Her Graceful War Song novel Chapter 1317

Alec arrived to report the casualties from the first battle: 356 dead, and 1,732 injured.

The mood among the officers immediately plunged back to the freezing point.

They had been tasked with defending the city, with archers stationed on the walls. But even with their defensive advantage, the Sandorians had managed to deploy their siege ladders and hurl stones, causing so much loss of life and injury.

This wasn't even a full-scale siege—the Sandorians were simply testing their strength and the teamwork of the Southern Frontier Army.

It was clear that the Sandorians understood the situation. They weren't rushing to deploy their full forces. Instead, they were playing a psychological game, careful not to provoke a decisive battle just yet.

The Southern Frontier Army, despite their diminished morale, would fight fiercely once their lives were at stake.

But if these probing attacks continued, the casualties would steadily rise. Ultimately, the psychological toll would break the Southern Frontier Army's will to fight.

At this point, discussing battle strategies seemed pointless. Everyone's spirits were so low that they couldn't muster the strength to even consider another fight. It would be a futile sacrifice.

The military advisors had smoked nearly an entire pouch of dry tobacco, their minds unable to come up with a new plan. Even if the court decided to send reinforcements, it wasn't clear who would be chosen.

For now, they just had to deal with the situation.

"Gather the soldiers tomorrow. We need to write a speech to rally their spirits. We can't let this go on any longer," one of the military advisors suggested.

Timothy rubbed his face with both hands, wiping off a layer of dust mixed with dried blood. It wasn't his blood, but the blood of a soldier who had been standing beside him, struck in the head by a stone from a trebuchet. The blood had splattered across his face.

He was feeling especially terrible right now.

"It doesn't matter how stirring a speech we give. The marshal is gone, and no one has been ordered to take his place. Everyone believes the Hell Monarch has been killed. Unless he appears on the battlefield in the Southern Frontier, the morale of the troops will continue to falter, and their hatred of the court will only grow."

Louis took Alec's pipe, inspecting it for a moment before setting it aside as it was empty.

"Another part of the problem," he added, "is the collapse of morale after Mr. Prince escaped. The soldiers no longer believe victory is possible. To them, stepping into battle now is just walking to their deaths. If the Sandorians keep up these smaller-scale assaults, our troops' morale will be crushed completely. Soon, the Southern Frontier will fall into the Sandoria's hands."

Timothy glanced at Louis, his hesitation evident. "Do you think His Highness—"

Zachary suddenly looked up, fury in his eyes. "Don't ask. If His Highness were still alive, he would have sent word to calm the troops. But there's been no word from him at all."

Louis fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think we should be so pessimistic. His Majesty can't possibly believe His Highness is a traitor. At the end of the day, they're still brothers."