Chapter 573 (1/2)
Chapter 573: The Battle of Fallen Dragon Ridge
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
BOOM!
When the fire blasted out of the 152 shipboard artillery, Iron Axe felt the steel ship he stood on wobble slightly.
A few seconds later, a cloud of smoke and dust exploded on the foreign city wall, and then the roar quieted down for a while. After all the smoke and dust dispersed, he looked through the telescope and found that there was a now big crack in the lower portion of the stone wall.
Different from King’s City, Fallen Dragon Ridge seldom encountered attacks from external enemies, being located in the central south of the kingdom. Thus, its city wall was quite low, not even half as high as that of Longsong Stronghold. The narrow wall at the top allowed only one person to pass, and they could not set up large defense equipment like mangonels. Therefore, the Artillery Squad had expanded field artilleries to the open space 500 meters away from the wall.
To make sure that the several hundred soldiers of the Vanguard Battalion could enter the city efficiently, Iron Axe decided to make three openings in the city wall before action. Any enemies trying to fill in and defend the open spots would be bombarded mercilessly by the twelve pounds cannons. Now that the gate and the north wall had been chiseled through, he would make a final command to attack once they seized the last entrance.
[If only the witches could’ve come with the army,] Iron Axe thought rather regretfully. It was a waste to use these precious shells on the stones.
If Lady Nightingale were here, they would only need three packs of explosives to destroy the whole city wall. After all, their defense was much weaker than King City’s.
He was amused to realize the change in his belief. Half a year ago, he had insisted that the army should complete His Majesty’s task independently. However, after conquering King’s City with the help of the Witch Union, it suddenly occurred to him that the perfect way to fight was to use witches as their eyes or commandos.
“Sir!” a soldier on the observatory shouted. “Attention to the gate! They seem to be gathering horses!”
Iron Axe looked at the ruined gate through his telescope. With limited vision, he could only vaguely see the dust behind the wall.
“Do I need to adjust the naval artillery and fire in that direction?” Van’er asked.
“Not necessary. It’ll waste at least two or three more shells.” He shook his head and said, “Since they’re horses, I think their plan is to gather knights and try to open the blockade line of field artillery through assault. There is nothing to worry about. While for you…” Iron Axe turned back to see Countess Spear. “After this assault, I’m afraid there will not be many knights left in your domain.”
“They decided to stand on my brother’s side. These people are no longer my knights.” She answered quietly. “That’s the price they have to pay for their betrayal.”
“I see.” Iron Axe paused for a moment and said, “Have you decided what to do with Redwyne Passi?”
Yesterday, he received a secret letter from the City Hall, which demanded all the noble except Spear’s relatives to be escorted to City of Neverwinter. Anyone who resisted would be executed on the spot, and their domain would be blocked by the First Army. The officers from the City Hall would arrive and seize their properties.
Based on that letter, the nobles would probably be sentenced to the mines with heavy labor. Currently several mines in Stronghold Area lacked sufficient labor forces. There should be hundreds of people, including family members, cronies and servants. It appeared there would be more iron ores in City of Neverwinter this year.
As for the culprit, Redwyne Passi, the letter instructed that he should be handed over to the countess herself.
The hesitation on Spear’s face showed that she had not made a decision yet.
Iron Axe sighed in silence. If he were her, he would chop off his head without hesitation. Nothing was more unforgivable than betrayal.
“They’re coming!” the observer shouted suddenly.
Putting aside these trifles, he continued to look at the battlefield through the telescope.
As he had expected, a group of knights rushed out from the gate heading directly to the edge of the artillery field.
The sound of gunshots suddenly echoed in the wilderness and forest. Puffs of smoke floated in the air in front of the battlefield. More than 20 knights and their squires fell down to the muddy ground in succession after rushing out less than 100 meters.