The falling white snow covered the uniforms and armor, and the continuous military formations were also decorated in white and metal colors, silent and depressing.
Under the gray raven flag, each soldier breathed white air, looking at the red-clothed army in formation with him, quietly waiting for the general's order.
Although many northern lords did not understand why the Raven Duke would respond to the call of the Griffin family, they still set foot on the battlefield in accordance with their past oaths and promises.
There is no need to doubt loyalty. If you doubt it, it must be that you are not loyal enough.
These iron-gray armies are calm and resolute, possessing the usual tenacity and strict discipline of the people of the North.
The attack was launched under the blowing of the trumpet. These iron-gray armies were on the offensive side because they could not waste time with the troops in the central part. With the northern border short of food and clothing, they needed to capture key areas in the south as soon as possible.
Only then did we get enough supplies. In fact, this was a huge risk, so many people didn't understand what Duke Raven was thinking.
Fighting in the snow-covered wilderness is just a normal thing for people in the north, but for the soldiers in the central region who are not accustomed to cold weather, this is very serious. Most of them are a little frozen and consume a lot of physical strength.
, consciousness is also a little slow.
However, as a commander, Darcy had already expected this. His experience of chasing Lily in the north a few years ago gave him a full understanding of the local environment and summarized some coping methods.
The imperial army also became active. The soldiers in the front advanced a short distance before stopping to garrison and set up muskets and long shields. The cavalry on the side did not directly attack the enemy, but waited for the enemy in front to reach their position.
, then set off, bypassed a short distance, and attacked the battlefield from the side.
A few cannons roared at the rear of the position. After arriving at the front line after difficult transportation, they played their due role.
The biting cold wind mixed with broken ice blades swept across the snowfield, rushing towards the military formation in the middle of the empire, and was then resisted by the resonant military formation.
The piercing ice spear suddenly burst out from the ground, setting off a crowd of soldiers, and then the front line was destroyed. The knights from the north rushed in on war horses. After the lance accelerated, it easily pierced through the soldiers holding muskets.
, constantly spreading in the red front.
However, the front lines on the empire's side also changed rapidly under the command. They began to divide into independent hollow phalanxes, with shield walls and long guns on the outside, and rows of soldiers holding muskets on the inside, and some also had a small number of cannons.
and court wizard support.
In this way, even if one military formation is defeated, it will not affect other formations. At the same time, the military formations will provide mutual support, so that the cavalry who rush in do not know how to deal with it and fall into a temporary confusion.
Although the army in the north was supported by many witches, and with the blessing of their spells, these warriors were not afraid of the cold and attacked fiercely. However, after passing through the initial difficulties, the equipment advantages of the army in the central part of the empire began to become apparent. That sufficient
Muskets, ammunition, and armor formed a huge advantage for the Northern Allied Forces, which was still dominated by cold weapons.
Reloading, aiming, and shooting consume far less physical energy than slashing and charging with a hand-held weapon, and are easier to train.
After the initial panic, the imperial army began to stabilize and gradually began to counterattack and regain the upper hand.
For this reason, the coalition forces in the north had to retreat first and resume a stalemate again.
When many provinces in the central part of the empire gradually fell, the coalition forces in the north were temporarily suppressed and found it difficult to advance. However, in the face of such a situation, the army led by Darcy was unable to achieve a decisive victory.
If you want to fight deep into the northern border, the severe cold environment, long supply lines, resistance of local residents, and difficult roads will all become torture for soldiers. This requires a strong and stable rear to allow the army to advance step by step. Unfortunately, The current empire does not have such conditions.
In the central provinces, as the gryphon coalition attacked cities and territories step by step and gradually approached Titania, they finally encountered strong resistance.
Led by the thirteen blood-sworn nobles surrounding Titiania, the coalition they formed, plus the new army from the Empire's reserve, finally blocked the Western Army at the complex terrain of the Sacrifice Tower.
This area is the origin of the Cang Cui Empire, which is the area of the former Cang Yue Kingdom. Most of the great nobles in the fiefdom have a long history. These people are regarded by the imperial royal family as their true confidants, and most of the imperial guards of the past generations came from this place.
In the place where the pagoda is worshipped, forests, plains, valleys, and shoals are intertwined with various landforms, complex and changeable. Most of the nobles here are also wealthy, and many castles have been built on various hills, thoroughfares, and forests.
This is a custom and tradition left over from the early days of the empire. At that time, the Cang Yue Kingdom could not be called absolutely powerful. It was located in the center and often faced attacks from surrounding countries. Therefore, it had an inexplicable pursuit and obsession with the sense of security brought by the castle. read.
Basically, a noble spent his whole life building his own castle or fortress, and the common arguments used to evaluate his lifetime achievements are whether the castle he built is strong or not, and whether it is suitable for use.
As the empire gradually grew stronger, although these castles lost their original role, they were not abandoned. They were often used as a resting place for nobles on vacation, or for training and garrisoning their private armies.
But now, after the Western Army entered here, it seemed as if they had hit countless solid nails in the sand and slowed down for a while.
At the same time, these thirteen blood-sworn nobles who were loyal to and safeguarded the empire also began to block and disturb the Western Army in various ways. They often had many super-high-level mortals and acted quickly and quickly. Coupled with the support of the Empire's Dark Moon intelligence, many of them The lords of the Western Territory were beheaded and assassinated during the march, and for a while the coalition forces in the Western Territory were crumbling.
This involves the current composition and leadership of the Western Army.
Its main force is undoubtedly the direct descendants of the Salius family. There are probably more than 400,000 soldiers under its command, most of which are original private soldiers, and the rest are newly recruited and have only received short-term training and are used for logistics.
As for the other approximately 800,000 soldiers, they come from various lords, large and small. The earl probably has tens of thousands of people under his command, the viscounts have thousands of them, and the smaller barons may only have a few hundred people.
In addition to the main force controlled by the Griffin family, the other branch armies are often controlled by a certain earl and a group of small nobles, which makes the command more flexible. They will capture the castle of the original central lord and occupy The nobles of the Central Plains could not bear to plunder their land and plunder their wealth.
This also resulted in this battle being no longer limited to the small-scale internal fighting among the upper echelons of the royal family as it had been in the past.
Although the emperor was changed in the past, it had little impact on the powerful nobles in various places, but this time it was completely different.
In the past, the most loyal people to the royal family were the nobles from the provinces in the central part of the imperial capital. They often had the same roots as the royal family, being inherited from the former Cang Yue Kingdom. Their high-ranking officials also had intermarriages with each other and had deep relationships.
As for the other minor nobles, although they admire the big nobles and the royal family, due to the huge gap in status, they actually don't pay much attention to the changes in the center of the empire and the throne. Anyway, for them, the difference in who becomes emperor will not be too big.
But now, the invasion of the Western Territory Allied Forces is not just about overthrowing the rule of the imperial emperor, it is as simple as replacing the emperor. The current situation even has the tendency of allowing the Western Territory lords to take control of the central part and change the overall leadership of the empire's top management.
This made many nobles who originally wanted to remain neutral unbearable. One by one, they began to resist desperately. Many families used their best methods to suppress the situation. As a result, the intensity of the war also directly increased.
The killing is no longer limited to the battlefield, but occurs in various places, when the army is advancing, when it is stationed in the camp, and when it is resting at night.
Nobles have a greater past accumulation than commoners, so there are often many extraordinary people. Under the command of their respective lords, they fight flexibly. It seems chaotic, but it is also difficult to catch traces, so the coalition forces in the Western Region begin to run exhausted.
If the large army is abandoned, who will be responsible for capturing the city, sweeping the area, maintaining rule, and extracting profits? If the large army is not abandoned, these harassing private armies of the nobles in the central part will be particularly troublesome. Send a large army to encircle and suppress the mosquitoes with artillery.
The suspicion slows down the speed and makes it difficult to catch up.
It's another night.
An army of the Salius family was stationed in the newly captured castle. This castle has an excellent geographical location and can overlook a large plain below. No one else passing through this place can escape the observation of the watchtower on the castle.
.
The bonfire burned quietly, and the soldiers of the griffon family sat on the fire to rest. They started to light a fire to cook, and the griffins also ate the prepared fine grains in the trough.
Although griffons do not need to be specially fed with cooked food, their appetite is often equivalent to that of three strong extraordinary knights, which consumes a lot of money. This is also the cost of training aerial combat cavalry.
In the empire, except for the gryphon knights of the Salius family and the blood-winged red dragon legion of the Paskar family in the past, other nobles also breed flying monsters, but their numbers are always sparse.
There are only a few dozen at most, far from being compared with the two major duke families.
The pine wood in the campfire made a slight cracking sound from time to time, and small sparks drifted in the night wind. The iron pot on the fire was gradually heated, and the food inside slowly emitted white steam and gave off its fragrance.
When fighting in the field, you are lucky if you are not hungry, and most soldiers will not complain about problems such as single rations.
The soldiers drank hot soup, and the griffins ate the beans and minced meat ground in the trough. Their slightly hard feather wings flapped from time to time, bringing up bursts of air and making the campfire sway.
Just as everyone was enjoying the rare silence of the night, a sharp whistle pierced the sky, which was the scream of a signal arrow.
A group of soldiers grabbed their weapons and armor and quickly became alert. There was also a faint sound from the horizon, and flying figures quickly swooped down.
Wearing black coats and cloaks, with light and strong protective armor underneath, these men in black and red are the swordsmen of the noble families in the central part of the country.
Most of them practice the Demon Sequence. They have the ability to glide briefly in Sequence 4, and after Sequence 5, they can fly directly, just like the vampires from the True Red Empire era in ancient murals.
The white scarf was so conspicuous in the black and red uniform, and the pair of eyes bloomed with a faint red brilliance in the dark night. Then they moved quickly and rushed towards the resting griffon knights, several griffins and knights.
He was stabbed directly by the dark red stabbing sword and fell down trembling.
The blood remaining on the sword was dark red, and it also carried poison.
The fighting methods of the Demon Sequence have always been extreme and cruel, whether against the enemy or against oneself. However, in the dark night, it may be difficult for the enemy to catch the weaknesses of these stabbing swordsmen, and instead they will be exhausted and rush to fight.
Under the darkness of night, it is difficult for the griffons to hunt down the enemy, but these noble swordsmen of the demonic order are different. They are naturally good at night combat, whether it is speed, stealth, assassination, night vision, etc., they are all good at it.
After a chaotic killing spree, a dozen gryphon knights in the camp were eliminated one by one, and the remaining ordinary soldiers were unable to save themselves. They could only watch the fire ignite and destroy the food in the camp.
, all the supplies were burned, and the noble swordsmen in red broke through the air easily.
Everything seems to have returned to the time when the Griffin Kingdom and the Verdant Kingdom fought thousands of years ago.
The knights of the Griffin family galloped in the wilderness under the scorching sun, but suffered various ambushes and assassinations from the Green Kingdom in the dark night. In the end, they were cut off from food, grass and logistics, and collapsed in various hidden corners.
Unfavorable news from various branches continued to flow into the hands of Duke Gryphon, and it was time for the Western Army to change its marching strategy.
The troops that were originally scattered and quickly occupied and attacked gradually gathered together in several major cities. This behavior also caused the Western Alliance forces to gradually become passive and were blocked and surrounded by the regrouped imperial army.
The situation began to reverse again, and the Empire State Building, which was about to collapse, miraculously stood firm at the critical moment. Many nobles and representatives of the new generation of chambers of commerce who were fighting among themselves also put aside their conflicts, unified with the outside world, and began to get familiar with each other and get along well with each other.
The chamber of commerce organized workers to quickly produce weapons that were urgently needed on the front line, such as muskets, cannonballs, armor, medical drugs, iron wire, tents, oil, and a series of military supplies. If these things were made according to the traditional aristocratic supervision of civilians, then
The efficiency is simply low.
The nobles gradually became accustomed to leaving the complicated and troublesome logistics to the chambers of commerce, and they concentrated on fighting, just like their ancestors were knighted through martial arts.
If the original empire was like a wooden box with loose nails that was about to disintegrate, but now under the invasion of the army, this wooden box that was on the verge of falling apart has been firmly nailed back together.
Some of the powers that in the past were unwilling to give up and were not allowed to be tampered with began to be transferred to war and this kind of life and death needs.
If this situation can be maintained, perhaps the empire can also create miracles. Under the hands of the new emperor Elio, it will gradually usher in a new prosperous age and continue to live for hundreds of years until the next accumulation of conflicts breaks out.
Unfortunately, the war in Ivar's world is not just a mortal battle, but also a game between the witches or sages behind the scenes.
God-given blessings began to descend on the army in the West. The girl with white wings on her back, white hair and white skirt, holding a marble-carved eagle-headed staff, bestowed that indestructible blessing on countless soldiers, making them fearless. Swords, guns and bullets were fired, like the white walls of a city, gradually advancing towards the center of the empire.
Since you could send down the starlight to change the direction of everything in the past, then why can't I give you that invincible pure white blessing?
Who is to say that there is only one path to choose from in the future, and the hierarchical system may not be all shortcomings. People's hearts are always like this, constantly comparing, eager to surpass others and obtain more things.
This is the ugliness of human nature, and it is also the most primitive desire of life. It is so barbaric, but it is also so powerful that it makes people eager to pursue it.
So, Lorraine Hill, everything you create is just a flawless dream you built with starlight.
