150 – 154
The time when dawn breaks.
Slowly driving away the dark night, enveloping the sky in a dark bluish light.
“Destroy all the dams.”
Upon William’s orders, the wizards cast earthquake magic on the dams.
-Rumble!
The hard bricks start to crack and break…
-aaah!
The dams begin to collapse, and the water that had been accumulated bursts out, rushing downstream like a flood.
The swollen rivers collide with the embankments, sharply changing direction.
The surging rivers create waves as they head towards the enemy fortresses.
-What… What’s happening?!
-Is that… water?!
-It’s water!
The soldiers on the watchtower shout in alarm, but it’s already too late.
Suddenly, high waters hit the castle walls.
-Crash!
As the thick walls are struck, the relatively thinner walls start to tilt.
Originally built to withstand enemy attacks, the castle wasn’t designed to withstand such immense water pressure, isn’t it natural?
And…
-Roar!
The walls collapse, and water begins to flow into the gaps in the walls.
“Immediately gather all troops to Toulouse.”
Whether the enemy’s fortress has collapsed or not, it’s obvious that it will be filled with water like a flood inside the fortress.
William thinks that even if the fortress walls do not collapse easily, there is a high possibility that supplies such as food and magic scrolls inside may have been soaked and spoiled, making it difficult to deal with properly.
***
Zecko, who was sleeping in the watchtower of Toulouse Fortress, wakes up to the noisy sounds coming from outside.
Zecko, who was lying in bed enjoying the remnants of sleep, becomes irritated.
“It’s not even 7 o’clock yet. Why is it so noisy?”
– Thud, thud!
[General! Big trouble. The enemies have attacked using water.]
Zecko, still half-asleep, hastily puts on his coat and looks out the window…
“Oh… this can’t be happening.”
Zecko’s expression stiffens as he sees the water filling the fortress.
Confused Zecko.
“Indeed… it was not the opponent I thought I would face.”
In despair, Zecko thinks about what to do.
“What should I do? If this news reaches Lord Yoanes… I will die.”
Having prepared for the consequences of not following the orders of the advisors and feeling ready to face criticism, Zecko’s face turns pale as his plans crumble.
“I must retreat for now.”
“Where should I retreat to?”
Zecko believes that if Lord Yoanes learns of this news immediately, he will not survive.
No matter how much he racks his brain, there seems to be no way out.
At that moment.
– It’s the enemy! The enemy has appeared!
At those words, Zecko falls into despair.
***
“The fortress walls have collapsed.”
William faintly smiles as he looks at Toulouse Fortress in the distance.
He feels good right now.
The order given to him by the young prince was originally to occupy Adria, but the plan changed to simply harass the enemy until reinforcements arrived from Byzantium.
Perhaps the young prince thought it would be difficult for him to win against the enemy.
The essence of attacking the enemy is to have more troops than the opponent, which is the basic principle of military strategy.
However…
William knows well that war sometimes deviates from expectations.
With excellent soldiers, commanders, knights, and various supply requirements, war can change significantly.
And he proved that.
“Now, command to attack the enemy with lightning magic.”
He will deliver a powerful blow to the thoroughly soaked enemies.
As he is about to give the order.
“I… Commander, the enemies have raised the white flag.”
Mateo says as he sees the white flag fluttering atop the fortress watchtower.
***
Upon hearing the news that Yohannes failed to capture King Orkar of Frida after attacking the capital from the front lines, he becomes furious.
“Jeziral! Those Babylonians are so sloppy in their work!”
Although they dealt a significant blow by attacking Frida, they ultimately failed to capture King Orkar, leading to Yohannes’ outburst.
According to reports, just before surrounding Frida, soldiers from the Grand Empire kidnapped King Orkar at night and fled.
“Is there no end to how much they want to hinder me!”
Not long ago, he never thought he would lose. Just before the war began, he confirmed that the Eren Kingdom and the Frida Kingdom were not preparing.
When the Dufol front was blocked by the preparations of the two kingdoms, they attacked Frida from a different direction, inflicting a significant blow.
However, they ultimately failed to capture the king due to the Grand Empire’s actions.
In the meantime, the impending danger drew closer.
Feeling the noose tightening around him, Yohannes starts to feel anxious.
Showing weakness in front of the deceased is unbecoming of a ruler, but he tries to suppress it.
During this time, a report arrives stating that the Imperial Army has completed its formation and is heading towards them.
At most, a few weeks remain.
They must occupy at least the Frida Kingdom within those weeks.
This is necessary to maintain a stable front against the Imperial Army arriving at the Eren Kingdom.
If only the Frida Kingdom is occupied, there would be no need to defend the vast open fields and forests.
At that moment,
“Your Highness! Trouble is brewing.”
Yohannes grimaces at the urgent messenger.
“What is it?”
He reprimands the hurried soldiers.
Because he was dissatisfied with recent reports from the Adriatic region…
He had a gut feeling that something was amiss in Adriatic.
“Well… Toulouse Fortress has surrendered to the enemy.”
“What… What?!”
Yohannes, who had expected Toulouse to be besieged, was completely caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events.
“T-Toulouse surrendered?! How is that possible?! How many soldiers are there?! If they defend the walls… there’s no way they’d lose. What kind of nonsense is this?!”
It’s unbelievable.
Even if William and the Golden Knights are strong, the surrender of Toulouse Fortress is beyond belief.
Surely, William is up to some foolishness.
Although William is thinking painfully…
“That… the enemy breached the fortress using water tactics, flooding it and causing the walls to collapse.”
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-Boom!
Unable to contain himself, Yohannes overturns the large table used for strategy meetings.
“Is that even possible?! Is it?! Water tactics? If they used water tactics, surely the river levels would have decreased significantly?! Even basic reconnaissance should have prevented such an absurdity! Zeko! What is that man doing?!”
Unbelievable.
How did we come this far?
But the most critical supply route has been cut.
It’s not just surprising; it’s downright absurd.
How long have we been suppressed by the Emperor?
“General Jeko… He said that the internal soldiers are going to have a long-lasting war rather than reconnaissance, so rest…”
“Madman… He’s a madman! Get the Commander right now! I will ask the Commander today why he appointed such trash as a general and entrusted the defense of the most important area!”
In the raging roar of Johannes filled with anger, the soldiers tremble like leaves in the wind.
“Good heavens!”
What should I do?
William’s troops exceed 40,000.
On top of that, with the allied forces surrendering…
If we reorganize the allied forces and gather more troops, we’ll suddenly have nearly 80,000 troops.
“Good heavens…”
Duopol must switch to defense, subtracting 70,000, pulling out 30,000 from the eastern side, and gathering additional troops from Byzantium to guard Adria.
Even if the crucial fortress in Adria falls, it’s a vital supply area with several major cities.
No matter how strong William is, seizing major cities will take time.
If we attack all the major cities in Adria with 40,000 troops, we’ll have to strike individually when the time comes.
If… we block Duopol and Nicaea’s passageway, the blow will be significant, but we might also encircle them.
It’s not over yet.
I won’t sit still, Devian Ryan! And William!
With rage boiling within him, Johannes begins to reorganize his troops.
***
Several days passed on the Catalinian island.
This is a small island of Nicaea.
A letter arrived for the blond handsome man there.
[Toulouse captured, planning to occupy Adria.]
In a short yet powerful sentence, Agrifa blinks as he reads it again, bewildered by the unchanged content.
“I knew he was formidable, but… how did he capture that?”
Unexpected victory leaves Agrifa astonished.
The basis of war is gaining a numerical advantage over the opponent.
A great general doesn’t win tough battles; they win before even fighting.
But the Adria landing was actually not for occupation but a strategic move to draw attention.
If they could win, it would be a victory, but knowing they couldn’t support it enough to win, they changed their strategy.
However, seeing the victory that mocked Agrifa and Devian, Agrifa couldn’t help but admire it inwardly.
“I understand why everyone praises them.”
With that, Agrifa rises from the tent.
The place is warm and sunny, with a cool breeze when stepping into the shade.
His blond hair gently sways in the wind.
Feeling the cool breeze on his forehead, Agrifa smiles to himself.
Slowly, the time to end the war has come.
“Summon General Philip.”
As Agrippa speaks, the soldiers outside respond.
“Yes!”