The Bloody Feast, the people of the Northern Arcadia Continent call it. The day that more than 1000 tribesmen of the Apes are massacred cruelly by Duke Jan Wozniak of Poland while they are feasting before traveling into battle. Combine with the fall of the Tuscany Fortress, this strike hard to the morale of people defending Rhanes, the city that is still under the banner of Count Francis II, the last Fortress of the Olumians against the Poles.
Francis II is a middle-aged man, he witnessed his father killed in the Poland-Olumia war, the war that made his country a vassal state of Poland. After becoming the leader of this country, he began to consolidate his power days by days with the hope of bringing his country out of the influence of Poland. The day came when Poland lost the Poland-Roseryth Empire war and its' strongest ally, Lithuania is put under the Empire's law. Duke Faramir Wozniak is captured and then executed by the Emperor, which decreases the power of Poland significantly.
But before he could raise his army, Marshal Bogumil Kawasaki of Poland has reached a peace treaty with the Roseryth Empire and go home to punish anyone who dared thinking of betraying Poland. Towns and villages of Slyria we're burned by him, which threaten Olumia and Ruthia not to act aggressively. And now, 10 years later, after many secret meetings with the two other vassal states of Poland, they decided to revolt with hoping to gain independence and take land from Poland. However, everything is not as Francis hoped.
Now he is sitting on the wall of the city of Rhanes, which is broken in many places by cannonball shells and explosives. The gate has been destroyed with the corpses of Olumians and Poles lying everywhere around it. Francis is covered in gunpowder dust and blood from his wounds, he breathes heavily, a bullet has hit his stomach, which a medic is trying to cure him. He asks the captain standing beside:
- How many men do we lose today?
- 78 soldiers, my lord.
- And how many are left?
- No more than 200.
Francis II laughs, he cannot believe this. It has been the 55th-day Rhanes being sieged, the people inside the city now are starving. When the Polish army came, he was informed that the Duke of Poland is not present, which makes him confident and believe that Rhanes will not fall although being outnumbered. If the enemies strike his musketeers will turn them into beehives before they can get close to the gate.
However, the tactic of the enemies is different, they surround the castle while sending small groups to raid villages nearby to gain food while their cannons constantly fire toward the city, using the cannonballs and gunpowder they obtained from Tuscany Fortress. 80% of the military supplies of Olumia are stored in that Fortress so his men were killed by their own weapons days by days without having a chance to fight back.
He has also led his troops out of the gate three times with the hope of defeating the enemies that are now speaking out over the place to surround the castle. But his effort all failed since every time he stormed out of the gate, the groups of Poles he attacked just pull back while other groups attacked his men from the flanks, causing catastrophic casualties. After the third try, he gave up and seal the gate, waiting for the reinforcements from the tribes of Apes and if lucky, the other states.
And 10 days ago, the tribes of the Apes arrived, but not fully. The heads of the tribesmen are hung on the lances of the Winged Hussars led by Duke Jan Wozniak and they parade around the city, striking fear on the Olumian soldiers. From that day, the Poles fully commit their forces to attack, the artillery of Poland all went to the north gate and destroyed the areas to the north while Duke Jan Wozniak led the assaults of the Poles to the city countless times. Luckily, Francis II has utilized the advantages of the defenders to puss the Polish army.
Nonetheless, the Poles outnumber them. Now after 10 days of constant fighting, 700 soldiers he had decreased to 200 and they are running out of food and gunpowder. In the recent fight, they even have to use bows to fight. Francis II signs and looks at the blue sky, he does not fear death but fears that his people can not have independence for themselves if they lose. Before the war, they only have to pay taxes and tributes to Poland; if they lose this war, the Polish flags will fly above Rhanes.
- MY LORD, IT'S THE WHITE FLAG. THEY WANT TO NEGOTIATE.
Francis II rises and notices a white lag being raised by the group of about 10 winged hussars, the leader wears the armor that no doubt belongs to the Duke of Poland, Jan Wozniak. Francis orders:
- Call 10 cavalrymen and prepare the horses, I will meet him in person.
-Aye!
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I'm with my winged hussars riding our horses not far from Rhanes' gate. Looking at the city, I must admit that I admire them, they can stand the might of my army and send nearly 500 of my soldiers to the graves although running out of food and supplies. I'm informed that the other two states' armies are being pushed back by Marshal Kawasaki and the Church. So the fall of this city will make the states piss in the pants and seek peace. But it seems not to fall easily, so I have to play some tricks.
I see Francis and his riders ride out of the gate and approach us. He is a capable man, half of the spies I found in Warsaw were sent by him and I've seen him fight, at least 20 Poles have been killed by him. He is the first one to speak; although starvation can be seen from his soldiers' faces I can still see the fire in his eyes. He speaks:
- What do you have to offer, Duke Wozniak?
- Nothing, Count Francis, I demand your surrender unconditionally. Your men are starved and exhausted. Your walls have been broken, your citizens are killing each other for food and water. Save your men, bend the kneel to me.
He looks hesitant for a moment before he rejects:
- No, Duke Wozniak, we would die rather than lose our freedom. You can keep bringing men to Rhanes's gate and I promise you, I'll make corpses out of them.
- So, let the war continue.
I wave my hand, a signal gun is fired to the sky, and several seconds later, sounds of gunshots can be heard from inside the city. Shock appears on Francis's face; for these 10 days, my men have been diggingt an underground tunnel to Rhanes from the south while I and the rest attract their attention from this side. Fire can be seen even from here while it's burning the city.
Francis II realizes what's happening and shout angrily at me:
- YOU SNEAK ATTACK ON US! YOU HAVE NO HONOUR! DON'T YOU FEAR THAT THE HISTORY WILL SPILL INTO YOUR FACE?
- No, Lord Francis, history is written by the victors.
The Polish flag has replaced the flags of Olumia on the walls and palace. Seeing this, Francis and his men rage and charge against me. The winged hussars charge forward to meet them; the hungry soldiers can not match my elite forces, being sent to die by the sabres or lances. Francis comes ride straight to me, raises his sword, and strike. I feel the steel wound my shoulder when they met; I endure the pain, grab his sword, which is stuck in my armor, and then swing my sabre. Francis's head is separated from his body and collapses.
The city of Rhanes has fallen.