"AAAHHHH!!!" After another day passed, a loud shriek erupted from atop the capital's main gate, the Duke finally understood what was going on around him.
The Burton family's army had allowed its spies and scouting squads to keep tabs on their slow march from day one, until they came within a day's distance from the capital, then they began hunting down and killing the spies and scouting squads.
After they made sure no one is watching anymore, they divided themselves into 6 equal armies and encircled the capital, attacking all the towns and villages around it,
taking advantage of the situation as these cities and villages had become defenseless.
The operation was carried out with incredible speed and accuracy, in just 48 hours every inch of the Duchy of Harris, except for the capital, became under the Burtons rule!!
"Dammit.." Duke Harris tried to calm himself a little but was unsuccessful, every time he think about it he feel his blood boiling in his veins, "What are these bastards trying to do? What will they gain from controlling villages and cities devoid of equipment and fighting men?! this is meaningless!!"
"Maybe... they want to starve us?" One of the saints spoke, just the thought made the heads turn gray
The capital currently holds about a million more mouths to feed, if the plan is really to besiege and starve them, then...
"If this is the plan, our situation is not so bad, we have made plans for this and gathered enough food for three months, and with the army we have we can organize raids on them every once in a while to steal more supplies," said the saint in charge of the provisions.
"that's right, if they are depending on the longer breath strategy then it might not be the worst situation for us!"
,m "Yep, that's much better than facing a trained, well equipped army, with mortals and farmers"
"That's not right... please don't roll out the other possibilities! the military genius that the Burton family has shown so far can rule out that they will only depend on the subject of starvation to achieve victory, maybe they want to impose a siege until more support comes to them?" spoke another one
"...That is most likely their goal," nodded one of the defeated dukes, "but if they think this is like any other city they are wrong! whether it's army size, prepared food rations, the numbers of saints and knights...I dare say that as long as the walls are standing and we have an army of this size to defend it, we will never fall!"
"Never… how long can that be?" Duke Harris said depressingly, resting his head in his hands, "Why doesn't the royal family respond to our distress? Why do they keep saying they can't act without King Jeffrey's orders? So where the hell is the King?!"
"... The Royal family even issued orders to stop any other Duchy from helping up directly, we were just trying to delay them so we could get support from the royal family and our allies, but for some reason, we seem to have been abandoned... it's time to forget about them and defend our lands ourselves." another defeated Duke responded
At that moment a clear voice echoed: ("People of the Duchy of Harris, listen carefully to this decree...")
"What?! Where does that sound come from?!" The saints tried to search around for the source but to no avail, the sound was so clear as if it was right next to them and yet its source could not be determined!
("..the city of Yark, the city of Tarva, the village of Washin, the village of…") the voice added another 12 names before he continued, ("These cities and villages are under the Burton family control now,")
"what?! why didn't anyone tell us?"
"Is this why they didn't arrive at the appointed time?!"
Panic started to spread among the million-strong army, especially among the inhabitance of these places
then the voice continued, "(we took these places easily and no one got killed in the process, all the people we found there are alive in captivity, but all of them will be burned on stakes tomorrow morning!")
"AAHHH, MY SONS!!"
"NOOOO, YOU ANIMALS!"
"My wife... my mother... My wife... my..."
Nearly a quarter of the million-strong army started shouting in denial and anger, and soon after the initial breakdown, they started weeping nonstop...
("We will give you one more chance….") Then the voice continued, ("The men and women that belong to those places must leave the capital before dawn today, you return to your hometowns, and surrender!
Anyone who returns to his hometown, we will hand him his family and save them from this miserable fate. This is a promise that touches our honor, the Burton family!")
"That's bad..." The Duke felt as if the ground split open under his feet and heaven collapsed on his throne.
"STOP HIM! Find the source of the voice and stop it immediately!!" The saints began to fly over the walls and from among the army, like locusts, quickly trying to find the source of the sound
--------
Ten miles east...
Peon with a big smile on his face looked beside him and spoke, "Let's go, our job here is done."
The transmission of sound over long distances is one of the main functions of the Wind Law, and that is why the task was assigned to the best person to use this path...
Three Saints behind Robin looked at the little kid in front of them in astonishment, before dashing toward their base...
they were assigned by the patriarch to come and protect him until the mission is over, but it seems like the patriarch had underestimated him.
Standing 10 miles away, he can escape easily even if he crawled all the way back, they won't find him!
---------------
"Hey... HEY YOU! Where do you think you are going?" One of the officers shouted at a man who started to move away from the formation, "And you there! All of you, stand still! this is an order!!"
"My wife... my wife..."
Unconsciously, the residents of those cities and villages began to lay down their weapons and walk toward their homelands
"Officers! Whoever abandons his weapon, kill him! who ever moves half a step, kill him!!" A shout out from a saint
"Everyone stop.. STOP!!" Even after the permission, the officers did not find in themselves the strength to do it, the number of those who left their weapons is simply too many!
"It's just a ploy to break up our ranks, even if you go out you will be killed with your families, it is better to stay here and avenge them!!!"
"I'd rather go back and die next to my son then, he is the reason I came here to fight anyway, if he is dead then there is no meaning in all of this! no one can stop me from going to him!!" a middle aged mortal shouted and started running..
but his head fell off after two steps.
"Kill the traitors!! If you see your friend moving from his spot, put your weapon into his neck!!"
"GHAAAAA let me go back to my family!!"
"ARGH... you... you want to kill me? you idiot!! they have taken over the whole duchy, today may be my day... but tomorrow your city will be announced too!!"
Chaos...
utter chaos...
About a quarter of the million soldiers were from those cities and villages that were announced
After the first one rebelled, ten appeared, After the first ten, a thousand appeared, then ten thousand...
After waking up from the first shock, they all began to wipe their tears and choose between staying and returning... betting on the promise of the Burton family, the invaders, or staying and taking revenge on their families.
In the end, most of them chose to bet.
But this time, they didn't throw away their weapons and started running casually like the first wave, they fought!
A few knights and officers from the afflicted cities even took charge of those who wanted to leave and made initial battle formation, a real internal war began in no time!
RIOT was the headline for the rest of that night, a few tens of thousands were killed and about two hundred thousand fled under the wing of the night.
leaving behind the walls of the capital strewn with the blood of its defenders, and an army completely disintegrated after the utter destruction of its formations...