Chapter 176: A Step Ahead
The flames flickered inside the tent. Black shadows danced in the candlelight.
Fern looked at Agarth and said. "For this attack on Dunmere City, the Alkamite Tribe must follow my orders completely."
Agarth didn’t like it, but he still nodded.
Fern then asked. "How is Dunmere’s defence?"
Agarth explained everything about the previous few days of attacks.
"Exploding gunpowder jars?" Fern asked.
Agarth nodded. "Yes, those jars are powerful. Hundreds of our archers were killed by the blasts."
He added. "Also, the defenders are wearing very strong armour. It looks like they’re Prince Simon’s elite troops."
Fern frowned. "We attack tomorrow morning. I want to see it for myself." Agarth nodded again.
This time, Fern had personally led fifty thousand elite reaver soldiers. Alongside them were eighty thousand slave soldiers, and with Agarth’s own troops, the total number of slaves reached over a hundred thousand.
That number alone would be enough to keep Dunmere’s defenders constantly rushing around.
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A loud rooster’s crow broke through the sky as the first light of morning fell on the battlefield, still covered with bodies.
Then came deafening shouts of battle, mixed with the sounds of exploding gunpowder jars.
Outside the city, a flood of slave soldiers surged toward Dunmere. They carried hundreds of ladders, placing them every few meters along the wall.
Facing such a massive siege, every soldier on the wall tightened his grip on his steel blade, ready to strike as soon as the enemy climbed up.
The defence followed a routine: throw rocks, drop rolling logs, pour burning oil. But this time, the gunpowder jars were used immediately.
Fifty catapults kept launching the jars into the dense formations of slave soldiers.
Thick smoke rose. Blood splattered. Wave after wave of slave soldiers fell before they could even reach the wall. Arrows, stones, logs, and oil rained down from above. Soon, another thick layer of corpses covered the battlefield.
"They’re retreating!" Someone shouted as the explosions of the first wave ended.
The slave soldiers began to fall back. Benjamin looked puzzled.
"Another test attack," Simon said as he looked toward the reaver camp. His eyes fell on a tall figure who looked like a leader, and beside him stood a merchant with an Eldorian face.
Simon touched the cannon beside him. He really wanted to fire at them, but he knew the cannon’s accuracy was poor. It was unlikely to hit its mark. Besides, now wasn’t the time to reveal the cannon as a secret weapon.
"How did Your Highness know?" Benjamin asked.
Simon replied. "I heard that the Father himself is leading the army, and Fern is here too. According to Richard, the Alkamite Tribe always supported the Father. Fern won’t fully trust Agarth. He wants to see everything for himself."
"I didn’t expect Your Highness to have such detailed intelligence," Benjamin said, nodding in agreement.
Simon smiled. "It was luck. We just caught some shady traders from the steppe who gave us the info."
"My Lord, look there. The reavers seem to be assembling something big in their camp." Lancelot came over and said.
From where Simon and Benjamin stood, they couldn’t see anything clearly, so they followed Lancelot to his post.
Looking through the telescope, they saw many slaves in the middle of the reaver camp moving parts and assembling something.
It had a massive base, at least ten meters long.
"That might be their Cannon. They say the reavers learned to build these from the other regions." Simon said with a frown.
What he feared had come true. The reavers had brought their Cannon.
From what he had learned, not only did the reavers know how to use gunpowder, but if they had these cannons too, it would be a huge threat to Dunmere.
Benjamin, already briefed by Simon on the cannon’s power and range, said. "Looks like they’re determined to take Dunmere this time."
Lancelot cursed. "I don’t care what kind of cannon it is. As long as I’m alive, they’ll have to step over my dead body to take this city!"
Liam walked over at some point, excited. "My Lord, let me fire the first shot! I want to blast their camp to pieces!"
"Not yet. Let them build it a little more. Once it’s halfway assembled, we’ll give them a real surprise." Simon said.
It seemed the reavers were stalling the attack while waiting for their Cannons to be assembled.
The two sides remained in a standoff for the next two days. By the third day, large machines over three meters tall were visible in the reaver camp.
They rolled the half-assembled Cannons forward until they were just 500 meters from the wall, lining them up in formation.
"My Lord, Fern is clearly provoking you," Benjamin said.
Simon nodded. Fern was known to be arrogant and proud of his talent, just like many other so-called geniuses. Setting up the cannons right in front of them was clearly a taunt, as if saying: Watch me break your city step by step.
"If that’s the case, it’s time we responded in kind," Simon said. "Cannons, ready!"
The soldiers snapped to attention. Finally, they were going to use the cannons.
They had been waiting for this moment to blast the reavers into bits.
Liam grinned. "Let’s see where these cowards run now. They always hide behind slave soldiers."
Then he shouted. "Everyone to your positions, clean the barrels!"
Ever since Liam lit the first cannon, he had taken charge like the official artillery commander. He also led the team to train in the machinery department.
Even though it had only been a month, Liam was now an expert on cannon operation.
The soldiers pulled back the canvas covering the cannons, revealing the black metal barrels.
They aimed them directly at the reaver cannons being assembled 500 meters away.
Fern thought his Cannons would give him a tech advantage, but he had no idea Simon was about to flip the script.
"Load the gunpowder!" Liam gave the second order.
"Cannonballs!" Came the third order.
Once everything was ready, Liam looked to Simon, waiting for the final command.
"Target the five Cannons," Simon ordered.
The goal of the first attack was to destroy those cannons. If they were fully assembled, they would cause massive casualties.
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