HCB Chapter 366: First Battle in the Desert
Chapter 366: First Battle in the Desert
In the vast desert, an oasis is like a shining pearl, quietly embedded in the endless yellow sand. Surrounding the oasis are groups of sand dunes, which act as guardians, isolating the oasis from the desolation of the outside world.
Not far from the oasis, a large fortress built of rocks stands tall. The walls of the fortress are made up of various scattered rocks, covered with traces of time, as if telling a long history. On the walls of the fortress, soldiers in Kushan costumes are standing guard from time to time. They hold spears, have sharp eyes, and vigilantly observe the movements around them.
Inside the fortress, in a spacious house, the general of Kusha was lying on a large bed with gauze curtains, hugging two beauties on his left and right, intoxicated by the gentleness. The two women were tributes from a Kusha merchant who came here to replenish water a month ago. It is said that they are the twin daughters of a Kusha tribal chief. After the tribe was captured by the current Kusha Emperor, their whole family was sold as slaves, and the general of Kusha was very satisfied with the sisters and doted on them.
Just as the general was intoxicated by the gentleness of the room, a deafening horn suddenly broke the silence of the room. The general was awakened, and the two women beside him covered their ears. A Kushan soldier ran into the bedroom in a panic, panting and saying:
"My lord, something bad has happened. The pagans from the south are attacking us!"
When General Kusha heard this, he didn't care about being angry at the soldiers for barging into his bedroom. He immediately changed into his underwear, wrapped his head with a turban, grabbed the chain mail from the table, and rushed out the door with the soldiers.
When he reached the city wall, he could see the huge army outside without a telescope. While he ordered people to prepare equipment for defending the city, he took out a telescope and observed carefully. Soon, he saw the flag of the King's Hall flying in the sky. These pagans from the south were really coming.
Outside the city, John also took out a telescope to observe the outside. Although the enemy's troops stationed in the fortress were only a thousand men, John did not need to come here, but as it was his first time fighting the Kushans, John thought he should understand the current combat strength of the Kushan army as soon as possible.
John's army did not participate in this siege, and the main force participating in the siege was mainly composed of mercenaries. These armed groups who only care about money will only disrupt the city's security if they stay in Acre, so it is better to use them to consume the Kusha army as soon as possible.
Accompanied by the sound of horns and shouts, several hundred meters away from John's army, several mercenary groups led by a knight carrying ladders and pushing siege cones rushed up. The Kusha people on the wall shot arrows and threw stones at the mercenaries after they rushed to a certain distance, and the mercenaries suffered certain losses for a while. However, the leading knight ran to the back of the mercenary crossbow team early, holding up his shield and ordering the mercenaries to continue charging.
The mercenaries rushed to the wall despite the casualties and put the ladder on the wall. Then more than a dozen mercenaries held the ladder to prevent it from being pushed down by the Kushans above, while the crossbowmen also used crossbows to shoot at the Kushans on the wall. The siege cones filled with arrows followed closely behind. Under the protection of the upper cover, the mercenaries below held the siege cones and smashed them towards the fortress gate.
As dozens of mercenaries jumped onto the city wall to fight the Kushans, the fortress gate was also knocked open by the attack of the siege cone. A large number of mercenaries immediately rushed in from the fortress gate, and a fierce battle began.
Inside the fortress, mercenaries poured in like a tide and engaged in fierce close combat with the Kusha soldiers. Swords flashed, knives flew, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.
A mercenary wielded a long sword and fought with a Kushan soldier in a narrow passage. The sword blade cut through the air, creating a string of sparks, and the soldier's shield was split open, revealing a gap. The mercenary took the opportunity to stab the soldier with a sword, and the soldier screamed and fell to the ground.
"follow me!"
A mercenary captain brandished a battle axe and led his teammates to rush towards General Kusha's room.
At this time, General Kusha retreated to the inner castle with his remaining troops and discussed countermeasures with his deputy general and soldiers.
"General, what should we do?"
the deputy general asked anxiously.
"What else can I do? I'll find the right opportunity to rush out. If I'm caught by these pagans, I'll be tortured to death!"
General Kusha roared.
At this moment, the team led by the mercenary captain had already rushed to the door of the room. Seeing this, General Kusha immediately drew out the scimitar at his waist and fought side by side with the deputy general.
"I'm going to chop off your head and use it as a wine jug!"
General Kusha shouted, brandishing his scimitar and engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the mercenary captain.
At the same time, other mercenaries also started fierce battles with the Kusha soldiers. Swords clashed with swords, knives and shields collided, making a deafening sound.
"General, we can't hold on any longer!"
A Kusha soldier said breathlessly.
At this moment, the captain of the mercenary army suddenly found that General Kusha's movements slowed down. It was obvious that he was a little exhausted. He immediately aimed at General Kusha's weakness.
"General, be careful!"
one soldier yelled.
General Kusha reacted quickly and blocked the attack of the mercenary captain, but the scimitar in his hand was knocked away by the mercenary captain. Just as he was about to draw the spare mace at his waist, the mercenary captain flew over directly.
General Kusha lost his balance in an instant due to the sudden attack. Just as he was about to get up and struggle, he found a dagger pointing at his neck.
"Don't move. I'm planning to take you over to collect the reward."
The mercenary captain whispered, his tone revealing a hint of coldness and teasing. The general felt the coldness of the knife tip and realized that he had no way to break free. His heart was filled with regret and unwillingness, but he could not resist.
Soon, the chaotic battle finally died down, the remaining Kusha soldiers were knocked down one by one, and the only sounds on the battlefield were the cheers and low gasps of the mercenaries.
"Don't just stand there, go up and see if there are any remaining Kushans."
At this moment of victory, the mercenary captain led his team to the top of the fortress. There was no one there, and the mercenary captain looked down. The battle in the fortress had already come to an end. Teams of Kusha soldiers walked out of the fortress with their upper bodies naked under the care of mercenaries, and some mercenaries were moving boxes and valuable items out of the fortress to divide the spoils.
The mercenary captain then pulled out a flag of the French King's Hall from his arms, its bright colors sparkling in the sun.
"Plug it in."
Following the captain's instructions, the mercenaries worked together to plant the new flag on the fortress's flagpole. The flag fluttered in the breeze, announcing that the Kusha fortress was temporarily under the jurisdiction of the King's Hall.