Temple Sword

Chapter 136 The Last Day
1321, Moon of the Holy Virgin (August)
Trencin, Dubica
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Everyone wanted the day to be over, but it was longer than any.

The trebuchets had been roaring and beating since dawn and hadn't stopped all day long.

With the last effort of their strength, the engineers finally received the king's order to cease fire shortly before sunset.Most of them did not even have the strength to walk to their tents, and they collapsed from exhaustion, resting under the siege engines.

Their efforts were not in vain. Everyone in Trencin Castle was on the verge of despair. Although the defenders withstood the attacks again and again, they all felt that they had not enough strength.

They still refused to surrender, and most of them hated Charles Anjou, considered him a usurper, and were prepared to die without submitting.

It was a strange night on this virgin month, and as the cloak of night fell over those inside and outside the castle, they all had a certain feeling that by midnight this long and painful siege would end forever and the fate of the Highlands It depends.

The king felt the calling, and he donned the battle suit himself, as did Esteban Sternberg, who, contrary to his earlier confident statement, had no intention of dying in the castle where his brother-in-law lived.

He had been preparing for days, and if he failed, he would flee Trencin through a secret tunnel with all his important possessions.

For hours Miklos Gutklade had been convincing his men, who were now mad with bloodlust: they wanted to be the first troops to enter the fortress, since they had opened up for the king From the moment they entered the northern hinterland, they did not intend to cede honor to the troops in other camps.

Antar Bartor, who began his campaign feeling like a stranger under the Lily Banner, is now a seasoned commander, commanding thousands of soldiers under him with just a few precise words and gestures. people.

István Lakfi, on the horse he acquired in Levice, stands proudly alongside Antal and his squire Simon, followed by the 89 surviving members of his infantry ranks.

"Today we will win eternal glory," he laughed wildly at the knight, "in life or in death!"

Antal Barto didn't answer, just lowered his helmet and checked the weapons on his belt and saddle straps.The walls of Trencin had been dilapidated enough for troops to ride on horseback across hills and mounds all the way into the castle.

Zach Felician thanked his fate that, as a court knight and noble lord, he did not need to fight on the front lines.So he stood back, among priests, civil servants, and other non-combatants, where his heart sank as he looked at the destroyed walls.

Istvan, you bloody, stubborn, cursed son of a bitch, he raged to himself, is this what you want?Is this how you honor your brother-in-law's worldly legacy?Whatever that means to you...

A terrible commotion interrupted his thoughts, and Charles Anjou appeared in gold lily suit and chain mail, mounted on his iron horse, drew sword, and galloped before the procession of more than 2 soldiers, the army A wild battle cry erupted in an instant.

"About ten years ago, I made a promise to you on the battlefield of Rozgoni," said the king in a gruff voice, and suddenly, the entire siege army fell silent.

"As I said, there is no place for oligarchs and rebels in this land, and my determination is the same now as it was then. We have worked and fought for it through the ages , under our glorious banner, for which we bleed, again and again!
We are now on the threshold of success, and over the past few years we have had fewer and fewer enemies, and many have fled on their horses before they have even tasted our iron sword!
Tonight, with God's help, we can rewrite the history of our kingdom, our empire!Let us write it in bloody words so that future generations will never forget it!Crush the last dregs of the disobedient!

Tonight, the iron of our weapons will sing a glorious melody, and those who die by my side will be immortal and become the greatest heroes in the kingdom of heaven!go ahead! "

Everyone in the army, soldiers, officers, clerks, even the servants of the camp, was shouting with wild joy, and the roar made the whole walls of Trencin tremble.

No doubt, Felician thought, the damned Italian had learned how to please the Hungarians.

"Attack!" Charlie raised his sword high, "Forward!!!"

The trumpet sounded, and the king's army made a final assault, and the deepest part of the earth shook.At the same time, Esteban Sternberg, holding a torch, set off to flee far away, and only the tired defenders remained in the most important castle of Mate Chuck during his lifetime.

(End of this chapter)