Chapter 424

"Father, I want you to hand over command of the family's eight-thousand-man legion to me!"

"Adams, it's nighttime, and it's not our turn to be on duty…," the Marquis of Austin suddenly fell silent, as if something had just occurred to him.

"Adams, you don't mean…"

Adams nodded seriously, "Yes, Father, Lord Gervas has contacted me again!"

The Marquis of Austin's eyes lit up brightly, his face filled with joy.

He stepped forward quickly, "Come, Adams, let's go to the war room—let's talk in detail!"

The Graystone Bridge incident not only greatly enhanced the reputation of my eldest son, earning him recognition from Duke Hernand.

It also brought the family a battlefield tally of over five hundred orc heads.

Though as a marquis family, such a tally isn't particularly outstanding, so far, no other family has matched the Austin family's achievement.

If the Austin family can now, through Harry's intelligence, secure another achievement equal to Graystone Bridge,

then this time, the Austin family's merit is assured.

Soon, Adams was led by his father into the war tent.

He then relayed the information Gervas had revealed to his father.

"What? There are elite orc ambushes inside the city? How is that possible?"

The Marquis of Austin nearly leapt from his chair.

This was no joke—it concerned the lives of over a hundred thousand troops.

Especially since our family's elite are all here; if they're lost this time, the family won't recover its strength for at least a decade.

"Father, I believe Harry's message is genuine!"

The Marquis of Austin forced himself to calm down, "Did he provide any proof?"

"Father, no proof—but the Graystone Bridge incident really happened! So I believe this one is real too!" Adams looked slightly uneasy.

After all, if his father didn't believe him, this matter would be impossible to handle.

The Marquis of Austin fell into deep thought.

Time ticked by second by second; Adams felt one minute now was harder than an entire hour in normal times.

"Father…"

Adams couldn't hold back any longer.

If they waited any longer, they might miss the window Gervas had given him.

The Marquis snapped back to attention, slamming his palm hard onto the long table before him, his gaze resolute, "Adams, I'm handing you command of the eight-thousand-family troops right now!"

"Father, you believe me?" Adams was stunned and elated.

"Even if the intelligence is false, we lose nothing—but if it's true? Then our family will reap a great reward this time!"

Clearly, the Marquis of Austin was no rigid man.

"Adams, tell me—what's your plan?"

Adams, still astonished and delighted, replied, "Father, since these orcs want to open the gates from within, their final target must be the city gates!"

"So, I'll secretly station these eight thousand troops near the gates. When the orcs launch their attack, we'll strike them by surprise and crush their plot."

The Marquis of Austin nodded in approval—but he still had a question: "Adams, the entire Lindongcheng, excluding the rear Lingdongbao, has three main gates. We only have eight thousand troops, so we can only guard one. How do you know which gate the orcs will strike?"

"Father, we watch the orcs' movements outside. If they plan to attack a specific gate, they'll intensify assaults on that gate first—to draw the attention of the orcs inside!"

The Marquis of Austin was fully reassured, his expression one of approval. "Good. Adams, take this token and go immediately to Commander Darik to mobilize the family legion. I'll go request permission from the Supreme Commander myself."

"After all, without official authorization, we cannot move the family troops lightly!"

"Yes, Father!"

Immediately, father and son moved into action.

As the sounds of battle from beyond the city walls grew more frequent, the night deepened further.

"Has it reached midnight?"

Inside the orc camp, the Beast King suddenly awoke from his soft bed.

"Your Majesty, it is now midnight!"

"Are the warriors ready?"

"Your Majesty, all warriors are prepared and await your command!"

"Then begin!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Kill!

Not long after, a sudden roar erupted outside Lindongcheng.

With the roar, the intensity of the siege, which had previously involved only ten thousand servant troops after nightfall, surged abruptly—three more ten thousand servant troops joined the assault.

Later, the royal army discovered that among these reinforcements were even Beastmen mixed in.

This sudden shift immediately alarmed the Supreme Commander.

He dispatched troops to respond while summoning two dukes to discuss this unexpected development.

"These orcs have suddenly changed their attack rhythm—what are they trying to do?"

"No matter what happens, we must respond seriously. And I feel this orc behavior resembles what happened in Bokacheng!" Duke Hernand frowned.

"Duke Hernand, are you suggesting there's trouble inside the city? But we conducted a full search upon entry and found nothing."

"Even if we assume there's a hidden path, the tunnels in Bokacheng were pre-existing. The orcs have held Lindongcheng for no more than half a month—they lack the skill to dig tunnels in such a short time!" The Supreme Commander, though sharing Duke Hernand's unease,

believed the orcs could not replicate their Bokacheng operation.

Duke Hernand nodded. Indeed, the orcs were not skilled in fine craftsmanship and lacked artisans; digging tunnels in such a short span was impossible.

"By the way, just before I slept, Austin came to see me again! I wonder if he's discovered something!" Adams suddenly recalled what had happened before bedtime.

"Austin came to see you again? What did he want?"

"He said his eldest son wanted to practice night defense again. Given what happened last time, I simply approved it outright!"

Before, the Supreme Commander would never have so casually permitted Austin troops to roam within the city.

Last time, without Duke Hernand's guarantee, Austin would never have received permission.

But now, after Graystone Bridge, the Supreme Commander had granted it without hesitation.

After all, last time, the Austin legion's patrol helped the kingdom eliminate a stealthy orc unit.

This time, even if no orc attack occurs, it's still a good omen.

"It's quite possible. Last time, the Austin family received intelligence and requested to leave camp."

"Perhaps they've received similar intelligence this time!" Duke Hernand thought this plausible.

"Then let's summon the Marquis of Austin immediately!"

The Supreme Commander wasted no time, ordering his subordinates to find the Marquis of Austin.

But they did not know that by now, it was already too late.

In the eastern, southern, and western districts of Lindongcheng, several unremarkable courtyards had their massive stone slabs pushed aside.

Beneath the slabs, dozens of green-skinned Beastmen had been waiting for a long time.