After a fierce defensive battle, Art took over command from Odo and began treating the wounded, arranging for rest, and setting up defenses in Talburg.
The two or three dozen main Soldiers and peasant Soldiers who participated in the outer wall defense during the day retreated from the wall to rest in the inner fort and the wooden houses at the base of the wall, where comfortable straw mats and warm meat broth with gruel awaited them.
The guards on the outer wall were replaced by two reserve squads and the laboring farmers in the fort. The enemy would not launch a large-scale attack at night, so the main task of the guards on the outer wall was to prevent enemy night raids and harassment.
The bodies of the fallen defenders on the fort wall were buried in an open space below the back wall of Talburg, while the bodies of the slain enemy Soldiers, after being stripped of their weapons and armor and thoroughly searched, were all thrown over the wall. The enemy would send laborers to carry these bodies back, and Art did not kill these enemy laborers who were carrying bodies.
As night fell completely, Art, clad in armor and with his sword at his side, meticulously patrolled the outer wall of Talburg. At every position where a night raid by the enemy was possible, he repeatedly instructed the rotating guards to be cautious and not to be careless in the slightest, and he also had the rotating guards at several locations throw burning kindling down the wall at regular intervals.
After inspecting the outer wall defenses, Art then looked from afar at the watchtower on the right flank. Seeing Bas holding a torch and also looking around and keeping watch on the watchtower, Art felt relieved. He then descended from the wall and entered the wooden house below the wall to personally check on the treatment of the wounded Soldiers...
It was not until late at night that Art, with a tired face, returned to the inner fort to gather the squad Commanders to summarize the day's combat experience and lessons, and to arrange all matters concerning Talburg's subsequent defenses...
Siege warfare is the lowest form. After suffering setbacks at Talburg, Baron Geoffrey finally came to his senses.
In two hasty attacks, over thirty of Geoffrey's Soldiers were killed or severely wounded, and most of these casualties were his elite infantry, including five borrowed guest Soldiers. Even his Attendant Pique, known as the strongest man under his command, was missing. It was said that someone saw him pushed off the inner side of Talburg's outer wall, and then no one saw him again.
In Geoffrey's camp outside Talburg, there were wails of pain. Most of the wounded Soldiers had been hit by arrows and short spears. The Medical Officers and servants in the camp were treating the wounded. As the weather grew warmer, wounds were prone to festering and maggots, so most of these severely wounded Soldiers would not survive...
Passing by servants cooking meals, walking through Soldiers lying sprawled everywhere, and avoiding patrolling sentries in the camp, an "Eagle Eye" who had been out scouting military intelligence entered the military tent where Baron Geoffrey and several Knights were holding a meeting.
This "Eagle Eye" was a Swabia spy who had detoured and infiltrated Glarus County several days ago to gather information on Talburg's defenders. He had spent several days disguised in Glarus County, and had basically ascertained the defensive strength of Talburg's defenders.
"There are over a hundred defenders in Talburg???" Baron Geoffrey was startled upon hearing the "Eagle Eye's" report.
More than half a month ago, Swabia scouts had attempted to approach Talburg to reconnoiter enemy movements, but were driven back by the sentries dispatched from Talburg. Since then, Swabia sentries had almost never been able to get close to Talburg. However, before the "Southern Bandit Suppression," Geoffrey's sentries had successfully approached Talburg and concluded that there were about thirty defenders in the fort. After the attack on Biertun Fort, and including the released prisoners, Geoffrey estimated that the number of people who could serve as defenders in Talburg was about fifty. Now, the "Eagle Eye" reported that there were actually about a hundred people garrisoned in Talburg, which made Baron Geoffrey incredulous.
"Yes, Earl, according to the recollections of Glarus County residents who saw this group of defenders, about eighty enemy Soldiers and accompanying laborers came from northern Burgundy to garrison Talburg over a month ago. Later, they released twenty prisoners from Bilton. During that time, a merchant caravan also came to Talburg, but it left a few days ago. So, a rough estimate puts the number of people in Talburg at over a hundred." The spy "Eagle Eye" reconfirmed the strength of the defenders in Talburg.
After gathering several hundred men and fighting fiercely for a whole day, he hadn't even figured out the enemy's numbers. This made Baron Geoffrey deeply ashamed, his face, which had been flushed purple, now turned pale. "Bastard! Who was responsible for that reconnaissance of Talburg's defender count? Drag that Bastard out and behead him!!!"
After a long pause, no one answered.
"Who is it!" Baron Geoffrey roared sharply.
The Attendant Captain, seeing that Baron Geoffrey was about to get angry, quickly stepped forward and whispered to the Baron, "Earl, that time it was your Internal Affairs Knight Sir Griff who personally scouted it."
"That Bastard again!!" Geoffrey smashed the pottery cup in his hand to pieces. He hated that negligent fellow to the core. If Griff hadn't already been killed, Geoffrey would truly have personally cut off his head.
There was a moment of silence in the tent. After a long while, Geoffrey regained his composure and said, "No wonder those Bastards in Talburg dared to provoke Biertun Fort. So they were hiding so many people. A miscalculation! A grave miscalculation!" If Baron Geoffrey had known that there were so many defenders in Talburg, he would never have rashly sent troops to attack Talburg in a fit of rage. At the very least, he would have meticulously planned and prepared before bringing his troops to Talburg.
"It's useless to say anything now. Let's discuss the next plan. A frontal assault is temporarily out of the question. We'll have to think of other ways..."
Discussions began in Baron Geoffrey's military tent...
The next morning, Art, who was sound asleep, was woken by a defending Soldier. It turned out that the enemy had shot an arrow with a parchment letter from outside the fort.
Art took the parchment letter, unfolded it, and chuckled a few times after reading it. He called a Soldier to summon several Commanders for a meeting.
Soon, Odo and the others arrived in the inner fort where Art was resting. Art read the contents of the letter to them.
"In short, that fellow Geoffrey gave us three options. The first option is to release his wife and children and withdraw from Talburg with the treasures we captured, and he guarantees no pursuit; the second option is to release his wife and children and hand over seventy thousand fenny, and he promises to withdraw his troops; the third option is for us to continue to hold Talburg to the death, and he says that Swabia's army will conquer Talburg and slaughter all the defenders."
"What do you all think?" Art put down the letter and looked up at everyone, asking.
Kazak's face was filled with indignation. "This guy doesn't look like he's lost the battle at all! We should make him bring money to ransom them, but he acts like he's got us cornered. If you ask me, we don't need to pay him any mind. Let's see how many Soldiers he has for us to slaughter." Kazak was clearly emboldened by the two defensive battles yesterday and was full of confidence.
"I also think there's no need to show weakness to the enemy. We are currently at an advantage, and the enemy cannot take Talburg for now. However, what I worry about most is an enemy siege. Talburg has enough food for about seven months, but if the enemy besieges us for a long time, the fort's food supplies will eventually run out. Furthermore, if Swabia continuously sends reinforcements to Talburg, once Geoffrey has sufficient troops and equipment, he will certainly launch another strong assault on Talburg. The enemy may not know whether Talburg's fort walls are sturdy, but we ourselves are well aware of it." Odo did not object to Kazak's view, but he considered it more from the perspective of consumption of defensive supplies and the enemy's reserve forces.
Art turned to Tuba and asked, "What are your thoughts?"
Tuba touched the hilt of his sword at his waist and replied firmly, "Earl, our main purpose in this expedition is to kill enemies and establish merits. If we just leave like this, it would be better not to have come out in the first place."
After they finished speaking, Art set the tone: "Since your opinions are basically consistent, we will continue to defend. Our supplies can last for several months, and it's impossible for the enemy to really conscript a large army to besiege Talburg for half a year. Not to mention that war in the north is imminent, and Swabia is temporarily unable to dispatch troops; merely the several hundred County Soldiers in Glarus County will make Geoffrey wary. If we can withstand a few more enemy attacks, then it will be our turn to propose terms."
Art cleared his throat and commanded, "Listen, all of you. From this day forward, Talburg must be strictly guarded. The enemy might launch a strong assault or a sneak attack. Regardless of the method, we must be fully prepared to respond. Odo, you must control the military equipment, weapons, and food supplies in the military fort. You must ensure that everyone in the military fort has enough to eat and drink, and also ensure that the food supplies can last for more than half a year."
"The artisans brought back from Biertun Fort must be treated well. Provide them with ample food and have them reinforce the military fort for us and repair weapons and military equipment. Tell them that as long as they serve honestly in Talburg for half a year, I can restore their freedom. As for Baron Geoffrey's wife and children, they must be well guarded. Provide them with more palatable food and sufficient bedding. I still have great use for them."
For the next two days, Geoffrey's army did not launch another strong assault on Talburg.
During this period, the enemy several times attempted to seize the watchtower on the right flank, but the numerous traps along the way and the arrows, rolling logs, and boulders from both the watchtower and Talburg caused Geoffrey's army to leave behind several lives each time and return without success.
Baron Geoffrey, having recognized reality, began to meticulously plan the siege.
First, he put on a long-term siege posture around Talburg. On one hand, he sent people to set up outposts to the west, blocking the road connection between Talburg and Glarus County, preventing Glarus's army from reinforcing Talburg. On the other hand, he sent people back to Bilton to collect provisions, supplies, and conscript army laborers, and reported the Talburg battle situation to Teblen County city, requesting military assistance again. Then, Geoffrey began to fortify the camp set up outside Talburg and dispatched laborers to cut down timber everywhere to build siege equipment. At the same time, he continuously sent people to persuade Talburg to surrender...
Angus's squad, lurking in the hills and dense forests around Talburg, was still in hiding. Two days ago, when the enemy launched a large-scale attack on Talburg, this squad was ambushed on a hilltop less than half a mile from the enemy's rear, observing the battlefield. If Talburg's outer wall defenders fell into an absolutely passive situation, this squad would launch a surprise attack from behind the enemy, forcing the enemy to turn around and extinguish the fire on their rear. However, from beginning to end, Talburg's defenders were in a superior position, so Angus never launched a surprise attack on the enemy's rear.
These past two days, several teams were dispatched from the enemy camp to set up defenses around Talburg. The enemy attempted to cut off Talburg's external connections.
At this point, Angus's squad began to act. They continuously harassed the enemy, either occasionally rushing out to kill one or two enemy sentries before suddenly disappearing into the hills and dense forests, or setting up several traps along the enemy's patrol routes, or even, in the dead of night, shooting a few cold arrows and starting a fire towards the enemy camp. In short, Angus's squad had not stopped since the enemy decided to set up camp for a long-term siege.
Baron Geoffrey was greatly annoyed. In a fit of rage, he dispatched two of his Knights with a dozen elite Soldiers to clear out Angus's squad. However, Angus, along with Roan and a few others, darted around the hills and dense forests, maneuvering with the encircling enemy. They even ran to the manors and villages south of Bilton and plundered them. These elusive tactics frustrated the Knights under Baron Geoffrey, who were accustomed to direct combat in grand formations. After roaming the hills and dense forests for several days, they had no choice but to give up the pursuit and return empty-handed.
Less than half a day after the enemy gave up the pursuit, Angus, who had been missing in the dense forest for several days, returned to the vicinity of Talburg with Roan and seven others, beginning a new round of harassment...
Beyond the battlefield.
Eight days ago, Glarus County received a private letter from the Commander of Talburg's defenders. The letter stated that Talburg's defenders had raided Biertun Fort several days prior, capturing Baron Geoffrey's wife and children from Biertun Fort, and informed Viscount Herries that the Swabia army was about to march on Talburg, urging Glarus County to prepare for battle.
This sudden letter nearly choked County Magistrate Viscount Herries of Glarus County to death with a mouthful of water. He was still deeply worried about the impending large-scale offensive by the Swabia army against Burgundy County, when that arrogant fellow in Talburg actually dared to provoke the lion; once Swabia, in its fury, invaded with a large army, that fellow in Talburg could just pack his bags and run, but Glarus County behind Talburg would suffer terribly.
In his extreme urgency, Viscount Herries ordered the entire County to enter a state of readiness for war. The County city gates were tightly closed, and all manors and villages in the County were on high alert. They defended tensely for a week, but no Swabia troops stepped even half a foot into Glarus County territory.
It wasn't until yesterday that Viscount Herries remembered he should send someone to check on Talburg. However, the scouts were driven back by enemy sentries while still more than ten miles from Talburg.
Having recovered from his initial shock, Viscount Herries calmed down and began actively preparing for war, and attempted to establish contact with Talburg...
One day ago, Lord Deputy of the Court Earl Baldwin in Besançon received an urgent letter. The letter was swiftly brought back by an "Eagle Eye" dispatched by Burgundy County to Swabia Grand Duchy. The letter stated that a week ago, an army of several hundred men from the southwestern border of Swabia had advanced into Burgundy County territory, with their target being the long-abandoned military fort of Talburg.
And on the very day this urgent military intelligence reached Earl Baldwin, two caravan managers claiming to be from Talburg brought a private letter from Talburg's defender Commander Art to the Vice Minister. Art's private letter reported his harassment of outposts and settlements in southern Bilton, and how he tricked the defenders away before capturing Biertun Fort. Along with this private letter, several valuable porcelain pieces obtained from the war and several large gold ingots were also delivered to the Earl's mansion.
"This fellow, he's bold enough and cunning enough, but I like it!" Earl Baldwin commented on Art after reading the private letter and carefully examining a set of exquisite porcelain.
"I will immediately go to the Court to see the Marquis. Now we have sufficient reason to go to war..."
Two days later, the Burgundy County army, which had been assembling at the border for several months, proactively launched a full-scale attack on the covetous Swabia army. The war "camel" that had been accumulating for over half a year was finally crushed by the last "straw" named Talburg...