Chapter 71: Fierce Battle at Watt
Translator: Zenobys Editor:
The sun had completely risen and it gave the people a sense of warmth. Nevertheless, the soldiers of the Northwest Legion felt cold as they watched the Great Moon Kingdom launch their first attack of the day.
An ox horn sounded from below the walls and immediately, the Great Moon Kingdom infantry regrouped to reveal a few openings in its formation. The openings gave passage to a dozen simple wooden shield-vehicles as they were being slowly pushed out. Each vehicle had a large wooden plank wrapped in thick yak skin that was soaked in water. It was thick and slippery enough to defend against arrows. It was not damaged even when the magicians of the Empire cast Wind Blade and Fire Ball on it.
A few thousand soldiers formed the phalanx formation and moved slowly towards the fortress walls under the cover of the shield-vehicles. Following right behind, were groups of infantrymen carrying the scaling ladder.
They waited until the shield-vehicles came closer and within the range of fire. After that, General Reuben gave the order to shoot and thousands of archers immediately started to shoot their arrows. Thousands of sharp arrows immediately rained down from the walls. Most of the arrows were blocked by the shield-vehicles but a few managed to pass through and hit their targets who were not properly protected. Countless soldiers screamed and fell to the ground. Some of those shot by the arrows died immediately. Others were shot in less vital spots and they rolled on the ground in pain.
The foreigners did not break their formation. They did not move slower nor did they run back because of fear. Instead, they valiantly continued to push the shield-vehicles towards the walls. When a companion beside them was shot down by arrows, they would at the most turn and look at their companion in grief for a moment. After that, they turned back, looked furiously at the archers of the Empire and made great efforts to move forward.
At the same time, the Great Moon Kingdom’s archers started to take action. They started to blindly shoot back at the walls using their long bows. Fortunately, on the walls were also hundreds of the Empire’s magicians who immediately took to the skies. The magicians were wearing white robes. They formed a circular light that shrouded the walls. Thousands of arrows hit the ‘light-curtain’, vibrated and then dropped to the ground.
After the first volley of arrows, Reuben told his army to wait for a moment. Wasting arrows on the shield-vehicles was not worth it. He planned to save the arrows right then and use them only after the enemy had prepared the scaling ladder. Reuben sighed. If only they had taken at least a third of the arrows left behind at the Redwood garrison, it would have been great.
The heavy shield-vehicles were finally pushed to the side of the walls. However, the shields were useless at this point. Even though the soldiers of the Great Moon Kingdom had shields, the archers on the walls could clearly see them.
Once again, Reuben gave the order for the archers to start shooting their arrows again. The sound of numerous arrows flying could be heard as they started to rain down. The white-robed magicians then stopped forming the shroud of light in front of the walls as well. Suddenly, the walls emitted a red light as though each magician was surrounded by a layer of fire. After a while, hundreds of fireballs fell from the sky and ruthlessly smashed into the Great Moon Kingdom’s formation. The sound of explosions could be heard and a few soldiers hid behind the shield-vehicles. Some of them immediately raised their thick leather shields to block the fireballs. The small fireballs would hit the shields and turn into sparks while the larger fireballs would crush the shields and explode.
After they received an order, the soldiers of the Great Moon Kingdom threw away their useless shields. From behind, a group of soldiers carried the scaling ladder towards the walls. The defenders of the Empire noticed the threat and almost all of their bows and arrows were redirected to aim at the group carrying the scaling ladder. Under the intensive firing of arrows, a lot of soldiers miserably bled and fell to the ground. Countless corpses of the Great Moon Kingdom’s soldiers were on the ground. Those who were injured but not dead desperately tried to crawl away.
The group of soldiers who carried the scaling ladder received the most casualties. Many of them died and there were also a considerable amount of them injured. However, whenever one of the soldiers carrying the scaling ladder died, he would immediately be replaced by another soldier from the Great Moon Kingdom. There were also some who would rush in front to take the hit for their companions who were carrying the ladder. When one fell, immediately two more soldiers rushed in front to do the same. When Reuben saw this, he gritted his teeth. He could not understand why the foreign grassland barbarians had such fearlessness.
About a dozen huge scaling ladders were finally placed against the walls. The soldiers of the Empire started to try all kinds of methods to push down the ladder. Meanwhile, the Great Moon Kingdom’s soldiers held their blades in their mouths as they climbed the ladder. Often, when they were about halfway up, however, the scaling ladders were pushed down. The soldiers screamed as they fell to the ground. Stones were also being thrown from the walls. Many of the soldiers who had climbed up halfway were hit in the face by falling stones and cried out in distress as they fell down.
After that, dozens of soldiers from the Great Moon Kingdom held the ladders in place to prevent them from being pushed by their enemies. After a huge sacrifice, the first team of soldiers finally reached the top of the walls. When they got to the top, they were greeted by the Empire army’s swords from all directions. The foreign warriors fought bravely using their scimitars, fists and some of them even used their teeth. Some who were seriously injured grabbed the nearest Imperial soldier and jumped down from the walls. They made sure that when they died, the enemy soldiers also died with them. There were also soldiers from the Great Moon Kingdom who would crash their bodies hard against their enemies before dying. This was to keep them away from the scaling ladders and to win time for their companions who were climbing up the ladder.
Reuben saw their red eyes and was surprised because the Great Moon Kingdom’s soldiers were brave and fierce beyond expectations. At the same time, he gritted his teeth and ordered to send the reserved soldiers to the weaker corners of the fortress.
When the first team of soldiers who climbed up the walls was desperately fighting, a continuous flow of soldiers followed from behind. When Reuben found out what was happening, he immediately gave an order. The command flag was waved and a group of soldiers was mobilized to surround and drive down the enemies who had managed to climb up the walls.
The top of the walls was filled with the sounds of screaming and roaring. Broken limbs were occasionally flung around. Armed with swords, the soldiers of the Empire and the soldiers of the Great Moon Kingdom clashed. There were many foreign soldiers who killed ferociously. It was to the extent that they even removed their leather armors and helmets. While roaring, they charged forward and engaged in combat with the Empire soldiers. With every swing of the sword, there would be blood and a mournful cry!
At a distance below the walls, there was a group with sturdy stature among the troops of the Great Moon Kingdom. They wore black leather armors and sat on black horses. Among them was a man clothed in a white leather robe. He had long brown hair that was tied into numerous short ponytails at the back of his head. With one hand, he lightly played with his thick brown beard. He grinned as he watched the fight on the walls with eyes that were as sharp as an eagle. A strange looking sword hung at his waist. Its hilt was made of pure gold.
“Tell the others to get ready!” His voice was icy cold. He then turned to look at the men beside him and smiled. “It seems like the Radiant Empire’s army is still quite competent! That Reuben is not an oaf either. It is unfortunate that I do not have any magician with me. Otherwise, this would be much easier. Fortunately, they do not have that many magicians… Look… their magicians are already worn out and need to rest…”
Behind him, a slender figure on a red horse appeared. He wore a black leather robe, which wrapped around his body tightly. He also wore a pair of leather gloves, a hooded cloak and a mask leaving only his eyes exposed.
“Reuenthal, you really are a cold-blooded man!” The person sneered. With a resounding voice, he continued to speak, “You are wasting your soldiers’ lives. Even if you manage to defeat Reuben and occupy the fortress, your newly trained third-rate soldiers are just not good enough!”
“Hmph!” Reuenthal smiled coldly and gazed at the man. “Do you think my warriors are not brave enough?”
“Bravery is important but they do not know how to use their brains. Infantrymen cannot only be brave. Look at how Reuben’s soldiers are fighting! I admit that your cavalry is powerful but their infantrymen are not as simple as you think. Take a good look! In a one-on-one situation, Reuben’s soldiers cannot defeat your soldiers. However, when they fight in groups of 3, they can defend at least 5 of your third-rate infantrymen. On top of that…” The person paused and revealed a trace of disapproval. “Their magicians only need to rest for an hour. After that, they will be able to fight again.”
Reuenthal raised his eyebrow and gave him a tyrannical gaze. After a while, his gaze disappeared and he laughed. “You shall see! Before the sun sets today, I will be able to capture Watt Fortress! My infantrymen are not as good as Reuben’s but he will not be able to hold out much longer! After so many defeats, the morale of the soldiers is low. They will not be able to hold out long enough and will soon slack. As long as I cruelly continue the attack, they will soon be defeated!”
“Hmph…” The black masked man gave an indifferent smile and spoke calmly, “I believe you can capture them. Reuben right now is already out of energy. However, as I have said, you are wasting the lives of your soldiers. Obviously, you can accomplish this by sacrificing 10,000 lives but you insist on sacrificing 30,000 lives to accomplish this. What is the meaning of such victories?” After ridiculing him, the black masked man no longer looked at Reuenthal. He slowly turned around and rode off, ignoring the tragic battle at the distant walls behind him.
After the black masked man left, Reuenthal showed his anger and ruthlessly spoke, “I certainly know that the losses from this siege are great but what else can I do? That Reuben burned everything and I do not have any food! Should I just wait here and waste our time? Hmph! The foreigners from the Roland Continent and the people from the Radiant Empire are the same. There is nothing good about them!”
