<h4>Chapter 182: The Fall of Maples</h4>
<strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio
Outside the lounge, a rush of footsteps could be heard approaching. The guards tried to stop the intruder, but were forcefully brushed off.
“Stand down!” All of the Holy Knights stood up immediately, yelling out in unison.
They looked at the door in fury. Yet, they rxed when the armored intruder entered and took off his helmet. As they saw that it was actually a blonde wolf girl with crimson ears, each of the knights fell silent and sat back down.
It was Delmedi. She was already fourteen years old! She had grown so much since when Lu Zhiyu had first seen her.
She was much taller and more beautiful now, yet she still had a masculine temper, just like Verthandi had when she was young. Only, Delmedi was brasher and far more unruly!
As soon as Delmedi came in, she saw Verthandi standing in front of the window and eximed in anger, “Respected father, we should immediately dere war on the Crete Empire. Those who dare to tarnish your glory should all...”
Verthandi’s slender eyebrows wrinkled as she looked at Delmedi, thenmanded, “Get out. Who allowed you to enter? Take off that armor. It is not yet your turn on the battlefield.”
The dispute between Delmedi and Verthandi ended with Delmedi’s storming out, but during their discourse, Verthandi had made a decision.
As such, she turned and headed out. The Holy Knights opened the door to the lounge and followed her into the hall, where arge number of Holy Seville nobles and knights were waiting.
Since Verthandi was d in her full gown, the Holy Knights immediately knew that the Emperor had made an important decision. All of them stood up in her presence ordingly. Everyone looked up and were chattering as Verthandi took her seat on the high throne.
“Everyone, rally your troops. We are going to wee ourpatriots.” Verthandi drew the Sword of the King behind her back.
The crowd cheered and all of the orcs roared in approval. The Holy Seville Empire was an empire of iron that Verthandi and the Holy Knights had built with the support of the Faith of the Sun. In order to weaken the rtionships that the people had associated with tribal powers, as well as to promote the integration between the various ethnic groups, she had governed the country by the strong rule ofw. As such, the Holy Seville Empire had beenpletely transformed into arge and sophisticated machine.
After the emperor’s order was issued, the entire Holy Seville Empire was mobilized. The Eight Holy Knights Corps had a total of 160,000 men in its cavalry. With the addition of regional regiments and the private armies of the nobles, a total of 400,000 troops headed south and crossed the Red River ins, soon arriving at the border with the Crete Empire.
This was the first time in centuries that the orcs had started a war against the humans. Arge number of orcs were wielding long spears. They looked like a dense forest from the distance.
The horses brayed as fully armored cavalry shone in the spring sun. The infantry had their long swords hidden in their scabbards, with their shields polished till they shone like mirrors. The g of the Holy Seville Empire fluttered in the skies, and under the guidance of its holy banner, the army descended on the border.
The Crete Empire had not fought a war at its northern border in many years. However, the structure of defense at the border was an ancient fortress that was built over a hundred years ago. Thus, the soldiers who were stationed there now were no match for the original elites!
“It’s a cavalry! The orcs are attacking!”
*Foghorn sound*
“The orcs areing!”
Above the city wall, the sleeping guard, who had discarded his sword on the side, immediately woke up and saw the invaders. He started shouting and sent out a warning horn st. The news of the invading Holy Seville army immediately spread throughout the northern region.
The smell of smoke from the border spread throughout the northern border cities of Crete. As it was clear that war was on the horizon, the Holy Seville soldiers awaited with their arms pointed straight at the Crete Empire. As long as Crete made one wrong move, the two sides would immediatelyunch into an all out war.
This war might even involve thergest number of people in the Alen Continent’s history, with the greatest amount of troop variations present! The Crete Empire had reached great heights within thest two hundred years. On the other hand, the Holy Seville Empire was the first unified empire of orcs. As such, it was widely known that to have huge war potential.
In the spring of the sixty-first year of the San Calendar, the Holy Seville Empire sent 400,000 troops to the border of the Crete empire, where they asked for the unconditional release of the 200,000 orcs ves who were trapped in the Urabell Province, the abolishment of the Orc very Bill, and for an official response from the signer of the Orc very Bill, Prime Minister Tembor.
With the mobilization of such a huge force and the expenditure of this many resources, the Holy Seville Empire demanded that they must gain something. This was the decision that was made by the top officials of the Holy Seville after much deliberation with the Emperor.
An emergency letter was immediately dispatched to the capital, detailing the arrival of the orc army at the border overnight. Concurrently, the war in the Urabell province had reached a climax.
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Blood stained every corner of Maples, which was the administrative capital of the Urabell province. The 100,000-strong ve army had fallen into a deep despair. This was because the army of 30,000 Crete soldiers was marching towards them. They had defeated all of the ve regiments that were stationed at the cities en route and were about to arrive.
The entire Urabell province was an endless t expanse. In fact, only Maples was located in a valley at the foot of the mountain. As such, its terrain was dangerous. Since the Cretan army currently had a great amount of siege equipment, the city was extremely vulnerable.
Moreover, there were only a few thousand defenders in Maples, along with a few thousand youths and arge number of old and weak citizens. They had held the city for a little over twenty days under the fierce attack of the 100,000-strong ve army.
The severity of the casualties had greatly affected Maples. Countless bodies of the defenders were strewn everywhere and almost all of the survivors were injured.
All over the the city, the screams and moans of the sick and injured sounded day and night. A heavy price was also paid by the ve army that was camped outside the city.
More than a dozen miles outside of Maples, the main camp of the orcs had been posted. All of them were mourning, as no one had thought that Maples would be such a difficult conquest. Although they were not elite soldiers, they had attacked the city over ten times, hoping that they could attain victory by sheer numbers. However, the city still hadn’t fallen, even after 20 days.
This had caused a huge blow to their morale, especially as the army that was led by Cout Tito was pressing hard and steady at their heels.
At this moment, they had no way to retreat. If they did not take the city, they would die here.
The ve army, which had been created as a temporary fix, had its moralepletely crushed. If Count Tito had not been pushing them to the brink of despair, they might have already scattered.
Inside the camp, everyone was despondent. They lookedpletely different from the crazed army that had been rampaging towards war just days ago. All of them seemed to now be recalling the fear that the Cretan army had instilled within them before.
Their thin, bony bodies huddled next to the fires, as they stared at the silver moon in the darkness. They did not know what their futures held.
Several of the leaders were arguing in the tents. Finally, a tall tiger-man stood up and roared. He then said, “The Holy Seville Empire should have received our request for help by now. The Empire will not give up on us. Our emperor will not abandon us. Right now, we only have one goal, and that is to take down Maples. That is our only chance for survival. ”
The next day, the 100,000 cornered ves attacked Maples like madmen, leaping upon the siegedders and descending upon the city. They desperately pushed past the lethal waves of rolling wood and falling rocks, past the ming oil and boiling water, theirrades falling on all sides. They charged forward like crazed beasts.
Maples stood under the assault of the nearly 100,000 ves. It was like a leaf fluttering in a huge storm. Several orc leaders led the soldiers into the city on the frontlines, as both sides engaged in a fierce battle on the wall.
As the sun rose, a bright red cloud seemed to cover the top of the city. Blood was sttered everywhere.
The tiger-man was the leader of this carnage. He waved his broad sword, shing through several soldiers. Then, after his sword pierced through a young human soldier, he pushed his body off the wall.
After the endless stream of orcs climbed up the wall, fewer and fewer soldiers were left alive to defend it. Finally, the gates of Maples were pushed open. The city had finally fallen.