69novels Chapter 86 The Massacre of Broken Sword Fortress
Chapter 86 The Massacre of Broken Sword Fortress
Broken Sword Fortress, this important ferry crossing on the east bank, has now completely lost its former order: the clamor of defeated soldiers, the wails of the wounded, and the pervasive panic have become the main themes of the city.
The defeated soldiers of Tyrosi blocked the narrow streets like headless flies, and the cries of the wounded soldiers of Reese mingled into a symphony of despair; the officers of Mil shouted hoarsely, but could not find the soldiers under their command.
Valuable equipment was carelessly discarded, and the wounded and the dead lay side by side on a blanket, ignored by all. Fear spread like a plague in everyone's eyes.
The small outposts outside the city, which were supposed to serve as early warning and deterrents, were already deserted, and some had even been occupied by small groups of Valantis scouts. Even more alarming, the morale of the city's defenders was low, rumors were rampant, and they had neither the ability nor the will to rely on the city walls for resistance.
Vito, his face grim, walked over to Tiberius, who was standing on the city wall, and whispered, "Kid, have you heard? A lot of the Milos and our mercenaries are already thinking about how to 'get there first.' Ships are limited; if we're any later, we won't even be able to snag a sampan!"
"I heard you." Tiberius spat fiercely down towards the city walls.
"Damn it, Mitristar is a complete idiot! And that Tyrosi general deserves to be beheaded! Thinking of taking in those fleeing Mil soldiers? Doesn't he know that would throw the entire city's defenses into chaos?"
"Now it's all right... the Mir army has collapsed, and the Tyrossi army has scattered!"
"And our Rhys 'colleagues,' they're even dumber! Even more stupid!"
"What era are we living in? Their formation was broken by tanks? I really don't know how they managed to achieve such a feat. Now, I heard that only half of the mercenaries hired by Ries have returned!"
"Not that many!" Vito chuckled, but a look of fear appeared on his face.
"Only one-third of the mercenaries who participated in that foolish 'Run to the Sea' operation returned to Broken Sword Keep! Habro, my old friend, the leader of the 'Blood Hammer' mercenary group, almost lost his leg in the delta of the River of Controversy! And his mercenary group is down to only two hundred men."
Tiberius's gaze swept over the chaotic port and the crowds scrambling to board the ships, then turned back to the brightly lit mansion where the governor was temporarily staying, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"We can't wait any longer!" he gritted his teeth. "We must evacuate immediately! This city can't be defended!"
However, when Tiberius explained the urgency of the immediate evacuation to Lisandro, the governor of Reis appeared unusually "calm," even somewhat dismissive. He held his golden cup, enjoying the wine from Reis, seemingly oblivious to the faint sounds of commotion coming from outside the window.
“Tiberius, my young warrior,” Lisandro said slowly, with the obliviousness often found in those in high positions, “there is no need for such panic. General Mithridates may… have encountered some minor setbacks, but the battle is still under control. We have strong walls and loyal soldiers. They cannot…”
Tiberius almost roared, but he forced himself to hold back, only retorting urgently, "My lord! There is no time! The routs have broken order, all the outposts outside the city have been lost, and the enemy cavalry and main force could appear on the horizon at any moment! This is not a minor setback, this is a complete rout! We must board the ships immediately!"
Lisandro frowned, seemingly quite displeased with Tiberius's "loss of composure" and "alarmist remarks." He waved his hand: "Alright, I understand. I'll consider it. You should prepare for evacuation first, but there's no need to rush. Maintaining morale is the priority. After all, Broken Sword Fortress is a very important fortress, and I believe the other governors will send soldiers to relieve it..."
His delay undoubtedly pushed himself and all of them further towards the gates of hell.
Lisangzhuo's "composure" didn't last long. In fact, the incident happened that afternoon.
Just as he was stalling, the vanguard cavalry of the Valantis appeared on the outskirts of Broken Sword Fortress like a black tide, accompanied by the thunderous sound of hooves.
Broken Sword Fortress is a ferry town near the River of Controversy. The entire city is shaped like an inverted octagon because the mountains on both sides form a small opening at the bottom that faces the river, while the larger opening, and the city beyond that opening, faces directly into the heart of Valantis.
Therefore, the city was easy to defend and difficult to attack for those crossing the river, but easy to attack and difficult to defend for armies coming from the direction of Valantis.
Moreover, the city walls were no longer guarded at this time! Therefore, the main force of Valantis almost effortlessly threw the banner of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters to the ground and replaced it with the banner of Valantis.
Having captured the thick city wall, they did not pause for a moment and launched a direct charge. The Valantis frantically slaughtered the defeated soldiers who could not board the ships in time. They swept fiercely toward the port like a tidal wave.
When the gleaming blades were pressed against their backs, the entire ferry crossing erupted into chaos!
Cries, screams, the sound of horses' hooves, and the clashing of weapons blended together. People rushed frantically towards the boats moored on the riverbank, pushing, trampling, and even drawing their swords against each other.
The once relatively orderly "Lightning Regiment" was also impacted by this torrent of panic. Only through Tiberius and the officers' shouts and efforts to maintain order was it able to protect the core personnel as they retreated to a reserved galley.
However, in this chaotic flow of people, even though Tiberius had previously given the Lightning Legion soldiers intensive discipline training, it was still not enough to make the soldiers completely obey his orders.
[Damn it, this chaos is just too much!] Tiberius was already cursing in his heart when he opened the system page.
Title: "The Cold-Hearted One" (Fame: 7%) Title Bonus: Domination (Low Level).
The bonus from the title of Dominion is very simple: Tiberius will have a spiritual aura, and those within the aura will obey Tiberius's commands out of fear.
At first, Tiberius thought this bonus was utterly useless, but now he understands the benefits of this title.
Make your soldiers fear you more than the enemy, and they will obey orders!
When he activated the title bonus, a sense of fear suddenly arose in the hearts of the Lightning Legion soldiers who had been restless and timid, as well as some of the mercenaries who were with Tiberius and his men.
"Listen, soldiers!" Tiberius proclaimed to them at the top of his lungs. "You must obey my orders. Obey and you will live; disobey..."
Tiberius's indifferent eyes swept over the soldiers.
"Disobey, and you will be trampled to death by the Valantis!"
[It worked!] After finishing his speech, Tiberius surveyed the reactions of the Lightning Legion soldiers and the mercenaries who had followed him, and felt reassured.
At least for now, they have maintained their discipline, instead of panicking like before and being on the verge of collapse!
However, this did not mean they were safe. Tiberius, seeing the shouts of battle growing closer in the distance, quickly led his soldiers to cover Lisandro and Lisanro as they left the area, boarded a ship, and escaped.
Lisang Zhuo was no longer as composed as before. Surrounded by his personal guards and soldiers of the "Lightning Legion," he was pale and staggering. An arrow, which seemed to have come from nowhere, grazed his arm, leaving a trail of blood. He cried out in pain and almost collapsed, only to be desperately supported by Lisang Luo and his guards.
At this moment, Lisanro could not care about anything else. He held up his shield to protect his father with one hand, and used his sword to block the crowd that was rushing in from the chaos with the other. Every now and then, he would grab his bow and arrow and fire inaccurate but angry arrows at the approaching Valantis cavalry.
"Quickly, get the master on board!" Tiberius stood on the ship's side, shouting hoarsely as he directed the sailors and soldiers to cut the mooring lines, raise the sails, and leave many who were hoping to escape on the dock.
Tiberius couldn't bear to look at the despair in those people's eyes, but he would never stop his ship to help them.
Because if we did that, everyone would die.
Looking at the hellish scene on the dock, at the abandoned and slaughtered soldiers, at the approaching Valantis cavalry and Tiger Robe Army behind him, and especially at the disheveled Lisandro being half-dragged and half-carried by his guards, the anger, fear and hatred for the incompetent commander that had been building up for days erupted like a volcano!
He whirled around, facing Broken Sword Fortress, and with all his might let out a heart-wrenching roar that even drowned out the clamor of the battlefield:
"Mitridas—! I'll fuck your mother!!!"
This roar embodied the pent-up anger of all the survivors.
"You fucking spice merchant! You idiot who got your general's scepter and legion commander position through bribery, a few bed slaves, and selling hooks! What right do you have to be the supreme commander?! You can't even read a map! You sent the Myrs to their deaths, the Tyrothy to fill in the lines, and the Ries to fill the trenches for the Valantis! You're nothing but a clown in fancy armor, standing amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood! You idiot!"
With each curse he uttered, his chest heaved violently, as if he were about to vomit up his internal organs.
"Rhys! And everyone who died here, everyone you killed! They were all killed by your fucking stupid, worthless command—!!!"
The boat finally swayed away from the shore and headed towards the relatively safe center of the river. Tiberius's angry curses echoed on the river, like a blood-soaked elegy for this absurd and tragic defeat.
Flames rose and black smoke billowed from the docks. The banners of the Valantis were planted all over the city walls and the harbor. Soldiers who could not escape were stabbed to death by spears, hacked to death by swords, or pushed into the river to drown. Meanwhile, the Valantis let out a proud, bloodthirsty cry.
By this time, the Valantis had completely occupied Broken Sword Fortress!
The army of the Three Daughters Kingdom's operation to cross the eastern part of the disputed river has ended in complete failure and a crushing defeat!