Outside Jumu Town.
The soldiers were neatly arranged in squares, each brigade consisting of a thousand men, appearing orderly and disciplined.
Three full brigades, representing a force of three thousand troops, were assembled. Several officers galloped forward on horseback and saluted Wu Ming: “Officer! The First, Second, and Third Militia Regiments are all present and ready for your orders!”
“Set up camp here, rest and await further instructions!”
Wu Ming ordered in a deep voice, and immediately the soldiers sprang into action swiftly.
The sight of such strict discipline and seamless coordination left several nobles behind visibly pale.
“William… this… this is your army?”
Baron Terry asked in disbelief.
Previously, Wu Ming had arrived with five hundred personal soldiers, already a force surpassing that of an average baron. But now, with an additional three thousand troops, what he experienced was not just shock, but sheer terror.
After all, even Earl Lanshan, despite possessing a much larger territory and population than Wu Ming, could not muster such a large army.
This was a matter of systemic differences.
Of course, if Earl Lanshan was willing to disrupt the farming season and conscript large numbers of untrained peasants into the army, he could gather tens of thousands of troops. However, such a force would be utterly useless—not only would logistics collapse under the strain, but on the battlefield, a mere cavalry charge would scatter them like a flock of panicked ducks, bringing nothing but shame.
But Wu Ming’s three thousand-man army was different! Organized, disciplined, and well-equipped, aside from lacking actual combat experience, it was already an elite force.
“They are all workers from my territory who have undergone militia training…”
Wu Ming offered a brief explanation, his enigmatic smile making Baron Balle break into a cold sweat.
He had naturally heard of the wealth and wonders of Carlos Territory, and was particularly fond of its refined salt, porcelain, glass, and fine steel swords produced there. Yet who could imagine that hidden within those factories was such formidable power?
It was as if the opponent was a tiger stalking its prey, concealing its claws and fangs until now, finally revealing its ferocious side.
That Carlos Territory was no easy target—it was more like a giant hedgehog!
Baron Balle couldn’t help but feel pity for those nobles who had previously tried to attack Carlos.
“So… my lord, what are your plans?”
Tana, looking at the troops, had a flushed face and an excited expression.
“Obviously… to reclaim Howling Castle!”
Wu Ming gazed into the distance, speaking firmly.
Even though Garcia’s forces had achieved victory, they would need time to rest and regroup. Now was the time when Howling Castle was at its weakest.
His own army, however, was fresh and rested. If he didn’t seize this opportunity to exploit the time advantage and reclaim Howling Castle—the core of governance—then when would he?
Baron Balle’s lips trembled slightly, but he ultimately said nothing.
At present, Jumu Town was filled with four thousand troops, yet only a hundred of them obeyed his command!
Even if he returned to his territory and pursued a militaristic policy, he could muster at most another thousand armed men. Compared to Baron William, this was still far too weak.
“This William… had been preparing all along, hasn’t he?”
A deep chill ran through Baron Balle.
His gaze fell upon the Dragonheart Sword at Wu Ming’s waist, and he relaxed slightly: “Fortunately… no matter what, he is still one of the Blue Bloods!”
…
The next day, Wu Ming led his well-rested forces and joined with the militia, bringing the total number of soldiers to four thousand. The army marched in grand formation toward Howling Castle.
Along the way, Baron Balle firmly declined Wu Ming’s request and left the ranks, taking his own men back to his territory.
He needed to gather all available manpower and notify every Blue Blood noble, spreading the grim news to fight for his honor and status.
Perhaps sensing Wu Ming’s true intentions, Baron Balle hurriedly fled from his shadow.
“Howling Castle!”
After a day’s march, Wu Ming looked toward the massive city at the horizon. Memories surged back: the underground auction, the martial arts competition, and the granting of his title…
Years ago, these events had played out clearly in his mind. Back then, he was merely a penniless freeman. Now, he led thousands of troops, ready to conquer everything he saw.
The blue banners on the city walls had long been lowered, replaced by red lion flags, symbolizing Howling Castle’s change of hands.
When a force approached, cries of alarm came from the city walls, followed quickly by the urgent sound of horns.
“Is that… the Blue Eagle? Is Viscount Eagleburg also here?”
Wu Ming observed the commotion atop the walls and smiled slightly: “Prepare for the attack!”
“My lord!”
At this moment, Tana spoke beside him: “The defenses of Howling Castle are mediocre at best, and there are even several secret passages leading outside the city. The only god the black-market merchants worship is Geldon! If you pay a sufficient price, you could easily send a special force to seize the gates quietly!”
“They are well aware of that too!”
Wu Ming pointed his riding crop toward the central Howling Castle: “Therefore, the real battlefield is there!”
Even if the enemy was exhausted and outnumbered, they could still hold out for a month behind Howling Castle’s defenses, even against ten thousand men.
Once the news spread, Viscount Garcia would surely return to reinforce them, surrounding Wu Ming from behind.
At that point, Wu Ming would face the same predicament as Earl Lanshan.
“Three days… no, perhaps we only have two days!”
Baron Wilford shook his head: “We must capture Howling Castle within two days, or we will inevitably be surrounded!”
“I will sleep in the castle tonight!”
Wu Ming smiled mysteriously, making his promise: “Follow me, and you will only achieve victory after victory!”
How does a leader’s charisma develop?
In times of chaos, it is by leading soldiers and retainers, capturing castles, winning battles, and accomplishing one incredible feat after another!
“Pass my order! Attack!”
Wu Ming commanded his men to sound the war horns, and soon, four squares began marching toward the city gates.
“Kill!”
Suddenly, chaos erupted at the city gates. Loud cries filled the air, and one could faintly see numerous white-robed knights, moving with incredible speed, leading hundreds of troops into fierce combat.
“The Lord watches over you from heaven! Those who fight for me shall ascend to the Kingdom of God after death!”
Several priests murmured, seemingly offering final prayers, before grabbing their weapons: “Attack! Seize the gates and let Baron William’s army inside!”
“They’re the Church’s Knights of Glory, the Warrior Monks, and the Holy Paladins!”
Seeing the gates slowly open, Wilford and Terry looked at Wu Ming in disbelief: “Did you convince the Church?”
“They merely made the right choice!”
Clearly, when Viscount Eagleburg initially captured Howling Castle, the Church had chosen to remain passive, successfully lowering the Viscount’s vigilance.
Now, after gathering strength, they had struck decisively, handing Wu Ming the entire outer city.
“Charge! Break through the gates!”
Of course, Jack did not miss this opportunity. Roaring, he led the cavalry charging straight into the city gates.
The battle ended quickly.
The enemy had obviously placed all their bets on Howling Castle itself, putting little faith in the gate defenses. Combined with the Church’s sudden betrayal, within an hour, Wu Ming was already riding triumphantly down the Glory Avenue within Howling City.
“Baron William!”
The Archbishop was still dressed in simple robes, his clothes stained with blood: “You don’t have much time left. Viscount Garcia is rushing back to reinforce. You must capture Howling Castle as soon as possible.”
“Of course!”
Wu Ming led his forces to the foot of Howling Castle.
The thick granite structure loomed like a giant beast at the city’s center, casting a massive shadow.
Inside the castle are Viscount Eagleburg and several knights from the Highlands… as well as Earl Lanshan’s family, who are being held captive…
The Archbishop explained the situation to Wu Ming: “There are a thousand men inside, along with enough food to last half a year!”
Faced with Howling Castle, even the recently victorious militia hesitated.
A single glance was enough for them to realize that the only way to deal with such a heavily fortified monster was to throw lives at it.
Alternatively, they could lay siege for a long time, waiting for the enemy’s food supplies to run out, forcing them to surrender.
Unfortunately, neither option was feasible for Wu Ming at this moment.
“Archbishop, what do you see in my future?”
Looking at the castle ahead, Wu Ming suddenly smiled and asked the Archbishop.
“You are chosen by the Lord; your future is undoubtedly bright!”
The Archbishop replied in a rather mystical tone, though his decision to support Wu Ming was based on his own confidence.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a scroll of parchment was shot out from the castle.
“A surrender letter?”
Wu Ming unfurled it and smiled: “They want me to surrender unconditionally and pledge loyalty to them? They seem quite confident. I thought they might at least use hostages to threaten me.”
Clearly, in anyone’s eyes, Wu Ming was merely a reckless knight, destined for imminent destruction.
“Alright, bring our wooden cannons forward!”
Without hesitation, he immediately deployed his ultimate weapon.
Several strange-looking wooden cannons were loaded onto carts and rolled to the foot of the castle.
“What is that?”
Baron Terry looked at the massive barrels in astonishment.
“You’ll see soon enough…”
Wu Ming gazed indifferently at Howling Castle, then sharply brought his hand down: “Fire!”
The militia immediately retreated to a safe distance, while specialized soldiers stepped forward and lit the fuses.
Bright flames rapidly disappeared into the wooden cannons, and soldiers on both sides crouched down and covered their ears.
Boom!
In the next instant, a deafening explosion erupted, shaking the heavens and the earth!
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