Chapter 358 - 253: Demented Harassment 2
Fass was more concerned with reducing casualties. He had no taste for bloody melees; as long as they achieved their goal, that was all that mattered.
Upon hearing this, Boman gave Fass a punch on the shoulder. He waved his arm forcefully and said to Henry, "Charge, Henry! What are you waiting for? If we have the army charge with these prisoners, we’ll definitely make it onto the walls!"
Unfortunately, neither Henry nor Fass paid him any mind.
The two continued to observe the battlefield. They watched as the prisoners struggled forward under a rain of arrows, their figures appearing so small and fragile beneath the city walls.
Although the Supervision Team ruthlessly drove them on from behind, the prisoners were falling faster and faster. Meanwhile, the soldiers on the walls were constantly adjusting their aim and draw strength, trying to inflict maximum casualties on the prisoners while conserving their precious arrows.
Their aim grew increasingly accurate, directly incapacitating the cannon fodder. These prisoners had virtually no defensive capabilities; they were simply waiting to die.
Henry and Fass exchanged a look. The battle was proceeding as they had anticipated. As long as it continued at this pace, victory was in the bag.
"Henry, when are we finally going to attack?"
"Tsk, what’s your hurry? We have plenty of time, why rush things in a day or two? My soldiers are more precious. Let the prisoners die off for a bit first. It’ll clear out the farmsteads and such. I have plenty of serfs; it’s a perfect opportunity to move them over."
Boman was momentarily choked up by Henry’s subtle boast. He had expected Henry to launch an all-out assault at once and take Odoche in one fell swoop. He never imagined Henry would be so composed, even showing off his serf resources at such a critical moment.
Boman sighed. Henry was clearly doing this to conserve his forces before the main assault, and also to give his soldiers more time to rest so they could unleash their full combat potential in the final battle.
However, this approach was undoubtedly a stalling tactic, giving Odoche’s defenders a chance to breathe and John an opportunity to call for help.
Boman and Fass had both assumed that Henry, having marched straight for Odoche, intended a swift and decisive battle. They hadn’t expected him to adopt a slow-burn strategy after surrounding the city, despite the rapid advance to get there.
Boman couldn’t help but speak up again. "Henry, are you really sure this is the best choice? Even if we have the prisoners charge for several days and the enemy’s defenses are weakened, it doesn’t necessarily mean their fighting spirit will diminish."
Fass nodded. He, too, felt that Henry was taking a gamble.
Henry just smiled faintly at Boman’s words, looking completely confident. "Boman, don’t you worry. I know what I’m doing. These prisoners are just cannon fodder, after all. Their combat strength is limited. This is what they’re for."
"My soldiers, on the other hand, are an elite force that has undergone rigorous training. They only need to unleash their full potential at the critical moment."
Boman and Fass nodded lightly. After all, Henry was the supreme commander of this operation, the leader of this war.
Henry had made up his mind and wouldn’t be easily swayed.
All they could do was watch anxiously from the sidelines as Henry continued with his plan, hoping Odoche’s defenders wouldn’t actually find a chance to counterattack. After all, it was no longer a secret that John had dealings with the Second Prince.
「For the next four days」
Henry unleashed a campaign of near-demented harassment tactics against Odoche’s defenders. Even Boman, Fass, and Henry’s own Attendants and officers felt it was too vicious.
Every morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the darkness, the prisoners were driven to charge the city walls. The enemy had to force their eyes open and resist mechanically.
At noon, just as the defending soldiers were about to rotate shifts to rest and eat, the prisoners were once again pushed to the front lines. They dragged their exhausted bodies, numbly carrying Cloud Ladders as they tried to approach the walls.
And when the sun began to set, just as the defending soldiers were looking forward to an end to the day’s tense defense and a moment’s respite, the prisoners were once again mercilessly pushed to the brink of death.
The archers felt like their arms were about to fall off; they trembled so much they could barely pull up their own trousers after relieving themselves.
At night, Henry’s army became even more relentless. They lit torches and shouted at the top of their lungs, feigning an assault to keep the defenders’ nerves on edge and prevent them from getting any real rest.
Catapults would also roar from time to time, launching flaming projectiles at the walls. The firelight reflected on the exhausted and terrified faces of the defenders. Odoche’s garrison was suffering immensely.
This ceaseless harassment gave them no moment of peace.
The soldiers’ eyes gradually grew vacant. Some even began to suffer from mental breakdowns. Their hands trembled so badly that even after getting enough rest, they couldn’t steadily draw their bowstrings.
Whenever John came to inspect the walls, seeing his soldiers in this state made his heart ache, but he was powerless to stop Henry’s insane campaign.
As time went on, the defenders’ morale plummeted.
Some soldiers began to hallucinate, muttering to themselves by the ramparts or suddenly screaming in terror.
John had no choice but to have these mentally afflicted soldiers temporarily withdrawn from the walls to rest and recover in the rear.
Under this continuous high pressure, even with constant troop rotations, holes began to appear in the garrison’s defense.
Their arrow volleys were no longer as precise, and the logs and stones they dropped lost their former force and accuracy.
Fass, who had been observing all along, saw this and was inwardly delighted. Odoche’s defensive line was being weakened bit by bit, and the scales of victory were tipping in their favor.
Meanwhile, the defenders on the walls could only struggle to hold on under Henry’s relentless harassment.
「In the depths of Odoche City」
The dungeons of the Earl’s Mansion’s castle were cold and damp, the air thick with a suffocating, musty stench.
Dim torches cast flickering shadows, illuminating the faces of the bound nobles.
John stood at the dungeon’s entrance, his gaze coldly sweeping over these arrogant, useless good-for-nothings—the nobles under his command.
His face held no pity, only rage and resolution. ’These men deserve to die!’
These nobles had enjoyed the wealth and status he had bestowed upon them, yet at the critical moment, they sought only to save their own skins and abandon him.
It was a betrayal he could not tolerate.
"You cowards! When you accepted my rewards and swore your oaths of fealty, did you ever imagine this day would come?"
John’s voice was cold and harsh. "I treated you well, did I not? Fiefs, titles, wealth—you had it all. But now, when Odoche faces a crisis, all you can think of is running away and leaving me behind. Are you worthy of the noble titles I granted you?"
The nobles trembled, some begging in low voices, others closing their eyes to await their fate.
They knew they had made an unforgivable mistake. At this moment, any excuse would be pale and powerless.
John said no more. With a wave of his hand, the soldiers behind him swiftly moved forward, tightening thick ropes around each of the nobles’ necks.
The nobles’ faces gradually turned red, their eyes bulged, and hoarse gurgles escaped their throats, unable to form complete words.
Their bodies struggled desperately, but the ropes tightened mercilessly, and in that moment, their lives quietly slipped away.
Blood trickled from the corners of their mouths, dripping onto the cold ground and mixing with the dust, releasing a nauseating, metallic stench.
Their bodies gradually went limp, finally hanging lifelessly, leaving only the ropes swaying gently in the faint torchlight.
John watched all of this in silence. Only when the last noble had drawn his final breath did a trace of relief appear on his face.
’The betrayal of these nobles had chilled him to the bone, but their deaths also made him understand that networks of influence and cultivated power were all illusory. Only absolute loyalty mattered most.’
𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Outside, the battle raged on. Henry’s prisoners continued to crash against Odoche’s defensive lines like a tide.
’Perhaps the deaths of those nobles would serve as a warning to the remaining soldiers, making them understand that only by uniting as one could they protect this land.’