Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 162: Siege of the Fortress 4

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Duke Dodge's face was stern as he watched the battle on the fortress walls.

The current situation was dire; the defending army was clearly under pressure from the rebels.

After careful consideration, he ordered, "Send the reserve troops to support and help the soldiers withdraw to the inner wall."

TL Note: Buglers are skilled musicians who undergo training to play specific bugle calls, such as reveille, taps, and various ceremonial calls.

A bugler beside him immediately raised his horn and blew it in a special rhythm.

The old duke said to a military officer behind him, "Bring out our secret weapon."

The officer was startled, "My lord, that's our last ace in the hole! We shouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary!"

Duke Dodge sighed bitterly, "Can't you see? Now is precisely the time of absolute necessity. Or rather, if we don't reveal this trump card now, we won't survive to see such a time."

A bitter expression crossed the officer's face as he nodded, "Yes, my lord."

Then he turned and hurried away.

...

"Withdraw to the inner wall!"

"Withdraw to the inner wall!"

Officers fighting on the fortress outer wall with their soldiers immediately conveyed orders to their subordinates.

The defending soldiers gathered around their respective commanders, covering each other as they moved toward the inner wall.

As a fully equipped defensive fortress, Thorn Fortress had two layers of walls. The distance between the outer and inner walls was 15-20 meters. The inner wall was higher, thicker, and more difficult to breach than the outer wall.

Rebel soldiers who had climbed up the fortress walls pursued closely. Now was not the time to rest; allowing the defending army to retreat to the inner wall would bring many troubles. The battlements on the inner side of the outer wall were low and offered poor defense against arrows and other attacks from the inner wall.

However, the gates of the inner wall suddenly opened, and a large number of soldiers rushed out. This reserve force of the defending army had been waiting in the rear, eagerly watching the melee on the outer wall. They charged out immediately upon the duke's command.

The reserve soldiers quickly replaced their comrades who had been fighting on the front lines, pressing hard against the rebels on the outer wall who were already showing signs of fatigue. Hastily, they managed to suppress the rebel soldiers on the outer wall.

But the reserve force did not linger; after all, their side still faced numerical inferiority. Once they covered the withdrawal of their comrades, they quickly retreated back to the inner wall and tightly closed the gate behind them.

"Lord Samal! We've taken the outer wall!"

"Good!"

Samal was overjoyed. He hadn't expected to take Thorn Fortress's outer wall so quickly.

"Immediately send the second wave of troops to press forward!"

"Yes!"

The rebel troops who had captured the outer wall, enduring the crossbow attacks from the inner wall's defenders, opened the gates and rushed in with ladders and battering rams, launching an immediate attack on the inner wall!