Titan Beneath the Heavens Chapter 130

"In the late night of the 20th day of 11th month in the year 797 of the Church's Calendar, or maybe the dawn of the 21st." Oscar put down his quill and blew at his hands. The night of the start of winter at Deiss had turned the tent into an icehouse. The heat given off by the charcoal was so negligible compared to the freezing weather.

"I met them after I passed through a forest that was burned by the sunlight. They did not like noises, so they did not live beside the faraway fortress that was filled with sounds of killing. They settled down in an uncultivated land, relying on a stream that only the horses knew about."

"When they met me, they were already exhausted. The oldest, who had the largest contribution, stood in front, while those little guys had not even grown their mustache yet stood at the back. Most of them were with injuries, yet they were in high spirits. They cheered again and again as if they did not know what exhaustion was. During the dinner at the camp, I only knew that they had just participated in a great war. They had successfully crumbled the enemy's resistance."

"Murat explained the situation at war to me briefly. He was truly brief with his words. He only used six and a half sentences to summarize the whole thing."

"They fought from the mountain and cut off the Teutonic Knights' units at the front battlefield. Then, they kept fighting until they reached the location of the enemy's eagle flag. After that, they fought intensively until the Deiss ran away at the sound of the horses' hooves. At this time, Marshal Alan had already announced the end of the war. Murat… seemed to have said this. However, I could not imagine what they had done. According to notifications, two Infantry Corps and two Cavalry Corps of the Deiss were defeated by them."

"After this... Murat did not say anything further. He and I stood quietly on the plains. We looked at the flowing clouds, unmoving. After seven to eight months, we had experienced a lot of changes. Only this part was mutual. We have learned to be silent."

"Your Highness!" Outside of the tent came the voice of the Second Lieutenant Kirk Douglas.

Oscar looked at his diary. He should call it a day for now.

"Come in!"

Little Kirk opened the curtain and walked into the tent. He brought a gust of cold wind in. This guy, who was good with swords, had become much more mature than before. Each of his movements gave him the aura of a veteran. However, to be honest, he believed any warrior who successfully survived the Saijo Mountain Battle would also become like him - calm, capable and having a cold expression.

Giving an impeccable salute, Second Lieutenant Douglas spoke, "Your Highness! As your adjutant, I must remind you that it is already dawn…"

"Kirk! Wait!" Oscar waved his hands, "Even though you have only been my adjutant for five hours, but I know you are a responsible one. So I think we can change our way of communication."

The Second Lieutenant did not speak. He stood there without moving. This guy still had his huge sword on his back. The long hilt's length even exceeded that of his forehead.

"Come here and take a seat!" The Prince pointed to a seat beside him.

Little Kirk looked at the Prince's expression, "Yes! Your Highness!" The second Lieutenant sat down without hesitation. This side of him was most likable by others.

"You lot... What are you guys on about lately?"

"At first, we were busy tending to our injuries, then we prepared the Honor Ceremony and settled the units. Finally, we came here!"

Oscar sighed without helping. "Everyone does not like to talk anymore. Is that right?"

Kirk slowly lowered his head. "Most probably, yes! Everyone is trying their best to avoid that... That unpleasant memory."

"Do you hate me?" Oscar looked into the Second Lieutenant's eyes. "I led you guys into that suicidal…"

"No, Your Highness!" Second Lieutenant Kirk Douglas stood up abruptly. He even turned the chair over. "Everyone is grateful towards you. We are grateful that you gave us a great victory and undefeatable pride! It's just that… Just that when everyone thinks of those sacrifices… Urgh… I don't know how I should describe this, but please believe me. Your Red Tiger loves you just like before. We see you as the Heaven and the Earth!"

"You… Only 87 of you survived?"

Kirk wanted to say something more, but his mouth quivered. At last, he could not say anything.

Oscar smiled lightly. What was the point of him mentioning this?"

"Yeah right! Where did Kamille go? I saw him when you guys made the formation! However, he was gone when everyone was building the tent!"

"Major General Kamille and his division should be chasing off the remaining soldiers of Deiss. In yesterday's battle in the afternoon, we did not cause a huge damage to the enemy. We only forced them to retreat."

"Kamille is promoted?" Oscar raised his head in delight.

"Yes, Your Highness. We, the survivors, are all promoted. And this!" Kirk said as he twitched his mouth to point at the Empire Warrior Medal on his chest.

"Where are Arcan and Shaw Shorenstein? Didn't they make it out of Saijo Mountain?"

"Yes! Chief Commander Arcan and Regimental Commander Shaw Shorenstein both made it out, but their injury… To put it simply, their injuries are serious. Even though they received top-notch treatment, they are nevertheless no longer fitted to be in the army!"

"Disabled?" Oscar spoke this word in difficulty. He knew what 'not fit to be in the army' meant. For a soldier, this was probably more upsetting to him than killing him.

Kirk looked at the depressed Prince. He quickly changed the topic and had a cheerful look on him.

"Oh right! Your Highness! Your friend, Viscount Tove Van Sukhoi! On his right hand, four of his fingers were broken, but he is luckier! His Majesty the Emperor promoted him to be the first Cannon Brigadier General in the history of the Guards as an exception, but General Tove Van Sukhoi only has a poor cannon and four gunners under his command! You did not see that scene. During the Honor Ceremony, Viscount Sukhoi's expression is incredible!"

Oscar held his head. He did not want to hear anything suddenly. Nor did he want to know about!

Kirk was blank for a moment. He was a little hesitant, but at last, he still put his hands on the Prince's shoulder.

"Your Highness, don't blame yourself! The Red Tiger still lives! Everyone is here. Right at this place! Kirk said as he covered his chest with his hand. "Your Highness! Not only are we not defeated by the enemy, the Red Tiger is stronger than ever before! We already have the scale of a formidable army! According to the number given by the home base, our code is Ranger Division 17, Battle Division 16 and Heavy-armored Cavalry Brigade 8. These units are all true elites!"

Looking at the cheerful little Kirk, Oscar smiled without him knowing. "Urgh… I am not good at remembering the names of unfamiliar faces…"

"Oh! Is that so? Colonel Loran Julier of home base is the division commander of Ranger Division 17. Major General Barbara Schubernate of Neruda front is the brigade commander of Heavy-armored Cavalry Brigade 8. Meanwhile, Major General Kamille Rayen still leads our Battle Knights."

Other than Kamille, who else is out? The campsite looks empty!" Oscar tried hard to keep his eyes open. He was already sleepy.

"Only Colonel Loran's rangers are here! I also don't know where Division Commander Kamille went. As for General Barbara's Heavy-armored Cavalry Brigade… I think they will encounter a hard battle because Marshal Alan had already arranged them into the units that will attack Alborto Fortress. Even Corps Commander Murat will watch over the battle on the battlefield!"

"Attacking a fortress! Why do you need my Calvary Brigade?" Major General Barbara Schubernate stared at the battle documents in doubt under the carriage light. This tall, middle-aged guy with his face and chest red had a subliminal habit. It was that he liked to blow on his mustache when he spoke. He looked just like an angry frog.

Murat simply smiled a little, yet he did not speak whatsoever. After a while of spending time together, he knew well what sort of value the battle arts that were shown by the Marshal of the Guards held. Murat was forcing himself not to doubt the arrangement of the Silverfox. He saw the whole process of that deciding battle that afternoon on the 20th. The commands of Alan were impeccable. He cared nothing about death. This led people into doubting his intentions.

"Corps Commander! That is Alborto Fortress. The Calvary unit is of no use! The Silverfox can't be sending us to our death right?"

"Do you think he dares to do so? I will slap him a few times before throwing the silverfish fur down the shithole!" Murat said coldly while showing a fierce expression.

Major general Barbara Schubernate's beard flew, "Corp Commander, I am more at ease when I hear you saying that!"

The lonely wildfire scattered in the plain. The red light poured onto the faces of Titan warriors. The crows flew towards the battlefield together. The indistinguishable night could not stop their urge to fly straight towards the sky.

There were many bodies on the battlefield. Around that red line that surrounded the center battlefield were stacks of bodies. Broken weapons were all on the floor, some were just stabbed into the bodies of the warriors. The fire showed a hell-like scenery. The dead were just like when they were alive. Their faces were so hideous! It seemed as though they were screaming! They were still fighting! The north wind let out a light howl just like the groans of the dead, like the attack order that manifested from the bodies.

Some Titan soldiers roamed on the battlefield. They placed their brother's bodies at the front of the hill not far away from the forest. In front of the hill was a huge hole that seemed to have no ends. Many bodies of the Guards were in the hole, and the people kept adding new flesh and meat into it. Perhaps hell was just like this. It was like a swollen mouth full of blood, ready to devour everything.

Corp Commander Murat and Major General Barbara walked into the central base of Marshal Alan after being thoroughly checked. The old man with silver hair was more high-spirited. He welcomed the two officers of Narcissus Knights in front of a big tent.

After greeting the Marshal, they also briefly introduced the movements of Deiss runaways and the situation of Red Tiger. Major General Barbara was more straightforward. He began to complain about this. After all, he did not want to hide in a fortress, greeting the enemy.

Alan did not say anything. He brought the two officers into the tent. All the important strategists and the generals of the northern army group were here.

The officials at the scene all stood up. They stood up and passionately shook hands and hugged the two officers of the Red Tiger. The meeting table, which used to be flooded with people, now had a lot of empty seats after one war. These seats were now only meant for the First Commander Corps of the northern army, the Second Commander Corps, the Fourth, the Eighth and the Commander Corps of the Wolfriders. Other than that, the division commander, group commander and unit commander of the Front were all sacrificed themselves. As the Marshal, Alan could not even remember their faces.

"But there will always be people who remember everyone's sacrifices! The things you did are great and holy!" Alan sat on his seat and scanned every soldier in the room.

"The statistics are out!" A staff handed a document to the Marshal. "Alborto war! Five infantry units of the Northern Field Army and Independent Cavalry Unit of Steinberger has a total death and injured count of 22997 people. Amongst this, almost thirteen thousands of them are sacrificed in the battle while near ten thousand of them are injured."

"Okay!" Alan took the document. He did not even take a look at it and only nodded to this battle staff.

"Soldiers of the Empire!" The Marshal waved the war report in his hands. "What does this say?"

"This indicates that our Northern Field Army has lost more than half of our elite force. What's left are a bunch of cowardly replacement soldiers!"

"Don Carlos!" A Count with a Lieutenant General title pinned on his shoulder finally could not hold it in, "Even though you are the representative of the First Corps, but please take note of your attitude and identity."

Major Don Carlos, who was born in a commoner family, let out a humph coldly. Under normal circumstances, he would truly need golden opportunity to receive a seat at the highest war meeting in the Field Army; but he was the only ranked officer left in the First Corps. Other than those who were sacrificed on the battlefield, Don Carlos still had to thank the war enforcement team for him to appear before Marshal Alan. It was the enforcement team that eliminated those guys who intended to run away from the frontline.

"Am I not correct?" Major Carlos glared at the Corps Commander of the Fifth Corps. "Only the name of the First Corps remains now. The warriors that can still hold their sword are not even enough to make a unit of Division! The situation of the Fourth Corps is no different than the First Corps. Even though your Fifth Corps is doing slightly better, the Deiss will soon assemble a stronger army group near their capital. When the time comes, are we able to fight another Alborto War?"

The Corps Commander of the Fifth Corps stood up abruptly, "You are a coward! We still have the Red Tiger! We still have the whole Sixth Corps, the Third Corps, the Seventh Corps and the Second Corps led by Major General Krasius and the Ninth Corps! With our current strength, we still can…"

"Save it!" Don Carlos impatiently interrupted the words of this Corps Commander. "The Seventh Corps is defending the right wing of the battlefield. Major General Krasius's Ninth Corps and the Second Corps are defending the left wing of the battlefield. The Third Corps is maintaining the supply route! If they all move forward, we will be surrounded by the Deiss in this damned place, by their advantageous number!"

"I agree with the point of view of Major Don Carlos!" Colonel Leigh McCaren finally could not hold it in anymore, "This report has already shown that we don't have the ability to fight another war with the Deiss! The Deiss still has two hundred Divisions in the three directions of their land. They only need to arrange for fifty Divisions to the south amongst their army forces. When the time comes, the one who will be in a bad position is going to be us."

The Corps Commander of the Fifth Corps still wanted to say something, but Marshal Alan had already indicated that the conversation is over.

"Everyone has a point. Then, before I announce the war arrangement in the next stage, let me first give a few human relations order!" Silverfox Alan sat in his seat, relaxed. It could be seen that even if they had won a great war, but there seemed to be only him who felt good in the whole army unit.

"Colonel Leigh McCaren, Division Commander of Division Four Three."

"Yes, Marshal!" Colonel Leigh, whose name was called out, immediately stood up and saluted.

"According to the Titan law, a military officer who commands excellently and with outstanding result must be promoted! And according to the norm of the Guards, a military officer who is promoted from a Division Commander to a Corps Commander cannot directly lead his original Corps. So… Major General Leigh McCaren, pick one from the First Corps and the Eighth Corps!"

Leigh McCaren knew that he would have a chance to be promoted, but he did not expect it to be this quick! Oh god! Major General and Corps Commander! He did not even have this sort of dream before. All these years, he had just been doing what he should do as a soldier.

"I… I choose the Eighth Corps!"

"Why?" Alan looked at this soldier with bright future expectantly.

"The arrangement of the Eighth Corps is considered complete! I want to continue fighting with the Deiss at the place that sacrificed countless of my battle mates! I will hold on all the way to the last war!"

"As I thought!" Marshal Alan sighed with a hint of commendation. "Then so be it, Corps Commander of the Eighth Corps!"

"Major Don Carlos!" Marshal called another officer again. "How do you feel now?"

"Report, Marshal! My feeling now is as nice as the feeling being tramped all over by a rhinoceros!"

"I can see that!" Alan nodded. He noted the injuries on Carlos' body up and down. It was almost as if there was not a spot on this officer's body that was not bleeding. However, those who held on in the front lines were all the same.

"Originally… Colonel Leigh's… Oh, apologies! Now it's General Leigh. Originally, I will need you to command General Leigh's Fourth Corps, but there has never been an example of promoting a Group Commander to Corps Commander. Even though your performance is sufficient for this promotion, I am not the sole voice of the Imperial Guards. Even if it's my order, the Staff Department still has the right to disobey!"

"So…" Alan looked at the Major who had a pair of bright eyes. He knew that he would not choose the wrong person, "I order you to be the Chief of Equipment Officer of the Northern Field Army…"

Right after Marshal Alan said that his voice was completely drowned by the commotion in the room! The Chief of Equipment Officer of the Northern Field Army? Even though this job was truly not comparable to a Corps Commander by ranking, but this Chief of Equipment Officer controlled all field army's budgeting and matters regarding the warehouse, army base, and weapons. This was definitely a great job that counted money whole day long! However, the Marshal of Guards wanted a fighter from a commoner's background to take this role.

"This cannot be!" The Corps Commander of the Fifth Corps stood up first!

"Yes! Sir Marshal! You must be joking! He is a commoner!"

"Yes yes! This guy will sell all of our weapons. Then..."

"Maybe… Just by the Sixth Corps, we still can't accomplish the mission of taking down the Alborto Fortress!" Alan's voice was extremely soft. With satisfaction, he saw all generals of the north shut their mouth. These guys were still as they were before. When it was time that truly needed them, none of them were there.

"Since everyone is keeping their silence, then only the person in question is left! Colonel Don Carlos, how is this? Are you satisfied with this order?"

Don Carlos nodded determinedly, "Yes! Sir Marshal! I am extremely satisfied! I will ensure that no camp worth of 3000 Golden Ti and weapons that break easily after a collision will ever appear in the northern Army District."

"Hehe! A camp made from 3000 Golden Ti? 3000 Golden Ti is enough to buy a mansion on the outskirts of Dulin!" Alan laughed, "I heard about this. It was the largest joke in the history of the Guards! Only you, the Northern Army, are able to do such things with your budget!"

"Sir Marshal! I already assured you that such things will never happen again in the northern Army!" Don Carlos who just got promoted to Colonel scanned the seated military officers coldly. "If there is anyone who wants to stay in a camp worth of 3000 Golden Ti, I will let them build it themselves!"

"Report!" A loud yell came suddenly from the door.

"Hahaha!" Alan excitedly welcomed the incoming person, "General Krasius, it's a nice timing for you to come! Everyone, meet the new Chief of Staff in the Northern Army District!"

"Chief of Staff?" The soldiers in the room were all stunned! This was something that could not be described! Even if General Krasius was from the infamous Porasph family, his age and experience could not take up the responsibility of the Chief of Staff at the Northern border. However, Marshal Alan did not seem to be joking. Moreover, such order must come directly from His Majesty the Emperor!

The lacking-in-number northern soldiers were stunned on their seat. They were a little overwhelmed by this change.

"Marshal! Are you sure His Majesty and you don't need to consider this a bit more?" Looking at the shocked companions, Krasius Porasph, who just got promoted by Alfa III His Majesty to General, shook his head with a bitter smile.

"What sort of attitude is that?" Alan was a little unhappy. He frowned at the military officers in the tent.

"Sir Chief of Staff! Congratulations on your promotion!" Colonel Don Carlos stood up first. He saluted to General Krasius who always had a good reputation, but this Chief of Equipment Officer who just got promoted also had his own considerations. If he wanted to have a good start at his role, then naturally he would need the support of the Chief of Staff. Appearing obedient now had no disadvantage at all.

Since someone started it, then the rest could be done more easily. The noble military officers in the tent naturally did not want to fall behind of the commoner. They held back their doubts and distrusts, and respectfully gave their congratulations and regards to General Krasius Porasph.

"Alright! Everyone is here! Let General Murat brief us on the situation of the Deiss!" Alan said as he returned to his seat.

Murat went beside the war map. After everyone has settled down, he began to explain.

"Deiss runaways were mainly divided into three larger Army Group each running away in three different directions. Each army group has approximately ten thousand people. I just received the report from Battle Division Commander General Kamille Rayen before this meeting that they are able to catch up with one of the largest army group amongst the three!" Murat pointed at a location on the map.

"These runaways are mainly infantry. The remaining force of Deiss Kingdom's Seventh Corps, Sixth Corps and Fourteenth Corps are all here. General Kamille only mentioned that he caught up to the enemy, but until this point, I have not received any further report from him."

Alan nodded. The movements of the Deiss were as what he had expected. These runaways who intended to retreat to the Alborto Fortress had their route blocked by the Red Tiger, so they had to retreat to three different defense areas using three national roads.

"General Rondraisse's war thinking is truly impressive. After being defeated badly, he still knows that he should divide and run away!"

Marshal's words made the military officers laugh. At this moment, they realized that it was them that won such a great war for the Empire that was sufficient to be recorded in the history.

"Let us talk about the next step of war arrangement," Silverfox stood up while holding his painful back. "Just now everyone was in a debate, but what you said are the truths. After we went through that war, we indeed lost the ability to fight again! The units that lost their soldiers have to be replenished whilst the units that have the serious loss of soldiers need time to rest. The left and right wings cannot be left unguarded. The supply route is our route to survival. However, these are not the most important thing! Most importantly, we have lost a lot of commanders that are in the rank of general. With no one leading the army unit, how do we plan to fight this war?"

"Request to speak!"

"Krasius! You are already the Chief of Staff of the Army Group. There's no need for such courtesy." Alan smiled to the Marshal at the border who was the youngest one in the history of the Imperial Guards.

"Yes! Sir Marshal!" After the laugh, Krasius became more serious. "I think that even if we have lost the ability to fight, we still have to maintain the strike at the frontline. Just like the Alborto Fortress in front of us, we should take this place at the middle-south area of Deiss no matter what! Only by taking this place down will we be able to let the Deiss pay the price on the ceasefire agreement!"

"That's right!" Alan nodded. "If we retreat now, Deiss can still take advantage of the geographical position of Alborto Fortress to reorganize their defense."

"Then… You want to use my knights to crash into that tall wall?" Major General Barbara Schubernate of the Red Tiger was a little impatient!

"It can't be that you want us to fly into that big city?"

Murat did not stop his subordinate's crude manner. He simply smiled lightly and looked at the Marshal of Guards expectantly!

Marshal Alan nodded. He laid open an architectural blueprint of the Alborto Fortress.

"Major General Barbara! If you really want to fly into that huge city, then, with my utmost regret, I must tell you that I will let your dream becomes reality! Come and take a look! The secret agents of Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau paid a great price to get this thing! See what sort of inspiration we can get from this!"

The camp base outside of the tent suddenly became chaotic. Footsteps and random screaming were all heard over the place!

"Has it begun?" Alan raised his head, relaxed.

The military officers followed the Marshal and walked out of the tent. The faraway tall city stood at the border of the horizon. It was just like a lonely warrior. This warrior was surrounded by bright fire! The night sky was lighted by one huge fireball upon another. The fireball rose from the ground upwards, drawing a trajectory that pulled strips of light in the sky. The fireballs followed beautiful curves and reached their destinations. A fire broke out on the wall and human's shrieks could be heard!

Fireworks were shot up into the sky! Along with the gleaming red light, the Guards blew the horn of attack. The fire that lit up the plains showed unit upon units of armies. They had neat footsteps and slowly approached the moat that had the color of blood!

"Archer, cover! Infantry, fill the river! Quick! Quick! When the sun rises, we are going to have breakfast in that fortress!" Corps Commander of the Sixth Commander stood at the side of the moat. This robust guy was speaking an awkward northern dialect.

The Deiss were a little confused. The Titans did not surround their fortress. Instead, they focused all of their attacking force onto the south side of the fortress. The defense at this side of the wall was the strongest. Not to mention in the morning, even if this wall was bombed by trebuchet for a whole day, there would not be even a crack! The Titan of the city was dreaming! They had no chance of taking the city down in one night!

Showering in rains of arrows, the warriors of the Northern Army Group Sixth Corps were crazily carrying sandbags. The heavy sandbags were thrown into the dark river, splashing a large amount of water! The soldiers were pierced by the arrows from the city wall. They lied on the river, bled and quietly floated. The accumulating sandbags finally showed up on the surface of the river, but it was still a long distance from the border of the city wall! The Titan warriors turned up continuously. They screamed as they ran towards the frontline. Using the soil and rocks that were mixed with their sweat and blood, they filled the steps in front of them.

Finally, the Deiss had a taste of the terrifying weapon, largely talked about in the army! The fire cannons! This veteran, who had participated in the defense war at Saijo Mountain, blasted open countless walls of the Riel's. It was good at defense and also attack! Now it had appeared in front of the Alborto Fortress!

In the defense tower on the fortress, the fierce Deiss warriors looked in a daze at the pitch black mouth of the cannon! Actually, they could only see the silhouette of the gunner, but this did not stop them from shooting arrows at the fire cannon! Their iron arrowheads might just damage the big guy with destructive power!

The Deiss' arrows had already dropped some distance away from the cannons of the Titan. The fire cannon destroyed the mockery of the enemy with its emotionless noise! In front of the fire cannon, crossbow and arrows were not suitable anymore. This was a challenge posed by the new generation towards the old one! Even though there were not many of it, and it still had its flaws, but it had already announced its birth to the whole world with its howl. It had already announced the beginning of its era with its brilliant result.

At the back of the frontline rose a beautiful firework. Along with the ground-shaking howling, the grand fortress' defense tower was immediately filled with dust and smoke. Rock debris and human bodies were blasted into the air and dispersed at a great speed, like the sudden rainstorm. After resting for a while, the fire cannon once again let out a deafening howl! Through observing the landing spot of the first shot, the experienced Sukhoi gunner had already aimed at the correct position of the iron chain of the bridge! The shot made a loud sound at the top position of the bridge! The chains that held the bridge broke!

The bridge dropped quickly and hit on the moat, splashing two huge water pillars. The base camp of the Titan warriors made a loud cheer. Under the cover of the cannon fire, a unit of strong and topless warriors stepped onto the bridge while shouting their slogan. They pulled on the carriage that carried wood that had been sharpened and began the strongest attack on the southern gate of the fortress.

"Go!""Hit it!"

Along with the shouts of the warriors, the sharpened wood kept banging on the gate. The huge, wooden gate of the fortress had a layer of iron skin, but this iron layer slowly came off the gate under the attack of the wood! The city gate was quivering. Its gate that was supposed to be closed off tightly was slowly coming apart.

"Why didn't we use that fire cannon in yesterday's battle? If it keeps firing at the frontline behind my back, I could've ensured that my battlegroup could take down the Deiss' flag in two hours!"

The military officers who were staring at the battlefield were all attracted to the hypothesis of Colonel Don Carlos! Even if there was only one fire cannon that could cause great damage to the enemy at the frontline, the defense war at Saijo Mountain was exactly like this! Why didn't Marshal Alan take advantage of this point?

The Chief of Staff of the Northern Army Group General Krasius, who had just ascended to his post, looked at the quiet old Marshal. He suddenly felt a sudden shiver in his heart! However, this General understood that he would not have today if Alan was not there!

"Brigadier Tove Van Sukhoi that commands the cannon unit experienced a strong rain during his journey on the battlefield. Being here tonight is already a tough task!" Krasius explained in a light voice to his subordinates.

The military officers let out an 'Oh'. They did not wish to think too much. Krasius could be promoted from Major General to General and Corps Commander to a Marshal that controlled a piece of land; it was best to not doubt what he had said. It was fine if everyone just kept their silence.

"Why don't they use fire cannon to directly fire at the city gate?" A military officer raised this question.

"It is probably related to the range!" Krasius shook his head in regret. "According to the explanation of Brigadier Tove Van Sukhoi, the range of the fire cannon is limited. The trajectory of the cannons is parabolic. When aiming at a target that is closer to the ground, we must decrease the distance between fire cannons and the target. If it is too far away… The cannon will fall to the ground earlier when it is fired horizontally; if it is too close… Just like now, the Deiss in the city will hit it with trebuchet until it becomes a bunch of useless metals!"

"So troublesome! It's better that we force it open by ourselves!" A military officer was finally out of his patient!

The closed-off city gate showed a small gap under continuous damage! Just as the Titan warriors planned to give it their all once more, the cannon that covered them from behind stopped! The Deiss warriors who had a foreboding feeling immediately rushed into the defense tower that was badly destroyed by the cannons. They shot arrows at the Titan warrior beneath the city gate.

The soldiers that guarded the carriage quickly raised their shield, but the following rocks made them fall from the bridge. The Deiss archers on the city wall did not seem to let them go. Arrows were shot towards the water, taking lives in the process.

The boiling hot oil was poured downwards and the wood was immediately set on fire. The injured Titan warriors did not plan to give up. They continued to push the carriage, yet the Deiss had already dropped the seeds of fire with mockery. In the eyes of the warriors, this fire torch fell slowly downwards. It turned in the air and spewed fire sparks! The fire torch fell on the carriage. Its slow silhouette instead caused a strong fire that sparked quickly! Surrounding the carriage, the Titan warriors were all drowned in the fierce fire sea!

The furious Corps Commander of the Sixth Corps was just like a crazy bear. He pushed a gunner away and took the Cannon Brigadier by his collar!

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why did your cannon become a mute? My attack unit is gone! They are the best warrior! They are all gone! Just because your cannon is pathetic at that damned moment!"

Torry pulled the fingers that were around his collar away. He placed the hand of this Corps Commander on the cannon. The Corps Commander of the Sixth Corps felt a destructive heat! He then screamed and jumped away from it like a bear again!

"The warriors on Saijo Mountain made it from the damn resting period of the cannon, so they are the best!" The Cannon Brigadier glared at the Corps Commander of the Sixth Corps expressionless.

"Corps Commander! The moat is filled up!" The sweaty messenger ran in at great speed as he shouted!

The Corps Commander immediately turned his head around, "Just in time!" The bear excitedly ran towards the messenger.

However, he suddenly turned his head around. "Sir Brigadier! Call me Bill! Take it as my apology to you!"

Torry finally showed a smiling face. Bill? Didn't it give the meaning of 'a bear'?

The Deiss were confused. Even though the Titan's army force was limited, why did they only fill up a small part of the moat? Traditionally, they should dig up a drain and remove the water. Then they could fill up the moat and began their attack. But, what was the use of only having a walkway of not more than twenty meters?

The Deiss warriors arranged for the archers to completely close off this part of the moat that had been completely filled up. They used arrows and rocks to turn the Titan warriors running towards the city into saddening corpses.

Something seemed to move under the starry sky on the plains! Neat and loud shouting could be heard from the dark plains. The rumbling sound of the pulling of heavy objects came from afar, approaching the battlefield! The Deiss onlookers in the arrow tower of the city finally had a clear look at it! But he could only open his mouth wide without letting out any sound. In his lacking Deiss language, he could not find any suitable words to describe all that he had seen.

"It's...It's a ladder! The Titan people are pushing over a long and huge ladder!" The onlookers finally shouted this to the warriors that were as confused as he was!

That was correct! The Titan warriors were indeed pushing a long ladder into the battlefield. This long ladder was slanted at 35 degrees from the ground's inclination. Its front was covered with iron plates and parallel to the city wall. This ladder-like structure that was made from a wooden frame and iron plates was just like a stepping aid that led towards the city. It had ten groups of large wooden wheels at the bottom. The warriors used iron chains to tie at the wheels. A unit was pulling the iron chain in front of the ladder while another unit was pushing it from the bottom.

"Destroy it! Destroy it! Burn it! Hit it with rocks! We must destroy it!" The military officer at the top of the city wall was shouting crazily. If this ladder-like structure really leaned on the wall, then it would not be one or two Titan soldiers that would run up here; it would be a whole dense unit of Infantry Corps.

The trebuchets set up by the fortress defense army in the city were all turned their directions. Huge chunks of rocks had fallen from the sky one after another. They fell onto the units of the Titan warriors and used a heavy thud that hit on the ground to bring away the lives of a unit of Titan warriors.

The huge ladder was finally under attack! The ladder that was pieced together using wooden planks had a huge hole on it after being hit by the rocks. The huge rock followed the inclination of the wooden planks rushed downwards at great speed. The warriors behind the ladder were immediately hit and scattered all over the place, but they did not give up. Once again, they immediately came to the back of the ladder and let out neat and energetic roars. A team of warriors did not care about the arrows and thrown spears. They rushed up the inclination of the huge ladder anyway. A team of people raised their shield in front while another team crazily filled up the hole. They needed to replace the destroyed planks with new ones! Right at this time, another rock came falling from the sky. The shields were blasted into the air and human bodies became something similar to the delicious meat patties. However, the warriors were not afraid. Amongst the units behind the ladder, another team of soldiers ran up to the ladder crazily with wooden planks and hammer in their hands!

The long-range attacks of the Guards finally blasted again! The trebuchet soldiers carefully adjusted the position. They kept aiming chunks of rocks at the position where the enemy's trebuchets might be in the city. They tried their best to cover for the advancement of the huge ladder. At the same time, the archer units were also coming up strong. They stood in a uniform formation and sent rounds and rounds of arrows towards the city walls in front of the ladder! The brave warriors of the Sixth Corps did not care about the closely-packed spears and huge chunks of rocks coming from above their heads. They raised their shields up high and closely connected them together. These warriors cleared the path that was made from sandbags and corpses. In order to prevent the Deiss from destroying this path, they held their shields up high and stayed there.

Finally! Under the constant attack of the Deiss and the stubborn defense of the Titan warriors, the front of the ladder was about to hit the city wall! The Titan warriors wanted to cheer, but no sound came. A team of Deiss warriors appeared at the part of the wall in which the ladder was about to arrive at while carrying an oil barrel that released terrifying steam.

Bill was praying sincerely! Out of the blue! He heard a familiar rumbling sound! The sudden burst of fire and smoke at the wall completely blocked the people's vision. The chaotic battlefield suddenly fell silent. They and the enemy were both nervously observing what was happening in that part of the wall.

Torry excitedly retrieved his telescope. The obstacle in front of the ladder was already gone. Disappearing with it was the team of Deiss people that carried the oil barrel!

The huge ladder finally leaned on the city wall tightly. It finally connected the top of the wall to the ground with its 35 degrees inclination.

"Cannon Unit! I love you!" Corps Commander Bill let out a cheer that only belonged to a bear. He took a huge flag and was the first one to climb up the ladder.

Deiss warriors seemed to have completely forgotten about the threat of the cannon. Even if they could not destroy Titan's huge ladder, they still had flesh and blood to sacrifice. They would use their own bodies to block the path of the invaders!

Corps Commander Bill ran up the long ladder that was made of planks, but he stopped at the middle section of the long ladder. This furious bear turned around and waved the brightly-colored flag in his hands clumsily! The Deiss warriors on the wall realized in terror that this flag was not the army flag of the enemy. Instead, it was a brightly-colored order flag! A fire that scattered across the place lit up the flag. Drawn on this flag was a horse. Running horses were trotting amidst the wind and killing sounds!

"Barbara! What are you waiting for? Do you need me to lay out a red carpet for you?" Corps Commander Bill's yell made the people's eardrums thump.

As if reacting to the yell of the bear, sounds of trotting horses that seemed to be coming from nothingness surged through the Heaven and the Earth! The plains were shivering and moving under the night sky! The Titan warriors all held their weapons as saluted to the plains behind them!

"It's knights! It's knights!" A Deiss warrior used his trembling fingers to point at the smoke and dust rising at the dark, faraway sky.

The Heavy-armored Cavalry Brigade of the Narcissus Knight Red Tiger Corps launched their attack at Alborto in the front of the battlefield!

The Deiss warriors went crazy! They stared blankly into nothingness and stood on their ground, not knowing what to do. No one taught them how to deal with cavalry units that charged forward at the city wall.

Major General Barbara Schubernate rode at the very front of the unit. No one could stop him from becoming the very first Knight General that charged at a fortress in the world! It was all thanks to the sneaky Alan! Thanks to all those nameless heroes in Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau who had sacrificed themselves in this place!

Barbara rushed up the slanted ladder. His horse was already twenty meters off from the ground! O God of Light up above! Bless your warriors! The brave Narcissus Knights held their reins and their horses jumped towards the platform at the tallest point of the ladder!

"Andrew Haila!"

Along with the loud scream, the knights and the horses jumped over the Deiss soldiers that scrambled around and over the three-meter wide wall. It couldn't be that... Did it want to land on the ground?

A Church that lied very closely to the city wall became open at its rooftop! The horses of the knights safely landed on the rooftop. The tiles that were smashed to pieces flew off in all directions under the horse hooves! Half a year ago, a 'construction team' of Titan Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau had already invaded the Alborto Fortress. They took the saying of building churches to talk around in the city. They scouted for military information and drew defense map of the fortress. Right when the Deiss took hold of their true identity, this 'construction team' had already incorporated iron plates at the rooftop of the church near the city wall. They also used tiles to camouflage the iron plates. The members of the 'construction team' were caught one by one. While the Deiss was busy torturing the spies of Titan, they did not notice the threat at the rooftop of the church at all, neither did they 'inspect' on the quality of the construction.

The Narcissus Knights were here! The iron cavalry of the Heavily-armored Cavalry Brigade fell from the sky. They all jumped over the city wall and stepped onto the rooftop of the church. The sound of horses was loud as chiming ring! The rooftop of the church stretched toward the ground. It was more like a mansion. The knights trotted downwards following the inclination, then the warhorses jumped off the rooftop towards the ground. Specks of dust flew in the air and the war flag floated in the air! The God-chosen warriors' never-defeated fame was once again proven. They ran into the streets and turned into the lone smoke that approached the city center.

Alan looked at his masterpiece in satisfaction! Only he could think of and do such things!

"Alright! Sixth Corps, follow up! Clear off the Deiss on the wall. The Alborto Fortress is now ours!" Marshal of Guards was feeling extremely good. He ordered for the Orderly to deliver wine and water.

Holding the clear crystal glass, Silverfox massaged his painful and swollen eyes. The old Marshal was a little hyped up. He had not touched alcohol in a very long time, "Look at this!" Alan pointed to the city that drowned in the fire and human's voices. "Such careful arrangement of four city walls completely limits the development of the city! According to sayings, the Emperor of the Eastern people also lives in such a city. This sort of thinking that limits their own freedoms will bring them a huge disadvantage sooner or later!"

In the morning of the 21st day of the 11th month in the Church's Calendar Year 797, at the middle southern war region of Deiss, the Alborto Fortress had three of its city gates completely fallen. Even if there was still a little resistance remaining in the city, the Titan Guards had already changed the flag of that city. Morisette Dynasty's golden lion flag flew high and proudly under the shine of Venus.

Welcoming the last glimpse of darkness before the dawn, Marshal of Guards Vann Hewitt Alan rode his horse into the city in the cheers of thousands of soldiers, while stepping over fallen human corpses and broken weapons. The old Marshal, different from his usual sincere self, used his utmost passionate language and action to welcome the enthusiastic warriors! The Marshal knew that his life and the military journey had reached the peak!

Chapter end