Chapter 173 - 173: Fall of Lys (2)
The one-thousand man strong reinforcement granted some reprieve to the Lysene army. But that was all it was. A brief reprieve and a moment of relaxation. These additional men did not provide any overwhelming advantage to the Lysene forces. Not that they were expecting it. Everyone knew that they were fighting a losing battle. They were just trying to go with the flow or delay the inevitable.
Though the position of the Lysene army strengthened slightly and their standing in the battle improved, they were still unable to push back Lord Aeos's forces. They were only able to achieve a temporary stalemate.
In the first hour of the battle, the Lysene army had almost lost the initial numerical advantage they had held at the beginning. Unlike the forces of Lord Aeos, who were highly motivated and fighting for a specific purpose in which they truly believed, the Lysene soldiers were not so inspired.
The Magisters hidden at the back of their army were desperate, but the soldiers were not. They, too, were either slaves or belonged to the families of common folk. Although their condition was much better than that of the poor or other smallfolk, they remained common people at heart. Even if the soldiers themselves did not want or say it, their families, their fathers, mothers, wives, and children, wished for the rule of Lord Aeos to come to the city.
Though they had not revolted outright, they clearly lacked the conviction to fight. They lacked the inspiration and the purpose to battle as fiercely as the forces of Lord Aeos did. Thus, despite the freshness of the new troops, they were unable to achieve any advantage. Furthermore, the carnage Sylvia had unleashed had planted terror in the hearts of the men. They were afraid and terrified to face that monster.
Since Sylvia and her men had already secured what they wanted and were merely stalling for their main force to arrive, they were more than happy to maintain the stalemate. They had secured strategic locations across the ports, and their primary purpose now was to continue holding them until their main force arrived.
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A fat, middle-aged man was peeking at the street through a hole he had carved into the wooden window of his room on the first floor of his house. The man ran a small inn on the ground floor while he lived on the first.
Though this particular inn was not luxurious or high-end, it was quite famous, especially among the soldiers, because of a certain rumor.
It was said that the man who owned the inn had a close contact working directly for Lord Aeos, and no matter the situation, one could always find authentic alcohol from Lord Aeos's lands there, provided they were willing to pay the price. This had made the inn renowned. And the actual availability of alcohol all the time made the rumour believable.
His house was located very close to the military barracks of Lys, as close as the city's laws permitted a civilian to be. The man had toiled hard and pulled quite a few strings to acquire this particular house from another merchant.
He had possessed other options, but he had been insistent on this one. Why? For a specific reason. From this house, while the entire barracks were not visible, the main street leading to them was completely in view. Any mobilization or deployment of the army, and he would know of it. He could keep a constant eye on the movement of the soldiers from his own house.
Just now, he had spotted the thousand soldiers leaving the barracks and heading toward the port. Like the Magisters, he knew that only one thousand men remained in the barracks and that if something happened in the city at this time, the garrison would not be ready to deal with it. And that something included a rebellion.
The lockdown was still in force, and though the residents were growing anxious and restless about the happenings at the port, they were still abiding by the laws.
"But not for long," the fat man mumbled to himself as he opened a wooden chest in the corner of the room. Inside was a medium-sized drum.
He fastened the ropes of the drum around his neck and picked up the two wooden sticks to beat it.
He climbed to the roof of his house using the narrow staircase.
He knew what he was about to do was dangerous, and though he was a bit anxious and nervous, he had no hesitation about what he was going to do.
He had been entrusted with a vital role in the upcoming capture of Lys, and he would fulfill it even if it cost him his life. He took a deep breath to calm his racing nerves, gripped the sticks firmly, and smashed them against the drum.
It began as a slow, rhythmic beat before expanding into a fast, continuous thunder. The sound echoed through the nearby streets, shattering the silence of the lockdown. Only a few moments later, another drum joined him. Then another, and another. In mere moments, the beating of drums echoed through the entire city.
Suddenly, the wooden gate of his house was struck by a powerful force. Patrolling soldiers were trying to break inside. The fat man threw his drum onto the floor and leaned over the railing of the roof.
"Are the lot of you trying to join me in the beating of the drum?" He laughed, mocking them.
"If you want, I have a couple of spare drums," he sneered. " Why waste your energy banging against plain wood?"
The soldiers did not respond. With another heavy kick, the bolts gave way and the gate smashed open.
"Fuck!" the man shouted, moving toward the edge of the roof where it met the next house.
Despite his bulky frame, he expertly crossed the boundary, leaping onto the adjacent rooftop. He continued moving with surprising agility considering his bulging stomach.
By the time the soldiers reached the roof, delayed by various obstructions he had placed in their path, such as slippery oil and heavy wooden wardrobes, the man had already vanished amidst the myriad of rooftops.
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