I'm not a lord

Chapter 323 The advantage is mine
"We have no way out. Vasa is holding onto Perch City, and Lynn on the other side of the river could come downstream at any moment. I've made up my mind, we must launch a full-scale attack on Perch City!"

Count Reiner spent the entire night tossing and turning in bed. Finally, the next morning, he summoned his most trusted generals and issued a death order to launch a full-scale attack on Pikesburg.

Putting aside other external factors, just looking at the troop strength of the attacking and defending sides, it's 10,000 to 4,000, so the advantage lies with him!
Several trusted generals were stunned. The youngest of them said bluntly, "Sir, are you really going to launch a direct attack on the city? This is definitely not a good choice."

Reiner slammed his hand on the table and retorted loudly, "This is certainly not a good option, but do we have a choice now?"

He then got up and walked to the tent entrance, yanked open the door, pointed north and said, “While we are hesitating, Lynn may have already boarded the boat and crossed the river! Tomorrow, tomorrow he will be right behind us, and then the Vasa in the city will come out to attack from both sides, and we may even die without a burial place! Do you want to all die in this foreign country?”

The young, trusted general continued to dissuade him: "But attacking the city won't change the situation of being surrounded! You know, sir, that with our army's strength and pre-battle preparations, it's absolutely impossible for us to break through the city of Pikelong in two days!"

Siege warfare is a time-consuming and meticulous task; often, the preliminary preparations take even longer than the actual siege itself.

The Southern Invading Army did not have portable siege equipment like bronze mortars, so before launching a full-scale assault on Pikesburg, they had to take the time to produce siege equipment such as ladders, siege towers, and catapults.

Even more fatally, due to the burning, killing, and looting along the way, they also suffered from a severe lack of skilled craftsmen.

Even if they had the time and materials, they couldn't build qualified machinery and could only resort to the simplest and most rudimentary siege tactics.

When the difference in troop strength is not particularly large, attacking a city by swarming troops is not much different from suicide.

Moreover, these invading troops are all here for promotion and wealth, and their fighting spirit is certainly not as good as that of the Northerners who are defending their homeland. If more than 20% of them are killed or wounded, their morale will collapse, and even Reiner will find it difficult to control this army.

Faced with the generals' doubts, Reiner suddenly turned his head, a strange smile on his face: "Who said we were going to break through Perch City?"

He then closed the tent flap and walked toward his trusted generals, his voice suddenly low and menacing, “What I’m about to say must not be leaked to anyone. If it is, we will all die!”

Upon hearing this, the generals all swallowed hard. The smartest young general had already guessed Reiner's next move, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

Then Reiner continued in a low voice, "I will divide the troops into two parts, nominally to take turns attacking the city, but in reality, I will use 70 percent of the troops to hold back the defenders in the city of Pike-perch, while the rest of the troops will retreat under the cover of night!"

Faced with the crisis, Reiner ultimately chose to make a drastic decision, sacrificing 70% of his army in exchange for the survival of the remaining troops.

However, the risks of this strategy are visibly high.

Thirty percent of the troops fled overnight with their spoils, while the remaining seventy percent, who were paid the price, probably felt their morale would explode the next morning when they saw the empty camp.

The morale of these abandoned soldiers will plummet instantly, and they will begin a full-scale retreat, ultimately being pursued and driven out of the city by Count Mirror Iron.

The 30% of the army that fled could only seize the initiative for one night, and it's hard to say how far they could run.

A seasoned general immediately changed his expression: "Sir, I do not recommend that you do this; the risk is too great!"

The commander-in-chief led his elite troops to desert in the face of battle. How can a battle be fought like this? This is an extremely irresponsible approach and an absolute act of cowardice.

Kleiner's next words dispelled the generals' doubts.

The elderly Earl of the Southern Border solemnly declared, “I will stay behind and lead the troops to maintain the siege while waiting for an opportunity to retreat. You will lead a portion of the army to abandon the supplies and retreat first. I will bear all the risks!”

Reiner also knew that if he led a small force to retreat, the expendable troops left behind would collapse instantly.

To ensure the plan's successful implementation, he had to stay behind to cover the rear.

The young trusted general suddenly stood up: "Sir, please allow me to stay and assist you."

A relieved smile appeared on Reiner's face, then he shook his head: "No, Antoine, you have an infinite future, while I am old. I can shoulder these responsibilities alone. Besides, it was my responsibility to bring you into danger, not your fault."

Antoine and Reiner were from the same hometown, and Reiner was a descendant of a vassal in his territory. Such a talented person should naturally be left to his son, how could he be wasted in a foreign land?
Before coming to the North, Reiner was prepared to die on the battlefield. After all, he came for the title of Duke, so how could he not take risks?
But the vassals and soldiers who followed him to the North must return safely to their homelands, a promise he made to them before coming to the North.

"But you can't do it alone."

Antoine tried to insist, but Reiner's expression suddenly hardened, and he snapped, "Antoine! This is an order!"

“Yes, sir.” After struggling for a moment, Antoine could only bow his head and accept the order.

"Alright, go back and prepare. You all know who to take with you. We only have three days left. This is our last chance!"

That morning, Lennar's main force continued its eastward march, slightly increasing its pace, and arrived outside the city of Pikeperch at noon the day after tomorrow.

Count Vasa of Mirror Iron stood on the south gate, looking at the invading army from the south who were building a camp three kilometers away, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Do these wild dogs from the south really intend to launch a full-scale attack on Perch City?"

In his line of sight, he could see a large number of soldiers from the southern border cutting down trees on the mountain south of the military camp, and craftsmen making simple cloud ladders in the camp.

Vasa's illegitimate brother, Damian, exclaimed excitedly, "Wouldn't it be most advantageous for us if the enemy launched a strong attack on the city? Evan sent word that Lynn has already boarded a ship in Winder City and headed south, and the vanguard will arrive in Perch City tomorrow!"

Vasa merely snorted coldly upon hearing this: "That cunning brat will never send out troops unless he is absolutely certain of victory; he's just looking to take advantage of the situation!"

That being said, his alliance with Lynn became even stronger due to the emergence of a common enemy.

Before completely eliminating the invading Southerners, the two sides will most likely maintain their alliance and will not easily break off relations.

"The enemy's reinforcements won't arrive for at least three more days. As long as we can hold the city until then, we've already won this war!" Seeing the situation looking so promising, Damian was already preparing to pop the champagne ahead of time.

Three days is neither a long nor a short time.

If Lynn can launch his offensive as scheduled and thoroughly attack Leiner, and with the full-scale attack of the city's garrison, they can definitely crush Leiner's ten thousand men within a day.

In Damian's view, the composition of the southern invading army in front of him was too complicated, and the army was piled up with a large amount of spoils of war. The fighting spirit of such an army would not be very strong. As long as there was a clear disadvantage, it would definitely be defeated.

Vasa was equally confident of victory in this war, but he would not let his guard down in the face of battle. Therefore, he ordered, "Don't be too happy yet. I think the enemy wants to attack the city tonight. Go and order all the soldiers to prepare for battle!"

"Attack the city overnight? Do these Southern Wild Dogs have that kind of willpower? They just went through a long march." Damian didn't distrust his brother, but he didn't trust these Southern Wild Dogs.

This invading army in the south preferred to be slowed down by heavy spoils of war rather than discard some less valuable burdens.

If they truly possessed such a high fighting spirit, how could Vasa have preemptively captured Perch City through a forced march? They would likely have already retreated to Mirror Iron Territory. Vasa's face darkened, and he roared, "This is an order!"

Just as he had predicted, the enemy did indeed launch an attack under cover of night, contrary to their usual practice.

A large number of enemy soldiers dressed in colorful robes, holding torches and ladders, launched an attack on the city from the east, west and south.

In addition to using the newly built, makeshift siege ladders, the enemy also deployed a large number of crossbowmen carrying wooden shields.

Once these crossbowmen reached the foot of the city wall, they set up rows of wooden shields, hid behind them, and waited for an opportunity to fire crossbow bolts. They also attempted to suppress the defenders on the city wall with superior long-range firepower, creating opportunities for their own infantry.

However, Vasa's troops were by no means to be trifled with. The defenders on the city walls did not waver despite the enemy's rain of arrows, but instead held firm to the walls like a rock.

They threw stones and logs to stop the enemy from climbing the city walls, since the city of Pluton behind them had already been burned to the ground and was littered with construction debris that could be used at will.

Antoine stood at the attacking main force, 500 meters from the city wall, gazing at the fiery city of Pikelong. He frowned and said, "My lord, the defenders are well prepared. We certainly won't be able to take Pikelong tonight."

The city of Pikeperch was not large; four thousand defenders could fill the entire city wall. In addition, the defenders were in high spirits, giving the attacking side almost no chance to take advantage of the situation.

“Well, I’m just giving it a try. If I can take them down, that would be the best.” Reiner sighed and said with emotion, “These Northerners are more difficult to deal with than I expected. In every respect, they are not much weaker than the warriors of the South. It was the war with Duke Lothair of the Swamp that gave me the illusion that I could easily conquer the entire Northern Kingdom.”

Before the war between the South and the North officially broke out, Lothair was undoubtedly the most renowned general in the North.

Reiner once believed that as long as this man and his court cavalry could be eliminated, the entire North would become a helpless prey for the Southerners to slaughter.

But his experiences over the past few months have shattered his illusions, and he has suddenly realized that the North is far more resilient than he imagined.

Even without Lord Lothair, the Duke of the Swamp, there are still outstanding figures like Earl Lynn of the White River and Earl Vasa of the Mirror Iron.

Antoine sighed and asked, "Then, should we proceed with the follow-up plan?"

Just then, a trusted general quickly walked up to Reiner and whispered a few words in his ear.

A flicker of panic crossed Reiner's eyes as he asked in a low voice, "Where's the messenger? Is he under control?"

The trusted general also looked tense, but after forcing himself to remain calm, he replied, "It's under control, and the news hasn't leaked."

Reassured, Reiner instructed, "That's good. We still have time. You and Antoine can go and prepare."

He then looked again at the fierce battle at Pikelong City, his right hand clenching involuntarily, and beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

What could make him so nervous was obviously not good news.

This evening, Lynn's main force landed on the south bank of the Jing River, in a small riverside town 15 kilometers west of Pike Place City.

The small rearguard left by Reiner in the town was easily defeated, with only two messengers escaping on horseback.

But he did not intend to make a fuss about it, and even ordered his trusted generals to control the messengers.

If the bad news gets out, the entire army risks collapsing.

We are at a critical juncture in the execution of the plan, and it is imperative to maintain morale.

It's only fifteen kilometers. If Lynn marches through the night, he can reach the city of Pikeperch by tomorrow morning.

Reiner counted the time on his fingers and felt that he had no chance of survival.

For a moment, he even considered running away with the retreating troops.

But he realized he couldn't escape. If he didn't stay behind, the 70% of the troops who had been abandoned would probably not even last a morning.

At that point, even the 30% of troops that retreated in advance will be lost.

To allow the expendable players to serve as cover, manager Leiner must stay.

The siege launched by the invading forces from the south continued into the night.

They left more than a hundred corpses at the foot of the city walls, and eventually had to stop due to low morale.

Many soldiers had just traveled during the day and then launched a forced attack on the city at night. They were exhausted and fell asleep as soon as they returned to their camp.

The situation inside the city was similar. The defending soldiers, exhausted from their intense battle, were also physically and mentally drained. Many of them even fell asleep leaning against the blood-stained battlements.

"Let the soldiers rest well. There's no need to risk going out of the city for a night raid. Reiner isn't stupid; he'll definitely leave a group of soldiers to guard the camp."

Count Vasa of Mirror Iron rejected a night raid plan proposed by some generals.

In his view, simply holding the city would be a victory, and there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

Of course, he also sent out some light cavalry with good night vision to monitor the enemy camp in order to prevent the enemy from fleeing overnight.

He actually encountered a pleasant surprise.

In the middle of the night, Vasa, still half asleep, was awakened by a messenger.

"Sir, it seems that a unit of the enemy troops fled the camp overnight. They withdrew from the rear of the camp and are now retreating eastward along the riverbank!"

Vasa threw back the thin blanket, his eyes instantly clearing, and asked loudly, "How many people are there? Approximately how many?"

"Not many, maybe two or three thousand." Because it was too dark, the messenger couldn't give an exact number.

"Two or three thousand men?" Vasa gave the order while putting on his shoes, "Order the entire army to prepare for a night raid on the enemy camp!"

(End of this chapter)