Chapter 27

Thus, the gate of Zeffel Castle collapsed, and the burning rubble prevented the enemy from entering. Once the fire is extinguished, the infantry will likely come in, but carriages and cannons won't be able to pass.

The most important thing now is that the enemy can be seen clearly with the gate collapsed.

Captain Dambur's artillery squadron is firing at the enemy outside the gate.

The enemy's formation was in disarray, but they seem to have regained control. They retreated, hiding behind the still-standing walls.

But they are underestimating the dilapidated state of this fortress.

"Captain."

"I know, I know."

Captain Dambur looked dejected but gave orders in a clear voice.

"Fire at the walls!"

Since the walls can be destroyed by cannons, we might as well destroy them with cannons.

The artillerymen probably never thought they would have to destroy their own walls.

But even in their confusion, the cannonballs hit their mark, destroying the structurally weak points.

This section of the wall was heightened during a medieval expansion. The addition of structures like "machicolations" made the balance poor, and the center of gravity was shifted outward.

Thus, while it could withstand attacks from the outside, it had no resistance to attacks from the inside.

I don't know if it was a bad design or poor construction, but I'll use it to our advantage.

On the severalth cannon shot, large stones crumbled and fell mercilessly on the other side. This is clearly a defective building.

After a few more cannon shots, the wall began to slowly collapse. It was spectacular but terrifying.

When the collapse subsided, the Bruges army had suffered significant casualties. It's hard to count, but dozens must have been buried.

Colonel Altsar lowered his telescope and sighed quietly.

"Wasn't this supposed to be a siege?"

"Yes, it was a siege."

"Didn't I order you to plan a delaying tactic?"

"I did plan a delaying tactic."

A moment of silence.

"Wasn't that a bit overkill?"

"The more damage we inflict, the weaker the enemy's attack will be. Just because we are the defenders doesn't mean we won't attack. In fact, we need to attack more fiercely than the attackers to hold our ground."

We were taught in the military academy to thoroughly beat the enemy to the point where they regret attacking, and I have experienced its effectiveness.

Colonel Altsar nodded several times.

"I see, that's a good lesson."

"I'm honored."

"Wouldn't it have been better to rig the walls with explosives?"

"Yes... that's true."

He's thinking of something even scarier than me. How far does he plan to blow things up?

Captain Dambur wouldn't allow it, of course.

But if we let the enemy inside and then collapse the walls inward... It would be technically difficult, but it would be romantic. It would be a disaster, though.

Looking out, the enemy had retreated far back, and blue dots could be seen scattered across the wasteland. Dead Bruges soldiers.

The colonel turned to me.

"The enemy's plan must be in chaos, right?"

"Indeed."

The colonel stared at me.

"Tell me, what will happen next?"

With the colonel's serious expression, I straightened up.

"The enemy commander is probably considering what to do with Sunkcost."

"Sunkcost?"

I apologize. There's no Swaidel word for Sunkcost yet.

"Basically, they can't back down now. They've taken significant casualties trying to capture this small fortress. It's a matter of responsibility for the commander."

For the Bruges army, which had captured Godo Fortress, capturing Zeffel Castle was just a mopping-up operation. They probably didn't expect such strong resistance. I didn't expect it either. This isn't how wars are fought in this region.

They were supposed to win easily, but they took significant casualties. Moreover, the fortress is in ruins, and they can't loot supplies.

If I were the commander, I'd be at a loss. Even if they win, they won't gain anything.

The colonel listened to my explanation and nodded with a smile.

"I see. If they retreat here, the commander will be seen as incompetent, but capturing the fortress won't be a significant achievement. It's a dilemma."

"Yes. The enemy can't afford to show any more incompetence. However, whether they attack cautiously to minimize casualties or launch a full-scale attack to avoid a prolonged battle is uncertain."

"You're right. With an enemy like the one who blew up the gate, it's questionable whether textbook tactics will work."

I blush at the comment.

While we were talking, the girls of the 6th Special Task Brigade were firing from the gunports. The defense towers were surrounded by the scattered enemy, and if we did nothing, they would slowly approach. If we were careless, they would climb up and invade.

I smiled at the colonel.

"For now, we can relax. Captain Dambur must be tired, so it might be better if you take command for a while."

"I'm on my first deployment?"

"You can do it, Colonel."

In chess terms, it's like giving up most of the territory and fortifying with gold, silver, and knights. We've set up a good position, so we can hold out for a few moves.

In this situation, the colonel's courage and popularity will shine. I'm not cut out for command. I lack the qualities of a general.

So, I'm idle again. I'm useless in the execution phase of the plan.

"I'll go have breakfast."

"Even in this state of being surrounded by the enemy?"

I grinned at the colonel on his first deployment.

"From now on, I'll eat and sleep while being surrounded by the enemy. This is my daily life."

"That's true. I'll take it easy too."

The colonel smiled and waved lightly.

* * *

The siege turned out to be a battle of morale, as expected.

The enemy didn't attack that day.

Strictly speaking, enemy scouts crossed the rubble at the gate several times but were mowed down by the 6th Special Task Brigade's volleys each time.

A few made it to the inner buildings, but all the passages to the defense towers were blocked. They were all eliminated by rifle fire while wandering around.

The most determined one made it to the eastern wall to check the abandoned cannons.

Of course, they were already destroyed, so it was a wasted effort. He was eliminated by Laila's sniper shot before he could return with the information.

Without cannons, the enemy couldn't bring their line infantry close to our defense towers.

The walls of the defense towers were several centimeters thick and couldn't be destroyed by musket fire. They were far from the flimsy walls of a poorly constructed fortress.

Thus, the battle entered a stalemate as planned.

It's an ideal situation. We can buy time without doing anything. It's so textbook that the military academy instructors should praise me.

However, most of the soldiers don't seem to think so.

The defenders of Zeffel Castle and our 6th Special Task Brigade have little experience with sieges. Being isolated and surrounded by the enemy is an unimaginable stress.

They can't eat, can't sleep, and can't even use the toilet. Soldiers started showing these symptoms from the first day.

On the second day of the siege, I began to worry that my expectations were too optimistic.

"Everyone looks terrible. Did you get any sleep?"

The girls shook their heads silently.

They can train for actions and knowledge, but courage is hard to develop. It comes only with combat experience.

"The enemy is also struggling to attack. They'll probably send a surrender request soon, and our reinforcements will come if we wait."

Hanna, looking sleep-deprived, asked on behalf of everyone.

"Will they come?"

"We wouldn't be besieged if they weren't coming."

A siege without reinforcements is a slow suicide. That's what we learned in the military academy.

"Even if the reinforcements are delayed, the Bruges army has crossed the border and a mountain. They have supply and retreat issues and can't hold out as long as we can. They're camping out, after all."

In terms of living conditions, the besiegers are in a much worse position. We at least have roofs over our heads.

"Artillery will drive away approaching enemies. We just need to protect the cannons. It's an easy battle."

Occasionally, something bangs against the outer wall, probably musket balls. They're firing from a distance, wary of our cannons, so they don't cause significant damage.

They might hope the balls will fly into the gunports, but the gunports have considerable depth, making it almost impossible.

Still, everyone flinches. I'm a bit scared too.

We have plenty of food, ammunition, and troops, but if morale collapses, we can't fight. And I'm not good at boosting morale.

Then, the colonel laughed and said to everyone in a joking tone.

"Everyone, protect me. I have no intention of surrendering to the Bruges Principality. Besides, I don't have any ransom left."

I've spent quite a bit... Colonel Altsar, who has little territory, relies on remittances from the Medilen family. It's also called a "stipend."

The girls immediately tightened their expressions.

"Of course!"

"We'll protect you with our lives!"

"Without you, my mother and I would have starved to death!"

"We'll protect you! Colonel, you're so small and cute!"

He's so popular. I'm jealous.

I was a bit worried, but with the colonel's popularity, morale seems to be holding up.

At that moment, a girl monitoring the outside shouted.

"The enemy is moving! They're forming a battle line!"

Here they come.