A thin layer of smoke covered the plains, with the unpleasant smell of burning wood and the stench of corpses as its main components.

In the haze, a siege engine was engulfed in flames, burning fiercely under the blazing sun.

Hundreds of corpses lay sprawled on the ground, among trenches, spiked stakes, and crossbow arrows.

In front of the bodies stood Ansen Castle, like an insurmountable mountain lying on the vast land.

A deep black moat circled the city, its turbulent waters reflecting a metallic cold light.

The uneven blue-black brick walls had long been stained with crimson blood and green bile.

Leaning against the parapets, the city guards silently wiped their short swords and spears.

They would occasionally gaze out, vigilantly guarding against any possible attacks.

From the city walls, the south and west stretched out into an endless plain, sparsely dotted with thatched cottages and villages.

But in front of the northern forests and mountains, there was an unbroken stretch of campsites, the whinnying of horses and the gleam of weapons flickering before the eyes of the city guards.

On the high ground on the camp's periphery, a handsome knight in chainmail frowned slightly as he faced in the direction of Ansen Castle.

Gazing at the sparse cottages and the steel-like fortress on the vast plains, Lingya Knight Arman felt a twinge of toothache.

He had been attacking this city for almost a week, losing seven to eight hundred men, yet making no progress at all.

The garrison of this small castle numbered only eight to nine hundred, yet it had effectively stalled his two decreed battalions of 1,200 extraordinary knights.

The castle, made entirely of mortar, could still transport supplies by water, and they just couldn't bypass it.

Earlier, his troops had been halved by Moliat with minimal losses.

After a month of recovery, he had only restored the decreed battalion of 600 extraordinary knights to 450 men.

Although Prince Kongdai didn't express much about his failure, he did viciously scold Bo Ao Lie.

Arman was present at the time, witnessing Prince Kongdai's rare outburst as he angrily shouted at the letter, "Bo Ao Lie, return my decreed battalion!"

For this small castle, what Arman feared was not failing to capture it, but failing to do so within the stipulated time.

Given a month, he could conquer the castle, but Prince Kongdai had only given him twenty days.

However, Arman had the advantage of self-awareness.

Upon realizing he might not complete the siege in time, he didn't shift the blame but immediately requested reinforcements from Prince Kongdai.

So today, Mizam arrived on the scene with 300 extraordinary knights from Hotam County.

"Brother Mizam, it's been a long time since I last saw you." Jumping off his horse and removing his helmet, Arman greeted Mizam with impeccable courtesy.

"Sir Arman." Mizam pulled down his hood, squinting with a smile, "It's truly a pleasure to see you again."

"I am shallow in learning and unable to breach Ansen Castle, I have troubled you." Arman said sincerely.

While Mizam maintained a kind smile, his words sent chills through Arman's body under the scorching sun.

"To support you and attack High Castle City this time, we nearly emptied Hotam County of extraordinary knights.

His Highness the Prince told me, there's a limit to patience and this is the last chance. He wants to see the banner raised on Rapids City's walls within a month."

"Yes, yes..." Arman, lacking his usual eloquence before ordinary people, stammered in reply.

Looking at Arman before him, Mizam also felt a bit helpless.

Due to the church's constraints and Prince Kongdai's own personality, most of his subordinates were warrior types, strong in direct battles, while strategists like Bo Ao Lie were few.

Previously, the combination of extraordinary knights and infantry, plus the kingdom's manpower and planning, made this approach quite efficient.

But since the old king and the pope passed away, Prince Kongdai lost not only restraints but also support.

Mizam initially had the responsibility to monitor Prince Kongdai, but after the old pope's death and the church's upheaval, he was left with no choice but to fully support Prince Kongdai.

Even now, Mizam couldn't understand why Johnny VIII would leave behind a will he knew could never be fulfilled.

The will of the old Pope Johnny VIII contained many parts, but the key points were only two:

First, after his death, there was no need to wait for the foreign cardinals to return; an immediate papal election should be held using a simple majority rule.

Second, to promote the young bishop Xie Li to cardinal.

Both elements, in a way, violated procedural justice, yet the old pope spent his life abiding by rules, leaving such a mess as his last move.

It not only threw the church into chaos but also forced Mizam into a corner.

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Mizam's mouth; Prince Kongdai was undoubtedly a good knight commander but not necessarily a good monarch.

Just as when dealing with Arman, the best choice would be to replace him.

But he had no other options left; this was the optimal solution.

"Tell me about the situation," Mizam said to the Lingya Knight.

At this stage, the Lingya Knight finally displayed his advantage, clearly explaining the current circumstances and situation.

After listening to the Lingya Knight, Mizam frowned in thought for a long time before suddenly asking, "Have the villagers around here fled?"

"Some fled, but when they saw we did nothing to them, they returned."

"Have you tried using these villagers to attack the city?"

"Ah? Brother Mizam, even our regular infantry and knights find it hard to attack the city, let alone civilians?"

"When did I expect civilians to attack the city? If you want to attack, you lead the troops yourself." Mizam retorted impatiently, "The defenders are likely locals.

If we drive the villagers to attack the city, yet don't kill them,

if the city guard opens the gate to let villagers in, it would deplete their food supplies for free.

If the city guard doesn't open the gate, letting relatives starve outside, the soldiers' morale will plummet.

At this time, we could even use catapults to hurl some diseased livestock inside.

Then, we'd face one of two situations: first, they don't let people into the city, which lets us slander the city guard.

Surrender is more likely then than it's now.

Second, if they let people into the city, we can infiltrate with Shadowless Men to seize the gate.

If successful, great; if not, the city guard will likely refuse further entry, leading to the first scenario.

Ultimately, their morale will surely decline, and with my reinforcements and catapults, combined with a direct assault by the main force, we can certainly capture the fortress quickly."

"But they are our faithful followers; isn't this a bit..." Arman hesitated.

Mizam replied decisively, "Within enemy territory, everyone is an enemy; there's no talk of faithful followers."

"Will this work? Won't it just make them more united instead?"

"People are inherently selfish; even knowing it might lead to the city's breach, they'd still fortunately allow entry, and knowing the city guard is blameless, they'd still harbor resentment."

Squinting his eyes, as the singing from Ansen Castle resonated, Mizam muttered softly, "This still assumes their city guard communicates normally with the soldiers."

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