When Gervais stood on a gentle slope two miles away from White Rock City and looked at White Rock City illuminated by the setting sun, he realized why King Lawrence did not order a storming of this city during the southern expedition in previous years.

Because this city is completely prepared for war.

In fact, the scale of Baiyan City is not that big, with only three kilometers of city walls from left to right.

However, in addition to the towering city wall that is more than ten meters high and rises directly from the flat ground, the more special thing about this city is that its city gate not only has an urn, but the door opening is also very small, which can barely

The width for a carriage to pass through is something that does not appear in other ordinary cities.

In order to facilitate the residents to enter and leave the city, other cities have wide door openings in the city walls. Some large cities even have two or three door openings to divert people, carriages and horses.

"Alice, I think we should not think about this first achievement reward! It's not worth it!"

At this moment, the soldiers were all setting up camp in full swing, and only nobles like Gervais could stand leisurely on the gentle slope and look at the nearby White Rock City.

"This city is indeed difficult to capture!"

Although Alice is a woman, as the heir to the earl title, she also has some knowledge in this area, and she can also see the difficulty and cost of taking this city.

"Hiss! Not only is it difficult to capture, but if the enemy's fighting will is strong enough, he will have to pay at least double the price to capture this city."

"Alice, take out your telescope and look at the arrangements on those walls."

Gervais understood the meaning of Alice's words. Although attacking this city would definitely involve heavy casualties, Alice seemed to be tempted by the reward promised by the king.

Just now he was observing the entire White Rock City with his naked eyes. At this moment, Gervais had already taken out the monocular telescope placed in the leather pouch on his waist.

When he looked at the top of the city wall with the monocular, he suddenly took a breath of cold air.

I saw that the corridor above the city wall had been completely covered by wooden sheds. With the help of the telescope, Gervais could see that the wooden sheds were also covered with thick sand for reinforcement.

With this roof, it means that when attacking a city, your bows and arrows will basically have no effect on the enemy troops on the wall.

In addition to this huge roof, Gervais also saw many trebuchets on the city wall.

Comparing the size of the defenders on the city wall, the trebuchet on the city wall should be the smallest. The throwing distance is not too far, and it is at most one or two times stronger than the bow and arrow.

But there are too many trebuchets, basically there are two trebuchets every 50 meters.

These trebuchets were placed just on the platform reserved on the city wall. This protruding platform was reserved when it was first built, so it would not affect the soldiers passing by on the city wall.

Thinking that when one's own side attacks, in addition to having to defend against the enemy's arrows, one also has to worry about bowl-sized rocks falling from the sky like fairy flowers. Gervais suddenly felt a little chilly.

"Fortunately, there are no crossbows in this world yet. If there were dozens of more crossbows placed on the city wall, there would be no need to attack. We could just go home and sleep early."

"But it's almost the same now. Who the fuck is going to be an idiot!"

After silently looking at the fortifications that could be observed on the city wall, Gervais complained in his heart.

Anyway, he wasn't going to do it. He only had a few cats and dogs under his command. If they all died, he would be the bare commander when he returned.

In addition, Gervais is also thinking about how to persuade his cheap wife to give up this idea.

"Ding!"

"You are experiencing the first large-scale battle in your life. In order to show your extraordinary status as a system owner, you must be brave enough!"

"System mission: You must be the first to attack Baiyan City in this battle of Baiyan City!"

"Task reward: 10 energy points, plus a random draw from the lucky wheel!"

"...!!!???"

When Gervais heard this ding in his head, he knew that he shouldn't be mean-mouthed.

Because this system seems to not exist when people are going well, but as long as you encounter any big trouble, it will definitely step on you.

It is easy to set up a flag in front of it, but it is difficult to keep the flag!

"System! Is it really okay for you to jump out and slap me in the face like this?"

Gervais's face turned blue and white.

Although the system's mission reward this time made Gervais very envious, which was equivalent to a full twenty energy points, Gervais was really not sure of completing the mission.

"Gervis, maybe you are right, maybe we really don't have to..."

Alice used the telescope given to her by Gervase to see clearly the defenses on the city wall.

At this moment, she finally gave up the idea of ​​competing for rewards, because the Jones family could not afford any big losses.

Otherwise, even if they get a reward this time, the Jones family will attract more covetousness in the future because of its weakening strength.

"No, Alice, we can't make a decision so quickly. Let's wait and see tomorrow!"

Gervais felt that his face was a little hot. One second he said who had sex with whom, but the next second he swallowed these words.

"kindness?"

This time it was Alice's turn to be confused.

Along the way, all the vassals were discussing this reward with great interest, but only Gervais looked normal and did not say anything related to it during the journey.

Even though he was trying to persuade himself a second ago, he didn't expect Gervais to make a 180-degree turn the next second.

"Ahem! Look, the two groups of rangers below are fighting!"

Gervais was extremely embarrassed. At this moment, he saw two teams of cavalry chasing each other one kilometer ahead, so he quickly changed the topic and pointed down the gentle slope.

Down the gentle slope ahead were two groups of cavalry chasing each other with bows and arrows. They belonged to the Principality of Jean and the Principality of Alban respectively.

These are two teams of scout rangers. Each team has a small number of people, only a dozen people.

The rangers from the Principality of Alban had been wandering around when Gervais and his companions arrived at White Rock City, investigating all aspects of the southern expedition team.

Of course, the rangers from the Principality of Jean will not let them do what they want. They are all under the command of King Lawrence.

From the moment they left the City of Glory, the rangers from the Principality of Zeon have been wandering around the southern expedition team, responsible for exploring the road or driving away enemy rangers.

Although the main forces of both sides have not yet faced each other, the battle between these rangers has been going on all day.

Along the way, Gervais and the others could see the dead bodies of many rangers, including those from the Principality of Zeon and those from the enemy.

…

This camping trip lasted until dark and took more than three hours.

At present, this is still a simple camp. There are only fences placed around the perimeter of the camp and a simple towering arrow tower every 100 meters. Tomorrow, trenches will be dug around the perimeter of the camp to defend against possible enemy attacks.

Cavalry charge.

This time, there is no distinction between the camps of several earl families, because every two earl families are divided into a group, forming a square to guard the king's camp.

That night, after dinner, Gervais received an order from Alice, asking him to follow him to the king's central camp to discuss matters.

Following Alice to the king's meeting tent, Gervais discovered that the upper beam was not straight and the lower beam was crooked.

The king's meeting hall is paved with soft and expensive carpets, and there is no shortage of various exquisite artistic furnishings.

A small high platform was built at the innermost end of the tent, and the king sat on the throne on the high platform.

As for the eight earls, they sat on the soft chairs on both sides below.

If you ignore the rectangular tent, the interior is actually exactly the same as what Gervais saw in the palace that day.

"Now that we have arrived at White Rock City, I am ready to take over the entire Principality of Alban in one fell swoop, so the date for our southern expedition is very urgent. I hope to take over White Rock City within five days!"

The king sat on the throne with his body slightly raised, his right hand on the armrest and his fingers tapping the armrest gently.

"Your Majesty, five days is too urgent! It will take at least one day to make the siege ladder. There are 5,000 Hayden direct guards and more than 2,000 serf auxiliaries in Baiyan City."

"Yes! It must be. If you want to capture Baiyan City within five days, you will definitely have to pay a lot of casualties. If your Majesty can extend the time and deplete the morale of the defenders in the city, then you can conquer Baiyan City in one go. This will

It is the most reasonable strategy."

The earl below couldn't help but frowned when he heard the date set by the king. The date was too short, which meant that the momentum of both sides was rising. This was very unfavorable for the attacking party and would inevitably cause huge casualties!

But if the time can be extended, and the siege can continue to consume the limited troops in the city, weakening their will, and then capture Baiyan City in one fell swoop, this will be in line with the expectations of these nobles, big and small.

After all, their number is more than ten times that of the enemy. When the time comes, they only need to take turns to attack. After more than ten days, thousands of people in the city will be able to defend day and night. They will be in panic all day long, and wait until their morale is at its lowest before attacking again.

A general attack can definitely capture Baiyan City at the minimum cost.

"Oh! How many days do you think is suitable?"

Hearing the numerous objections below, King Lawrence did not show any emotion, but asked a question in a nonchalant manner.

The several earls below looked at each other a few times. Although they did not discuss it verbally, they naturally had the same opinion in their hearts for these battle-hardened veterans.

"Fifteen days, Your Majesty, it only takes fifteen days, and we can definitely capture Baiyan City at the minimum cost!"

The person who spoke was none other than Alice's grandfather, the Lord of the North. They were all on a united front at this moment, and he was the most senior here, so it was natural for him to speak.

"Fifteen days? That's too long! There are only three months until winter!"

The king was not satisfied with the date of fifteen days, although he knew that this was the limit that these nobles could accept.

After all, if Baiyan City can be surrounded for two months, or even longer, the casualties will be reduced by then. However, in order to have enough time for subsequent attacks, the king cannot accept such a long time spent on Baiyan City.

.

"Seven days, we must capture Baiyan City within seven days!"

The king thought for a moment and finally spoke again, but this time his tone changed and he said it in a tone that could not be questioned.

The few earls below heard the king's words and knew that there was absolutely no bargaining now, and everyone frowned deeper.

Originally, the reason for attacking White Rock City was because there was no need to hand over the loot as a reward, but now it seems that the gain may not be as big as the loss.

The most important thing is that only one of the families can get this reward, but the other seven families can't get any benefits. No one is 100% sure that they can be the first to attack Baiyan City and defend it.

Entrance.

For a moment, the meeting hall fell into silence.

The king was not anxious or angry when he saw this situation. This is the normal state of this world.

There is no saying here that the king wants his ministers to die, and the ministers have to die. Instead, it is more likely that the king wants his ministers to die, and the ministers want you to die first.

"I know that this attack must be a cruel attack, so I will continue to announce a reward."

"In addition to the rewards promised in the morning, in this battle to attack Baiyan City, the family with the first victory can get two viscounty fiefs!"

"In addition, according to merit, each family of the last two can get a piece of viscounty territory, and the remaining families can get a piece of barony territory as long as they fight hard."

"You can choose the location of your territory, as long as it is a territory adjacent to you!"

In an instant, the several earls below were all shocked. Such a reward was too generous.

Not to mention the size of the territory, just the location of the territory can be chosen at will, which is unprecedented.

You must know that most of the territories that can be left under the name of the king's own family are rich in resources or fertile land. How can this keep them from being tempted?

"His Majesty the King is generous, and our Charles family is willing to serve you!"

"His Majesty the King is generous, and our Larkin family is willing to serve you!"

"Your Majesty the King..."

Next, all the earls stood up from their soft chairs and respectfully expressed their feelings to the king.

"Very good! There is a reward!"

The king nodded expressionlessly. He was not surprised by the count's statement. Instead, he emphasized the tone at the next moment and continued with a hint of coldness: "However, I have to warn you in advance. If any of them will be killed in this battle,

If the family is negligent, not only will there be no reward, but the distribution of spoils during the additional Southern Expedition will also be reduced accordingly!"

king

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Faced with such temptation, of course no family was willing to give up. Everyone looked serious and agreed seriously.

"Now that the deadline has been set, let me discuss with you the distribution of this attack."

As King Lawrence said these words, two attendants immediately came out and brought a wooden shelf. On this wooden shelf hung a simple map, which was the topographic map near White Rock City.

The mountains, rivers and rivers on the topographic map are clearly marked.

"White Rock City is surrounded by water on one side, and there are gentle grasslands in the other three directions. Although there is a fifty-meter-wide moat, it is not difficult."

The king turned sideways and pointed at the simple map.

"We have more than ten times the enemy's strength. In order to quickly capture Baiyan City, we need to fully attack Baiyan City and not allow them any chance to breathe!"

"We are surrounded by three and one is missing. Although these direct guards of Hayden may not necessarily abandon the city and escape, in order to avoid a fight between trapped beasts, we still need to leave a city wall to give them a chance to escape."

The attack on Baiyan City this time was not to annihilate the defenders in the city, but to capture Baiyan City and pull out the nail in the rear. Therefore, if the enemy really abandoned the city and fled, everyone would be willing to see it.

"To the north is the main entrance of Baiyan City, which is the direction we are in now. This is the city wall that we must attack mainly. I decided to place the other main wall to the east."

"And the west side is the river. Even if Hayden's guard team wanted to escape, it would be impossible to escape from there, so the south side must be left as an escape channel for them."

"So the directions of our attack this time are north, east and west!"

Having said this, the king raised the tea cup on the side and took a sip. Seeing that no one from the earl below spoke, he continued.

"The main attack will be on the north and east sides this time. I will definitely have four families on each side to coordinate the attack. I will also send people to the north to attack at the same time as you, so only three families are needed, and four families are needed on the east side.

, and only one family is needed to attack in the west! Let’s talk about it, do you have any opinions?”

The earls below had been thinking about the king's allocation for a long time, and found that there was no problem, so they all said: "Your Majesty, everything is entirely up to you!"

"Well, since you don't have any objections, just tell me which side of the city wall you want to attack!"

King Lawrence nodded and said with satisfaction.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to fight with your team in the north!"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to be in the north..."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to be in the east..."

Several Earls suddenly became restless and began to express their wishes impatiently. In fact, it didn't matter whether they attacked from the north or from the east, but no one wanted to be assigned to attack from the west of White Rock City.

Because the king there had already made it clear that only one family was responsible for the attack on the west side. Originally, this was nothing. After all, there were only a few people attacking, and it was impossible for the defenders to just guard the west side stupidly.

The problem is that the geographical location in the west is very difficult. There is a big river flowing next to Baiyan City. The river is only a hundred meters away from the wall of Baiyan City. There is no way to arrange troops because as long as you stand on the bank, you will be the enemy commander.

Archer attack range.

Not to mention attacking in such a position, you also need to find a way to cross the river. This is a complete trap. The reason why the king wants to place a family here is just to disperse the enemy's troops.

As a famous earl scrambled for position, the military tent was like a vegetable market, extremely noisy for a while. No one wanted to be sent to the west. For a moment, they were even stiff, and the king was patient and did not express his position.

"Earls, please be quiet and listen to what I have to say!"

After being in a stalemate for half a minute, Nemio of the Charles family suddenly had a change of mind and thought of a way, so he immediately spoke loudly to suppress the incessant voices.

All the earls knew that this was not an option, so after hearing what Charles said, they all stopped arguing and looked at Charles.

"Your Majesty, there will be no results in such a quarrel. No one is willing to give up this generous reward, so I think! Why don't we choose according to the order of camping outside the City of Glory, so that everyone has nothing to say?

explain!"

After Charles finished speaking, the eyes of all the earls in the field lit up. Obviously this method was the most suitable for them, and they were not the last ones anyway.

At this moment, everyone couldn't help but turn their attention to Alice again.

"Charles, are you being provocative?"

Before Alice said anything, the Lord of the North couldn't sit still. He patted the armrest of the chair and occupied it, looking at Charles with an unkind expression.

Obviously, Charles' idea was aimed at the Jones family, because the Jones family was ranked last in the camp this time.

"Huh, Gust, don't say anything nonsense. I just told you the most reasonable arrangement. Ask the other earls if they have the same idea as me!"

At this moment, Nemio was not afraid of the Lord of the North at all, because he knew that the king would never let the Lord of the North do anything wrong at this moment.

Although the other earls would not agree with Nemio at this moment, this method was indeed beneficial to them without any harm, and everyone acquiesced.

"Even if ranked by strength, the Jones family will not be ranked last. Do you dare to tell me that this is the most reasonable arrangement? I will tear you apart now if you can do it!"

The Lord of the North is a kind elder to Alice, but when facing outsiders, he is definitely a powerful and violent old man. When facing a sinister guy like Nemio, Gust always uses his fists.

To speak.

With that said, the Lord of the North was already preparing to step forward and teach Nemio a profound lesson.

"Okay, Gust, don't worry, sit down first!"

Finally, when the king saw that a fight was about to break out in the military tent, he immediately spoke in a deep voice to stop it.

"You all sit down too!"

In this way, the Lord of the North glared at Nemio fiercely, and then reluctantly returned to his position.

"Count Alice, do you have any comments?"

"His Majesty……"

"Grandpa, it's okay, you don't have to worry about me!"

Alice interrupted the Lord of the North with a smile and shook her head.

"Your Majesty, Count Nemio's method is indeed reasonable. I have no objection. Everything is at your Majesty's discretion."

Of course Alice knows what these earls are thinking, but now that the Jones family is weak, if she wants to compete, she will offend the other five earl families at the same time, and thus falls into Nemio's trap.

She even wanted to offend these families, even her own grandfather, so Alice simply stopped arguing.

Although attacking in the west will definitely have no future and will not bring about great achievements, similarly, the casualties of attacking in the west will be much smaller, and the king will not be too strict on a single family to achieve anything big.

Moreover, you will still be able to obtain a baronial fief in the end, which is also a good choice for the current Jones family.

"In that case, Count Alice, the attack on the west will be left to you!"

King Lawrence nodded with satisfaction, with a little satisfaction in his words.

After the Lord of the North heard this, he could only sigh helplessly. Alice herself gave up the fight. There was nothing he could do about it as his grandfather. After all, he was not alone. There was the Welton family behind him.

The most important thing is that he doesn't have many years to go, and he can't unscrupulously make enemies of the Welton family at this time.

The attacking family in the west was selected, and the next thing was much simpler. According to the order of the families, they were assigned to the north and east of Baiyan City for the main attack.

In the north, King Lawrence led the attack with three families including the Charles family and the Larkin family.

And why are the four earl families in the east, including the Welton, Kirwan and other families, responsible for the attack?

To the west, the Jones family was solely responsible for the attack.
Chapter completed!