Chapter Thirty: Besieging the City

  The first to arrive in Tabriz were the messengers of Count Raymond and a letter of defiance.

  No matter who was responsible for the previous events, and no matter whether the surrounding lords and churches wanted to intervene in this war, some things on the scene still had to be done. Even if you want to throw ash into your opponent's eyes during a duel, you have to follow the traditional ritual of mutual respect first. Therefore, the ancient ritualistic object of the declaration of war should still be written. Even the fanatics of the Tanian Sacred Alliance who believed in the sun god had to send a declaration of war before leading their heavy cavalry into the Kingdom of Oseitin, clearly stating how many people they brought and what they were fighting for, and advising the people of Oseitin who believed in false gods to return to the bosom of the true god.

  Of course, after all, it was a surprise attack. At that time, the war book arrived only one meal earlier than the iron cavalry like waves. But after all, the war book arrived first, and the procedure was extremely just.

  The messenger of Count Raisis arrived a little earlier, after all, this place is all infantry. The war book proudly claims that the glorious Count Raisis led his troops and the Righteous Army - the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps, with a total of 3,000 men and horses, are advancing towards Tabri City in an unstoppable manner. Along the way, the residents praised Count Raisis's powerful military appearance and supported his actions to maintain the honor of the nobility. In consideration of friendly neighbors, Count Raisis hoped that Count Delas would not make unnecessary resistance, and offered 5,000 gold coins as compensation and 1,000 gold coins as military expenses. If Count Delas insisted on resisting, please reply with a letter to determine the time of the battle. Of course, if Count Delas was intimidated by the military situation and did not dare to fight, the kind and generous Count Raisis could understand that, and then he would have no choice but to attack the city with all his might, causing bloodshed and destruction.

  The Earl of Dallas was intimidated by the number three thousand. Think back to the earth-shattering battle outside Tabris City, where there were less than fifteen hundred people. Three thousand people... this can only happen in the distant north or west.

  Jiang Yinan was dismissive of this number. Firstly, the number three thousand was really small, and back then Li Ling had been captured with just three thousand men. Secondly, even if you killed him, he wouldn't believe that a count plus a mercenary troop that relied on quality rather than quantity could add up to three thousand people. This must be the so-called "claimed three thousand", actually having one or two thousand would be pretty good already.

  At that time, he told the earl about this idea. Originally, a follower like him was not qualified to attend such a high-level military meeting, but as a meritorious follower, there was no problem.

  "Claiming three thousand? In fact, there aren't that many?" Everyone present expressed skepticism. However, at this time, everyone would rather believe it's true, after all, it's better than believing the number three thousand and despairing together. But some people were more stunned.

  "What right do you have to speak, a mere attendant? Hmm?" David Tanchis, who had just been empowered, slammed his hand on the table and stood up, pointing at Johnny and shouting angrily, "Are you doubting the credibility of a noble?"

  Joni rolled his eyes and didn't say a word. The people present mentally cursed David as an idiot in unison.

  "Tanquis Knight-sama." Odara said with a cold, sneering smile. "So you think that Count Laitz is a noble aristocrat who would never tell a lie?"

  Even Davy knew that Lord Rykhard's reputation was at least done for in this city. If he continued to defend him, it would be slapping his own master, Lord Delras, in the face. So he had no choice but to sit down sullenly. The Wolves' self-serving motives? Don't make me laugh. Priest Gantova looked a bit embarrassed, as the Solarian Church was clearly indicating its belief.

  Pierre Visas was a different story altogether. As a saintly warrior deeply devoted to the Church, he had absolute faith in every decision and conclusion made by the Church, no matter how absurd they might seem - even if the Church were to declare that spirits were human, he would solemnly nod his head in agreement, completely disregarding any evidence to the contrary, and would spend his life fighting to destroy such evidence. Fortunately, he was not present at the meeting, which allowed it to proceed. In fact, on the very day the Church had reached its conclusion about the innocence of Count Laissez, the hot-headed Visas had been stripped of his knighthood by Count Darius and sent back to the temple. The temple had also issued an order for all clergy in Tabor City to be recalled to the Church, but Pastor Gandova was more loyal to his secular lord.

  The church was furious about the incident, but Gendry could still use magic, which meant he was still accepted by Daenerys. So those high-ranking officials didn't dare to take actions like removing him from his priest position or canceling his priesthood qualification.

  "It's not a matter of identity we're discussing now, Sir Tancred. With the great enemy before us, we should be united!" Earl Delras said in a low voice, "Sir Ludwig, I also hope you can keep your composure."

  Audrey smiled and bowed her head slightly, then glared at David without saying another word.

  The Earl of Darlus saw that his two knights had each retreated, and he did not pursue the matter further. With an encouraging smile, he said to Johnny: "Well, then, attendant Johnny Smith, do you have anything else to say?"

  Joni stood up and bowed, then hesitated for a moment, shaking his head: "None, sir."

  Of course not. The enemy has three thousand, including the wild wolves and the Lycans. With just this information, they still think I'm Zhuge Liang? Joanie cursed in her heart.

  "Then let us discuss our countermeasures!" Earl Delras said loudly.

  Assuming the other side is just making a show of force and doesn't actually have three thousand troops, let's say they have two thousand. The entire city of Tabriz has six hundred soldiers, all well-trained. Although individually they are only at the level of sixth or seventh-grade warriors, with the support of their formation, they can still hold their own against an equal number of eighth or ninth-grade warriors. Among them are one hundred and fifty archers who train in shifts every day. While it's a bit exaggerated to say they can hit the bullseye at a hundred paces, they can definitely hit whatever target they aim for. Under the command of Asatithis, they can launch extremely effective long-range firepower. If they temporarily recruit peasants and mercenaries within their territory to gather an army of one thousand, it's not impossible.

  With this calculation, everyone had some confidence in their hearts. So the task was assigned, recruiting soldiers for recruitment, training for training, and rectifying military equipment...

  The question is, what's the problem?

  The Artisan's Quarter was ravaged by the wolves, leaving only a single scissors shop and a wooden tool store still in operation. According to reports from his subordinates, the two owners had heard the rumors and were already packing up their belongings to leave - which wasn't surprising, as skilled craftsmen often hid away to avoid getting entangled in worldly conflicts. As a result, the entire city of Tabri's productivity came to an abrupt halt. Although there was a dedicated armory within the castle walls, its production capacity was woefully inadequate for wartime needs. The warehouses did have stockpiles, but it still left one feeling uneasy.

  The only thing that can be prayed for now is that the troops under Lai Zhi's command are not only small in number, but also weak in strength. In this way, it will not take too much military equipment to defeat them in one battle.

  Audrey was just a powerful striker, but now he had official business to attend to. He had to help Rourou train the teams that were resting during their usual rotation training. So Johnny could only practice by himself, practicing the skills he would need in battle.

  Three days passed just like this.

  When the Earl of Raizak and the banner of the Wolf Lords appeared in sight of the sentries, the strain on the army's nerves finally began to show. No one dared boast that they would take the field, for the defenses of Tarnab were about to receive a test not seen in twenty years.

  Three thousand indeed not. Eisatis roughly counted on the watchtower, at least two thousand people. Under the banner of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group stood a neat phalanx, with more than 400 people in an impressive array. Count Raisis gathered his elite soldiers around him, about three hundred men. The rest were fierce mercenaries and tense and excited civilians.

  A crowd of two thousand people. When Joanie saw the enemy gathering outside the city with her own eyes, she had a rational concept of the number for the first time. This was not a numerical concept, but a visual one. She suddenly felt powerless, as if the other side could surround her in an instant and tear her to pieces.

  Where did Count Ratzel get so many troops? The Wolf Mercenary Corps is actually a mercenary corps, but it has such strict discipline.

  Doubt crept into the minds of all the generals in the city, suffocating everyone's heart, gradually fermenting into fear.

  The troops are at the city gate. (I went to school today and fought with the school's network for a long time, so I'm sending this now, please forgive me.)