Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 386 The Evil Son of Mannan and the Powerful Offensive of the Black Forest Territory
As the legions of the Black Forest Territory completed their formation, the sun had already risen, and the morning light bathed every soldier in a golden glow.

This scene was truly breathtaking, especially when viewed from the top of Stromgarde. Every steadfast defender gasped in shock.

At this moment, they were like the destitute humans in the Battle of the Five Armies, who opened their eyes to see countless golden-armored elf armies.

Moreover, the sense of awe was even greater, because the Black Forest army gathered below was even larger in scale, their armor gleaming in the sun and their banners obscuring the sky.

Even Baron Grant, as the commander, was deeply shaken. Looking down at the imposing enemy army, he was secretly shocked. Was this the aura of the Sun Goddess's army?

Above Stromgarde, the right bank camp's original location has been replaced with the crimson banners of the Black Forest Territory. In the backlight, several golden figures stand solemnly, looking down below.

Standing here are Su Li and his powerful Chosen Knights. The change of ownership of this Right Bank military camp has greatly altered the strategic situation for both sides.

From this military camp, the Blacksene territory could clearly see the chaotic defensive posture of Stromgarde below. This advantage was not so obvious at night, but once the sun rose and the light became bright, they could practically see their defenses inside and out.

It's a pity that Hilde hasn't had time to master the Valley of Memories yet. Otherwise, her command of the war here would be no different from the tactical sandbox of the Goddess of the Sun. However, it's not a big problem. Black Forest has a large number of air cavalry. Whether it's griffin riders, pegasus riders, giant eagle riders, or swan riders, crossing this battlefield of several hundred meters is a matter of seconds, and they can also achieve real-time command of the battle.

Blue Mirror Territory did not expect Black Forest Territory to have so many air cavalry, otherwise they would never have dared to lose this military camp so easily.

The three armies stood at attention, their formations imposing, as if war was about to break out. Su Li looked at Doglin, who was in charge of commanding the artillery, and asked, "Have the cannons been calibrated?"

Doglin gripped his battle axe, excitedly waving his right arm, and replied in the dwarf's characteristically loud voice, "No problem, my lord. The field of fire is so perfect, and the distance is only a few hundred meters. Just watch the dwarf's skill! An experienced dwarf can hit the target with his eyes closed!"

Su Li didn't hesitate and decisively ordered, "Then fire! Let's see the artillery skills of you dwarves!"

Doglin immediately walked to the artillery position and roared at the top of his lungs, "Bloodlines of the Mountains, it's time for you to show the might of the dwarves! Aim down at Stromgarde, and fire at the densest areas of the enemy! Blast them to pieces!"

With a roar from Doglin, two cannons and six mortars opened fire simultaneously.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!"

In an instant, a thunderous roar shattered the morning tranquility and drowned out the roar of the Brienne River! On the cliffside military camp's gun emplacements, eight dark cannons simultaneously spewed out blazing tongues of fire and thick smoke, the enormous recoil making the entire cliff seem to tremble!
Eight heavy cannonballs, with the dwarven aesthetics of precision and violence, traced brief but deadly arcs as they slammed into Stromgarde below!

Doglin wasn't exaggerating. With such perfect firing arcs and relatively close range, the dwarven gunners displayed a chilling skill.

The solid iron balls fired from the two cannons were like the iron fists of death. One struck with perfect accuracy a sturdy ballista platform built against the rock face, extending from the main fortress of Stromgarde! Wood chips, gravel, and twisted metal parts flew everywhere amidst the screams of the defenders. The platform instantly collapsed halfway, sending the heavy ballistae operating on it and the soldiers plunging into the raging river below. The other ball grazed the crenellations of the main fortress and slammed into a densely packed barracks area behind it, instantly carving a bloody path and unleashing even greater chaos and flames!

The six mortars raised their muzzles high, unleashing deadly exploding shells. These shells exploded with deafening roars over the narrow streets of Stromgarde and the crowded heads of the defenders on the city walls! Explosions erupted one after another, and deadly shrapnel and a rain of scorching iron swept down like a storm. One shell, in particular, landed squarely in the center of Stromgarde—where a large reserve force was gathered, preparing to reinforce the city walls! After the deafening explosion, only a charred crater billowing smoke and a scene of utter carnage remained in the square, the pungent stench of blood instantly filling the air.

One second ago, Striking Fortress was intimidated by the Black Forest army's imposing presence, but the next second it was transformed into a living hell.

The defenders behind the battlements were stunned by the sudden artillery barrage. The precise strikes rendered their fortifications as flimsy as paper. The shockwaves of the explosions sent soldiers flying, deadly shrapnel piercing through armor and flesh. Screams, wails, and the futile shouts of officers mingled together. The once-solid defensive line was instantly riddled with gaping holes and chaos.

The shells that landed inside the fortress caused even greater panic. Soldiers ran and collided in the streets, and tax collection stations and barracks along the street were set ablaze, billowing thick smoke. Reserves were scattered, and the logistics and supply areas also caught fire. The temple in Mannan (although not within the core targets of the first round of shelling) was also affected, with flying debris shattering stained-glass windows and making the priests inside shudder.

The most devastating blow was to morale. The Black Forest Territory not only possessed such a formidable military force, but also terrifying and precise long-range firepower, and held an absolute advantage by occupying a superior position! The crimson flags fluttering in the right-bank camp and the flickering flames of the cannons became an inescapable shadow in the hearts of all the defenders.

Baron Grant stood atop the city wall, watching helplessly as his meticulously arranged defensive points were smashed one by one, listening to the chaos and wails emanating from within the castle, his face turning deathly pale.

But all of this is just the prelude to the final assault!
When the bombardment ended, the Hessian army's offensive horn resounded through the valley with even greater force.

The griffin and pegasus riders, who had been circling and waiting above the cliffside camp, were like birds of prey that had smelled blood. Taking advantage of the perfect opportunity when the defenders were suppressed by artillery fire and their formation was in disarray, they swooped down from the sky! Their target was very clear: the remaining ballistae and catapults. Their huge talons and the griffins' swooping attacks easily tore these cumbersome machines to shreds.

Otherwise, if they continue firing, a single crossbow bolt could kill 3 to 5 armed servants, or even, if they're lucky, severely injure an elite knight.

Then a massive wave of ground troops surged forth, with the Giant Butcher leading a phalanx of dwarven heavy infantry to the city walls. They carried enormous siege shields high, their steps heavy and resolute, their target the gates of Stromgarde.

Closely following behind were the massive Blue Heron mercenary crossbowmen legion and the dwarven musketeer legion. Their formation was even larger and denser than the heavy infantry in front.

As soon as they approached firing range, this terrifyingly large ranged legion instantly formed ranks like a steel jungle. The next moment, a storm of arrows that blotted out the sky and scorching lead bullets suddenly erupted! A dense rain of death poured down on the walls of Stromgarde, its ferocity so great that the soldiers on the walls had nowhere to stand.

Under the suppression of artillery fire and ranged units, the Blacksene army gained a strategic advantage immediately. Yurik's berserker knights and powerful heavily armored dwarves fearlessly erected ladders on the city walls and began a fierce climbing battle.

The fate of Stromgarde hangs in the balance amidst the roar of dwarven cannons, the shrieks of air cavalry, the howls of berserkers, the battle cries of dwarves, and the thunderous charge of the Sun Knights! The waters of the Brienne River, stained crimson by the cannon fire, reflect the swaying silhouette of this newly built fortress amidst the flames of war. Su Li stands on the edge of the cliffside military camp, calmly watching the hellish battlefield below, awaiting the decisive moment—the fall of the city gates.

As long as the army can capture the city gates and allow the steel legions to pour in, the fall of this fortress is only a matter of time.

At this moment, the Beast Mage Grondar raised his staff high, and a mysterious, obscure voice resounded from his throat: "The mighty army of Machu!"

Immediately afterwards, a powerful magical light erupted from the staff, like a brown sun rising from the ground. The light then spread rapidly, enveloping the countless soldiers climbing the wall in front of them.

Machu's mighty army—the shamans summon the power of the wild world and bestow it upon their chosen allies.

Under the influence of this power, the soldiers will unleash their wildness, their desire to attack and their attack speed will increase dramatically, and their bodies will become as hard as leather.

The armed guards defending the city walls witnessed firsthand how their arrows, after hitting the enemy, were deflected by the hard armor. Even if they managed to pierce the armor, they couldn't penetrate the enemy's tough skin.

The white wolf knights and dwarf butchers attacking the city casually snapped off the arrows hanging on their bodies and then charged forward bravely.

The Blue Sword Knights' leader, Claude Rodriguez, was covered in blood, his eyes bloodshot. He had witnessed the powerful champion knight charge up the city wall, swing his warhammer, and send two or three Mannan knights surrounding him flying.

Such scenes were playing out everywhere in the castle. Although the road in front of Stromgarde was narrow, the knights of Mannan were not good at ranged combat, and the defensive facilities on the city walls had been suppressed by the enemy. Therefore, the battle could only rely on the two sides grinding each other together.

Not only him, but enemy soldiers had also appeared beside Baron Grant. A griffin rider swooped down and nearly pierced Baron Grant's body with his sharp lance. If it weren't for the knight Mannan's desperate lunge to save Baron Grant, the enemy would have almost completed their decapitation strike.

From the very beginning of the war, it was mired in an extremely dangerous situation.

The defending troops, from top to bottom, had not expected the enemy's offensive to be so swift and fierce, putting Blue Mirror Territory in grave danger from the very beginning of the battle.

Claude, merely an elite knight, fought with all his might, leading a small contingent of his knights to Baron Grant's side. Gasping for breath, he roared, "My lord, we must use our trump card! The enemy's offensive is too fierce; if we don't act decisively, the fortress will fall!"

Are you going to use your trump card now?

Baron Grant's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't comprehend how the enemy's offensive could be so ferocious, charging forward like a tidal wave. He had originally thought that if he could kill the enemy's commander and rout 300-500 of his personal guards, the enemy would collapse. After all, such a large army couldn't possibly have everyone fighting to the death.

But it seems that the enemy's morale and fighting spirit have exceeded his expectations. These knights are extremely motivated to be the first to attack the city and are invincible.

This greatly disrupted his rhythm; he intended to use this trump card against the enemy's commander or general!

If he were to use that move at this moment, he would be wasting his most important and carefully prepared tactic.

So he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Hold on, knights of Mannan! The moment of utter despair is not yet here! Have the priests communicate with the sea god and send forth the sons of Mannan!"

Seeing this, Claude knew he couldn't persuade the commander.

In the church in Mannan, generals were generally the bravest and most fearless individuals. When disputes arose between the parties, they rarely resorted to the law, but rather used civil arbitration.

The basic procedure involves each party sending a boat to the disputed waters and dumping their waste into the sea to attract sharks. A plank is then placed between the two boats, and the arbitrators fight on the plank until one of them is forced to retreat. Axes or tridents are commonly used weapons. River trolls or Norsemen influenced by Mannan also frequently used this method to resolve disputes or gain freedom from slavery.

In this atmosphere, the people's feelings towards the commander were similar to their feelings towards Mannan. He was unpredictable, extremely violent when he was angry, and extremely gentle when he was gentle, but overall, people didn't like him that much. They felt more awe and admiration for him.

But when his abilities are not enough to inspire awe, Mannan's followers are most easily misled.

At this moment, Claude was very puzzled. Even if the son of Mannan was released, could the situation really be changed?

But he had no time to think; in this tense situation, he could only carry out the order immediately. He led the knights and priests of Mannan into the Stromgarde Cathedral at the first opportunity.

Each Mann's Temple houses a group of Mann's Children, the offspring of Mann. Legend has it that Mann loved a goddess named Lilith, but she resided in the heavens, beyond his reach. No matter how Mann expressed his love, it was never reciprocated, so Mann, who is also the sea, was forever wrathful and raging. Because of this, Mann vented his unrequited love in the rivers, lakes, and seas, so every river and lake, including sea spirits, mermaids, and whales, is his child; even Leviathans, Behemoths, sea dragons, Tritons, and many others bear his bloodline.

The church in Mannan naturally supplied these monsters with special divine powers. As the aquarium was opened, both sides in the battle heard various terrifying cracking sounds.

Su Li, who was watching the battle from the cliff, frowned instantly and stared intently at the Striking Fortress below. He saw countless monsters surging out of their Mannan Temple, the first of which was an enormous hermit crab.

Using human skulls as shells, they pierced the entire skull diagonally from right to left with swords corroded green by seawater, and then six scarlet crab claws and pincers grew out from beneath the hideous skull!

This is the infamous water monster, Beth's Claw of Hatred. Its status and combat strength are roughly equivalent to a war mastiff active on land, but its scale far surpasses that of a dog. As soon as they appeared, they densely packed the streets and then swarmed onto the city walls.

They attacked all non-Manan believers, and Su Li personally witnessed at least several dozen knights and armed servants in the Blue Mirror Army who believed in other gods being frantically besieged by them.

Their sharp claws are like daggers, easily piercing the leather armor of armed servants, and even knights' armor would find it difficult to withstand their onslaught for long.

This is no ordinary demon crab; it's more like the bladed claws of a sadistic succubus.

The hallmark of sadomasochistic followers and demons is their razor-sharp crab claws, which are both weapons and sensual spectacles, bringing twisted pleasure to both the perpetrator and the victim during attacks.

Mannan was clearly influenced by Sadomasochism and was intricately connected to the gods, not only by his unrequited love but also by the children of Mannan he fathered through promiscuity.

While these claws of hatred slaughtered a large number of Blue Mirror Territory troops, they also caused considerable trouble for the berserk Black Forest Territory troops.

But the trouble didn't end there. After these monsters appeared, there were large numbers of adult anglerfish.

As an adult fish with followers of Mannan, it is quite normal for it to evolve hands and feet.

They emerged from the altar, their bodies hunched over, their enormous piranha heads protruding, each wielding a massive trident. They were so densely packed that it was as if a sea monster army had surged onto land.

Su Li frowned and said, "Why do I feel like this isn't a war between two border princely territories, but rather a war between human knights and sea monsters?"

Hilde drew her peerless sword, Beast Slayer, mounted her griffin, and, holding the golden longsword upside down, declared with a dashing air, "My lord, I will personally lead my men to wipe out these monsters and take over the city walls."

Su Li immediately waved his hand to stop her, saying, "Don't be careless. The Blue Mirror Territory would rather use such a tactic that injures the enemy a thousand while damaging themselves eight hundred, than retreat from the city. I bet they have some bigger tricks up their sleeves. We can blast these monsters to pieces with our cannons; it's not your turn to step in yet."

"Doglin, increase the artillery fire! Use the flamethrowers to blow all these monsters to smithereens!"

Doglin immediately replied in a high-spirited and excited voice, "My lord, leave it to us! We dwarves will treat everyone to a seafood feast!"

Before he finished speaking, he raised the dwarven ancient relic—the Prospector's Sniper Telescope—and roared, "My children, aim and blast! Turn these rotten fish and shrimps into dust!"

The dwarves at their gun positions moved with lightning speed, pushing the heavy, exploding shells into the scorching breech. Once again, the muzzle spewed deadly flames and thick smoke!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!"

This bombardment was targeted and brutal. It was no longer a probing suppression, but a devastating barrage. The whistling shells landed precisely on the narrow streets inside Stromgarde, crowded with Beth's Claw of Hatred and Anchor's Piranhas.

The flames from the explosion merged into one, like a flower of hell blooming in the filthy tide. The scorching blast wave, carrying deadly fragments of cast iron, rubble, and seawater instantly vaporized, swept everything in its path.

The skulls and carapaces that the Claws of Vengeance were so proud of proved utterly vulnerable to the close-range explosion of the shells. Their sturdy skulls shattered like pottery, tearing apart, scorching, and carbonizing the writhing crimson crab bodies within. Six of their prized, razor-sharp claws twisted and broke in the shockwave, scattering across the ground. The dense formation became their death knell; a single shell could often wipe out several, even a dozen, of these terrifying monsters. The streets were instantly littered with shattered shells, broken claws, and chunks of charred, foul-smelling flesh.

The piranha monsters, with their hunched bodies and enormous heads, also howled in the storm of steel. Their relatively fragile bodies were no match for the explosions and shrapnel. Their massive heads were easily pierced and shattered, splattering foul-smelling blood and brain matter everywhere. The tridents in their hands twisted and deformed, and they, along with their hunched bodies, were thrown back by the shockwaves, crashing heavily against walls or their own kind, the sound of bones shattering clearly audible.

A thick, pungent stench, a mixture of gunpowder, blood, burnt flesh, and the distinctive fishy stench of marine life, rose into the air, almost suffocating the senses. The once surging "sea monster wave" was visibly plowed, crushed, and reduced to nothingness under the precise and ferocious barrage of the dwarves' artillery fire.

Despite the barrage of artillery fire, the Blacksene army remained largely unaffected. Large numbers of troops rapidly scaled the walls, and the Blacksene White Wolf Knights had already established a firm foothold. Each swing of the dwarven butcher's heavy battle axe sent a spray of blood down. More and more Blacksene soldiers surged onto the city walls via ladders, while the Blue Sword Knights and Mannan Knights were being divided and surrounded, forced into retreat. At the city gate, the dwarven heavy infantry phalanx led by the Giant Butcher, braving a hail of arrows and attacks, charged towards the gatehouse.

The war has reached a stalemate, and given the current situation, the Hessian lords could capture this formidable pass, which is covered by artillery fire, on the first day.

At this moment, Marshal Orstein's hawk-like eyes were sharply fixed on the chaotic battlefield below. He said, "Something's not right. The Mannan knights shouldn't be this weak. Despite the fortified Stromgarde, they couldn't hold out for even a day. They're deliberately trying to lure us into sending more troops."

Hilde shared the same view, saying, "That breathtaking divine grace from yesterday hasn't appeared yet. I suspect they still have a backup plan! Our offensive and progress have been too rapid."

Su Li is now a powerful champion knight of the Church of the Goddess of the Sun. His military acumen and on-the-spot decision-making surpass most knights. He decisively ordered: "Have the vanguard soldiers hold firm and attack at all costs to put more pressure on the enemy! Pass down the order. I will watch from here as the vanguard soldiers take Stromgarde by their own strength! The troops that have not yet climbed the city should suspend their offensive."

In fact, by the time Su Li's order was relayed, the situation had already developed as he had predicted. The vanguard soldiers fought valiantly and had already reached the city gates. The giant butcher's massive battle axe struck the city gates with a heavy blow, as if hitting the heart of Stromgarde.

(End of this chapter)