The general besieging the city was a woman, and not only that, she was very young.
This girl had naturally flowing, shoulder-length curly hair, and her wheat-colored skin added a touch of allure. Her lips were slightly full, and the silver rings on her head gave her an exotic air.
It was clear this girl was no stranger to leading troops. Facing a group of bare-chested barbarians, she showed no shyness, issuing orders with the composure of a seasoned commander. And those barbarians, despite their unruly appearance, were extremely respectful towards her.
"Miss Jessica, the King has gone to war with the Saint Roman army. Shouldn't we inform the Madam? What if..."
The exotic girl called Miss Jessica fluttered her large eyes, looking at the bearded barbarian man and said playfully, "Uncle Gegong! What's there to report if we haven't captured the enemy leader? We have more people than them, what could go wrong? I don't care! I'm going to make a great contribution this time, then let's see if my father and mother stop saying I haven't grown up!"
Uncle Gegong said with no small amount of worry, "Miss, the Saint Roman army is full of hidden talents. What if something happens to you? What then? I fear I couldn't even compensate with my life!"
Jessica frowned, puffing out her proud chest, "What's there to fear? I'll handle anything!"
Saying this, she looked at Uncle Gegong with a mischievous grin, "Ah... Uncle Gegong, could it be that you're afraid before we've even started fighting the Saint Romans?"
Barbarians pride themselves on bravery. Upon hearing this, Uncle Gegong puffed out his chest, "What am I afraid of? I..."
Before Gegong could finish, Jessica threw an arm around his shoulder, "That's right! Don't worry! Zu'an himself said I am a once-in-a-century prodigy of the Witch Tribe, with boundless future prospects, not below my mother!"
She said this with immense pride.
Speaking of Zu'an, Uncle Gegong said with concern, "Miss, you can't trust Zu'an's words too much! This man is ambitious. I truly worry the King will be deceived by him."
Jessica pouted, looking at Uncle Gegong displeased, "Uncle Gegong, are you saying I'm not the once-in-a-century prodigy of our barbarian tribe? It seems you all look down on me if I don't achieve this merit! Hmph!"
Uncle Gegong frowned: Of course, you don't have to fear anything, because you're losing my men and my reputation.
The barbarians were open-minded and did not have the many moral constraints of city-dwellers, nor did they practice monogamy. However, the Barbarian King Seon had only one wife.
He had no sons, only this daughter, so he had always doted on her. This was known throughout the barbarian territories.
Gegong secretly calculated that if he truly refused and angered the Barbarian King's beloved daughter, he would likely be punished. Then he thought again, what if this girl actually won?
Although the credit would all go to this girl, the Barbarian King would naturally know that it was all the credit of his berserker Gegong. After much thought, Uncle Gegong felt it was better to lend her a hand.
After weighing the pros and cons, Gegong quickly put on a smiling face, "Miss, since your mind is made up, I, Gegong, will not shirk my duty and will definitely support you!"
Hearing Uncle Gegong say this, Jessica's expression softened, turning from anger to joy.
Seeing the situation, Uncle Gegong quickly pressed his advantage:
"However, the enemy occupies the earthen city, using it as a shield. If we attack directly, I fear the losses will be considerable! In my humble opinion, it would be better to wait until their provisions and water run out before attacking."
Jessica's eyes rolled, and she smiled, "Uncle Gegong is right! That was my thought too. Wouldn't it be even better if we could lure them out?"
Saying this, she flexed her hands and said coldly, "This young lady intends to learn from the masters of Atlantis and see how powerful these so-called hidden talents are."
Uncle Gegong knew that Jessica had a superficial understanding of Atlantean culture, so he didn't correct her and nodded:
"That would naturally be best! However, it's still not foolproof. It's safer to wait until their provisions and water run out."
He spoke with an extremely sincere smile.
Jessica's face immediately fell, "Uncle Gegong, do you look down on me?"
Gegong's face turned black. He didn't know what had gotten into this girl to be so sensitive about being looked down upon. He chuckled dryly and said, "Miss Jessica, you worry too much! You are the eldest daughter of the Barbarian King and his Madam. Who would dare underestimate you? If anyone is not convinced! I, Gegong, will be the first to kill them! However, there is an ancient saying in Atlantis: fighting fiercely on the battlefield is not the action of a great general, but only of a warrior! mere brute force! When their provisions and water run out, you can win in one decisive battle, and your fame will naturally be known throughout the world!"
Jessica was confused by his words but was too proud to ask. However, she understood the last sentence: winning in one decisive battle sounded exhilarating.
Jessica's expression was limited, and all she could think of was 'exhilarating'. However, her spirits lifted greatly, and she immediately said, "Uncle Gegong's words are reasonable! Then we will wait before attacking!"
Ten times surround them, five times attack them, double their numbers and divide them, if they can fight, engage them, if outnumbered, flee.
Augarth had been besieged by the barbarian army for three days and felt increasingly despondent. He was eager to break out of the city, but he knew his own limitations.
Although he was a direct disciple of Dukel, his skills were mediocre, not even half of Pelisa's. Facing the barbarian strongmen, his legs trembled before even engaging in battle.
Since the ancients had already told him that the best strategy was to make a swift escape, his only option now was to break through.
However, the barbarian army was extremely cunning. They were deployed on all four sides, with forces equal to his own on each side. Moreover, the earthen city was not large, and the barbarian units provided mutual support. Any side attacked would be quickly reinforced by adjacent units.
The barbarian deployment gave Augarth a great headache. Augarth racked his brain and came up with a clever plan.
While the people inside the city were thinking of how to break out, Jessica outside the city was thinking of how to gain fame, eager to engage in a decisive battle with the Saint Roman army. If not for the earnest persuasion of the four legion commanders, she would have already charged forward with her spear.
"Uncle Gegong, when do you think we'll attack?"
Before Uncle Gegong could reply, Thomson advised, "Miss, the Saint Romans are known for their cunning and deceit. If we attack rashly, we might fall into their trap. We have more troops now, so there's no need to engage them in a head-on fight."
Domely, however, was quite dismissive of Thomson's words:
"Thomson, those who live in cities are naturally weak. Even if they are cunning, what is there to fear with so many of us? Have the wolves eaten your courage?"
Thomson retorted angrily, "You! If you dare, let's have a contest. Who do I fear?"
Domely was not afraid and scoffed, "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Barbarians valued martial prowess, and it was common for them to draw swords at the slightest disagreement, especially in the army.
Seeing that their own men were fighting before the battle even began, Gegong and Jessica quickly separated the two. However, this made it difficult for Jessica to bring up the matter of fighting on the battlefield again.
Just then, a barbarian soldier ran in from outside the door: "My lord, an envoy from the city dwellers wishes to see the commander-in-chief."
Everyone looked at each other, realizing that the city dwellers in the earthen city could no longer wait? Uncle Gegong smiled slightly and said to Jessica, "Miss, it seems we can achieve a great victory without bloodshed this time."
Jessica pouted: I want fame on the battlefield, what's good about bloodshed? However, Jessica dared not say these words to her elders. As she was thinking, she heard Uncle Gegong say, "Miss, since they want to negotiate with us, shouldn't we meet them?"
Jessica's brows furrowed, "Uncle Gegong, that is for you to decide. Jessica knows nothing about negotiation."
She then muttered softly, "They are truly cowardly, surrendering just with a scare."
Thomson said, "Miss, what did you say?"
"Oh, no... I didn't say anything."
Thomson turned and joined the discussion.
"Since it is on Gegong's territory, let Gegong represent us."
This idea was consistent with that of the other adults. Gegong declined a few times before reluctantly agreeing, "Since you brothers trust Gegong, then Gegong will not refuse."
Saying this, he ordered, "Guards! Bring in the envoy from the city dwellers!"
The envoy was brought into the tent by several strong men dressed in foreign attire. The strong men in the tent were all staring at him. There was a woman with her back to him. He quickly straightened his clothes and saluted, "My lords, I am an envoy from the Saint Roman Kingdom."
He spoke in the local dialect fluently. Gegong and the other adults exchanged glances before saying, "Are you a local?"
The envoy shook his head, "I merely have a slight grasp of your noble culture. I trouble your lordships to speak a little slower."
As he looked up, he saw the woman who had turned around and was taken aback.
Although the Saint Roman army knew that the enemy commander was a female general, their leader had not challenged them. They had only glimpsed her from afar and had never seen her clearly. Seeing her at such close proximity today, he realized how beautiful this girl was: her large, round eyes took up most of her face, and with her long eyelashes, it was hard to associate her with a general fighting on the battlefield. Her wheat-colored skin was extremely attractive. Although not as gentle as Atlantean women, it possessed a wild, fiery beauty that blended seamlessly with her armor.
She had only glanced at him, and clearly, like the others, she had mistaken him for a local.
"I ask you, what are you doing here?"
Hearing someone ask, the envoy withdrew his gaze.
"Reporting to my lords, I have been sent by my general to surrender."
Everyone present looked at the envoy in unison, their eyes filled with astonishment.