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— In an assault, it was all about setting up ladders, using catapults to break down defenses, or launching various projectiles, arrows, and cannons. The focus was on breaking the city gates’ defenses to lead the army into the city and take full control of it.
On the defending side, it often seemed that all they knew to do was shoot from the city walls or pour oil, and even the processing of battle reports was slow, like a group of old men fighting a war.
After observing for a long time, Hedy gradually realized something. The biggest gap between herself and these medieval warriors and commanders wasn’t their level of education, but the amount of information they could receive.
This seemingly invisible, yet extremely lethal, point was the key.
As a modern person, she had grown up with radios and black-and-white televisions in the 20th century, and the development of newspapers and magazines was something ancient people could never have imagined. Messages from Britain, the United States, and Germany could be quickly communicated via radio,and even ordinary civilians who didn’t participate in wars were exposed to vast amounts of information every day.
Much of this information had been accumulated over thousands of years.
From the vocabulary of modern English and Latin to the knowledge of chemistry, physics, and medicine, the valuable knowledge she possessed was far more precious than the gold and jewels sewn into the maid's skirt.
Napoleon’s flexible strategies, the careful thinking behind the Normandy landing—she had unknowingly absorbed so much knowledge. Now, returning to five hundred years ago, many things had returned to a state of chaos and silence.
But as long as Hedy remained clear-headed and cautious, these memories in her mind could have the effect of reversing history.
— How terrifying.
The French army did not rashly come to harass; their fleet had been traveling at sea for a long time and was somewhat scattered.
In theory, after gathering, they should have begun preparations for an offensive, including setting up camps, assembling catapults, and taking inventory of their forces.
However, when the two fleets reached the bay outside Luka City, they quickly realized something was wrong.
— There wasn’t a single tree in sight.
What was left for them were only bare stumps and sharp, useless rocks.
The lord of Luka City had long instructed her thousand mercenaries to cut down every tree in the vicinity that could be used for building materials or fuel, leaving even the dead branches and bushes behind.
When the French army arrived, it was clear they couldn't find anything to help them build their camps. They had been mobilized by Duke Bourbon, with nearly 30,000 men in total,but only about 5,000 had managed to land so far. The rest would likely take another three or four days to arrive.
These 5,000 men couldn’t just sleep on the beach. After some thought, the old general decided to have them camp a mile or so from the castle.
However, as the troops began to move forward, a laugh echoed from the distant mountains, where people lay hidden in the wild grass.
"Boom—Crack!"
"Boom—Bang! Bang! Bang!"
As a horse or some unlucky soul stepped onto the designated spot, the ground began to erupt in a series of violent explosions. Even the huge rocks were instantly lifted by the shockwave, thrown into the air like cannonballs, and crashed back down with a heavy thud!
Countless dirt and debris exploded into the air like a crazed wave, as though some invisible monster was roaring and thrashing its tail.
"Help—!"
"What is this thing?!"
"Retreat! Retreat!"
"No retreat! Keep moving forward!"
The commanders' voices were drowned out by the deafening explosions. The soldiers, who had once stood in formation, now scattered in chaos, either fleeing or advancing on their own accord. The few groups of soldiers became nothing more than a pile of sand scattered across the battlefield.
The sounds of screaming, crying, and wailing mixed together, with some soldiers clutching severed limbs or broken bones as they attempted to crawl toward the ships.
What was even more terrifying was that they had no idea where the next landmine might be.
