Chapter 267 Siege of Arotsa
Dave appeared in the middle of a hall, there were people kneeling in front of him, heads down on the floor. Dave felt a sense of deja-vu, the hall and the people were somehow familiar.
"Your majesty, what are your orders?" a knight in heavy armor spoke.
Dave turned to see who the man was speaking to. There was nothing but a very familiar throne. It was the Undead King's throne. Dave took notice of his equipment. They were not his Death Knight armor, but an ornate gold and crimson robes.
A notification appeared in front of him.
***
To be a champion of undeath one must know how to rule over undeath. To use your mind in planning and strategy, to balance out the numbers of troops and discover the weakness of the enemy and your own.
You have been placed in a precarious position. The same position the King of Arotsa was in before ruin befell his country and was turned Undead.
You will lead an army that hungers, that tires, that fears. All, traits that the undead do not have. You will be leading an army that will die and will not rise again.
Your mission is to manage limited troops to fight in a numerical disadvantage.
You are the king now, you are lord over 10,000 soldiers against 50,000 Vinlandian invader. Your task is to defend the walls of the capital of Arotsa, Muliner for Seven days.
You have full command of the forces in the capital of Arotsa, Muliner.
The Vinlandian army is marching toward Muliner, they will arrive in one day.
Good luck.
***
Dave understood what he had to do, defend against a siege. He had already seen the armies that were stationed around the capital of Arotsa the last time he was here with the Death Goddess.
Dave knew he was not the smartest person in the world. But strategy and troop management? This was his field of expertise. The unfavorable condition and numbers of enemy troops might give him a real headache, but he believed he could hold on for a week. Sieges usually took months to years. If he properly organizes his troops, seven days should not be an issue to clear the legacy quest.
"Give me a detailed map of the land around here and tell me what are all the available information we have. What's the type of forces we have. How many weapons do we have? War tools? What does the Vinlandian army has as weapons or siege weaponry? Do we have any anti-siege weaponry? Give me full details!" Dave asked questions in full succession.
The man in full plate armor walked up to Dave and handed him a scroll.
"Here is all that is available."
Dave opened the scroll. There was a detailed drawing of the city they were in. It was the same as the undead city. Circled with high walls and in the center of the city, the palace was built.
To the west of the capital, Muliner was a wide raging river that flowed close to the walls of the palace. it acted as a natural barrier preventing possible attacks from the west. There was also a forest growing not so far from the north of the city. There was a ravine that cut through the forest separating it from the east. From the east all the way to the west was open plaine. There were plantations and wheat fields next to the city walls.
Dave remembered that most of the army he saw when he came with the Death God was positioned at the south and eastern areas.
The man in plate armor handed Dave another scroll.
***
10 trebuchet
30 Heavy Ballistae
5 Tons of flammable Oil.
Rocks.
2,000 Heavy Cavalry
2,000 archers
4,000 light infantry.
2,000 heavy infantry.
***
"What about arrows, spears and such?" Dave asked
"We have enough weapons, arrows and spare shields to last us months of siege and enough food to last us two weeks."
'Okay, so ammunition and people starving won't be a problem.'
"Do we have any allies that can come to our aid?" Dave asked.
"No, your majesty. All of our allies had turned their back on us. We are on our own."
A man in black robe spoke up, "Let us use the demon book your majesty, the might of a demon is strong and can help us!"
"DAGLA!" the knight in plates shouted, "That is the last resort!"
The man in black robe didn't reply.
'So that's Dagla and this knight must be Deadra. And the book they are talking about must be the one the king used. When he sacrificed Eleanor.'
"No one is using demons. Alright, Samael," Dave said. Hoping Samael was here.
A man in black leather came forward and knelt before Dave.
'Damn, badass as always' Dave admired the armor Samael wore.
"Yes, your majesty."
"I need units that can move stealthily and quietly, have them bring me as much information about the enemy forces, scout them and see what you can get me."
"As you command, your majesty.
"Dementi," Dave called.
A woman in green leather armor came and knelt before Dave.
"Yes, your lordship!"
"You will be leading the archer units. Also what about communication? Do we have trained eagles, crows or pigeons to send and receive information?"
"We do have battle trained pigeons, they fly high and can avoid archers."
"Very well, Dementi, organize the archers and wait for my commands."
Dementi nodded and left.
"The rest of you, have people dig holes and pits in the city. Place spikes in the pits and cover everything with dirt rags. Leave only a couple of clear paths to retreat back the palace. Also, order the people to stockpile on water, as much water as possible!"
"As you wish your majesty. A man wearing loose robes said.
"Dagla, I need frozen souls," Dave said.
"I have no idea what that is." Dagla replied in confusion.
'Damn, I thought they should have them in this time period. But I guess it's thousands of years before the legion became what it is'
"They are pearls of a highly explosive nature. They could have made the siege much easier."
"If you wish for us to create explosives, I can have a word with the alchemy academy. They can supply us with chemical explosives."
"Great, create as much as possible, put them in kegs or crates and plant them on the east and southern fields."
"How are we going to detonate them then?"
"Do test runs with the trebuchet and give me details on their range and accuracy. Then plant the crates under the most accurate point of impact," Dave said.
"I believe i understand your intentions, marvelous Idea your majesty."
"Also, Dave pointed at the map, plant some here, here and here." Dave pointed at several spots inside the city map.
"Sir! But that's dangerous!"
"Do it," Dave said in a commanding tone.
"What about civilians," A large man spoke.
"By morning, I want all civilians underground and in hiding. I don't want a soul walking the streets by the start of the siege, only us!"
"Come with me, all of you," Dave said
Dave walked out from the throne room and went to the palace balcony. The balcony was facing the eastern gate.
The city walls were sectioned by a tall tower. There were twenty towers circling the city.
"Have someone rope large boulders. Place the boulders in one tower, and tighten the rope end on another. When the boulders are pushed, they should sweep enemy ladders with them."
"This is the first time I hear of such novelty, your majesty. Ingenious!"
"This can be only used once, so make sure to have plenty of hot oil at the ready, prepare acid, boiling water and hot sand to repel the ladder climbers. Also, build trenches around the city."
"This will tire the soldiers."
Dave thought for a moment "Use civilians, no children just those that are capable of digging. Fill the trenches with flammable wood."
"Also, move all the cavalry to the forest. Have them hiding and waiting. Cavalry is useless inside the city, we don't have long or large enough paths for them to gain momentum."
"How are we going to signal the cavalry to charge?" the large man asked.
"I won't be using the cavalry this early they are too priceless to waste in a meaningless charge." Dave said.
"Should I order the reinforcement of the gate?" the large man asked.
"No, leave the gate as it is. Also, leave it open."
"What?!" all of the men behind Dave asked at once.
"Yes, you heard me. Leave it open. Let them come in. Dagla, one last thing."
"Yes, your majesty."
"I need you to ask the alchemy academy to create something for me."
"What is it?" Dagla asked.
Dave got closer and in a wicked smile, he spoke in Dagla's ear.
Dagla's face turned from surprise to a euphoric evil grin.
"Oh, is that the reason you asked to stockpile the water, quite evil I say."
"I knew you will like it. Now get done with it."
"This should be enough preparation then. Lastly, place the ballistae in the streets. And have soldiers protect them. Also, who here can ride fast on horseback?" Dave asked
"None of us sir, but I have many underlings that can race the wind," A thin man in noble clothing said.
"Good, order them to take explosive powder kegs with them and go across the river. You will be informed of your mission by pigeons."
"As you wish, your majesty."
Dave crossed his arms gazing at the setting sun, "Now…we wait."