flstandardbreds Chapter 431 Torment
Chapter 431 Torment
Chapter 431 Torment
"do not want!"
Calixica woke up from his dream with cold sweat on his forehead.
In the dream, he was lying on the ground, almost unable to breathe, after being poisoned by his mother. His mother's gloomy face and the indifference of the servants around him kept appearing in his mind. The cold eyes and the cold poison seemed to be real. He gasped for air, and his chest rose and fell violently.
He put on his cloak and walked out of the tent. The cold wind whistled in, and the sound of artillery firing came from afar. The dull roar was particularly clear in the silent night. Every artillery shell was accompanied by a deafening sound, followed by the whistling of the shells cutting through the air and the dust raised by the explosion. The siege was still going on.
After several failed sieges, Galisica began to change his strategy and summoned the chieftains to harass the defenders in the fortress in turn, so as to consume their energy before launching a full-scale attack.
In the fortress opposite, John also had his own difficulties. Although his army repelled the attacks of the Kushans time and time again, the daily list of casualties was like a shadow hanging over the camp. He stood on the watchtower, looking at the Kushan tents in the distance, his brows furrowed.
In order to find a breakthrough, John tried to dig a tunnel to the outside. However, the results of his men's exploration disappointed him. The rock of the tunnel deep underground was extremely hard, while the geology of the shallow layer was too loose, which could lead to collapse if he was not careful.
John stood helplessly in front of the crumbling fortress wall, looking at the shells that kept hitting the wall, his heart full of worry. Every roar made him feel extremely heavy. Under the impact of the shells, cracks in the wall gradually spread, as if it could collapse at any time.
Inside the fortress, the soldiers raced against time to repair the walls in the intervals between artillery fire. However, John knew that such a shaky wall would not last long.
After the bombardment, John stood by the city wall, pondered for a moment, and decisively issued an order:
"Build a temporary inner wall inside the perimeter wall, and retreat inside when the outer wall collapses."
At this moment, a White Wolf Knight climbed up the city wall like a gust of wind. His face was full of anxiety and panic. He rushed straight to John and shouted:
"The soldiers outside are fighting!"
John's heart tightened, and he immediately followed him to the scene. As soon as they arrived at the scene, the atmosphere was like a bow and arrow, ready to explode. Dozens of White Wolf Knights surrounded some soldiers from Acre City, and the two sides confronted each other with swords drawn.
John glanced at the crowd and saw a bruised and battered centurion of the former Acre garrison who was tied up and flapping his arms like a fish that had been landed.
John frowned and shouted sternly:
"Stop it all!"
His voice echoed in the crowd, finally causing both sides to temporarily stop their actions.
John found a knight's commander and asked:
"What's going on?"
The captain panted and angrily recounted the conflict that had just occurred. It turned out that a White Wolf Knight gave a can of water to a Kushan child. When the centurion saw this, he insisted that the White Wolf Knight was a spy for the Kushans. The White Wolf Knight immediately got angry when he heard this, raised his hand and slapped him, sending him flying. The two sides then started fighting.
"Nonsense, this is nonsense! My soldiers all came with me from Midlan. They can't even speak Kushan, how can they be Kushan spies?"
Leonard also arrived late. As soon as he arrived, he was shocked by the chaotic situation at the scene. After hearing what happened, his face turned livid and he was furious.
"General Renard, you're here at the right time. Your people are causing trouble, and you have to take care of this."
John looked at Leonard and signaled him to handle the matter. Leonard waved his hand without hesitation and said loudly:
"Throw this centurion into the dungeon immediately and wait for punishment! Inciting the people on the battlefield is a serious crime and must not be tolerated!"
The soldiers immediately stepped forward and forcibly took the centurion aside to await further action. However, although the matter was temporarily resolved, John fell into deeper worry.
At this time, the rationing system had already been implemented in the fortress. As time went on, the amount of food distributed to ordinary people became less and less. Every day, there were long queues at the food distribution points, and people's eyes were full of fatigue and helplessness.
The rumor that there were Kusha spies among the soldiers under Chief Hashim in the fortress spread like a poisonous wind among the crowd, making the already tense atmosphere even more solemn.
John decided to go see Chief Hashim. He walked steadily to a bungalow, where the chief was staying temporarily. Dozens of soldiers stood guard at the door, their faces serious, their weapons flashing coldly in the sun. John explained his purpose to them and sent a soldier in to inform them.
Soon, Chief Hashim, wrapped in bandages, slowly arrived at the door. John looked at his bandaged head and slightly haggard face, feeling somewhat worried, so he stepped forward and asked him with concern:
"How's the injury?"
Chief Hashim shook his head slightly, and said firmly, although his voice was a little weak:
"It's okay, it's almost healed." The two returned to the room, which was filled with a faint smell of medicine. Chief Hashim slowly sat down, his expression became serious, and he slowly spoke:
"I have also heard some rumors about Kushan spies recently, and they are not groundless. These rumors are probably intended to cause internal strife in us. Now it is indeed the case. There is a conflict inside the fortress. The only one who will benefit in the end is that guy Galixica."
John also believed that his judgment was correct:
"That's right. This Galixica is just trying to reap the benefits. We must find a way to quell this rumor. Otherwise, the people inside the fortress will panic and we will be on the verge of collapse."
Just as they were discussing how to quell the rumors, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside. A soldier pushed open the door and said:
"Sir, there is a Kusha envoy visiting from outside the city."
John and Chief Hashim looked at each other, and doubts welled up in their hearts. John asked:
"How many people are here?"
The soldier replied:
"One more person has come, the same one who tried to persuade us to surrender."
John felt an inexplicable sense of irritation. He stood up and paced back and forth, thinking about the purpose of the Kushan envoy's return. Was it a new strategy to persuade the enemy to surrender, or was it somehow related to the rumor about the Kushan spy?
Chief Hashim also stood up and said after thinking for a moment:
"No matter what he comes for, we can't let our guard down. This Kushan is very cunning, and this visit may be another conspiracy."