Chapter 28: Surrender or Die
Chapter 28: Surrender or Die
Time flew by quickly.
A brutal battle, like a brewing storm, was about to arrive.
The enemy forces across the Zuli River below the city walls were almost fully gathered. It seemed the attack would start at any moment. Brook started directing soldiers to set up defenses on the wall battlement. Ordinary young adults from Shampoo City, carrying simple defensive tools like firewood knives, sticks, and farming tools, also stood at different spots along the walls under Brook’s arrangement. They were helping the Royal Guard defend the city.
But the defensive strength was still a bit thin. After injuries, the Royal Guard had less than 400 soldiers left. Added to over 1,000 young adults who were temporarily called up with no military training at all, the whole force was under 1,500 ragtag fighters. This was the strongest guard power in Shampoo City right now.
Still, this force was far weaker compared to the opponent’s over 2,000 well-trained Black-Armored Soldiers. The difference was sky and earth.
Luckily, Shampoo City could use its dangerous terrain to hold out. This gave it a big advantage.
Even so, the situation was not good.
In war on the Azeroth Continent, the role of strong warriors could not be ignored. If the Black-Armored Soldiers had one or two high-level fighters like the Three-Star Warrior Lund, Shampoo City would be in deep danger.
That was what Sun Fei worried about most.
The sun climbed higher, and the mood grew tenser and tenser.
The air felt like it held invisible fires. Breathing it in caused a burning pain in the chest.
Sun Fei stood under the watchtower on the city wall, waiting for the fight to start.
Nearby, the fat Gerger trembled with fear. The bloody prospect of war left his spoiled mind blank. Luckily, his father Bazel sent a few loyal guards to protect him. Otherwise, Gerger might have already fainted from fright.
Bazel himself was a surprise to Sun Fei.
According to Brook, this old red-robed man had no fighting power at all. He was just a common man. After dealing with Military Judge Conca and Prison Warden Oleg, Sun Fei had ignored Bazel. Sun Fei thought the old man would sneak off the wall to escape, but instead, Bazel came to the watchtower and stood by his son’s side.
“I didn’t expect this old fox to care so much for his son. At least he’s got a bit of humanity left.”
Sun Fei glanced back at Bazel. He said nothing else.
Everyone was waiting for the fight to arrive.
Across the river.
Ten phalanxes of Black-Armored Soldiers finally gathered fully. They marched forward with steady, even steps toward Shampoo City. Spears and swords shimmered like a forest in the morning sun. Cold light shone everywhere. A sharp killing intent came rushing at them.
On the city wall, silence reigned. Every person heard their own heartbeat.
Some of the young adults called up for duty couldn’t stop their legs from trembling. Sweat dripped from their palms as they gripped their weapons. The bloody fight was soon to come. No one knew if they would live after the fighting ended, but they refused to retreat because of their families.
Stamp, stamp, stamp—!
The Black-Armored Soldier phalanxes stepped in a weirdly steady rhythm. They advanced like a black flood, slow but strong, bringing unreal pressure. The sound was like drumbeats, pounding in the hearts of Shampoo City’s soldiers. The rhythm sped up, making men feel suffocated.
At the front was the Tower Shield Phalanx of the Black-Armored Soldiers.
A hundred black shields, two meters tall, painted with fierce ghost faces, covered all the soldiers behind them. They pushed forward like a group of evil spirits coming straight at the city. As they neared the narrow end of the natural stone bridge, the hundred-man Tower Shield Phalanx changed shape. It went from ten lines to three lines, just enough to cross the bridge. Then they kept marching to the drum beat.
Through the whole movement, not one sound was out of place. The Black-Armored Soldiers were like cruel, precise killing machines, running in perfect order. Their advance was calm and well planned.
This show made Sun Fei worry even more.
No doubt, this was a trained elite army.
Looking at the messy soldiers around him… this battle would be harder to fight.
The distance shrank inch by inch.
In less than ten minutes, the Tower Shield Phalanx at the front was almost at this end of the bridge. Once they stepped on the north bank of the Zuli River, they would enter the range of Shampoo City’s bows. The brutal battle was ready to start.
Clang—!
Brook drew his long sword. He stepped onto the battlement and shouted, “Archers… ready!”
Creak, creak, creak—!
That was the sound of bowstrings being pulled taut. Over a hundred longbows were pulled back like full moons. The gleaming arrow tips were like the God of Death’s cruel grin. They waited only for Brook’s order to shoot.
But just then—
Thump!
The Tower Shield Phalanx of Black-Armored Soldiers at the lead stopped moving forward for some reason. Then, right after, the other nine phalanxes—the spear phalanx, swordsmen phalanx, archers phalanx, and others—all halted one by one.
The whole thing was as neat as if done by a single man.
“What’s happening?”
Seeing this, Sun Fei narrowed his eyes in thought. He couldn’t figure out what the enemy commander was up to.
Far off, Brook, directing the scene, also couldn’t guess the reason. But he stayed fully alert. He jumped onto the wall and bellowed, “Archers at the ready! All eyes stay sharp! No one leaves their post!”
His words just ended when the enemy below showed a new move.
Four Black Knights appeared slowly from behind the phalanxes and walked out of the crowd. The leader held a thick knight’s lance about three meters long. On its tip was a plain, ordinary helmet. Whipping his horse, he rode slowly toward the base of the city wall.
Brook’s face changed.
He slipped his broadsword back into its scabbard at his waist. He hurried over to Sun Fei and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, the enemy wants to talk.”
Talk?
Sun Fei found it funny.
In the Azeroth Continent, pointing a lance with a broken helmet meant wanting to talk with the enemy. Sun Fei made a mental note of this knowledge. It might come in handy later.
But these jerks had the upper hand. Why come to talk now?
“Let them over!” Sun Fei ordered Brook. He wanted to see what trick the enemy commander had in mind.
“By your will!”
Brook turned away and had the soldiers make a sign for agreeing to talk.
Seeing the sign, the four Black Knights urged their black horses forward over the bridge. They soon entered the archers’ range and kept riding until they stood right under Shampoo City’s main gate.
“By my master’s command, the King of Shampoo City must come out and listen to the order.”
Black Knight One planted his lance on the ground as he yelled up haughtily. His One-Star Warrior strength made his voice echo over the whole wall. Every person on the wall heard him clearly, along with the high-and-mighty tone he couldn’t hide.
“Say what you’ve got to say or piss off!”
Sun Fei stood at the bridge’s edge and answered rudely. The opponent’s attitude annoyed him, so he barked back without any respect.
Below, Black Knight One’s eyes tightened.
He never dreamed the King of Shampoo City would be that same buffalo who had hurt the Three-Star Warrior Lund badly… Damn it! The Eagle Group’s reports claimed the king was an idiot. How could this be?
Far away.
A Silver Masked Man watching from the far river bank also gave a small start of surprise.
But soon, a slight curve crossed his lips. This was more entertaining. Sending a high-ranking king to the fighting pits—what a great story! It would surely thrill those twisted nobles… Heh, things looked more fun than he’d ever hoped!
Below the city wall.
“Our master is kind and forgiving. He offers you a chance to live…” Black Knight One raised his whip proudly and shouted. “King of Shampoo City, listen well. My master orders this—if you open the gates and surrender, the royal family and officials will get our army’s protection. The common folk won’t die but will become slaves…” Here, No. 1 Black Knight changed his voice to a cold threat. “If you don’t know what’s good for you and dare to fight on, when the city falls, we’ll butcher every living thing. The slaughter will last three days.”
The Black Knight’s words rang loud on the wall.
People on the wall reacted differently. Bazel, Oleg, and some officials thought hard, already losing heart. A few scared common folk, afraid to die, bowed their heads too. Becoming slaves seemed better than dying in battle. Of course, others sneered with contempt and squeezed their weapons more firmly.
All eyes turned to young King Alexander.
The decision rested with him.
Sun Fei wasn’t in a rush to refuse. His gaze swept slowly over every face. He saw all kinds of emotions—different meanings laid bare. Suddenly, an idea stirred in him, and he spoke slowly. “I didn’t expect the enemy to pull this stunt… It’s a real puzzle. Hah! Let’s see—everyone speak up. What should we choose now?”
Before his words fully ended, Prison Warden Oleg jumped out first.
This flatterer’s eyes were nervous as he smiled in his sly way. “Mighty King, Oleg would gladly die for you. But I still think you should consider the enemy’s offer. After all, we have less than 400 soldiers, and almost each one is wounded. Fighting on will likely not save the city and only anger the enemy. Then everyone in the city might die… Oh, of course, Oleg says this not from fear, but for the sake of the people.”
Even though he said this grandly, the look on the flatterer’s face betrayed his true thoughts. As a city official, he’d get the enemy’s shield after surrender—not death, not slavery. Being a coward, there was no other choice for Oleg.
Many stares of disgust and hate shot at Oleg like sharp arrows. He pretended not to notice.