Chapter 178: Change Of Tactics
"They’re retreating! They’re retreating!"
On the city wall, the soldiers cheered excitedly as they watched the wave of slave soldiers collapse and scatter.
Benjamin smiled slightly. "My Lord, the cannons have really frightened them."
Simon said. "It’s normal to be afraid the first time they see such a powerful weapon. But once they get used to it... That’s when the real bloody battle begins."
Benjamin nodded silently. He understood.
Up to now, they had only fought slave soldiers, not the real reaver warriors. And it was the reaver soldiers who were the true threat in this war.
The enemy was using slave soldiers to wear down the Brambleford Army, draining their soldiers, ammunition, and defensive resources.
"My Lord, maybe we should save the gunpowder jars and cannonballs for the final moment," Benjamin said with hesitation.
Simon had been thinking the same thing. The reavers still hadn’t shown their main forces. If they ran out of ammunition now, the final battle would be much harder to survive. It was like the famous strategy of matching horses; while the Eldorian Empire used elite soldiers, the reavers were throwing out low-tier troops to exhaust them.
"Cease fire!" Simon ordered.
Lancelot, who had been thrilled by the cannon fire, walked over in confusion. "My Lord, why? We’ve finally made those reavers suffer."
Simon didn’t reply. He turned to Liam. "How many gunpowder jars and cannonballs do we have left?"
Liam, still riding the high of excitement, felt a chill down his spine. "We have about 1,500 jars and 2,300 cannonballs left."
Lancelot understood immediately and stomped the ground in frustration. "Those idiots, Bjorn and Fjord, why didn’t they prepare more? Now what? Just these slave soldiers alone could burn through all our ammo."
"Their Cannons are destroyed. From now on, we must conserve gunpowder and cannon fire." Simon said. "The machinery department didn’t have time to make more. Now our goal is to stall for time."
Benjamin nodded. "That’s right. The reavers marched a long way, and their food supplies were a nightmare to manage. Just feeding such a huge army every day eats through tons of resources. The Alkamite Tribe will drain itself dry. Meanwhile, our wheat harvest is ready. Supplies are coming soon, and the longer this goes on, the more ammo we’ll have."
Liam and Lancelot both nodded.
"But I doubt the reavers will give us the time we need," Lancelot muttered.
As they spoke, an arrow suddenly flew over from the reaver camp.
It landed weakly near the city wall. Benjamin quickly caught it in mid-air.
"My Lord, there’s a letter attached." He said.
Simon glanced toward the retreating reaver cavalry. "Open it."
Benjamin opened the letter, skimmed it, and handed it to Simon. "As expected, it’s from Fern. He’s trying to persuade you to surrender."
In the letter, Fern wrote: Considering the friendship between the Eldorian Empire and the Order over the years, I do not wish to see Dunmere’s people suffer. If Prince Simon surrenders, I guarantee your safety. But if you continue to resist, I will ensure nothing of Dunmere remains.
Simon laughed. "He is amusing. So... Who wants to go out and negotiate with the reavers?"
Lancelot exploded. "If Your Highness plans to surrender, I’ll be the first to oppose it!"
Liam yelled. "I must have been blind to follow you here from Eldora! We’ve almost won, and now you want to surrender? I won’t allow it!"
Benjamin sighed. "You fools... Don’t you know what a delaying tactic is?"
Simon shook his head helplessly. Just then, Aiden stepped forward. "My Lord, I think I’m the right person to go."
"You’re really willing to go? Fern is unpredictable. You may not come back alive." Simon warned.
Aiden’s expression remained calm. "I serve my lord. If I fear danger, I’m no true man."
In that moment of crisis, Aiden’s spirit shone. Though he looked frail, in Simon’s eyes he now stood tall like a mountain.
Lancelot and Liam, realising what was really happening, looked at Aiden with newfound respect.
Lancelot said. "Chief Aiden, I’ve offended you in the past. Please forgive me. I didn’t expect you to be a true hero."
Aiden bowed slightly. "We all serve His Highness. You fight on the battlefield, I just talk."
Then he turned to Simon. "There’s no time to waste. Let me go."
This was a risky mission. Simon didn’t truly intend to surrender; he just wanted to trick Fern. That made it even more dangerous.
He nodded and patted Aiden firmly on the shoulder.
Benjamin called for paper and ink. Simon wrote a reply, saying he was open to surrender, but only after negotiating the terms.
Using the same method, Benjamin attached the letter to an arrow and shot it back across the battlefield.
In the Reaver Camp
Fern’s face was dark. The destructive power of the cannons and gunpowder jars was still fresh in his mind.
After this last retreat, the slave soldiers’ morale had collapsed.
Even though the reaver officers executed runaway slaves to scare the others, the army was still in chaos.
They had to reorganise before they could attack again.
Drawing on his experience from the outside Regions, Fern decided to try persuading the defenders to surrender.
He didn’t really believe they’d surrender, especially when they had the upper hand, but there was no harm in trying. He never let a potential opportunity go to waste.
After sending his message, he noticed something: the cannons had stopped firing from the city wall.
Soon, a scout brought back a reply.
"Negotiation?" Fern’s expression changed. "Prince Simon actually agreed to surrender?"
Amon looked completely stunned. "Fern, this Prince Simon is cunning. This must be a delaying tactic."
Fern smiled. "If it is, that’s fine. If not, it’s still fine. We’re both playing the same game."
After a pause, he turned to Agarth. "Take advantage of tonight’s darkness, blow up the city wall."
"Yes!" Agarth said.
His slave soldiers had already suffered massive losses. Though he didn’t want to push them further, he didn’t dare disobey Fern’s orders.
Many Banner Chiefs had been executed by Fern for disobedience on the battlefield.
A while later, Fern saw a figure coming down from the city wall. It must be the envoy.
He turned to Amon. "You people understand each other best. You go handle this. If Prince Simon really wants to surrender, bring him to me."
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