"What's happening?"
The knights atop the city walls were jolted awake, staring dumbfoundedly at the beautiful firework blossoming in the sky.
"It's... it's gorgeous."
The next second, a terrified shriek shattered the momentary awe: "ENEMY ATTACK!!!"
"An attack?!"
The knights on the battlements shuddered, spinning around to look outside the city. They saw shadows swarming toward the gates and immediately fell into a panic.
"Defend! Defend! Archers, to your positions!" The commanding knight roared, brandishing his longsword.
Tramp, tramp, tramp...
The ground began to vibrate. Out of the darkness, a tide of cavalry thundered toward the gates. The sight struck terror into the hearts of the defenders. Hadn't they been told they had three days? Not even a single night had passed, and the assault was already underway!
"Ready!"
Elisa held her bow, eyes locked on the commanding knight on the wall. Beside her, a long row of crossbowmen leveled their bolts at the battlements, waiting for her word.
"Fire!" Elisa commanded coolly, releasing her string.
Whiz!
A long arrow streaked through the night and pierced the commanding knight's throat.
"Ugh..." As he fell, his dying vision caught a cloud of arrows blotting out the stars.
"Get down! Everyone get down!" A knight screamed in terror.
Clang! Clang! Thud!
Dense volleys of bolts slammed into the stone and flesh. Screams of agony filled the air. Elisa's elven sniper squad targeted every officer and messenger they could spot. The defenders were utterly suppressed, huddled behind the merlons, not daring to peek out. They couldn't even retaliate; the enemy was positioned just outside the effective range of their own inferior bows. It was terrifyingly lopsided.
Creak—BOOM!
The city gates swung wide. Chris and his team, drenched in blood, stood in the gateway. Seeing their cavalry charging in, they grinned, stepped aside with their swords, and saluted. Mission accomplished.
Tramp, tramp, tramp...
The thunderous gallop of horses woke every inhabitant of Liberty City. The cavalry flooded through the gates like a tidal wave, beginning the systematic sweep of the enemy.
"Into the city!" Elisa stood up, shouldering her quiver, and ran toward the open gates. The crossbowmen followed close behind. As for the knights on the walls, they were already being rounded up by the vanguard.
"That was remarkably easy," Lucas said, standing before his main tent. He watched the open gates and the flickering chaos on the walls.
"Master, this might be the shortest siege in history," Mina noted with a slight smile. This victory would cement Lucas's reputation as a rising hegemon.
"Have the birdkin begin distributing the pre-prepared newspapers. I want the news of Liberty City to spread across the West. Send word back to Sedona City to begin a second printing," Lucas said calmly.
He was beginning his propaganda campaign. When you win, you maximize the prestige. He had prepared the Victory edition of the newspaper before even setting out; now it was time to deploy it.
"Yes, master." Mina immediately signaled her subordinates.
"Let's go. Into the city." Lucas stepped toward Liberty City, flanked by a dozen War Wolf squad members. Mina gripped her military knives, her eyes scanning the shadows for any lingering threats.
The ground at the gate was slick with blood and littered with the debris of battle. Taking Liberty City looked easy, but against any other force, it would have taken days of bloody attrition. This was the crushing weight of superior technology.
"To the City Lord's castle," Lucas commanded.
By the time he arrived, Liam was being hauled out. Rhea stood nearby, calmly wiping blood from her spear.
"I am the Fourth Prince! Are you rebelling? How dare you treat me this way!" Liam shrieked, his hair a mess. He had fainted during the day, woken up in the middle of the night to the sounds of slaughter, and was now being dragged through the dirt.
"Rebelling? No. You are the rebel. We are here to restore order," Lucas said indifferently.
"Restoring order? By what right?!" Liam screamed.
"Right?" Lucas's lips curled into a cold smirk. "Right is a word the winners use to describe why the losers failed."
"Fuck you!" Liam lunged toward Lucas, his dreams of a crown turning to ash.
"Take him away. Save him for Princess Lucy," Lucas waved him off.
"Chris, arrest all the local nobles," Lucas added. "If they resist, kill them on the spot."
He couldn't leave the old nobility in place; they would only obstruct the reforms he planned to implement. For now, he needed absolute authority to rebuild.
"Mina, send another message to Sedona City. We need masons and workers who know how to mix cement. Liberty City is the gateway to the inland; it needs to be developed. To get rich, we must first build the roads. I want a paved cement road connecting us directly to Sedona City."
"Understood." Mina noted it down.
"Aiden, take the prisoners and put them to work on the road. Here is the route map." Lucas handed him a parchment.
"Also, start recruiting the locals. Tell them if they work, they get wheat. No one who is willing to work should go hungry."
"Mina, gather intel on the surrounding lands suitable for large-scale farming. To stabilize the people, we need grain. To feed an army, we need grain. Plant more, always more."
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