Eight hundred and thirty seventh chapter soldiers approaching the city
Under the clear blue sky, farms were scattered across the land like patches, dotted with civilians planting wheat seeds for the next season.
Occasionally, they would chat about the war that was taking place in the Western Region. Apart from the military families who were worried about the safety of their husbands and sons, other civilians were also having a hard time. There was no way, once the war started, it would mean
As taxes increase.
"These days are getting more and more unbearable. When will it end?"
"I heard that not only will the Western Region have a bumper harvest this year, but they will also be exempted from taxes for three years. It's a pity. If there was no war, they would definitely be able to live for a few more years."
"What a heck, the three dukes and the king are attacking at the same time. The native duke is dead, and the citizens will also have to bear the military expenses."
"Then you guessed wrong. In order to make the civilians give up their resistance and easily take over the Western Territory, I heard that the Duke issued an order to reduce taxes for three years."
The farmers were discussing, and someone said this, which immediately aroused dissatisfaction.
"Why should we bear the military expenses?"
"What's the use of shouting here? If you have any dissatisfaction, go and tell it to the tax officer?"
"It's better to prevent the native Duke from defeating us. I heard that he is from a civilian background and must know our suffering."
"Shut up, you want to kill us. If the Sheriff hears this, we will all be hanged."
The farmers quickly dispersed. There were some things they should never say, but after walking a few steps, they all stopped because the earth was trembling slightly.
"what happened?"
The farmers subconsciously raised their heads and looked at the end of the road, where smoke and dust were billowing. After a while, the sound of hoofbeats grew from small to loud, like thunder.
"Are these cavalry rebels?"
None of the most powerful bandits in the Northern Territory had such momentum. So the farmers were not worried, they just wondered why they did not go to the Western Territory, but ran towards the royal capital.
Soon, a group of cavalry whose tail could not be seen broke into the field of vision. The confusion on the farmer's face turned into shock, and then into fear. Because it was a group of cavalry whose identity was completely unrecognizable.
"Run!"
The clever farmers turned around and ran away, but most of them were so frightened that their legs were paralyzed, trembling and unable to exert any strength at all.
This cavalry regiment is so impressive. The vanguard cavalry leading the way are wearing black cloaks embroidered with the pattern of spiders hanging upside down by spiders. They wear scimitars on their waists, long bows on their backs, and under their crotches are black cheetah mounts.
.It is simply extremely elite.
Later came the barbarians riding war horses. In order to travel lightly, they only wore a pair of leather trousers and carried tomahawks on their backs. With their unique attire, even farmers could recognize their identities.
After that, the Devilman Corps became a little chaotic, and the team was not neat, but not to mention the strange-looking mounts on their crotches. Each of them was powerful and looked like a fierce bandit. They were also full of intimidation.
Of course, the most frightening thing is the dwarf heavy cavalry at the end of the team, running at high speed, just like a steel chariot, unstoppable.
"Look!"
Someone heard the buzzing sound and subconsciously looked up. They saw a huge floating battleship flying from high altitude. The graceful and wild lines were very visually shocking.
"Is this the Legion from the West?"
"Isn't that right? Didn't you see the hilly natives? Besides, Downton has only been a duke for a few days. Can he afford a floating battleship? Isn't it said that only the nine empires have it?"
"But there are savages!"
The farmers looked uneasy as they watched the cavalry regiment leave.
"I'll report it to the mayor!"
The clever farmer was ready to report the news and maybe get a reward of a few silver coins, but as soon as he ran a few dozen steps, a long arrow shot over and pierced his neck.
Only then did the farmers discover that a group of rangers riding black panthers had appeared nearby at some point.
"Anyone who dares to inform us in the north will be killed without mercy. Anyone who informs us will be rewarded with thousands of gold!"
The ranger captain took off his cloak, which immediately shocked the peasants.
"Dark Knight?"
"Drow?"
This time the farmers not only trembled, but turned pale with fright and collapsed on the ground.
Even three-year-old children know that the dark elves living in the underground world are an evil race with extremely fanatical beliefs. They hate all surface creatures and like to use their souls to sacrifice to the Rose Spider Queen. They have not forgotten that the Dark Ranger is
The best rangers in the world, they are proficient in riding and shooting, and can easily hunt down any opponent in the field.
"Once the master conquers the north, he will be exempt from tax for three years."
"The war will come to an end in seven days, and then you can feel free to tell the truth!"
After the ranger captain finished speaking, he continued to run on the black panther. The mission of these small teams was to use killings to frighten the farmers who wanted to report after the army crossed the border.
"what to do?"
The farmers watched as the drow left.
"Just pretend you didn't see it!"
"Yes, wait seven days and see the results. I don't want to be killed by the dark elf."
"It would be great if it was really tax-free!"
No matter who is in power, the farmers only care about their own lives and wallets. Seven days is not long. They can wait. Besides, dark elves are natural assassins and killers. If they target you, you will definitely die.
No one dared to underestimate the bounty of thousands of gold. Even if Downton was defeated, it would still be effortless to take down a peasant.
Everyone looked at the bodies that had been unfortunately shot and became more honest.
On the Ancient Spear, Downton sat on the bridge, staring at the hanging map of the North and meditating.
As a third-rate country, Frankfurt is not very large. It only takes seven days by carriage from Qingmu Town to Busk, the main city in the north. If the cavalry runs at full speed, it can take more than two days.
Of course, in order to ensure combat effectiveness, we can immediately engage in battle upon arrival, which will take three days no matter what.
"Don't worry, the Dark Rangers are the best rangers on this continent. The famous Wolf Wolf Cavalry is a bit inferior to them. With them covering the battlefield, none of the scouts in the north can escape.
"
Charlotte placed the black tea in front of Downton and comforted him softly.
"I'm not worried about this. Even if the Duke of the North gets the news now and recalls the generals who went on the expedition, we can still get at least three days of time, which is enough to capture the main city."
As soon as he decided to make a long-distance attack and directly capture the main city in the north, Downton immediately dispatched every batch of drow rangers who rushed to the Dragon Fire Array.
These Ranger squads will be scattered along the army's attack route, hunting down scouts. They will remove all checkpoints and try to obscure battlefield information.
"That's good!"
Looking at the calm Downton, Charlotte smiled. The confident boy was back again.
"Master, I always feel that there is something wrong with this plan!"
Jackson muttered quietly, for fear of causing Downton's dissatisfaction.
"explain!"
Downton didn't watch Ghoul.
"We have been operating the Western Territory for a year and issued various preferential policies. However, in the face of war, your territory-wide mobilization order did not summon even one percent of the soldiers. By analogy, we have no foundation in the Northern Territory.
None. Even if we defeat it, we will still end up in the same situation as the Western Region, getting nothing. I think this is purely a wedding dress for other dukes!"
Jackson racked his brains to think. After having the drow, its scouting mission was also taken away, and its strength was the worst. If he didn't work hard, he might have to live by flattering him.
"Celeste, do you know?"
Downton asks the Death Banshee.
Celes shook her head. Although she was a princess and received an elite education, she really knew too little about politics and military affairs.
"I don't want land or people. I want chaos in the north and war everywhere, so that I can have a chance of survival."
Downton took the Golden Crown Tree Garden pen and listed his own advantages on the paper.
"Every country in the Western Continent, whether king or noble, is a hereditary system, so killing only one duke will not cause great chaos. His descendants must also be cut off, so that the heirs of the collateral line can have the opportunity to jump out and compete for the duke.
position."
"So what happens?"
With Jackson's poor brain, he really couldn't figure it out.
"Unlike the big nobles, these side branches with inheritance rights may be down-and-out nobles or small nobles, but without exception, they will not own too large a territory, so the northern border is already big enough for them
, so the first thing they have to do is to win over as many real power supporters as possible and seize the northern border."
Among the aristocrats, in order for their direct heirs to securely inherit the throne, the superiors suppressed the collateral families very harshly, with a strong smell of blood.
"So that we in the Western Region can have some breathing time?"
Celes's eyes lit up.
"Yes, as long as the three realms are not monolithic, the advantage in military strength will be eliminated, and then we can defeat them individually."
After Jackson finished speaking, he suddenly shook his head, "No, we don't have the resources to replenish our troops. The number of soldiers will decrease as we fight!"
"Yes, in the early stage, we can rely on the hilly natives. In the mid-term, if the situation becomes clear, the troops from the three realms should also be withdrawn, and we can return to the western realm. After all, I have killed a bunch of nobles here, and my control has weakened.
I can spend a lot of money to recruit soldiers, and of course, even if I don’t withdraw, I am confident that I will annihilate them.”
After all, Downton has to return to the West in the end, because it is here that he has accumulated a little prestige.
"You can also hire a mercenary group. Those war mad dogs like to make war profits." Charlotte added, "And when Downton shows a certain degree of power, big nobles will come to help him become a puppet, and then
Share the benefits of Frankfurt."
The nine empires don't care about the rotten piece of meat in Delankfurt, but the small surrounding countries do. Even if they don't send troops, they will choose spokesmen and secretly provide material and diplomatic support.
"Wait a minute, until the end of this fight, it will definitely be a melee between the big and small lords. The whole of Delankfurt is completely caught in the flames of war. Even if we win in the end, what we will get is a mess. We don't have more than ten years to recuperate, and I'm afraid we won't be able to slow down.
Come on."
After all, Jackson is not stupid enough.
"good!"
Downton sighed deeply.
"As long as you can be the final winner, why do you care so much?"
Cheap God thinks this plan is good, although it is quite difficult to implement.
"That's right. You didn't put the Western Territory first and decided to stick to it. Instead, you jumped out of this circle. In terms of macro judgment, your analytical ability is very commendable."
A rare compliment from Homer.
"Do you think I don't want to keep it? I can't stand it!"
Downton smiled bitterly. To be honest, he wanted to save the Western Territory from the war and save the people from suffering and losses, at any cost. But that ineffective mobilization order directly knocked away his last bit of sympathy.
Broken.
"Don't the Dukes admit that they are not guilty? Maybe in the end, the fight will not be too bad!"
After Jackson finished speaking, he noticed that Downton and Charlotte looked at him with contempt.
"Idiot, bandits are like a comb, soldiers are like a grate. The soldiers in the Western Region are so bad that they are called Western Worms. Do you think the soldiers in the other three realms are not bad? There will definitely be many civilians who are unlucky."
Homer snorted.
"They deserve it, why don't they support the master!" Jackson gloated. He wished those civilians were unlucky, and then showed an expression of relief, "The three dukes must have swept away the snow in front of them, wishing that others would be destroyed, so this plan is feasible.
."
Regardless of whether it is feasible or not, this is the last way for Downton.
At noon on the 19th, Downton's army arrived at Busk, the main city in the north, half a day earlier than expected. When the vanguard cavalry passed by the small towns located on the outskirts of the city, thick beacon smoke rose!
Because they relied on the main city, these townspeople were relatively loyal and were afraid of being massacred, so they lit the beacon fire as quickly as possible.
Downton had no interest in arguing with these bastards. He ordered the cavalry regiment to advance at full speed and rush into Busque before the guards could react.
The magnificent Duke's residence. The bearded Duke of Busque had not slept for two days. At this time, he was roaring at the intelligence officer with a pair of dark circles under his eyes.
"Where has that native Duke gone? It's been four days, and you losers still haven't heard from him. Do you want me to hang you all?"
"Duke, calm down. That Downton may have been afraid of the retaliation of our army and escaped first. Although there is no news about him, the troops commanded by Mingwei have crossed Qingmu Town and are heading to the west to capture the city and territory for you. I believe that after
Soon, your territory will increase by one-third!"
The intelligence officer was worried about being punished and quickly reported the good news.
"Tell Mingwei to speed up and occupy more land for me before those two bastard Dukes from the South and East."
Busque sat back on the chair, pointed to his shoulder, and motioned for the maid to come over for a massage.
Although angry, Busk is actually not worried about Downton's army. Although it is a bit embarrassing to say it, after he killed Blackbeard and defeated his own army of tens of thousands, he is no longer the biggest threat to the enemy. He will definitely turn his troops around.
, went to deal with the other dukes.
The intelligence officer was about to say something when he saw the head guard bang open the door with a panic look on his face.
"You want to die?"
Busque was shocked and grabbed the coffee cup on the table and threw it at him.
"Duke, something bad has happened. The beacon is lit, and enemy troops are coming to attack!" The captain of the guard quickly knelt down and loudly reported, "It is speculated that it is the Western Army led by Downton!"
"What? Is that guy crazy? He insists on causing trouble for me?" Busk's face was twisted. In this situation, no one wanted to take the lead in fighting Downton. "Where are his troops?"
"Below the city!"
The captain of the guard said bravely.
"Which city?"
Busk was still calm, because even if he was beaten to death, he wouldn't believe it. Downton had already attacked Busk's main city.
"Busque City!"
After the captain of the guards finished speaking, Busque jumped up with such force that he even knocked over the chair behind him. He didn't care at all. He rushed to the captain of the guards in a few steps and grabbed him by the skirt of his clothes.
Lift him up.
"What did you say? Downton's army is outside?"
"Yes, the troops have already arrived at the city!"
The captain of the guard did not dare to look directly into the Duke's angry eyes.
"Are you kidding? Did he fly over? Why is there no news at all? Besides, isn't Rosicky's army fighting with the King's Army on the Eastern Front? If they raided Busque, why not bring them all? Yes, it must be a feint attack, yes
The wrong beacon was placed!"
Duke Busque muttered to himself and looked at the captain of the guard, hoping that he would tell him that everything he said was false.
"Downton is really here, bringing an army of more than 10,000 people. There is no news, because he has dark ranger cavalry and killed all our scouts!"
The captain of the guard gritted his teeth and reported.
puff!
Busque was so furious that he vomited a large mouthful of blood. The two maids turned pale with fright and rushed over to help them, but they were slapped away by him.
"The enemy is approaching the city, what are you still doing here? Close the city gate and gather troops to defend the city!" Busque roared.
"Don't worry, Duke, the city gate has fallen, and all the regiments are rushing to the city wall, ready to fight!"
After hearing these words, Busk finally felt relieved. After all, this was the main city that his family had run for hundreds of years, and there was still an elite corps with good quality.
This heavily armed Busque Corps will never attack. Their mission is to garrison the main city, protect the Duke, and suppress the disobedience of all those with evil intentions!
"Send a signal and ask Mingwei to come back for reinforcements!"
The Duke gave orders as he walked out.
"But he is seizing territory. If he evacuates, it will be easier for others..."
Before the intelligence officer could finish speaking, Duke Busque slapped him on the mouth, causing several of his teeth to fall out.
"Idiot, if I die, what's the use of grabbing more land?"
Giving up the territory that was within easy reach made Busk feel like a knife, but there was nothing he could do, life was the most important thing.
"Let's go out and meet the native Duke. Let me see if there is something wrong with him. He actually ran thousands of miles to attack my main city!"
Busque has a lot of skills. After the initial panic, he calmed down and began to deal with it calmly.
The entire main city was in chaos, with citizens hurriedly rushing home everywhere. There were cries, shouts, and curses.
These citizens have never experienced war. Yesterday they were talking and laughing in the tavern about whether everyone could get some land and live a richer life if the Western Region was conquered. But today, they began to wonder if they would be killed.
, will the money be robbed? The wife and daughter will become slaves! (To be continued...)