Chapter 501: Siege Plan

As Crown Prince Jialete's orders were conveyed to the various nobles, they, like Luoning, all chose to advance the following day.

Along the roads from the various camps leading to Miwu City, a force of over one hundred thousand people successively set up camp within a kilometer of the city walls before noon.

Luoning's warhorse stood atop a hill, overlooking the Noble Allied Forces of the Auduin Kingdom; it was his first time seeing an army of such scale.

Looking at Miwu City itself, the gates were now tightly shut and the drawbridge raised, as if it had fully prepared for a desperate defense.

It was just that looking at the top of the enemy's city walls, there did not seem to be many men and horses; it was unknown how well they had prepared.

Aoduoluo came over to report: "My Lord, someone from the Crown Prince's side has come to notify you, wishing for you to go to the An'an to discuss the siege plan with the other nobles."

Luoning nodded slightly, and with a light squeeze of his legs against the horse's belly, he headed toward the Crown Prince's An'an.

The atmosphere inside the An'an was very lively; they were not discussing how to fight the afternoon's battle, but were instead boasting incessantly about how they had killed enemies on the battlefield yesterday.

Viscount Weilisi of Black Jade Bay was drinking wine as he spoke, his old face flushed red, and his voice growing louder and louder.

As Luoning entered the An'an, the lively atmosphere experienced a brief stagnation.

"Hahaha, this must be Marquis Luoning of Moonlight Valley, right?"

Weilisi stood up and came to Luoning's side, looking him up and down, and said with a chuckle: "Not bad, you look a bit like Lulansi, but you're much better than that old fellow!"

Luoning gave a chuckle and greeted the other party politely, "Viscount Weilisi seems quite familiar with my grandfather?"

The Black Jade produced in Black Jade Bay was one of the materials for crafting extraordinary weapons; he would certainly do business with the other party in the future, so getting to know him in this setting was not a bad idea.

Weilisi gulped down a mouthful of wine, "Back then, your grandfather was truly high-spirited and formidable! It's just a pity that I only met him a few times at banquets and never fought on the battlefield with him. Why, didn't he come this time?"

Luoning shook his head.

Miwu City was a place of sorrow for the old man; this time, Wushan Territory had Meilongnika, and Luoning had Ruidar and the others here, so he did not come.

Thirty years of torment had long since stripped Lulansi of his former sharpness; he now preferred to enjoy a comfortable life in his old age.

"Luoning, sit here."

Gushan also stood up to invite him; the seat was located to the right of the main seat, appearing to be reserved specifically for the Military Advisor.

"I heard that the battle losses at West Wind Hill yesterday were extremely low. Come, tell us, what was the specific situation?"

The Regiment Commander of the Griffin Knights, the Count of Shuangfeng Ridge, also nodded to Luoning in greeting.

"I have long heard of your reputation, but I never had the chance to meet you. After this battle of Miwu City, if there is an opportunity, you must give me some pointers."

"Count Yiben is too modest!"

Luoning sat down, "If we are talking about reputation, I grew up hearing of your name, and I have long admired you."

Although these words were somewhat polite, they were not fabricated out of thin air.

In the Auduin Kingdom, besides the resounding reputation of Crown Prince Jialete, this Regiment Commander of the Griffin Knights was also illustrious.

As the four of them began to chat, the atmosphere in the An'an gradually recovered.

Luoning also learned about the situation of yesterday's battle on the basic battlefield.

The ones who suffered the most losses were the forces under Jialete and Gushan.

Although the outpost camp of Miwu City had not received reinforcements, the number of troops stationed there year-round was not something Watchtower could compare to, so heavy battle losses were to be expected.

With a large number of garrison soldiers, there were also many prisoners after the battle.

It is worth mentioning that in order to reduce the pressure of managing prisoners of war, Jialete ordered the execution of several thousand people, including both soldiers of commoner origin and Honorary Knights of the noble class.

Such an action made the nobles present feel somewhat inappropriate; after all, nobles enjoyed certain immunity, and keeping them alive to let their families pay enough money or supplies for ransom could also earn a profit.

Moreover, the key point was that everyone in the An'an was a noble, and all enjoyed immunity.

Jialete's behavior would undoubtedly affect their own rights and interests.

After all, who could guarantee that they would never face defeat?

If they were captured and the other side followed Jialete's example and killed them directly, who would they go to for justice?

However, with the siege of Miwu City imminent, everyone did not want to quibble over this issue.

In Luoning's view, the issue of prisoners was indeed a trouble.

After all, this was an extraordinary world.

Those low-strength prisoners could be restrained with hemp ropes and iron chains, but once they reached the Golden Grade or Meteor level, professional detention tools were required.

Fortunately, the number of knights of these two grades was limited; purchasing Black Jade chains and locks from Black Jade Bay could solve these problems.

But once the number of prisoners was too high, the investment in personnel to guard them would increase accordingly.

If they encountered a critical moment of forced marching, they would still have to leave a batch of personnel to guard the prisoners, which was indeed not an easy thing to handle.

To solve this problem, there were specialized organizations that sold slaves in the rear of every war.

Most prisoners could be handed over to them to be transported away and converted into slaves.

Luoning had neither Black Jade chains nor people from a Slave Agency following the rear of his team; if Pulaxiduo had not voluntarily surrendered, he really would not have known how best to handle the prisoners from Watchtower.

Thinking of this, he sought out Weilisi, preparing to purchase a few sets of professional Black Jade chains.

Weilisi squinted his eyes, wearing a smiling expression; look, business had come knocking.

With Black Jade chains, future Black Jade Ore, Black Jade Weapons, and Black Jade Shields would all be arranged.

His Black Jade Family had gained another business partner.

"Everyone is here!"

Jialete walked into the An'an with confident strides; his gaze fell upon Luoning, and he nodded in greeting quite unusually.

"Very good, Luoning is also here, so we will likely win this afternoon's battle very easily."

Everyone secretly guessed that it must have been Bruno who put pressure on Jialete, which was why he changed his attitude toward Luoning.

Luoning did not say much either, only nodding in response symbolically to make things look good for both sides.

Jialete strode to the main seat and sat down, going straight to the point.

"For over thirty years, Miwu City has always been a stain on the various great families present; today is the time to wash away this shame!"

He said loudly: "I won't talk nonsense either; Miwu City has four gates. Except for the South Gate, the East, West, and North gates all have main roads leading to our side. Therefore, I plan to divide the allied forces into three directions to attack simultaneously! And as for the South Gate..."

Speaking of this, he looked at Luoning.

"Luoning, you only need to take your dragon and attack the South Gate."

Luoning frowned slightly, "Breaking through all four gates sounds quite impressive indeed."

He pondered for a moment before saying: "I agree with Your Highness's suggestion to attack the East, West, and North gates simultaneously, but I feel there is no need to attack the South Gate."

"Oh?"

A trace of displeasure flashed across Jialete's face, but he did not question Luoning as he had before; instead, he asked: "Why?"

"Even if I ride the dragon to break through the South Gate, what use would it be? Our army has no way to bypass to the south to enter the city. Therefore, I suggest we choose one main direction of attack, concentrate our forces, and deliver a fatal blow to the enemy!"

Luoning's words were clear and firm. He looked around at the noble generals present and continued:

"We are unfamiliar with the terrain of Miwu City, and the city walls are sturdy. If we disperse our forces, we will only give the enemy an opportunity to defeat us one by one."

"As for the South Gate, just as I said earlier, it does not constitute a true strategic advantage. Unless we can quickly and effectively lead follow-up troops to the South Gate, it will merely be a pointless display of force."

Luoning continued: "I propose we utilize the dragon's high mobility and aerial advantage to conduct devastating strikes on the enemy's weak points at critical moments, creating favorable conditions for the coalition's breakthrough."

The nobles and generals present nodded secretly upon hearing these words from Luoning.

A flash of appreciation appeared in the eyes of Viscount Willis, "Marquis Luoning's insights are quite unique. Indeed, if we can maximize the utility of the dragon, the odds of winning this battle will increase significantly."

Count Gushan also pondered for a moment and spoke up: "I agree with Luoning's view. Fighting with divided forces carries significant risks; we should concentrate our superior forces to focus on one direction."

Perhaps to save face for Jialete, he added:

"His Highness the Crown Prince's proposal also has its merits. Perhaps we can deploy a certain amount of force at the East and West gates to distract the enemy's main force; after all, the army of Miwu City is not as numerous as ours."

Count Yiben also agreed: "This method is good. If the North Gate proves exceptionally difficult to attack or if an emergency occurs, Luoning can use the dragon's mobility to directly divert to these two sides as a breakthrough point, enter the city, and then strike toward the North Gate from the inside."

He added: "Although Miwu City has a Dragon Hawk unit, my Griffin Knights will cooperate with you."

The Dragon Hawk, rumored to possess a trace of dragon bloodline, is the signature flying Magic Beast of the Tricia Kingdom and holds the same status as the Griffin of the Auduin Family.

As a Border Count, it is normal for Wulaer to have a Dragon Hawk squad.

It is just that without the support of the Kingdom, how many Dragon Hawks could Wulaer have?

Jialete watched everyone talking back and forth; although he felt somewhat irritated, he did not jump out to oppose them.

According to his idea, attacking all four gates simultaneously would cause chaos for the enemy and disrupt the troop deployment of those in Miwu City, thereby giving their attack more of an advantage.

At the same time, having Luoning attack the South Gate was equivalent to moving him away from the main battlefield, preventing more people from seeing the other's style and the dragon's shock, which would to some extent weaken Luoning's presence and military merit.

It was just that now, it seemed the others did not have this intention.

"Then let us follow the suggestions of Gushan and Yiben, with the North Gate as the main direction of attack and the two flanks as supporting attacks."

Jialete took over the conversation: "Now, let us discuss the troop arrangements for the three directions." (End of this chapter)