V6C25 Siege of the city of Teripol - Santairiku Eiyuuki

The day after the Battle of Teripol, Hercule had completed the reorganization of his army and initiated the siege of Teripol City. "Nggh... are they holed up, hm, it's over, huh, well, we did end up with more troops as planned," Hercule remarked while touching Alicia's lower back. In contrast to Hercule, who gazed calmly at Teripol City’s walls, Alicia’s cheeks flushed with warmth, clearly agitated. Releasing a moan, Alicia replied while squirming, "Ugh, after this, will we attack the castle?" "No... It would be quite challenging to take it down with our current numbers." The Lemurian army comprised 30,000 soldiers, while the Chelldan forces defending Teripol City consisted of 10,000. Although launching a siege was feasible, Hercule preferred to bolster his forces further. "With this disparity in numbers, a complete encirclement of the city is out of reach. A safer choice is to hold the west gate with infantry and obstruct the enemy’s logistics and communications with cavalry." Three gates stood in Teripol City’s walls... To the west lay the gate leading to Chelldan City, in addition to the routes to the Teripolania region and Azhdavia City extending eastward into the Lemurian Empire, and finally, the southern gate opening towards the vast desert and the Barbar territories. Dividing forces before each gate would result in 10,000 Lemurian soldiers per gate. Considering the enemy defensive forces amounted to 10,000 as well, this troop imbalance could invite a counterassault, leading to severe losses. Thus, Hercule abandoned the idea of a complete encirclement. By securing the western gate to hinder communication with Chelldan City, while cavalry handled the mobile response to the south and east gates, this remained the prudent tactic. "Hm, what about the sea-side plan?" Alicia inquired amidst her unease. "Christos is attempting a naval blockade. However, without capturing a port, there's no chance of landing troops." The Lemurian naval forces were divided into three segments. One fleet remained in Nova Lemuria and Alectia City, deterring potential threats from other nations. Another defended the landing units. The last, commanded directly by Christos, was tasked with blockading the sea routes between Chelldan City and Teripol City. "With Christos blocking the sea, infantry holding the west gate, cavalry at the east and south gates, and Nia obstructing the main roads, our absolute information blockade is still difficult..." Nevertheless, enemy communication would be severely disrupted. With information confusion facilitated by Jebe and false intel provided by Hercule, the enemy would find their movements considerably hampered. After some time, Alicia sought clarification on the immediate strategy, "Will we rendezvous with allies here until then, ahh!" "Alicia, you’ve been quite loud for a while now," Hercule noted, as he firmly grasped Alicia's chest, causing her body to react instinctively to his touch. "Ahh, not here, not so directly..." "Would you prefer if I focused on your rear instead?" "N-no, that’s not what I meant..." Alicia writhed under his touch. "Your Majesty, what are you doing?" Scheherazade intervened, returning from tending to her weaponry. Her eyes brimmed with jealousy. "Ah, Scheherazade, what’s the matter? Did you want some attention too?" "N-no, that’s not it..." Though she disliked public indecency akin to what Alicia experienced, she was equally displeased witnessing Alicia, rather than herself, as the recipient of Hercule's improper attention. "I’ll offer you attention later, be it your chest or your bottom." "N-no, that's quite alright..." Scheherazade blushed, turning her gaze away. Hercule grinned slyly and, stepping away from Alicia, approached Scheherazade, visibly relieved. "Don’t be shy now," Hercule prodded. "Ah! Stop it, please!" Scheherazade exclaimed as Hercule grabbed her chest without hesitation, causing her form to distort under pressure. While attending to Scheherazade, Hercule turned to Alicia and resolved, "In response to your earlier question, we will communicate with Stefan’s contingent anchored at Marnuva Island to launch a simultaneous land and sea assault, bringing a combined force of 53,000 soldiers, aiming to seize Teripol City." "Ugh, alright, I understand! Please, enough of the grabbing..." Scheherazade pleaded, her face flushed a deep red, shaking slightly. Relentlessly, Hercule persisted in his grasping, until eventually, Scheherazade’s body trembled in an intense spasm before collapsing in exhaustion. Releasing her, Hercule turned his attention back to Alicia. "Would you like the same?" he asked. "No, thank you!" Alicia declined hurriedly. "Don't be modest, I’ll give your rear thorough attention," Hercule teased, advancing towards Alicia with hands poised. Thus, the first siege of Teripol was poised to commence. Meanwhile, flashback to five days earlier... Shortly after Hercule traversed the great desert and infiltrated the Chelldan Kingdom, Masinissa's Shuien Clan of the Barbar tribe made their incursion into the Teripolania region. Masinissa took a separate route across the desert, distinct from Hercule’s path. Hercule’s strategy sought a separate contingent under different command to sow chaos among the defenders while he assaulted Teripol City, thereby avoiding confusion over mixed command structures, crucial for maintaining the speed essential to this strategic surprise attack. Thus, Masinissa's force, consisting of 6,000 cavalry and 12,000 infantry, a total of 18,000 warriors, commenced capturing one Teripolania city after another. The Teripolania garrison reportedly numbered 70,000, although only 50,000 had gathered thus far. These troops, despite outnumbering Masinissa’s 18,000, were oriented northward to defend against a potential Lemurian seafront invasion, causing their forces to be spread out. Consequently, their reaction was delayed, allowing Masinissa’s assaults to proceed. Though Masinissa wished to minimize bloodshed, his tactics comprised raids followed by retreats into the desert, only to launch ambushes elsewhere thereafter. The Teripolania garrison was desperately occupied with fending off the Shuien clan led by Masinissa and preparing for the potential Lemurian attack from the sea, making it impossible for them to send reinforcements to Teripol City. Three days had passed since Masinissa commenced his attack on the Teripolania region, reaching the fourth day since crossing the desert. Generals were pressing Jason for answers. News of the Barbarian raids and the Lemurian army's desert traversal had alarmed them. "Lord Jason, what should we do?" "Remain calm," Jason replied, closing his book and addressing his generals with an unwavering composure. The generals wore varied expressions—some had turned pale, some were visibly flustered, and others couldn't hide their irritation toward Jason. "According to the information we obtained from interrogating prisoners... the true threat of the Lemurian army lies at sea. The Barbarians attacking from the desert are merely a diversion." The Barbar tribes had coordinated their assault to take advantage of the Lemurian incursion, or perhaps they were colluding in a joint attack. Jason had anticipated such a possibility. "The Teripolania garrison was certainly positioned to confront a potential Lemurian incursion from the sea. However, they were afforded some leeway to also address rear attacks from the desert." Though initially caught off guard, the Teripolania garrison managed to respond to the Barbarian entry, maintaining coastal vigilance. "Dispatching rash reinforcements to Teripolania might weaken Azdavia's defenses, which is likely what the enemy desires. The prudent course is to maintain our defenses and continue protecting Azdavia," Jason concluded. "But what about the reports of Lemurian forces crossing the desert, and the news of our allies' defeat at Teripol City? There are even claims that Teripol City has already fallen and the enemy is advancing on the capital, Chellda City..." "Those are merely rumors. Think logically. Crossing the desert is impossible," Jason asserted, endeavoring to reassure his generals. He suggested that the very premise of a desert traverse was false, making other reports likely erroneous as well. "It's probable they mistook Barbarians in the southern desert of Teripol for Lemurian forces. The confusion should soon subside, and we'll receive communication from General Carmine in due time. We can verify the truth then. It won't be too late to act once we have accurate information." Moreover, any action in this uncertain climate posed considerable risks. Jason argued for maintaining their current stance against a presumptive Lemurian threat without exerting reinforcements. While the generals outwardly agreed to Jason’s rationale... They couldn't entirely mask their dissatisfaction.