Section 13

Dusk is approaching. Above Sedin Castle, the Greyhound flag still flutters. Underneath the flag, the black body of a cannon, even in the setting sun, still looks full of intimidating power.

Protected by hills and valleys, the north and south sides of Sedin Castle are areas where it is impossible to camp. If you insist on camping, you will be vulnerable because of the small number of soldiers you can accommodate. So the army of St. Jean did not make such an attempt, but only placed a large camp to the east of the castle. Two cannons in the castle are located in this direction.

So far, there has been only one battle under the castle of Sedin. If a tentative charge of those hundreds of militiamen counts as a battle. The roar of the cannons immediately shattered their courage to attack. Although the shell missed, the militia immediately collapsed and turned around and ran away, causing the greyhounds to laugh.

Even a genius general like Thomas is powerless in the face of a well-fed and well-defended castle. From top to bottom, the Greyhound Knights thought so.

However, something seems to be wrong with the situation.

"Look, sir. "At the head of the city, a junior officer is giving directions to his superiors.

You can get a good view from the castle walls, so even at this time, you can see what is happening in the distance. At this moment, squad after squad of soldiers were walking into the enemy's camp.

It's been five or six days in a row. Every day, new enemies arrive under the city. The ranks of the enemy who arrived today were carrying flags in the shape of red dragons, which should have numbered around a thousand, including a large group of militia and a considerable number of flags. Add up the enemy reinforcements that have been arriving during this time, and the number should not be less than five thousand. And the enemy is still coming.

Even the enemy's camp is growing day by day.

"Soldiers...... It's all about it. Everyone was worried that there were too many enemies. ”

If the specific number of enemies is an incalculable number, another thing is real and clear.

In the center of the enemy's barracks, three huge machines had been erected, even higher than the walls of Sedin. That's three siege towers that have just been completed. It was a huge siege machine made of wood and covered with fireproof materials such as raw cowhide.

As long as the siege tower can be pressed to the side of the wall, a steady stream of soldiers will rush up the wall along the siege tower. The siege turned into a simple and brutal war of attrition on the walls. Moreover, the superior side was destined to gain the upper hand and seize the walls.

Without the city walls, it will be the end of the defenders. A bloody tug-of-war stirs up the deepest bestiality in the human heart, turning even the most elegant knight into a red-eyed demon. When the time comes, it will turn into a massacre without any tolerance and mercy. Blood will stain the castle red! It has been since ancient times.

The fourth siege tower is halfway built, and the fifth seems to have just begun. But within ten days, the army of St. Jean beneath the city would have at least eight siege towers. Anyone skilled in military engineering knows that this speed means that the enemy has at least a thousand craftsmen on the job. And even more.

Commander Greyhound's face turned pale. It was the red light of the setting sun that concealed his abnormal look.

It's just a siege tower. How many war machines were still in the work in the enemy's camps, and how many trebuchets, rams, ballistas, hooks and ladders were there behind those tents?

The people of St. Jean were in no hurry to attack, they were waiting. Waiting for the construction of siege machinery, waiting for the constant arrival of reinforcements.

"Unless we can strike at night and burn these things. Otherwise......" The junior officer looked at the commander and muttered his proposal. "Last night, three soldiers fled, hiding from the sentries, by hanging them with ropes from the wall. ”

Night raid, burn down, it's a very tempting choice. But anyone knows what it means if a night attack fails. The Greyhound Commander shook his head. Thomas – St. Jean's general – is known for his cunning and treacherousness, and is sure to protect his engineering equipment. And even if the night attack was successful, it would only delay the siege for more than ten days.

For three months, Sedin Castle was left alone.

But if this continues, morale will be destroyed. Although two cannons on the walls are a good weapon, siege towers cannot be destroyed by a single cannonball unless they hit the pillars right in place. When eight or more siege towers are slowly pressed from the front. Two cannons are powerless.

"My lord, if this development continues......

"We must retreat!" replied the Greyhound officer, his voice frighteningly low. "There is no choice. ”

After the sun set, there was silence at the head of the city. It is customary to light a fire on the top of the castle to prevent the enemy from sneaking up. In the barracks beneath the city, it was pitch black. No one noticed that the number of guards patrolling the walls was very small, and there were many dummies in between.

In Sedin Castle, everything is in order. All kinds of supplies that must be carried in the retreat, all kinds of small means to confuse the enemy, and all kinds of traps prepared for the enemy.

When midnight came, the side doors of Sedin Castle quietly opened. Groups of soldiers left the castle almost silently and retreated into the distance. The horses' hooves were covered with rags, and everything was careful and silent.

The retreat was so ingenious that by the time St. Jean's army caught up, it was already noon on the third day.

......

"General Thomas!" Thomas was there writing his letter as the soldier rushed in breathlessly.

"What's the matter?"

"Enemy ...... Enemy...... The greyhound has abandoned the castle and retreated!" the scout was out of breath, but he couldn't hide the joy on his face. "Lord William Daley has gone into the city to put things in order. Now the whole barracks knew about the enemy's escape. The knights shouted for pursuit. ”

"It's good to chase ......," Thomas continued. "When did the Greyhound leave?"

"I guess it was the middle of the night last night. ”

"That's right. It's good, get me all the lieutenants right away! William Daley will forget it, and I'll give him the castle to tidy up. ”

A few minutes later, all three of Thomas's lieutenants arrived. They all knew the news of the withdrawal of the greyhounds, and they all looked very excited.

"The greyhound has been withdrawn, and has been gone for almost a whole day. Who wants to lead an army in pursuit?"

"Master Thomas, please leave it to me!" Ryan cried out.

"Good. Ryan, take my orders, and you will immediately gather all the knights and probationary knights and pursue them as fast as you can. But remember, the greyhound is likely to be on guard, and you must be careful. Hurry up and go. ”

"Yes!" Ryan trotted away.

"Leo, you go and inform the King and Princess at once. Tell them about my capture of Sedin Castle. Let them go as soon as possible. Without further ado, go and come back quickly. Remember, bring a few more people, and you'll be responsible for escorting them here. ”

"Yes. Leo is gone, too.

"Ashrufat, gather enough militia as soon as possible, and carefully sweep the remnants of the Greyhounds nearby. Although it may be a redundant move, it is well prepared. By the way, remember to send someone to clean up the big pile of garbage. ”

Ashrufat perfectly understands what "big piles of garbage" means. That's the wooden shelves disguised as siege towers. The shelves are haphazardly constructed of thin planks and scraps of wood, and then covered with paper or cloth that resembles cowhide. This thing is not even as good as the scaffolding of a building. At least the scaffolding can hold a few people, and this thing can't even stand people. It's completely for bluffing greyhounds.

There was only one real siege tower, and only half of it was built. But now it seems to be purely redundant.

"Ashrufat, why don't you go?" Thomas bowed his head and finished his interrupted letter. When he looked up, he realized that Ashrufat hadn't left yet. ”

"Lord Thomas, may I ask you how you could have come up with such a brilliant strategy, and have you not been emphasizing avoiding risks as much as possible?"

"I'm not taking any risks. Thomas replied with a smile. "If the enemy is not fooled and defends to the end, what loss will I pay? I have let the army sneak out at night and come back during the day with great fanfare, I have enlarged my camp, I have divided a dozen craftsmen to build some deceptive props, and I have my spies in the Greyhound army to trumpet these things that everyone can see. But will these things cost me anything? What do I have to lose besides that?"

"But...... But ......"

"Ashrufat, the so-called art of deceit, is itself an effective aid to war. However, human nature is opportunistic, so some people regard deceit as the true ingenuity of warfare. Let's say an ambush. To put it another way, the ambush is to divide their combat effectiveness into two parts. If the enemy is not fooled and does not enter the ambush circle, then this is tantamount to artificially creating a weakness for himself, just like the last exam question I had. It was a choice that pinned one's hopes on the enemy, and it was the last resort. Remember the four principles I summarized in the book I gave you?"

"Yes. First, everything must be in your own hands, and you cannot expect the enemy to cooperate with you. Second, the purpose of the operation should be clearly defined and results other than this purpose should not be blindly pursued. The third is to concentrate as many forces as possible and let the enemy disperse them. Fourth, we must be prepared for a frontal battle, and only use deceit when the cost of defeat is not great. ”

"That's right, all the principles are easier said than done. I made a mistake just now. I shouldn't have let Ryan go after him. The goal of this battle is to capture the castle, not to annihilate the greyhounds. ”

Thomas let out a long sigh.

"Everything in theory often doesn't work in practice, and I know what this is for? Because books are always refreshing, but in reality there are too many things that interfere with you. ”