Herald of Steel

With the delegate informing Perseus of the rejected peace offerings, he clicked his tongue a bit at the missed opportunity and was a bit annoyed at having to do it the hard way.

But nevertheless ordered his army to soon move, and commence taking the city.

And so on the morning of the 8th of November, the full might of Tibias crashed started to against the walls of Zanzan, and the siege of Zanzan finally began.

On that day, as the enemy approached the city walls, kicking up a storm of dust in the cold dry weather, from atop the ramparts, Cambyses personally gazed down to observe the sea of enemy ready to challenge her.

The young married woman was dressed in her old crimson red armor, her chestnut hair tied up in a ponytail, while a thick, black woolen overcoat draped over her to combat the biting cold that was starting to slowly creep into this world.

And as she stoically gazed at the enemy, this was the sight that greeted her.

Perseus’s army was laid out in full battle formation, with the center being composed of rows and rows of phalanx infantry, all dressed in their usual crimson red armor and brandishing their iconic huge spears.

Thier both sides were flanked by the Tibian cavalry, all dressed in colorful, ornamental armor.

But the thing that drew Cambyses’s and almost everyone else on her side’s attention, the most magnificent spectacle, had to be the jewels of Perseus’s army- the 20 war elephants.

Placed in front of the entire army in even spacing, seeming they were about to imminently lead the charge against the walls and it was a terrifying sight.

Perseus had of course intentionally arranged his army as such, to display it as a show of force.

For that he even purposely placed his trump card, his war elephants, dressed in colorful armor at the very front, an animal that most people had never even heard of, much less seen.

All to try and scare the ignorant wall defenders, making it appear to some that once these animals started charging, perhaps even their stone walls will be unable to withstand their fury.

At least that was what Cambyses felt like when she laid her eyes on those huge, one-story tall beasts for the very first time, as she, along with many of the defenders, gazed in awe at the beast’s trunk, the stubby, strong legs and most eye-catching of all, their pearly white tusks, which were decorated with serrated metal blades.

‘I wonder how many poor souls lost their lives to them?’ Cambyses, like many others, could not help but dread being skewered by those fearful weapons.

Though if one was to answer truthfully to Cambyses’s inquiry, it would likely be zero.

A man was far more likely to die being trampled under those huge legs, or hit like a baseball with the trunk than die being a tusk run through him.

But nevertheless, just the existence of these tasks played to make the elephant appear many times more menacing.

And as Cambyses saw the full force of the enemy she would have to stave off, though she was confident in being able to hold, the sight still made her heart beat fast with anxiety.

In any conflict there was always the chance of losing, and the many ‘what if’ scenarios her head conjured up seeing this many enemy soldiers made her knees feel weak.

“My lady, please do not get so close. The enemy has archers.” As Cambyses was drowning in her confusion, her adjutant and bodyguard Bartholomew suddenly made this warning, for he saw Cambyses stand near the very edge of the walls to get a better look, and this worried him about her safety. .𝘯𝘵

Cambyses could not be allowed to die no matter what.

And hearing this voice, she finally snapped out of her own head.

‘Now is not the time to have defeatist thoughts!’ She lightly bit her tongue, feeling embarrassed at thinking such thoughts.

And then, having overcome the initial shock of the sight, began to steady herself, as in a display of bravery, even after hearing the concerned voice, still remained where she was, unmoved.

Instead, she only pointed down to a man dressed in luxurious armor and riding a decorative horse from the Tibian army, who was making towards the wall and very confidently said,

“They will not shoot yet. Look! Here comes their king…to say his big speech!”

And like clockwork, the events unfolded just as Cambyses predicted.

Perseus, approached the walls as close as he dared, before taking his luxurious helmet off, the same one that had been paraded by Zanzan soldiers but ultimately retrieved, and shouted towards the wall defenders as loudly as he could,

“Defenders of Zanzan, hear me now!”

“Here stands before you not an enemy who seeks to destroy and enslave you, but a king who understands the futility of further resistance.”

“Your valor and determination in defending your home have been nothing short of admirable. You have fought bravely and gallantly. And I commend you to the highest degree possible for the courage you have shown.”

” But I also urge you to consider the consequences of prolonging this conflict.”

“The inevitable outcome of this siege is clear.”

“Your walls may be strong, They may seem sturdy as the earth itself. But I assure you we have weapons blessed by the gods themselves.”

“No matter how confident you are in your bulwark, surely you cannot think you can best the gods, can you?”

“Look in front of you.” Perseus at this point swung his arms to his back, pointing to his army standing in full battle formation,

“Look at these divine beasts! Look at my forces! They are vast like the ocean. The likes of which you cannot hope to match.”

“I know that your food is depleting. That is why you have started rationing.”

“I know that there your firewood supply is limited. And with us outside the city, you have no chance of getting more.”

“So once these two run out, you will only have the option to either die of hunger or die of cold.”

“While your leaders will abandon you! They will run away.”

“They have lied to you! You have no hope!” Perseus shouted these two sentences particularly loudly, before continuing,

“Look around you. Look at the ten thousand widows shedding the tears.”

“Barely a week has passed since they have lost their loved ones. Just because of the foolish decision of the city’s higher ups.”

“How many more lives will need to be lost till you open your eyes? How much devastation will your lands need to endure before understand that you are being fooled by them.” Perseus to his credit made it sound like all the deaths were not caused by him, but because Zanzan had chosen to resist.

If Alexander was here, he might have actually bowed in honor of this man’s shamelessness.

But Perseus was very thick-skinned, and so continued his speech with a perfectly straight face, loudly urging,

“I ask you to not be fooled by them any longer.”

“People of Zanzan rise up! Grasp your fate with your own hands. Open the gates and let us in. Spare your loved ones”

“For I will extend my hand of peace, offering terms that ensure the welfare of your citizens”

“I understand that surrender might not be an easy decision for many of you. Especially given the bad blood between our two countries.”

“But surrender does not mean defeat. It means recognizing when the cost of resistance outweighs the benefits.”

“There is honor in knowing when to lay down arms for the greater good, for your wives, your children, your people.”

“And I offer you a chance to end this senseless suffering, to spare your women, children, and elderly from further hardship.”

“For I promise, as the sun sets on this day, it will also mark the beginning of a new chapter for you people. One filled with happiness and prosperity!”

“What say you honorable defenders?”

Perseus’s speech was undoubtedly very powerful, evidence of the statesman’s powerful oratory skill, and to say that it did not have any effect on the nearby defenders would be wrong.

But its effect was very debatable.

One was because Zanzan and Tibias really had too much bad blood.

So it was hard to convince anyone with just mere words. Even if that man was the king.

Two was because Zanzan had a very large number of defenders.

Menes and the others had worked hard to recruit and equip so many of them in such a short time.

So their presence worked to give morale support to themselves.

Like how having a friend in a haunted house made both feel safer.

Three was because without the existence of technologies like a microphone, it was hard to convey one’s message across any meaningful distance.

So Perseus’s speech only reached the very near echelons of the wall defenders, an insignificant proportion compared to the whole army.

So even if those who heard the speech wanted to rebel, they would be quickly put down by the much bigger force just behind them.

And four was because Cambyses was standing with them, matching ranks.

The existence of this head of the city guards, who was also the city lord’s wife worked to boost the defenders’ morale very much.

So, instead of a loud cheer followed by clashes with the ‘loyalists,’ as many defenders rebelled and fought each other, the response that Perseus got was only a muted silence.