boyutpedia Chapter 91 Breaking the situation
Chapter 91 Breaking the situation
Tiberius gathered together Vito, Demetrius, Lezapo, Habrol, and others, bringing together most of the men who could wield swords.
He's going to give a speech to inspire everyone!
These soldiers had been told to feign surrender and break out of the siege, and knew they would soon be fighting to the death outside the city. Tiberius looked at the somewhat uneasy, even fearful faces below and muttered to himself. But he did not accuse them of weakness and cowardice.
After all, having suffered a major defeat like that of Broken Sword Fortress and having traveled for several days, and now being besieged in Stone Raven Town, it would be strange for Tiberius to have such high morale.
"Gentlemen..." Tiberius began, but at the moment of speaking, he suddenly didn't know what to say.
Previously, he only needed to be responsible for the Lightning Legion and Lisandro's spoiled brat habits. Training the Lightning Legion, recruiting soldiers, bloody battles... these things seemed dangerous, but in reality, Tiberius knew that in the end, Jules, Vito, Lisandro and others were there to cover for him. The worst-case scenario was that he would only embarrass himself.
And now, look at those soldiers below the stage. They look at Tiberius as if he were a savior, even though this savior is only twelve years old.
Moreover, in the audience, Lisanro, Vito, Dmitri, and Habrol were also watching Tiberius with bated breath.
Before anyone knew it, Tiberius had developed a leader's demeanor and gained everyone's trust and affection.
At this moment, talking about the nation, the city-state, and honor is useless. The only thing that can unite these defeated soldiers is one thing, which is the deepest obsession in everyone's heart!
"You know, the Valantis are right outside the city. They've besieged us here, and we lack everything: food, weapons, medicine... and moreover!" Tiberius pointed to the outside of the city walls.
"They also intend to enslave us, sending us to their mines, their plantations, their salt pans, to toil for a lifetime, enduring a lifetime of servitude!"
"I don't want to deceive you, but when I went out of the city to feign surrender, I saw that scene with my own eyes: those captured people, bound with wooden clamps and iron chains, were crammed into mud pits like the lowest of creatures!"
"If someone is willing to 'live' like this, then let them go! We must defeat the Valantis, and then..."
"Go home! Take you all home!"
"go home!"
Countless people uttered these words hoarsely from their throats.
"Go home! Go home!"
Then, Tiberius decided to do something even bolder.
"Vito! Lezapo!"
"Here!" Vito and Lezapo squeezed out from the crowd, their eyes fixed intently on the boy in front of them.
"How many days' worth of food and drink do we have left?"
"Enough to sustain for three days."
"Excellent!" Tiberius clapped his hands and laughed. "Give everyone food and drink, and let them eat as much as they can! Eat their fill, until their bellies are bloated! Burn the rest! Let them all die well!"
"Gentlemen, please don't shout. Keep this anger inside!" Tiberius added, looking at the soldiers below the platform, who were eager to rush to the front of the Valantis army.
"After all, when the war drums sound and we charge into the enemy lines, fighting our way home, we can shout as loud as we want!"
"Lord Mohatta, the Reis have gone up to the city walls and dropped their armor and weapons," a servant suddenly entered the tent and reported to Mohatta.
"Excellent!" Mohata hurriedly stepped out of the tent and then saw figures rustling as they threw armor and weapons down the walls of Stone Raven Town, while the city gates slowly opened.
"I don't know what you think," Mohata said smugly, adjusting his belt with obvious enjoyment.
"But I love seeing the enemy routed. Besides, these people will soon be working in my mines and plantations!"
When he heard the shouts from inside the city—"We've been abandoned!" "We have no food or weapons!" "You cowardly surrenderers!"—he felt even more satisfied.
"Oh, there's also an internal conflict?" he said with a smile.
Valantis's army was, in essence, just the private army of the Mohata family. Although its equipment was decent, it was far from being a well-trained and disciplined elite force like the Tiger Robe Army. With their own commander so complacent, they naturally didn't put on any spirits. Instead, they began to discuss whether there were any remaining gold, silver, jewels, or wines in Stone Raven Town.
Therefore, when they saw Mario Ferrero leading eighty "remnants" out of the city gates dejectedly and in disarray, slowly approaching, most of the Valantis soldiers relaxed their vigilance. Some even began to laugh and point, calculating how much spoils they could get.
However, several veteran soldiers and noble officers around Mohata gradually frowned. Something was wrong!
Although the eighty men appeared disheveled, their formation was... far too orderly! They weren't marching haphazardly, but rather forming a dense, wedge-shaped array! Their steps weren't sluggish or staggering, but rather measured in a fixed, increasingly rapid rhythm, their strides growing longer and longer, the dust kicked up in neat, orderly fashion. This didn't resemble a disheartened surrender at all; rather, it seemed like...
The prelude to the charge!
Mohata's pupils constricted, and a chill instantly ran down his spine! "No! They..." he exclaimed in shock.
At that very moment—
"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump—!"
On the low city walls of Stoneraven Town, Vito waved his arms wildly and struck the war drums that had been prepared long ago! The drumbeats were not the dull beats of war drums, but rather an unusually rapid, light drumbeat, like the hiss of a venomous snake before its attack, instantly shattering the false calm of the battlefield!
Below the city, the eighty "remnants" moved at the sound of the drums! Like killing machines that had been switched on, they went from walking to jogging in an instant, their heads lowered and suddenly raised, their eyes revealing a fierce glint. The short swords, machetes, and hand axes that had been deliberately hidden were instantly drawn, reflecting a cold light in the dim sunlight!
They were no longer lambs to the slaughter, but rabid dogs that had broken free of their reins, charging towards the Valentis forward line that was right in front of them and had not yet fully reacted!
What terrified the people of Valantis even more was that as the eighty men charged down the small slope in front of the gate, the scene at the city gate behind them was completely exposed—a dark mass of people surged out of the gate like a flood bursting its banks! Nearly five hundred people! They wore hastily put-together but still gleaming black armor, their spears like a forest, their swords like snow, and as they charged out of the city gate, their formation rapidly reorganized under the officers' roars. From a distance, they looked like a forest of gold and iron violently shaking in the winds of death!
They did not discard all their armor! Nor did they intend to surrender!
They're going home!
"We've fallen for their trap!!" Mohata roared hoarsely, his face ashen. "Give the order! Beat the drums! Form ranks! Form ranks now—!!"
If the commander was in such a panic, the soldiers at the bottom were even more caught off guard. Those Valantis soldiers and servants who had been lazily sitting on the ground, chatting and passing the time, were suddenly stunned by the enemy's charging drums and their own chaotic commands. Most of them stood frozen in place for a long time before jumping up like headless flies, hurriedly adjusting their helmets and armor, grabbing the weapons around them, but they had no idea what was happening in front of them, where to charge, or whose orders to take.
What happened to the agreed-upon surrender? How did it turn into a life-or-death battle in the blink of an eye?
"kill--!!!"
Tiberius and Lisanro roared in unison, leading the charge like two sharp arrows, driving fiercely into the chaotic enemy ranks! The soldiers behind them were like wild beasts infused with rage, fighting with unparalleled courage!
Tiberius had clearly explained the tragic consequences of surrender, and everyone understood that retreat meant certain death, while moving forward offered a glimmer of hope!
Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well take a gamble!
This desperate, do-or-die spirit temporarily suppressed the numerically superior enemy!
However, even so, they gradually became overwhelmed, after all, they had no armor for protection and only eighty men. The Valantis, on the other hand, had nearly fifteen hundred men.
But they have achieved their goal: to create chaos!
During a lull in the fighting, Tiberius looked behind him.
They are the Mireans of Dmitri!
"Raise your spears!" Dmitri roared, hoisting his spear and ordering his soldiers to charge forward with courage.
The people of Mil enjoy the protection provided by the Mil Hills and the tranquil Mil Bay.
However, this does not mean they were a cowardly bunch. On the contrary, the Mir people, who emerged from the Mir Hills, fought against the Tyros and the Rhys with their spear formations and triple-shot crossbows, seizing the most disputed colonies! It was all thanks to their spear formations and repeating crossbows!
Those at the very front wore the thickest armor, ten men in a row, thirty men in a line. Sharp spear tips pierced through the gaps in the shields, penetrating the body of an unfortunate Valantis soldier, through his intestines, and out through his back. The blood-stained spear tips then pierced the chest and abdomen of the man behind him...
Inside the formation, the people in front, behind, left, and right are tightly entrenched together, turning loose individuals into a terrifying whole. Those behind constantly exert pressure forward, making the entire spear formation like a terrifying hammer slamming into the enemy's formation.
Further back were the soldiers of the Lightning Legion, also brandishing their spears and charging forward with all their might. Meanwhile, under Vito's command, the crossbowmen and spearmen's assault was perfectly coordinated; each volley of crossbow bolts felled entire swathes of Valanthis like a whirlwind sweeping down turf.
Just as the Valantis army's front lines were being forced back by this sudden, desperate charge, and their formation began to crumble and fall into disarray—
On the distant horizon, billowing dust rose, and the sound of horses' hooves, like muffled thunder, grew louder as they approached! A white flag, divided in the middle by a gray vertical stripe, fluttered in the dust!
Jules Moder took the lead, observing the chaotic battle outside Stoneraven Town. A hint of relief first appeared on his resolute face: "Looks like I wasn't too late..." But the next moment, when he saw the battlefield situation clearly, even he was stunned, blurting out: "...Wait a minute, what the hell?!"
He had envisioned a scene of the defenders struggling and on the verge of collapse, but instead he saw about five hundred defenders (mainly Habrol and Demetri's troops) fiercely pursuing and attacking the more than one thousand Valantis army! The Valantis' formation was already in disarray, and their morale was on the verge of collapse!
A fleeting opportunity!
Jules' eyes flashed with a sharp light, and without hesitation, his roar echoed across the battlefield:
"Shock cavalry, listen to my command! Target: the enemy's rout flank—break through them!"
"Light cavalry! Slash their infantry from the flanks and cut their ranks!"
"Everyone else, dismount and rest for a moment! Organize your equipment, then advance in formation—drive them all into the River of Controversy to feed the fish!"