Above Pirate King - Chapter 125

Bell Kingdom, Bell City, outside the city walls.

“Kill!”

“Die!”

“Die!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

“Help!”

“Save me!”

“Help!”

Shouts of killing, sounds of cannon fire, sounds of bullets being shot, cries for help—various chaotic sounds echoed in this area. Human lives were as cheap as weeds on this battlefield, with dozens of people falling every second.

The entire battlefield was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

Blood and corpses covered every inch of land for several kilometers in all directions.

In the distance, on a high platform in a continuous camp, Hornby held a telescope, carefully observing the battlefield. He watched as soldiers from both Hall and Bell Kingdoms fell one after another. His expression was cold, without any fluctuations.

Because he had gotten used to it!

In the past few months, the people of Hall and Bell Kingdoms seemed to be trapped in a strange cycle called war, unable to break free no matter which way they went!

Both sides were aware of this. There was an unseen hand behind this war!

But even if they were aware, there was no solution. Unless one side surrendered or was defeated, the war could not be stopped!

Originally, after both sides had reached a stalemate for some time, with the death toll reaching nearly a hundred thousand for each kingdom, they were starting to find it difficult to continue.

One hundred thousand people!

That was nearly one-fifth of the population of each kingdom, and they were all young and able-bodied. After excluding the elderly, children, and women, how many young and able-bodied individuals were left? At most, a little over two hundred thousand, which was already nearly half!

However, just when both sides were considering stopping for negotiations, Wisp offered Hornby a large amount of weaponry at an unbelievably low price.

With the powerful support of this batch of weapons, the Hall Army led by Hornby made rapid progress, like a juggernaut, directly advancing to the capital of Bell Kingdom, Bell City.

But as a result, negotiations collapsed!

By the time they reached this point, the death toll in Hall Kingdom had already reached nearly one hundred and fifty thousand, and in Bell Kingdom, it had reached two hundred and fifty thousand. The population of the entire island, originally one million, had instantly dwindled to six hundred thousand, mostly consisting of women, the elderly, and children.

In fact, Hornby had already guessed who the mastermind behind all of this was, but even if he had guessed correctly, there was nothing he could do. After all, he had already advanced to Bell City. Could he just give up?

If he gave up, wouldn’t all the deaths during this period be in vain?

So, he had to fight with gritted teeth!

Fortunately, Hall Kingdom had an absolute advantage. In addition to the advantage in weaponry, the water supply of Bell Kingdom had been cut off for almost a month.

In this situation, as long as Hornby held onto the water source, after a period of time, Bell Kingdom would collapse without an attack.

Of course, even Bell Kingdom was finding it difficult to hold on at this point.

During this period, people from Bell Kingdom, regardless of gender or age, all joined the battle, launching frenzied attacks on Hornby’s camp, revealing a sense of desperation.

Hornby knew that their water reserves were nearly depleted!

“Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!”

At this moment, a soldier rushed over in a hurry.

“Report!”

“Speak!”

“General, our ammunition is nearly depleted. Based on the current situation, we can only hold on for about three hours. If the battle intensifies, we may not even last half an hour!”

“I see.”

Hearing this bad news, Hornby nodded indifferently, showing no surprise.

Both sides had been buying countless firearms and cannons. They had no shortage of weapons, and each soldier had at least one or even two guns. However, bullets and shells were being consumed at an alarming rate.

Especially in recent days, the fierce counterattacks from Bell Kingdom had further exacerbated the ammunition consumption. Hornby had lost contact with Wisp completely, and to have this amount of ammunition remaining today was already quite good!

And if he wasn’t mistaken, then the desperate Bell Kingdom would soon receive a generous supply of weapons from a “kind-hearted person,” allowing them to turn the tables.

Sure enough, shortly after the soldier’s report, another soldier rushed over in a hurry.

“Report!”

“Speak!”

“Bell Kingdom suddenly acquired a large quantity of weapons, completely suppressing our army. They have already launched an attack!”

It didn’t surprise Hornby.

Although it was bad news, Hornby was already prepared!

He calmly gave the order, “Notify everyone to retreat in an orderly manner according to the plan!”

“Yes, sir!” The soldier saluted and then turned around to inform everyone!

Before long, the entire camp became restless.

“Hurry up, pack up and prepare to retreat!”

“Quick! Leave behind the Levins cannons and only take the ammunitions.”

“Secure everything and prepare the explosives!”

“Be careful while installing them!”

After a moment of chaos, the five thousand people in the camp were ready, and the fifteen thousand soldiers at the front line began to retreat slowly.

“Kill!”

“Charge and don’t let them escape!”

“Stop them!”

On the other side, the Bell Kingdom’s army shouted and, under Dukeford’s command, more than thirty thousand irregular troops charged fiercely toward the Hall Kingdom’s army.

Among these thirty thousand people, apart from a few young and able-bodied soldiers, most were robust women. There were also a few elderly people and children with some strength. Although they all held guns, it was difficult to determine their combat effectiveness.

There was no choice. So many young and able-bodied soldiers had died that they had no other option but to assemble this kind of army.

If it weren’t for the deep-rooted hatred between the two kingdoms that had persisted for centuries, as well as the fierce temperament of the people, a normal kingdom would have surrendered long ago. It would have been impossible to reach this level of warfare.

However, these thirty thousand people were Dukeford’s last chance. The internal voices in Bell Kingdom were already calling for surrender. If it weren’t for the recent “kind-hearted person” who sent a large batch of weapons, they might have surrendered already!

Therefore, these thirty thousand people were also Bell Kingdom’s last chance. If they couldn’t win or even achieve a draw, they would have no choice but to surrender, especially with their water supply cut off for a month and the enemy army already blocking their city.

Dukeford took a drag on his cigar, fiercely exhaled the smoke, and spat it out. A few months ago, he didn’t smoke, but with the immense pressure that had been weighing on him, he had learned to smoke on his own. It was the only way to slightly calm his emotions.

He had already speculated in his heart about the culprit responsible for all of this, and he had even just accepted the “kindness” from the main instigator.

But he couldn’t refuse!

In the current situation, even if both sides were well aware of the mastermind behind the scenes, they couldn’t stop the war.

The main reason was self-interest!

Hall Kingdom had already reached this point. How could they stop the war when they saw that Bell Kingdom was on the verge of being annihilated?

Bell Kingdom had been attacked all the way to its capital, and their water supply had been cut off for a month. Their army had already reached the outskirts of their royal city. They only had two choices: fight desperately or surrender.

Dukeford himself was not in favor of surrendering, so the batch of weapons sent by Wisp was his only chance. Only by winning could they avoid surrendering.

If they lost, even if he disagreed, the people within the kingdom would force him to surrender!

Dukeford exhaled another puff of smoke and then tossed the cigar on the ground. As he looked at the current situation on the battlefield, his eyes narrowed. Although Hornby was retreating, he felt no joy.

Based on his understanding of his old adversary, retreating at such a critical moment meant that he still had a hidden move. It wasn’t just because the ammunition was running low.

But in this world, who didn’t have a hidden move?

Thinking this, Dukeford slowly walked toward the battlefield. As he walked, he took off his coat and threw it aside, revealing his muscular physique.

“No matter what tricks you have up your sleeve, no matter how powerful your hidden move is, old adversary, in the end, it will be up to us to settle this war once and for all!” Dukeford murmured, a hint of crazed determination in his eyes.

Behind him, three hundred burly men carrying steel shields revealed the same crazed determination in their eyes as they followed Dukeford slowly toward the battlefield.

Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉

30 chapters ahead are available on Patron!