On the other side, Vaglon had already stationed his forces outside Meine Castle. His troops had bypassed the main Meine army and arrived at the walls of Meine Castle.
"We must take Meine as quickly as possible. Our forces on the front lines might not hold up for long. So, we need to win here swiftly!" Mounted on his warhorse, Vaglon pointed his riding crop towards the Meine city walls, where there weren't many defending soldiers.
"We have brought 300 cavalry but only 100 infantry. We'll have to rely on artillery for the siege," Vaglon's aide, Coria, expressed some concern. "I wonder how effective our cannons will be against the city walls."
"Order the soldiers to prepare meals, and have the artillery ready for the attack! After an hour of rest, we'll launch the assault!" Vaglon tugged on the reins of his horse and retreated to his own cavalry formation without looking back.
"Send someone to negotiate! If they are willing to surrender Meine Castle, give them a chance to live!" After returning to his formation, Vaglon issued another order.
Coria randomly selected two soldiers and instructed them to carry the Seris flag and go negotiate with Meine Castle.
The two soldiers, trembling, arrived outside the castle gates and shouted loudly to the Meine soldiers on the walls, "Listen, Meine soldiers! You have no way out! Lay down your weapons and surrender!"
"Hahaha!" High atop the tall city walls, the Meine guards pointed and mocked the Seris cavalry below, even their laughter clearly audible.
"Meine soldiers! You have no choice left! Lay down your weapons and surrender! This is your last chance!" Despite the mocking, the two Seris cavalrymen summoned their courage and shouted up at the city walls.
"Swoosh!" An arrow landed near the hooves of the Seris cavalry's horses. The soldiers on the walls warned them, "Get back, or we'll shoot again!"
Not willing to take any chances, the two Seris cavalrymen exchanged glances and immediately turned their horses, galloping away. Laughter from the Meine guards above grew even more audacious.
Hearing the report from his subordinates, Vaglon sneered and continued watching as the artillery set up their positions about a kilometer away.
While these 90mm caliber cannons were not particularly advanced weaponry in their own right, in this world, they were considered formidable.
Combined with explosive shells, they had strong destructive power against conventional defensive targets.
"Wait, those fools won't be laughing for long." Vaglon's aide, Coria, watched the direction of the city walls and muttered with satisfaction.
"Two rounds of ammunition, explosive shells... After firing, send someone to negotiate again!" Vaglon coldly ordered, "Let the shells do the talking; it's more effective than us."
"Ha, well said." Coria, the aide, chuckled at Vaglon's words. "How does that saying of the Lord go? 'Within artillery range... Ailanxil is the truth!'"
"Within artillery range... Ailanxil is the truth!" Vaglon tugged on the reins. "Have the soldiers prepare! We'll launch the attack within ten minutes!"
"Yes! Within artillery range... Ailanxil is the truth!" Coria nodded and urged his horse forward. "Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"
"Boom!" One minute later, a 90mm caliber field gun roared, and a shell hit a building behind the city walls, causing half of a tower to collapse in a fiery explosion.
The second shell tore down Meine's city flag along with a corner of the flag tower. Laughter from the city walls abruptly ceased. The Meine soldiers stared in shock at the explosions near the walls, unsure of what to say.
In the myths and legends of this world, there were dragons—Dragon Knights from the Magic Empire who could easily bypass city walls with their formidable strength.
However, there were no dragons present at this moment. Yet, the thick city walls were trembling and shaking amidst the explosions. No one knew what kind of magic the enemy had used to create this incredible spectacle.
"They have mages!" one soldier screamed hysterically, and not far from him, the thick black smoke billowing from the explosions added to the horrifying scene. Severed limbs and body parts were strewn around, serving as a grim reminder of the terrifying explosions.
"Quick! Raise the white flag!" The officer in charge of defending the city stammered, pointing at the city gate. "Find white sheets! Hurry! We surrender!"
It wasn't wise to defy magicians, as those powerful mages were even more proud and noble than kings. If they became truly angry, it would be effortless for them to use magic to kill a few mortals.
Now, for the people inside Meine, surrendering quickly was the best choice to save their lives. Although they didn't know why Seris had brought mages, the explosions they witnessed had robbed them of the courage to resist.
"Boom!" Just as the Meine soldiers below were frantically searching for white sheets, the second round of shelling began. Shells rained down like a shower, blossoming multiple fiery flowers near the city walls in an instant.
The parapets were shattered, and soldiers were blasted into the sky, falling haphazardly below the city walls.
Amid the thick black smoke, the gates of Meine Castle slowly opened, and a white flag hastily pieced together from four bedsheets fluttered atop the city walls, distorted by the wind.
"I thought they were tougher..." Coria, who was ready to launch an attack from within arrow range and had been prepared to send his troops, ridiculed with disdain when he heard the news.
"Hmph! Pathetic! If they had surrendered earlier, we could have saved some ammunition." Vaglon extended his right hand, gesturing to advance, and the cavalry behind him spurred their horses, surging into Meine Castle.
Even the poorly armored Seris infantry, with their longswords at their waists, pushed aside the embarrassed Meine garrison and ascended the castle's stone steps.
The Seris black flag, prepared in advance, was unfurled and hung on the outer walls of Meine Castle.
Vaglon stood on the city wall, watching as hundreds of Meine garrison soldiers gathered. However, there was no hint of victorious joy on his face.
"You, lead 100 cavalry and return to Seris immediately via the main road!" He was concerned that Chris's command on the frontlines might encounter issues. So, after capturing Meine Castle, he immediately ordered Coria to send reinforcements.
He knew that Chris had less than 500 soldiers to face Meine's main army. In case something went wrong on the frontlines, his victory in capturing Meine Castle would be greatly compromised.
However, as Coria was preparing to send 100 cavalry to the frontlines, the situation changed once again.
"General! Another army has arrived outside the city! There are over a thousand soldiers!" A foot soldier nervously rushed to the city walls and reported the latest developments to Vaglon.
"What? Where did that army come from?" Vaglon was initially taken aback by the report, then immediately rushed to another part of the castle.
There, lying low on the battlements, he
saw one formation after another slowly deploying in front of Meine Castle.
"Blue wave flags... Dukho City!" Frowning at the enemy banners, Vaglon muttered to himself, "Order everyone to prepare for battle! Have the artillery immediately find suitable positions within the castle to set up defenses. Prepare to return fire!"
"Hoist the black iron flag of Seris! Let those scoundrels from Dukho City know that this is our city! If they dare to mess with us, we won't be polite!" Drawing his sword from his waist, Vaglon clenched his teeth and said fiercely.
Beneath the city walls, the commander of Dukho City's forces, Lord Berman, was in a state of shock as he watched the situation unfold.
He had previously refused Meine's plan to join forces to attack Seris, intending to take advantage of the situation like a mantis ambushing the cicada, ready to seize the benefits of attacking Meine.
Regardless of whether the Meine Lord Enser succeeded in attacking Seris or not, the victorious side would suffer heavy losses. There was no way the victorious side could return to rescue Meine Castle. Similarly, even if Seris won, they wouldn't be able to advance eastward to contest the intact Dukho City.
However, this Lord Berman had never imagined that Meine Castle would fall into the hands of the Ailanxil family of Seris in just a matter of days.
If this Lord Berman knew the truth—that Meine Castle hadn't even held out for two hours before surrendering to Vaglon—he would probably die of anger right outside Meine Castle.
As he watched the soldiers on the city walls unfurling a massive black iron flag and hanging it on the walls, Lord Berman gripped the hilt of his sword. He felt the urge to order an immediate assault on Meine Castle.
However, he feared that his preparations for attacking Meine Castle had been too obvious and could have been discovered by the Meine forces. He had only assembled his troops and marched here but hadn't prepared for a full-scale siege. Attacking the castle now would be a rash move.
Without siege ladders or catapults, the towering city walls in front of him couldn't be easily breached with just 300 soldiers defending. He couldn't afford to impulsively squander his elite troops here. He was a man who considered himself a master strategist, not one to act on impulse. This surprise attack on Meine had been carefully calculated.
"Retreat!" In the end, feeling that he didn't need to waste his elite troops on the city walls, Lord Berman gave the order to retreat. "Gather all the civilians and food on the way back to Dukho! Retreat to Dukho!"
As he watched Lord Berman, leading his troops and retreating from the city walls, Vaglon, hidden behind the battlements, couldn't help but bite his tongue twice, wanting to unsheathe his sword and order an immediate assault on Meine Castle. Twice, he suppressed his urge.
Unfortunately, he was concerned that the preparations he had made for assaulting the castle were too obvious to the Meine forces. Thus, he had only assembled his troops and marched here but hadn't prepared for a full-scale siege. Attacking the castle now would be rash and unwise.
So, he reluctantly watched as Lord Berman gathered his troops and withdrew from Meine Castle. Vaglon knew that he needed a proper plan and sufficient siege equipment to take Meine Castle. It was no time for impulsive decisions.
As Lord Berman ordered the retreat, he couldn't help but lament his misfortune. He had calculated every angle of this operation, and yet he hadn't foreseen that Meine Castle would fall in a matter of hours, let alone fall into the hands of the Ailanxil family of Seris.
Seeing the black flag rise on Meine Castle, Vaglon stood there, watching as the situation unfolded. Little did he know that the retreating Dukho City soldiers would pillage and devastate half of Meine along the way.
