Divine Kingship

Chapter 574 Stability 60
The flames of war truly engulfed this magnificent coastal city.

The Kingdom of Bolen actually experienced quite a few wars.

They have tasted the bitterness of war quite often.

But that applies to the entire Kingdom of Bologna.

Whether it was the undead attack on the first and second lines of defense, or the earlier magical gold mine war between the two major alliances of the Southern Kingdom.

Or perhaps it's an attack from the Rand in the north.

This was an exceptionally painful loss for the Kingdom of Bolun.

However, within the Kingdom of Bolen, especially among ordinary citizens and knights near the royal city, there was little real understanding of this situation.

The problem is that the high command of the Kingdom of Bolen has always been unwilling to admit the defeat in the war against Rand, and has never publicized it publicly, regardless of the previous one.

The last time, they even deceived the country after reaching an agreement with Rand, making the lower and middle classes believe that they had defeated Rand, forcing Rand to spend a lot of money to help the Kingdom of Bolun rebuild its territory.

Therefore, for many people in the Kingdom of Bolen, especially those near the capital, the imminent arrival of Land's army did not yet feel very real to them.

All they knew was that their superiors had suddenly ordered them to retreat into the city. All they knew was that martial law had been declared in the city, and that heavily armed, serious soldiers were constantly marching through the streets.

They understood that the capital of the Kingdom of Bolun was already surrounded by the armies of other countries.

However, in the short term, they could not deduce how the news of the siege of the royal capital would change their lives.

However, the army under Rand's command will soon tell them what will happen.

Burning boulders flew into the city from outside.

It grazed a few buildings and smashed the brick or stone structures to pieces.

After crashing through the building, the boulder did not stop, rolling onto the ground and scattering countless fragments across the stone pavement.

The ground was plowed into grooves, and the burning flames scorched the flagstones on the road.

And if there happen to be residents or soldiers on the road at that time.

It would then be obvious that he would be crushed into charred mincemeat by the rapidly rolling boulder.

Not all boulders could be thrown into the city.

Some will be shattered by the magic of the Royal Mage Corps of the Kingdom of Bolun along their predetermined trajectories.

There are even top-level experts who can shatter boulders with their greatswords.

However, many overconfident people will try to stop the boulder, only to be crushed into mincemeat.

It would be quite difficult for an individual to defeat such siege equipment.

……

A few more days passed.

Then even more cruel things will happen.

When city residents go out.

You could often see wounded soldiers being carried down from the city wall, being taken to the city for treatment or to... mass graves.

Occasionally, when you're unlucky, you can get a clear look at the specific injuries of the wounded being carried on a stretcher.

Some of the wounded had their legs cut off.

It made him appear shorter, making an adult warrior look like a dwarf who wouldn't grow tall.

Some were injured more severely.

His belly was ripped open, and his intestines, mixed with fat, spilled out.

And Allen, the apprentice knight of the Kingdom of Bolen, was that one, which was rather unfortunate.

As a trainee knight with a noble status, Allen could barely be considered to be at the bottom of the noble system.

Allen has no fiefdom, and if he cannot advance further to become a full knight, then his noble status will no longer be able to be passed on to the next generation.

Like many young trainee knights, Allen yearns for honor and glory.

In the Kingdom of Bolen, there are generally two paths for these apprentice knights to become full knights.

Join the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Bolen and become a sea warrior to seize wealth for the Kingdom of Bolen.

They had to contend with storms and sea monsters, islands and smuggled merchants.

The other option is to join the army of the Kingdom of Bolen in fighting against the enemy on the ground.

If one can gain the favor of a baron on either of these paths, there may even be an opportunity to become that baron's knight and thus possess a fief.

Knights with fiefdoms and knights without fiefdoms are completely different.

As for gaining the favor of more powerful nobles, that was something they could only dream of.

These past few days, Allen has also been longing to be drafted to defend the city walls, which is clearly an opportunity to gain recognition.

As for Rand's cunning and ruthlessness, Allen had heard about it many times, but the trainee knights were never afraid of challenges.

But when he saw the wounded soldiers wailing and crying.

Seeing the once spirited and imposing warriors with lifeless eyes, as if they were dead—perhaps they really were dead.

Allen seemed to realize the huge difference between war and peacetime combat.

Allen was tempted to back out, but his conscription notice was already posted on the door.

All apprentice knights knew the consequences of refusing to be conscripted: they would be executed as deserters.

Recruitment was originally an opportunity that trainee knights had to fight for, but now... Allen glanced at his fellow trainee knight who had also been recruited. This trainee knight had not seen the miserable state of the wounded being carried away earlier, and was now somewhat nervous and excited.

“Our chance has finally come,” the trainee knight said to Allen with some excitement.

Allen could only swallow hard.

Fortunately, Allen was not entirely weak, and he quickly recovered from the horrific scene of the wounded soldiers.

"Now it's time to test our weapons and our luck," Allen said in a low voice.

Apprentice knights were essentially trained war reserves. For them, the time from being drafted to actual combat was relatively short.

The reserve battalion was formed and marched to the city walls.

Get to know your superior officer, receive supplies, receive instructions from your superior officer, and understand the details of the operation.

After a short training period of two or three days, one can go up to the city wall.

In fact, without any training or procedures, you could just send them straight to the city walls to fight.

But it's not that urgent yet.

These recruited apprentice knights will naturally spend the night in the military camp.

Even at night, they could hear shouts of battle outside the city walls. Despite the fact that, according to their rudimentary military training, nighttime was not a suitable time for fighting, as many people could not see anything at night.

In the military camp, there was the stench of my comrades who hadn't bathed for months.

You can hear occasional farting and smacking sounds, but the loudest sound is snoring.

However, those trainee knights who were able to fall asleep were all carefree, while most trainee knights, like Allen, couldn't sleep.

The military camp was located near the city wall.

The distance was so great that the battle taking place on the city walls could be clearly felt through the ground tremors.

You could even hear screams of agony as swords pierced flesh, the howling wind as someone was pushed off the city wall and fell, and the thud as they hit the ground.

Countless deaths are occurring at a short distance.

The night, filled with restlessness and tossing and turning, soon passed.

Sleepless nights are often long, but this one night was surprisingly short for many trainee riders.

The officer's instructions, a reiteration of basic combat knowledge, a brief training session, and a reasonably palatable meal.

Two days passed like this.

Under the somewhat complicated gaze of their superior, they arrived at the top of the city wall.

The capital city of the Kingdom of Bolen was an unimaginably magnificent city. Neither the waves nor the sharp blades could breach its walls.

Standing on the solid ground of the city wall, one can see the scenery on the other side from this towering wall.

From a high vantage point, one should see the beautiful scenery near the capital of the Kingdom of Bologna, with lush green fields and orderly villages.

but now.

It was a sea of ​​banners and armor.

Ladders made of sheet metal and wood were continuously brought over.

Battering rams continued to be aimed at the bronze gates of the Bolun royal city.

Countless knights, mercenaries, and professional soldiers approached the city walls under the cover of chariots and towers.

The novice knight could not see the specific appearance of the enemies below the city, but he could feel their chilling gazes.

It was only autumn, but Allen felt a chill in the air.

"Apprentice! Plant the flag securely!" The centurion's roar, tinged with the smell of rust, echoed through the air. Only then did Allen realize that his palms were raw and bleeding from splinters on the flagpole; his job was flag bearer.

Meanwhile, the catapults beneath the city walls had tightened their tacks, and dozens of bare-chested siege soldiers were piling tar-covered sacks onto the hurdles. He suddenly recalled the other knightly promotion ceremonies he had witnessed during his time as a squire—armor worth over a dozen gold coins gleaming brightly, while his crudely made neck guards couldn't even stop a stray arrow.

As the first burning boulder of the day tore through the sky, Allen made out the swallowtail banners fluttering among the enemy ranks. Those young novice knights were adjusting their crossbows, the bronze-inlaid arms gleaming like snakes' tongues in the firelight.

Soon, after closing in at a sufficient distance, the enemy archers, advancing under a hail of their own arrows, raised their crossbows and longbows and aimed them at the defenders on the city walls.

Thousands of arrows were fired.

Allen had never seen a volley of arrows fired at once.

I've seen it all today.

Unfortunately, they were the ones being attacked.

Theoretically, the city walls would offer a significant advantage.

Hitting from a higher position will significantly increase the range and firepower.

Our archers continued to fire at the enemy below the city.

Many of the enemy soldiers were also hit by arrows from the city wall, fell to the ground, and cried out in pain.

But Allen just felt that the enemy's momentum was stronger, much stronger than their own.

So powerful that it seemed capable of crushing the city walls beneath his feet, which could withstand anything.

The city walls blocked most of the shots coming from below.

Only a few scattered arrows pierced through the gaps in the city walls and struck the defenders on the ramparts. But many arrows simply flew over the walls and into the city behind.

The ballistae on the city wall also successfully destroyed several siege weapons below the city.

The city wall does indeed have a great advantage.

The first wave of attacks didn't seem to result in many casualties. Even if arrows hit them, they might not be able to penetrate their armor, even though the armor of these apprentice knights was actually quite poor quality.

Soon, soldiers from the Frostmoon Kingdom arrived at the city walls via ladders or siege towers.

When these soldiers came face to face with them, they didn't seem to be very well-trained.

At least for many soldiers, their combat skills were laughably stupid to the trainee knight Allen.

Not to mention any dazzling swordsmanship or exquisite martial arts skills.

But Allen dared not underestimate the Frostmoon Kingdom soldiers and knights who had stormed the city walls.

Those who could charge up the city wall in this way were clearly exceptionally brave and skilled.

The few soldiers who managed to scale the city walls faced a very high probability of death against the well-prepared defenders of the Kingdom of Bolun.

Just as Allen had predicted.

Most of the soldiers who charged up the city walls were pierced off the towering walls by their spears.

However, a few managed to dodge the spears and wield their swords or axes to cut down several charging defenders, making it difficult to push them off for a while.

Then more enemies rushed up from the ladders or towers.

Allen even discovered that some of the people who stormed the city walls were real knights.

Allen dreams of becoming a true knight, who often possesses far superior martial skills and extensive combat experience compared to novice knights.

Their armor was also more difficult to be torn by inferior iron tools.

Allen could even see that some knights were specifically targeting him, the standard-bearer.

Fortunately, the defenders outnumbered the enemy troops who stormed the city walls.

The first battle ended by evening.

Allen discovered that the enemy didn't launch an attack every night.

At least tonight, it seems the enemy has no intention of continuing their attack.

Allen breathed a sigh of relief; maybe he could finally get a good night's sleep.

Allen arrived at the foot of the city wall, in the military camp.

The officer distributed the first pay to the new recruits as a reward for their bravery on their first day of combat.

In reality, the new recruits were not brave at all. Many were so terrified by the brutality of the battlefield that they ran away in panic and were executed by the supervisory team on their way to escape.

However, neither their superiors nor the newly recruited soldiers mentioned the matter.

The first batch of military pay was distributed quickly.

The officer would not allow these new recruits to leave the camp, but agreed to let them register and then arrange for someone to help them go to the city to buy some items or handle some matters.

Soon, the spies in the royal city of Bolun...

I then focused on some of the people involved in the process.

Moreover, new recruits who have just participated in the war will not be released into the city immediately.

However, quite a few soldiers who had participated in the war for a period of time were actually granted the opportunity to rest.

The spies recorded these changes in their report.

Soon, Rand, who was outside the city, received the news.

Rand sat in an ornate velvet armchair, with a long office table in front of him displaying a strategic map of the vicinity of Bolen.

A smile with fingers interlaced.

Clearly, the war has begun to affect the city.

According to the informant.

The price of grain in the capital city of Bolun has begun to rise noticeably.

And more people attempting to smuggle themselves into the country were discovered at the port.

Many citizens or soldiers who attempted to smuggle themselves across the border were caught and executed or subjected to other punishments by the port's inspectors.

And doing so will change the atmosphere in the city.

Rand has already made his judgment.

The current stability of the capital city of the Kingdom of Bolun is estimated to be 60.

We can now proceed to the next step.

Rand stood up from his seat.

The afterglow of the sun shone on Rand.

Rand's shadow covered the city of Bolen on the strategic deployment map.

Like a great demon king.

(End of this chapter)