Chapter 55: The Western Large Talent Market

Almost simultaneously, a heavy and lingering horn sounded from the tall walls of Rouelle City. Everyone's hearts were immediately stirred.

The great bell at the top of the Bright Church in the city also began to sway, as if echoing the horn on the city wall.

All the lords immediately rushed to the city wall with their private soldiers, while the common people quickly ran home, leaving the once bustling streets suddenly deserted.

Just then, a knightly order appeared on the nearly empty streets.

They wore blood-red armor with gold trim, their broad physique making the armor look very sturdy. In addition, their weapons were also quite distinctive: they held thick knightly fan shields in their left hands and shiny steel war hammers in their right.

The flag they held displayed a burning lion's head.

The Royal Knights of Saint Martin - the Fierce Sun Lion Knight Order.

These disciplined, well-trained warriors walked past Alexander in perfect formation. For some reason, Alexander felt as if he could sense the heat radiating from them.

What does elite mean?

This is what elite means.

The system's voice did not sound, nor did it introduce this knightly order. After all, they were not Alexander's enemies, so it couldn't assess the ranking of this knightly order. But Alexander knew that the Fierce Sun Lion Knight Order was definitely one of the top knightly orders.

Moreover, the Fierce Sun Lion Knight Order had absolutely no relationship with the Lion family.

Given Lord Harley's strength, how could he possibly afford such elite troops? Even selling the entire castle wouldn't be enough.

Alexander pondered for a moment and shouted, "Victor, come with me. Everyone else, find a place to hide."

"Yes, my lord."

The mysterious man in the black robe, Victor, took off his outer garment. It turned out to be Victor.

It had to be said that Victor was already quite familiar with this area.

Fortunately, the two of them went out with their equipment. As for the other laborers, asking them to participate in such a high-level battle was tantamount to sending them to their deaths. It was better to hide without dragging their feet.

Alexander and Victor followed the Fierce Sun Lion Knight Order straight up the city wall through the interior stairs.

On the broad city wall, there were all kinds of warriors: the city guards, the private soldiers of the lords, the temporarily recruited militia, various knightly orders, and mercenaries, totaling about 800 people.

Along the edge of the city wall were placed heavy crossbows, fire pots, and small catapults.

Hoover and his men ran around, arranging the city defenses and trying to evenly distribute the various units on the city walls.

Outside the city, the Vidian troops were densely packed, gradually approaching under the leadership of the Vidian king and marshal. The two armies combined to muster about 1,200 soldiers to attack the city.

They were currently planning to camp outside the city and construct siege equipment.

"It's impossible to attack the city today," Alexander judged as he observed the situation outside the walls. After all, Rouelle City, being a border city, had high and thick walls. Without siege equipment, trying to take it with just ladders would be underestimating the warriors of Saint Martin.

"The Vidian troops are rash, but they still have some common sense," he added.

"Your Excellency Alexander, where are your troops?" Hoover walked up to Alexander and asked. He had nearly completed the arrangement of the city defenses and was aware of Alexander, who had recently shown remarkable performance, showing signs of rising as a new star in the kingdom.

Alexander pointed to Victor and said brazenly, "This is my unit. Do you need me to defend a section of the wall alone, Marshal Hoover?"

Hoover's mouth twitched slightly. Defend a section of the wall alone with just you two? Isn't that just gambling with everyone's lives?

"You and... your troops, assist as needed," Hoover suppressed his impulse to use Alexander's head as a flagpole on the spot with his noble upbringing, and gave Alexander a task of little importance.

"Absolutely, we will complete the task!" Alexander grinned at Hoover and quickly nodded in agreement.

This was equivalent to giving Alexander the status of a free man. He could run around as he pleased. After all, Hoover couldn't believe that two people could make a significant difference in a battle involving thousands, let alone influence the outcome.

For three consecutive days, the Vidian troops remained outside Rouelle City, tightly stationed just outside the city walls. Even six-year-old children in Saint Martin knew that these Vidian savages were definitely up to no good.

Sure enough, after three days, the Vidian army spread out their formations, fully prepared to take Rouelle City in one fell swoop.

Saint Martin and the Vidians, old adversaries who had clashed countless times over hundreds of years, and the Vidians had besieged cities many times before. However, this time, the Vidians seemed a little different.

"Are you sure those are Vidian troops over there?" Hoover stood on the high arrow tower, asking his subordinates in astonishment. If he hadn't seen the fierce, domineering, and punchable face of the Vidian king, Hoover would have thought the troops were disguised Imperial soldiers.

For three days, the Vidian army had constructed extravagant siege equipment, including battering rams, siege ladders, and even three large trebuchets. It was quite unreasonable. Hoover couldn't believe that the Vidian soldiers, who were even more muscle-bound and simple-minded than the Saint Martinians, could produce such advanced engineering.

In reality, there was a much simpler explanation: Imperial engineers were trying to make some extra money. Under the effective rule of Duke Andrew, the economy of the Western Empire had collapsed. Forced to seek opportunities abroad, many talented individuals from the Western Empire had to find a way to make a living.

Coincidentally, the Vidian Kingdom needed top-notch engineers to build siege equipment for them. So, they struck a deal: the Vidian Kingdom provided the funds, and the Imperial engineers provided the brains. Together, they planned to crush Saint Martin Kingdom.

Hoover couldn't believe that the usually brainless Vidians had suddenly developed a brain. These Imperial-made siege weapons significantly increased the Vidian's attacking power, making the defense of Saint Martin Kingdom extremely difficult.

Meanwhile, upon seeing the first catapult, Alexander ran. But he didn't run too far, just hiding at the foot of the city wall, using it as cover to prevent himself from being smashed into minced meat by the flying stones. He could even hear the impassioned speeches of the Vidian king outside the walls:

"In the blood of the Vidians flows the glory of conquerors! Brave voices echo in our ears, urging us to fight! Either sever the heads of our enemies or respond to the call of Valhalla! May victory be bestowed upon our swords, and may misfortune befall our enemies, their blood offering to our Vidian gods!"

With the Vidian king's level of eloquence, such a magnificent declaration of war would be impossible. Hence, they had also hired a few Imperial bureaucrats on the side.