Warhammer Divine Throne

"What are the next steps?" With the battlefield cleaned up, Laine, Fidmund, and Jerald gathered together. Fidmund let out a sigh of relief, "Earl Ocasen and his attendants are either all dead or captured; no one managed to escape. Once the army crosses the Grismore River, with the Dwarfs' artillery, taking the Sharp-Top Palace won't be any problem."

"Taking the Sharp-Top Palace is certainly not a problem; the key issue is that we must hold it." Jerald immediately voiced his opposing opinion, the Paladin shaking his head repeatedly: "No, we cannot rely on the Dwarfs' artillery for this siege."

"Jerald is right; we cannot rely on the Dwarfs' artillery for this assault on the Sharp-Top Palace." Laine nodded, stepping out a couple of steps. Mogiana's Divine Art effects were waning, and the muddy swamp was starting to trouble the knights: "If we really blow the Sharp-Top Palace to ruins, when Musillon's reinforcements arrive, we won't be able to hold the castle."

Speaking of which, Fidmund also had to nod in agreement.

The assembled army this time is really not considerable. Since Laine initiated the attack early, agricultural populations cannot be moved casually, as it could easily impact spring plowing. The Duchies involved in this war only sent a portion of their Standing Army, along with dismounted knights and Knight's Squires. The total number of troops is only six thousand.

Musillon's Undead care little for production; Laine conservatively estimates the city could pull out an Undead Army of twenty thousand.

Under such circumstances, the solid castle and lethal artillery are crucial. The Vampires severely lack long-range weapons, and facing the Dwarfs' heavy artillery, they can only take hits passively.

"We have to capture the castle without using artillery; even though Earl Ocasen and his attendants have already been eliminated, I think we still need some special approach." Fidmund, under Laine's guidance, gradually became more adept at planning. He said to Laine: "Lord Laine, since we can't attack forcefully, then..."

"We need this." Laine took out a Ring Seal.

This Ring Seal was retrieved from Ocasen's corpse, bearing the emblem of the Ocasen Family: "The expedited plan to seize Sharp-Top Palace is here, only this time we might need to inconvenience our Dwarf friends."

"No worries, we just need to offer our Dwarf friends a toast afterward." Sir Jerald sheathed his Knight's Sword, smiling as he said: "And provide ample gifts, most Dwarf friends wouldn't fuss."

The knights of Brittania had limited understanding of Dwarfs previously, fortunately, with Laine bridging the gap, most southern knights of Brittania now have experiences dealing with Dwarfs, gaining quite a few ways to handle these stubborn, petty, and vengeful folks.

"No delay, let's transport the prisoners immediately and rendezvous with Her Highness Mogiana!" Laine did not speak further and promptly gave the order: "Hurry!"

"Yes!"

...…I'm the vengeful dividing line...…

In February, the weather was freezing, cold winds raging everywhere, especially after a sudden heavy rainsnow and hailstorm in the morning which cleansed the castle completely. This once prosperous castle seemed plundered and lifeless.

Sharp-Top Palace is not a particularly large castle, nor is its defense exceptionally strong. However, numerous troops are stationed here, and due to the fertile swamps surrounding Sharp-Top Palace, advancing here is slow and fraught with inconveniences from the swamp.

Duke of Musillon Mathew Bade understands Sharp-Top Palace's significance; he sent several living forces to protect it, following Earl Ocasen's command.

At the gate, a Guard Commander was inspecting defenses. This Guard Commander wore chain armor with a chest armor on the front, dressed very thoroughly, and over this standard gear, was a warm fur cloak.

Even so, he shivered uncontrollably.

"Commander, this damn weather, it was both raining and snowing and hailing just now, and now the sun is out." A guard said to the Guard Commander, his face covered with freckles and marks of chickenpox, and like Musillon's residents, he appeared malnourished.

Yet, this already counts among the better living conditions for Musillon's residents.

"Who knows what's up with this weather!" The Guard Commander was roasting by a fire inside the gatehouse, with a thick frog soup cooking on the fire, slightly seasoned with mushrooms and wild greens, which to Musillon's residents is already a supreme delicacy.

Due to the many swamps in Musillon, the people here learned to source essential survival materials from the swamp. They learned to harvest various fungi and wild greens for consumption, with meats mainly comprising frogs, snails, and birds.

Hence, Musillon has a unique profession, the Swamp Man, professional snail and frog hunters, enjoying a certain degree of protection from the Lord in Musillon. Women marrying these Swamp Men are called Frog Wife, responsible for cleaning snails and frogs, often carrying small baskets for additional herb gathering.

"Ah! So cold! When can we expect the shift change?" The guards privately complained about the weather, while the aroma of frog soup inside the gatehouse made the two peasant guards unsteady, nearly leaning on their Long Spear to stand upright.