Imperial Crown

Thank you very much to Qidian Dad for [accepting w’s big watermelon] for the 100 reward!

…

In Raven's Camp, as the horn sounded, all the officers poured into the tent.

"map!"

Raven gave the order, and someone hung up the map that had been prepared, and someone else pressed a thumbtack representing Eivor's army on it.

Raven's expression was quite serious: "This time, I have to admit that I made a mistake in judging the battle situation and underestimated the capabilities of the Principality of Eivor."

"Today, there are 70,000 troops hoarded under the Sigh Wall. Not only is the Sigh Wall in danger, but we have also been cut off from our retreat."

The total number of 70,000 troops, including auxiliary soldiers and farmers, is probably more than 200,000.

The mobilization of troops on this scale could not be hidden from the nobles of Tiehua County where the Sighing Wall was located, and the large-scale changes in food and commodity prices when raising military supplies could not escape the eyes and ears of the merchants.

And it wasn't until these 70,000 troops came to the city and completely cut off their retreat that Raven got the news.

Judging from the results, the layout of Eivor Principality this time should be blocking front and rear.

Du Duo sent troops to defeat him and force him to retreat; the 70,000 troops behind him were to ensure that he could not retreat to the Nord province.

Wonderful and reasonable layout, is there such a master in Eivor Principality?

Faced with this kind of military situation, the Eivor people would probably believe that they would be defeated and killed.

That's why the local nobles and businessmen kept strict secrets about themselves, so Du Duo chose to commit suicide in battle.

Once Raven fails, Du Duo and the family behind him who surrendered to him will definitely be uprooted!

Scanning the entire audience, Raven gently tapped the map:

"Do you think we are in dire straits now?"

Two hearty victories in succession made the morale of the Eagle Army extremely high. When they heard this question, they all puffed up their chests:

"No!"

"Yes." Raven said calmly: "We have indeed reached a desperate situation."

"The way back is cut off and supplies are cut off."

"The army's food and fodder, even including the captures in this battle, can only be consumed for four months at most. Once that time passes, we will all starve to death in Eivor."

"You said there are always more ways than difficulties!"

Hoyaz was already qualified to attend the meeting. He stood up and said loudly: "The Principality of Eivor has a vast territory. We have the advantage of aerial reconnaissance. We can break it into parts and take food from various places. Even if the Eivor people have more There is nothing we can do about our local advantages.”

"A very good idea." Raven nodded approvingly: "But in that case, what's the difference between us and horse thieves?"

"An army that abandons political goals in order to survive is just a group of bandits. No matter how destructive they are, they will one day be wiped out."

"At that point, our life and death will be meaningless."

Hoyaz's face turned red and he was speechless.

Raven nodded, motioned for him to sit down, and asked loudly:

"Does anyone have any other ways to break the situation?"

The atmosphere was slightly dull, and the officers exchanged glances.

The next person to speak out turned out to be Lin Deng who had just come over.

As Wanda's deputy, he first glanced at Lancha, another descendant, and then said:

"Sir, I think we can capture Bolan City first."

"Count Tuduo is newly defeated. Bolan City will not have any decent defense. In addition, Lancha is also in your army. Bolan City can be defeated in one battle without even suffering any losses."

"With Bolan City as the foundation, remote control of the Bolan Gold Mine will provide both money and food, and the advantages of defending the city are far greater than fighting in the field."

Lancha's expression was obviously much lower, and he gave Linden a hard look, but didn't say much.

Raven nodded slightly: "It's also a good idea, but our number is too small, it's difficult to supply troops, and I'm an outsider."

"Once I'm trapped in a lonely city, I'll have to face Eivor's constant attacks. Even if I really use my troops like a god, sooner or later I'll be unable to cope."

"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense, but I didn't think it through well." Linden leaned over and sat down.

Unlike Lancha, he has his own team. If he wants to show his value, he can only show more in front of Raven.

Worst of all, when Raven is defeated, he can still get the qualification to escape with the Wind King.

Raven looked around the audience again, making sure that no third person wanted to stand up, and then said:

"That's why I say we are now cornered."

"Four months, we only have four months."

"If we fail to return to the Wall of Sighs and obtain enough supplies by then, there will be only a dead end."

"Therefore." Raven pressed his finger on the map and traced his nails across the high wall of sighs:

"We can only have one combat direction next, and that is to return to the High Wall of Sighs and defend the High Wall of Sighs at all costs!"

"Now, everyone returns to their posts and gathers their soldiers to prepare. We will break camp and set off early tomorrow morning!"

All the officers stood up, responded loudly, and then withdrew one after another.

Raven's expression remained calm.

The reason for this meeting was not only to pass on the news, but more importantly, Raven wanted to dispel the current blind optimism among the Eagle Army.

It also dispels one’s own blind optimism.

During this period of time, Raven has also been sorting out the gains and losses on the battlefield.

And the more he reviewed it, the more he realized how lucky he was to win so neatly.

If Hoyaz had not acted decisively and liberated the hyena's heavy cavalry, even if Eric entered the field at the right time, it would be difficult to directly shake Dudu himself.

If Quilly had not been arrogant enough to reveal his position in the army, but instead released spells in a more concealed way, the situation in the central army would have been very likely to be shaken.

If Dudu had not attached too much importance to the Wind King's troops and cared too much about the troops in his hands, but had chosen to concentrate long-range firepower on one of his flanks from the beginning, it would be unknown which side would collapse first.

Even if it was not cloudy that day, but heavy rain, the sustained combat capability of the Wind King would be greatly reduced.

In contrast, Dudu's army would only waste 2,000 archers, while the crossbowmen would not be affected too much.

Now, they are about to face an army of 70,000.

With the lessons of Wanda and Dudu, the opponent's commander, if he is not an idiot, will probably learn to draw lessons.

This war will be difficult.

Strategically, the enemy can be underestimated, but the Principality of Eivor has made such a tough and sophisticated response. If he still holds a contemptuous mind, then he will be the only one to perish.

Therefore, Raven's goal is not to defeat the 70,000 troops, but to penetrate them as much as possible, find an opportunity, and return to the Sighing Wall!

The next morning, the Eagle Army set out.

Raven was not anxious because the retreat was blocked, but sent out scouts and rushed to the Sighing Wall with absolute caution.

There are still 9 days to go.

…

Inside the Sighing Wall, the guard Howell was standing in the tower, looking out through the lookout.

This young son of the viscount witnessed a war of such a scale for the first time.

An army of 70,000 people, more than 100,000 logistics, and a camp of 200,000 people, formed a dense area a few miles outside the Sighing Wall.

20 camps, connected into an ellipse with inner and outer nesting, looked like a huge eye from a distance.

There were flags of all colors flying above, including the flag of the Principality of Eivor and the flags of nobles at all levels, which were colorful and dazzling.

There were wide passages between each camp, which were enough for a large group of soldiers to pass through, and could effectively prevent a fire from affecting all the camps.

Between this camp and the Wall of Sighs, there was a group of soldiers guarding more than 200 catapults, like a spectacle rising from the ground!

"It's about to start again." Howell held the hilt of the sword, his cheeks slightly bulging.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the force arms of forty catapults fell heavily, and then were thrown high!

A row of stone bullets cut through the sky, almost instantly crossing a distance of hundreds of meters, bombarding inside and outside the city wall!

The explosion of boulders hitting the city wall, the collapse of houses, and the scratching sound of stones bouncing on the surface of hard objects sounded one after another.

Accompanied by screams and panic cries.

Bang——

Howell even watched a huge rock hit the battlement in front of him, breaking on the hard wall, and the flying stone chips hit his breastplate, making him feel a dull phantom pain.

This is the sixth day of the siege of the Sigh Wall.

It is also the third day of the enemy's attack.

The last batch of logistics troops set out seven days ago. Now there are only 5,000 defenders of the Snow Maple County Legion and 500 Eagles led by Link left by Raven in the city.

According to the instructions sent by the Hippogryph Cavalry, they have to hold on for at least six days before Raven returns.

Can they hold on?

Howell was not sure, but just held the hilt tightly.

Young people are not good at giving up.

However, from the initial panic to the current familiarity, Howell has matured a lot in just three days.

At least he will no longer be tempted to rush out of the city to fight to the death with the opponent because of the opponent's trebuchet offensive.

The trebuchet is still projecting, round after round.

Two days ago, Howell, at Link's suggestion, erected a trebuchet in the city to fight against the enemy.

But as the last trebuchet was destroyed by the enemy last night, now they can only passively take the beating and endure the bombardment like a non-stop drum.

Howell sometimes couldn't even distinguish the sound of the stone falling to the ground from his own heartbeat.

He pinched a piece of charcoal in his fingers and drew it on the wall.

4 vertical and 1 horizontal in a group, counted as 5 rounds.

When 6 groups were drawn, Howell threw down the charcoal and ordered:

"Let people prepare in the transport road!"

More than 200 trebuchets, about 40 in a group, will launch 30 rounds every day before the formal attack.

Now that 30 rounds have passed, it's time for the Eivor people to seize the city.

The Eivor army in blue robes surged out, like a sudden rise in the tide.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

There were not 70,000 people, and the front of the battlefield could not accommodate so many people.

This batch of siege troops that filled the battlefield was only about 20,000 people.

Siege machines were pushed out one after another.

The first to appear was the siege chisel.

This is a device that looks like a bed crossbow, and its working principle is similar. The only difference is that it shoots siege cones instead of regular crossbow arrows.

20 siege chisels fired at the same time!

The siege cone is 3 meters long, with a flat and wide tip and an iron beam as thick as a human leg behind it. If it is shot into the gap in the wall bricks, it can be firmly fixed, becoming a fulcrum for infantry to climb up and fix the ladder.

Ding——

Faced with the smooth and solid city walls, most of the siege cones returned in vain, and only a few were deeply embedded in the iron gates.

Then, there were 20 siege vehicles and more than 40 ladders.

The siege vehicle, up to 12 meters high, was made of huge wood and reinforced with iron chains and nails. It looked like a moving tower.

There were stacked stairs inside. As long as you get close to the city wall, you can fix yourself firmly with the iron hooks on the top, and then the attackers can rush out from it!

Like an ant colony guarding the queen, the Eivor army pushed these 20 siege vehicles and slowly pressed towards the Sighing Wall.

And Howell's military order has been executed. Rows of Snow Maple County soldiers climbed the dirty, blood-stained and flame-stained city walls and raised their crossbows.

They came from different families and different territories. They were just a mob.

But war is the best teacher.

Most of the survivors now can clearly judge the distance of the opponent with their naked eyes and whether they have entered the range.

When the blue Eivor tide surged about 120 meters outside the wall, the soldiers on the top of the city finally poked their heads out, resisted the cover of the enemy's catapults, and began to fight back.

Several flying stones hit the top of the city.

Some cut off half of the soldiers who had just emerged, leaving only half of their bodies spraying blood; some printed the soldiers on the city wall and turned them into a pool of meat paste.

Even if they were terrified, screaming and roaring, most soldiers still completed their mission.

Crossbows rained down, and the target was not the marching soldiers, but the siege vehicles that kept advancing towards the city wall!

Even though sandbags had been hung on the vehicles in advance, when dozens or hundreds of enchanted crossbows were fired, the siege vehicles still caught fire.

Occasionally, crossbows would fall into the crowd, bursting into flames and causing rounds of screams, but the casualties were really limited.

In one round of volleys, 8 siege vehicles caught fire, but 12 of them only had some flames - the fireproof siege vehicles were not so easy to ignite.

The enchanted crossbow arrows left in the Sighing Wall were limited, and the last round was the last reserve.

Therefore, when the reload was completed and the defenders on the wall showed up again, they aimed at the soldiers transporting the siege vehicles.

The crossbow arrows fell like locusts, clacking on the shields, and some would always pass over the shields.

Each round of crossbow arrows could take away dozens of Eivor people, but for the siege army that was as numerous as ants, it had little effect.

When the battle line advanced to 80 meters away from the Sighing Wall, part of the Eivor army stopped and began to build fortifications on the spot.

With sandbags as the base, logs were spread out and gradually raised.

That was the shooting tower.

The shooting tower was specially designed to make up for the difference in range between the upper and lower walls of the wall. Archers could effectively hit the targets on the wall when they climbed up.

After each construction, Howell would send elite extraordinary soldiers to destroy it at night, but every time he attacked the city, he could not prevent the other side from building it again.

When the siege vehicle was pushed to the wall full of corpses and traces of gunpowder, the Eivor army had left hundreds of corpses.

The roaring sound of the boulders in the sky finally stopped.

Shouts and footsteps became the mainstream again.

When tens of thousands of people were together, the sound of breathing alone was like a strong wind!

The siege vehicle approached the wall, and because of the slope, the closer it got, the more difficult it was.

At this time, wooden poles would be pushed out on the wall, one end supporting the end of the wall, and the other end firmly resisting the approach of the siege vehicle.

Then soldiers would come forward, pour barrels of kerosene on it, and then throw torches.

This process is not safe.

The shooting towers erected in the distance were full of archers, and the feather arrows in their hands firmly suppressed the crossbowmen on the top of the city, constantly harvesting the lives of the defenders.

To burn a siege vehicle, it often takes more than a dozen lives; and if kerosene rolls down, a whole section of the city wall will start to burn.

The ladder with iron claws hooked up to the top of the city with a clear metallic sound.

The soldiers defending the city picked up the iron hook, and several people worked together to hook the ladder crooked and overturned it. The feather arrows thrown from the shooting tower made this step extremely difficult.

But there are always more backup plans for defending the city.

The boiling hot oil poured down the ladder, and with the sizzling sound, it would bring bursts of screams.

"Ahhh——"

The attackers who had just climbed up the ladder were burned with blisters all over their bodies, twitching and falling down under the city.

Then all they needed was a torch to make the whole ladder burn!

Stones, rolling logs, and nails were pushed down the city wall, and they could take away several lives without deliberately aiming.

The biggest casualties were the boiling feces, which would make people miserable no matter if they were wearing iron armor or leather armor!

But there were too many attackers.

Kill one and there was another.

Even though a layer of corpses piled up under the city wall in just half an hour, the number of enemies did not decrease at all.

And the defenders on the top of the city were getting fewer and fewer.

Killing nearly a thousand enemies, the loss of their own was also around 500.

The defense force was getting weaker and weaker.

Finally, a siege vehicle broke through the obstacles, and a wide wooden board was flipped out from the top and placed on the top of the city.

The elite wearing full armor showed up, and he was wearing a blue battle robe representing the Principality of Eivor.

The armor on his body was thick and tough, and he held a dark sword in his hand that flashed a dull metallic light.

Judging from the layers of patterns that bloomed naturally, it was definitely not an ordinary product.

On his face, he wore a ferocious wolf-shaped iron mask, shining with a faint cold light.

He jumped to the top of the city with heavy steps.

The moment it landed, more than a dozen crossbows were aimed and launched.

Do do do do

The crossbow arrow broke through the armor and pierced his chest, turning his whole body into a hedgehog. The huge force even made him jump on the spot.

But then, the wolf-faced warrior seemed to be unaware of it. He stepped forward, swung his long sword horizontally, and cut open a thin kite shield. Blood spattered, and a section of his arm fell on the trail with a scream.

He strode forward and struck out with his sword, ending the life of the armless defender.

More wolf-faced elites poured out of the siege vehicles.

Viewed from a high altitude, the city wall on the north side of Sigh High Wall looks like a piece of bread, dotted with red and black patterns.

Blue mildew begins to grow on it.

The battle for the city wall begins!

…