Heimarian Odyssey

Chapter 103: Grueling Siege

The first wave of the siege lasted for nearly one whole morning. After thousands of soldiers of 3rd Division paid the price of more than 2,000 casualties, only then did they manage to reach 300 metres away from the walls of Audis.

This was only the situation at the west gate and the north gate. At the east gate and the south gate where Lion fought, it was more intense and changeable.

Among the troops of Lion under Kenzir, there were no ‘good cards’ or ‘bad cards’, almost all of them were good units.

The 10,000 soldiers of Lion were sent by Kenzir as the vanguard. The more elite Lion troops did not do much better than those of Falcon either.

This was probably because the Shalorian king was standing at the south gate, and the magicrystal cannon on this gate had not stopped firing since the beginning. Every time the beam of light that represented the deaths of many, suppressing yet another wave of attackers.

Kenzir was watching the frontlines from a distance and squeezed his palms. He really couldn’t do anything with the hand he was dealt. Faustian's military power was indeed stronger than Shalor, but their magical power had always been average. Cannon aside, even normal magic equipment was extremely expensive to produce in Faustian.

"It's a pity that the elites have been restricted from taking action," Kenzir said in a low voice, "Otherwise, forming a few elite assault teams may do the trick," In addition to the cannon, there were way too many catapults above the walls of Audis. This made the Faustian side feel that they were not at war with people, but with a bunch of military equipment instead.

So far, thousands have been killed on the Faustian side, but they had yet to even reach the gates, and Shalor hadn’t suffered any losses yet, save for a few unlucky ones were shot by arrows coming from below the city.

Although the ratio of losses between the two sides had a huge disparity, neither Kenzir nor Marmen were desperate.

As long as the vanguard troops could hold on, the subsequent soldiers could avoid most long-range attacks as soon as they got over.

There were many discerning people on the battlefield, especially spies from various countries. Many people had discovered that despite the heavy losses on the Faustian side, as long as they were close to Shalor’s wall, the tables might unpredictably turn.

There were many capable people in Audis. Felippe himself stood before his king and beckoned, "Your Majesty, please withdraw!"

However, the Shalorian king, with fire in his heart, didn't want to follow the advice. Just now, there was also an attendant who asked him to retreat to the palace, but he ignored it. He wanted to watch the sons of Shalor resist the Faustians with his own eyes.

"Send His Majesty back to the palace!" Felippe didn’t continue with the nonsensical talk.

He instead ordered the attendants to take the king back.

A whole group of guards came forward and a few civil servants dragged the king's arm and pulled him back into the city.josei

"Who dares to touch me?!" The Shalorian king shouted while being dragged down by his attendants. "I'm going to dismiss your duties as the Minister of Military Affairs!" The king shouted from further and further away.

Although the king wasn't talented, he was regarded as a wise ruler. But now the two countries were at war and the king who had no power to do anything, aside from inspiring the troops' morale.

But the inverse was true. If the king was shot by a stray Faustian arrow, it would be a big problem. The Shalorian soldiers guarding the city would probably collapse in an instant.

Other than that, what Felippe could not stand for was the fact that the cannoneers were firing as if they were dumping money away. To be honest, most of the magicrystal shots were accumulated bit by bit by Felippe using his own assets. This margrave was not good at military affairs, but that did not mean that he did not understand the military at all.

It was said that the business world was like the battlefield, and this famous god of prosperity had his own kind of understanding towards the art of war. Now it had just started, their trump card cannons had been used, and the cannonball reserves were declining at a visible rate. This was extremely abnormal.

Several times, he wanted to try to remind the caster troops to save some ammunition. However, every time the words reached his mouth, he swallowed it.

Not because of anything else, it was just because when the king saw the caster troops showing great power, he danced with joy. This stimulated the caster troops to fire frantically at the Faustian soldiers under the city.

Felippe was the current Minister of Military Affairs of Shalor. Shalor’s system was odd in that although the king was by his side, the minister had more say in military affairs. Even the king could not intervene.

Of course, these kinds of situations were rare. No one would go against the king's orders for no good reason.

This time it was Felippe who couldn't stand it anymore. Anyway, there was only one city left in Shalor. Since he had stayed in the city, he had to do something.

As the last living pillar of the Three Pillars of the kingdom, it was impossible to say that Felippe had no attachment to the kingdom. They were all humans with emotions and conscience. He didn't want to have his grave desecrated after his death by bitter Shalorians, after all.

"Reduce the frequency of the cannonfire!" Felippe barked. "Keep all the fuel for standby! Where are the wood and stones? Tell the militia to hurry up!"

Other than Felippe, some young nobles who had aspirations to serve the country scaled the city walls to lead the defensive effort.

Most of the upper-class nobles hid in the palace with the king. Now, the young nobles had power here.

The moment when the cannonfire weakened, Marmen and Kenzir noticed the situation instantly.

"Good fellow, finally knows how to conserve his resources!" The corner of Marmen’s mouth drew an arc.

"Have the remaining soldiers of 3rd Division press on!" Marmen ordered a herald next to him.

"3rd Division, standby!" The order was issued methodically.

Each division had several casters, so most of the commands on the battlefield were sent through magic. Every order issued would reach the frontlines extremely fast.

Sure enough, the Faustian army changed their approach. Other than another wave of soldiers that rushed towards Audis, at least one more division was sent out to follow along.

It was the same for Kenzir’s side. The soldiers of Lion were far better than those of Falcon. The offence was in full force.

If it weren't for the fact that Shalor had placed enough cannons on the south gate and east gate, and fired at the highest frequency, the defenders would have it much harder.

The remaining soldiers of 3rd Division also charged. A total of 10,000 soldiers were scattered outside the two north and west gates of Audis in just one morning.

The battle had become fiercer. With the Faustian soldiers getting closer to the city wall, the archers could finally flex their muscles. In addition, more and more siege equipment was within firing range of the city.

After all, the area that the Capital Guard could protect was limited, and it couldn’t do everything. Shalorian casualties began to rack up.

Gradually, some of Faustian's soldiers arrived at the city wall and put the ladder in place, and some impatient soldiers had begun to climb the wall.

“Where’s the boiling oil? Pour it now!" an officer on the wall shouted.

There were Faustian soldiers that were still climbing up the ladder and waiting under the city wall. As boiling oil was poured on their heads, those who hadn’t even made it up were truly unlucky. The oil could scald and leave huge blisters even if only droplets touched their skin, let alone being doused on the head.

In an instant, the screams from the ladder and under the wall could be heard everywhere. Countless Faustian soldiers were scalded by the fiery oil, their skin falling off, revealing flesh, blood, and bone. Their grotesque appearance was difficult to behold.

And that was not it. After seeing all the oil being poured down, a young noble commander on the walls leaned out of the tower walls and yelled, "Release the fire arrows! Set them alight!"

Following the officer's order, Shalor's defenders lit their arrows one after another, before letting them loose.

The oil touched fire, and as the arrows fell, the border town suddenly turned into a sea of flames. What followed was a series of terrifying screams.

The Faustian soldiers, scalded or not, were all immersed in the sea of fire. They were burned alive, their shrieks endless and harrowing, giving even the Shalorians goosebumps. The retching smell of the burnt flesh filled the air.

Most of the Shalorians were recruits and civilians. It was the first time many of them saw such a hellscape.

Far away, Marmen and Kenzir’s complexions remained the same as they looked straight at the wall. It was as if the soldiers who were dying and wounded were insignificant in their eyes.

The Shalorians were still panicked. It was not that the soldiers of Falcon and Lion were fighting bravely, but the fact that the Shalorians were mere recruits. Human fear was contagious, and many Shalorian veterans also grew panicked from the atmosphere.

"4th Division! Go!"

"2nd Division! Go!" Marmen and Kenzir, who were at the far side of the battlefield, immediately gave orders to continue the attack.

With Faustian’s side putting in two more divisions of soldiers, a total of more than 20,000 troops, the bloody battle of Audis became more ferocious.

Soon, the sun started setting during the evening.

Most of the clouds had dispersed, and a blood-red sun coloured the skies. This night was destined to be one of killing.

The siege continued, and for the Faustian soldiers, it didn't matter whether it was the day or night.