Berserk: The Prophet

Chapter 229 The Battle of Nowrudkahuatti (1)

The old nobles readily agreed and quickly directed their men toward the south gate.

The reason these old nobles of Grant's native religion participated in this action was because someone had been falsely accused of treason and was now openly attacking the Grand Duke for the first time.

And these local religious nobles who have frequently sabotaged and poisoned the Grand Duke, both openly and covertly, will inevitably have their names added to the list of those targeted in this purge if Edward, who is openly in power, fails this time. They will be openly and honestly defeated one by one... even if they themselves did not participate.

Just like the changes of dynasties throughout history, this is merely an excuse to rationalize everything.

“No need to worry, I have already sent 2000 armored soldiers to control the south gate,” said the head of the Olson family. He was 50 years old this year, and his calm tone conveyed complete confidence, which undoubtedly reassured everyone.

That's right. The so-called 1 men under the Grand Duke's command are just soldiers from various noble families who obey the Grand Duke's orders. The Grand Duke's own troops number only about 5000.

This land, lacking resources, cannot support so many heavily armored soldiers who are often idle and have nothing to do when there is no fighting.

Now that the Olsen family, one of the Grand Duke's most loyal supporters, has turned against him, the Grand Duke can only muster a maximum of 8000 people.

However, the old noble families of Grant's native faith, after more than 20 years of suppression by the Grand Duke, either declined like the Gurenbelud family, were secretly purged, or barely managed to maintain their expenses; they simply didn't have the extra money to support any assassins.

However, a total of 4000 people were in the city confronting the Grand Duke. Only the soldiers of the Olsen family had a very high armor coverage rate, while the soldiers of other families were scattered and only had a sword or spear, plus a set of light leather armor.

"Your Excellency's plan is indeed very thoughtful. Let us meet at the south gate and hold out together until General Kirsten arrives!"

The crowd echoed their agreement, and then each led their own troops toward the south gate. The head of the Olsen family watched the departing procession, his eyes deep and resolute. He knew this standoff was of paramount importance; failure would mean annihilation for all who resisted.

.........

Outside Halvorsen’s residence.

Just as everyone was discussing the matter, the guard who had gone to deliver the message arrived at the Halvorsen family's residence, limping.

Upon hearing the news, the Grand Duke's face darkened horribly: "A bunch of traitors, do they think they can bring me down like this?!"

Grand Duke Hekun immediately ordered the mobilization of his five thousand soldiers in the city and personally led the Sea Bear Heavy Armored Knights to march towards the south gate of the city, preparing to brutally suppress the rebels.

Unable to find that wretched woman, Madwood had to act quickly, heading towards the southern city while also sending messengers to unite the nobles on his side.

Although those worthless nobles only had about 3000 soldiers in total, it was better than nothing.

However, the most important thing is to quickly seize the south gate, otherwise, once Kirsten leads his guards into the palace, the situation will be beyond his control!

As long as he could keep Kirsten's guards out of the city, he was confident that he could slowly whittle down these rebels.

Meanwhile, as the local nobles amassed their forces, some scattered ducal powers attempted to block the noble coalition, but were all repelled.

Finally, the allied forces all arrived at the south gate. The head of the Olsen family quickly directed the soldiers to deploy defenses, and the other families cooperated in an orderly manner.

Just then, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, and everyone's hearts tightened. The Grand Duke's army had arrived earlier than planned, and everyone prepared for the impending battle.

The four crossbows on the city walls and stone watchtowers have been turned towards the Grand Duke's army, with a range of 400 yards. The arrow towers on the gate towers and the tall city gates provide excellent visibility and firing range; any army that dares to enter this range will be mercilessly shot down.

Edward's side has a total of one thousand crossbowmen, one thousand lightly armored infantrymen, and two thousand Orson family elite armored swordsmen, shieldmen, and spearmen.

Edward and Dick led a group of men to the south gate first, where they saw dust billowing in the distance, indicating the approaching enemy army. Edward whispered, "I hope General Kirsten arrives soon."

Dick looked ahead, his gaze resolute: "Even if it's just us, we must hold on."

As Edward and his men hastily assembled and deployed their troops, Grand Duke Hokun, with a gloomy expression, arrived with his advance force. The banners at the city gates had been changed from horns to the symbol of a fire dragon, the emblem of Gurenbelud.

He Kun's eyes revealed undisguised jealousy, and his eyes, squeezed together by tumors and fat, exuded an extremely chilling ruthlessness.

Fearing the range of the ballistae, the Grand Duke, fully armed on his warhorse and wearing his bulky iron armor, waved his large hand, covered in gauntlets, and the knights behind him reined in their horses and stopped.

The two sides remained locked in a stalemate for a moment, the air thick with tension.

At this tense moment, when the air seemed to freeze, Dick broke the deadlock, shouting, "Grand Duke Hokun, today's battle was not inevitable. Why let the people suffer for the sake of power!"

He Kun sneered, "You bunch of traitors, you actually betrayed me and sided with Gurenbeludo! Lay down your weapons now, and I might be lenient with you. Otherwise, today is your death day!!"

Although the Grand Duke's health was deteriorating due to the lingering poison, his voice, neither too loud nor too soft, still echoed in the empty city, reaching everyone's ears with the unquestionable authority of a superior.

Edward stood on the city wall, looking at his father, who was no longer recognizable as to have anything in common with him, and calmly replied: "Your Excellency, you have been on the throne for many years, levying exorbitant taxes, suppressing dissent, and needlessly belittling the proud faith that belongs only to our country. You have long lost the hearts of the people."

"Now you are the true culprit behind the series of murders in the city. Such brutal and inhumane acts have long aroused the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. Today is the day for you to abdicate!!"

"You..." Upon seeing the rebellious coalition led by Edward, the Grand Duke's face immediately turned even more ashen. He seemed lost in thought, his complexion alternating between pale and flushed before finally turning a deep liver color.

Grand Duke He Kun, enraged and humiliated, roared, "You unfilial son, stop spouting nonsense!"

Exclamations of surprise rippled through the Allied forces. Although there was no concrete evidence, it undoubtedly boosted the morale of the Allied troops who were fighting alongside Edward and others.

Those whose families had been victimized looked at the Grand Duke with suspicion. Even the Grand Duke's close confidants began to waver, some quietly retreating, and the seeds of doubt were already being sown.

Seeing this, the Grand Duke did not want to dwell on the matter. He drew his sword and pointed it at Edward. Just as he was about to order a strong attack, the knight beside him quickly dissuaded him: "Your Majesty, the enemy's crossbows are powerful. We must not act rashly. Let us wait for the reinforcements to arrive before making a decision."

Although He Kun was unwilling, he understood that the strategist's words made sense, so he had no choice but to suppress his anger and continue to confront Edward on the city wall.

.........

Meanwhile, Madwood, leading a small team of shadow assassins, moved through the master bedroom of the Halvorsen family mansion. The room was in complete disarray; indeed, he was searching for the Halvorsen family's secret passage.

He knew the key to this operation was that if Fulda could not be found soon, the situation would be unfavorable to the Grand Duke.

"Lady Folda, Edward has been arrested by the Grand Duke. You'd better come out and see your son one last time!" Madwood shouted earnestly as he searched every corner of the room.

“I don’t know why the Grand Duke had your son Edward arrested. If the Grand Duke kills him in a fit of anger, I’m sure you won’t feel good about it either,” Madwood said in the room, feigning sincerity.

However, the only response he received was the silence in the room, except for the commotion of Madwood and his shadow puppeteers rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

Madwood's face gradually darkened. He had originally thought that by using Edward as bait, Folda would definitely show up.

"Keep searching! Search every inch of this room!" Madwood ordered angrily.