Chapter 671: Encirclement Completed

With the Regent’s verbal approval secured, the partitioned encirclement plan was carried out in an orderly fashion.

Charles first amassed the main force around Coldwind City, forming a tightening blockade.

Afterward, he personally led an elite detachment on a forced overnight march to launch a surprise raid on Kaelrent City to the north of Coldwind City.

Meanwhile, the duke’s adjutant took soldiers of slightly weaker combat capability and advanced south, attempting to bring a wide swath of villages and towns under control, ensuring they could keep tabs on the surrounding nobles at any time, and forming a pincer with the magitech army centered on Lyra.

Everything unfolded exactly like Lyra had judgment on the hillside. Grant had chosen to hoard enormous logistical resources and station troops in Coldwind City, which meant the defenses on both flanks would inevitably be relatively weak.

The imperial troops advancing from the south encountered only scattered resistance. The resisters were generally between knight and great knight in strength, mostly the original town militias, lacking organization and command, unable of amounting to anything.

Faced with an imperial equipped army with standardized magitech devices, they put up a token fight for a short while before raising their hands to surrender.

As for Kaelrent City, when Charles arrived, all he saw was a low city wall, a rudimentary defensive magitech array that could only be called crude, and very few defenders.

There was no need for a standoff like the one at Coldwind City, where accompanying mages used earth-element magic to raise a camp and face the defenders at a distance. Charles merely halted for half a day, letting the troops eat their fill and recover, then began the siege.

Once again, the magitech-armed army displays terrifying combat power. Whether it was the storm shields used for defense or the firelances and plasma bombs used for offense, elite equipment paired with soldiers who already had some foundation in magical theory produced twice the results with half the effort. Even with walls and defensive arrays reinforcing Kaelrent City, it lasted only a few hours before it fell.

After the troops stormed the city, Charles strictly followed Astrid’s instructions.

They only seized Grant’s grain stores and those of his lackeys, used to replenish rations they couldn’t carry during the night raid. At the same time, they sought out soldiers’ families in the city.

Paying them sack after sack of coarse wheat, they had them write letters to the garrison in Coldwind City, describing in detail the strict discipline the Valeria Empire’s army imposed after entering Kaelrent City, their lenient attitude toward civilians, never taking so much as a hair’s breadth, and the surrender terms the Regent had promised them.

Those who laid down their weapons will receive corresponding treatment as prisoners of war according to their military rank and the pay they had received, and under the Valeria Empire’s arrangements will engage in basic infrastructure work: building bridges and walls, farming and hunting, and a whole series of tasks, ensuring they will at least have food to eat.

And, more importantly, doing construction within the borderlands between the kingdom and the empire was far safer, certainly better than stubbornly defending the walls and dying for Duke Grant, who levied heavy taxes year after year.

Now that the duke’s power was waning and his territories were falling one after another, if hostilities resumed, blades and steel would show no mercy, only adding more slaughter.

Besides these rational analyses and painted promises, some politically savvy soldiers had the families lean into emotion as well, word by word, heartfelt and sincere, hoping the conscripted men would return home soon and be reunited with them.

Through notices posted everywhere and grain actually handed out, in just a day or two Charles gathered enough family letters and handed them to the intelligence officer to be delivered to Astrid as quickly as possible.

On the other side, good news came from the adjutant as well. In order to resist the Valeria Empire’s army, Grant had forcibly conscripted many able-bodied youths from the surrounding towns several days earlier. They were now in Coldwind City, serving as a logistics force and reserve garrison.

From this, it was clear the morale of Coldwind City’s defenders couldn’t possibly be high, indeed, it might be even worse than Lyra had expected.

Soon, letters from both detached forces arrived. After reading them carefully, Astrid ordered her soldiers to work day and night to make copies, reproducing even the accidental ink smears stuck on the paper, preserving the completeness and authenticity of the letters’ contents.

With backups made of everything, Astrid told her subordinates to prepare at once. Then she turned her head to look at Lyra.

"With this, even if Grant wants to confiscate them, it won’t be so easy."

Based on the intelligence they had now, the garrison in Coldwind City generally had little desire to fight. A large portion hadn’t wanted to enlist in the first place, they’d been forced.

Thinking about it, that was normal. The political system of the Kingdom of Velys was extremely similar to the medieval European states of Astrid’s previous life.

Under this loose control, the great lords, and even the many tenant farmers beneath them, didn’t actually possess a particularly strong concept of the nation.

There was no such thing as a lofty "will to defend the country", especially under the layered exploitation of Duke Grant and the lesser nobles. Their daily lives were miserable to begin with; all they wanted was a bite to eat.

Even if the Valeria Empire truly seized all of Duke Grant’s territories, if Astrid could maintain the surrender terms she was currently offering, they might even choose to rally behind this silver-haired Regent, rather than the already doomed exploiters.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra nodded, speaking softly and gently.

"The encirclement around Coldwind City is already preliminarily complete. Right now, not only can no one come and go, and no caravans transport supplies, not even a bird can fly out."

Regardless of the escapee’s strength reaching mid-tier Magnus level or above, there was only the faintest chance of breaking through the encirclement, bursting out of the iron barrel of layered containment.

But even that meant little. For one, such strong individuals were scarce even within the Kingdom of Velys. For another, magi generally held a transcendent status. Even if they could bring back to Coldwind City the news that the surrounding cities had not all fallen, it would at most steady Grant’s nerves.

Those guards soldiers with taut nerves, the forcibly conscripted logistics troops, the laborers patching walls day after day, none of them would definitely believe it.

Anyone would think: the family letters are right there, the handwriting can’t be faked. Maybe the people above are only saying that to keep them steady.

Once rumors took root, they would spread quickly to every corner, making the already wavering army even more anxious.

"Go do it, my dear."

Gathering up the final stack of envelopes and placing them beside her legs, Astrid gently lowered her crossed knees. The faint rustle of silk echoed through the study.

"Grant doesn’t have much time left."

Surrendering early and surrendering only after being beaten back to the city walls, Astrid’s terms would not be the same.

And once the city fell, for Duke Grant personally, it would be yet another story altogether.

At that, Lyra nodded and gave a low hum. Her fingertips brushed the letters, and three or four piles of parchment nearly half a person tall all turned into points of light, merging into the imprint of the Sword of Light.

Thirty minutes later, the soldiers responsible for operating magitech weapons received a task from their superiors. They stuffed the item Countess Lyra had put them into the launch tube and used the power provided by the magitech apparatus to send it into Coldwind City not far away.

"Just... stuff it in like this... will it really work?"

"If Lady Lyra says so, then we do it like firing the magitech cannon before. Just follow orders."

"Understood. I’ll arrange it now."

The massive metal cannon, radiating a chill, aimed at the magnificent city beyond the slope.

Several Valeria soldiers in light armor wore grave expressions as they calibrated the magitech weapon.

Following the operating method given from above, they temporarily reduced the output of the earth and fire elemental crystal stones to zero, while increasing the wind element’s output efficiency, further compressing the object inside the barrel so it could gain a higher initial velocity.

Because so many magic devices require fire and lightning elemental crystals, a shortage of those attribute magic crystals was a foreseeable future.

Therefore, when Carlota developed the magitech cannon, she had considered other uses: besides firing shells condensed from fire and earth elements, it was also needed to be able to release highly destructive columnar searing light, or use other lethal objects as substitutes.

Astrid knew the backdoor Charlotte had left in the magitech great cannon, and she knew how to control it. Using it to fire letters, creating a shower above Coldwind City, was perfect.

"Load them first. In a moment, follow my signal. Her Highness the Regent will order the magitech great cannons on the north and south to fire first. After you hear the roar, have the observers watch the defensive array above Coldwind City closely. Once cracks of transparent patterns appear, or worse, holes, then you begin preparations and start charging wind pressure."

Like the Liya Fortress back then, Coldwind City was also densely packed with mana nodes of defensive arrays around it. The entire wall, and even the sky above it, was covered within, blocking all bombardment magic and thrown attacks from striking the defending troops.

If they wanted to put the items Lyra had ordered into the city, the first thing they had to do was tear open a mouth in the defensive barrier.

"Yes, sir."

As the soldier’s reply fell, the offensive position formed by magitech devices continued calibrating the great cannons in an orderly manner. The commander who had issued the order remained in place, gaze fixed far to the north, toward the allied line facing them from afar.

Time passed second by second. Footsteps behind gradually ceased. The soldiers’ murmurs grew so quiet the wind scattered them. Everyone’s attention concentrated on Coldwind City in the near distance.

Finally, in the third hour after Lyra’s order, the magitech great cannons arranged in ranks to the north and south began to run. Scorching energy gathered inside the barrels, rapidly blooming into light that rivals the sun.

Then, destructive pillars of light slammed into the outside of the city walls. The transparent defensive barrier, like a lake surface disturbed by fallen leaves, was stirred into ripple after ripple of mana.

More than ten minutes later, the observer signaled the line troops to operate the magitech great cannon.

"A crack has appeared. Adjust the firing direction immediately."

"Yes."

Under sustained high-intensity magical bombardment, the array wavered on the verge of collapse. Holes large and small began to manifest. Maintaining a defensive barrier consumed massive manpower and material resources.

Grant originally hadn’t intended to activate it outside wartime, but Astrid had been prepared. The magitech devices transported to the front could run twenty-four hours a day, forcing him to burn money against that unseen Regent.

Elemental crystal stones could be automatically shipped from the border between the two nations. But mages had limited mental strength, and mana nodes required dedicated maintenance. It was impossible to keep this up forever. Grant had to consider putting good steel where it was needed.

Two days ago, he began to draw in the defensive line, requiring the garrison to intercept only those attacks that threaten themselves and the walls, defending selectively.

These were only long-range attacks, at most an appetizer. If too much equipment was worn down by these things before battle truly began, how were they supposed to resist the Valeria Empire’s army afterward?

Might as well wash their necks clean and wait to be cut.

Inside Coldwind City, some mages noticed the holes in the vault of the sky. Thinking of Duke Grant’s order from the day before yesterday, they considered it briefly.

After confirming that from this angle the magitech great cannon could not pose a serious threat to the walls, they began patching the more dangerous holes nearby.

A flood of mana surged across the surface of the transparent barrier, only to be scattered again by cannon fire moments later. Under the pressure of the magitech great cannons, the mages gritted their teeth and repaired the defensive array little by little.

Lyra stood atop the camp watchtower, both hands cradling a delicate small warming stone carved with floral patterns. Using far-sight, she closely monitored the battle’s movements. Specks of snow blown in clung to her fair cheeks, then were steamed by the warmth against her chest, leaving on the surface of her slender, upturned lashes.

At the defenders’ current mana output efficiency, one or two more rounds and the thinnest upper layer of shielding would be broken.

Then the letters meant to strike at their hearts would be delivered into the city, dissolving the army’s will from within, from bottom to top.

In the next instant, a huge roar exploded beside Lyra’s ears. The artillery camp beneath the girl’s feet continued firing searing light toward Coldwind City. The upper half of the fragile eggshell was completely shredded under the unbroken onslaught. The orderly mana particles lost control and fled in all directions, ultimately dispersing into the air.

At the same time, the eastern great cannon that had remained silent finally began to exert its function. One special shell after another shot out along the metal barrel.

Dry cloth covered in frost efficiently absorbed the heat generated as the spherical objects rubbed the barrel. The hard ice turned into white mist, and tightly wrapped letters were hidden within. Along a graceful arc, they drilled through the holes in the defensive array and arrived directly above Coldwind City’s border garrison.

Warm sunlight reflected in Lyra’s sky-blue eyes, illuminating her clear irises until they shone. The girl braced both hands on the watchtower’s window ledge. Her legs, covered in soft white silk, edged forward slightly; the black tips of her shoes pressed against the wall’s base, unintentionally revealing her tension.

Within the land bathed in light, coldwind City, richest under Grant’s control, watched as the shells delivered by magitech great cannons disintegrated in midair. Sheets of parchment as thin as petals scattered on the wind, drifting under the blazing sun down toward the earth.