Volume 2: Iron and Blood Baron Chapter 156: The Defense of Norlandenburg (Part 30)

It was precisely the carelessness of the garrison that had led to the fire at the city gates, nearly causing a disastrous defeat. Such negligence could truly not be tolerated. This tactic had originally been a brilliant maneuver employed by Berian during the battle to recapture Maple Leaf Manor, but now it had been copied and used against him. Truly, the ways of Heaven are cyclical; whom has Heaven ever spared?

After reading the letter, Berian picked up his quill and, on a blank sheet of paper, wrote down his tactical guidance for the defenders of Norden堡 (Nordenburg) for the coming days, reminding Barrett to remain vigilant about certain matters. After all, those Toba pirates had grown quite crafty by now, and precautions had to be taken against any unexpected stratagems they might employ.

Once the messenger from Nordenburg had departed, Beth sat down at Berian’s desk and said with a smile, "We have now been fighting the pirates for three days. Their casualties today were not insignificant; altogether, the pirates have lost over a hundred men. For them, this casualty rate is already extremely high. I estimate they won't be able to hold out much longer."

Berian raised his eyes from the sketches he had been drawing on the desk, looked at Beth, and said, "Indeed. Judging by this casualty rate, we should be able to conclude the battle ahead of our scheduled time. However, as for whether things will go as smoothly as our optimistic projections suggest, it all depends on whether that old dog Asedan will transfer the remaining fifty pirates from the docks tomorrow. If he really moves that last reserve force away, then our victory will be absolute. Of course, if he doesn't make a move tomorrow, we are in no hurry either. We can just stick to our one-week timeline. On our home turf, we have backup troops, high walls to rely on, and no shortage of food, armor, and weapons. We have nothing to fear, no matter how long the fight lasts."

"Hahaha!" Beth laughed heartily upon hearing this. "My lord, if in this battle we manage to completely annihilate Asedan's band of pirates, your peerage is bound to rise another level—that 'viscount' title can finally shed its provisional prefix."

Berian shook his head. "Although our monarch has the intention of promoting me so that the northern and southern nobility will be more willing to go to war with the Valendians, he won't be that generous. A higher peerage means granting more fiefs, and he certainly isn't willing to part with those."

"Hehe!" Beth chuckled. "That's true as well. Still, once we defeat these pirates, our foothold in the North will be completely secure. From now on, no one will fail to know the names of Berian Tuck and Nordenburg."

Hearing this, Berian exchanged a glance with him, and both burst out laughing simultaneously. The laughter startled Blane, who had just pushed open the door to deliver tea, leaving him at a loss as to what happy event could have put the two lords in such high spirits.

Meanwhile, inside the city of Nordenburg, Barrett and Gamling had already received the letter sent to them by Berian via the courier. After opening and reading it, Barrett glanced at Gamling and asked, "Brother Gamling, what do you think?"

Gamling looked over the contents of the letter once more and replied, "The lord's instructions for defending the city and our subsequent combat plan are undoubtedly solid. As for his few reminders, I think they are entirely correct. Whether it was Balin being counter-encircled while harassing the wooden fortress, or the castle gates being burned down during our defense yesterday, it all serves to remind us that these Toba pirates are no fools. Not only are they formidable in combat, but they are also quite clever. We must raise our vigilance to the utmost degree; who knows what other tricks they might pull."

Hearing Gamling's assessment, Barrett nodded. Pointing to a line of text on the letter, he said to Gamling, "Actually, if the pirates really dare to try that, I happen to have an idea to teach them a harsh lesson and make them suffer heavy losses all at once. By then, the lord's operation plan can be completed ahead of schedule."

"Oh? What is it? Tell me about it," Gamling asked with curiosity.

Barrett smiled mysteriously, leaned close to Gamling's ear, and whispered a few words. Gamling's eyes widened with pleasant surprise as he exclaimed, "Commander Barrett, if things go precisely as you envision, we will have rendered a monumental service!"

Barrett lifted his chin proudly and replied, "Naturally! Once this battle is over, our militia regiment won't have to fight under the name of militia anymore. We should be able to enter the ranks of regular combat forces. After a few more battles, when our lord is promoted from a provisional baron to a true baron, I might even become a knighthood holder myself. I suppose that would officially count as stepping into the ranks of the nobility,哈哈哈!"

Upon hearing this, Gamling quickly stood up and executed a commoner's salute to nobility, saying, "Sir Barrett, the commoner Gamling pays his respects to you."

Barrett playfully flicked his foot in a mock kick, which Gamling nimbly dodged. Then Barrett laughed and scolded, "I was just daydreaming out loud, and you actually went along with it. You're just making fun of me."

Gamling shook his head with a smile and responded, "I am not joking at all, my esteemed Sir Barrett. I am expressing my respect to you from the very bottom of my heart. By the God of Fire, may you bear witness to my reverence for Sir Barrett."

At this, Barrett raised his fist in a mock punch and said, "Let me teach you a lesson!"

The two grown men, both senior officers of Nordenburg, engaged in a childlike tussle atop the city walls for a brief moment. The tension and exhaustion of two days of fierce combat were completely swept away. Barrett then said to Gamling, "Brother Gamling, let's go make proper preparations. Tonight is destined to be an extraordinary night."

"Agreed! If things go according to our expectations tonight, we might well be drinking the victory wine tomorrow or the day after!" Gamling said with palpable excitement.

Meanwhile, inside the wooden fortress not far from Nordenburg, Asedan was pouring parting wine for a squad of pirates about to set out. After filling every man's bowl to the brim, he shouted loudly: "Believers of the Ocean God! Sons of Toba Island! My good brothers! Tonight depends entirely on you. Whether we continue to feed human lives into the meat grinder and suffer dozens more casualties before breaching the castle, or whether we slip inside tonight with minimal losses, rests completely upon you! Warriors, do you have confidence?"

"We do!" the squad of Toba pirates shouted in unison, their voices firm and unwavering in their belief of success tonight.

Asedan looked at them with immense satisfaction and said, "Good! The men of Toba Island are all fine fellows, and I trust you! Come, raise your wine bowls. Shortly, we shall drain them in a single gulp. After drinking this wine, the tempestuous Wind God will grant you endless strength, and the beautiful Ocean Goddess will bestow her protection upon you. Warriors of Toba Island, invincible! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" the warriors shouted together, swallowed the wine in their bowls in one gulp, and then set out into the night.