Chapter 74: Preparations Before Battle

“Are you courting death? Let’s see who dares to make a move,” someone immediately protested.

This was hardly surprising. The beams and foundations of the large houses Wu Qingsong had chosen to dismantle for use as rolling logs and stones were undoubtedly not those of ordinary civilians.

“This property belongs to Lord Osaga…” emerged an elderly half-elf, showing palpable contempt for the young half-elf, Wu Qingsong.

However, Wu Qingsong had anticipated such resistance. At his signal, Angus, along with several houndmen, swiftly rushed forward, gagging the protester and pinning him to the ground, simultaneously subduing his servants.

“Lord Osaga, understanding the gravity of the situation, has already agreed to let us dismantle this house for military use. What are you all waiting for? Move it, quickly,” Wu Qingsong shouted. “Don’t waste his lordship’s generosity.”

At such a critical juncture, any delay could spell catastrophe.

If they couldn’t dismantle this house, what about the next? And if the neighboring shopkeeper also claimed allegiance to an elven noble, should they seek yet another property? As Harold had explained, in this world, nearly every business had some backing or another. So, was he to stop the demolition?

Not dismantling would mean relying solely on the untrained people at his disposal. How long could they possibly hold out?

With no knowledge of when the antpeople’s army might arrive, how much time did he have to scrutinize and choose his targets?

In such a situation, even one more log transported to the city walls could mean one additional enemy killed. Having already chosen this house, there was nothing more to say. Staying the course was the only option.

The horsemen hesitated initially but spurred by Wu Qingsong’s urging, they finally sprang into action. Massive amounts of wood were dismantled and hoisted onto the city walls, and the huge bluestone foundations were excavated, block by block, to be sent up as well.

Next, they started dismantling a second opulent shop. This time, the shop owner didn’t dare to protest.

As they busied themselves, Wu Qingsong thought of another defensive weapon, deciding to collect all the large pots from nearby homes and set them on the city wall to boil water.

Whether it would be useful or not, he thought it best to prepare in advance.

After racking his brains and desperately recalling every novel he had read about city defense, it seemed these were the only applicable methods under the current circumstances. What followed next would be a matter of luck.

“You will regret this,” the elderly half-elf cried heartbreakingly, watching his house being demolished to the ground, as if he had lost his own property. But from Wu Qingsong’s experience, perhaps that was indeed the case.

“I must report this to the Lord,” he wailed loudly. “I remember all of your faces. None of you will end well.”

Wu Qingsong waved his hand again, and the man was subdued once more. At a time like this, it was crucial not to let such people shake the army’s morale.

“Capture all of them. Don’t let anyone escape,” he instructed Angus.

“Should we kill them all?” Harold, who had descended from the city wall, asked Wu Qingsong, seemingly eager for his response.

Wu Qingsong hesitated for a moment.

Although the shop was likely, much like Ram’s previous store, just using a purchased document for false authority, its operator was still a half-elf. If it really belonged to this so-called Lord Osaga, there might be no issue now, but what about the aftermath?

Would the high and mighty elven nobles even consider whether it was a case of last resort? Would they think about the fact that if the ant people breached the city, their property would be lost anyway?

“Arm them and send them to the front line,” he resolved after a moment’s thought. “They deserve the right to die valiantly in battle.”

“And what if they are lucky enough to survive?” Harold pressed him further.

“Neil,” Wu Qingsong called over his only reliable aide.

“Yes, sir?”

“Make sure these people uphold Lord Osaga’s honor by ensuring they all bravely meet their end on the battlefield.”

Neil paused, then nodded vigorously.

No amount of preparation was ever enough before a major battle. Despite everyone’s hopes that the ant people would never appear, they showed up at the outskirts of Esola City in the early hours of the next morning, beginning their slaughter of the beastfolk who were barred from entering the city.

The beastfolk outside had started moving south after Gilgood ordered the city gates closed, but nearly a thousand, clinging to unrealistic hopes, remained outside. The ant people quickly demonstrated their prowess in killing, successfully spreading fear and unease among the defenders within the isolated city.

“Gilgood is such a pig,” Wu Qingsong couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.

A nearby pigman turned to look at him strangely, flapping his ears in confusion.

If they were already convinced that the elves would soon come to their rescue, letting these beastfolk into the city would have no adverse impact on the city’s defense. On the contrary, even if they naturally lacked a fighting spirit, they could still be useful in transporting supplies, cooking, and caring for the wounded. Auxiliary forces could greatly reduce the strain on combat troops, effectively enhancing their combat effectiveness. But Gilgood seemed utterly oblivious to this concept.

If all half-elves and elves were like him, Nina’s pursuit cause might not face so many difficulties.

“Get ready! Prepare!” the person in charge of the neighboring section of the wall began shouting as the ant people were still a considerable distance away, causing Wu Qingsong’s subordinates to tense up as well.

“Stay calm! Listen for my commands,” he had to shout loudly to maintain order.

This half-elf, following Wu Qingsong’s example, had dismantled several nearby houses, transporting the wood and foundation stones to the city wall. However, due to a late start and indecisive selection, clearly hesitant to offend anyone, the preparations of rolling logs and stones in his section were noticeably fewer compared to Wu Qingsong’s.

Wu Qingsong was, of course, pleased with this development. At the very least, if there were inquiries afterward, he wouldn’t stand out as much. But this also made him realize the abysmally low level of combat ability, especially in city defense, of these people.

After consulting Harold, he learned that due to the elves’ overwhelming power, most cities in the empire had not experienced attacks of this scale for over a century.

If not for the elves’ near-excessive planning standards for cities and fortresses, many cities might not even have built walls.

Under such circumstances, it was unreasonable to expect a high level of proficiency from them.

“Can this city truly hold?” Wu Qingsong muttered, shaking his head.

In stark contrast to the defenders’ tension and panic, the antpeople appeared much more composed. They silently slaughtered all the beastfolk outside the city, hooking their corpses with scythe-like claws and dragging them back, presumably to use as food.

Nearly an hour later, more antpeople and other insectoids finally surrounded the entire city and began to slowly advance toward the city walls.