I will be crowned king

"What, the summit tower has been captured by you?!"

Staring at the guy in front of him who claimed to be the "Commander of the First Infantry Battalion of the Storm Regiment", Archduke Ayden's expression could no longer be described by the overly ordinary word "shocked".

As the "gatekeeper" of the Western Gate of Hantu, no one knows better than him how strong the summit tower is - the extremely strong chest, as many shooting holes and triangular fortresses as stars, can withstand twenty-four pounds of solid The main fortress of bomb...

Even though they were as arrogant as the Imperials, they mobilized 20,000 troops to attack from both front and back, tricked one side of the city gate into opening and then completed the breakthrough. It took three days to completely capture her.

Now, the Clovis infantry regiment in front of them, which is said to have less than a thousand men, actually claims that they have captured the summit tower, and...

"Just yesterday?!"

"Exactly!"

The captain and battalion commander who was sent to deliver the message was so arrogant that even the tips of his hair stood up proudly: "It turns out that the Imperial people are really bluffing - the fortress that can accommodate 10,000 people actually only has more than 2,000 people." support staff."

"There are no weapons, no sentries, not even the most basic vigilance."

"Our group reached nearby, and after dark, we successfully sneaked into the fortress, defeated the sporadic resistance, and imprisoned all those disgusting bastards in the castle dungeon."

Recalling the traces of massacre in the castle, the stench, and the corpse pits piled up with bones, the captain and battalion commander had a disgusting expression on his face:

"In addition... we also found a large amount of military supplies for the Imperial Expeditionary Force; the details are countless, about 10,000 boxes of rifles, 20 artillery pieces of various types, plus two warehouses of supplies and half a warehouse of ammunition."

Archduke Ayden was stunned.

"Of course, these are secondary - the purpose of the regiment commander sending me here is to hope that you will send a troop to take over the summit tower as soon as possible, plus the supplies." The captain, who had been feeling proud for a long time, finally remembered that he Tasks for this trip:

"You know, our regiment has less than a thousand people, and we can't hold such a large fortress at all."

The frowning Archduke Aiden was silent for a long time, and after hesitating for a full minute, he finally spoke:

"...What else did your leader say?"

"Uh..." The captain was stunned for a moment, trying to remember Fabian's instructions before leaving: "The regiment leader also asked me to remind you that the enemy opposite you is probably just a cover - they only have less than 600 people. The cavalry is not the main force of the Imperial Expeditionary Force at all.”

"The real 'Imperial Expeditionary Force'... is probably still besieging the Fortress of Stone Castle, or is fighting His Majesty Claude François somewhere; they took advantage of your caution and sent you and 20,000 heroic Al The Den soldiers are isolated from the battlefield that determines the fate of Hantu."

"So if you still plan to show your true strength in this war, then please don't wait for any orders and instructions and go eastward as soon as possible!"

"If it's not too late..."

The captain said solemnly in an extremely solemn tone.

……………………

"The enemy is coming - prepare to fight!"

"The... sixty-fourth time!"

Accompanied by the roaring cannons and Carl Bain's hoarse shouts, the Imperial Expeditionary Force besieging the Deserted Stone Castle once again turned into a blue-white tide, sweeping towards the dilapidated fortress shrouded in fire and black smoke.

The siege has begun again...and it's all over the place.

Faced with a battle that was almost a matter of life and death, the reserve regiments that "defended the city to the death" predictably showed extremely low morale and fighting will. Almost as long as the imperial line infantry withstood a few rounds of volleys, at a certain point in the defense line If a breakthrough is opened at this position, a chain reaction will quickly erupt across the entire defense line, causing one collapse after another.

But in the eyes of Carl Bain, this is not really because these "miscellaneous" cannon fodders lack courage. In a sense, it is even the opposite.

On the eleventh day of the battle, he saw with his own eyes a Mist knight and his infantry regiment of only three to four hundred men, trying their best to hold on to the meaningless gap opened by twelve-pound explosive shells. The regiment was killed in action - and the same group of men were the same group the day before. They were frightened by a dozen imperial grenadier raids and the entire regiment fled, causing the entire front to almost collapse.

They don't lack courage, and they really aren't afraid of death; what they lack is discipline... and experience.

Faced with the too cruel reality, Karl had given up the illusion of counterattack and suppressing the enemy - withdrawing all the artillery on the outer defense line. Once the enemy began to attack the city, the troops on the outermost line of defense immediately retreated after four rounds of salvos. Retreat to the second and third lines of defense covered by artillery.

This is almost equivalent to completely handing over the battle initiative to the enemy, but it can use the complex structure inside the Deserted Stone Castle and the obstacles of the city walls to limit the empire's elite artillery and hand-to-hand combat advantages, preventing the weakly organized reserve army from being defeated in pieces. .

Most importantly, this will save fewer lives.

Many, many fewer deaths.

Looking at the densely packed Imperial line of infantry on the opposite side, sweeping in like a swarm of ants, Karl's eyes were filled with bloodshot eyes. He was very doubtful whether he had saved the nearly 30,000 reserve legions behind him by doing this, or whether he had just allowed them to escape before the enemy. There was a little more pain before death.

Just yesterday, an Imperial Grenadier who almost broke through the defense revealed the confusion that had troubled him for more than ten days - how did the Imperial Expeditionary Force, which should have run out of ammunition and food, hold on until now?

The answer lies in the Leopold rifle in the hands of that Imperial soldier.

Defeated Claude Francois's Imperial Expeditionary Force and captured a large amount of supplies from the retreating 40,000-strong Hantu Army.

Of course, considering the hasty attack of the Hantu Army at that time and the losses caused by the battle, there will not be a lot of these supplies - but even only a quarter is enough for an army of less than 20,000 people to use a relatively low price. Attrition, I will continue to fight for more than ten days.

And I... and this group of reserve army cannon fodder who believed my lies and really thought there would be reinforcements... can they hold on for more than ten days?

Karl, who was supporting his tired body, turned his head and looked at the faces behind him that were huddled and hiding behind bunkers and artillery, with a hint of fear in their numbness.

At this moment, his heart was desperate.

"Hold on, the enemy will soon be unable to hold on - if we survive this round, the reinforcements...the reinforcements will come to save us!" Karl, with a hoarse voice, was still shouting at the top of his lungs, shouting something that even he himself did not believe. encouraging words.

However, what he didn't know was that reinforcements had actually arrived... and they were just outside the city.

………………

"呲鎯——!"

Leon Francois, who was holding the handle of the knife tightly, gritted his teeth, suppressed his anger and stared at the knight standing in front of him: "Get out of my way!"

"no!"

Knight Thun, who had the sword on his neck, looked at the red color flowing down the blade, and refused with difficulty: "The outside of Wild Stone Castle is now all positions controlled by the Imperial Expeditionary Force, and the number of cavalry we see alone exceeds three thousand! "

"If you attack now, I can guarantee you haven't hit the wall of Wild Stone Castle yet, and all three of us will be killed by the Imperials!"

"Really?" A rare sneer appeared on Leon's face:

"Are you afraid of death?!"

"Master Leon Francois!" Knight Thun shouted excitedly, holding the blade on his neck and taking a step forward:

"I swear to the Ring of Order that from the moment I decided to follow you to rescue the Deserted Stone Castle, I had no intention of returning alive!"

"And them!" The knight pointed behind Leon, to the silent soldiers: "You can ask them, who is willing to follow you, who is afraid of death?!"

"Then why did you stop me?!"

"Because we cannot die looking at the future of Hantu!" the knight said excitedly: "If anything happens to His Majesty Claude Francois, you are the only one who can continue to unite Hantu and ally Clovis against the Empire. The king!"

"We must wait for the opportunity... until the most critical moment, we will desperately cover you to rush into the Wild Stone Castle - as long as your flag is there, the defeated Hantu army can become invincible again."

The knight persuaded him earnestly.

But Leon doesn't think so: "When will it be the most 'critical' moment - they can't even defend the outer city wall!"

"Then wait until the inner city wall also falls!" the knight said coldly:

"Only by allowing the Wild Stone Castle to attract all the enemy's attention can we have a glimmer of hope of victory; for the survival of Hantu, some sacrifices are inevitable."

Leon clutched the handle of the knife tightly and gritted his teeth, closing his eyes in pain.

He knew that he was not a military genius, and he also knew that what the other party said was right - they only had more than 3,000 people, and they were only a "militia" composed of a dozen knights and a group of ordinary people who had just learned how to use guns for a few months. ".

Even Claude Francois and the elite Royal Legion were defeated. How long can they persist in the face of the invincible imperial army?

But...but this feeling of powerlessness of watching others die and being unable to do anything, not even knowing what to do, is really...

"Master!"

"Master Leon Francois!"

At this moment, the exclamation of the Knight of Thun suddenly sounded in my ears: "The Empire...the Imperial Expeditionary Force...they..."

Is the general offensive finally going to begin... Leon thought silently in his heart.

However, even if it is a general attack, it is not easy to conquer the Deserted Stone Castle. This fortress was built by the Emmanuel family who spent all their money to hire architects from the empire.

What's more, from the time I got the news until now, the enemy has been besieging the Wild Stone Castle for more than ten days, so it's impossible to do it right now...

"They... seem to be retreating!"

Um? !

Leon opened his eyes in surprise.

………………

The gloomy-looking Caspar Hered sat on a chair, squinting his eyes as he looked at the officers who suddenly broke into his headquarters; a dozen guards behind him crowded around him, and the muzzles of their guns pointed pointedly towards the opposite direction. , the locked bolts indicate that these weapons are ready to be fired at any time.

The emotions of the officers who were held at gunpoint were somewhere in between - they were neither as calm as Casper, nor were they so afraid that they needed to draw their guns to protect themselves.

In the dead silence of the headquarters, one could only hear the breathing of everyone and the roar of the Wild Stone Fortress outside.

"So according to my understanding...are you planning to...rebel?" Casper said coldly.

"I am appealing for my legitimate rights and interests, Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief."

The knight officer standing in the front row had his hands behind his back, and there was a trace of nervousness in his slightly trembling voice - facing a commander who is famous for massacring prisoners, no one can help but be nervous: "You violated your previous agreement, It leaves us with no choice but to express the dissatisfaction we all have in this way."

"Really? What agreement was violated?" Casper's pupils shrank, showing an expression like a beast looking for food:

"How about...you remind me?"

"You promised before that the Battle of Wild Stone Castle would not last more than ten days, but now it has exceeded this period." The knight officer said cautiously:

"So according to the pre-war plan, we must withdraw as soon as possible...ah!"

The knight suddenly let out a scream.

"Withdraw as soon as possible...what?" Casper still looked gloomy, as if everything was business as usual.

The only difference was that he had an extra long-barreled revolver in his hand...and stuffed a bullet into the magazine in front of everyone.

against the knight's throat.

"Withdraw troops as soon as possible...ah!"

The sound of the magazine emptying in his ears made the knight scream again.

"That's good, but I think it's not convincing enough..." Staring into the knight's eyes with his hazy eyes, Casper used his thumb to press the revolver firing pin:

"continue."

"And..." The knight's legs were trembling. He could see from Casper's eyes that this man... he really wanted to die!

"Furthermore, according to the information that my subordinates have privately inquired about, the summit tower of our logistics base has been...ah...captured by the Clovis people! And...and the road leading to the summit tower has also been...blocked by the Aiden Army. !”

"The most important thing is that our army's supplies have been basically exhausted during the siege of the past ten days or so! If we continue to delay, it is very likely that we will run out of ammunition and food before we conquer the fortress. Ahhhhhh...!!!"

Amidst the constant idling sounds of "click" and "click" from the revolver magazine, the knight who tried his best said the last sentence and then yelled like crazy.

"Well..." Looking at his "subordinate" who was almost collapsed, Casper, who looked as usual, nodded slightly:

"What you said makes sense, I must admit...I am convinced by you!"

well? !

In an instant, the knight who was hysterical just now looked up in shock, his expression brightening.

Then, he found that a heavy metal pipe was stuffed into his open mouth.

"Gentlemen, since no one wants to spend any more time in the Deserted Stone Castle, then as your commander, I respect everyone's ideas."

Scarpa stood up slowly and looked around at the frightened faces: "Withdraw the troops... Let's go back to the summit tower."

"boom--!"