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Chapter 51: War
Chapter 51: War
Year 1250 of the Starlight Calendar.
Early in the Month of Winter Harp.
Not long after the New Year, Flash City accused Blackrock City's Lord, Kai Yanest, of conspiring with the Starfire Cult. They demanded that Kai come to Flash City alone to confess and receive his punishment. When Kai refused, Flash City launched a full-scale assault on Blackrock City.
Crack! Crack!
The sound of metal armor rubbing against each other echoed.
Kai led his men to the city walls, taking the brass telescope from Brade's hands and gazing into the distance.
Under the cover of night, the entire plain outside the city was dotted with the flickering light of campfires.
Shadows of people moved around the campfires, and the dense tents stretched across the plain, extending far into the distance.
"Owen has thrown everything he has into this. Not only his own army, but also the troops of the traitors Devlin, Zolff, and Norwood. They've even recruited over a thousand mercenaries!"
Brade's expression was heavy as he observed the distant army.
Owen's forces alone numbered nearly four thousand, and with the mercenaries, the total army size exceeded five thousand, about four times the size of Blackrock City's army. This war would not be easy to win.
"The mercenaries are not much of a concern. They are undisciplined and disorganized, just a bunch of rabble. They might be useful in a pitched battle on the plains, but in a siege, they'll be a liability."
Kai put down the brass telescope, his brow slightly furrowed, clearly not as calm as he sounded.
While he had anticipated that after the assassination attempt failed, Owen would likely act without restraint and launch an attack on Blackrock City, the reality of the situation still weighed heavily on him.
Especially when he saw the vast expanse of the enemy's army outside the city, the burden on his shoulders felt even heavier.
Blackrock City had been expanding its military capabilities, but even now, it only had a little over a thousand soldiers.
Of these, three hundred were newly trained militia who had never seen combat, and their effectiveness on the battlefield was questionable.
The remaining thousand included eight hundred city guards, whose combat prowess was decent.
The other two hundred were the Blackrock Cavalry Regiment, Kai's true ace in the hole.
"Unfortunately, time is too short. If I had another year or two, I could have turned the Blackrock Cavalry into a full-knight regiment. Even with just two or three hundred, they would be more than enough to flatten the entire Flash Territory!"
Kai sighed inwardly.
Training a Blackrock Cavalry member cost around fifty gold coins.
Even with the Blackrock Mine as a steady source of income, the expansion of the Blackrock Cavalry had been slow, and they had only reached a strength of two hundred.
"Have all the people from the Blackrock Mine been evacuated?" Kai turned to ask.
Jodan nodded. "They have all been safely evacuated. According to the scouts, the enemy has already taken control of the mine."
Kai nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on the distant army as he pondered their next move.
For them, defending the city was more advantageous.
Owen's elite cavalry was better suited for combat on the plains, and their effectiveness would be halved in a siege. After all, horses cannot fight on city walls.
The Blackrock Cavalry, however, was different. The Blackrock Leopards could easily defend the city walls.
In fact, the relentless puppet constructs could be even more effective in a siege.
This shift in dynamics favored Blackrock City.
However, merely defending the city was not enough.
If the conflict dragged on, supply lines would become a critical weakness.
Moreover, the Blackrock Mine was still in enemy hands, and Kai did not want it to become a gold mine for the enemy.
The best strategy would be to hold the city for a while, wearing down the enemy's forces. Once they became complacent, he would send the Blackrock Cavalry Regiment to directly attack the core of the enemy camp.
If they could take out the enemy's command center, the war would be theirs.
The Blackrock Cavalry Regiment had been shrouded in secrecy since its formation, and outsiders had no idea how powerful this unit truly was.
The rebels were completely unprepared, and the plan had a high chance of success!
Kai's mind raced, and he quickly made up his mind.
Turning to see the solemn expressions of his generals, Kai spoke calmly, "The enemy is coming at us with full force, but we're not pushovers. We've been building our strength for the past two years, and this is what we've been preparing for. Now, let's show those rebels the true power of Blackrock City!"
"Right, sir! You’re absolutely right!"
"Let those rebels see what we're made of!"
"I can't wait!"
Encouraged by Kai, the generals' fighting spirit soared.
Braed and Jodan exchanged a glance, both smiling.
Others might not know the full extent of their preparations, but as members of Blackrock City, they were well aware of the dramatic changes over the past two years.
Blackrock City already had over 160 knights.
Many viscount territories didn't even have that many!
Not to mention, Blackrock City also had 200 Blackrock Leopards, each with the combat power of a knight.
In total, Blackrock City had over 300 knight-level combatants.
To be honest, if it weren't for the limited space and weak foundational military strength of the city, with the Blackrock Cavalry Regiment being the only elite force, Owen wouldn't stand a chance.
And all of this was thanks to Sir Su Nan.
"I wonder where Sir Su Nan is now?"
Jodan patted the hilt of his sword and grinned, "If Sir Su Nan were here, we wouldn't even need to defend the city. We could just march out and take care of those bastards!"
The surrounding knights nodded in agreement, even the usually composed Braed.
If anyone else, even a peak Great Knight, were here, they wouldn't believe that one person could turn the tide in a war of this scale.
But Su Nan was different.
They had all witnessed the mysterious and powerful abilities of a wizard, which had instilled in them a profound confidence.
If it were him, he might truly create a miracle that would leave everyone speechless!
After observing the situation on the city walls for a while, Kai turned and left.
There was a lot of preparation to be done before the battle, and many tasks awaited him.
The next day.
As soon as dawn broke, a deep and resonant horn call echoed from outside the city.
Kai and his generals ascended the city walls and looked out to see the distant army forming ranks.
Before long, thousands of soldiers began pushing siege equipment toward the city walls.
"They're in a hurry."
A cold glint flashed in Kai's eyes. He raised his hand and called out, "Prepare for battle!"
"Yes, sir!"
The generals responded in unison, then turned to order the soldiers to prepare for combat.
The city's defenders sprang into action.
(End of Chapter)
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