‘Battle’?
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Kevin hardly slept that night, his mind constantly torn between fleeing or staying to fight alongside everyone against the lord's army.
In the end, he decided to stay and face whatever came with the others.
Kevin was almost certain that the lord's mansion would send troops to suppress them; it was just a matter of when.
After the group decided to "negotiate" with the lord yesterday, Kevin had confidence in their strength but also knew that the upcoming struggle would not be easy.
To gain a greater advantage, they set up camp in Fabe Village because their own village lacked adequate defensive structures. The camp used to defend against pirates had been dismantled after the pirates were defeated.
Now, the only defensive building they could find was the Biden family's mansion, which was practically a small fortress.
To avoid implicating their family members who remained in their village, they sent someone back that night to inform them to take shelter in nearby forests or coastal caves until the new lord took over. This was their practice whenever the village learned of an impending pirate attack.
From the tower below, the smell of roasted meat wafted up as the courtyard filled with laughter and joy. After Biden fled, the villagers had taken over the cattle and sheep from his home, so they enjoyed meat at every meal, something they rarely had.
However, Kevin had no appetite; he had a sense that something bad was about to happen.
At dawn, he took on the task of keeping watch and stayed in the highest part of the tower without coming down, only quickly eating some bread when someone brought it to him.
They had gathered nearly a thousand people, so there might be… perhaps… a chance of success? Kevin repeatedly reassured himself; since he had decided to stay and fight together, he needed to give himself some hope.
Around 10 a.m., Kevin's fears were realized when a group appeared in his view.
He immediately recognized them as the lord's army. Kevin, who frequently visited the port of Frand, had seen the navy's drills, with their tight formation and synchronized steps. Such results could only be achieved through extensive training.
"Clang clang clang!"
Kevin immediately rang the bell in the tower, the agreed alarm signal.
The echoing bell caused chaos in the courtyard. Although the villagers were mentally prepared to confront the lord's army, the reality brought fear gripping their hearts.
"Don't panic, take your positions!"
"Grab your weapons, stay calm!"
"We are strong, we are invincible!"
The hastily chosen "commanders" from the previous night kept motivating their subordinates, though they too were nervous.
After a while of chaos, the courtyard finally quieted down, and everyone quietly watched the enemy forces from the wall.
At this point, the enemy had already formed a neat horizontal formation facing the mansion's main gate.
…
"Lord Knight, you must stand up for us!"
"Hang those rebels, help us reclaim our property!"
Several wealthy locals from Fabe Village surrounded Quik, crying and begging him.
Kevin's group had stirred up some bold locals from Fabe Village, but they could only pick up the spoils in the Biden mansion. Once people's emotions were stirred, it was hard to calm them down, and those who felt unsatisfied turned their attention to other wealthy households in the village.
Fearing retaliation, these opportunists also joined the resistance forces at the mansion.
"Alright, everyone, the lord will certainly give you a fair judgment."
Quik had the wealthy locals "invited" away.
He then had a loud soldier use a megaphone to shout at the people on the wall: "This is the final ultimatum from the lord's mansion. Surrender immediately and receive the lord's judgment, or we will treat you like enemies!"
The response from the wall was: "We want to discuss terms with the lord and have some conditions for him to agree to."
What? These rebels want to negotiate terms with the lord's mansion?
Several naval officers were amused.
"We repeat, surrender unconditionally immediately!"
"Until the lord agrees to our terms, we will not leave. Please send someone who can negotiate with us; we promise not to harm them."
Captain Quik frowned in silence, recalling his life motto from his days as a pirate.
Seeing the captain lost in thought, the first mate cleared his throat loudly and said, "Captain, the rebels have rejected the ultimatum. We can now proceed with the attack. The soldiers are ready, and there are no ambushes detected in the surrounding area."
"Huh? Oh!"
Quik came to his senses and, as if making a resolution, shouted, "Attack!"
The naval soldiers in formation began to march towards the Biden mansion's walls. They carried ladders to scale the two-meter high wall.
Among them were also naval officer cadets like Kevin Alfred, as the higher-ups felt it was time for these young recruits to experience battlefield conditions. Suppressing a rebellion with low combat effectiveness was a good opportunity.
"Why won't you surrender? Why won't you surrender?"
Though he marched resolutely, the young cadet was conflicted inside. Alan, from a salt-making family, was more inclined to believe that these salt rebels were forced into action by the landowners' oppression.
Having been exposed to salt-making since childhood, he knew the impact that salt production would have on traditional salt industries.
Yet, his long-trained obedience made him follow orders to attack the salt rebels.
Seeing that the army ignored their demands and advanced with an attacking stance, the defenders on the wall were thrown into panic.
"Don't panic! Can't you see there are only a hundred of them? We have several times their number."
The "commanders" shouted to remind their companions.
"Use slingshots to hit them!"
"Use swords to fight them!"
…
Scattered stones were shot at the naval soldiers, hitting several of them.
The officers regretted that they hadn't brought artillery to deal with the weak wall, as just a few shots would have destroyed it.
"Spread out, run forward!"
Facing just a disorganized crowd, maintaining tight formation was unnecessary.
The accuracy of the slingshots dropped to near zero, and the sailors quickly approached the courtyard walls. The first soldiers to arrive fired a volley to force the defenders to keep their heads down, while others threw grenades into the courtyard. After hearing the explosions and screams, the soldiers climbed the wall using a human pyramid before the ladders arrived.
The battle quickly came to an end…
(End of the Chapter)
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