After resting for over twenty days in Talburg, Art’s arrow wound had mostly healed, allowing him to perform some simple sword training, though pulling a bowstring still caused him pain.
During these twenty-plus days, Talburg’s city defenses were further reinforced under the direction of the Old Butler Cooper, who also filled in the collapsed sections of the military fort’s outer walls, which were made of wood and stone.
Additionally, under Cooper’s command, a packed earth and wooden watchtower had been erected on the small hill to the right of Talburg’s main gate. The watchtower was surrounded by twenty-foot-high pointed wooden palisades on all four sides, and inside it contained a thirty-foot-high arrow tower capable of allowing eight archers to shoot simultaneously. There was only a narrow door, wide enough for a single person, located at the side-rear of the watchtower. The area around the watchtower was riddled with deep pit traps containing sharpened, dung-smeared wooden stakes.
The watchtower and the military fort were less than an arrow’s shot apart; if either came under attack, the other could provide supporting arrow fire. If the enemy besieged Talburg, eight Soldiers who had undergone basic archery training would be stationed in the watchtower. The purpose of the watchtower was to harass and inflict casualties on the enemy’s flanks during their assault on Talburg, preventing them from concentrating on the siege. Therefore, whether the arrows hit their targets was secondary; as long as a large number of arrows could be launched into the enemy formation, it would suffice. Conversely, if the enemy attacked the watchtower, they would face a barrage of arrows and hurled stones from both the watchtower and the military fort.
...
In the open space behind Talburg, ten straw dummies were set up against the rear wall. Fifty paces away, ten Soldiers, drawing their bows and nocking arrows, were correcting their posture under Jason’s shouts. Behind these ten Soldiers were two more rows of Soldiers waiting for archery training.
Art only began teaching basic archery to Soldiers after he was stationed in Talburg. Previously, Art lacked bows and arrows, and precise archery could not be mastered in a short time, so Art only required Sentry Cavalry and officers above the rank of squad leader to undergo archery training, but not ordinary Soldiers. However, Art now had over a dozen spare infantry bows and thousands of arrows. Furthermore, as the defending party, highly precise archery was not necessary. Therefore, Art also began to have ordinary Soldiers and conscripted farmers practice archery. His requirement was that everyone should be able to pick up an infantry bow and loose the arrows towards the enemy, whether they hit the target was entirely up to luck.
In addition to reinforcing the outer walls and establishing a flanking watchtower, Talburg’s defenses also included a batch of lamp oil sealed in small pottery jars purchased from the Northern Lands by the accompanying merchant caravan. This lamp oil was a crucial weapon for both offense and defense in sieges and was difficult to acquire, so the caravan only managed to buy forty jars. These lamp oil jars would be launched into enemy formations by catapults from the inner fort’s tower at critical moments during the defense, to burn enemy siege equipment or disrupt their formations. Furthermore, Art also sent people to Glarus to purchase and request over a dozen bundles of various arrows. Including those carried by the army, bought by the merchant caravan, and previously captured, Talburg now had over two thousand arrows, which would all become deadly weapons raining down on the enemy during the siege.
In addition to reinforcing the outer walls and establishing a flanking watchtower, Talburg’s defenses also included a batch of lamp oil sealed in small pottery jars purchased from the Northern Lands by the accompanying merchant caravan. This lamp oil was a crucial weapon for both offense and defense in sieges and was difficult to acquire, so the caravan only managed to buy forty jars of lamp oil. These lamp oil jars would be launched into enemy formations by catapults from the inner fort’s tower at critical moments during the defense, to burn enemy siege equipment or disrupt their formations. Art also sent people to Glarus to purchase and request over a dozen bundles of various arrows. Including those carried by the army, bought by the merchant caravan, and previously captured, Talburg now had over two thousand arrows, which would all become deadly weapons raining down on the enemy during the siege.
During the twenty-plus days Art was recovering, the army did not rest.
During this period, Odo and Angus separately led Soldiers disguised as mountain bandits and brigands to harass the enemy’s Quartermaster Corps lines or “capture” one or two scattered small settlements in the southwestern border region of Swabia. Both teams achieved some spoils of war, but ever since the enemy’s Quartermaster Corps outpost was destroyed and two convoys were plundered, Swabia had strengthened its defenses. The garrisons at various outposts were noticeably reinforced, and the number of guards for Quartermaster Corps convoys also increased.
Odo, while leading ten Soldiers to intercept a grain convoy, was ambushed by crossbowmen hidden on the wagons. Fortunately, Odo reacted quickly and managed to escape after one Soldier was killed and two were severely wounded. Afterward, Art punished Odo by withholding his military pay for three months but retained his military position.
On the other side, Angus, with four Sentry Cavalry, attacked a small farm estate, but the farmer was a disabled veteran who had experienced war. He, along with two estate guards, used the stone wall and two hunting bows to hold off Angus and his men for half an afternoon. Later, people from surrounding estates and settlements came to relieve the siege, and Angus had no choice but to return with his Sentry Cavalry empty-handed.
However, what surprised Art was that the bandits and brigands, who had been quiet for a long time in the southwestern mountains of Swabia, perhaps influenced by Art’s army’s harassment, saw through the vulnerable state of defenses in various parts of Swabia’s southwestern border. They began forming into groups of varying sizes, engaging in road blockades, interceptions, raids, and ambushes, using various tactics with elusive movements.
Banditry suddenly ran rampant in various parts of Swabia’s southwestern border.
And the news of the Burgundy army being stationed in Talburg was, as expected, known to the Swabians. They dispatched a Sentry Cavalry patrol to the east of Talburg to try and scout, but after Angus drove them away with his Sentry Cavalry and Soldiers, they disappeared. Art guessed that they would concentrate their forces to attack Talburg after pacifying the banditry in the southwest.
Inside Talburg, Art was preparing for a large-scale harassment battle. For this harassment battle, Art had already begun planning five days in advance.
Five days ago, a large estate fifty miles south of Biertun Fort received a mysterious letter. The letter was written by a bandit leader who called himself Krul, King of the Mountains. In the letter, this self-proclaimed King of the Mountains demanded that the large estate provide his “army” with 100,000 fenny in military pay or equivalent food and goods within five days, otherwise he would gather his “mountain army” to attack and plunder the estate, leaving nothing behind.
Initially, the noble estate owner thought this letter was just a trick of extortion by mountain bandits and brigands, so he didn’t pay much attention. However, in the following days, the small villages and settlements around the estate were successively attacked by several groups of unidentified bandits. The total number of these bandits exceeded sixty, which truly frightened the estate owner. He immediately hurried to recruit and train farmers and reinforce the estate walls, while also continuously sending people to Biertun Fort for help, claiming that all the bandits and brigands in the southwestern border region would gather to attack his estate, and promised that if the Biertun Fort garrison could help him drive away these bandits, he would provide twenty thousand fenny as military funds for their assistance.
Baron Geoffrey von Traun, the Protector of Biertun Fort, was already troubled by the increasingly rampant banditry in the southwestern border. And these greedy and cruel wild wolves even dared to gather and attack large estates and village forts. So, Baron Geoffrey immediately agreed to the estate owner’s request for military assistance. However, Baron Geoffrey was also a man who understood military affairs. While conscripting farmers from various places around Biertun Fort to form an anti-bandit army, he did not forget to send out sentries to investigate the movements of the Talburg garrison.
...
Apparently, that “declaration of war” was sent to the estate by Art’s men. To make the estate owner believe that a group of bandits was indeed going to occupy his estate, Art dispatched two squads of more than ten Soldiers each, who entered Swabia via undiscovered hunter trails. They changed various clothes and banners to harass and plunder villages around the large estate, creating the illusion of a gathering bandit force.
Meanwhile, at Talburg, after creating the illusion of a “bandit invasion” south of Biertun Fort, all the troops retracted back into the military fort. Starting five days ago, Talburg’s gates were tightly shut, and the outer walls were manned by elite defending Soldiers, presenting an appearance of grimly holding out and never proactively causing trouble. However, those elite “defending Soldiers” were all farmers and laborers dressed in Soldier uniforms, while the true elite Soldiers were all gathered in the open ground of Talburg, preparing to depart.
Inside Talburg’s inner fort, all the army Commanders stood gathered before Art.
“Yesterday, a group of enemy scouts came to probe Talburg. By now, they should have returned to Biertun Fort to report our determination to hold out and not sally forth. At noon, the Sergeant has already taken two Sentry Cavalry to eliminate any enemy hidden sentries along the way and to scout the area around Biertun Fort. If the main Biertun garrison goes south to suppress the bandits, then we will attack and capture Biertun Fort as planned.”
“This surprise attack on Biertun Fort will be personally commanded by me, with all four Soldier squads and the Sentry Cavalry deployed. Ron’s Sentry Cavalry will be responsible for patrolling and providing early warning around Biertun Fort, and intercepting anyone who might try to escape and report, especially to the south.”
Art’s gaze turned to Odo, who stood in front: “Odo, have the Soldiers for the initial gate assault been selected?”
Odo stepped forward and replied: “They have been selected. The six Soldiers are all the most elite veterans from each squad, all wearing leather armor underneath and Swabian army uniforms on the outside.”
Art then asked Cooper: “Cooper, have the wagons you were asked to prepare been readied?”
“My Lord, eight empty iron-clad four-wheeled wagons are already parked at the fort gate, ready to depart at any time.”
“Good. Odo will temporarily be in charge of Talburg’s defenses. All personnel of the accompanying merchant caravan will temporarily be under Odo’s command. Cooper will assist Odo in defending Talburg. Go prepare yourselves.”
Everyone left the inner fort and returned to their respective posts to prepare.
Odo did not leave with the others. When only Art remained in the inner fort, Odo walked up to Art, saying with a slightly wronged expression: “My Lord, I know it was my mistake last time that led to the ambush and the loss of Soldiers. But I still want to follow you to attack Biertun Fort~” Odo desperately wanted to accompany Art in attacking Biertun Fort. He believed that only by achieving new military merits could he wash away the shame of his previous failure to intercept the enemy Quartermaster Corps, which resulted in a counter-ambush.
Art stared into Odo’s eyes, his expression serious and his tone firm as he replied: “Odo, I told you, that ambush was not entirely your fault, and I have already punished your mistake, so you don’t need to dwell on those mistakes. The reason I’m not taking you to attack Biertun Fort this time is because Talburg must have a backbone remaining here. I’m taking all the Soldiers with me, leaving only some farmers and laborers here. If there’s a sudden enemy situation, there must be a steady officer to command them. We can think of a surprise attack on Biertun Fort, and the Swabian army might also launch a surprise attack on Talburg. If something goes wrong with Talburg, we, deep in enemy territory, will have no retreat. Therefore, I’m keeping you in Talburg because you are indispensable here.”
Odo, still with a reluctant expression, firmly left the inner fort to inspect the “defending army” on the outer wall. This was also what Art admired about Odo; despite his extreme reluctance, he would still execute orders without hesitation.
...
In the evening, Angus, who had gone to scout and probe, rode his horse back to Talburg.
“Sergeant, is something wrong? Why are you the only one back?” Art quickly descended the outer wall to question Angus.
Angus handed the reins to a farmer behind the fort gate and replied: “My Lord Art, everything went smoothly. Just as you predicted, we found two enemy scouts on a hillside twelve miles to the south. We quietly crept up and killed one. From the other scout, we learned that there were no other scouts in the vicinity, and he couldn’t withstand the interrogation. He confessed that the main Biertun Fort garrison had already departed to launch a surprise attack on the ‘gathering’ bandits in the south, and that there were fewer than twenty Soldiers left in the city. I later also infiltrated the area around Biertun Fort and found that the Biertun Fort gate was tightly shut, and there were indeed only a few scattered Soldiers on the fort walls. I estimate there were only about ten Soldiers. I have now left two Sentry Cavalry to stand guard on the eastern road to prevent anyone else from coming to scout.”
Art waved his hand excitedly, “Sergeant, our efforts these past few days were not in vain. Our plan is starting to work.”
Art then shouted to Ron, who was sharpening his sword inside the outer wall: “Ron, order the entire army to march! We will make a night raid on Biertun…”
