Chapter 89: Blood and Fire in Platinum City (Part 5)
For a "slacker bureaucrat" who could choose to sleep soundly while the Empire was in turmoil, to actually show an expression of "worrying before the world worries," clearly demonstrated that Rade Paste knew a great deal.
But when Charlotte pressed further, he dodged the questions, making it obvious he didn't want to discuss the topic further. That slick feeling of a seasoned official practically overflowed from him.
Charlotte was speechless. She truly couldn't fathom how the aristocratic political environment of the Oran Empire could cultivate such an oddity.
Perhaps the tribespeople, weary from their long raid, needed rest. Or maybe they felt a direct assault on a mere warehouse wasn't worth the effort and decided to plunder nearby villages and manors instead.
In any case, that night, Count Rade's manor remained relatively peaceful.
Laina, spending her first night in a warehouse, wasn't scared at all; instead, she was rather excited. She hugged Charlotte, murmuring and chattering for most of the night. Only when Laina finally tired herself out did Charlotte manage to fall asleep.
However, Charlotte felt like she had barely slept for a moment before being woken again.
She yawned, glancing at the window. The sky outside was still pitch black.
"Middle of the night, why wake me?" Charlotte grumbled, annoyed.
"Milady, the knights on watch have detected large-scale movements among the tribespeople. It's become very unsafe here. Count Philip suggests we depart ahead of schedule," Renee explained, then added, "It's not the middle of the night, it's dawn. The sky is about to lighten."
Severely sleep-deprived, Charlotte took a deep breath, then threw off the covers and gave Laina's pert backside a few firm smacks. "Good morning! Rise and shine!"
The situation seemed exceptionally critical. Count Philip proposed abandoning most of their belongings and carriages, taking only essential food and warm clothing. Those who could ride were to do so, maximizing their travel speed.
The Mellerfield caravan consisted of two families, so Count Philip couldn't simply dictate orders – which was why he hadn't immediately dealt with the cowardly squire the day before. Fortunately, neither Andre nor Rosie objected. Count Philip's suggestion became an order and was executed smoothly.
Having discarded most of their supplies, the Mellerfield household traveled light, continuing eastward under the cover of darkness.
Count Rade, along with his knights and the dozen or so youths, followed them. Just as he had said, he planned to accompany Charlotte and the others to Oriole Fort.
Not long after they set out, Charlotte saw the first hint of dawn breaking on the horizon.
Daylight had arrived.
Standing atop the towering walls of Platinum City, Marco Lehmann surveyed the scene below, his expression darkening.
With the Minister of Military Affairs, Dawid Boyan, currently at the border, the duty of defending Platinum City naturally fell upon Marco Lehmann, the Privy Councillor.
Initially, upon hearing of the tribal invasion, Marco Lehmann hadn't taken it seriously. In his view, a few tribespeople slipping through was merely a lapse in the Duchy of Bonan's defenses. The number reaching Platinum City would surely be limited – a few thousand, perhaps ten thousand at most – easily crushed in a real fight.
If not for Empress Dowager Mary's caution, Marco Lehmann wouldn't have even bothered requesting reinforcements from the Royal Griffin Knights.
But what was the reality?
Last night, under the cover of darkness, the tribespeople had quietly maneuvered their forces. When Marco Lehmann awoke this morning, he saw dense masses of enemy troops to the west, north, and south of Platinum City. A rough estimate put their numbers at least fifty thousand strong.
Was this their way of saying "Good morning"?
However, there was some good news.
The tribespeople adopting such a posture clearly indicated a major assault on the city. Marco Lehmann wasn't afraid of them attacking the walls; Platinum City's ramparts were high and its defenses robust. Even the formidable Edessans had been broken against this mighty fortress years ago, let alone this band of tribespeople.
What Marco Lehmann feared was that these tribespeople wouldn't attack the city at all, but instead focus solely on burning, killing, and looting the surrounding areas.
The manors and farms outside Platinum City were the properties of nobles. If they were all plundered and razed, even if Marco Lehmann easily won the defensive battle, he would incur the hatred of numerous aristocrats.
As expected, a long horn call sounded from the west of Platinum City, echoed by others spreading outwards, reaching the north and south flanks – the assault had begun.
The dark masses started to move, surging like sudden waves upon the sea, crashing relentlessly against the rock that was Platinum City.
"Still just a facade. They fall into chaos the moment they charge," King Baxia sighed softly, watching his own siege army.
During his years as a slave in the Oran Empire, Baxia had done everything possible to learn all available knowledge, bringing it back to his tribe. Military reform was part of it. While conquering the various tribes within the Kanpei Mountains, he taught them how to scout, coordinate attacks, defend, and assault. This made the already fierce tribespeople even more adept fighters, rendering Baxia's army nearly invincible within the tribal alliance.
But Baxia knew it was mostly an illusion. His reforms had never touched the most fundamental aspect – organizational structure.
Currently, the tribespeople still operated in clan-based units, with tribal chiefs serving as their military leaders. Tribes with good relations might cooperate, but those with poor relations could even end up fighting each other. A tribe might have only a few dozen warriors or as many as several thousand, yet Baxia could only command them as single units.
Baxia understood clearly that if his military reforms stopped here, his army would forever remain a disorganized mob.
Although Baxia considered his forces a mob, his mob managed to give Marco Lehmann quite a scare.
Swish, swish, swish.
A powerful crossbow launched several thick bronze bolts into the city wall. Instantly, a group of long-limbed tribespeople used the embedded bolts as handholds, scrambling up the wall in just a few movements.
Marco Lehmann considered himself a man experienced in war – thirty years ago, during the Edessan invasion, he had been among the nobles defending Platinum City – but he had genuinely never witnessed such a method of siege.
And the tribespeople's siege equipment! Simple wooden ladders and ropes, yet once hooked onto the wall, the agile tribespeople could easily scale the ten-meter-plus heights.
Marco Lehmann had no choice but to deploy the City Guard to engage the tribespeople in fierce combat atop the walls. The bows, arrows, and rolling stones he had prepared were barely used before the battle devolved into close-quarters melee.
Fortunately, though the Platinum City Guard had been whipped into submission by Charlotte without daring to retaliate, they were actually elite troops. Facing these poorly equipped tribespeople of varying strength, a single guardsman might not be worth ten enemies, but handling five was no problem. They formed orderly ranks, defending together like a precise machine, continuously harvesting the lives of the tribespeople who surged onto the walls.
At intervals along Platinum City's walls stood high platforms, each mounting a Dragon-Slaying Crossbow. The suppressive fire and terrifying power from these elevated positions inflicted considerable casualties on the tribespeople.
As the sun gradually rose, a thick layer of corpses began to accumulate at the base of Platinum City's walls. Blood streamed down the ramparts, staining the originally greyish-white stone crimson.
Within Platinum City, the Imperial Palace.
Empress Dowager Mary was hosting a banquet for Marquis Brown Lekman of Blackstone Fort, Duke Fernandez Paste of Bonan, and the newly appointed Duke of Panma, Eddie Tone.
Eddie Tone, only twelve this year, looked somewhat lost in such company. His father imprisoned, his mother absent, and Emperor Leopold, his grandfather who had always looked after him, now the late Emperor – he felt severely insecure.
Seeing Eddie Tone's state, Empress Dowager Mary sighed softly and said to a nearby lady-in-waiting, "Take the child for a walk outside. Don't keep him confined here."
Before the lady-in-waiting could respond, Brown Lekman spoke up, "Let Arthur take young Eddie out to play. Arthur used to take him hunting."
"Oh?" Empress Dowager Mary looked towards Arthur Lekman, the Marquis of Blackstone Fort's son, and asked with a smile, "Then I shall trouble you."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Arthur Lekman took Eddie Tone's hand and led him out of the banquet hall.
Only after Eddie had left did Empress Dowager Mary ask again, "What are your thoughts on the war, gentlemen?"
"Although the number of tribespeople exceeds estimates, breaking through Platinum City remains difficult. Count Marco also expressed confidence in holding the walls," Fernandez said, his face grim.
Heavy winds, snow, and the blockade by the 'birdmen' made communication via giant eagle messenger with the Duchy of Bonan extremely difficult. Fernandez still had no idea what had happened to his duchy or why it had been overrun by tribespeople. His mood was understandably foul.
Empress Mary understood Fernandez's anxiety but gently steered the conversation back to the main topic. "You know I'm not referring to the tribespeople outside the city. I'm talking about the war situation in the Gatu Kingdom. Ethel Holovin will undoubtedly raise troops in rebellion upon her return. We cannot rely solely on Count Wolfheart and his 'Claws' to successfully deal with Ethel Holovin. We must plan how to swiftly quell the rebellion."
Brown Lekman pondered for a long while before speaking. "Your Majesty, to plan the suppression, we must first ascertain the strength of the rebel forces. Thirty years ago, His Majesty Ethel led twenty thousand knights to rescue Platinum City, but that was thirty years ago. I am unaware of the Gatu Kingdom's current military strength."
"According to intelligence gathered by the 'Claws,' if Ethel Holovin rebels, he should be able to mobilize thirty-five thousand knights. This does not include supporters like Marquis Niuyin," Empress Dowager Mary stated.
"Thirty-five thousand?" Brown Lekman's expression turned serious. "Is this number accurate?"
Empress Dowager Mary nodded. "This figure comes from a confidant close to Ethel Holovin; it should be accurate."
Then, the Empress Dowager revealed a worried look. "Even a full mobilization of knights loyal to His Majesty in the Rouen region amounts to only about thirty thousand."
The Rouen region mentioned by the Empress Dowager didn't encompass the entire periphery of the Rouen Sea, but specifically the lands directly under the Emperor's control between the western shore of the Rouen Sea and the Kanpei Mountains. This area, close to Platinum City, held the highest loyalty to the Emperor.
Opposite the Rouen region, north of the Rouen Sea, lay the Byron region. This area was a vast, fertile plain, the largest granary of the Oran Empire, and nominally also the Emperor's direct territory. However, its proximity was to the Gatu Kingdom. Many nobles in the Byron region were more inclined to support Ethel Holovin, with Marquis Roy Beckett of Niuyin being a prime example.
Hence, Empress Dowager Mary didn't even bother mentioning that place.
The Emperor also had direct territory in the Isis region, east of the Rouen Sea. However, the distance was considerable. By the time the Isis region completed mobilization, Ethel would likely already be at the gates of Platinum City. It could only be considered a reserve force for the counter-offensive phase.
"If Your Majesty permits, I can dispatch five thousand knights from the Blackstone Fort garrison and conscript another five thousand from the Duke of Panma. We can first land by sea and control the Byron region, preventing His Majesty Ethel from fully mobilizing forces there," Brown Lekman proposed. "Furthermore, landing in the Byron region threatens His Majesty Ethel's rear. He will surely deal with my forces before advancing on Platinum City. As long as I can hold out for some time, waiting for Your Majesty's thirty thousand troops and the Duke of Bonan's... forces to combine for a pincer attack, we can engage His Majesty Ethel in a decisive battle in the Byron region."
"I can also contribute ten thousand troops... It should be possible to muster ten thousand," Fernandez said, lacking confidence due to the uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Duchy of Bonan.
"Although the Byron region has many Gatu Kingdom supporters, it is ultimately His Majesty the Emperor's territory. Fighting a decisive battle here gives us an advantage. Coupled with superior numbers, our chances of victory should be significant," Brown Lekman concluded.
"Good. Let it be done," Empress Dowager Mary nodded with satisfaction.
"Actually..." Brown Lekman paused, then continued, "Actually, Your Majesty should still summon His Majesty King Alphonse for consultation. The simplest way to quell His Majesty Ethel's rebellion is to have the Kexin Kingdom and the Green Plains Duchy dispatch troops, attacking the Gatu Kingdom from both sides. Even if a two-pronged attack isn't possible, having either one of them send troops would be highly beneficial to us."
Empress Dowager Mary remained silent for a long time before finally summoning a guard. "Relay the order: Summon His Majesty Alphonse to the palace for discussion."
The guard acknowledged and departed.
After a short while, the guard returned, but with less than ideal news: "His Majesty Alphonse is no longer at his residence. His remaining servants say he has returned to his kingdom."
"Returned to his kingdom? There's a battle raging outside the city, the tribespeople are attacking! How could he return to his kingdom?" Empress Dowager Mary was first puzzled, then her expression changed drastically.
At that moment, a troop of knights clad in black armor arrived at the southern gate of Platinum City.
"We are knights of the Kexin Kingdom, under orders from the Empress Dowager to take over the defense of the south gate," declared the leading black-armored knight.
"Is that so?" The City Guard captain, still recovering from fighting the tribespeople, was suspicious. "But I haven't received any orders for a change of guard."
The captain failed to notice another black-armored knight circling behind him as he spoke.
"Do you have Count Marco's written order?" the captain asked again.
"Of course..." The leader of the black knights pretended to look down and search for it.
The captain's attention was diverted, and then...
Squelch.
A sword pierced the captain's throat from behind.
The captain's subordinate City Guard soldiers noticed the commotion and hastily raised their weapons, but they were all cut down by the black-armored knights.
The leader of the black knights removed his visor, revealing none other than King Alphonse Murat of Kexin.
"Open the gate. We're returning to our kingdom," Alphonse Murat said with a chilling, ambiguous smile.
The tribespeople below the southern wall had been struggling with their assault when suddenly the city gate swung open. A troop of black-armored heavy cavalry charged out, trampling countless tribespeople, then made a turn and galloped eastward, leaving the wide-open gate for the bewildered attackers.