The walkway on the city wall was filled with shouts and screams, with middle-aged and elderly civilians, mostly without armor, moving along the parapets. Each showed high levels of tension; some picked up the few remaining wooden and stone blocks from the ground and hurled them fiercely down the city, while others used iron forks to push the wooden ladders away with all their might...
The prolonged and intense fighting had exhausted them, making their reactions sluggish. Occasionally, some were struck by javelins flying through the air, screaming as they fell. Those nearby showed no visible sorrow or fear, as if they had grown accustomed to it. Civilians would carry the screaming wounded down from the city walls...
On the other side of the parapets sat a neat row of fully armed soldiers. They watched their compatriots fight continuously with complex expressions, hands tightly gripping shields and long spears...
In the center of the walkway, several bonfires blazed, with large copper pots filled with water brewing overhead...
"Is the water boiling yet?" shouted a middle-aged man with gray hair, clad in Centurion armor, in a sharp tone.
"Almost! Just about to boil!" the civilians responded quickly.
"No need to wait any longer. Pour it out now! We can’t let those filthy bastards dig at our walls like rats! After it’s poured, continue to boil more!" The Centurion, after issuing his orders, yelled at others, "What are you standing there for? Pour oil down and burn these cursed rats!"
"Andoaux, we’re out of oil!"
"Oh, damn it!" The Centurion frustratedly punched the battlement.
"Captain Andoaux!" a City Guard Officer shouted. "I’ve gathered another group of soldiers for you!"
The Centurion finally turned his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over Albazus and his group, then said, "At least you’ve done something useful. I need as many soldiers as possible to stop the enemy from getting onto the walls. Go gather more for me!"
The City Guard Officer, seeing the dire situation on the battlements, did not hesitate and replied immediately, "I’ll do my best!"
The Centurion walked up to Albazus and his men, gesturing sharply: "Divide into two groups from here. Those on the right, head over to that side and report to that Centurion. Those on the left, rest against the wall and save your strength. When the enemy attacks, follow my command to fight. Do you understand?!"
Since Albazus’s men were all directed to the left, they didn’t respond immediately, but instinctively looked at Albazus for cues, making their voices faint.
The Centurion named Andoaux looked at Albazus in confusion and sternly asked again, "Do you understand?!"
"Understood, understood," Albazus replied with a smile, explaining: "Captain, they are all part of my caravan. We come from Ladim and will try our best to follow your orders."
"Not try, you must!" Andoaux demanded sternly. "If the city falls, you won’t escape either. You’ll likely become prisoners of the rebel army!"
"I understand. We will follow your orders," Albazus corrected himself.
Andoaux was still somewhat dissatisfied, but he merely snorted before turning away to supervise others in defending the city.
Albazus watched him indifferently, calculating how, when the brothers arrived, they must first eliminate this city-defending Commander to disrupt the enemy’s defense.
As he planned how to launch a surprise attack, he suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet.
Not far away, someone cried out in alarm: "Oh no! The city wall... it’s cracked!"
"Retreat quickly! Fall back!!..."
Amidst a cacophony of screams, there came a "rumbling" crash, and the city wall not far from Albazus suddenly collapsed, sending up clouds of dust into the sky...
When the dust cleared, a large breach appeared in the southern city wall. The people on the collapsed section and those below were buried in the rubble, including the Centurion Albazus wanted to take out.
The collapse of Canosa City’s wall was mainly due to years of neglect, with the fierce battle serving as a catalyst. Additionally, Maximus, heeding the advice of Spukala, the deputy commander of the engineering team, sent many soldiers to hide under the wall, each holding a shield in one hand and a Crane Head Shovel in the other, constantly digging into the city wall. (Due to years of disrepair, the exterior bricks of the wall were loose and widened, making them easy to dig out), all of which played a part.
The stunning sight stunned the entire battlefield. But after a brief stillness, the rebel soldiers below the city broke into cheers and surged toward the breach like a tide, while the guards on the battlements screamed in terror, fleeing frantically into the city...
When the rebel army refused Canosa’s envoy and declared their intent to storm the city, the Canossa people sensed the city was indefensible. However, they didn’t anticipate it happening so quickly. Though the people in the city were extremely panicked, many had long prepared escape plans, especially the Canosa Nobles, who had early on fled to the northern part of the city, the only area not surrounded by the rebel army. Here, there was a river port ready for a quick escape by river, with ships long prepped for departure...
More Canossa citizens flocked to the river port, desperate to flee. In their haste, they even fought over the ships, with curses, cries, and screams filling the air, making the port extremely chaotic...
The rebel army seemed to overlook this place, leading to an increasing number of Canossa people seeking refuge at the river port, but as the number of ships dwindled, those arriving late at the river port fell into despair.