the iron nails on the towers reflecting eye-catching light.

Behind the siege tower were giant catapults as tall as the city walls, 82 in total, and their sturdy arms made Quentin envious.

They are all made of whole pieces of wood, and they must be at least a hundred years old!

There are no logs this big anymore in the Principality of Eivor.

Even if it could be found, it would probably be made into furniture for the nobles to show off, rather than into such a terrifying war machine.

The Eagle Army's pace was slow.

It took a full 20 minutes to advance from 3 kilometers to 2 kilometers.

But it was firm and steady, as if the Blue Castle did not exist in front of them!

Every step seemed to step on Quentin's heart, making him feel as if the city wall would be flattened at any time.

Fear quietly grows in my heart.

“Hoo…Hoo…”

Taking a deep breath, Quentin turned his head and looked to both sides.

During this period of time, the city defense troops also rushed to the city walls as ordered.

Quentin wanted to find some comfort in their performance.

However, what he saw made him even more nervous.

The soldiers in charge of operating the crossbows had trembling legs and feet, their eyes were wide open, and some even had to lean their whole bodies on the crossbows to keep their balance.

If the battle did start, Quentin had no doubt they would be scared into a bunch of screaming woodchucks.

Further away, the soldiers responsible for operating the city defense equipment, such as nail hammers, hot oil, and kerosene, were not much better off.

Those who could stand upright were already very courageous. Most people, even though they knew that this place was not within the range of catapults or crossbows, still huddled under the parapets like quails.

That is, the crossbowmen who were already in position on the shooting tower performed better.

They have at least experienced the torture of King Tianfeng.

"Everyone, raise your heads! Don't be cowardly like women!" Quentin drew out his sword and shouted, "Look where you are - this is the Blue Castle, a fortress built specifically for war. It is 10 times stronger than the Wall of Sighs!"

"Your enemies will have to bleed to death before they can even reach the city wall!"

"Think about your families, your wives and children. Show your courage and drive these Nord barbarians back to their homeland!"

Quentin used up all his emotions in this speech, but the response was sparse, and most people's fear and tension were not relieved by it.

Quentin sighed helplessly.

Only by experiencing war can one learn about war.

As long as the battle begins, Quentin believes that there will always be someone who overcomes fear and learns what courage is.

After all, we are all human beings. If the Nords can do it, there is no reason why the Eivor can't do it!

The battle line advanced slowly, and the Eagle Army's ranks were less than one kilometer away from the city wall.

At this moment, all 82 catapults in the center stopped.

Then start loading and shooting!!!

Even though Quentin knew that the catapult, which was as tall as the city wall, would have an advantage in range, he did not expect it to be so exaggerated!

A full 1 kilometer, even the best crossbow cannot shoot that far!

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Quentin's eyes widened and he held on to the battlements.

"Don't panic, the trebuchet has no accuracy, don't run around, stay close to the battlements!!!"

Huge rocks flew over and hit the city walls inside and outside, making bursts of terrifying noises.

But the trebuchets were not calibrated, and as Quentin said, most of the stones were a million miles away from the city walls.

The first batch of 82 stone bullets either fell outside the city wall or into buildings inside the city, raising large clouds of smoke and dust but causing no casualties.

Then came the second batch, the third batch...

As the catapult was calibrated and the batches increased, finally a stone bullet landed on the city wall!

Not far from Quentin.

The huge rock weighing hundreds of pounds smashed into a crossbow with a roar!

Quentin watched helplessly as the soldier standing in its way was broken in half, his upper body turned into a discus and hit the crossbow, but his lower body was still standing upright, with only a colorful intestine connecting it.

The crossbow exploded with a bang, sending out a ball of wood chips that instantly knocked over the two soldiers next to them. The broken wood chips and thorns pierced them beyond recognition. One of them was hit on the head by a wooden pin and died on the spot, and the other one had his eyes squeezed out of his sockets.

The boulder bounced off the crossbow and continued to move forward, hitting the two soldiers at the back and flattening them against the city wall!

When the wooden pin broke, the already fully drawn string of the crossbow tightened instantly, breaking the arm of a soldier. The crossbow body made a half turn on the base, and the crossbow arrow shot out horizontally, piercing three soldiers on the other side of the bastion and carrying them down the city wall!

In just a few seconds, eight soldiers were killed.

The smell of blood and stench spread all at once, Quentin's face turned pale, and he used all his self-control to avoid vomiting on the spot!

But the soldiers on the bastion fell into chaos.

“Ah—ah—ah—!!!!”

"Help!!! Help!!!!"

"vomit--!!!!"

Whoosh——

Raising the crossbow that was well-strung at hand, Quentin shot an arrow through the deserter's back:

"Anyone who dares to run away will be an example to others!"

"Come here, write down his name for me. After this battle, his entire family will be imprisoned and executed for treason!!!"

Quentin roared loudly, venting his fear.

Fear at its peak often turns into anger, and Quentin is in the angry stage.

Not only was he angry, his mind was also clearer than ever before:

"Do you know how much a trebuchet like that would cost?"

"I'm telling you, we need to cut down four hundred-year-old trees, each of which is worth more than 100 gold coins! Counting the labor, machinery, and even more expensive monster leather and monster tendons, the cost of one tree will be at least 800 gold coins!"

“Why spend so much money?”

“Because they’re afraid too!”

"The Eivor people are also human beings, and they are afraid of death, so they want to scare us to death!"

"Think about it, isn't this the method Raven used after entering Eivor? Isn't his Jingguan just to intimidate us?"

"The Eagle Army is actually a bunch of cowards!"

"They are about to attack the city. When the time comes, you can burn them with fire, shoot them with arrows, and chop them with swords. Then you will know that they will feel pain, fear, and die!!"

"Stand still, everyone. I am a great commander and I have never retreated. What are you afraid of?!"

I don’t know whether it was this long speech that got into the soldiers’ minds, or whether it was simply the last sentence that played a role, but the soldiers on the bastion seemed to have quieted down—at least they stopped moving around.

Quentin was no longer so frightened. He held onto the parapet with one hand and secretly calculated the distance of the Eagle Army.

800 meters...700 meters...600 meters...

We are about to enter the range of the crossbows and the catapults behind the city walls!

There are now 400 catapults behind the walls of Blue Castle!

Come on, let me see whether you, the Eagle Army, are invulnerable to swords and guns, and whether even the catapults can’t kill you!

However, the Eagle Army suddenly stopped.

A fast horse galloped on the city wall and rushed to Quentin:

"Marshal! Emergency, emergency!!!"

"The southeast bastion has fallen, and the southeast gate is about to fall into enemy hands!"

…