Upon entering Waming Town, the Royal Infantry Second Regiment immediately began preparing for defense.
Chambers ordered his men to guard all the entrances and exits of the town, and sent people to "invite" the townspeople to an open area in the center of the town to show them his identity.
Unbelievable! The Royal Army has actually reached this place! The townspeople of Waming Town were shocked and looked at each other in disbelief.
"Sir, how is Giles now?" The gray-haired mayor leaned on his cane and asked Chambers cautiously.
"The rebel Giles is still putting up a stubborn resistance at Eagles Beak Pass. We've come here to surround him and prevent him from escaping south!"
Chambers made no secret of his purpose; in fact, he even planned to spread the news soon afterward to quickly demoralize the rebels and create widespread panic.
"Gentlemen, I am about to issue a series of orders. These orders may not seem very friendly to you at the moment, but as a soldier of the Kingdom of Aldor, I assure you that the losses you have suffered will be reasonably compensated, and we will not directly involve you in the battle."
Anxiety spread among the townspeople, but in truth, everyone was already somewhat prepared. In fact, this mental preparation had been in place since the outbreak of war; centuries of war between lords had taught the common people many survival skills: listen to whoever comes, and don't risk your life to fight.
Chambers conscripted all the able-bodied men in the town, collected all the building materials, including bricks, stones, and timber, and demolished several vacant buildings. He ordered all the soldiers and residents of the town to build fortifications on a selected high ground next to Waming Town. A wooden watchtower was built on the high ground, originally used by the town to defend against bandits. It was the highest point in the town and was right next to the main road leading north from Waming Town.
The soldiers wielded shovels and picks requisitioned from the town to work on the terrain of the high ground, excavating the original slopes into a rough vertical surface. The townspeople then laid bricks on top. After a day of work, a simple fortress took shape, consisting of two levels. The upper level was equipped with ranged units such as firearms, cannons, and crossbows, while the lower level had pikemen stationed behind the breastwork.
Because they were traveling through mountains and valleys, the Second Regiment could not carry heavy cannons and could only carry a three-pounder cannon. This was a lightweight cannon specially designed by Alda to support infantry in rugged terrain. It was nicknamed "Grasshopper". The barrel was about 120 centimeters long and weighed about 94 kilograms. It could be carried quickly by just one horse or four soldiers.
Although it is a lightweight cannon, it still possesses terrifying power, capable of inflicting effective damage at a range of 600 meters, and its solid shot can easily penetrate breastworks made of sand and gravel.
For this flanking maneuver, the Second Regiment brought a total of 10 "Grasshopper" light artillery pieces.
Because of bad weather and lack of time to dry the gunpowder during the march, the Kingdom Army's gunpowder was severely damp. Now that they had arrived in Waming Town, they finally had the time and place. In the town's threshing ground, the townspeople watched curiously as the Royal Army artillerymen spread out barrels of black powder, dried it for half a day, and then hurriedly collected it back. Many locals speculated that the black powder might be some kind of medicine.
After a busy day, as the sun finally set, soldiers on guard outside the town reported that a group of over two thousand men was approaching from the south.
Chambers speculated that this group was the reinforcements that Nelson, the rebel recruiter, was looking to receive.
He made a bold decision, ordering two soldiers to watch Nelson make contact and lure the rebel reinforcements into the town's main street.
The cowardly Nils obediently followed orders. Chambers ' plan was very successful. The reinforcements had no suspicions after encountering "their own people" and rashly dragged their long serpentine troop into the town. But soon, a large number of figures emerged from the houses and alleyways on both sides, aiming their firearms and crossbows at the stunned rebel reinforcements in the street.
With Nelson giving instructions, the Kingdom Army quickly located the rebel commander next to him. With a series of cracking sounds, the unfortunate man was covered in blood and collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.
Most of the rebel reinforcements were newly conscripted men who had been hastily trained for a few days before being sent to the battlefield. They had no effective organization whatsoever, and upon seeing their commander die, they immediately fell into chaos and rushed to surrender to the Royal Army.
Chambers accepted their surrender and, during interrogation, discovered that many of them had received combat training and were equipped with weapons such as knives and guns. He decided to expand his forces.
All the officers were held in custody, while the soldiers were dispersed and assigned to various battalions. Chambers judged that without officers in command, these surrendered soldiers would not have any ulterior motives; at most, they would try to escape in the chaos.
The next morning, the Kingdom Army, which had set up camp opposite Eagles Beak Pass, finally launched a fierce attack as scheduled.
The booming sound of cannons echoed repeatedly in the valley as shell after shell pounded against the sturdy walls of Eagles Beak Pass.
At this critical moment, Giles sent someone to urge Nelson to return.
"Your Highness!" The subordinate, his face bruised and swollen, burst into tears upon seeing Giles, " Waming Town has been taken by the Yankees!"
Everyone present was struck dumb.
"How is that possible!" Giles grabbed his collar angrily, almost lifting him up. "Could they fly over there?"
"I don't know either!" the subordinate cried. "I only discovered the Royal Army on the street when I entered the town." The soldiers sensed something was terribly wrong and tried to run, but they were discovered!
Because of his swollen face, he spoke somewhat unclearly.
" Nelson was among them too. He probably surrendered. That bastard revealed my identity, and I got a good beating from those Yankees. The Yankee leader told me to go back to Eagles Beak Pass and tell you to surrender immediately… Ouch, please be gentle."
"Damn it!" Giles threw his subordinate to the ground.
The subordinates around him, including Wendell and Samar, were all speechless, like clay sculptures, when faced with this sudden news.
The fall of Waming Town means that their connection with Five Rams City has been severed. Even if they can hold Eagles Beak Pass for the time being, without reinforcements from the rear, their troops and food will slowly run out, and they will eventually be captured by the Kingdom Army. However, if they send troops to retake Waming Town now, their defensive strength will be greatly weakened.