novelraw Chapter 114: The Fortress
Chapter 114: The Fortress
Ch 114: The Fortress
At the same time, Edinburgh on the mountaintop cliff.
Besieged for many days, seeing the arrival of reinforcements, Lord Arkansas was overjoyed and was preparing to lead his men to charge down the hillside. However, before he could even go out, he heard devastating news—the reinforcements had fled.
“Those cowards, after traveling all this way, retreated after only one charge?”
In a panic, he had everyone shout loudly together, but the reinforcements showed no reaction whatsoever, directly crawling into the lush southern forest, as if they had never appeared.
At sunset, clumps of clouds were dyed pink by the evening glow. Under Arkansas’s gaze, another army surged from the western plains. Rubbing his eye sockets, he saw a black banner raised at the front of the troops, and his remaining hope was completely shattered.
At the foot of the mountain, Vig looked at the scattered corpses outside the moat and inquired about the specific battle situation.
Shrike: “The Gaels were frightened by our fortifications, launched a symbolic attack, and then fled into the forest. The enemy in Edinburgh on the mountaintop intended to break out, but after witnessing the performance of our allied troops, they retreated back into the wooden fort.”
Fled?
Vig looked towards the rolling forest in the south, seeing no figures, and felt a little regret. But on second thought, the Gael Alliance was poorly organized, and supplies were difficult to procure in the forest, so many people must have deserted. The longer they stayed, the fewer troops they would have left, posing no significant threat.
“After this battle, the Picts and Gaels will probably have very few mobile troops left, and sieges will likely be the main focus.”
Vig rubbed his head and had someone find Torger, who had contributed the most to this battle. Looking at this tall, slender man with light golden hair, a smile on his face, he handed him a wineskin.
A thousand soldiers are easy to find, but a good general is hard to come by.
Through this battle, this knight proved himself a qualified Cavalry Commander. Vig no longer hesitated and invited him to stay at Tyne.
Through his observations these days, Torger felt that the odds of victory in this war were high. After capturing the Northern Border, the lord would have plenty of land to grant to his nobles, and their treatment would certainly be good.
Taking a deep breath, he knelt on one knee on the grassland, “To have the honor of serving the Chosen One is my greatest glory.”
After two days of rest, Vig led his troops back to Stirling, continuing to test the enemy’s patience. By late June, the situation in Edinburgh finally changed.
In the morning, the garrison on the inner wall yawned incessantly, having endured a whole night. Their spirits and stamina were severely taxed, and they only wanted to be relieved as soon as possible and return to the barracks to sleep soundly.
Suddenly, someone spotted five figures emerging from the nearby bushes and instinctively raised their crossbows to aim.
“Wait, they have no weapons, they seem to want to surrender.” The leader stopped his men, and sent someone to ask Shrike.
Not long after, Shrike led a large number of archers onto the inner wall and had the translator call out to the five Picts, asking them the reason for their surrender.
“Master, we have nothing to eat. We only get half a piece of black bread and two cups of rainwater each day. Some people have already starved to death.”
Looking at these thin and emaciated commoners, Shrike had them remove their upper clothes, and after confirming that they were not hiding any weapons, let them into the inner wall.
Through the city gate, the five Picts spontaneously rushed towards the nearby porridge tubs, ignoring the scolding of others, grabbing wooden bowls, and scooping up the warm oatmeal to gulp down.
Yawning, Shrike waved his hand, “Forget it, let them eat.”
After eating a few bowls of hot porridge, the Picts recovered their spirits and gave the translator information about the fortress on the mountaintop.
Since last winter, Lord Arkansas had conscripted commoners to reinforce the fortress, storing food in the cellar, and digging a large reservoir to collect rainwater in preparation for a long siege.
At the end of April, the settlement at the foot of the mountain fell, and many residents fled to the wooden fort on the mountain. The lord incorporated most of the men into the garrison, totaling four hundred, plus over three hundred family members.
After a long period of consumption, the warehouse food supplies were running low, and Arkansas was forced to reduce rations. Except for him, fifty guards, and a small number of family members, the food and water of the rest were strictly limited.
Realizing this was not a long-term solution, the five Picts secretly went down the mountain under the cover of night in search of a full meal.
When they finished speaking, Shrike sighed, “Seven hundred people, holding out on the mountain for two months, there really can’t be much food left.”
Before the expedition, the lord had said to him, “War is about attrition—manpower, grain, supplies. Use a smaller cost to inflict greater losses on the enemy until final victory.”
Thinking back on it, Shrike still felt that these words were profound. His gaze swept over the five Picts, and he decided to adopt a more aggressive strategy.
“I have a task for you. It’s not compulsory. Those who accept will receive twenty silver pennies.”
Tempted by money, the Picts’ greed was aroused, and they listened carefully to the task.
Shrike’s request was simple: have these people call for surrender, promising a full meal to those willing to surrender, and an additional reward if they came down with their weapons and armor.
“Exchanging food and money for the enemy’s troops and military supplies is a very worthwhile deal. I hope Sir will not punish me… well, he probably won’t.”
That afternoon, under the protection of a group of soldiers, the five Picts climbed the hillside to persuade their former allies to surrender.
“Everyone, the Serpent of the North promises not to harm peasants and slaves. In addition, captured guards will have to endure a period of hard labor, only the lord and his family will not be pardoned.”
The shouts brought the garrison’s bow and arrows, but unfortunately, the range of the Pictish bows was insufficient, causing no casualties.
The persuasion continued.
To increase persuasiveness, Shrike deliberately chose a time with a favorable wind, having soldiers set up pots to cook barley porridge and roast lamb. The aroma drifted all the way to the wooden fort, weakening the garrison’s resolve.
That night, three shadowy figures approached the inner wall. The Welsh archers ordered them to squat at the edge of the moat and not move until daybreak before letting them in.
After a full meal as usual, the three accepted the surrender task, using their own experiences to persuade the garrison to lay down their arms.
In the following days, people came down to surrender every night. One guard even brought a precious suit of iron armor. Shrike immediately fulfilled his promise, giving the man a small keg of beer plus fifty silver pennies.
Realizing that the situation was worsening, one midnight, Arkansas led dozens of men down the mountain to feign surrender. However, they inadvertently revealed a weakness, fleeing back to the mountaintop wooden fort in a panic, and morale further disintegrated.
On July 5th, Arkansas completely abandoned the idea of resistance. Under the cover of darkness, he and over a dozen loyal guards secretly lowered several ropes from the cliff. They were discovered by Vikings lying in wait, and after a fierce battle, Arkansas was killed on the spot, and Edinburgh changed hands.