On the small hill, the sun shone through the shade of the trees on the grass, creating a bright patch. However, Lord Lulian and the generals standing in the sun only felt a bone-deep chill.
When Anthony and Elizabeth walked up the hill, all they saw were sculpture-like figures.
The prince and his wife stopped.
Their faces were tired and pale. After rushing here day and night, they could already get the answer to the current situation from the scene in front of them without asking.
At this moment, the valley was completely occupied by the abyss demons. The human defenders were forced to retreat to the second line of defense, which had worse terrain conditions and was more difficult to defend.
The black tide is spreading in all directions.
On the vast plains outside the valley, demons can have more room to move, and can launch attacks unscrupulously at any part of the human defenders' defense line. What's even more frightening is that in the red light gate, the third level 11 demon has already
The figure appeared.
No one knows how many high-level demons will appear in the Light Gate in the coming time. But the current situation alone is enough to make everyone despair.
Everyone understands that in this battle, the human side has no chance. Although the Tomahawk Knights have arrived, the collapse of the first line of defense has caused this reinforcement force, which everyone had high hopes for, to collapse.
Sandbags were added later.
Even if they were all thrown into the battle, it would be impossible to put the tide of demons rushing out of the valley back into the cage.
And more reinforcements are still on the way.
How long will it take for them to get here? Ten prayer hours, twenty prayer hours, forty-eight prayer hours?
No one knows.
Everyone only knows that no one can persist until that time in the face of this raging flood.
Adolf stood on the edge of the hillside.
After waking up from coma, he remained in this posture, staring at the battlefield motionlessly without saying a word. Even the arrival of the Tomahawk Knights and Prince Anthony and his wife did not make him look back.
"Your Highness..." Fano walked to Adolf and called in a low voice.
Adolf turned his head, his eyes full of bloodshot eyes. There was pain and struggle in his eyes, but more importantly, they were fierce and ferocious.
"We haven't lost yet, have we?" Adolf said.
Without waiting for Fano to answer, he said quickly: "Your Excellency Abraham has already passed Munich. If they are fast enough, they can get here within two prayer hours!"
He looked around, his voice hoarse, "We still have a chance. We insist on praying for two hours. This is the only thing we can do."
"Your Highness the Grand Duke..."
Everyone was surprised. No one expected that until now, Adolf has not given up.
"Now, I need you to make a decision. Should you continue fighting with me, or turn around and leave..." Adolf's eyes swept across everyone's faces: "I know this battle will be difficult, so I am not prepared to use
Compulsory recruitment right. You are free to decide whether you want to stay or go!"
Everyone looked at each other.
Imperial law stipulates that lords enjoy dozens of private rights such as the right to rule, build, judge, tax, labor and military service over their territory and the subjects within the territory. These powers, even for superior nobles and even
No royal power can interfere without reason.
For example, in Lulian, Adolf never interfered with the management of the territory by the lords. Unless the policies implemented by the lords seriously violated the policies of the principality and led to serious consequences, Adolf would turn a blind eye even if the lords turned the entire territory over.
Likewise, the royal family would not interfere with Adolf's rule over Lurian.
Especially in the territory directly under Adolf's jurisdiction, he was the supreme king. Under the protection of the barrier of private rights, no matter how long the hand of the imperial power was, it could not reach in unless he turned against him and used the army to attack.
Because of this, legally speaking, the lord is the only owner and controller of violent institutions and armed forces in his territory. Apart from him, any armed force is illegal.
Of course, tradition and law are not always consistent.
The existence of the mission hall mercenary group, the escorts needed for the transportation of the merchant group, the pervasive bandits and the ubiquitous underground world all destined that the lands of the lords were mixed with dragons and snakes, and there were various armed forces.
No lord would really outlaw all the armed forces in his territory.
The consequences of doing that will only cause his territory to lose caravans and mercenaries, reduce tax revenue, and become lifeless. Moreover, in this world of the jungle, he will have no friends and no help. He can only face the eager gazes of bandits and even other lords alone.
look.
However, this law is not meaningless.
At least its existence provides the lords with a key basis for governance, that is, during the disaster period when facing alien invasion, they have the power to forcibly recruit all the armed forces registered in the territory, and this, for the owners of these armed forces,
Said, it is not only a reward to the lord, but also an obligation stipulated by tradition and law.
If they refuse, they will not only become the enemy of this lord, but also the common enemy of all noble lords in the entire empire.
Once such a label is attached to them, no matter how big the Avalon continent is, they will not be able to move even an inch.
Because of this, everyone gathers here.
Some of them came because their own teams fell into the abyss, some came because their family ran Lulian and happened to meet them, and some came because they heard about the demon invasion and took the initiative to lead the troops to come to support.
But no matter what the reason, whether active or passive, the power of forced recruitment in Adolf's hands is the most important restricting factor. Rather than being forcibly recruited, it is better to take the initiative. This is the idea of the vast majority of people present.
However, what people never expected was that Adolf actually gave up the right to compulsory recruitment.
This means that if they wish, the mercenary groups present, the non-Lulian noble lords, and the armed forces of the business tycoons can leave freely.
In the silence, many people showed a trace of hesitation on their faces.
Everyone knows how serious the current situation is, and they also understand how cruel the situation they will face in the next two prayer hours once they make the decision to stay.
Unlike the army generals under Adolf and the Lords of Lullian, they do not have territorial issues. Not to mention Lullian being occupied by demons, even if the entire southern part of the empire is corrupted, the price they pay is just to separate the branches here and
The forces just retreated to the north.
As for the future, let’s just take it one step at a time. After all, no matter from which point of view, it is not their turn to be at the forefront of such a disaster that affects all races on the mainland.
But... in the silence, Rooney, the leader of the Highland Mercenary Group, stood up. He said: "I don't know what everyone thinks, but we decided to stay anyway! I don't want to be poked in the back by people saying that we Highlanders are united.
The mercenary group gave in at the critical moment!"
Rooney's words immediately caused an uproar.
"You Highland Mercenary Group refuses to give in. Are we, the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group, cowards? Let's stay!"
"The Rock Mercenary Group stays."
"The Boche family and His Highness the Grand Duke will advance and retreat together."
"Yes, at worst, we'll have to fight these damn demons."
The crowd was excited, and they all made decisions on behalf of the forces they represented. With these loud voices, the hills seemed to be on fire, and there was a scene of blood boiling.
But at this moment, a cold voice caused the entire hill to fall into deathly silence.
"The Knights of the Tomahawk will not engage in a losing battle."
Everyone turned around in shock and saw the square-faced knight leading the Tomahawk Knights saying calmly, "I have no right to let my people die, so we will leave. I can only wish everyone good luck."
As soon as these words came out, not only everyone present was stunned, but even Charles and Ans Ayr, who were standing next to the knight, were dumbfounded.
"Wait!" Charles shouted. "Mr. Stevenson, do you know what you are talking about?"
Stevenson, the square-faced knight, nodded lightly and said: "Mr. Charles, of course I know what I'm talking about. What, do you question my decision?"
Charles opened his mouth, looking stunned.
Stevenson is forty-nine years old and is a strong man with the power of the Holy Realm. His ladder level has reached level 60 and he has the power of six levels of rules.
As one of the five commanders of the Tomahawk Knights, Stevenson is not a member of the Renault family, but he is highly regarded by Grand Duke Renault. After the Knights withdrew to the imperial capital this time, the remaining one-third of the troops stationed there were
Under his command. In terms of power, he is still above Charles.
Normally, Stevenson and Charles have a pretty good relationship, and Charles is consulted on almost all matters, big or small. Especially after the night in Munich. Charles and Ans Ayer, who had been praised by the Archduke Renault, even received
Stevenson's almost unconditional support and cooperation.
But what Charles and Ansel didn't expect was that this time, without any warning or any prior consultation, Stevenson made such a decision.
For today's human coalition forces, this is simply a slap in the face!
You know, the second line of defense is called a defense line, but it is actually just a forcibly organized encirclement on the plain outside the valley. In order to form this encirclement, Adolf must invest a large amount of troops. This means that there will be a large number of troops in front.
low-level knights and even ordinary infantry phalanxes.
Even an idiot can understand the consequences of throwing such an army in front of level six demons and above.
To put it nicely, they have human wisdom and the strength of a team. To put it harshly, they are cannon fodder for sacrifice!
Only by filling it with human lives can they stop the demon's breakthrough.
To persist for two hours of prayer, it is not enough to rely solely on these soldiers. Behind them, there must be a team of high-level knights capable of stabilizing the situation at critical moments.
This team will serve as a reserve team under Adolf's control, and can be used to stabilize the situation and seal gaps at any time. Otherwise, it will be useless no matter how many people die!
This shows how important the three thousand knights of the Tomahawk Knights, as a new force, are to Lullian today after experiencing the tragic battle in the early stage. What's more, as one of the only two strong men from the sanctuary present,
First, Stevenson also shoulders a heavier responsibility.
But, at this juncture, Stevenson refused to participate in the next battle.
Doesn't he know what this means?
A surge of anger rushed from the bottom of his heart to his brain. Charles blushed and asked loudly: "You said I question it, so I will question it. Why?"
Stevenson frowned and said coldly: "I said, I will not put my troops into a battle that is destined to lose. There is no point in holding on to this line of defense. The reason why I decided like this
, not from the standpoint of the leader of the Tomahawk Knights, but from the standpoint of a commander."
After speaking, he asked calmly: "Are you satisfied with this answer?"
Charles held his breath in his chest and looked at Stevenson with eyes full of disbelief.
Logically speaking, Stevenson did nothing wrong. On the contrary, he was more rational and calm than anyone present.
However, sometimes, being rational and calm is not a good thing.
That may be a kind of cruelty!
More likely an excuse to stab someone in the back!
Charles has known Stevenson for a long time. In his impression, Stevenson is not only extraordinary in strength, but also fair, honest, honest and reliable. He has won the trust and respect of the knights. This kind of decision should definitely not be his.
Made by such people.
But at this moment, Stevenson's face looked so unfamiliar.
This made Charles feel a chill.
"Mr. Stevenson," Charles suppressed his anger and softened his tone, "haven't you ever thought that if we retreat now, we will completely release these damn abyss demons?"
"Of course I know," a sneer appeared on Stevenson's square face, "but what can we do? Even if we stay here, it won't help."
"To no avail?" Charles gritted his teeth and said, "Our reinforcements are on the way. His Majesty Edward has already issued an order for reinforcements. His Excellency Abraham even led eleven powerful men from the Imperial Sanctuary to come here. We can insist on praying for two more hours at most.
, they will arrive!”
"This has no impact on the result!" Stevenson raised his eyebrows and said, "Even if Sir Abraham arrives here now, they will not be able to solve the dilemma we are facing. Don't forget, except for the eleventh level demon,
There are also hundreds of level 10 demons, level 9 demons... This is an army of demons whose strength far exceeds ours ten times, and they can defeat us at any time."
As he said that, he looked around and turned his attention to Adolf, "I admire everyone's courage, but everyone needs to know that our biggest problem is that we cannot destroy the blood sacrifice channel."
He pointed to the huge red light door clearly visible in the valley in the distance and said: "As long as this passage exists, these demons will be invincible. We have sent them thousands of the most elite mercenaries. These mercenaries
The strong energy and blood is enough to complete the advancement of the Blood Sacrifice Channel."
"Once the gate of hell opens," his expression became cold and ferocious, "there will be a huge army of demons coming here. In addition to the eleventh level demons, there will also be twelve level demons, and even thirteenth level demons."
Devil... By then, our sacrifices will be worthless."
Stevenson's words caused everyone present to fall into silence.
Everyone knows that this is just his excuse, but no one can refute it.
Indeed, Abraham's strength is unfathomable, and with the addition of eleven top saints, it is not a problem to deal with dozens of eleventh-level demons.
However, this is not a competition, but a war!
In this war, what everyone needs to face is the entire abyss, an army composed of countless demons. As long as the blood sacrifice channel is still there, mankind is destined to fail to win this war. Even if you insist on praying for two hours, when Abraham
Arrival has no meaning.
However, at this moment, Ans Aier suddenly said: "But the Blood Sacrifice Passage is still the Blood Sacrifice Passage, not the Gate of Hell!"
This sentence made Stevenson stunned. Others also thought of something and their eyes lit up. . . . WeChat book friend account pangs_72 WeChat public account tao22 welcomes everyone to join. (To be continued.) Mobile phone users please visit