Translator: Cinder Translations
...
At the north gate of the Crystal Brilliance Castle, siege ladders on the assault vehicles were propped against the city walls. Soldiers of the royal army climbed desperately upwards, holding shields to defend against arrows, boiling oil, and even boiling feces thrown down by the rebel forces.
Some assault vehicles doused in boiling oil were ignited by rebel forces using fire arrows, and the flames quickly engulfed the vehicles. Soldiers engulfed in flames could only jump down from the upper levels. Unfortunately, many soldiers were unable to escape, their flesh burnt to a crisp, the smell spreading around.
Leading the charge, the first batch of royal soldiers wore thick armor, wielding swords in one hand and shields in the other, vigorously blocking the rebel soldiers' axes and hatchets. They leaped from the assault vehicles onto the city walls, followed swiftly by the soldiers behind them, continuously widening the breach.
For a moment, the walls resounded with cries of battle.
By midday, both attackers and defenders were thoroughly exhausted. Duke Walk ordered a temporary halt to the attack, while the rebel forces took the opportunity to regroup and rest.
...
Inside a residential building near the north gate, several individuals sat in the living room with worried expressions.
"How many did we lose this morning?" Hals, the former commander of the city guards and now the leader of the rebels, asked wearily.
"About four hundred, sir," one subordinate answered cautiously.
Hals rubbed his forehead wearily. As for the losses of the conscripted militia, he didn't bother to inquire.
At this moment, Hals was consumed by regret, anger, and fear, various emotions swirling repeatedly in his mind.
Trapped in the besieged city, with no sign of the reinforcements they had hoped for, while loyalist forces were undoubtedly gathering nearby.
He cursed fiercely, "Damn Giles! Rot in hell!"
Despite his usual appearance as a loyal hound of the royal family, he had been colluding with Giles in secret all along. Due to his caution, he had never revealed his true colors, firmly holding onto his position as the commander of the city guards.
This time, with the princess leading an expedition to the Highlands, Giles finally could no longer contain his ambition. Seizing the opportunity, he rebelled and informed Hals to rise up in rebellion before the return of the princess's army.
Initially, Hals had refused. Giles' army was still far away, causing trouble in the capital would only lead to death.
However, subsequent messengers revealed that Duke Dodge in the south had already pledged allegiance to Giles. The biggest obstacle to the northern advance of the main army had been eliminated. The other minor lords were not a concern, and they even promised him the title of Earl once the rebellion succeeded.
Then he got carried away for a moment, wanting to achieve a great feat. If he waited for Giles' army to arrive at the gates of the capital before responding, wouldn't that make him appear insignificant? If he could seize control of Crystal Glare first, capture the king, this achievement would definitely overshadow anyone in Giles' camp.
But then everything went wrong. Apart from failing to capture the king, everything else went smoothly. The command system of the city guards had been purged; disobedient officers were killed or imprisoned. The entire army was under his control.
After imprisoning some ministers and eliminating a few troublemakers, the nobles remaining in the capital neither clearly opposed nor supported him. Oh well, let Giles deal with these fence-sitters when he arrives.
Many nobles fled during the chaos of the uprising, but he didn't care. Let them go cause trouble for the princess, as long as they left their wealth behind.
After doing what he had to do, he was alarmed by the delayed arrival of Giles' supposed large army. Sensing trouble, he immediately sent someone to the south to investigate. The news that came back made him want to vomit blood: the Dodge family hadn't sided with Giles at all, and the northern army was still blocked at Thistle Pass.
"This is bad, really bad..." That was his only thought upon receiving the news.
But now he had no way out. After enjoying days of wielding absolute power, he was unwilling to quietly flee. He decided to take a gamble and hold onto the capital until Giles' army arrived.
The loyalist forces quickly gathered near the capital. After the princess's army returned, they launched an attack this morning. He moved the command post near the northern gate where the royal army was attacking, personally directing the defense. After a tense morning, they managed to repel the first wave of attacks.
Just as he was about to take a short nap, the horns sounded again.
A soldier rushed in hastily. "Lord Hals, the enemy is attacking again. The defenders on the wall are requesting reinforcements, or they won't hold much longer."
Hals decisively ordered, "Divert half of the troops from other directions to reinforce the north gate. After repelling this wave of attacks, open the gates while the enemy retreats. I'll personally lead the troops to counter-attack."
"Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted and left.
Unnoticed by anyone, two officers in the hall exchanged a barely perceptible glance.
"Lord Hals, although the enemy is only attacking the north gate for now, we shouldn't let our guard down in other directions. Please allow me to check the posts," one of them said respectfully.
"You're right, go ahead. Keep an eye on those bastards for me." He really didn't trust some of his subordinates.
...
"Your Highness, a carrier pigeon brings news. We can launch the attack now." Ophina reported the situation to Catherine.
In the dense forest outside the east gate, the main force of the royal army, numbering twenty-five thousand, was waiting for this moment.
Catherine drew her sword and turned, shouting, "Warriors, the long-awaited moment has arrived. Many of your parents and families are in this city. Now is the time to rescue them from the hands of the rebels. Show your loyalty to the country, Long live Aldor!"
"Long live Aldor!"
"Aldor must prevail!"
The soldiers responded to Catherine with cheers after cheers.
"Sound the horns, attack—" Catherine ordered.
With the sound of the horns, the soldiers of the royal army burst out of the forest, carrying ladders and battering rams, heading towards the east gate, and the real attack began.
...
The second wave of attacks at the north gate was repelled, and the royal soldiers began to retreat from the direction they had launched the assault.
Hals ordered the gates to be opened and shouted to the five hundred cavalry behind him, "Brothers, let's show these bastards what we're made of. Each of you will be rewarded with five gold coins when you return." After speaking, he fiercely whipped his horse and led the charge towards the retreating royal soldiers. The cavalry followed closely behind him.
The retreating royal soldiers didn't expect the enemy to counter-attack, caught off guard, they were unable to stop the more than five hundred cavalry from wreaking havoc.
However, just as Hals was venting his frustrations and killing ruthlessly, he caught sight of a rider charging towards him from the city gate, shouting frantically.
As the rider approached, he finally heard what the rider was yelling.
"The east gate has fallen, my lord, please send reinforcements quickly."
Hals felt his vision blur for a moment, almost falling off his horse.
"Lord Hals! Lord Hals?" The rider called out anxiously. The commander couldn't afford to have any accidents at this critical moment.
Hals steadied himself and suddenly thrust his lance forward.
The rider's face was filled with disbelief as he stared at the lance piercing his chest, then he fell off his horse, dead.
"Haha! You lied to me, you all lied to me!"
Hals, already driven mad, threw off his helmet, raised his lance again, and charged towards the densest area of enemy soldiers.
His frenzied voice echoed on the battlefield:
"You lied to me, all of you lied to me!"
...
On the Labson Mountain near the capital, two merchants disguised as travelers silently watched the distant carnage.
"Sigh—" one of them, a young man with a light-hearted expression and an earring in his right ear, sighed.
"What a pity, Hals had been so cautious for all these years, only to capsize at the last moment."
"Hmph, don't pretend to be compassionate. If it weren't for your insinuations, he wouldn't have had those thoughts. But this guy is quite useless, barely lasted a day."
The reply came from a middle-aged man with a mustache.
"People shouldn't be too greedy. If the princess didn't return to the capital but went south directly through the eastern route, with Dodge's support from the left and right, it would have been tough for the duke. The princess took quite a detour, and the extra time gained is more than just one day."
"Hmph, I know that without you saying it. By the way, have you prepared the gift for the princess?"
"Hehe, how could I dare to neglect such a beauty?"
A mischievous smile appeared on the young man's face.
(End of this chapter)