Page 299 of DATE
There were no battering rams, no trebuchets, but the cannonballs and explosions were like the fists of giants, pounding everything to pieces. The soldiers couldn't understand why the ground beneath the walls seemed to shake like an earthquake, and before the thick smoke had even dissipated, the walls crumbled with it.
"Fire!"
The walls began to collapse in jagged sections, and more soldiers surged toward the city gates.
The moat was entirely useless—A brown-haired, brown-eyed commander created a bridge from dried branches, allowing the army to cross the many rivers and ravines as if they were flat ground!
The city gates finally opened slowly, and knights in heavy armor charged out, swinging their longswords. But the crowd theyfaced quickly parted like waves, revealing rows of dark rifle barrels.
"Fire!"
It was like countless sparks exploding in the air. The ammunition rained down in a torrential storm, piercing through the iron armor and the horses' chests. Like an invisible web, it caused the defenders to scream and fall, utterly powerless, even though their numbers vastly outnumbered the attackers.
"Boom—Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Meanwhile, multiple sections of the city walls collapsed. The demolition troops peeked their heads out from a distance, gripping the stones to steady themselves and avoid falling.
The sound of roaring cannons rumbled like a dragon's growl, drowning out even the buzzing in their ears.
Another wave of knights and pikemen surged out of the city gates. Archers on the high towers, stubbornly holding their ground, were still trying to launch wooden arrows in a futile attempt to overcome the rush of wind from the cannons.
The musketeers repositioned themselves, clearing the way for the cross-bladed carts.
With a sharp whistle, multiple carts charged forward, the spinning cross blades in all four directions cutting through the enemy ranks like a meat grinder, harvesting countless souls.
"Fire—fire!"
The heavy city gates crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of deep brown dust, like the final breath of an elder.
The cross-bladed war carts rumbled forward, and the musketeers aimed their guns at the remaining enemies.
"Attack—The city!"
Lorenzo took a sip of wine, placing the letter aside, before rising and turning the mechanism on the wall to open a hidden compartment.
It had taken just two hours to capture Luca, only an afternoon to seize La Spezia.
Even the grand, ancient city of Genoa was taken in just a single day.
He and she had indeed worked together smoothly, with almost nothing standing in their way.
The battle reports had already reached Florence, and the citizens couldn’t help but murmur among themselves.
"My lord, regarding the treaty and the defense alliance..." Cosimo knocked on the door. "The generals have arrived and are waiting for you in the reception room."
Lorenzo took out the glittering ruby ring, staring at it for a few seconds.
The band was made of platinum, and next to the large diamond, there were petal-shaped rubies, making it look delicate and refined.
—A bud, about to bloom, like a cyclamen from Greece.
Its flower language is... "jealous love."
He shifted his gaze away, held the ring in his palm, and walked out.
CHAPTER 23
"Lord! Grant them eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon them—"
