The messenger was killed. The attacking side has good reason. The defending side also has a clear understanding. There is no possibility of détente between the two sides, and war is about to start.

Egil had already received the news that the total number of Genaeans stationed in the city was no more than 2,000. And none of them are regular armies. Although because of the excellent economic conditions of northern Italy, it was equipped with iron armor chain mail, large shields and spears. But the actual combat effectiveness should be only a little better than that of the spear sergeant of the average country. No cause for concern at all. And Genoa's signature class, Genoa's giant shield crossbowmen, are only equipped with less than two hundred in the city. The crossbow is powerful but slow to fire, so it's no less of a concern.

What distressed Egil was the more than 50,000 citizens of Marseille.

Perhaps it is because the consciousness of this kind of city dwellers is relatively high. Or maybe it was the words that the people of Renaya hyped up "after the city was broken, the city was slaughtered three times" played a role. The people in the city consciously armed. Although the equipment was not as good as that of the Reyaya militia, the rudimentary shields made of dismantled dwellings and the improvised shoddy spears of the blacksmith shop were sufficient. In this way, Marseille had nearly 10,000 more defenders out of thin air. And when necessary, women and children can also go up to the city wall to block arrows. Overall, Marseille's war potential is still very high.

Egil watched as the spies in the city took advantage of the night to send a secret message through carrier pigeons. I knew that the promise of "killing as few people as possible" promised by Joan of Arc should be unlikely to be fulfilled. Maybe you won't need to slaughter the city after it is broken. These damned French people will have died in the previous siege.

"Your good people. "Egil was angry. So the French king Philip II, who was directly related to it, became a punching bag. In a fit of rage, Egil didn't care that the other party was the same king as himself. I didn't give people a good look at it at all.

In fact, Philip II was also very uncomfortable. Egil's reproach is one thing. Seeing your own people turn against you is another aspect.

"Tomorrow, the French army will attack first. Philip II was furious. He slammed the table with his right fist, but made a decision that did not match the title of "fox" at all.

So, the next day.

Egil did not tell Philip II that he had brought with him hundreds of loadable, detachable, fully assembly line, and extremely powerful counterweight trebuchets made of common parts. There is no need to storm the fortified city at all. Just wait a little longer for the engineers to assemble all these siege weapons. After that, the walls of Marseilla, which were not very strong, could be smashed to smithereens.

But why did Egil tell Philip II, who was not his relative.

However, Egil's purpose was clearly to rescue the city of Rome. Why do you have so many siege engines with you? It's strange...... That's it.

After a day of preparation, the French soldiers rushed towards the walls of Marseille, which were more than four meters high, carrying shoddy ladders.

Immediately afterwards, a round of crossbow bolts was shot down on the city, and the Renaya crossbowmen were the first in the continent. The scientific and technological content of its crossbow is not inferior to that of Norman crossbowmen. And the level of training is still excessive. Armed with heavy scale armor, swords, and large shields, the Renaa crossbowmen are even better in close combat.

The two hundred Genoa crossbowmen gathered in the front row of the battlements, armed with heavy crossbows, and fired a volley at the swarming French spearmen. Immediately after that, the results were not checked. Instead, he continued to quickly place the heavy crossbow on the ground, raised his foot and stepped on it hard, thus winding it.

The power of the heavy crossbow was on full display at this moment. The French soldiers who rushed to the front row felt as if they had been punched in the chest, and the shield that protected their chests was pierced at once. The body involuntarily leans back. After that, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and when I looked down, I realized that only a piece of arrow feather was left fluttering there. I wanted to get up, but I felt as if something was pulling me behind me. All of a sudden, he fell to the ground again. The reason why this is so is because it was nailed directly to the ground by this crossbow arrow.

The hapless creature struggled desperately to get up. Waving his hands for help. However, on the battlefield, no one paid any attention to him. Behind him, equally fanatical French soldiers stamped directly over him. The soldier who had only half a life left was trampled to death.

"-- The first to ascend will be rewarded with a hundred gold! Canonized knights! Those with noble titles will be rewarded with a thousand gold, and three booties may be given priority!" Philip II's rich reward aroused the greed of the French people. Especially the group of civilians. After hearing about a knighthood, almost all of them went crazy. It's not easy to go from a commoner to a nobleman these days...... Although he became a knight, he was just a high-level cannon fodder, and he was still a certain distance from a real nobleman. But I finally took the first step. There are quite a few veterans who have fought all their lives. Killed even more people than some knights. But in the end, he was just a civilian.

So, the knighthood! and the gold! all of a sudden, the fame is there, and the profit is also there! How can you not be tempted?!

In this way, the French soldiers roared feverishly, holding aloft the French fleur-de-lis banner and the red cross banner of the Crusaders on a white background, and rushed towards Marseille with a ladder! With only two hundred Genoa crossbowmen, such a long-range attack could not cause panic at all! On the contrary, the red blood aroused the fierce surname in the hearts of the French!

It's only a few hundred meters away! The Renaya crossbowmen only had time to shoot two rounds of bows and arrows!

Immediately afterward, the Genoa crossbowmen retreated, rushing towards the towers, which were taller, but less easy to aim and fire. The Italian militia and the armed citizens of Marseille poured into the city and blocked the pheasant moat with their shields. At the same time, some citizens were responsible for transporting stones and boiling oil to defend the city. On the city walls, a bonfire brazier was set up at intervals to serve as a prop for starting a fire.

Seeing that the head of Marseille was well guarded. Philip II sent another horse to investigate, and reported that the same was true of the other two walls, which were surrounded by the sea to the south, but there were only three walls. Thus the French army of 15,000 was divided into three routes. Five thousand troops per road. Attack one wall at a time.

In this way, although the effect of the encirclement attack was achieved, it also lost its slight numerical advantage - a total of 12,000 defenders divided into three teams, each of which also numbered 4,000. Not much less than the 5,000 attacking troops of France. Plus a decent urban defense system. It is unlikely that the French army will be able to capture the city...... At the northern wall. Philip II frowned. Egil smiled up, and then asked, "How?" Norman army longbowmen were also good. Keeping the enemy at bay is also a help for the attacking troops. ”

Philip II's mouth opened, and then he whispered, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help." ”

Egil chuckled twice. After that, I felt that this location was a little far away from the city. So he proposed, "Let's get closer." Just stop outside the range of the Renaya crossbow. Several other monarchs did not disagree. So hundreds of well-armed king's guards advanced a distance of about two hundred meters. At the same time, the Norman longbowmen were ordered to form a formation, a total of 5,000 longbowmen, and 500 Sherwood marksmen lined up in a skirmisher formation, while making the final adjustments to their longbows, slowly, step by step, calculating the distance, and walking towards Marseille.

Eventually, under the walls to the north, it stopped at the behest of Robin Hood, dressed in green camouflage. Robin Hood then ran up to Egir and asked his lord if he could attack.

"You wait. With a wave of his hand, Egil pointed to the head of the city, one holding aloft the banner of St. George of the Republic of Genoa, and the other pressing the hilt of the sword at his waist. Guy dressed as a nobleman in heavy chain mail.

"Can you hear what the guy says?" asked Egil.

To be an archer, what you pay attention to is that you are deaf and clear-sighted. Robin Hood, as a leader, is naturally not inferior. Lift your ears a little, then nod your head.

"My subordinates can hear it. Robin Hood replied.

"Oh, so what does that fellow Rory say?" Egir then asked, "and since I walked here just now, I saw him shouting at the top of his voice. ”

Robin Hood nodded, carefully discerning the guy's voice from the noisy battlefield.

"These guys under the banner of the Crusaders. Essentially a swarm of locusts, a bunch of robbers, brutes in human skin, even though they preach the danger of saving Catholicism. flaunting his piety and chivalry. But the truth is that their real purpose is to rob, to plunder, to satisfy their own **! so-called piety and chivalry. It's just a fig leaf for them! Citizens of Marseille, don't be deceived by these people anymore! They are all raccoon dogs, and you must not have any illusions about them, and the only way out is to rise up and resist!"

Robin Hood listened for a long time. But it's embarrassing. From the bottom of his heart, this former thief didn't think what the other party said was unreasonable. But the identities are different, and the positions are different. It was difficult for him to agree...... "How? what did he say?" Egil asked.

"It's just gibberish. The subordinates were afraid that by speaking out, they would defile the ears of the lord. Robin Hood replied humbly.

"Forget it, I just don't like him anyway. My best marksman, kill him for me. Egil ordered......

(To be continued)