Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

He had originally supported Damon, the Old Duke’s younger brother, on the matter of succession, especially after the Old Duke’s only son had died.

But in the end, the title was unexpectedly inherited by the son of Penny, the Old Duke’s second daughter.

However, having obtained more in-depth intelligence, he knew that this Little Duke actually possessed the bloodline of two Isaris, so he was able to put his mind at ease.

Because among the younger generation, no one’s bloodline was purer, and no one was more suitable to sit in this position!

"Has there been any news from Damon yet?"

Cross spoke. His voice was calm, but anyone who knew the Marquis understood that the anger in his heart had reached its peak.

"My Lord, his orders are to hold our ground, and only to hold our ground!"

The voice that answered Cross was respectful, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction it contained. "I really don’t know what our dear Marshal Damon is thinking. They’re just a bunch of commoners. If they die, they die. As long as we deal with these Northern Guys first, we can always go back and clean up that mess later. It’s not like that’s impossible."

Most of the nobles in the Southern Territory were very dissatisfied with one of Damon’s actions in this war.

Ever since the Northern Territory made clear its intention to march south to supposedly reclaim everything that belongs to Miss Liya, they had been actively preparing for war. They began conscripting and training militia, and blacksmith forges burned day and night, crafting weapons and armor.

Thus, an army of nearly 200,000 was assembled. As the forward outpost, Black Stone Castle received a great deal of logistical support and soldier reinforcements. The main legion was stationed here, its influence radiating out to the surrounding towns.

An army of 200,000, along with a dozen Priests from the Church and Damon’s Magic Beast Cavalry Corps, was more than enough to fight not just a small-scale battle, but even a large-scale one between nations.

At the time, they all cherished the same hope: to teach those stinking Northern Guys a harsh lesson and make them understand who the most powerful people in Debei truly were.

But then, a few months ago, grim news came from the Watch Mountain Range in the south. Because Damon, the Guard Army Commander tasked with defending the border, had long been absent, the Lizardmen from the mountains had emerged once again.

They even united with other Half-Beastman races, claiming to have a force of 200,000, and jointly launched an assault on White Bone Fortress. In just three days, White Bone Fortress was in imminent danger. Countless message crows flew to Kolon one after another, as if to underscore the urgency of the situation.

The letters were then forwarded from Kolon to Black Stone Castle.

Just as the Northern Territory began to mass its army for a southern campaign, the high-spirited troops already stationed in Black Stone Castle were abruptly split up by a stubborn Damon. After reading the letters, he single-handedly decided to take the majority of the forces south to intercept the Lizardmen.

This action led the other nobles to angrily denounce how utterly absurd he was. This war clearly concerned his own power, and even his life, yet with the Northern Army already marching south, he chose to go intercept some Lizardmen.

In the eyes of most nobles, even if the Lizardmen did manage to take White Bone Fortress, they would, at worst, only plunder a few villages and towns and kill some commoners. This was utterly incomparable to the war for the dukedom right in front of them, a war that would decide whether or not they would face a political purge.

To this day, there was still no news from him.

"At least Damon left us half the Mages, didn’t he?" Cross said with a self-deprecating smile.

As a Military Marquis past the age of fifty, he had experienced no small number of battles and could be called richly experienced. But at this moment, he still had to consider a nearly unsolvable problem.

Namely, how to use 30,000 soldiers, 20,000 conscripted militia, and seven or eight Casters to fight an army of 200,000 and several times their own number of Mages.

He had considered retreating to Kolon, whose walls were grander and defenses more formidable, but that would mean they would have no strategic depth left, forcing them to bet everything on a single, final stand.

Therefore, while holding Black Stone Castle wasn’t the best solution, it was the only option at present.

Some time ago, he had chosen to send three Casters to support Kalia Town, precisely to distract the enemy and strictly prevent them from learning that Damon had gone south, which would reveal the current defensive vacuum in the Southern Territory.

"Although our Marshal has done a foolish thing, we cannot say he was wrong," Cross’s tone was calm. "At least he has demonstrated the spirit of a Knight."

If he were looking at it purely as a commander-in-chief, some sacrifices would be necessary to win the war. In that case, he would have unhesitatingly abandoned the commoners on the border to ensure victory in this fight for the dukedom.

But from the perspective of a Marquis and a nobleman, he would naturally not allow Half-Beastmen to invade his domain and slaughter the commoners of his fief.

"Yes, my Lord." The noble who had just spoken seemed ashamed, but the feeling passed in an instant.

"What we must do now is hold Black Stone Castle." At this, Cross, the white-haired old man, smiled. "I hope I can live long enough to see the reinforcements from my former student arrive."

"You will surely lead us to hold out."

The nobles behind him all showed looks of hope.

This Old Marquis was the only Marquis in the Southern Territory, and his legendary stories were innumerable.

In his youth, he was merely the heir to a Baron, a graduate of the Royal Court’s military academy.

But after graduating, he did not choose to inherit his father’s title. Instead, he joined the army of Damon’s father and could even be considered Damon’s military instructor.

His most famous battle was when he defeated a rebel army of nearly 10,000 Lizardmen with just eight hundred soldiers.

He even captured one of their Legion Commanders alive during a conflict with the Holy Sith Kingdom, causing the impending war to die down before it could begin.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that if he hadn’t declined the position by claiming he was too old, the title of Marshal in this war would have absolutely been his.

His current status was built entirely upon these countless military achievements.

Although the Northern Army was more elite than those Lizardmen had been, their numbers weren’t more than ten times their own, as the Lizardmen’s were. The enemy was less than five times their strength, they held the defensive advantage, and their commander-in-chief was the militarily proficient Marquis Cross.

In the eyes of these nobles, it wasn’t as if there was no chance of holding Black Stone Castle.

"Let’s go. The enemy won’t begin the siege at a moment’s notice. We still have a few more quiet days." Marquis Cross turned to leave, his black robe revealing glimpses of the fine Plate Armor and Sword beneath.

’How to counter the enemy’s Casters is a difficult problem. I’ll need to think about it carefully.’

...

On the outskirts of Black Stone Castle, a dozen or so black dots stood on high ground, surveying the city before them.

Levi stood on Biefeng’s head, holding a spyglass and observing the top of the opposite city wall.

Although Black Stone Castle couldn’t compare to Kolon or Bailiu City, with its black walls standing nearly thirteen blades high, it could definitely be called a formidable fortress.

"Brother-in-law, do you think we can take this city?"

Mier looked at the towering walls of Black Stone Castle, a worried expression on his face.

As the "rustic militia" from High Cliff Castle that scraped by in the Wilderness, all the battles they had fought were in the open field. They had barely even seen a castle wall. For them, attacking a city was a first, like a maiden’s first ride in a bridal sedan.

"With so many of us, we could take it just by throwing bodies at it, not to mention those Ice and Snow Priests are no pushovers."

Levi replied casually, his spyglass still trained on a group of people on the enemy’s wall.

They were a few Clergy members from the Earth Mother Goddess Church. The Lord even spotted a few old acquaintances among them.

It was the three Casters from Kalia Town. To think they had escaped all the way here.

They were clearly praying for the soldiers and boosting their morale. After all, when you have Casters on your side, their very presence can boost the morale of the rank-and-file grunts, even if they do nothing but stand there.

"The art of war says you can surround a city with ten times the enemy’s forces and attack it with five times. We’re at about five times their number, give or take."

The Lord added.

Thanks to the Priests of the Ice and Snow Church flying their Magic Snowbirds over Black Stone Castle for reconnaissance every day, the number of defenders in the city was no longer a secret to them.

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