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Chapter 166: Gains and Losses at Lionheart Castle

When Zhang Wei saw that the Lionheart Castle army besieging Newt City began to withdraw, he was filled with indescribable surprise and confusion.

Is it true, as he guessed, that the army led by Gao Lan has successfully captured the city of Tiprano?

This thought flashed through his mind, but was quickly replaced by another possibility proposed by Zhang He.

Zhang He calmly analyzed: "The withdrawal of the Lionheart Castle army does not necessarily mean that the city of Tiprano has been captured. Perhaps, when faced with a desperate situation, the Duke of Lionheart made a difficult decision - to abandon the Lionheart Castle and transfer all the troops and resources back to the city of Antiphis."

Zhang Wei couldn't help but be shocked when he heard what Zhang He said.

He was well aware of the importance of Lionheart Castle to the security of the entire kingdom.

Back then, the kingdom spent a huge amount of money to build this castle with three solid walls in order to guard this key passage and prevent the imperial army from invading the south.

Not only that, in order to prevent small-scale harassment from the imperial army, the kingdom also deliberately designated a large area of ​​land south of Lionheart Castle as a restricted area, prohibiting any form of development to ensure that the enemy had nowhere to hide in this barren plain.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wei felt even more depressed.

If the Duke of Lionheart really abandons Lionheart Castle, the kingdom's northern defense line will be in great crisis.

Without this strategic location, the imperial army could advance straight into the kingdom and threaten its core area.

The forbidden areas that were originally used to protect the people have now become open routes for the enemy to attack. As a result, the entire kingdom will face an unprecedented test.

After careful consideration and repeated weighing, Zhang Wei decided to send an envoy to chase the Lionheart Castle's army and request a meeting with their commander.

In fact, the commander knew very well what the purpose of the envoy sent by Zhang Wei was.

According to common sense, he should not have met with the enemy's envoy, so as to avoid being disturbed and confused by the other party.

However, at this moment, he himself was in a dilemma as to whether to resolutely carry out the orders of the Duke of Lionheart, and his heart was full of struggle.

After some hesitation, the commander finally chose to meet with Zhang Wei's envoy.

When Zhang Wei's messenger met the commander, he conveyed Zhang Wei's respect and concern.

Zhang Wei spoke highly of the commander's noble character during the attack on Newt City - although he had every opportunity to plunder the surrounding villages, he did not do so.

Not only that, Zhang Wei also expressed his sincere concern about the potential consequence that the Duke of Lionheart might abandon Lionheart Castle.

"Hmph! There's no need for you to say too much!" At this moment, the envoy of the Duke of Lionheart learned that the commander had actually met with Zhang Wei's envoy. He was immediately furious. He rushed over with weapons in hand and launched a fatal attack on Zhang Wei's envoy without saying a word.

Zhang Wei's messenger raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a sneer. He easily avoided the enemy's offensive and warned the commander not to become a sinner for all eternity.

"We must not fall into the trap carefully designed by the enemy!" The messenger sent by Duke Lionheart anxiously advised the commander to strengthen his inner beliefs and not waver in the slightest.

His eyes were wide open as he stared fiercely at the figure of Messenger Zhang Wei who had already fled away, his face full of worry as if he was afraid that the commander would be disturbed and change his mind.

Since then, the envoy of the Duke of Lionheart has followed the commander closely, fearing that Zhang Wei's envoy would make a comeback and continue to confuse everyone's minds.

Unexpectedly, the envoys from Zhang Wei's side did not show up again, but the army led by Zhang He, a fierce general under Zhang Wei, quietly appeared far behind them and followed closely at a certain distance.

Zhang He and his troops neither blocked the retreat of the Lionheart Fort army nor made any other unusual moves, so the two sides remained in a stalemate.

In fact, Zhang He himself, the commander of the Lionheart Fort army, and the envoy sent by the Duke of Lionheart all knew that Zhang He's move was nothing more than to take advantage of the situation after the Lionheart Fort defenders abandoned the city and occupy this strategic point in one fell swoop.

Seeing that Zhang Wei was willing to take on the arduous task of blocking the imperial army's attack, the commander's original feeling of guilt and self-blame towards the country and the people for abandoning his homeland eased a little.

On the other hand, the envoy of the Duke of Lionheart thought to himself: "Humph! That's a good plan, but when we are almost done retreating, I will definitely set fire to the entire Lionheart Castle!"

When the Lionheart Castle's army retreated to the castle like a tide, they nervously packed their luggage and prepared to move to the city of Antiphis through the teleportation array.

The imperial spies who always kept a close eye on Lionheart Castle's every move quickly presented the key intelligence they collected to the top leaders.

This news was like a prairie fire, instantly igniting the fighting spirit of the entire southern army of the empire, and they began to be unable to suppress their inner restlessness.

The troops led by Zhang He had already quietly arrived near the south gate of Lionheart Castle and cleverly set up camp. In addition to taking necessary defensive measures, they were like sleeping lions, silently waiting for the opportunity.

At the same time, the Empire's Southern Legion also dispatched a large number of troops to the south, set up camp in the north of Lionheart Fort, waiting for an opportunity to capture Lionheart Fort in one fell swoop.

Faced with such a serious situation, the Lionheart Army fell into an unprecedented predicament.

Their emotions were complicated and difficult to express, and their morale was at its lowest point.

Although the enemy forces on the north and south sides have not yet launched an offensive, it is undoubtedly a great shame for these soldiers who have shouldered the important task of guarding Lionheart Castle for generations and regarded this place as the supreme honor to now have to hand over this indestructible fortress to others.

What is even more ironic is that they had to entrust the mission of resisting the imperial invasion to the army of their former mortal enemy, Zhang He.

This feeling of helplessness and humiliation intertwined together made every Lionheart soldier feel heartbroken.

"Fire! Fire!" Sharp and piercing cries pierced the night sky. An alert sentry was horrified to find that a raging fire was burning inside Lionheart Castle!

The sudden fire spread quickly, illuminating the entire sky above the castle.

This sudden change caused the originally calm situation to fall into chaos in an instant.

The troops led by Zhang He in the south and the imperial army in the north became restless.

For Zhang Wei and the empire, the Lionheart Castle that was burned to ruins obviously did not meet their interests.

Zhang He acted decisively and commanded his troops to take prompt action.

However, they soon discovered that the gate of Lionheart Castle had been deliberately blocked with various debris at some point and could not be broken open.

Time was running out. In order to put out the fire as soon as possible, Zhang Wei gave the order to attack the city without hesitation.

The brave soldiers immediately launched an offensive, trying to enter the city by climbing the walls.

Unfortunately, the walls of Lionheart Castle are too tall and steep. Even if a magician uses levitation magic, it is difficult to reach the wall easily.

Just as Zhang He's army was trying their best to find a way into the city, a panicked soldier on guard came running over and reported that a mysterious Pegasus army was approaching them at an alarming speed.

Faced with this new situation, Zhang He had to devote his energy to dealing with the threat from the air. On the one hand, he urgently organized an air defense line, and on the other hand, he still firmly ordered the soldiers to continue to climb the city wall.

The situation is getting more serious, and the atmosphere of tension is everywhere...