General Dennis then said, "Your Highness, with all due respect, they're the Xingyuu Empire. They're our enemies. Why should we grant them the same rights as our own citizens? We offered them a chance to surrender peacefully, but they refused. Isn't that enough?"
"They'll fight because we won't give them any better alternatives. They know how we'll treat them, after all," Elizabeth replied. "That's why I want the army to preserve their independence. We will be occupying their fortress, nothing more. I won't permit anyone harming the citizens."
"Then how does Your Highness want to handle this battle?" the other commanders were frustrated at her attitude. "We cannot take the fortress without force, while they won't surrender it. We're at a stalemate unless Your Highness means to suggest a negotiation?"
Some went wide-eyed in disbelief. At this point, they were practically assured of their victory. All they had to do was walk up and take the stronghold! Who in their right minds would bother negotiating with a bunch of country bumpkins holding the walls? One should know that reputation in the military was an important thing. It was an icon of status and pride to these Brigade Commanders, Legion Generals, and Army Generals. Everyone wished to speak of their great and heroic triumphs! If Elizabeth forced them to negotiate, that would put a permanent black stain on their record, and no one would respect them thereafter! Although Elizabeth was the heir apparent, there were some things that went too far and breached their bottom line!
"No, I don't mean anything like that," she said wryly. "If they really want to fight, it wouldn't be fair to our soldiers if they had to take the beating one-sidedly. All I can say is… I want to guarantee the protection for those who don't wish to fight. At the end of the day, our sixty-two thousand force is not a replacement for the citizens in the Yunyun Stronghold. Food, water, services, and lodgings… There are many things that we cannot do by ourselves. If we take the stronghold and hold everyone hostage, no one would be willing to do anything, and if they do, they might sabotage us from behind. I believe it is in the best interests of everyone involved to keep a cordial attitude during our occupation."
Her face seemed calm and knowing, but inwardly, she knew it was all nonsense. It was not like the army consisted of purely soldiers. In fact, it was more accurate to say there were more logistical servants than not. There were the obvious ones like smithers to repair armor and weapons, tailors to tend to clothing and uniforms, or physicians to deal with critical injuries and diseases. Aside from them, there were also cooks, hunters, foragers, farmers, laborers, architects, stableboys, messengers, and even religious priests, here to help bless the battles with good fortune! The point was that there was vast support behind every army so that it could sustain itself deep in enemy territory. Of course, it was not to the point of a true 'mobile town', and the army still required supplies and reinforcements from the mainland.
Despite that, the situation was not so poor that they required the help of their future captives. That alone would open so many possible problems that the sheer number of disadvantages far outweighed the advantages. To be entirely honest with herself, with their army of sixty-two thousand, they had far more than enough to utilize the Yunyun Stronghold efficiently. There was no need to treat the twenty-five thousand citizens kindly! But Elizabeth's conscience repelled that very idea. Having come from humble roots, she understood just how powerless and insignificant these people felt. Their lives were no longer theirs to control! The Alzar Kingdom and the Xingyuu Empire… They were two sides of the same coin: the kings fought their wars above, while the poor suffered below!
Nobody could say anything for a while as they looked at her differently. They were not idiots, or else how could they stand here as the leaders of the army? While they might not accept her viewpoint, they could faintly understand she wanted. That was what made it more incomprehensible! Sympathizing with the Xingyuu Empire? No one here could accept it. They decided to throw everything onto General Dennis to deal with, since he was the highest-ranking officer here.
A dark-faced General Dennis eventually said, "Your Highness, we can sort out the details after we occupy the Yunyun Stronghold. Is that satisfactory?" The Royal Army General Elizabeth might be nonsense, but she was still Princess Elizabeth, heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom. Her authority stood above everyone here!
"Yes, I wasn't expecting a concrete plan right now." The girl realized how demanding she was and decided to compromise there. "After I make say my piece, then the attack can begin."
Less than three minutes later, Elizabeth was standing next to the Ten Dawns with the grand army behind and the Yunyun Stronghold in front. On her notice, a spell was activated that could project her voice towards the fortress, like what Admiral Aura used to command the fleet during the battle over the Maelstrom Gulf. No one knew what she was planning to do, but everyone focused on her, enemy and ally alike.
She took a deep breath and said, "I am Princess Elizabeth Etuvel Reindel, heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom and the Royal Army General for this campaign. People of the Yunyun Stronghold, at this point, you should understand that your defeat is inevitable. With the Alzar Kingdom's numerical, strategical, and logistical advantage, it is impossible for you to prevail. However, I do not wish for this to become a meaningless bloodshed. If you lay down your arms, I can promise you that these soldiers will not harm you. I promise that your freedom and rights will be preserved, both now and after our occupation. We will do nothing to ruin your way of life."
Letting a moment for that all to sink in, she then added, "This is your last chance. Those with any doubts or regrets can step aside now, and all will be forgotten. I can guarantee you and your family's safety… However, if you choose to raise your arms and fight us to the bitter end, then I can say nothing else. I am responsible for the fifteen thousand lives standing behind me too. We will face brutality with brutality, an eye for an eye. Any enemy will be mercilessly cut down! I will give the people of the Yunyun Stronghold ten minutes to decide. Whatever happens afterwards, we will advance regardless!"
After finishing her speech, she knew how pointless this was. The hatred between the two civilizations had run far too deep for far too long, and any promises she could make would be seen as ridiculous. Perhaps, what she did changed nothing. Perhaps, no one believed her. Perhaps, she was being mocked right now. But… this was all she could reasonably do. Having offered them a way out, it was up to them now! Exactly ten minutes later, the war horns sounded and the battle for the Yunyun Stronghold began!
On General Dennis's command, the army marched ahead with unparalleled momentum. All the soldiers were cool and collected, remaining in tight formation, as they readied their weapons. The air was surging with a fierce brutality, the taste of slaughter! Even the ground was shaking from the sheer number of people marching in unison! Many of the weaker willed defenders immediately prostrated out of fear and fled from the walls. Even the courageous and boisterous ones had their knees shaking and their faces drained of blood. That could not be helped since they were commoners in the end. No amount of mental fortitude could help them in the face of war!
As the army continued, the main vanguard force stood out. It was a platoon of five hundred soldiers that advanced ahead of everyone else. With their towering shields and heavy plate armor, they were like a walking wall of metal! And that was not all either as multiple translucent barriers manifested in the sky above them. The army Arcanists provided another impenetrable layer of defense! The defenders hurled every manner of things they could get their hands on. Bricks, rocks, sticks, and eventually hot oil, flaming coals, and kitchen knives, but it was like rain falling on a rooftop. The magical barriers blocked three-quarters of the attacks, while the shields blocked the ones that slipped through the cracks. Nothing could hurt them! The platoon soon arrived near the gatehouse where Ten Dawn Iris and Krogan stepped up. It was their turn!
Ten Dawn Iris's hand trembled while Ten Dawn Krogan was unnerved. They could not help but hesitate because of what they were about to do. However, that hesitation was washed away in a fraction of a second. Soldiers had to obey their orders! They raised their wands and synchronized their thoughts. A huge surge of Magic Energy poured out from them and channeled into a growing Magic Circle. Their presence instantly attracted everyone's attention as the hair-raising energy sent waves of shock throughout the battlefield. Everyone could tell something earthshattering was about to happen! Although the defenders intensified their attacks and did everything to stop them, the innumerable shields blocked everything. Before they could realize how dire things were, Ten Dawn Iris and Krogan's eyes snapped open. Large-scale tactical magic, Diffusion Void!
At first, a humongous bubble-like magical barrier appeared and encapsulated the gatehouse inside. It wrapped around the walls and structures to perfectly separate the inside and outside. The defenders immediately tried to break through on either side, but it was too solid. None of their attempts could breach it! It might not be as large or sturdy as Elder Ludin's Seven Encloses Heaven barrier, but it was enough, since Ten Dawn Iris activated her part of the spell. Like a broken cup with water gushing out from the holes, air began rapidly leaving the inside of the barrier. She was going to choke them out!
The defenders did not realize what was happening until it was too late. Without air in their lungs, the strength they could muster was zero! They held onto their throats and struggled to breath, while their faces grew purple, and movements dulled. No matter where it was, whether it was behind the walls, on top, or inside the gatehouse, everyone was affected equally! Despite their desperate struggles, they fell unconscious one by one. Several hundred people were incapacitated like that! The few remaining people held on with bloodshot eyes, trying their best to stay conscious. Unfortunately, the Ten Dawns activated the final part of their spell and allowed the air back in. Boom! The difference in pressure caused the air to explosively return with thundering winds as the shockwaves knocked the ones struggling unconscious. The gatehouse instantly lost all their defenders!