Chapter 29: Invasion of the Land Kingdom 8

After two days of marching, they arrived at York Castle. Like Cardiff Castle, it was located on a trade route to the capital and other cities. The castle grounds were expansive, but its defenses didn't seem particularly strong.

As before, they surrounded the castle on all four sides and issued the standard surrender ultimatum. As expected, the result was a rejection.

"Alright, bring it out," I ordered, and it began to move.

It was a contraption with four pillars mounted on a wheeled platform, topped with a massive, oval body resembling a rugby ball. Ropes were attached, and large groups of people pulled it along.

There were three of these devices.

The rightmost one was entirely black, with its oval body covered in red paint depicting ominous, ritual-like patterns. It had a chimney on top, belching black smoke. Various inexplicable protrusions and spikes protruded from everywhere, making it look thoroughly menacing.

The central one was similar in shape, but its ritual patterns were painted in blue. Occasionally, water would be expelled from pipes at its base. It was equally terrifying and eerie.

The leftmost one had ritual patterns in yellow, with a chimney on top emitting yellow smoke—perhaps the most unsettling of all.

A messenger on horseback advanced with a white flag, stopping before the castle gate.

"People of the castle, hear me! These are newly developed special attack weapons of the kingdom. The Salamander of Fire is what destroyed Dover Castle in a single strike. The Mizuchi of Water collapsed the walls of Primark Castle. The yellow-painted device is the newly conceived Poison Cobra."

"We urge surrender. If you do not surrender, you will be annihilated by these super-aggressive weapons. We ourselves are horrified by the extent of damage at Dover and Primark Castles. Therefore, we hesitate to use these weapons."

"But if you do not surrender, we will be forced to use them. Will you die burned all over by the Salamander of Fire, suffocate and drown by the Mizuchi, or writhe in agony from the Poison Cobra? Consider carefully."

Here, the messenger pointed to the red-painted weapon.

"You may not believe words alone. So we will now activate the Salamander. Witness its power and burn it into your memory."

After the messenger retreated, the red Salamander advanced methodically and stopped at a specific position.

Inside the Salamander was a large furnace with coal burning intensely. Oil barrels were stacked against the walls.

At the signal, a narrow-necked jar filled with water was thrown into the furnace. Soldiers then scooped burning coal with shovels, covering the jar. The jar's mouth was plugged with fire-resistant wood and secured with wire.

The soldiers on the Salamander climbed down the ladder and ran back quickly.

After a dozen minutes, the steam pressure exceeded the jar's strength, causing an incredibly violent steam explosion that blew apart the coal, oil barrels, and the Salamander itself.

The Salamander suddenly exploded, scattering flames and oil. In fact, blankets soaked with oil had been laid in a 20-meter radius around its position the previous night. The scattered fire ignited these blankets.

Moreover, short pieces of bamboo and coal were strategically placed. The bamboo exploded from the flames, and the coal became white-hot.

To the enemy, it appeared as if the Salamander suddenly exploded, spreading flames around. The fire quickly spread, turning a 40-meter area into an instant inferno, with crimson flames scorching the sky. Small explosions occurred everywhere, with things glowing red-hot. A hellish scene of pitch-black smoke enveloped the entire sky.

The soldiers whispered fearfully: "How terrifying!" "Is this our army's secret weapon?" "I almost feel pity for any enemy facing this." "I'm glad this is on our side."

Hey, weren't you all helping lay those blankets yesterday? Didn't you hear the plan? Don't you know the details? Why are you so scared?

Edel, pale-faced, muttered, "What a horrific weapon. Could God ever permit such a thing?"

Seriously, Edel? You were right there when we laid the blankets. You know this is just a fake threat strategy. It's not actually that serious.

Well, if our own allies are this frightened, the enemies must be absolutely terrified. Maybe this will actually work.

The messenger advanced again, pointing at the Salamander: "Understand the Salamander's power. We give you one day's grace. If there's no response by noon tomorrow, we'll activate one or all of these super-aggressive weapons."

Another Salamander of the same shape was pulled out beside the burning one.

Both enemies and allies trembled at the sight of the new Salamander.

Well, this one's just a prop too.

The enemy soldiers on the wall murmured: "What a powerful weapon!" "The entire area became a sea of fire in an instant!" "Explosions everywhere!" "Burning bright red, like hell itself!" "How terrifying!" "Is this the super-aggressive weapon that destroyed Dover Castle?" "Could this be aimed at our castle?" "Absolutely impossible!" "We're done for!"

Castle commander Warren and his staff groaned: "Is this the weapon that destroyed Dover Castle?" "How terrifying!" "That Mizuchi might be the weapon that destroyed Primark Castle's walls!" "How could we possibly fight something like this?" His staff was visibly shaken. "We should surrender." "At Cardiff Castle, the commander retired and handed over to his son, and surrender was accepted." "A decision must be made." "We don't owe King John that much. We should side with Lord Victoria."

The next morning, a white flag rose above the castle gate.

"We did it! The enemy is surrendering!" "The fake threat strategy worked perfectly!" Hans and I high-fived in joy.

Afterward, a messenger came, offering to surrender under the same conditions as Cardiff Castle. This was, of course, accepted. The castle commander would retire, with his eldest son Arthur taking over and joining the Victoria army.

York Castle fell in two days. "Only the capital, Londium, remains."

That night, the third food transport unit arrived. This time, without any issues, 10 days' worth of supplies came through with no damage. The John faction seemed to be weakening, with barely any interference. With 3 days' worth of supplies remaining, they now had 13 days' worth. They could have soldiers carry 3 days' worth and transport 10 days' worth by wagon. Logistics seemed to be running smoothly.

Just a little more. Hopefully, everything will work out.