bookandnovel Chapter 942 Forward, forward!
Chapter 942 Forward, forward!
Chapter 942 Forward, forward!
The Crusaders captured Lakhba faster than anyone had imagined.
Because when the Crusaders arrived at Laheba, this formidable castle, which even with its complete siege equipment would require a tremendous amount of time and heavy casualties to breach, had already lost most of its organization.
Disguised as a caravan, the Shadow of Darkness, led by Cherinina, nearly wiped out all the middle and upper-ranking officers in the castle and opened the city gates.
Bathed in holy light, the invulnerable knights of the monastic order followed Jeanne in single file.
The Undead soldiers, trapped in a situation of fighting their own battles, were unable to organize an effective counterattack and were thus divided and surrounded in various corners of the castle.
In the end, the Immortals, renowned for their elite status and the Sasanian royal guard, became the first Sasanian army to surrender en masse after the start of the Fifth Crusade.
Of the three thousand Undying Army warriors, nearly two thousand chose to lay down their weapons.
The valiant female general removed her helmet and urged sternly, "Hand over this castle to the brothers of the Shadow of Darkness. Forget about the prisoners. Take all the horses from the stables and stuff your saddlebags with as much supplies as possible. We have no time to rest. Before the Sassanids can react, we must swallow their entire border guard force whole."
The capture of Lakhba was just an appetizer; the real main course was the Sasanian western border army, which was stationed in Haditha, just behind Lakhba.
If Rakhba was the throat of the Sasanian dynasty, then Haditha was the valve of its heart.
Once the city is captured, the Crusader cavalry can advance eastward along the Euphrates River and reach Baghdad in just three days at most.
Although Baghdad was not the capital of the Sasanian dynasty, its status was not much lower than that of Ctesiphon. Every year, the Sasanian King of Kings would spend a third of his time there.
The two cities, only 30 kilometers apart, have gradually developed over the years into cities similar to the future "Buda" and "Pest" of Hungary. They may even merge into one administrative unit in the future, which may be called "Bate".
The Frankish cavalry quickly gathered their spoils, and the massive cavalry formation kicked up clouds of dust as they galloped across the open fields, leaving only a hundred or so members of the Shadow of Darkness to guard the prisoners, who outnumbered their own forces by more than tenfold, with chills running down their spines.
"Don't move!"
In the shadows, a woodland archer suddenly fired an arrow with lightning speed, pinning the undead soldier who was sneaking towards the sacred fire altar to the ground. The soldier let out a shrill wail.
The prisoners looked at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the Undead chose to surrender when they realized the situation was hopeless. This does not mean they immediately transformed from a pack of lions into lambs to the slaughter.
"Those who want to live, don't move! Our people are on their way!"
"Miss Cherinina, what do we do now?"
"or."
The captain of the Shadows had a cold expression and drew a hand chop on his neck.
Many of them were dark creatures recruited by Kurs, and some were even vampires or blood servants that Kurs had personally transformed. Their behavior was far from "merciful."
The main Crusader force was still far from arriving, and it was simply impossible for a little over a hundred men to guard two thousand.
"No need, leave it to me."
Just as Cherinina was about to make a move to intimidate the prisoners, she suddenly sensed something and raised her head.
In the clouds, a small black dot was rapidly growing larger!
Roar--
Accompanied by three dragon roars, each with a different tone.
The enormous dragon spread its wings, which blotted out the sky, and swooped down toward Lakhba Castle—it was Ladon, the dragon that had already advanced to Elite 2. Now, its strength was far greater than when it attacked Constantinople under Mahmud II's command.
Two much smaller female dragons followed closely behind it. These two female dragons had already laid dragon eggs for Ladon, which were placed in the Alexandrian dragon's nest, which was guarded by special personnel. However, they had not yet hatched, and it was unknown whether the young dragons would be able to inherit Ladon's alien bloodline after they were born.
Cherinina pushed her twin swords, which were half-drawn, back into their sheaths: "It seems I don't need to take action."
With her current strength, if they were to actually fight, Ladon might not be her match.
But in terms of deterrence, Ladon is miles ahead of her.
At this moment, a minor leader of the Shadow of Darkness suddenly stepped forward and said, "Gentlemen, I am the younger brother of King Bahram and a servant of Prince Kusru. Please hear me out. The Tatars of the East are enemies of civilization and the forerunners of the devils who destroy the world. They readily burn down cities, destroy farmland, block water sources, and slaughter civilians."
Bahram was incompetent. Domestically, the court was controlled by the treacherous Mustafa; internationally, he first lost his Khitan ally and then suffered a defeat at Khwarazm, causing vast Persian territories to fall into the hands of infidels. How could such a foolish ruler possibly withstand those brutal executioners? Look at what he did: he assembled an army, yet simply allowed the Persian region to become a hellish place under the iron heel of the infidels, without even considering offering any rescue.
This minor leader had been lurking in Ctesiphon, disguised as a jeweler, and was fully aware of what was happening in Sassanid times.
"His Highness Khosrau is wise and mighty, and has also established a close alliance with the Frankish Emperor. Although they are heretics, they will not interfere in our country's politics. All of this is to resist those barbaric Tatars!"
"So please be patient for now. A more qualified King of Kings awaits your allegiance, and the believers in Persia are in dire need of your salvation. Do not waste your lives for that foolish ruler, Bahram."
Under the soothing influence of the Shadow of Darkness and the intimidation of the dragon Ladon, the prisoners quickly quieted down and obediently returned to their respective camps.
On the other side, the Crusader cavalry, having left Laheba, continued their journey without stopping. When their mounts died of exhaustion, they simply abandoned them and rode new ones. When their supplies ran out, they immediately sent a message to Lothar, asking him to personally deliver the Emperor's Ring.
They encountered very little resistance along the way.
After a month-long mobilization by the Sassanid king, most of the elite troops under the Iqta lords in the west had already gathered in Ctesiphon for training. Now, suddenly attacked by the Crusaders, they were completely caught off guard.
For two whole days and nights, the Crusader cavalrymen barely slept, eating and drinking on horseback.
When Jeanne arrived at a hilltop and looked into the distance, she could already see the walls of Hades.
"Rest for fifteen minutes, feed the horses, and put on your armor."
Jeanne's command was brief and forceful.
With bloodshot eyes and covered in dust, the Crusader cavalrymen quickly began to help their comrades put on their gear.
A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye. As Jeanne raised the Holy Lance in her hand and slowly tilted it down, pointing it directly at the distant city of Hades, a thunderous roar of charges erupted behind her.
The robust Saracen warhorse, clad in full armor, moved forward with small, quick steps, driven by its master.
From slow pace to galloping, in just a few minutes, the Crusader cavalry had squeezed out the full power of their prized mounts.
Thick black smoke billowed from the sacred fire altar in the city, and the soldiers on guard frantically swung their shovels to fill it with fuel.
The villagers scattered outside the city walls and the residents on the roads screamed and hid in their rooms as if they had seen a demon.
Dang Dang Dang!
The urgent sound of the copper bells was like a vengeful ghost chasing after people.
But everything happened too fast, from the enemy launching their surprise attack to the discovery of their presence in Haditha.
The defenders simply couldn't comprehend how these Franks had crossed the treacherous desert, bypassed the heavily guarded city of Laheba with its three thousand undead soldiers, and traversed the territories of the Iqta lords, appearing outside Hades as if they were divine warriors descending from the heavens.
Whoosh whoosh—
The armored horse archers drew their bows, suppressing the defenders on the city walls.
Bathed in holy light, the friars chanted "Hallelujah" and raised their lances.
Squeak, squeak, squeak—
As the Sassanid soldiers frantically turned the winches, the city gates slowly began to close.
The veins on their faces bulged, and their arms were so tense from the exertion that they resembled granite.
"Quickly, push!"
"It's almost too late!"
In the end, by a mere hundred meters, amidst the relieved and gratified looks of the Sasanian soldiers, the heavy city gate finally slammed shut with a bang.
One of the Sassanid garrison soldiers retreated behind the parapet with a sense of relief: "Thanks to the protection of the Holy Fire, these Franks ultimately failed."
Just thinking about the unsuspecting city of Haditha being stormed in by these Franks made him imagine the terrible massacre that would ensue. Although there were many soldiers stationed in the city, they all had their own lives, and in the chaos, it would be difficult to find their own camp.
“Many of us are still outside the city. If the Franks can’t take the city, they will definitely plunder civilians as compensation.”
"Wait, why is the sound of horses' hooves getting closer?"
"Damn it, are these lunatics planning to smash the city gate open with their heads?"
Amidst the incredulous gazes of the Sassanid garrison, the female knight, leading the charge, slowly raised the lance in her hand.
“Holy!”
After a low murmur, the sacred object, regarded as the "Spear of Longinus," burst forth with golden light, like a small sun.
boom--
The city walls were trembling.
The Sassanid defenders could barely stand; it felt as if they had encountered a terrible earthquake.
Amidst billowing smoke and countless flying wood chips.
A chestnut-red Akhal-Teke horse, carrying a rider, charged straight out of the dust and haze.
Behind her stretched an endless line of Crusader cavalry, like a giant python.
Some of the Sassanid garrison soldiers, watching this scene in disbelief, couldn't help but exclaim, "It's over, Hades is finished!"