Chapter 111 : The Mercenary Bureau’s First Request (25)
Chapter 111: The Mercenary Bureau’s First Request (25)
Because the matter was so serious, the meeting was convened very quickly.
The nobles and knights who had been scattered across the various barracks soon began to gather at the command headquarters one after another.
Once everyone had gathered after a short while, Viscount Ragnarsson began to relay the information that Shatien had gathered.
Thanks to that, groans of lamentation erupted from the gathered crowd.
“Hah! To think there are such disloyal people.”
“How can they not even think of the grace they received from His Excellency the Marcher Lord!”
Even though there were clearly faults of their own, not a single noble mentioned them. Originally, the nobles' perception of the peasants during this period was just like this.
Especially in the barren North, rights were something that could only be claimed by those who could call themselves warriors.
It was not for those insignificant peasants or bandits.
“If the rear is like this, are we not in danger right now? Are you planning to withdraw the forces now?”
“No, man. We have to carry out the siege quickly now! We must overcome the castle, Viscount!”
“Doing a siege is harder! Wouldn't it be easier to just grind down the rebels on the plains? How much skill could they possibly have anyway.”
The nobles frantically offered their opinions. Whether it was a siege or smashing the Balud forces in the rear, everyone unanimously voiced the opinion to fight.
There were no words about negotiating.
They were truly like the bellicose elves of the North.
“What do you think, Viscount Ragnarsson?”
“That is right. What meaning is there in us talking like this. We will follow the orders of Viscount Ragnarsson, the great warrior and the legitimate commander.”
“Your orders!”
“Your orders!”
When the situation did not settle down despite talking for a long while, the nobles all looked at Viscount Ragnarsson and shouted.
Viscount Ragnarsson pretended to be troubled while stroking his beard, immediately avoiding a direct answer.
It was an action intended to make his subordinate nobles anxious once more.
‘He is a high level player.’
Shatien marveled at the sight.
Certainly, even if they were bellicose elves, once they reached that high, they became quite political.
To think he was implicitly making his subordinate nobles plead of their own accord.
If things went that way, they would have no choice but to follow whatever command Viscount Ragnarsson gave. The atmosphere itself made it difficult for any refusal to emerge.
“Since you all request it so earnestly, I shall speak.”
“Yes. Please give us your command.”
“Certainly, Balud's forces in the rear will be weaker than the rebel noble forces holed up in that castle. However, their numbers are not to be reckoned with. How many did you say they were, Sir Shatien?”
“It is estimated to be a force of roughly 4,000 to 5,000.”
At Shatien's words, the crowd let out another low groan.
The military force was more formidable than they had thought.
“It is certainly not a situation that would end at once just because we fought a field battle.”
“We might have to engage in several skirmishes. It will take quite a bit of time.”
Listening to the murmuring nobles, Viscount Ragnarsson nodded his head.
“That is correct. While we move to deal with them and prepare for engagement, a considerable amount of time will be consumed. Then, we would conversely open our rear to those rebel noble bastards holed up in that castle. This is actually more dangerous.”
“Hmm…. Then are you saying, Viscount Ragnarsson, that we should conduct the siege?”
“Correct.”
Proper information about Balud's forces would not have been delivered to Holsten Castle yet.
Had they not been cutting off all transportation networks in the meantime?
Therefore, if they attacked fiercely, those people would not know the external situation, so their will to resist would easily crumble.
They would have even clearly seen a massive amount of supplies entering the formation just yesterday.
The rebel nobles inside Holsten Castle would also accurately perceive that the situation was different from before.
If they were subjected to a fierce attack, their will to resist might break, and they might eventually change their minds and surrender.
“That sounds good!”
“We will follow your orders.”
“For a glorious death!!!”
And once the explanation reached this point, the nobles had no reason to object.
A rational basis.
And a more honorable battlefield.
There was no reason for the elven nobles to refuse this blood splattering siege.
* * *
The next morning.
After eating a lavish meal for the first time in a long while, Viscount Ragnarsson's subjugation force moved busily.
Using wood cut from afar, engineers continued to make siege weapons such as ladders, siege towers, and battering rams, while the nobles were frantic with forming the ranks of their subordinate soldiers and moving them.
It was a tight movement after a long interval, but like warriors living in the harsh North, they were relentless.
They eventually recovered all their momentum before noon passed and were glaring at Holsten Castle with sharp gazes.
“The preparations are finished, Viscount!”
“Good!”
Viscount Ragnarsson nodded at the words of his subordinate nobles.
Now he only needed to give the order.
The result would be bestowed by God to the one who fought a more courageous battle.
Viscount Ragnarsson thought so and immediately shouted.
“Beat the drums! Blow the trumpets! We shall eat tonight's dinner in Holsten Castle!”
-Boom. Boom. Boom.
-Bwooooooooooo.
The drums rolled, the trumpet sounds burst forth, and then.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
“Chaaaarge! Advance slowly starting from the designated units!”
With the nobles' commands, the soldiers formed ranks and walked toward the castle walls. Sandbags were fastened to all of their waists, and these were all intended to fill the crude moat in front of Holsten Castle.
-Thump. Thump. Thump.
The soldiers who went before the moat holding shields began to throw the sandbags all at once.
-Splash. Splash.
-Splaaaaash.
Not just once, but multiple times.
And once they finished throwing, the units were swapped, and they began to throw endlessly. By this point, even if it was a moat, it began to rise flatly.
“B-Block them!!”
“Fire! Fire!!!!”
“We must stop those bastards! What are the archer units doing! Kill them all!”
The rebel commander who discovered this atop the Holsten castle walls screamed, but that was all.
-Peenng!
-Whish! Tick. Tick.
-Clang! Clang!
The arrows coming down from the castle walls were certainly threatening, but that was all. Viscount Ragnarsson had already anticipated all of this and specially supplied high quality shields to the frontline units.
Thanks to that, there were only a few soldiers who fell under the fierce arrow attacks.
Instead, there were only more soldiers who continued to fill the moat and move forward.
The moat was filled in an instant.
Now there was only one thing blocking the castle and the soldiers.
It was the high-piled castle wall.
“Retreat!”
“Swapping! Next unit, prepare!”
“Prepare for the siege!!”
The subjugation force nobles immediately shouted.
As expected of the North where battle was a daily occurrence, even this kind of siege was very natural. Once the first unit that carried heavy shields withdrew, the units that brought numerous ladders and hooks began to advance.
Now the siege had begun in earnest.
“Throw!!”
“Higher! Throw it properly! If you throw it wrong, our allies will be greatly injured later!”
-Whish!
-Thwack. Thwack.
-Creeeeak! Screeeech. Thud.
Hooks and ladders began to be hooked onto the castle walls one by one. The height might have been frightening, but the brave warriors of the North did not care and climbed them toward the top of the walls.
“T-This is crazy!”
“We must block them! Thrust your spears so those bastards cannot come up!”
“No! Cut the ladders! What are you doing!”
The rebels atop the walls shouted in horror. No, they did not just shout. They were also struggling in their own way to somehow block the subjugation force coming up.
“Hot water!!!”
“It is here.”
“Pour it!!”
-Tsssssssss!
“Arghhhhhh!!”
-Thud!
They brought boiling water from somewhere and poured it onto the faces of those coming up.
“You cannot achieve anything like that! Cut the hook ropes! What are you doing, you stupid bastards.”
-Creeak! Screech!
-Twang!
“A-Aaaaaaaaagh!”
-Crunch. Thud! Clatter.
They were dropping the subjugation force by breaking the hooks hooked on the walls and the ends of the ladders.
However, the subjugation force was persistent.
Hooks and ladders continued to be hooked, and soldiers climbed atop the walls endlessly.
“We have occupied this section of the wall!”
“Push them in!! Those who came up are not even a handful!”
Sometimes, sections atop the walls were occupied.
“Hahaha! Is there no warrior to face my sword!”
“It is a knight!!! Call our knight! We can never stop them! Gurgle!”
-Crunch!
They were also being devastated by the knights who suddenly entered the fray.
They were truly moments of life and death.
There were dizzying situations where some parts would have really been pierced if the response had been even a little late.
However, despite that, this was a siege. It was a battlefield environment too advantageous for the defenders.
It was close, but they were blocking the attacks of the rebel bastards very well. They were conducting a physical defense with their whole bodies while screaming somehow.
“It is really damn solid.”
Shatien marveled as he watched. Siege battles were indeed too disadvantageous for the attackers. To think they were fighting while climbing up that solid stone structure. It did not look easy at all to capture it with only this kind of ignorant frontal breakthrough.
“The rebels' defense is much stronger than I thought.”
And it seemed Viscount Ragnarsson was having similar thoughts.
He was frowning as he looked at the chaos atop the castle walls.
He looked very dissatisfied with the battle situation that was not progressing as expected.
“Surely…. You are not thinking of stepping forward yourself, are you? Viscount Ragnarsson?”
Shatien asked cautiously, fearing the possibility.
Because he knew well how absurd it was for a frontline commander to attempt that dangerous siege. However, Viscount Ragnarsson, the hot blooded elven knight, was indeed different.
“Hmm? How did you know?”
“Pardon???”
“Hahahaha. As expected, you were thinking the same as me. Indeed, if I climb up there with a person of your skill, who would dare to block us!”
He was really thinking of climbing atop that wall and leading the siege.
What was even more mind boggling was.
“Hahaha! Our Sir Shatien is certainly very bold, very unlike a human. Excellency!”
“Kiyooooooo!! Just give the order. I am ready to willingly devote this body for a glorious battle. Viscount Ragnarsson!”
The elven knights surrounding Viscount Ragnarsson were not thinking of stopping him at all.
They were rather making a fuss, saying they would go together as well.
‘Oh dear… my head.’
He did not know if these were really ignorant barbarian warriors or civilized knights.
Shatien sighed and stopped Viscount Ragnarsson.
“If you stand at the front, Viscount, who will command! You must not go.”
“But what is the use of just watching like this? Wouldn't it be better for me or you to step forward rather than letting unnecessary damage grow?”
“You must think of contingencies, Viscount Ragnarsson!”
Then, Viscount Ragnarsson pouted his lips as if disappointed and said.
“Hmph. You. I did not see you that way. You are being too much.”
“It is not being too much. Please think that I said it for your sake, Viscount.”
Shatien complained inwardly and continued speaking.
“Instead of that, if you really want to, how about putting in troops in successive waves?”
“Attacking in successive waves?”
“Yes. Do we not have more troops anyway? If we take turns day and night to continue harassing the enemy, they will become exhausted and collapse on their own. It seems proper to put in the best power like the elven knights after that, Viscount Ragnarsson.”
“Oho…!”
At those words, Viscount Ragnarsson looked at Shatien with sparkling eyes.
That gaze felt as if he was wondering where such a lovely person had finally appeared from.
Very scarily, that is.