Night's First Snow hoped to convince Wang Xiaole to stay on rationally. However, their positions differed and, in the current turbulent times, he was vulnerable to being targeted. If he wanted to change this situation, he would have to make a significant contribution to the Inran Empire, such as assisting in capturing an impregnable fortress.
Now, let's introduce the Eastern Fortress in detail: The fortress is entirely made of fine steel and is divided into three layers. The first layer is at the top, with a narrow space primarily used to maintain the nearby barriers. Depending on the wartime requirements, the barriers can be divided into three types - "anti-aircraft barrier" (preventing flying units from soaring), "anti-ground barrier" (protecting the fortress underground from being tunneled by enemies), and "anti-magic barrier" (weakening the destructive power of magical attacks). Most cities usually have one type of barrier, some formidable ones have two, but this fortress has all three types.
The second layer is in the middle and is equipped with arrow towers, ballistae, and heavy artillery capable of firing over a thousand magical projectiles. The supply of arrows and magical projectiles is conservatively estimated to be enough for the defenders to continuously shoot a specific area for twenty-four hours.
The third layer has the largest area, where most of the soldiers stationed. Longbows are positioned to the east, repeating crossbows to the west, while to the south and north, there are magical troops and numerous throwers. It can be said that the defense of Dibiles' capital city is not as strong as this fortress. The reason is that the capital city has the strongest military presence, whereas this place lacks exceptional fighters and can only focus on fortifications.
In the past history of the Eastern Fortress, it has been frequently visited by unwelcome "guests" from other countries who occasionally attempted to breach its defenses. However, until now, no foreign military has been able to pass through the fortress and approach the capital city of Dibiles. Different countries' armies only differ on the level of "retreat" or "chaotic retreat" once faced with the fortress. Each unwelcome visitor was greeted with either fireballs or rolling stones; sometimes, the commander even stood at the top of the fortress, smiling with a bow and crossbow, bidding farewell to the intruders.
Having studied the history, Night's First Snow was aware of the difficulty of capturing the fortress but remained calm. She had decided not to use a direct assault since she was not insane, planning to employ a clever siege strategy. The specific operational method included intimidating the defenders without launching an attack. Night's First Snow first had the commander speak on the battlements, then approached and delivered a message to the fortress occupants: "Your king is in my hands; surrender if you want his safety!" This was a way to conquer the fortress without shedding blood.
Night's First Snow knew Isabella well. The queen was rational but could be emotional at times. Despite her usual tolerance and kindness, Isabella could be more ruthless than a tyrant when it came to specific individuals she cared about. People who made the queen lose composure were undoubtedly deeply loved by her. Night's First Snow believed that Wang Xiaole, as the king, met this condition perfectly. Normally, the fortress commanders would have their duties and not surrender easily. However, faced with the king appearing before the gates, how would they react? Opening the gates was not an option as it would risk losing their positions, but refusing Inran's request would lead to consequences for the commanders themselves. If the royals learned about today's events, the queen would not only not commend those involved but might also exile their entire family. After all, the priority for the queen was her consort's safety over everything else.
To apologize to the fortress's builders: in the queen's eyes, the fortress was not worth more than a single hair of her master's. Exploiting this psychological aspect, Night's First Snow developed today's plan, aiming to create an opportunity through Wang Xiaole. Would the current commander of the fortress still be laughing? Confident in the defenders' response, Night's First Snow approached the fortress without any weapons and requested the gates to be opened. Although this action might seem reckless, the importance of the king exceeded that of the fortress. How would the defenders react? Under the orders of their immediate superior (temporarily referred to as Commander A), the soldiers responded, "Attack!" All capable of launching projectiles, and those who were not, directed their efforts downward. Night's First Snow instinctively dodged the attacks, slipped backward, and returned to Wang Xiaole's side. "Seems like they think I'm joking," she noted.
Faced with no other choice, Night's First Snow found a rope and tied Wang Xiaole into a bundle, placing him on a small cart prepared in advance. After doing this, she dragged him back to the original spot. Wang Xiaole did not resist; he was waiting for an opportunity to break free from the ropes and capture the girl. Then, he would instruct the defenders to open the gates and stride in with Inran's princess knight. Wang Xiaole did not feel guilty about his actions. He also had responsibilities as a king; like Night's First Snow, he sometimes needed to do things he would rather avoid. Night's First Snow, bringing a king from another kingdom, deliberately gave the defenders some time to carefully discern the truth. After observing and discussing, Night's First Snow believed they would surrender willingly. It was a ruthless move.
Under normal circumstances, any commander, upon seeing the king- or queen-in-chief, would not dare endanger their safety. However, the defenders' reaction at the next moment made Night's First Snow question her life choices. "Attack! Aim for that poorly dressed woman and focus all assaults on the person beside her!" At that moment, Wang Xiaole recalled that before leaving Dibiles, he had the news of his departure from the country suppressed to stabilize public sentiment. The message the defenders received indicated that the king had not left the queen's side, leading them to conclude that Wang Xiaole, standing beside the enemy princess, was a complete imposter.
As qualified soldiers, from the soldiers to the commanders, their thoughts were aligned: impostor equals despicable enemy equals primary target for elimination. Therefore, a barrage of attacks made of elements such as wind, fire, thunder, earth, and water rained down towards Wang Xiaole, with those missing him exploding around his body. Amidst the intense attacks, Wang Xiaole, now alone, decides to save himself. After a sigh, he breaks the ropes and jumps down from the cart. With elements closing in, he channels power into his feet, using a spinning and kicking motion to deflect multiple attacks with a righteous kick.
With a single kick, Wang Xiaole manages to counter all the incoming ranged attacks, causing a chain reaction of explosions. The "elemental fireworks" exploded in mid-air, sparing the ground from further damage. Wang Xiaole then lowers his body and sprints forward through the still-burning ground before the next round of attacks, entering the central view of Commander A. Although Commander A prepares to fire an arrow, he is disarmed by a sudden glint before his arm is struck by a metal shard thrown by Wang Xiaole.
The shard was part of the cart's handle, picked up by Wang Xiaole upon jumping off the cart. He threw it in a calculated manner, not out of personal grudge but to halt the onslaught and question Commander A: "You don't need to speak; I know you must think I'm an impostor, but think carefully! Perhaps someone tried to copy my face, but do you believe anyone can mimic the astonishing beauty of this king?" Wang Xiaole tries to make the commander recognize him as an ally through conversation. Realizing their doubts, he presents another reason: "Furthermore, if I were a real enemy, I would have just shot you in the head earlier! Tell me, why would I waste that opportunity?"
Stuck in this unexpected situation and out of their depth in verbal confrontation, Commander A and their subordinates hesitate to resume the attack.
Alright, let's keep up with this tempo!
Just when Wang Xiaole thought the situation was going well, someone interrupted.
"Xiaojun, I'm here to pick you up!"
