Under Fort Gruenward, thousands of Swadian soldiers had formed a phalanx and raised their shields.

According to the different sequences, they were arranged into fourteen brigades, and in each brigade, there were five hundred soldiers. According to Marshal Dirinard's arrangement, the fourteen phalanxes were to attack five different areas of the city wall and take the fort's defenses.

The infantry stood at the front of the ranks, swords and hammers, and kite-shaped shields, ready to brave the rain of arrows and step onto the walls to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the opposing defenders. The cavalry stood behind the ranks, they were well armed, they laid down their rifles, picked up maces and shields, and even in foot combat they were as good as the hoplites. Of course, the lords will not waste their precious cavalry, and by the time they need to play, either the infantry has already taken the city, or the battle is not going well and needs to retreat.

The crossbowmen on both sides had already formed a position, and the two phalanxes, a total of 1,000 Svadia crossbowmen of all levels, as well as a thousand mercenary crossbowmen and militiamen who could use crossbows, had lined up in a straight line under the city walls. The remaining 600 or so Rhodok crossbowmen in the castle had already settled in various points of the city wall, and all the crossbow arrows were wound.

At the head of the line, the Swadia engineers had erected fifty ladders, tall ladders with fixed brackets underneath, and it would take a lot of effort to knock them down.

They also built four siege engines protected by animal skins and pieces of iron, more than five stories tall and almost equal to the height of the city walls, using parts brought in from the rear. When it is pushed under the city walls, the wide hanging board is lowered and the soldiers inside can go directly to the top of the city.

There were also the giants of the Swadia army, the counterweight throwing carts, the parts of which were expensive siege equipment built in Uxhall and Suno, wrapped in large pieces of felt cloth, and it took a month for the wagons to be brought here.

When the engineers formed them and conducted a test shot, the morale of Swadia's army was directly raised by one level. The soldiers believed that with the help of these big guys, they would be able to storm the city and win the high bounty.

Of course, there were also a lot of bed crossbows mounted on four-wheeled carriages, as well as large battering rams that required ten people to use together, which were also mounted on the carriage, and these were the weapons that Swadia used to attack the city this time.

Byron's Peony mercenaries were formed into a separate queue, and as usual, they, along with the other two teams, were tasked with attacking the castle's gates. It's the place with the highest casualty rate, and it's often not the first place to storm the city to take credit.

Mercenaries are always cannon fodder among the nobles, and Byron has long been mentally prepared for this.

However, Count DiLinard still valued him, and organized the peony mercenaries into a team and was directly ordered by himself. In addition to the orders of the king and the marshal, Byron could call the shots in terms of battle command.

Byron lined up with the peony mercenaries, and like the rest of the kingdom's troops, he was reluctant to put the dismounted cavalry in front. Even if these cavalrymen dismounted, it would be equal to half of his combat power.

Mercenary infantry and mercenary swordsmen stood at the front of the ranks, and Svadia infantry and light infantry stood behind them with spears on their backs.

Crossbowmen, Vecchian archers, Nord archers, Swadian militiamen, and a number of crossbow-wielding mercenary sentries all side with the Kingdom Army's crossbowmen, providing cover at the front of the line.

In the game, the heroes, like the protagonists and the lords, do not die. In reality, Byron didn't dare to take the plunge.

Jamila and James didn't have to be involved in the attack, although Yamila was a little unhappy about it.

For the rest of the heroes, Byron has added an extra layer of chain mail to them. It may be a bit cumbersome, but it can really save someone's life when it counts.

Alleyne still wanted to wield his Vecchia Moonblade axe on the walls, but to avoid being killed by crossbow arrows, Byron still demanded that he hold his shield at all times before reaching the walls or storming the gates.

In addition, Byron brought a secret weapon. If that doesn't work, you might be able to use it.

All the soldiers were waiting for the order, both their own and the other side, anxiously waiting for the order to attack.

Twenty minutes passed, Byron was starting to get a little anxious, and Alleyne and Kress were getting a little impatient.

Fatis was praying for the third time, and when James came, his trust in religion rose a lot.

Bandak and Desaivi are still patient, and they are better than Byron in this regard.

At last, Count Dirinald, dressed in this finely decorated full-body plate armor, rode on a horse in armor, and led a whole group of knights who were also heavily armed to the front of the procession.

And the horn representing the offensive also began to sound.

"Warriors of Swadia, attack!"

The roar of Count Dirinard was heard in the vanguard of the army, and Byron and several other officers gave the order.

"The first to storm the city is rewarded with 1,000 dinars! Peony mercenary, follow me! ”

Byron drew his mace and led the charge towards the gates. But he played tricks and didn't rush too fast.

In this way, the soldiers behind him will soon overtake him, and he will also be able to give the impression that the first soldiers are in the lead.

Until he discovered a small problem, that is, the big brothers in the back were too polite, and they all rushed into the range of the opponent's crossbow arrows, and he was still the first!

There was no way, he could only give up the idea of running after loading X, put up his shield, and lined up with the people behind him to attack the gate.

Svadia's siege equipment also began to exert its power at this time, and after pushing forward for more than ten meters, dozens of ballistae fired crossbow arrows like short spears. The counterweight catapult in the rear also pulled the rope, and as the counterweight box flung back, the huge boulder flew straight out and smashed heavily on the head of Fort Gruenward.

The Rhodok crossbowmen, who were about to fire their crossbow arrows, hurriedly lowered their heads to dodge the huge crossbow arrows and stones that flew over, and watched as the large crossbow arrows like short spears plunged into the stone bricks on the ground behind them, and the stones of the stone throwers smashed several cracks in the city wall.

Several soldiers died in the attack, and seven or eight others were wounded. However, the Rhodok soldiers were not frightened by this level of attack, and the trebuchets on the tower immediately launched a counterattack, and the dense rain of crossbow arrows and arrows also directly covered the heads of several Svadia teams.

Byron heard the constant muffled sound of the shield and felt a jolt in his arm. He also heard the cries of soldiers being shot and the sound of people falling to the ground. But even so, he couldn't stop. The opponent's crossbow arrows were fired in batches, round after round, and when they didn't finish shooting at all, they could only attack in this way against the rain of arrows.

By the time Byron poked his head out of his shield, dozens of men had fallen from the nearby Swadia rank.

The Svadia crossbowmen on the other side, although they were cared for by the other party and suffered a lot of casualties, they still ran forward with their shields in their hands, and then shot crossbow arrows at the Rhodok crossbowmen at the head of the city.

This time, the Rhodok crossbowmen and the soldiers guarding the walls fell several times.