Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 406 The Battle of Successors

Seventy-two hours after the fourth prince, Rhine, ascended to the throne as regent, the air in the capital was as tense as a fully drawn bowstring.

Before the downpour even arrived, the wind outside the western city had already stirred up dust.

The distant mountains trembled with the faint sound of war drums, as the allied forces of Duke Raymond and Second Prince Carleon approached.

The western city wall of the capital has been completely sealed off.

All drawbridges were lowered, the three gates were lowered, the streets were cleared, and the Imperial Guards and the Censorate's guards stood ready in full armor.

The entire city resembled a giant beast with its massive body tucked in, awaiting the first bite to tear it apart.

Rhine stood atop the highest command tower of the western city wall, a thick, deep red carpet beneath his feet, creating an absurd contrast with the muddy battlefield outside the city.

One hand held a cup of red tea, the aroma of which seemed particularly striking in the damp, chilly air before the rain; the other hand held a silver-plated telescope, looking down at the dark mass of allied troops below the city.

The tower was packed with civil officials and nobles from the capital.

They were all dressed in formal light armor, and most of them couldn't help but turn pale when they saw the outside of the city.

Duke Simmons stood behind Rhine, his hands gripping his cane.

His eyes were fixed on the surging black shadows on the horizon: "Your Highness... that... it looks like it's not just an army anymore..."

Rhine turned his head and glanced at him, his tone calm to the point of being almost nonchalant: "Duke, calm down."

He raised his hand, gesturing for Simmons to look towards the outside of the city wall.

Outside the city wall, a layer of pale golden light film appeared and disappeared, like a slightly trembling shield covering the entire city.

"Do you see it?" Rhine gently swirled his teacup. "This is the Imperial Capital's Sacred Protection Array, burning two thousand gold coins every minute."

The magic array is maintained by fifty-seven court archmages, and I personally cover their expenses, as well as the cost of the magic crystals. Even the price of magic crystals has recently gone up.”

Simmons swallowed hard: "Your Highness...you're really spending so much money..."

“Of course it’s worth it.” Rhine interrupted him, continuing to look out of the city. “Without the Hammer of God, the Allied Forces won’t be able to break through this barrier today.”

He raised his hand, signaling the official to open an observation window.

On the city wall, rows of newly equipped heavy crossbows and curved giant shields gleamed metallically in the light.

Gears and chains connected a large catapult, the stones of which were engraved with magical runes and weighed three times more than ordinary rocks...

Rhein said calmly, "Each of these weapons costs an entire baron's estate more than those old-fashioned lances of Raymond."

Then he looked at another part of the city.

“The Fifth Knights are stationed in the inner city,” Rhine said softly. “The Eleventh Knights are guarding the city walls. The Eighth Knights are arrayed on both sides of the Imperial Road.”

Rhine continued, "The three regiments together number seven thousand men, the most elite knights in the empire. They initially had no goodwill towards me, but after hearing about my system of generous rewards... they became surprisingly loyal to me."

The nobles inside the tower visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Simmons bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness... how exactly did you manage to win the hearts and minds of all these knights? Indeed... only you could do it."

This flattery, with its obsequious tone, was clearly unnatural, yet it suited Rhein's taste perfectly.

Rhein tapped the glass lightly with his fingertips, as if savoring the feeling of being acknowledged.

“It’s very simple.” He raised his glass in a gesture of respect, his gaze calm yet sharp. “I told them that loyalty can be sold for money here.”

Upon hearing this, the nobles inside the tower nodded in agreement, smiles playing on their lips, as if they had just heard some brilliant political wisdom.

The air was thick with flattering and agreeable words, which only made it feel more suffocating.

Through the telescope, the dark mass of Allied forces was trying to adjust their formation before the downpour, like a giant beast poised to pounce.

Rhine slowly closed his glasses, his tone as light as if he were chatting: "They look very strong."

“But to conquer this city…” He looked up at the golden magic circle flashing in the sky, his voice low and resolute:
"It may take a few months, but other knightly orders stationed outside will come to our aid in less than half a month. We just need to hold our ground. Besides, the capital is the most fortified fortress in the entire empire."

He took a small sip of his black tea.

"Don't worry, Simmons," Rhine smiled. "The capital won't fall. At least not today."

As soon as the words were spoken, the shadowy figures outside the western city began to stir. The war drums beat heavily through the rain, as if some enormous beast was being awakened.

The nobles held their breath and peered out of the city.

Rhein raised his binoculars again, and the lens reflected a legion breaking away from the allied forces and advancing towards the capital through the mud.

He scoffed lightly: "Raymont finally decided to make a move?"

Karen took a step closer, her brow furrowing slightly. "It's the Tenth Border Legion, Your Highness. They seem to be probing the city's defenses."

“Cannon fodder.” Rhine uttered two words coldly, his tone carrying a hint of mockery and anger at the rebels. “These border dogs don’t guard the border properly; they dare to come to the capital to rebel.”

The nobles inside the tower immediately nodded in agreement.

"Your Highness is absolutely right!"

"These uncouth scoundrels don't even deserve to set foot in the capital!"

Rhine listened with satisfaction, a slight smile curving his lips.

“I don’t need to give the order.” He put down his binoculars and gently swirled his teacup. “The defense system is ready.”

The next instant, a muffled thunderous roar came from below the city wall, as if the entire capital was breathing.

The pale golden light suddenly brightened, so bright it was dazzling, as if it had cleaved the night in two.

Dense lightning patterns appeared on the surface of the shield, each crackling with violent electric light, like a swarm of golden snakes clinging to the city wall.

More than twenty high-ranking mages stood at the nodes of the magic array, their robes fluttering in the wind.

They placed their hands on the magic stone, and magical energy flowed along the runes like molten steel, pouring into the shield and causing the air to tremble.

One nobleman couldn't help but exclaim, "Divine protection... has begun!"

The air outside the shield was churned by high-pressure magic, and thunder rumbled in a line, like heavenly lightning guarding the capital.

That layer of magic was compressed into an invisible giant wall, and anyone who got close would have their fighting spirit disrupted.

Once any knight steps within thirty paces of the shield, the outer membrane will begin to vibrate violently, causing their breathing to become disordered and their vision to go black, as if they have been knocked down by the roar of a giant beast, making it impossible for them to get close.

At the same time, the mechanisms on both sides of the city gate were activated, and the heavy chains swung with a metallic clanging sound, sparks flying everywhere.

What then rolled down from the top of the stack were rockburst stones compressed and solidified by alchemy.

Its surface is engraved with swirling magic patterns, and its interior contains a shock-generating agent.

They were specifically designed to deal with knights who possessed aura protection. Ordinary stones could not penetrate aura, but these alchemical stones could shatter into hundreds of sharp fragments containing magical vibrations the moment they hit the ground.

The sound of wind breaking was like a pack of hungry wolves pouncing, tearing the first group of knights who tried to approach into a bloody mist, with broken armor and severed limbs flying wildly in the muddy water.

However, its drawbacks are that it is very clumsy and expensive, but on this city wall, that is hardly a drawback.

As for what was poured from the battlements, it wasn't the usual boiling oil; that kind of stuff is practically meaningless to a knight of battle.

What splashed out was a dark green, viscous alchemical solution, like resin: Green Dragon Saliva.

“This stuff… a few barrels could buy a castle…” a young nobleman said, his voice trembling.

The green liquid landed on the knight's aura membrane, instantly causing it to emit a piercing shriek, as if it were being corroded alive.
In the next instant, the green solution penetrated the protective membrane and invaded the armor. The metal melted rapidly as if licked by flames, and the flesh rotted and fell off.

The knight fell to the ground screaming, rolling around in the mud, but could find no place to escape the corrosion.

Before the shield, the charging line collapsed in a matter of breaths.

With their fighting spirit suppressed and their armor corroded, the knights of the Tenth Border Legion were as if they had run into a breathing slaughterhouse.

After several attempts, the ground was covered with swirling mud and blood.

Hundreds of knights' corpses lay before the shield, spread out like harvested ears of wheat.

Finally, amidst the chaos, they sounded the retreat horn. In the rain, rows of dark figures staggered backward, pushed and dragged by their own men.

The retreating figures staggered in the rain, as if being chased and torn apart by some invisible fear.

A deafening cheer erupted from the city wall.

Seeing the enemy's disheveled appearance, the nobles burst into laughter, and some even raised their glasses in celebration.

Rhine simply sipped his tea, his expression as composed as if he were enjoying an opera.

“War... in the end, it’s all about business.” He raised his glass slightly, letting Simmons see the pleasure in his eyes. “If you invest enough, it’s hard to lose.”

He waved his hand, and the messenger immediately took the order and left: "Tonight, deliver roast meat and ale to each legion, so they can eat their fill. Tell them to continue killing beggars tomorrow."

As night fell, Rhine kept its promise, lighting large bonfires on the city walls, making the entire defensive line as bright as a festival.

A whole roasted cow was brought out on a cart, its fat sizzling in the firelight.

Barrels of chilled ale were opened, and the knights ate meat heartily and played drinking games loudly, as if they were on an outing rather than defending the city.

Even more enticing were the gold coins that were handed to them; each knight received a large sum, which made them overjoyed.

Rhine stood atop the flames, looking down upon everything.

He wasn't in a hurry. As long as the city walls didn't break and the magic array didn't stop, he could hold out for three, five, or ten days... until other legions around the capital came to his rescue.

“Let them try.” His voice was as soft as the wind, yet it drowned out the sound of the campfire.

"The capital city is not so easy to conquer."

…………

Outside the capital, the night rain was heavy, but inside the large tent, it was as hot as if a fire was burning in the dark.

The candlelight flickered in the wind, casting uneasy shadows on the canvas wall.

The second prince, Karen, sat beside the chest, knees apart, slowly wiping his sword with a cloth.

The sword reflected the candlelight, cold and straight, like the emotions he was suppressing at that moment.

He moved calmly, but a hint of disappointment lingered deep in his eyes.
It wasn't the defeat itself that was the cause of the defeat, but rather the city that should have belonged to the royal family, now armed with money and magic arrays by the Rhine, resembling an iron prison.

The adjutant lifted the curtain and entered, his voice low: "Your Highness... the Divine Protection Array is currently unsolvable. The Eleventh Legion... has lost three hundred and thirty-one knights."

Kalein stopped wiping his sword and let out a soft breath: "I understand."

He placed his sword on his lap, looked up, and asked, "Has the letter been delivered?"

The adjutant immediately straightened up: "It's been taken in, Your Highness."

Kalein nodded but didn't ask any further questions. Just as he was about to speak, a guard outside the tent announced:

"Your Highness! Duke Raymond requests an audience!"

Kalein's brow twitched slightly, his expression tensing at first before softening into a smile.

"Let him in."

Duke Raymond lifted the curtain and entered, raindrops dripping from his cloak.

He glanced at Kalein's face, a glint of insight flashing in his eyes—not cowardice, but impatience with the stalemate.

Raymond bowed: "Your Highness, conventional siege methods are indeed useless. Rhine has turned the capital into a prison; without the key... no one can get in."

"We don't have the key," Kalein sighed.

Raymond's lips slowly curled into a smile: "I have one."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

A knight pushed a heavy iron cage in, the iron wheels leaving wet marks on the ground.

The cage was covered with a black cloth, and something could be vaguely seen moving slightly inside.

Karen frowned: "What is this?"

Raymond stepped forward and reached out to lift the black cloth.

The moment the black cloth hit the ground, Kalein almost instinctively took a step back.

Karen whispered, "What...what the hell is this?"

Raymond smiled with satisfaction.

"This is the siege hammer I prepared for you."

He took out an iron key from his pocket and handed it to Karen, his tone respectful yet carrying a seductive power: "It's up to you to decide whether to use it or not."

Silence fell over the tent for a moment.

The sound of rain pattering on the tent was like countless chaotic heartbeats.

Kalein looked down at his right hand, which had been severed.

After a long silence, he said softly, "This is war."

He raised his hand and grasped the key. "I'll take the blame."

…………

In the dead of night, rows of alchemical candles were lit along the stone crenellations of the city wall. The flames, with their pale blue hue, could dispel the dampness, but could not dispel the thick, impenetrable darkness outside the city.

The rain and mist swirled in the distance, like the breath of some enormous creature.

A knight leaned against the crenellation, his armor open, idly tossing the gold coins he had received the night before.

The gold coin bounced between my fingers a few times, and when it was illuminated by the moonlight, it seemed to come alive and flashed for a moment.

"Let's take a gamble?" he said to the knights around him. "Will they come tonight? If they do, this gold coin is yours."

"His Highness has already fed and watered us enough. If they dare to come, they're asking for trouble," someone said, yawning.

Just as they were rambling on, a slight noise came from below the city wall.

It was a dense, fine, teeth-grinding... rustling sound.

The knight captain frowned and peered down: "What the hell...?"

The thick fog was parted by the wind, and in that instant, he could see everything clearly.

A dense mass of pale flesh.

Thousands of naked, dragon-blooded youths clung to the city wall, their backs bent as if broken, their limbs twisted in reverse, their movements strange and swift.

The fingernails dug deep into the cracks of the black steel stone like animal claws, and each exertion of force caused the stone to make a soft cracking sound.

They crawled upwards silently.

Like a whole piece of living wall plaster... climbing upwards.

The moonlight shone on their eyes, which were not human eyes, but eerie vertical pupils, blank and cold, as if they were staring at their prey.

He held the short dagger firmly in his mouth, making not a sound.

The gold coin that the knight had been playing with fell to the ground with a "clink" at his feet.

His throat felt constricted, and he could only manage to utter, "What...what the hell is this?"

The knight captain suddenly realized what was happening and slammed his hand on the stone pile: "Quick! Go and call for backup!"

But beneath the city wall, that pale, fleshy wave had already climbed to halfway up the wall.

Silent, swift, deadly.

(End of this chapter)