Chapter 00300: Counterattack
# Counterattack
Chapter 300
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 300 Counterattack
Demon Lord Calendar, Year 648.
Early November, 9 PM.
As winter approached, the sky darkened earlier than before.
Outside Sailing Harbor, the army of the Subia Demon Kingdom had already switched to its night mode.
They had been launching attacks outside Sailing Harbor since May, fighting for a full half a year without managing to take the city.
This might sound somewhat incredible, but it was actually quite normal.
The main reason was that Sailing Harbor’s defenses were simply too formidable.
If it were a siege battle, it would have been much easier than the current situation.
But Sailing Harbor faced the sea, with a large navy escorting it.
Supplies could be obtained from the territories of the Avarus Demon Kingdom that had not yet fallen, which meant from the very beginning, it was destined to become a protracted war.
However, the army of the Subia Demon Kingdom was not without its achievements.
In these six months, they had successfully breached two city walls and swept away the sturdy fortresses surrounding Sailing Harbor.
Now, they only had to face the largest and most solid city wall.
Sailing Harbor had no more room for error; as soon as this wall was breached, the city's fall would be only a matter of time.
Based on the current progress, they estimated that they could break into Sailing Harbor in three months at the latest.
Plucking out this nail was close at hand.
At that time, the entire northern territory of the Avarus Demon Kingdom would effectively fall into the hands of the Subia Demon Kingdom.
In this great cake-cutting contest formed by the coalition of four nations, they would have secured at least a third of the territory.
To devour this large piece of cake, the Subia Demon Kingdom had also put forth a desperate effort.
A large amount of supplies and troops were continuously transported from the rear, increasing the initial besieging force of fifty thousand to one hundred and twenty thousand.
When it was time to light fires for cooking, the bonfires linked together like a sea of stars, and smoke shrouded the military camp like clouds, a testament to their immense power and scale.
However, the Subia Demon Kingdom army's movements had been minimal for the past half a month.
They did not continue to maintain a high-intensity siege, which gave Sailing Harbor time to repair its damaged city walls.
It wasn't that the commanding general had grown slack, but that the conditions did not permit it.
The Subia Demon Kingdom was in the south of the Avarus Demon Kingdom, where the climate was relatively warmer.
But in the Northlands, winter arrived much earlier than in the south.
In the minds of the people from the Subia Demon Kingdom, it should not start snowing until at least December, but near the Spine of the World Mountains, heavy snow was already falling in November.
A large number of soldiers lacking winter equipment had to huddle in their tents for warmth.
The insufficient number of cotton coats made it difficult for the army to launch a truly effective attack.
As the commander of the army, the old general, hailed as the Tiger of the Kingdom, was not unaware of this problem.
He had submitted a report requesting winter coats as early as four months ago, but the number of coats delivered was far from enough for the troops.
He knew this was certainly the result of the ministers at court bickering with each other.
They all hoped to end the war quickly and consolidate the occupied lands.
They continuously sent more soldiers to urge him to pull out the nail that was Sailing Harbor.
But this group of nobles who had never held a sword obviously had no idea what warfare was all about.
The noble lords would only continuously conscript soldiers and send them over, without ever considering the actual situation.
The Tiger of the Kingdom had submitted another report two months ago, requesting winter supplies as soon as possible.
In the end, the cotton coats still did not arrive, with excuses like insufficient cotton production.
It was true that the Subia Demon Kingdom did not produce much cotton, but several months was enough time to purchase the necessary supplies from other demon kingdoms.
All that time was wasted by them.
The Tiger of the Kingdom was helpless.
He couldn't just drive his shivering soldiers to attack the city, could he?
That would be a reckless disregard for human life, and if handled poorly, it could even lead to a mutiny.
Therefore, to be safe, the army of the Subia Demon Kingdom temporarily remained inactive.
Either the supplies would be sent, or they would have to wait until the flowers bloomed in spring to continue the siege.
That night, scattered snowflakes drifted down from the sky, but the wind was strong, causing the tents to whistle and flap loudly.
The Tiger of the Kingdom and his advisors sat in the central command tent, studying a sand table, searching for an easier route to break into Sailing Harbor.
Although his wording in the report had been harsh, he wasn't actually slacking off.
He hadn't neglected a single one of his duties.
"The navy of the Tandelon Demon Kingdom has completely retreated into the harbor and won't come out. We cannot place our hopes on them."
"No one can say for sure what happened in the Leon Territory. There is intelligence suggesting that Princess Viola's cousin, Audel, frequently visited the Leon Territory. It's possible her magic defeated the Tandelon Demon Kingdom's navy."
"Negotiations with the Tandelon Demon Kingdom are also not going smoothly. They have rejected our request to provide siege weapons."
"Our cannons are useless against Sailing Harbor's final enchanted city wall. In the assault launched half a month ago, our siege weapons also suffered heavy losses and need time to be rebuilt and replenished."
"Princess Viola has been frequently sending out scouts recently, which seems to be related to Lord Fran of Half-Moon Fortress. We speculate that she might be planning a major move."
"Princess Viola only has two thousand troops. Including the soldiers from Half-Moon Fortress, her total force is less than seven thousand. They pose almost no threat to us."
"We have sent men to conduct a reconnaissance in force, but Princess Viola has been extremely restrained. We have not been able to figure out her specific troop deployment."
"There are rumors of a dragon appearing in the Leon Territory. We speculate it might be related to Princess Viola's cousin, Audel."
"A True Dragon is unlikely to come to such a barren place, but we cannot rule out the possibility of Half-dragons. If their numbers reach double digits, they might cause a disruption to our army."
"Even if it is a True Dragon, our side is already prepared. No matter what moves Princess Viola makes, the probability of her posing a threat to our army remains very low."
The Tiger of the Kingdom listened to the advisors' conversation, his eyes glancing at the Spine of the World Mountains on one side of the sand table.
"Has anyone scouted the mountain range?"
"Well..."
The advisors looked at each other, and then someone said, "The Spine of the World Mountains is too steep. We've asked the locals and also sent out numerous scouting teams to inspect it on site. It is indeed impossible to climb the mountains."
"If Princess Viola to the north wants to launch a surprise attack from the Spine of the World Mountains, it is also impossible. Even if there is a path up on the north side, there is no path down on the south side, unless every single one of them can fly."
"Even taking into account the rumors of a dragon in the Leon Territory, they still lack the capability for a surprise attack. Their transport capacity is too low, and our anti-air preparations are already complete."
In summary, Princess Viola's movements had been noticed by the army of the Subia Demon Kingdom, but they didn't think she was much of a threat.
After all, her forces were too small, and the possible routes for an attack were fixed.
She could only take the blockaded Canyon Path.
As long as the Subia Demon Kingdom army placed scouts in this area, they would discover whatever Viola intended to do in advance.
Pitting a few thousand against one hundred and twenty thousand, even a night raid would be met with a crushing defeat.
Moreover, after half a year of confrontation outside Sailing Harbor, the army of the Subia Demon Kingdom had already turned their camp into a simple fortress.
This was not something that a few thousand people could just charge into.
The Tiger of the Kingdom also knew that what the advisors said was logical, and he had indeed not overlooked anything.
But for some reason, he felt a constant sense of unease.
Just at that moment, two scouts rushed into the central command tent, one after the other.
"Report! The soldiers of Sailing Harbor have launched a night attack and will make contact with our army in about twenty minutes!"
"A message from our scouts! Princess Viola is leading her troops through the Canyon Path and is advancing toward our army. The total number is about five hundred cavalry!"
So, something did happen after all.