Chapter 51: War
Starlight Calendar 1250.
The beginning of Winter Music Month.
Not long after the new year, Shining Light City, accusing Black Stone City’s Lord Kei Arnest of colluding with the Starfire Sect, demanded that he appear in Shining Light City alone to plead guilty and receive punishment. After Kei Arnest refused, they brazenly launched an attack on Black Stone City.
Clack! Clack!
The sound of metal armor plates rubbing against each other echoed.
Kei led his men onto the city wall, taking the brass telescope from Bread and gazing into the distance.
Under the night sky, the entire plain outside the city was dotted with bonfires.
Silhouettes danced around the fires, and dense tents formed a continuous stretch, extending far into the plains.
Bread, looking at the army in the distance, had a somewhat heavy expression.
Owen’s faction alone had nearly four thousand soldiers, and with the addition of mercenaries, their army size had exceeded five thousand, almost four times that of Black Stone City. This war wouldn’t be easy.
“Mercenaries are nothing to worry about. These guys are undisciplined, just a bunch of rabble. They might be useful in a frontal battle on the flatlands, but they’ll be a drag in a siege.”
Kei put down the brass telescope, speaking calmly, but his brows were slightly furrowed, clearly not as composed as he claimed.
Although he had known that after the assassination attempt failed, Owen would likely tear down all pretense and directly attack Black Stone City, Kei still felt a heavy pressure when it actually happened.
Especially seeing the densely packed army outside the city walls made the burden on his shoulders even heavier.
Black Stone City had been expanding its military equipment all this time, but even now, they only had a barely-maintained army of around thirteen hundred.
Of those, three hundred were militia who had only received basic training and hadn’t seen blood yet. It was questionable how much combat effectiveness they would have on the battlefield.
Of the remaining one thousand, eight hundred were city guards with decent fighting skills.
The remaining two hundred belonged to the Blackrock Cavalry.
This was Kei’s true trump card!
“It’s a pity we had so little time. If I had another year or two, I could have turned the Blackrock Cavalry into a true full knight army. Even if there were only two or three hundred, conquering the entire Shining Light Territory would be a breeze!”
Kei sighed inwardly.
Training a Blackrock Cavalry cost about fifty gold coins.
Even with the Blackstone Mine, a cash cow, the Blackrock Cavalry’s expansion had always been slow.
They were only two hundred strong so far.
“Have all the people from the Blackstone Mine Area been evacuated?” Kei turned to ask.
Jorton nodded. “They’ve all been safely evacuated. According to the scout reports, the enemy has already occupied the area.”
Kei nodded slightly, gazing at the army in the distance and pondering his next strategy.
For them, defense was more advantageous.
Owen’s elite cavalry was more suited for fighting on flat terrain, and their combat effectiveness would be at least halved in a siege.
After all, horses couldn’t climb city walls to fight.
But the Blackrock Cavalry was different. The Blackrock Beasts were perfectly capable of defending the city.
In fact, these fearless Puppet Creatures could unleash even greater combat power in a siege.
The scales tipped in Black Stone City’s favor.
But simply defending wasn’t an option.
If the war dragged on for too long, supplies would become a fatal weakness.
Besides, the Blackstone Mine Area was still in enemy hands, and Kei didn’t want it to become a cash cow for the enemy.
The best plan was to defend for a while, wearing down the enemy’s forces. Once the enemy became complacent, they would send the Blackrock Cavalry to directly assault the enemy camp’s core. �
If they could directly eliminate the enemy’s command, the war would be theirs to win.
The Blackrock Cavalry, since its formation, had been shrouded in secrecy. No outsider knew how powerful this force truly was.
The rebels were unprepared, and the plan had a high chance of success!
Thoughts raced through his mind, and Kei quickly made up his mind.
Turning back, seeing his officers all with solemn expressions, Kei calmly said, “The enemy is coming in force, but we’re not pushovers. We’ve been building up our strength for two years, just for this day. Now, let those rebels experience our power!”
“Yes, Lord! ”
“Let those rebels see how formidable Black Stone City truly is!”
“I can’t wait!”
Inspired by Kei, the officers’ fighting spirit quickly surged.
Bread and Jorton exchanged glances, both simultaneously showing smiles.
Outsiders might be clueless, but they, as members of Black Stone City, knew just how dramatic the city’s transformation had been over the past two years.
In terms of knights alone, Black Stone City already had over one hundred and sixty.
Many baron territories didn’t even have that many knights!
Not to mention that Black Stone City also had two hundred Blackrock Beasts with knight-level combat power!
In total, Black Stone City had over three hundred knight-level combat power.
To be honest, if Black Stone City hadn’t been limited to one city, and its basic military strength was so weak, with nothing else to show for besides the Blackrock Cavalry, a mere Owen wouldn’t be a match for them.
And it all had to thank Lord Su Nan.
“I wonder where Lord Su Nan is now?”
Jorton patted the long sword at his waist, grinning: “If Lord Su Nan were here, we wouldn’t even need to defend. We’d just charge out and crush those bastards!”
The surrounding knights all nodded in agreement.
Even the usually steady Bread was no exception.
If it were anyone else, even a peak Great Knight, they wouldn’t believe that a single person could sway the outcome of a war involving five or six thousand troops.
But Su Nan was different.
They had witnessed the incredible and unpredictable power of wizards, and thus had immense confidence.
If it were him, he might truly create a jaw-dropping miracle!
Without lingering too long, Kei observed for a while from the city wall and then turned to leave.
Preparations for war were incredibly tedious, and he had many things to arrange.
The next day.
Not long after dawn, a low, mournful horn echoed from outside the city.
Kei, accompanied by his officers, ascended the city wall. As they looked out, they saw the enemy’s densely packed army beginning to form formations and ranks.
Soon, thousands of soldiers, pushing siege weaponry, began to advance slowly towards the city wall.
“They’re so eager.”
A cold glint flashed in Kei’s eyes. He raised his hand and commanded in a deep voice, “Prepare to meet the enemy!”
“Yes, Lord!”
The officers responded in unison, then turned and loudly instructed their soldiers to prepare for battle.
The defending army sprang into action.