White looked at the Black Iron City before him, pinching the watch in his hand.
As long as the time was up and they hadn’t taken the city, they would have to retreat; that was the military command.
Of course, there was still plenty of time, measured in days, after all, the enemy’s reinforcements couldn’t fly, and the Beitang Defensive Line likely hadn’t even realized what was happening. White had enough time for arrangements and to prepare for retreat.
However, based on White’s understanding of the Northern Border army, he still felt that the command was being a bit too tight with the time; delaying by two or three days would be completely fine.
After all, the command was basing their assumptions on the enemy receiving news immediately and quickly marching to provide support.
In reality, not only would they not receive news, even if they did, the allied forces around Black Iron City would probably be sluggish in organizing their reinforcements and would arrive as slowly as turtles.
In this era, being able to form a military formation was already considered having a strong army, let alone being able to march quickly.
Those noble lords would even argue first about whether or not to provide support.
To put it hypothetically, even if the enemy really did arrive according to the assumptions of the command, with the equipment they had and the nearly thousand well-trained soldiers under his command, White was confident that he could take out an entire squad with just one squad.
He just couldn’t bring the entire Third Brigade army; otherwise, White felt he could push the city in front of him that day. In White’s eyes, Black Iron City was barely even a fortress, let alone a stronghold.
After all, seeing the mixed and mismatched weapons and equipment of the defenders on the city wall, White realized he was at the Graythorn Territory for too long, forgetting what the outside world used to fight.
The rate of equipment iteration in Graythorn Territory was far too fast; even what was outdated and distributed to the militia was much better than the equipment of the defenders on the wall.
White had never fought a battle this affluent, with weapons and equipment on hand that could handle nearly all situations, and every soldier was loyal, brave, and fearless in the face of death, to the point where their obedience to orders had become muscle memory.
Questioning Lauri, understanding Lauri, surpassing Lauri! White now wished he could kneel before Chief Lila and Lord Governor just so he could upgrade the soldiers’ equipment; he could call Chief Lila “sister” or even “mom” if it meant getting that done.
However, overestimating the enemy was not a bad thing; even when fighting a rabbit, one must use full force, and this was White’s first mission under Lind’s command, so he absolutely couldn’t afford any mistakes.
The magic artillery of the second type was already assembled, and the alchemist accompanying the army was making the final adjustments.
“Magic transmission is normal, arcane magic circle is operational, magic power trigger is activated, we can fire!”
With this battle cry, the artillerymen who had been waiting for a long time inserted the triangular prism-shaped raw sand container into the artillery’s slot.
“Boom!”
The first shell hit the city wall, crashing rocks and sending debris flying like a fierce rain shower.
“Magic Barrier, quick, quick!”
Kiss shouted from the city wall.
Before Kiss could say more, the barrier on the wall was already activated.
“Boom!”
Another cannon shot came in, yet it was effectively blocked by the barrier. Kiss, standing on the city wall, didn’t feel even a slight vibration.
“Ah~”
Kiss sighed in relief.
“The rebels are nothing but this; every move is under my control.”
Seeing that it was safe, the soldiers began to flatter Kiss.
“The general is truly insightful; next, all we have to do is wait for reinforcements.”
“Yes, the enemy is deep behind enemy lines; they’re definitely doomed.”
Just as the soldiers were preparing to open a bottle of champagne to celebrate the general’s good mood, one soldier who had been standing with Kiss on the city wall suddenly asked, “General, wait, why does the enemy’s ‘cannon’ seem to have no shells?”
Just as Kiss was about to take the champagne handed to him by the soldiers, he broke out in a cold sweat and rushed to the top of the wall to confirm—it really had no shells; instead, there were fireballs being launched.
“Third tier? No, it seems like fourth tier magic?”
One mage on the wall began to ponder as he looked at the fireballs flying by.
“Can we block it?”
Kiss swallowed hard, nervously asking.
“The general doesn’t need to worry; it’s just a difference between having shells or not.”
The mage then glanced over at the alchemist assembling the seventh magic artillery behind the line, continuing, “As long as the barrier still has magic power supply, it doesn’t matter how many of their cannons there are.”
“Unless the enemy can continuously fire those explosive fireballs day and night; although I don’t know how they manage to use magic with those cannons, they obviously require magic power as well, and the amount of magic stones they can carry can’t be more than ours in the city.”
“So, are we safe?”
“That’s right, our city wall is impregnable, General.”
As the mage finished his words, the champagne in Kiss’s hand sprayed out.
“Alright, brothers, let’s open the champagne!”
“Long live the general, long live Black Iron City!”
The soldiers immediately joined in the celebration, and after instructing that no one approach the city gate, Kiss happily led his guards away.
As night fell and the lights lit up, it was like stars dotting the sky, and the luxurious mansions in the city were beautifully illuminated by candlelight.
Originally, Black Iron City was a commercial town and hadn’t built a castle; otherwise, Kiss should have been leisurely leaning against the castle’s windowsill admiring the distant artillery fire.
Although the battle outside continued, the magic barrier remained as solid as ever.
Most nobles, who initially reacted like startled chicks at the sound of cannon fire, had already grown accustomed to the noise.
Kiss even decided to treat the cannon fire as his victory anthem, planning to hold a grand ball that night to relieve the nervous tension of the still-timid nobles.
The band played cheerful music in the corner, guests mingled at the tables, and nobles exchanged dance partners on the dance floor.
Servants threaded through the crowd with trays full of fine wines and delicacies, sometimes someone would raise a glass to toast one another.
If it weren’t for the occasional cannon fire providing a rhythm to the music, one could hardly imagine this was a city under attack.
A few young noble ladies gathered together, quietly discussing the most sensational gossip and rumors.
“Have you heard? It’s because Governor Fang Ge assassinated that noble disgrace that the rebels declared war directly.”
“Oh? Did that noble disgrace Lena die?”
“No, from what I see, those confused rebels outside probably aren’t far from dying.”
“What a pity; how great would it be if she were shot dead in one arrow? I once saw her in the Royal Capital; that noble disgrace was so vulgar that she hardly seemed like a noble at all. If you ask me, Governor Fang Ge is the true heir of the Northern Border.”
“Isn’t it said that the disgraceful noble’s two younger brothers are quite good? Why did they become rebels? Isn’t it good to be attached to Lord Fang Ge? What a shame.”
In this relaxed and joyful atmosphere, the nobles’ tension vanished without a trace.
At this time, the most timid noble approached Kiss and asked, “General, is the barrier really solid? Are we really safe?”
As this noble spoke, the music in the corner abruptly stopped as if it had been prearranged, and with good amplification, this noble’s question echoed in the ears of everyone present.
Kiss just gave a sly smile, saying, “I’m already considering how to write the report of victory.”
After saying this, the music resumed, becoming even more passionate and joyful, the entire process flowed smoothly like a perfect opera.
The nobles erupted into thunderous applause.
Kiss, like an opera performer, stepped onto the stage, smiling as he waved to the nobles below.
Many noble girls even threw flowers that decorated the venue towards Kiss.
Immersed in this moment of joy and luxury, the nobles savored the beauty and happiness of that instant.
The shadow of war seemed to have been dispelled by this joy. At least on this night, their world remained as beautiful as ever.
The next morning, still a bit hungover, Kiss shook his head.
He truly drank too much; he could even still hear the sounds of cannon fire hitting the magic barrier.
Whose magic tool could bombard continuously for an entire night?
Thinking this, Kiss felt that he must not be fully awake and held the girl beside him, preparing to sleep a little longer.
In his groggy state, Kiss suddenly heard his guard’s voice: “Not good, General, the barrier is about to fail!”
It seems he drank too much last night; hallucinations were beginning to set in.
