Chapter 440 -440-Attacking the Lather Kingdom
In truth, John had already prepared himself for a frontal assault.
But charging in blindly had never been his style.
At the very least, he needed to make sure he had a reasonable chance of winning.
So before the battle even began, John established a new set of wartime rules.
Any soldier who died in battle would have his parents, wife, and children receive a monthly subsidy equal to his current salary.
The payments would continue for thirty years.
The first soldier to break through the harbor defenses would receive one million gold coins.
He would even be granted an entire city as his personal fief.
The first soldier to successfully set foot on the main island of the royal capital would receive ten million gold coins, along with the title of governor over a major city.
The first soldier to truly break into the Outer City of the royal capital would also receive ten million gold coins, as well as ownership of a merchant guild with exclusive trading rights.
And the first soldier to enter the Inner City...
would receive one hundred million gold coins.
In addition, he would be granted the position of governor over a major city, an exclusive trading guild, and even a hereditary noble title that could be passed down through generations.
And if they successfully conquered the royal capital...
every soldier participating in the battle would receive a bonus equivalent to more than ten years of their current salary!
The moment this series of rewards was announced, the warriors of the King’s Edge Pirates went completely wild with excitement.
They practically wanted to draw their blades and charge the royal capital immediately.
No matter which one of those rewards they managed to obtain...
it would be enough to change their lives overnight.
Some of them might even rise directly into the ranks of the nobility.
The welfare policy had only just been announced when countless captains began volunteering for battle.
They could barely suppress the ambition of their men.
Or their own.
"Chief, stop hesitating! Let’s attack right now!"
"My sailors can’t hold themselves back anymore. Every single one of them keeps asking me when we’re finally going to start fighting."
"If we delay much longer, I’m seriously worried they’ll overthrow me as captain and sail straight toward the royal capital themselves!"
"Exactly, Chief!"
"The way my men have been looking at me lately is terrifying. They look like they’re ready to eat someone alive."
"And to be fair... with rewards this generous, even I want to start fighting right now!"
"Let’s do it! I can’t hold back anymore either!"
The ordinary sailors were urging their captains to begin the battle.
And now the captains were turning around and urging John to give the order.
John knew their morale was at its peak.
So he decisively declared,
"Then we fight."
"Crush them!"
The moment John gave the order...
countless ships surged toward the royal capital.
...
Inside the royal capital, the king was gathered with his commanders.
The king knew perfectly well that he had no talent for military command, so he had delegated full authority over the battle to his generals.
That day, he was studying the situation with them.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry."
One commander spoke with absolute confidence.
"Our royal capital cannot possibly fall."
"The King’s Edge Pirates may look terrifying."
"They have enormous numbers of troops and warships..."
"But they also possess a fatal weakness."
The commander smiled.
"The King’s Edge Pirates command several million troops."
"A short siege is one thing."
"But if they surround our royal capital for one year, two years..."
"internal unrest is inevitable."
"Furthermore, we have already requested aid from the other Maritime Kingdoms."
"As long as one or two kingdoms send reinforcements, the pirates will be forced to divide their forces."
"That alone will greatly reduce the pressure on us."
"And if the pirates lose patience and decide to attack the city directly..."
"then our flawless defensive system will make them pay a devastating price."
"As long as we repel them again and again, their morale will eventually collapse."
"So although it looks like we are at a disadvantage on the surface..."
"in reality, we possess the geographical advantage and the support of the people."
"We are the side with the true advantage."
After hearing such a detailed analysis, the king finally felt a little better.
What he enjoyed hearing most was his commanders telling him just how incompetent the pirates were...
and how impregnable the royal capital was.
Even if he heard it a hundred times, he would never grow tired of it.
Just then...
news suddenly arrived.
The pirates were attacking!
The king immediately became nervous.
How could he not be?
He had already lost almost everything.
Aside from the royal capital, every city he once ruled had fallen into John’s hands.
If anything happened to the capital...
not only would his life be in danger, but he would also become the first king in the history of the Lather Kingdom to be brought down by pirates.
How humiliating would that be?
"Your Majesty, remain calm."
The commanders quickly reassured him.
"You have us."
"Come. Let us go watch the battle together."
...
Countless Pirate Crews charged toward the royal capital as though they had no fear of death.
The cannons inside the royal capital...
the harbor batteries...
and the artillery aboard the Naval Corps warships...
all began firing one after another.
Their volleys were staggered in perfect rhythm.
The cannon fire never stopped.
Shells poured down like torrential rain, smashing into the pirates charging forward without regard for their lives.
The sea was completely covered with warships.
With every round of cannon fire...
countless vessels were struck.
Black smoke rose into the sky.
Flames erupted.
Screams echoed across the water.
The pirates knew that this was the most dangerous part of the assault.
At this point...
it was almost entirely a matter of luck.
If you were lucky enough not to be hit by a shell...
you had a chance to keep moving forward.
In John’s field of vision, only a few dozen minutes had passed...
yet several hundred small assault boats had already been destroyed.
Hundreds of medium-sized warships had sunk.
And hundreds of large warships had gone down with them.
Just as he had expected...
the royal capital’s defenses were brutally effective.
John had not suffered losses this severe throughout the entire campaign against Radiant Moon City.
Yet now...
in only a few dozen minutes of attacking the royal capital...
his losses had already reached such a terrifying level.
But just as Hilt had said...
they were going to leave this world eventually.
None of these things could be taken with them.
So what did losses matter?
Why had John recruited so many pirates?
Why had he constructed so many warships?
Wasn’t it precisely so they could be spent when necessary?
...
Accompanied by his commanders, the king arrived atop the walls of the Inner City.
"Your Majesty, look!"
One of the commanders laughed loudly.
"Just as I said!"
"Our royal capital is impregnable."
"Never once in history has anyone breached it from the outside."
"Look at those pirates!"
"They’re nothing more than living targets!"
"No matter how many come..."
"that many will die!"
The king was delighted by what he saw.
He smiled as well.
"Indeed."
"With so many warships packed together, even if we fired with our eyes closed, we’d still hit something."
...
On the first day...
the battle lasted six hours.
John lost more than one thousand small assault boats, over three hundred medium-sized warships, and more than two hundred large warships before ending the day’s assault.
On the second day...
the battle resumed.
The pirates continued charging without regard for their lives, staring up at the rainstorm of cannon shells falling from above.
The royal capital’s defensive fire remained just as powerful.
John suffered almost the same losses as on the first day before once again ending the attack.
On the third day...
the decisive battle for the royal capital continued.
This time, John paid an even greater price than on the previous two days.
But he finally gained something in return.
Several warships belonging to the enemy Naval Corps...
were sunk.