Chapter 381: Chapter 378: The Battering Ram
The main defensive facility of the Kongdi Capital was the Acropolis of Moncado Fortress.
Most of the Holy Kingdom’s city defenses took this form. When a city’s development outpaced its walls, the once-formidable fortress could no longer encompass the entire urban area. Instead, it became a pivot point for the garrison to station troops, defend, and launch counterattacks. Fortifications extended outward from this hub, wrapping the city in layers of decreasing strength that reached all the way to its edge.
Viewed from above, Moncado Fortress’s sharp lines formed geometrically symmetrical triangular projections. Its stacked layers of ramparts resembled a thorny rose blooming upon the earth.
Moncado Fortress was a paragon of defensive architecture, built during the reign of the Sun King, Charles XIV, after Dwarf cannons became widespread across the continent. It was classical, elegant, and formidable.
By the time Richard arrived, General Carl’s troops had already finished constructing their positions:
He strictly followed the army manual, digging parallel trenches along the fortress’s outer contours and constructing artillery platforms there. Next came the rectangular approach trenches, which extended toward the fortress.
This procedure was the standard siege method across the continent, and the Holy Kingdom’s defenders naturally had their own countermeasures—they proactively constructed their own trench at the base of the wall to block Carl’s siege troops.
But their attempt to block them failed. The defenders were forced to retreat back into the fortress, and their counter-approach trench was turned against them, becoming the Empire Army’s second parallel trench.
"Report! We’ve captured the enemy’s counter-approach trench!"
A subordinate delivered the good news, and Carl also received Richard’s siege supplies. Now, with ammunition fully stocked, the true siege could begin.
The cannons were mounted on the platforms. Previously, only the cannons and heavy crossbows from the fortress had been able to strike the Empire Army as they dug their trenches. Now, the tables had finally turned, and it was Carl’s legion’s turn to return fire. Admittedly, the six-pound cannonballs seemed weak and ineffective against the low earthen walls of the outermost rampart, but when one scored a precise hit on a defender’s gun emplacement, it was both lethal and effective.
After the Empire Army opened fire, the defending commander keenly realized that the enemy’s artillery was more accurate than his own.
But they held fast. The Kongdi Region was the northern gate to Valuva; it could not fall!
"The enemy has no siege artillery, just field cannons, so their plan is likely to breach the walls with explosives. Send another squadron. You must retake Trench Three!"
The Kingdom’s commanding officer was correct. Carl’s siege method did indeed rely on demolition. In the approach trenches, teams of sappers carrying explosive packs were already advancing under a hail of bullets and shells.
Carl observed the battlefield, taking in every detail. He turned to Richard, who was on standby, and instructed, "I have a mission for you, Major Richard."
"The reason we were the first to arrive here isn’t because of our superior combat strength, but because we brought the least amount of artillery, giving us the greatest speed. Ordinarily, my unit should not be rashly laying siege to a fortress."
But Carl had done just that, and for a good reason. "According to the estimates from the Empire Military Department’s General Staff, the Lord Chancellor, and the Marshal, at the current scale of this war, even with the nation’s full strength and years of stockpiled reserves, we can only sustain operations for three months. This is the first month. Whether we can take the Kongdi Region will determine if the Empire Army can take Valuva next month. If we are victorious today, we can drastically speed up the entire process."
Did Carl have selfish motives? He did. As a vanguard force lacking heavy artillery, his duty should have been to fight field battles and hunt down the remnants of the Kingdom Army. Instead, he was forcing his men to storm the fortress and suffer immense casualties in a bid to quickly capture the capital. It was a clear grab for glory.
But his motives weren’t entirely selfish. His decision today served the grand strategy. He was willing to forgo the immense glory of capturing the Royal Capital that would follow. To ensure that the subsequent armies had a clear path to the enemy’s heart, Carl and his troops would act as the battering ram, smashing open Moncado Fortress no matter the cost.
If they failed, new forces would launch another assault in three days. This was a three-month storm, and every legion of the Empire Army had to strike as swift as lightning.
Carl continued, "The key to this siege isn’t the demolition charges carried by the sappers. It’s you. Your willingness to take a great risk and breach the fortress’s defenses for us will decide the outcome of this battle."
"Your father and your teacher entrusted you to me, and I am responsible for your safety. Now, I am willing to take this risk—for the war, for the Empire. Are you?"
The air thrummed with the ceaseless roar of explosions and gunfire. Richard exhaled slowly. "There are no cowards here, General."
"Good!" He gave a signal, and a guard at his side stepped forward. Richard immediately noticed something unusual about him. This guard wasn’t carrying a long gun and wore gloves embroidered with a dark pattern.
The man removed his military cap, letting a messy head of hair fall loose. A scar traced a path down his left cheek. It was the mark of a duel—a badge of honor for soldiers and nobility in the Empire’s culture.
His white-silk-gloved hand rose in a military salute. "Captain Schmidt, Empire Royal Magic Academy, 7th Class."
’So there was another Military Mage in the army, one in the open and one in the shadows! And such a senior one at that...’ Richard was taken aback. He saluted in return. "Major Richard, Empire Royal Magic Academy, 19th Class."
Carl was making an enormous gamble, pushing both of his most valuable chips all in.
The sky abruptly grew overcast. Clouds gathered, merging with the rolling smoke from the battlefield until they were one and the same.
The two men entered the trench. Richard turned himself invisible, while Schmidt fastened his cloak, his figure blurring from sight. They moved quickly, one after the other.
At first, the trench was filled with their own men, including members of Richard’s infantry regiment who were advancing with explosive packs. But toward the end of the approach trench, they came upon Holy Kingdom soldiers clashing with the Empire Army. The space was too narrow and the range too close for either side to fire their weapons; they could only fight with bayonets and personal blades.
Someone tossed an explosive charge toward the defenders’ squadron. The resulting shockwave blasted the smell of gunpowder, blood, and scorched flesh into Richard’s nostrils.
But being invisible, they had to carefully avoid the others and couldn’t risk intervening to help. It was as if the two casters were isolated from the battlefield, yet they were the most crucial figures in this entire battle.
As they neared their target, Captain Schmidt used [Communication Skill] to speak. "I’m a Basic Level Level Caster. I specialize in [Frozen Ray], [Force Field Wave], and [Magic Missile]."
’A classic Shaping Power Magic barbarian,’ Richard thought. ’Perhaps the teaching at the Magic Academy was more extreme in its early days than it was for my class.’
A Caster’s specializations were normally a closely guarded secret, but they weren’t opponents—they were teammates entrusting their lives to one another. So Richard reported his own specialties. "[Dragon Breath Skill], [Death Cloud Skill], and [Corrosive Claw]."
Although Richard hadn’t stated his Caster Level, the first two spells were both Middle Level and possessed immense destructive power. Captain Schmidt looked at the young major with a sudden mix of emotions. ’When this battle is over, I’ll probably retire. Maybe I’ll be ennobled for my service and become a minor Manor Lord. But what about this young man? I hear his family is prominent. Will he become the Empire’s youngest general?’
Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Schmidt refocused. The two of them had already reached the base of the rampart. They easily scaled the first low, earthen slope, which brought them to the brick wall where the artillery platforms were built.
Richard clenched his fist, and a viscous acid began to seep from the skin on his hand.
But the captain interrupted his Casting, grabbing Richard’s arm. He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for what came next.
Richard waited in silence for the other man to begin Casting. Then, something incredible happened. His body and Schmidt’s began to grow thin and translucent, as if they were made of mist. Schmidt took a careful, focused step forward and passed directly into the wall.
Pulled along by the captain, Richard passed through the wall as well. Because he possessed [Dark Vision], he could see the wall’s three-layer structure: a brick facade, an earthen core, and a stacked-stone foundation.
"What a strange sensation," Richard commented via Communication Skill.
Schmidt pulled off his silk gloves and wiped the sweat from his brow. "The Casting was a success! If you’d ever experienced a Magic interruption while embedded inside a solid wall, I doubt you’d be so calm."
