Pale Emblem

Chapter 43 Stabilize the situation

The orcs gushing out of the pine forest stopped more than 700 meters away from the front of the city wall.On the right flank of the Orc group, and a large group of barbarian warriors.They are tall and sturdy, equipped with leather armor and leather armor, and have a round wooden shield and a hand axe.

Bartom had visually estimated that the number of barbarian warriors was around 900, while the size of the half-orc group was at least three times that of the barbarians, and then observed the number of half-orc butchers, about thirty or forty.Based on 50 to 100 fighters or coolies led by each orc butcher, the total number of the orc colony would not be less than 3000.

There are more than 4000 half-orcs and barbarians on the opposite side, but in Braun Town, there are less than 900 half-elves who can take up arms and take part in the battle.

The invaders had an absolute advantage in numbers.Their savage and savage aura made the half-elves guarding the city walls tremble.Perhaps, as long as the enemy launches a storm, Braun Town will fall.

Bartom couldn't figure out why the local barbarians would join forces with the Orcs from Outland, but he had fallen into deep despair.Vertoc pulled him out of the vortex of despair.

Those amber eyes have a magical power. When Bartom came into contact with Vertok's eyes, his mind instantly recovered, but he still inevitably said pessimistically: "Vill, I regret not listening to your advice yesterday. However, now What's the use of sending money to everyone? The enemy is too strong, we have no chance of winning, if the city wall falls, everyone will die. Wealth can no longer improve everyone's morale..."

Vertok was not in the mood to explain much, and in a tone that was almost an order, he said lightly: "Give everyone money first, the sooner the better, and then figure out a way to break through. Don't worry too much about this."

Bartom didn't understand Vertok's intentions for a while, but he also knew that the wealth hidden in the town by the Adventurer's House would definitely not be preserved, so it might be better to share it with everyone if it was reserved for the invaders.According to Vertok's request, he ordered his men to take out the most valuable treasure in the treasury.

It didn't take long for a few tin boxes to be carried to the city wall.At this time, Boss Bartom had already figured it out and put it down. He let his subordinates carry the box, followed him around the city wall, and distributed the treasure in the box to every soldier.All the half-elves defending the walls were given a large amount of amber, turquoise, black glaze, blue diamond, and colored phosphor beads, enough to fill two of their pockets.

Looking at the dazzling treasures in their hands, the half-elf soldiers, especially the adventurers, had complicated expressions.These are the specialties around Braun Town, and they are also the main reasons for the adventure group to come here for adventure.For example, the bean-sized, crystal clear multicolored phosphorus beads are a kind of crystal in the krill body. Only the old krill that have grown for more than five years are likely to produce multicolored phosphorus beads.They have no special value other than their good looks.But the Dragon King Fei Lumat likes such shiny things, so that the colorful phosphorus beads are included in the tribute list by the Dragon King Palace.A high-quality multicolored phosphor beads can be sold for 5 to 10 gold pagodas in the market of Fallen Leaf City.

A small adventure group has been busy with Bolang Lake for a few months, and it is possible to collect more than 600 colorful phosphorus beads, which is not enough to fill two pockets.The adventure group usually sells the hard-earned phosphorus beads to the Adventurer's Home Hotel at the price of 2 gold towers.Simply because Boss Bartom can provide things that cannot be bought in the main city market, including sophisticated weapons and equipment, life-saving secret medicine, and the most important opportunity for promotion.

Treasures such as amber and gemstones are more valuable than phosphorus beads, but they are not hard currency, and the market price fluctuates greatly.Those who have the channel to worship the Dragon King can turn the treasure into power and power, and those who do not have the channel can only accept layer upon layer exploitation.Therefore, adventurers would rather sell their harvested treasures to the Adventurer's Home at a low price in exchange for the Awakening Specialty or Sublimation Specialty.

Over the years, Boss Bartom has accumulated a huge amount of wealth, and now he has taken out all the accumulations over the years and distributed it to everyone here.

If the adventure group collects all the treasures that the members have distributed, even if they are sold at a low price in the market, the money in exchange will be enough for them to buy a small plantation and live a stable life without worrying about food and clothing. Go on an adventure.

However, they are about to die, so what's the point of sharing more treasures?
After Bartom divided the treasure, he walked back and forth on the city wall. As he walked, he shouted, attracting the attention of all the half-elves: "Dividing the treasure to everyone is not for everyone to defend Braun Town, but to break through! We can only break through the encirclement. Enjoy the wealth! Everyone cheers me up and sticks to their posts. We have high walls and ballistas. Orcs and barbarians will not be able to fight for a while. The leaders of all adventure groups will come with me and discuss it. Breakthrough thing."

As long as they are half-elves of normal mind, they are afraid of death.Half-elves engaged in adventurous activities are afraid of death, and even more afraid of poverty.When they were poor, they dared to fight for their wealth; when they were rich, they became afraid of death again.But it is undeniable that adventurers have courage and blood that are far beyond ordinary people.

Vertoc boosted the morale of the adventurers and prevented them from mutiny.The people of the Adventurer's House were also besieged and had to rush out as well.This is what everyone has in common. Even if the adventurer has a grudge against Bartom, they should work together and find a way to rush out first.

After Boss Bartom regained his composure, he quickly understood Wiltok's intentions. He took out all the most valuable belongings in the warehouse and decisively distributed them to more than 400 adventurers to dispel their grievances and stimulate their enthusiasm. will to fight.

The adventurers looked at the sparkling gems, amber, and phosphorus beads in their hands, and gradually a different look appeared in their eyes, revealing a fierceness.They put their treasures in their pockets, fastened their pockets, took up their weapons again, and shouted viciously, "This time it's going to be a desperate attempt!"

"It was meant to be desperate."

"With so much treasure, it's worth dying."

"Bah! I'm going to rush out with the treasure..."

"Yes! We rush out, whoever dares to stand in our way will have to kill him!"

Bartom laughed and shouted: "There will be more treasures to be brought in soon. I will distribute them all to everyone, and let your head of the regiment share them, lest you take too much and you will not be able to run."

The adventurers applauded one after another, and they did not forget to tell their head to get as much treasure as possible.

Seeing this situation, Bartom's heart fell back halfway, and he whispered to Vertok beside him: "Vill, what should we do next?"

Vertok was really questioned. He relied on the "knowledge puzzle" to analyze intelligence and provide countermeasures. In fact, he had no idea.Although the "knowledge puzzle" was part of his soul, it was in a state of division. The "knowledge puzzle" contains many rearranged memories and the ability to logically deduce, but not emotional cognition, but rational thinking.But due to the split between the "knowledge puzzle" and the soul, Vertok is like an extra soul.Most of the time, he couldn't control the "knowledge puzzle", and only handed it to it with preset problems, while collecting information, he let it deal with the problems on its own.

It takes a certain amount of time for the "knowledge puzzle" to solve the problem, and it also takes time for Vertok to collect relevant information.Under normal circumstances, the higher his mental attributes, the more comprehensive the information collected, and the faster the "knowledge puzzle" can deal with problems.

What should I do after distributing treasures and stabilizing people's hearts?
Regarding this issue, due to the incomplete information collected, "Knowledge Puzzle" has not given a specific action plan.Vertok could only follow the general direction of solving the problem, and said vaguely: "We can only find a way to break through now... Let everyone use their brains, I will listen first, and then think about what to do."

His answer is also in line with the character of an amnesiac.Bartom nodded and said, "That's right. We've all calmed down. Everyone should come up with ideas and find a way... Maybe, the situation is not as bad as we thought, but we haven't found it yet."

When the leaders of the various adventure groups arrived at the city tower, Bartom looked around at everyone and said: "That day, Hullante of the famous Golden Oak revealed my identity in public. Everyone now knows that my red lion, Bartom, was once a rock. The elite non-commissioned officers of the Giant Legion fought with orcs, barbarians, and alien orcs in the dark place for more than two months... The 'February' war was the most tragic war the Alliance has seen in recent decades."

"...In that war, my comrades were killed and injured countless times, but me and a few old buddies were lucky to survive..."

Boss Bartom sighed, and said boldly: "I didn't expect that more than 20 years later, I would encounter half-orcs besieging the city again in Bolang Town. If I fight to the death this time instead of dying old on the bed, it will be considered a thing. Lucky thing."

"I dare say that none of you knows better how orcs and barbarians fight than I do. Based on the current situation, I'm afraid we will have to break out of the encirclement to survive. I ask everyone to follow my unified command. I can assure you of two points. .First, if you need to charge, the half-elves of the Adventurer's House will rush to the front; if you need to break, we will walk in the back. Second, all information and decisions are shared, and you can send a member here to take charge. Contact, I will never hide anything from them!"

"If anyone is unwilling to advance and retreat with you, I will not stop you. I will give you a few ropes, and you can climb over the wall now. It is your luck to be able to escape the pursuit of the orc butcher; You are unlucky. However, those who are willing to stay and break through the siege have to obey my assignment. Otherwise, don't blame me for turning my face and not recognizing anyone!" Bartom said loudly.

The leaders of the various adventure groups looked at each other in dismay. No matter how beautifully Bartom said it, they did not dare to easily entrust the fate of the whole group to each other.It's just that, except for Bartom, no one here can take on the responsibility of the commander.Moreover, the risk of breaking through alone is indeed too great.Everyone still understands the principle of breaking through together and covering each other.

Just as the adventure team leader communicated with his eyes, Charlie took the lead in shouting: "Sir Bartom, our piano and whistle adventure team believes in you and is willing to obey your assignment!"

Bartom glanced gratefully at Charlie and nodded with a smile.

The rest of the regiments immediately gritted their teeth in hatred for Charlie.Since someone takes the lead, they can't be left behind. If the backward people are missed by Bartom, they may become cannon fodder for others.So, everyone agreed, and they all clapped their chests, indicating that their adventure group absolutely supported Bartom.

Seeing that the leaders of the adventure group patted their chests, Vertok thought it was very interesting, and naturally smiled and rolled his eyes.Bartom found that Vertok was laughing, and he didn't know why, but his heart was finally back in place.

He smiled calmly and said: "Later, someone will bring gold, weapons and armor, dry food and battle secret medicine. Gold, you can take whatever you want. Other things are distributed according to the needs of each regiment. Do you have any questions? ?"

Of course, the heads of the regiments said there was no problem. Bartom glanced at Vertok and said, "Well, let me first introduce the situation about the Orcs and the barbarians..."

The Orcs are roughly divided into six classes: chieftains, mothers, butchers, female shamans, fighters, and coolies.

Generally speaking, orc chiefs are the most powerful butchers in the tribe, not only powerful in combat, but also highly intelligent.

Grandmothers are fertile half-orc females, and nearly all Grandmothers are shamans.Their status in the ethnic group is very high, second only to the chiefs, and some shamans even have more voice than the chiefs.However, the eldest mother is obese, has limited mobility, does not participate in combat, and is usually responsible for raising offspring, and belongs to the core of the protected ethnic group.

If the orc chieftain dies, the big mothers choose a new chieftain from among the butchers.If all the big mothers are dead, the half-orc tribe can basically declare disintegration.

Butchers are also known as high-level orcs. They are generally about 2.2 meters tall, and their strength, speed, and wisdom are much stronger than ordinary orcs.The butcher's life rank starts from the third rank, which is the same as the adult female Hemer warriors. They have advanced blood rage talent, have a keen combat intuition, and are bloodthirsty.Each time the Butcher kills an enemy in battle, the power of Blood Rage will be boosted once, but different individuals have different boost caps.The Butcher is without a doubt the most feared orc warrior.

Shaman, here mainly refers to the young half-orc female shaman who is not qualified to bear children.They are few in number and are naturally agile warriors, often wielding bone blades with cursed powers.As long as the skin is cut by the bone blade of the Orc Shaman, the wound will continue to decay, not easy to heal, and even cause confusion.

A fighter, a half-orc male with no reproductive qualifications, with strong explosive power and weak physical fitness, mastering the primary or intermediate blood rage talent.Fighters are the mainstay of Orc armies, oppressed by the pack butchers and unable to grow.Half-orc fighters are stronger than most half-elven awakeners, but not as good as pros.

Coolies, half-orcs who have not developed gender characteristics, are stupid in mind, weak in strength, and are quite slaves in the group.Half-orc coolies form the basis of the half-orc tribe. When the butchers in the tribe suffer heavy losses, the coolies have the opportunity to regenerate, separate their genders, and be promoted to fighters, and very few can be promoted to shamans.

It is worth mentioning that the blood rage of the Orcs is an active talent, the stronger the battle, the weaker it becomes.Orcs fight in a single charge, either victorious or utterly defeated.In view of the characteristics of the Orcs, the regular legions of the Disa Alliance prioritized attacking the coolies of the other side and thwarted the spirit of the Orcs, which often caused the blood rage power of the fighters to plummet, thus turning the tide of the battle.

Barbarians are the exact opposite of Orcs.They are born with sex and are fertile when they are adults. The average height of men is 1.9 meters, and the height of women is more than 1.7 meters.Adult barbarian warriors are particularly strong, and their basic strength, physical fitness, and intelligence are higher than half-orc warriors.The sturdy and sturdy body endows the barbarian warrior with a special ability. When he is hit hard, he will hardly faint. Instead, the pain will lead to anger, and the anger will burst into stronger power.When this power crosses certain boundaries, the barbarian warrior awakens to the blood rage talent.

The blood rage of the barbarians is a passive talent, which is closely related to the vitality. To improve the level of the blood rage talent is to increase the level of life.

The blood rage effect of high-level barbarians is the same as that of ordinary barbarian fighters, only violent counterattacks, but high-level barbarians are incredibly strong and can fight hand-to-hand with wild monsters without falling behind.

Perhaps, the blood rage talent of the barbarians is actually a growth talent, and the violent counterattack is only a side effect.

The barbarian shaman who mastered the power of the sky fire and possessed the ability of prophecy called himself the daughter of the heavenly spirit, and the high-level barbarians were called the warrior of the heavenly spirit.

Barbarian warriors are always braver.The Alliance Legion hates fighting against groups of barbarian infantry.Fortunately, the barbarians have low fertility, and the number is much smaller than that of the half-orcs, and the barbarian warriors who have awakened the talent of blood rage are even rarer.And half-orcs can master the blood rage talent as long as they develop normally and become half-orc fighters.

"After the half-orc fighter arouses the blood rage, his strength, speed, and defense are greatly enhanced. However, the power of the blood rage rises and falls quickly, and it consumes a lot of energy. The method to deal with the half-orc fighter is very simple. When their blood rage is turned on, they will lose energy, their hands and feet are soft, and they can't even beat ordinary awakened ones. With the help of high walls, we first shoot and kill the half-orc coolies who have no blood rage talent. The half-orc fighters are frightened, and the blood rage power It will also decline rapidly. They failed three charges and all turned into soft-legged shrimps, and it will be easy for us to break through again. How many of us can be intercepted by more than 40 orc butchers on the opposite side?"

Bartom added with some annoyance: "The barbarians on the opposite side are our big trouble. They are strong and energetic, and no adventurer can outrun them."

He mainly said it to Vertok, and regretted that he had not adopted Vertok's opinion. Now it is difficult to run.

The leader of an adventure group said excitedly: "I have experience in dealing with barbarians. Avoid close combat with them, shoot from a distance with crossbows and javelins, as long as they hit a dozen arrows, they are almost dead... "

Everyone looked at the head of the regiment with cold eyes. His voice became lower and lower, and a shy smile appeared on his face, obviously realizing that Braun Town was facing a war, and the barbarian warriors on the opposite side were not sporadic. , the previous tactics are useless in this kind of scene.

Bartom turned his head and asked Vertok, "Vill, what do you think?"

Virtok shook his head, walked straight to an iron box, bent over and lifted the box, raised it above his head with one hand, and asked, "How is the strength of the barbarian warriors better than mine?"

Everyone was startled by Vertok. This box was full of gold, and at least it weighed 1100 pounds. Seeing that Vertok lifted the gold over his head with one hand, he still looked like he was still struggling. The strength may be comparable to that of a fourth-level shield guard.

Bartom said quickly: "Slow down, be careful to hit your feet. An ordinary barbarian warrior should be able to do this with two hands."

Vertok put down the box, nodded and said, "I have to eat a lot of food in one meal, and I remember that Yog's appetite is not small. It seems that barbarian warriors need a lot of food."

Boss Bartom slapped his thigh and said excitedly: "I just panicked, but I forgot about such an important matter! Three thousand and a half orc warriors, plus a thousand barbarian warriors, they must consume more than usual. It takes twice as much food to maintain the fighting strength. Mayor Mayen left some food in the plantation, which is only enough for 500 barbarian slave girls for more than ten days. The half-orcs grabbed all the food and could not stand the consumption of the battle. For two days at most, orcs and barbarians must fill the gap with their own food reserves. This will definitely affect the livelihood of the tribe! I don't think they will last for five days. We only need five days and they will die!"

This news excited everyone, and Charlie of Jyn and Whistle further said: "Orcs and barbarians lack food and large equipment, they are not good at siege! And we have plenty of materials, bows and crossbows, and also There are medium-sized ballistas, which can be held for 5 days by relying on the city wall. Now, the back door to the west of Braun Town has not been blocked by the half-orc and barbarian coalition forces. It seems that they hope that we will take the initiative to abandon the city. This also shows that their offensive persists. Not too long!"

Before, the head of the adventure group who commented on the barbarian raiders asked again: "The back door is not blocked? Then why don't we withdraw?"

Charlie said coldly: "You can go and see if the orcs and barbarians will chase you? If they catch up with you, you can just fight them in a field battle."

The captain stopped talking.No one dared to take the risk of fighting in the field with the half-orc and barbarian coalition forces, taking the initiative to escape the protection of high walls.

Bartom smiled: "Vill, what do you think?"

Vertok said before that the money should be distributed quickly and the breakthrough should be slow, but he was right in the end.The Red Lion Bartom admired Vertok's foresight, and now he also pays special attention to his opinions.

In fact, Vertok said that "breakthrough should be slowed down", because he has not yet thought of a specific breakout plan. "Knowledge Puzzle" has just taken into account the food factor, but it is only a reference factor, and it does not mean that the enemy is really short of food.

In any case, there is nothing wrong with weakening the enemy's living strength with the help of complete fortifications and waiting for work.

Vertoc shook his head slowly and said, "We still have to be ready to break through the siege... Let the old and weak women and children in the town gather at the back door first. We will hold on for a while and make a final decision based on the situation."

Bartom nodded and said: "Well, this is the safest way, just do as you say. But I think we have a great hope of holding Braun Town..."

High hopes of holding on to Braun Town?

So far, the results of the "knowledge puzzle" analysis show that there is hope of breaking through, but the probability of holding Braun Town is less than [-]%.

Vertoc shook his head again and said, "There is little hope of defending Braun Town... I have a key question that I don't want to understand."

Bartom frowned his bushy eyebrows and asked, "What's the problem?"

Vertok said blankly: "I don't know."

As they were talking, the sentry in charge of watching the enemy suddenly shouted in panic: "Boss, boss... Come and see."

Everyone rushed to the wall together, stared at them, and found that several groups of barbarian warriors were slowly walking out of the snow forest with six medium-sized ballistas.

Everyone's discoloration changed, and Boss Bartom's face was ashen, and he squeezed out a sentence from his teeth: "The barbarian slaves of the plantation betrayed us! We must destroy the opponent's ballista first!"

The effective range of the medium ballista is within 400 meters, and the target beyond 300 meters is basically not accurate.But the metal bolts fired by the ballista are enough to penetrate the city walls and help the orcs and barbarians to cling to the city!
Complete disassembly of a medium ballista from an arrow tower is not an easy task, and it would not have been possible for the Orcs and local barbarians to do so without the help of the Plantation Barbarians.

Now that the enemy has these six ballistas, it becomes much more difficult for Bartom to defend the city wall.

Virto exhausted his eyesight and found no sign of Yog in the barbarian camp.His tense mood relaxed a little.It's not because of his feelings for Yog, but because the barbarian boy is very smart.At such a moment, Yog aroused the fear of Vertok.

"Hey, I found an interesting phenomenon."

The slave trader Rhodes of the Iron Cross suddenly pointed to the opposite side and said: "Look, the barbarian camp and the half-orc camp always maintain a distance of 5 or 6 meters. Those ballistas are all controlled by the local barbarians... If, the plantation It was shot down by the Orcs from Outland, how can they trust the ballistas to be used by the local barbarians?"

Bartom's eyes flashed, he turned his head and asked, "Captain Rhodes, what do you mean..."

"Lord Bartom, I am familiar with the barbarians on the other side of Braun Lake. They are divided into more than a dozen tribes, with a total population of no more than 6000 and a maximum of 2000 adult warriors. There are less than 1000 barbarian warriors here, and where would the other thousand warriors be? The place? I think they must defend their hometown. Although I don't know why the local barbarians join forces with the half-orcs from outside to attack the town of Braun, but since the barbarian warriors did not send out in full force, it shows that they are still wary of outsiders. "

"Looking at the orcs side, it is roughly estimated that more than 3000 people have come here, most of them are coolies, and there are less than 2000 orc butchers, shamans and fighters who are capable of fighting. If the local barbarians still have more than 1000 warriors left. At the rear, there will not be all the power of the Orcs from Outland. Their population size is probably more than 8000, and they are a very large Orc tribe!"

"The orcs and the barbarians are united in the front line, and they are on guard against each other in the rear... Hehe, the chief of the half-orcs in the outer domain is really a powerful role. He handed the ballista to the barbarians to make these barbarian warriors can fight with peace of mind. Then, The Orcs at the back must have the strength to overwhelm the local barbarians!"

"I mean, the local barbarians are being coerced by the half-orcs from the outer domain... In this case, I have an idea." Colonel Rhode said with a reserved smile.

Vertok felt the sinister and viciousness from the slave trader's smile, and he secretly muttered: "This guy doesn't look like a good person."

(End of this chapter)