Major Lobres' back was already drenched in sweat; he hadn't expected the rebels' firepower to be so formidable.
In less than a day, his defensive line was about to be breached.
He urgently assembled manpower, demolishing houses and roads within the town, frantically gathering construction materials, desperately trying to thicken and heighten the segment of wall that the rebels were focused on bombarding, hoping to buy a bit more time.
The major had already started regretting his boast before Colonel Aldame, guaranteeing that Jade Crossing would remain secure with his honor.
That night, United Provinces soldiers venturing outside the wall to clear earth mounds ran into rebel engineers trying to conduct blasting operations at the perimeter.
Both sides were startled, neither even considering combat, and retreated immediately.
However, musketeers on the wall and musketeers in the enemy trenches exchanged fire throughout the night, leaving everyone inside the city sleepless.
...
