As night fell, under the bright moonlight, Art and Angus led four Soldier squads, one Sentry Cavalry, and two squads of trained farmers, a total of forty people, mounted on four warhorses and eight carriages. Guided by the Sentry Cavalry, they advanced in the dark towards the Swabia border to the east.
Ron, who was scouting ahead of the main force, rode back to the team. “My Lord, I encountered two Sentry Cavalry who were left behind. They said there was no enemy situation ahead, nor any enemy sentries.”
Art looked back at the team behind him in the moonlight, Angus's figure, who was bringing up the rear, was faintly visible.
“Ron, take the Sentry Cavalry and scout three miles ahead of the main force.”
“Baskazak, Kazak, Pattes (the first group leader of the third squad temporarily leading the third squad), Tuba, are your squads keeping up?” Art called out to the four Soldier squad Commanders in turn.
“Yes,” the four Soldier squad leaders replied.
“Are the farmers keeping up?” Art continued to shout.
“They are.”
“No problem.”
The two temporarily appointed farmer captains replied in turn.
“Good, speed up, everyone keep tight.”
The eastward-bound team galloped swiftly along the carriage road covered by moonlight. By moonset, the team had stopped at the edge of the mountainous area.
Art and Angus changed into the cloaks they had captured from the Swabia Quartermaster Corps. The six elite Soldiers behind them also changed into enemy uniforms. All the Soldiers participating in the operation hid inside the carriages. The carriages were covered with a layer of hay and then disguised with felt cloth, and each carriage had a Swabia flag erected on it.
After all preparations were complete, Art and Angus rode their horses, leading six “Quartermaster Corps guards,” bypassing the villages and settlements along the way and heading towards Biertun Fort. Ron, meanwhile, led three disguised Sentry Cavalry, quietly following the convoy.
At daybreak, a Quartermaster Corps convoy was slowly moving towards the fort gate on the main road south of Biertun Fort.
On the fort wall, the Internal Affairs Knight responsible for guarding Biertun Fort was constantly yawning. After Baron Geoffrey led the main force south to suppress bandits yesterday, he was the highest-ranking military officer in all of Biertun Fort. When the tiger leaves the mountain, the monkey naturally becomes king. Last night, he invited several professional women from the city to the Lord's Hall to eat, drink, and play all night. Until his subordinate reported that a Quartermaster Corps convoy was approaching outside the city, the Internal Affairs Knight, who had been toiling on the women's bellies all night, was still sound asleep, embracing two naked women.
Disturbed from his sweet dream, the Internal Affairs Knight got up, kicked the messenger fiercely, then wrapped himself in clothes, picked up the wine glass from the table, and went up to the fort wall.
“Disturbing my sweet dream, they’re a bunch of Bastards.” The Internal Affairs Knight stood on the fort wall, picking the sleep from the corner of his eye, then drained the wine from the glass in his hand.
A small minion stood on tiptoe, looking at the approaching convoy from the south, and after a long while, replied, “My Lord, it seems to be our army’s Quartermaster Corps convoy~”
The Internal Affairs Knight leaned over the fort wall and glanced at the blurry military flag to the south, muttering, “It really is~ Let's go down and see if they brought any private goods this trip. If they did, I can extort some more money for drinks~” The Internal Affairs Knight hummed a little tune, preparing to go down outside the fort gate.
The minion thought for a moment, then pulled the Internal Affairs Knight. “My Lord, before the Baron left, he ordered us not to let anyone into Biertun Fort. It’s better to be careful.”
The Internal Affairs Knight stopped. He had just remembered that the main army had already gone south to suppress bandits, and now Biertun Fort was an empty city.
“Hmm, you reminded me well, we can’t be careless. Tell the gatekeepers to guard the main gate well for me; no one is allowed to enter the city without my permission.”
...
Art led the Soldiers, disguised as an enemy Quartermaster Corps convoy, slowly approaching Biertun Fort. He could already see Biertun’s tightly closed gate. Biertun Fort was an important border castle of Swabia on its southwestern border. It was much smaller than Tinietz City, but significantly larger than Andermatt Fortress. Because it was located in a fertile plain, Biertun Fort’s prosperity was also incomparable to Andermatt Fortress. Similarly, because there had been no war for many years, Biertun Fort’s defenses were not strict. The only fort gate had neither a drawbridge nor a portcullis, only two iron-reinforced oak colossal wooden doors separating the inside and outside of the fort.
Art led the convoy close to the fort gate and saw a fellow holding a wine glass standing on the fort wall.
“Hey, fellow, Biertun Fort doesn’t allow anyone to enter now, quickly leave.” The fellow on the fort wall shouted at Art.
Art turned to signal the convoy to stop, then said to the fort gate: “We are a convoy transporting weapons and supplies from the south to the northern border. We can camp outside the city without entering. But we would like to rest here for half a day. Could you allow us to buy some wine from the city to reward everyone? The fellows have been traveling for seven or eight days, and it’s truly hard work.”
Art finished speaking and looked up at the fellow on the fort wall. That fellow seemed a bit swayed.
“My Lord, I can pay you more silver coins, and you can help me purchase the wine and send it out. The remaining money will be your hard-earned fee.” Art said, pulling out a money bag filled with silver coins from his Pregnant and holding it up.
The Internal Affairs Knight listened to the convoy leader's strong southern accent from below the city, and seeing that the Quartermaster Corps convoy had already begun to move to the open space beside the road, looking as if they were setting up camp on the spot, he thought for a moment and nodded: “Alright, then I’ll make the effort to get you some wine.” With that, he went down from the fort wall to the fort gate.
“Open the fort gate, I’m going out for a bit.” The Internal Affairs Knight told the guards to open the fort gate.
The six guards, pretending to unload the livestock, had been watching the fort gate. Just as the castle gate opened a crack, they suddenly drew the longswords from their waists, turned, and charged towards the fort gate.
And the felt covers of the eight “fully loaded” carriages were suddenly thrown open, and twenty to thirty Soldiers, armed with round shields and sharp blades, jumped out of the carriages and rushed up behind the six Soldiers who were seizing the gate.
The fort gate had just opened a fist-wide crack when six figures rushing towards him appeared in the Internal Affairs Knight’s eyes. Before he could react, the six robust figures had violently crashed into the fort gate. The fort gate, struck by the immense force, suddenly opened half a man wide.
The Internal Affairs Knight stepped back, pulling the fort gate with both hands, desperately trying to close it, but a battle axe whistled towards his face...
Angus did not let the fort gate close this time. After the few Soldiers who seized the gate stabilized the width of the gate's crack, he rushed to the fort gate, stepped over the unfortunate fellow who had been hit by the flying axe and died, then raised his longsword and began to hack and slash. Screams of agony echoed through the fort gate opening.
Soon, Biertun Fort’s main gate was wide open, and dozens of Soldiers with sharp blades poured into the city.
Art, holding his unsheathed longsword, rode into the fort gate. Seeing that the fort gate had been firmly controlled by Angus, he ordered the thirty-odd Soldiers beside him: “Tuba’s Fourth Squad stay and occupy the fort walls to secure the fort gate. The rest of you, in squads or Combat Squads, disperse and kill, do not miss any corner that might pose a danger.” After speaking, Art led Tuba’s squad up onto the fort wall, clearing any remaining enemy Soldiers who might still be resisting along the fort wall...
...
“Quick, quick, a fellow hid in the tavern.”
Colin, the Combat Squad Leader of the First Squad's Second Combat Squad, discovered an enemy Soldier hiding in a city tavern. He carried a dripping longsword and, with his two Soldiers, kicked open the tavern's wooden door, rushing in to search for remnants of the enemy.
It was not yet mealtime, and the few patrons in the tavern had fled immediately. Colin and his men overturned tables and kicked benches as they searched their way to the tavern’s bar. The tavern owner had been terrified by the sudden appearance of the sword-wielders; he stood dumbfounded behind the bar, staring wide-eyed at Colin.
“Where did the fellow who ran in go?” Colin shouted.
The tavern owner couldn't understand Colin's words at all, only shaking his head repeatedly.
“I'm asking you where the Bastard who ran in is hiding?!” Colin grew impatient when the fellow in front of him didn't answer his question.
The owner continued to shake his head, his face filled with terror.
“Bastard!” Colin said, about to strike.
A Soldier beside him quickly said to Colin, “Combat Squad Leader, Combat Squad Leader, he doesn’t understand us!”
Colin then realized.
“Disarm and live!” Colin remembered a Swabia phrase their officer had taught them before, and the two behind him also shouted, “Disarm and live!”
This time, the tavern owner finally understood. He nodded quickly and obediently knelt on the ground.
After searching the tavern for a long time, they finally caught the enemy Soldier in the Grocery pile behind the tavern kitchen. In this situation, they had no extra personnel or energy to guard enemy Soldier prisoners. The so-called “disarm and live” was only for civilians, so Colin ignored the enemy Soldier’s incessant pleas, directly raised his sword and cut down the snot- and tear-streaked, defecating and urinating fellow, then left the tavern with his Soldiers to rush to the next possible hiding place for enemy Soldiers...
Half an hour later, the sounds of fighting in Biertun Fort gradually ceased. After clearing out scattered remaining enemies in the fort, except for a few Soldiers guarding the street corners and main roads, two dozen Soldiers gathered in front of Biertun Fort’s Lord's Hall. Because in the chaos, three enemy Soldiers with a few fort residents had retreated into the inner fort, and the inner fort’s main gate had been firmly sealed by them. Angus and Baskazak were organizing Soldiers to try to ram open the inner fort’s main gate with a thick log, but arrows constantly flying from the inner fort’s battlements caused them harassment. Angus had no choice but to organize other Soldiers to cover the ramming Soldiers with their round shields.
After securing the fort gate, Art also arrived in front of the inner fort. Almost every castle had an inner fort, which was usually the lord’s living quarters and the last line of defense for the entire castle. The lords’ treasuries and valuable goods would be located within the inner fort. If the inner fort could not be captured, the spoils of this battle would be discounted, and an army deep in enemy territory could not slowly loot money from house to house in Biertun Fort. Therefore, they had to take the inner fort, quickly seize the valuables, and leave Biertun Fort before the “bandit suppression army” reacted and returned for rescue.
“Stop ramming, go find a bigger log.” Art shouted at Baskazak, who was leading men to ram the door.
Baskazak had the Soldiers retreat to a safe distance, then took men to search the castle for a thicker and heavier log to use as a battering ram.
Art glanced at the inner fort’s battlements and then ordered Kazak: “Kazak, go find some dry grass, then use some soaked thatch to create thick smoke. Cover the entire area around the main gate with thick smoke so their archers can’t aim accurately.”
Kazak also took a Soldier to pull down the thatch from the roofs of the surrounding civilian houses near the inner fort and sprinkle some water on it...
After a moment, Baskazak and his men ran back, carrying a twenty-foot-long thick log. It was clear that Baskazak had led his men to dismantle someone’s roof beam. Kazak lit several piles of dry grass around the outside of the inner fort’s main gate, then threw the soaked thatch onto them, and several large plumes of thick smoke rose up. Soon, the space above the inner fort’s main gate was enveloped in thick smoke.
“Two shields covering one person, advance!” Art shouted at the Soldiers beside him.
The Soldiers of the four Combat Squads, just three men per group, jointly lifted the thick wooden roof beam, rushed through the thick fog for more than ten steps, and crashed into the inner fort’s wooden door.
Biertun Fort had not seen war for many years, and Baron Geoffrey had not expected anyone to attack his inner fort. So, the inner fort’s main gate was merely a thicker wooden door. Under the repeated heavy blows of the heavy wooden beam, cracks began to appear in the inner fort’s door bar.
“Bang!!!” With a loud crash, the inner fort’s main gate finally could not withstand the heavy blows. The door bar broke, and the main gate swung open...
Biertun Fort was completely captured.