Chapter 347 Entering the City
Strawburg.
This city, which has always been bustling with people, fell into silence at the moment. People closed their doors and windows, quietly waiting for news from the outside world.
Due to the previous "Great Recruitment" operation by the coalition forces, the streets were littered with scattered items, smashed furniture, and mottled blood stains on the ground.
"The whole city is under martial law——"
"You are not allowed to leave the city without an order!"
City defense troops patrolled the streets over and over again, alert to the invasion of foreign enemies.
"Anyone who hides outsiders will be hanged!"
They would sometimes knock on someone's door, not only to check for spies, but also to receive some legitimate reward for "defending the city."
On the tall, weathered city wall of Strafburg, Count Garrod Pont, the actual leader of the city guard, was standing on the tower, looking worriedly at the horizon in the distance.
"This war will decide everything."
"The coalition forces will achieve final victory, just like any disaster in the history of the Northland."
He always said this.
Every moment of waiting was torturous, and Jarod looked forward to seeing the soldiers delivering the order and the flying lion flag of the Bosque family.
But he knows that this war is far different from the past. Its scale, intensity, and duration may be unprecedented. It may not be that easy to get an end within a few days.
The remaining eleven countries in the North have brought together all their forces like never before, forming a coalition of more than 100,000 people to jointly resist this unprecedentedly powerful enemy that appeared almost out of thin air - the Burning Ember Kingdom.
Even in the face of the "frost disaster" and "dragon disaster" from the north, the countries in the north have never been so united in their hatred.
Because the nobles of various countries know that frost giants and white dragons will at best bring plunder and death, and can even weaken the power of other countries and allow them to gain more benefits.
The Ember Kingdom will hang them on the gallows without discrimination and destroy everything they rely on for survival.
"No one can defeat the Scanyans united."
"Even that dragon."
Count Jarod muttered to himself.
Suddenly, the heavy sound of horse hooves and human footsteps sounded, but they were not urgent.
Suddenly, on and off the tall city wall, officers, soldiers, and even civilian craftsmen all looked at the distant horizon, their hearts lifted.
"How can it be?"
"It has only been thirteen days. Is this how the war is over?"
Jarod's expression was solemn. He stared at the distant horizon, sweat dripping from the hand holding the sword tightly.
The earl had some terrible suspicion in his mind, but he didn't want to believe it yet.
After thinking for a moment, Jarod ordered the adjutant beside him.
"Send a team of scouts to explore the situation, remember."
But soon, he stopped - because a vague figure appeared in the distance.
Those people were wearing yellow, black, and brown military uniforms that felt particularly familiar to him. He knew very well that these were the military uniforms of the Bosque family. They were not only effective in camouflage, but also symbolized the color of the lion's fur.
"It's the principality's army!"
"They have returned in triumph!"
Seeing these returning principality soldiers, cheers suddenly erupted from the city tower, and the soldiers raised their weapons high.
But Earl Jarrod rubbed his chin and lowered his head, still frowning.
"How did that happen"
Something is wrong.
If it was such a great victory, the principal's messengers would have brought the news back long ago, but so far he has not seen even one messenger.
And at the forefront of that army, there will definitely be flying lion flags, and they will never be as insignificant as they are now.
Suddenly, the cheers of the soldiers suddenly stopped.
The tower suddenly became silent.
Count Jarod subconsciously raised his head and saw a chaotic, trembling black cloud appearing on the horizon, shrouding the army beneath it.
No, that's not a black cloud.
He wiped his eyes in disbelief, his lips trembling slightly.
"Fei Fei Long?"
"Is it the Burning Ember Kingdom?"
I saw bipedal dragons and chimeras flying densely in the sky, their wings close to each other, like thick dark clouds, blocking the sunlight.
On the ground, behind the lost and captured soldiers, there were tieflings, hobgoblins, and hill-like earth dragon beasts in uniform formation.
"O Gods"
"Is that our enemy?"
"Allied forces. Allied forces were captured?"
Only then did the officers and soldiers come to their senses. Faced with this incomprehensible enemy, they let out exclamations of fear.
With roars, the densely packed flying dragons suddenly dispersed in mid-air, leaving a wide airspace.
The sky was instantly dyed orange.
The red dragon slowly waved its huge wings and appeared in the distant horizon.
"The Northland is dead."
"Burning embers last forever."
A calm, clear voice spread across the moor, audible to people both inside and outside Strawborough.
"The Northland is dead, and the burning embers remain forever!"
The ogres and tieflings on the ground also showed enthusiasm, and they all let out war cries to welcome the arrival of the red dragon.
The players also shouted randomly, and some even ran naked in the wasteland, filling the surroundings with the atmosphere of freedom.
"No"
"The Northland is dead."
Count Jarrod knelt down on the tower with a thud, despair in his eyes.
He had already thought of the worst outcome, but when this suffocating scene really happened in front of him, he still felt that his world collapsed.
Garold Ponte was the earl personally conferred by Grand Duke Leo when he left the city.
The Grand Duke once solemnly promised that as long as he guarded Straff Castle well, he would have a real dukedom when the coalition returned triumphantly and become one of the top nobles in the North.
But now, everything is over.
Earl Garold's hand holding the sword trembled slightly.
Soon, accompanied by the sound of neat footsteps, the vanguard of the kingdom entered the city.
The hobgoblins and tiefling infantry climbed up the city wall with the help of ladders and quickly controlled the entire city wall without encountering any obstruction.
In addition, they also found a high-ranking northern noble who committed suicide on the city wall - but this was not important to them.
The city defense troops left in Straff Castle were not elite, but more like ruffians.
In front of the army of the Burning Embers Kingdom and tens of thousands of captives of the coalition forces, they had no will to resist at all. Some even waved white flags when the Kingdom's army was hundreds of meters away.
"Don't kill me!"
"I surrender, I surrender!"
Most of the city defense soldiers who usually showed off their might in front of the citizens were now kneeling on the ground and trembling. Some were even frightened to the point of incontinence.
Stravburg, this ancient and prosperous city with a history of nearly a thousand years, the capital of the Principality of Bosk, known as the "Lion City that Never Falls", was captured by the Kingdom. (End of this chapter)