novelraw Chapter 517: Battle of Karndorf Fortress
Chapter 517: Battle of Karndorf Fortress
Just as dawn broke, the low blare of war horns echoed from afar.
The Maclay Legion had commenced today's siege operations.
However, Li Wei and Li Yue were still eating breakfast, looking quite relaxed, as they truly had no part to play in today's battle.
Yesterday, Baravid's seven hundred-plus heavy cavalry hadn't returned to the east bank of the Ness River. Instead, they camped thirty miles away from Li Wei's First Fortress, posturing as if they weren't going anywhere—as if to say, 'we'll be right here watching you, come out and fight three hundred rounds if you have the guts.'
But the Karndorf Legion's ten thousand infantry had five thousand troops directly reassigned, along with those thirty troop carriers, crossing to the east bank of the Ness River to join the siege.
The underlying message was clear: if you don't move, we don't move. But if you dare to move, we will cut off your retreat.
Faced with this situation, Li Wei and the others naturally wouldn't act rashly. 'Bring it on! We have ample supplies and a sturdy fortress. I wouldn't be Li Wei if I was afraid of you.'
They would just wait it out. Who was afraid of whom?
Besides, they could use this time to continue repairing and reinforcing the First Fortress and Second Fortress, perfecting the various auxiliary facilities. Even though both fortresses were eventually going to be given to that lucky bastard Li Siyuan, at least for now, they were still the ones living in them.
After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, Li Wei and Li Yue went to the battlement and looked south. My, it was so quiet. Across the thirty-mile-wide expanse of the plains, not a single silhouette could be seen.Although the enemy forces were arrayed in formation, they had no intention of attacking whatsoever.
But looking at the east bank of the Ness River, the banners fluttered densely, and the deafening sounds of gongs and drums filled the air!
A full one hundred siege troop carriers were waiting to deploy. Ninety-five of them were the standard troop carriers Li Wei had seen before, but five were notably different.
They were even larger and more advanced than the troop carriers Mountain Eagle Parker had used when attacking Karndorf Fortress.
A single one could hold 200 men, resembling a small fortress on its own.
Even from a distance, the level of magical protection on them left Li Wei deeply shocked.
These were undoubtedly beasts of war that had survived countless battlefield trials, the crystallization of magical technology, and their price would be astronomically expensive!
"Li Wei, please make sure to guard our retreat!"
At this moment, Li Siyuan and Tancred suddenly came galloping over, and simultaneously, those two hundred Crimson Knights charged out of the fortress. What were they planning?
Li Wei looked up at those terrifying, fortress-like troop carriers on the east bank of the Ness River and suddenly understood.
"You can destroy those things?"
"It won't be easy, but we have to do it. Today is the moment the Crimson Knights fight to the death. Those are Overlord-Class Siege Transports. Every single one is inscribed and embedded with Sequence 5 Warding Magic, capable of withstanding the bombardment of ten Great Fireballs. Each one costs at least ten million gold coins to build. If we don't take them out, this battle will likely be very difficult."
"Speaking of which, we still have to thank you for heavily wounding Baravid yesterday, forcing their cavalry to remain on the west bank of the Ness River. Otherwise, this battle today would just be marching to our deaths!"
Li Siyuan spoke with great bitterness, while Tancred remained silent, his expression somber.
There was no other choice.
Mountain Eagle Parker was practically Li Siyuan's patron, so Li Siyuan had to obey his orders.
Conversely, if Mountain Eagle Parker were to order Li Yue to lead the Blazing Legion to destroy those Overlord-Class Siege Transports, Li Wei would dare to just walk away.
What kind of nonsense was that? The Marshal's orders were for them to assist in defending Siyuan Keep, not to defend Karndorf Fortress for him.
Believe it or not, he'd dare to rebel on the spot!
Therefore, Mountain Eagle Parker hadn't even brought it up.
But today, the Crimson Knights would have to die on the path of their charge.
"Alright! I promise! If Baravid dares to approach, I'll kill him!"
Li Wei nodded solemnly. He could at least accomplish this much.
His First Fortress now also had a hundred enchanted giant ballistae. At close range, as long as Baravid used his Legion Skill to guard against the ballistae, the Blazing Legion could teach him a lesson.
Following this, Li Wei gave the order, and Li Yue led three hundred Flame Cavalry to array themselves behind the First Fortress, ready to deploy at any moment.
Over at the Second Fortress, Jocelyn also led three hundred heavy cavalry veterans out into formation, fully prepared for combat.
Sure enough, the opposing forces of Baravid and Karndorf only pushed their front lines to within fifteen miles before halting their advance.
Their objective remained to suppress Li Wei's side, ensuring they wouldn't enter the battle.
As for Tancred's two hundred Crimson Knights, they could be ignored.
Soon, accompanied by the thunderous beat of war drums.
On the east bank of the Ness River, the ninety-five standard troop carriers escorted the five Overlord-Class Troop Carriers and began a slow advance. At the very front walked a full one thousand Tier 3 Gargoyles, serving to trigger any magic traps.
And high up in the sky directly above, a total of ten Druids from both the enemy and allied sides, along with over a dozen five-star hunting pets, were engaged in endless, vicious combat. However, there was no sight of the legendary six-star Griffins.
Most likely, unless it reached a critical moment of trading pieces, they wouldn't be lightly deployed.
But where was Falcon Karl? As the Marshal commanding the faction's most powerful legion, where exactly was he?
Of course, this wasn't something Li Wei needed to worry about. Right now, he was just a spectator eating melons.
What's the matter, you have a problem with that? This was the value established by yesterday's victorious battle.
"Li Wei, what do we do if Mountain Eagle Parker orders us to take the initiative and fight a pitched battle against Baravid's cavalry?"
Li Yue suddenly asked at this moment.
"What can we do? A commander in the field is not bound by the sovereign's orders. He's not the Marshal. Yesterday was one thing, but if he tries to issue orders again today, I'll tell him to go to hell!" Li Wei spat contemptuously.
Yes, the situation was obvious. Yesterday's initial victory relied mainly on catching the enemy off guard and launching a surprise attack.
If they dared to initiate an attack today, who could guarantee that Baravid's cavalry didn't have a 4th-tier Mage hidden among them?
Mountain Eagle Parker wouldn't be that foolish.
In fact, he hadn't even asked Li Wei to come over and assist in the defense.
Because at this moment, the defending forces inside Karndorf Fortress also numbered nearly fifteen thousand. That old geezer was, after all, the son of a Duke, a Marquis who had lived for five or six hundred years. His foundational wealth was not something Li Wei could comprehend.
Moreover, after nearly five months of expansion and repairs, the fortress's defenses today were absolutely scalp-numbing. Just the enchanted giant ballistae alone were divided into five upper and lower shooting zones, totaling a staggering eight hundred units. In addition, there were one hundred and twenty enchanted trebuchets, a Tier-2 Mage Tower, and a Three-Star Mana Mine capable of firing one Great Fireball and one Medium Fireball every ten seconds.
Among these, the Medium Fireballs were launched by the Three-Star Mana Mine, while the Great Fireballs were cast from the Mage Tower. The effects were worlds apart.
Not only did the Medium Fireballs lack the power to flip over a siege troop carrier in one hit, but crucially, their accuracy was lacking.
However, the Great Fireballs could actually be fine-tuned! A single shot could easily destroy a standard siege troop carrier, instantly burning the 50 infantrymen inside to ash.
It was utterly terrifying.
Unfortunately, the damage these Great Fireballs dealt to the Overlord-Class Troop Carriers was quite pathetic.
Li Wei watched helplessly as a Great Fireball precisely bombarded one, only for a mysterious, resplendent magic shield to instantly pop up, causing the fireball to detonate in mid-air while the troop carrier remained completely unscathed.
It seemed there were Spellcasters controlling things on board?
So the defending side quickly changed their strategy, ignoring the Overlord-Class Troop Carriers and prioritizing concentrated fire on the standard troop carriers instead.
For a time, ballista bolts fired continuously, stone projectiles flew wildly, and Great Fireballs and Medium Fireballs bombarded in rotation.
Those standard troop carriers exploded one after another.
However, their speed was also increasing, having already reached thirty-five kilometers per hour. They had only one objective: to escort the Overlord-Class Troop Carriers into the center of the battlefield.
Just like that, in a short span of time, forty to fifty of those standard troop carriers were destroyed. The casualty rate climbed even higher as the distance gradually closed. Watching from several kilometers away, Li Wei felt his heart pounding in terror. Infantrymen were truly just miserable cannon fodder to fill the lines!
From ancient times to the present, whether in reality or another world, it was always the same!
Nevertheless, this was the damage that had to be endured in a siege battle.
At this moment, as the Maclay Legion's siege troop carrier cluster charged to within 1.5 kilometers of the fortress, only a little over twenty standard troop carriers remained.
Tancred finally led the two hundred Crimson Knights into the battlefield, charging straight for those Overlord-Class Troop Carriers. Blood-red flames erupted from their bodies—their Legion Skill was charging up. Their Delusion Breaking attribute and their Destiny Grids were resonating, showing signs of an impending explosive burst.
But the Maclay Legion's troop carriers suddenly turned sideways, blocking their path, and the giant ballistae on the troop carriers began firing frantically.
This included those on the Overlord-Class Troop Carriers, which had even more giant ballistae. Each one was equipped with a full twenty units.
This was more than just a storm of attacks!
But the reason cavalry was cavalry lay in its state of high mobility.
The speed of the two hundred Crimson Knights led by Tancred had already soared to 120 kilometers per hour, and their agility was ten times greater than a small car on a highway!
They suddenly scattered rapidly, forming a grid formation with ten-meter intervals between them. This ensured their Legion Skill's cohesion wouldn't be affected while guaranteeing enough skirmish space.
Thus, even if some unlucky soul was hit by a ballista bolt, the resulting impact was minimal.
This tactical skill was incredibly high, not at all inferior to those three hundred heavy cavalry veterans.
However, stamina and Life were the fatal weaknesses of the heavy cavalry veterans, whereas these two hundred Crimson Knights were in the prime of their lives.
In an instant, this unit of Crimson Cavalry executed several consecutive directional changes and penetrations. With the miraculous, exquisite posture of a surgeon's scalpel, they directly charged to within a hundred meters of an Overlord-Class Troop Carrier.
Right at this moment, a fine-tuned Great Fireball bombarded ahead of them, baiting the Sequence 5 Warding Magic into triggering its defense. But just as the Great Fireball was repelled and detonated, Tancred roared loudly, and the Legion Skill erupted instantly. Taking advantage of the ebb in the tidal fluctuation of the Sequence 5 Warding Magic, a single strike shattered its entire defense.
Although this Overlord-Class Troop Carrier could still continue operating, its defensive magic was broken. After this, ordinary trebuchets or Medium Fireballs would be enough to destroy it.
Seeing this scene, even Li Wei, Li Yue, and the others far in the rear were left dizzy and utterly in awe.
"Tancred is still much stronger than me, but they will probably face total annihilation here."
Li Yue let out a sigh.
In truth, the Crimson Knights had less than 180 men left at this point. As they charged toward the second Overlord-Class Troop Carrier, they immediately encountered even more terrifying attacks. Even with the protection of their Legion Skill and the boost of their speed, the distance was a fatal flaw.
If they only needed to destroy one Overlord-Class Troop Carrier, it would have been fine, but today they needed to destroy at least three.
No, practically speaking, they could destroy at most two.
In a short ten seconds, by the time Tancred finally waited for the second Great Fireball to fly over, the Crimson Knights were down to just over a hundred men.
He exhausted all his strength, unleashing the final wave of their Legion Skill.
But he also welcomed the final destruction of the Crimson Knights. The dense shower of fletched arrows and ballista bolts reaped them clean in an instant.