A question about English language, quite urgent!! Please help 😭

I know this is like B1 level and I should know it but Past Perfect has always been my Achilles' heel.

I am translating a text and to summarize it: one army retreated, then one army appeared on the forefield. Then the siege of the city started.

Should I use "the siege of the city had begun" or "the siege of the city began"? Like, Past Perfect feels right but the siege happened after the second army's arrival 😭 And I couldn't find rules supporting my feelings, actually only otherwise 😭

I will deeply appreciate any help!!

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When listing events in the order they happened, stick to the Past Simple. Think of your story as a timeline moving forward: first the retreat, then the arrival, and finally the siege. Use "the siege began" because it is the next step in the sequence; using "had begun" would incorrectly imply the siege started before the army even arrived.

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Thank You so much!!! 💚💚💚 That helps a lot!

by RoachTheFish; 1772539966; Report