Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Blake sighed deeply-he was about to leave, when he heard Freya’s sharp voice from outside.
“Sophie, what were you doing in there with my husband?”
Blake hurried out to find Freya blocking Sophie’s way, her face full of hostility. Sophie glanced back at him.
“Your wife, your explanation,” she said before walking away.
Behind her, Freya’s accusations continued. “What were you doing in there with her? No wonder I couldn’t find you! If a subordinate didn’t tell me you were with Sophie, I wouldn’t have known you two were alone for so long.”
Sophie quickened her pace, not wanting to listen to the couple’s argument. The further she stayed from them, the better.
On the eighth day of the new year, Rafael issued the order to attack the city.
The weather was bitterly cold, and their winter clothes were insufficient to ward off the chill. They couldn’t delay any longer, as food supplies were also running low. Meanwhile, the supplies from Westhaven and Sandoria were almost at Simonton City.
Just before the soldiers moved out, Rafael gave an inspiring speech. The call to reclaim their lost land and their shared hatred for the Sandorian invaders filled them with righteous indignation, readying them for battle.
The siege began at noon.
Sophie led the Mystic Army as the vanguard, with Blake’s troops supporting.
As the charge horn sounded, the Mystic Army surged forward and led the assault.
Blake’s forces advanced quickly, pushing catapults, ballistae, and scaling ladders.
Rafael rode his horse and took command, no longer allowing anyone to impersonate the marshal.
In this final, decisive battle, he would personally lead the entire army. He would wait for the vanguard to break through the city and plunge into the fray!
Siege warfare was the most brutal battle.
From the walls of Simonton City, crossbow machines aimed at the soldiers below. As before, they relied on those skilled in Lightfoot Skill to scale the walls. However, this time, the walls of Simonton City had been reinforced and heightened.
In just ten days, the Sandorian army had raised the walls by a meter, leaving only Rafael, Sophie, Violet, and a few others capable of reaching the top.
Timothy struggled initially, unable to fly up. After several attempts, he finally made it, but an enemy spear thrust towards him as soon as he landed. He fell straight down, only to be saved by Violet, who kicked the enemy away and threw her whip, lashing it around Timothy to pull him up.
With Violet rescuing Timothy, Cynthia immediately covered her, blocking enemy spears that reached out.
Amidst the throng of enemies, Sophie and Rafael destroyed two crossbow machines.
Sophie shouted to the Mystic Army, “Deploy the catapults!”
Michael relayed the command, “Deploy the catapults!”
Blake’s troops arrived with heavy artillery. As the Mystic Army and Blake’s forces joined, Michael spotted a familiar figure. He focused, and realized it was Freya. He was puzzled.
Wasn’t Freya supposed to be leading the rear troops? She wasn’t needed at the front for the siege. Sophie had mentioned that only coordination with Blake’s troops was necessary; they were responsible for transporting the heavy machinery.
Despite his confusion, Michael ordered the catapults to be moved into position. Massive stones were hurled at the city tower, raising clouds of dust.
The Mystic Army quickly set up the scaling ladders. Following the drills they had practiced, the ladders were divided into front and rear sections. The first team, equipped with shields, ascended first. Enemy spears jabbed at them, but the shields provided cover as they arduously climbed the ladders.
Upon reaching a certain height, they drew knives. If they could kill an enemy, they did; if not, they still obstructed the enemy.
Immediately after, the second team, armed with long spears, climbed up under the shield team’s protection, picking off enemies one by one with their spears.
Meanwhile, Rafael, Sophie, and a few others were fiercely battling atop the city walls. The Sandorian army had sacred firearms, but these could only fire one shot before needing to be reloaded, making them impractical for close combat. Still, their volleys posed a significant threat.
More and more soldiers swarmed the walls, filling the entire city tower. Archers on all sides had their arrows trained on the walls, ready to fire as soon as anyone took to the air.
Massive logs were battering the gates, and more Mystic Army soldiers were climbing the ladders. The soldiers below were shouting, and the charge horns blared continuously, creating pressure and tension among the enemies.
Rafael and Sophie quickly surveyed the surrounding walls. If the archers unleashed their volleys, it would be an inescapable net of arrows. Opening the gates from below would take time and surely attract the archers’ fire.
Simonton City was unlike Ilyrian City. Its walls were higher and thicker on both sides, with four walls in total. Beyond the first gate, there was a second one. Even if they breached the first gate and charged inside, the archers would kill the first wave of soldiers.
Thus, they needed to deal with the archers first.
“Sophie, take out the archers!” Rafael ordered swiftly, flying towards the left wall with his weapon drawn.
Sophie and her friends each chose a section of the wall. They needed to move quickly and use their weapons to deflect the incoming arrows.
Timothy couldn’t manage this; his role was to destroy the crossbow machines on the walls. Fortunately, he wasn’t alone. The Mystic Army had already managed to scale the walls.
Sophie and her friends flew across the walls like meteors. Her spear spun to deflect the rain of arrows before she finally landed on the southern wall.
The archers couldn’t fire at close range, and had to engage in hand-to-hand combat. They swarmed her while another row of archers quickly took their place, aiming at the gate.
Even if the gate were opened, the second row of archers could still shoot any Starhaven soldiers entering the city.
All the soldiers had been prepared for the difficulty of this battle, and fought with calm determination.
Below the walls, Blake was aiding in the siege when he noticed Freya leading her troops behind him.
Startled, he demanded, “What are you doing here? The marshal ordered you to stay in the rear with General Murray!”
“I told you, I’m here to help you gain merit,” Freya replied, her eyes flashing with determination. “Breaking through the city is a primary achievement. We can’t let Sophie and her group take all the credit! Besides, when you present yourself before the military council and the king, you can mention that I fought in the vanguard.”
“But you shouldn’t disobey military orders!” Blake said, exasperated.
“It doesn’t matter as long as you achieve merit,” Freya said fearlessly.
She was going to receive lashes after the battle, anyway. That aside, she was confident Rafael wouldn’t kill her. She was Starhaven’s first female general, whom the empress dowager had acknowledged personally. She fought for the dignity of all women in the world!
Moreover, she was unsettled by how long Blake and Sophie had spent alone strategizing. She felt compelled to prove herself; she believed that if she helped Blake earn merit, he would align with her more firmly.
No matter how capable Sophie was, she couldn’t help Blake achieve this!
Though Blake was angry, he couldn’t possibly argue during the siege. He ordered his troops to coordinate with the Mystic Army.
However, Freya commanded her soldiers to attack the city alongside the Mystic Army. She had brought a thousand troops, including the original three hundred that had been with her.