"Mr. Li Ang, since you are willing to contribute to the empire, you must be free of desire, right?"
Levius was now much more relaxed and asked Leon about his motives for defecting to the Empire.
"I just want Bailu Fort! I have put in a lot of effort here... You have to send a message to Emperor Marius and tell His Majesty that Bailu Fort must become my territory! I don't dare to hope to be the 'General of Changhe Town', but it is right for me to be the 'General of Bailu Fort'!"
Li Ang's expression was quite serious, and he seemed to be obsessed.
Levius could understand this obsession. White Deer Castle and Maixiangling seemed to have become quite wealthy recently, with a lot of food and farmland. Leon must have put in a lot of effort.
However, Livius of the border territory was not interested. He knew that Emperor Marius eventually intended to comprehensively reform the feudal system into a dispatch system, but there was too much resistance to this reform and it had not yet been formally promoted... If Le Ang wanted it, then he could have it. This kind of request should be cooperated with.
"That's no problem. As long as we can capture White Hart Castle, I can guarantee that His Majesty will make you the Lord of White Hart Castle. But... the way your men delivered the letter before was a bit sudden... They almost shot me to death!"
Levius was still haunted by the arrow that had shot past his crotch.
"Isn't that just worrying? I've already openly rebelled, and I don't care if I'm exposed. If I send an envoy to visit normally, I might miss the opportunity!"
The lord had heard from Risadilan about his method of delivering the letter, and in fact he admired the elf killer for doing so - this just reflected the authenticity from the side.
It doesn't matter if this gets leaked. There have been a lot of rumors about him being a traitor lately anyway. They were spread by the Baccus Empire themselves...
But he didn't expect to almost shoot Levius to death.
"There will be troops coming over from Changhe Town soon, so we have to hurry! I have some men ambushed in Bailu Fort. Once your troops get close to Bailu Fort, they will take action to help you open the city gate! But Bailu Fort is definitely stepping up its investigation. I'm worried that my people will be discovered at any time. Governor, we have to speed up!"
The lord has indeed made every effort to surrender to the Bacchus Empire, so Levius must naturally seize this good opportunity.
As time could not be wasted to avoid the arrival of a large army from the Kingdom of the Fierce Lion in Maixiangling and Bailu Fort, the governor made up his mind on the spot. All the soldiers from Shieldwind Fortress rushed out and began to march northward.
However, due to some minor injuries in some parts of his body, Levius himself did not move with the army for too long - the friction of the wound under his crotch was really hard to bear, and it was difficult to endure walking or riding.
So when he led his troops to the previous location of the 'Second Imperial Legion', he had to stop and rest.
He planned to leave the Shadow Infantry under the command of his son Fabius, and stay in the camp to wait for the results.
Li Ang had just come from Bailubao, so of course he knew about the existence of such a labor corps - it was only after discovering this "corps" that he decided on the plan of false surrender.
In fact, the first person to detect this group of laborers was Sir Roland.
Roland had been leading the cavalry to clear out the scouts. A few days ago, they chased them quite far and discovered the group of laborers.
At that time, when he saw the large army under the banner of the "Second Legion of the Empire", he thought it was a large-scale attack by the Bacchus Empire.
But after getting closer to investigate, Roland easily determined that it was not an army - this legion not only had no equipment, but also no baggage, and everyone was listless, looking more like a group of prisoners.
If it were someone else, they might not be able to make a judgment as easily as Roland.
On the one hand, there are not many warriors like Roland who dare to approach and conduct reconnaissance in the face of a "large army".
On the other hand, Sir Roland had just personally organized a large number of people to migrate a few days ago. Now, the difference between the army and the civilians was too easy for him to distinguish...
After reaching his conclusion, the paladin immediately returned to White Hart Castle, just in time to meet the lord who had returned and was discussing with Amy how to deal with the Bacchus Empire.
Therefore, the Lord asked Amy to lead Godric's guards to have an "internal conflict" with the troops he led in White Hart Castle.
The fighting was so fierce that the shouts of killing shook the sky.
As the battle started, many troops came from the direction of Maixiangling and entered Bailubao to "join the battle". It looked like a civil war between the two camps.
As a result, many people who did not know the truth fled from White Deer Castle.
Then, Leon's troops were "expelled" from White Hart Fort in a miserable state, and then he asked Lisadiran to take the letter to Levius and scout the situation of Shieldwind Fortress.
Li Ang knew very well that the spies of the Bacchus Empire would definitely report back the situation. The news brought back by their own people would naturally make the surrender seem quite reliable.
The Lord's plan was to first lead Levius's troops to the direction of Maixiangling to block the western intersection, to show that his "surrender" was indeed true and credible, and even cut off the retreat of Bailu Fort.
Then he put on a show at the foot of White Hart Castle, letting Amy lead a large number of troops to "pursue" him southward, and then wait for Levius's troops to attack the "empty city" of White Hart Castle.
White Hart Castle is certainly not an empty city. The escorts from Changhe Town and the Owl Knights have already moved in. They will defend White Hart Castle under the leadership of Sir Roland.
And Amy will take advantage of the opportunity of Levius's full army to complete the most important task - to lead the troops to destroy the Shield Wind Fortress, which has truly become an empty city.
Yes, we just need to burn down the fortress, there is no need to occupy it, because there will be no reinforcements for a while, and we may not be able to hold it if we occupy it.
Once Shieldwind Fortress is destroyed, it will be extremely difficult for the Bacchus Empire to attack White Deer Fortress in the future. Without this outpost, supplies will not be able to keep up.
The troops that Levius sent to attack White Hart Castle would also lose all their support, and Leon himself would launch a surprise attack at this time, leaving Levius with no way to retreat.
After Amy burns down Shieldwind Fortress, she can lead her troops back to White Hart Castle. In this way, Levius' troops attacking White Hart Castle will most likely be wiped out.
This was actually a plan of attack as defense, which not only intended to destroy the enemy's manpower, but also to remove the Shield Wind Fortress, so that Bailu Fort would have no worries for a long time and could farm in peace.
This false surrender plan was not too complicated. It was just following the Emperor Marius's strategy and playing along with him.
In order to avoid too many enemies causing too much pressure , or quickly retreating to Shieldwind Fort after discovering something wrong, which would put Amy in danger, Leon would lead his troops to drive the two thousand civilians towards White Hart Fort, which in turn would become an obstacle to prevent Levius' troops from retreating to Shieldwind Fort.
This plan is actually not dangerous. The only risk is whether Leon can gain Levius' trust when he meets him.
Of course, considering what happened before, the lord felt that Levius would be able to take the bait smoothly.
He planned to capture the governor and the civilians of the Bacchus Empire again, and then extort a large sum of money to pay the 100,000 dinars that King Ulric demanded...
Yes, the Lord wants to use a plan to solve all the problems facing White Hart Castle!
The incident was first started by the Bacchus Empire. Without Emperor Marius's scheme, Your Majesty would not have been blackmailed by King Ulrich, and of course the Bacchus Empire would have to pay - Your Majesty is very fair.
But now there is a small accident...
Due to the unexpected impact of the small wound between Levius' legs, Levius actually planned to stay in that camp...
Moreover, for his own safety, he actually left hundreds of shadow infantrymen in the camp and only allowed Fabius to lead more than 700 shadow infantrymen.
This may affect the Lord's plan. Leon still wants to "lure Amy's troops south", and the soldiers left in the camp by Levius will get in the way.
Besides, it would be really boring if we couldn't catch Levius this time...
"Governor, you still have so many troops here, why don't you act together?"
Li Ang was in that camp, pointing at the banner of the 'Second Legion'.
"They are not fit for war right now. We can't use them in sieges..."
Levius shook his head. Although he was not a good person, he was not so bad as to let civilians be cannon fodder in siege.
The Desha people sometimes coerce civilians from enemy countries to serve as cannon fodder in sieges, consuming the supplies of the defending troops.
But this way of fighting is extremely bad and will be considered an anti-human act. The Bacchus Empire claims to be a civilized country and will not do this.
Besides, even the D'Shar people would not use their own civilians to do such a thing, but the Snake Cult would do that...
These civilians are already full of resentment and are not willing to cooperate with things like building camps. How can we ask them to attack Bailu Fort?
I'm afraid they would all escape in a minute, or maybe even rebel.
"Governor, although I can see that they cannot participate in the siege, they can at least defend the city. I can ensure that White Hart Castle becomes an empty city, but after it is captured, the Kingdom of Sarleon will definitely send a large army to hunt us down. The civilians of White Hart Castle are very loyal to Godric. After we capture White Hart Castle, the civilians of White Hart Castle will not help us defend the city, and may even attack us. I failed to capture White Hart Castle before because of the attacks by the civilians. If the reinforcements from the Empire are slow to arrive, White Hart Castle may not be able to be defended after it is captured!"
Leon seemed to be thinking about Levius. "But if you take this legion with you, at least there will be more than 2,000 people guarding the city. The Kingdom of Sarsen will definitely not dare to counterattack for a while. You will have enough time to make full arrangements and summon reinforcements..."
This was indeed a reasonable approach, and Levius also thought it made sense.
However, both the siege troops and the civilian labor corps must be led by someone. If the Governor and his son are not in the team, once the siege begins, these civilian laborers will have no one to suppress and control them, which may lead to disasters.
So Levius endured the pain in his crotch and personally led everyone to march north.
In fact, if Levius could pay more attention to these grassroots people, he would find that these civilians became very active after knowing that Li Ang was ready to surrender...
The Bacchus Empire touted Leon as the most terrifying general, with three heads and six arms, breathing fire from his mouth, and the kind of person who could eat eight children in one meal.
Now that this terrifying general seemed to have become one of their own, these civilians naturally felt relieved...
They even had a strange sense of identity with Leon - this was the notoriety that the Bacchus Empire had bestowed on Leon, but if this notorious general was one of their own, it would mean a high sense of security ...
So these civilians were actually more willing to listen to Leon, but Levius just didn't notice it...
When they were still dozens of miles away from White Hart Castle, the lord asked Levius to station the laborers at the edge of the forest.
"I will go to lure out the enemy in a while. You must not let Bailubao see your army. You should first let the combat troops move towards Maixiangling. Sarah will be responsible for leading the way to avoid Bailubao's reconnaissance. Let them wait at the intersection between Bailubao and Maixiangling. Once I lure out the army of Bailubao, we will immediately launch an attack. These civilians cannot participate in the siege and can only stay here. If you see yellow , it means that Bailubao has been conquered, and you can lead the civilians into the city."
The lord took out a map and began to explain.
A large army of several thousand people would be too conspicuous, and in order to avoid being discovered by Bailu Fort while luring the enemy, the Bailu Fort army would not leave the city, so this arrangement was reliable.
Levius nodded and asked Fabius to take the shadow infantry and follow Sarah to the northwest.
As he had been riding a horse for two days with an injury, he could hardly walk properly, so he stayed in the civilian army, waiting for Li Ang to successfully lure the enemy.
Levius felt that Leon's behavior and plan seemed to be fine. The eight hundred shadow infantrymen guarding between Maixiangling and White Hart Castle were enough to ensure that the Kingdom of Fierce Lion would neither receive reinforcements nor be ambushed.
Besides, if Li Ang wanted to ambush me, why would he specifically ask me to bring more troops?
After Leon led out the troops of White Hart Castle, and let Fabius lead the Shadow Infantry to capture the empty city, he would lead the civilians into White Hart Castle. It would be basically very stable and there should be no problem defending it for a few months.
This battle will probably make your son famous all over the world, right?
Levius thought with joy.
Being able to lead his troops to capture the White Hart Castle which had not yet fallen at the age of 22, Fabius would probably become a famous general of the empire!
Emperor Marius has always been willing to promote young people, and he will definitely pay attention to and support him. So even if he loses power, Fabius will definitely become the commander of the Shadow Infantry!
Livius felt that his position was obviously secure. Even if Emperor Marius didn't like him, at least he would not deprive a young man with great military achievements of the power to lead the legion...
Fabius also felt that his time had come. He had received such a good opportunity, and it seemed that God had destined him to become a famous general in the empire...
This is a fortified city that has not been conquered for hundreds of years. Half a year ago, two governors with 6,000 troops were unable to take over Bailu Fort, but now it seems that he will be able to conquer it easily!
If they could capture White Hart Castle, it would mean that the Sarleon Kingdom would lose its biggest barrier in the east. The Empire's army would be able to march straight in easily, and at least swallow up all the areas east of Changhe Town...
To have achieved such great success at such a young age, he is destined to have an extremely bright future...
Soon, the lord led a troop of about a hundred men to the city of White Deer Castle.
The excited Lord Fabius personally led his team to the intersection to keep an eye on the movements of White Hart Castle.
And Bailu Fort did send out a team of about 400 people to pursue - this was almost all the troops of Bailu Fort.
The two sides, one chasing and one fleeing, gradually went south.
Afterwards, Fabius led more than 700 shadow infantrymen and began to quickly attack White Deer Castle.
Bailu Fort seemed almost defenseless, and there seemed to be sounds of fighting and killing in the city. It seemed that Le Ang did leave some people in the city.
As Fabius and his troops gradually approached, the gate of White Hart Castle suddenly opened, and someone at the door waved to him.
The people Li Ang left in the city did succeed!
Fabius was overjoyed and led his troops to charge quickly.
More than 700 shadow infantrymen rushed forward and rushed into White Deer Castle.
At this moment, the heavy gate fell down...
Bailu Fort was built on a mountain and had no moat. The city gate was a sluice gate, which was a solid wooden gate inlaid with iron sheets and lifted up by a huge winch.
To open the gate, it would take several strong men to push the large capstan on top of the gate—even though it was a pulley system that could save effort.
This gate is thick and heavy, weighing thousands of pounds, and is hung by several thick ropes and chains. When it is lifted up, a large pin half a foot thick is used to clamp the winch.
When you want to close the door, you just need to use a sledgehammer to knock the pin off the capstan, and the door will fall freely due to gravity and fall into the huge door frame. There is a row of half a foot thick holes in the door frame - this is to prevent water accumulation and to allow the teeth at the bottom of the gate to be embedded in the ground, making the city gate stronger and difficult to knock open.
This type of gate closes very quickly.
And now, when Fabius and half of his troops had just entered the city, the gate fell freely...
Fabius and about three hundred people were imprisoned in the city, while four hundred shadow infantrymen were left outside the city and did not enter the city.
Under the huge gate, there were two shadow infantrymen who had been killed by the falling gate. They had basically been cut in half - the incisors at the bottom of the gate were sharp teeth formed by huge wood wrapped in iron sheets, which was the norm for gate-type city gates in this era.
Young Fabius stopped abruptly and looked around in panic.
His shadow infantry stopped charging and all seemed at a loss.
The air suddenly became quiet.
They were located in the gate and a small, uncovered space inside the city gate. Inside the city, on the high ground around them, stood a large number of archers and crossbowmen...
Then, a volley of arrows was fired, quickly covering their eyes.
At the same time, the Lord and Amy's troops had arrived one after another to a location several dozen miles south of White Deer Castle, near which was the location of the civilian army where Levius was.