NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
Chapter 23: The Siege Begins!
After three days of intense preparation, the entire Western Army was fully mobilized, resources gathered, and ready for war.
And the Beastman army had also arrived.
At the western gate of Wanku Fortress, Liliya, General Layton, and several other leaders stood ready, keeping a close watch on the dust rising in the distance.
Miss Vilyric stood beside the princess, ensuring her safety, and even the usually lazy Priestess perked up a bit at this moment.
At the edge of the ground, countless shadows surged like a tide, with agile Leopard-Human as the vanguard, backed by Bear-Humans, Tiger-Humans, and Lion-Humans, while Wolf-Riders flanked them. Above, a dark mass of Bird-Humans advanced in formation.
Apart from the usually non-combatant Fox-Human priests and the noble but few Half-Dragon royalty, it seemed that the main battling forces of the Beast Kingdom had gathered in full.
“As reported by the scouts, a full five hundred thousand Beastmen, and they’re all young warriors—this isn’t your average autumn war!” General Layton exclaimed, his expression darkening. “What’s that old Beast Emperor thinking? Does he really want to kick off full-scale war with our United Kingdom?”
Even the battle-hardened General Layton looked grim upon witnessing this overwhelming display.
Historically, during autumn wars, the Beastmen would send over merely ten thousand troops, many of whom were weak or elderly.
Autumn wars were essentially about seizing food and wasting the useless population—let’s be honest, sending those unable to fight to die. Even so, it still posed considerable pressure on the Western Army every year.
Now, with troop numbers multiplied nearly fivefold, all composed of robust young warriors, even though Layton and Liliya had prepared beforehand, an actual battle would undoubtedly be a gruesome bloodbath.
As for the sudden full-scale advance by the Beastmen, it could only be due to two reasons: either they had somehow learned about the serious condition of the Grand Marshal Layton and wanted to take advantage, or there was some external force providing them support and confidence.
Chances were that this incident was closely tied to Liliya’s several older brothers.
While Liliya thought of this, her expression darkened further, but she refrained from voicing it. It seemed pointless and without evidence, and might even shake the morale of the troops.
Layton, a seasoned veteran guarding the western border for over twenty years, had seen his share of storms. Even facing such overwhelming odds, he moved past the initial shock without panic, turning to Liliya with a relaxed demeanor.
“Ha ha, dear Marshal, the enemy has indeed arrived as expected. What do you think our army should do to defend effectively?”
The old general’s words were both a subtle teaching moment and a request for guidance—after all, Liliya, the Fifth Princess, was now the commander of the entire Western Army. Everything hinged on her commands, not Layton’s.
Liliya pondered briefly. “Hmm… Since the enemy hasn’t engaged yet, we need not rush. This is a large-scale war involving hundreds of thousands; the outcome won’t be determined overnight. As long as the city stands, our focus should be on resource depletion and a war of attrition.”
“Signal for the first, second, and third legions guarding the western gate to take turns defending the city walls, switching every eight hours. The fourth legion should remain in good condition, ready to support as needed.”
“Units at the south, north, and east gates should stay alert for sudden enemy attacks and be prepared to assist at the western gate.”
“Did you all hear that? Get to work now!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
It must be said, General Layton still held significant prestige at Wanku Fortress. Even after stepping down from the role of Grand Marshal, his subordinate messengers instinctively waited for the old general to speak before making their moves.
Liliya and Layton noticed this dynamic but tacitly chose not to delve into it; anyone with half a brain knew it was meaningless to dwell on such matters during a crisis.
“The first wave of attacks is upon us, the walls aren’t safe. Princess, please step back for now.”
“No way! Our army is already at a disadvantage; if the commander shows fear before the battle, it will shake the morale. I must stay here.”
Liliya fixed her gaze on the oncoming tide of Beastmen, resolutely rejecting Layton’s suggestion.
“…That’s true, but Princess, you might not be competent in martial arts. The battlefield is blind to swords and knives; if you were to be harmed, it might hurt morale even more!”
“It’s fine, Miss Vilyric will protect me! She’s a legendary guardian renowned for her protective and healing abilities, and a bunch of Beastmen are no match for her, right?!”
Vilyric didn’t make any promises; she simply took a half step forward to stand beside the princess, smiling and nodding at Layton.
Seeing her reminded him of the miracle that had purged his ailments just days ago, and even with a thousand words unsaid, Layton could only resignedly nod in response.
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Miss Vilyric. Please ensure the princess’s safety.”
“Rest assured.”
Meanwhile, the fastest vanguard of several thousand Leopard-Humans had already dashed to the foot of the fortress, beginning to scale the towering walls unaided.
Yes, unaided.
This is what Beastmen are like—no tactics, no strategy, no tools or equipment. So even though their individual strength far exceeded that of humans, the latter had managed to resist them for years using sturdy walls and superior weapons.
The Leopard-Humans extended their claws, digging into the nearly seamless solid rock. Although they couldn’t penetrate deeply due to their strength, at least they could manage to hang on.
Fortunately, only Leopard-Humans and those with comparatively weaker combat power could climb the walls unassisted; otherwise, it would be genuinely dangerous if the stronger species attempted the same.
“Boiling oil, rockets, first wave—fire!”
The red-cloaked, white-armored young general Rekter was at the forefront, shouting out the orders. Suddenly, countless scalding viscous liquids poured down from the top of the walls, followed by a barrage of arrows raining down like raindrops on the dense swarm of Leopard-Humans below, creating a scorching wave!
“Ah! It’s so hot!”
“I’m on fire! I’m on fire!!”
“Roar! Don’t retreat, keep charging!!”
It’s well-known that Beastmen fear fire. Except for the scaled Half-Dragon royalty, even major combat species like Tigers, Lions, and Bears instinctively shied away from flames.
The combination of boiling oil and rockets was notoriously effective against Beastmen; their fur ignited way too easily. Aside from a few strong warriors who had toughened their bodies against ordinary flames, this tactic could take down quite a few.
However, the Beastmen weren’t entirely helpless against this assault. Seeing the flames spread, they quickly dispersed under the command of their leaders, effectively lowering their formation’s density, rendering the fire attack far less effective than before.
Though numerous Leopard-Humans screamed as they tumbled from the walls, some even transformed into flaming fireballs mid-air before crashing into the moat, they were still inching closer to the top of the walls.
There was little else to be done; Liliya and Layton had no illusions of repelling this wave of attacks with just one tactic.
Moreover, the Leopard-Humans climbing the walls mainly served as a distraction; unless their numbers swelled exceedingly, the defenders on the walls could manage them effectively.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the chaos stirred by the Leopard-Humans, the main fighting forces of the Beastmen—Lions, Tigers, and Bears—had also reached the foot of the fortress. At the same time, the Bird-Humans began launching their aerial assaults on Wanku Fortress!