Chapter 138: A Brutal Internecine
On the arrow tower and the city wall, the Vaegirs archers and the Swadian crossbowmen were ready to shoot.
The archers pulled the longs bows into full moon shape, and the crossbow was tightened. The iron arrowheads of the arrows and crossbow arrows were aimed under the city wall. On the other side of the 30-meter wide lake, there were low-level Jackalans kneeling on the shore, fighting for water.
The splashing sounds of water and the howls of the werewolves fighting.
There were also the anxious howls of those who had not drunk the water.
It was as noisy as a wet market outside the lake, but the city walls and arrow towers were completely silent.
Everyone was waiting for orders.
Kant’s orders.
He stood on the top floor of the council hall, but moved from the north to the west. He stood behind the concave-shaped arrow-blocking wall, quietly watching the low-level Jackalans who had lost control and were fighting for water regardless of the formation.
When he saw they were all swinging their spiked club to fight each other for water, he wanted to laugh.
“This is the enemy we are prepared for.”
Kant’s lips curled into a smile, seemingly mocking and disdainful.
But in the depths of his eyes, there was a coldness as cold as winter. He clenched his teeth tightly, and his voice came out from the gaps between his teeth. “This joke is too funny.”
Firentis and Manid looked not happy as well.
They had been busy for so many days.
They were careful, afraid that something would go wrong.
Even the most important agricultural foundation at the moment, the five acres of date palm forest, had been completely cut down.
In exchange for this.
A group of messy, low-level Jackalans without any tactics to speak of, knelt by the lake and drank big mouthfuls of water. They did not care about the archers on the city wall in front of them who were already aiming at them. They only knew that their throat was so thirsty that it was about to smoke, crazily filling their stomachs with lake water was their priority.
They weren’t troops at all, and they weren’t soldiers at all.
They were just a group of lowly beggars who had fled here and wanted to live.
They were trash, giving the order to shoot was a waste of arrows!
More low-level Jackalans broke away from their impetuous formation and ran over in a hurry. They buried their heads in the lake water and drank big mouthfuls of the cold lake water. Their stomachs were extremely bloated, and they were unwilling to give way to the Jackalan behind them.
Their physiological thirst for water had already made them lose their rationality.
They selectively ignored about the current situation.
They ignored the city wall on the other side of the lake. They didn’t care about the human archers who had already drawn their bows and arrows. They only knew whoever obstructed them from drinking water, they used the spiked club in their hands to smash them, whether they were once the same race.
Fresh blood was flowing, and some Jackalans were even beaten unconscious. They slowly lost their breath as they were trampled.
The smell of blood became stronger.
The smell stimulated the ferocity of those low-level Jackalans who couldn’t drink the water in time.
The spiked club swung wildly. These Jackalans were eager to drink the water didn’t care about the lives of their companions. They only knew that if their companions fell, they would be able to take a step forward and drink the water, and they would be able to survive!
In just a short ten minutes, there was a crazy slaughter by the lake.
Those low-level Jackalans were red-eyed and treated their own kind as enemies that prevented them from surviving.
“Lord.”
Firentis slowly opened his mouth and said calmly, “This battle has already ended.”
Manide’s expression was the same.
There were nearly five hundred Jackalans crazily killing each other for the sake of drinking water. Even if there were crossbowmen on top of their heads shooting at any time, they were still killing like enemies. In just a few minutes, more than 100 Jackalans had fallen in this chaotic battle, and their blood had dyed the lake red.
Yes.
The battle had indeed ended.
The expected fierce siege attack did not appear.
The well-prepared city defense fortifications and the soldiers who were united as a city were now useless.
It was like they had become a joke.
They stood on the top of their city walls and arrow towers, watching the group of low-level Jackalans killing each other. Moreover, from the large troops a kilometer away, more and more Jackalans were rushing over sake of drinking water. They didn’t care at all and fought with the other remaining Jackalans. There were corpses and blood everywhere on the shore.
They all killed each other, as if they were blood feuds for generations.
Kant watched all of this coldly.
He snorted coldly and waved his hand forward, “All of you shoot.”
He felt a little tired.
There was no need to continue watching. This group of low-level Jackalans had already lost the ability to attack the city. Even if they used the ant-climbing tactic and piled their corpses against the seven-meter-high city wall, it was impossible for them to climb into the attic.
Killing each other had already depleted the remaining trust of this group of low-level Jackalans.
“All of you fire!”
The messengers shouted and conveyed Kant’s order.
The Ravenstern rangers stationed at the top of the council hall reacted the fastest.
They raised their heavy bows and looked down from the top of the council hall. They aimed at their preset targets and mercilessly fired a volley of arrows at the Jackalans who were still fighting by the lake.
The sound of arrows whistling through the air.
The archers on the city walls and on the arrow towers also received the order to pull the triggers or release the tightened bowstrings.
The rain of arrows poured down like a waterfall.
The air was filled with the miserable cries tearing apart by the arrows.
“Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff –”
The arrowheads penetrated the flesh.
The Jackalans who were still fighting each others irrationally by the lake instantly fell to the ground at the same time.
Before the Jackalans could react, the archers who were shooting at a faster speed nocked their bows again. They shot another rain of arrows, pinning the remaining Jackalans to the ground like hedgehogs.
The shooting range was less than 30 meters, so there was almost no need to aim too much.
The power of the arrows and crossbows was also at its strongest.
These low-level Jackalans did not have armor on their bodies. They were all wearing tattered linen robe and animal skin. At such a close distance, their skin and muscles, even their bones could be penetrated easily.
They all let out miserable howls .
These Jackalans finally reacted.
They looked at the human archers on the city walls and arrow towers in horror and began to retreat.
But at this time, the Swadian archers pulled the trigger again.
The heavy crossbow bolts arrived in an instant.
The slow-moving Jackalan’s back was pierced through. If it was unlucky ,the arrows directly pierced into its lungs. As it ran, the blood in its mouth surged up, its legs went limp and it knelt on the ground. It breathed in but did not breathe out, and his pupils were dilated.
Low-level Jackalans were not Kant’s opponent.
“Firentis.”
Kant’s face was calm as he ordered, “Lead all the heavy cavalry and prepare to attack.”
“Understood.”, Fateh nodded.
Without hesitation, he turned around and left the council hall. He gathered the heavy cavalry troops under his command. As the south gate opened, the horses stepped on its horseshoes and stepped into the soft sand.
Behind Firentis, there was a Swadian heavy cavalry wielding [ Intimidation ] .
A golden lion in red background fluttered in the wind behind him. An eye-catching [ Lion Knight Order Medal ], with the same golden lion in red background but with the size of a palm, was attached on his chest
With the addition of the two great items, Firentis was full of confidence.
This was also the reason why Kant asked him to lead the heavy cavalry troops to attack.
………
In the distance, the 300 Jackalan pirates were shocked by the intense rain of arrows and they were in extreme despair. They subconsciously slowed down their action on stopping the formation from falling apart.
They were not stupid low-level Jackalan.
All of them came from the Mannheim Coast and were famously known in the Sea of Stars.
They looked at the human crossbowmen on the city wall.
The sorrow in their hearts became more and more intense.
Even if the Kingdom of Grey Mane was preparing to set out from behind, the Jackalan expedition army with siege weapons would probably have to pay a certain price to gnaw on this fortress. With just 300 of them and the 3,000 not so smart low-level Jackalans, even if they pounced on mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they probably wouldn’t be able to conquer this fortress.
Looking at those Jackalans who were killing each other just to drink water, they simply didn’t have any confidence.
They were also thirsty.
Their throats were also smoking.
But their rationality made them understood that if they were to kill each other now, the final result would be death.
“We can’t stay here any longer.”
The Jackalan pirate leader spoke, its eyes filled with determination.
It turned around and looked at its pirate subordinates who had followed it for more than ten years. It slowly stepped back and said, “Let’s go. We can’t control these natives in the desert anymore.”
The low-level Jackalans looked at the city wall in fear. Some of them even started to run away.
The seemingly huge army was on the verge of collapse in an instant.
But this was not an army.
The pirate leader could see everything clearly now. Even though its throat was smoking and the thirst in his stomach made it weak, its head still told it that the best thing to do now was to leave.
To stay away from the Oasis Lookout and the human troops in the fortress.
Or rather, to escape.
Tormented by thirst and hunger, they were unable to fight anymore.
Moreover, the cannon fodder that they had brought with them had already gone out of control. The scene of them killing each other just now had also given them a warning.
“We’ll listen to your arrangements, Lord!”
The pirates nodded one after another.
Thus, they slowly retreated, completely ignoring the low-level Jackalans around them.
To them, these low-level races couldn’t even speak the Jackalan’s language completely, so they couldn’t even be considered as their own kind. They were just a group of beasts that looked similar. Using them as cannon fodder was the right choice, but it was definitely impossible to see them as their own kind.
As the Jackalan pirates left, the low-level Jackalans who had lost their command were at a loss.
More and more low-level Jackalans began to flee.
However, there were even more Jackalans who gathered together. They looked at the sparkling lake water not far away from the city wall. Their eyes were filled with the desire to drink water. They had already lost their rationality.
Leaving just like that, these low-level Jackalans weren’t willing to accept it.