Game of the World Tree

Two months after the holy war launched by the Eternal Church.

Holy Mania Empire, about 20 kilometers north of Maple Moon Free Territory.

Joseph von Rosen, one of the seven great candidates of the Empire, a top-ranking professional in gold, who is already the new Duke of Rosen, rode on his dragon-scale warhorse, stood on the hillside, and looked to the south with a elf telescope.

Behind him is an endless black army, with flags painted with various clan emblems fluttering in the wind.

This is a coalition formed by the nobles of the empire, and it is also one of the main forces formed by the empire after the Eternal Church started the Great Holy War.

With the opening of the holy war, the nobles who signed up for the empire emerged one after another, and more and more troops participated in the war.

Today, even if it is not the Judgment Legion and Angel Legion of the Eternal Church, the number of troops mobilized by the entire empire is probably more than four million, almost four times that of the army of the southern kingdom of Ayres...

That's a pretty exaggerated figure.

You must know that even when the empire was first built a thousand years ago, such a huge army had not been successfully mobilized.

And more than a year ago, when the world of Saigus was invaded by demons, it also did not mobilize an army of this scale.

But now, in order to defeat the Church of Life and to seize the fertile land, the nobles of the empire have exploded with unprecedented enthusiasm.

Nobles, only when their own interests are truly concerned, only when there is a great benefit... will they go all out.

In a sense, it is a sad and ironic thing.

Of course, there are too many troops of 4 million, and they are all composed of large and small nobles. The cohesion and organization are not high, and the logistical pressure is extremely terrifying. Therefore, the empire did not bring the entire army together, but divided it into two parts. three parts.

A part of the army set out from the western part of the empire, called the Northern Legion, led by the new Duke Rosen, and attacked the Maple Moon Free Territory from the north.

A part of the army set out from the east of the empire, called the Eastern Legion, led by the Duke of Berencia, and joined forces with the Northern Legion to form a two-pronged trend, attacking the Free Land of Maple Moon from the east.

The last part of the army set out from the hinterland of the empire, called the Southern Legion, led by the Duke of Corrence, and attacked the Southern Territory.

And the kingdom of Ayres in the south is said to be attacking the desert of death.

Oh no.

Perhaps calling the Desert of Death is no longer accurate enough.

Since the elves occupied the desert of death, they began to use natural magic and life magic to build oasis in the desert. Today, a lot of green has appeared in the desert of death.

The nobles of the kingdom of Ayres are willing to attack the desert of death because of the attractiveness of these oases.

The three major legions of the empire, as well as the legions of the Kingdom of Iris, each part of the legion has more than one million troops participating in the war.

Of course, this is only a theoretical number. Considering the mobilization ability of the nobles, most noble armies are coming continuously, and the number of legions gathered at the beginning may be only half or even less.

For example, the current Imperial Northern Legion, which has reached the border of Fengyue Free Territory, has a total army of about 700,000, and the remaining noble troops are still coming.

And this, in fact, is already an extremely terrifying number.

Standing on the hillside, Joseph looked into the distance for a moment, then put away the elf telescope.

He played with this small object that was said to be produced by the free collar of Maple Moon, and smiled at the attendant beside him:

"Many of the things that Maple Moon freely leads are still very interesting, like this telescope. I heard that it can be sold for 30 gold pounds in Mannia. Even in our north, it needs at least 20 gold pounds, and in Maple Moon The free collar is said to be less than 5 gold pounds. I heard that it was designed by the elves and originated in the forest of elves. It is estimated that the elves made a lot of money by selling these things."

"Hey, Lord Duke, when we break through the Free Territory of Maple Moon, we will have as many as we want! The gold pounds they earn will naturally belong to us!"

said the attendant flatteringly.

The other nobles around listened and laughed, their eyes full of greed.

No one doubts that this holy war cannot be defeated by the Church of Life on their own side.

Although the Church of Life has shown great strength, it is only a church that has not been on the rise for a long time.

Even if they succeeded in destroying the invading demons, even if they left various legends on the Saiggs Continent, in the eyes of the nobles of the empire, it was just that the nobles of the empire did not exert their strength.

As nobles who often deal with the Eternal Church, they are very aware of how powerful the Eternal Church really is.

"Let's win it first. In this war, we have to act fast, and don't let the Berencia family take up the best places."

Joseph said lightly.

Between the words, it seems that the Maple Moon Freedom Leader has become a thing in the bag.

"The Duke said yes! The Duke said yes!"

"Haha, the Duke is a genius knight who comes out once in a hundred years, and he will definitely sweep away the evil heretics!"

"After this battle, the Rosen family will inevitably become the largest family in the empire!"

The little aristocrats were flattering.

Listening to their flattery, Joseph took advantage of it.

However, after seeing the mercenaries participating in the battle in the distant team, he seemed to have thought of something, and a haze appeared in his expression.

"Speaking of...is that stupid brother of mine still in the Southern Territory?"

He suddenly asked.

As soon as these words came out, the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

The little nobles looked at each other, and finally a tall and thin middle-aged man stood up and said solemnly:

"Lord Duke, Mr. Frank... Frank seems to be the leader of the Southern Territory now."

"Is that the Alliance of Pathfinders who believe in the Church of Life?"

Joseph narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Yes, my lord the Duke."

The middle-aged man replied.

Joseph glanced at him and sighed softly:

"Roland, it's not easy for you. I heard that your son ran away with that guy..."

The middle-aged man's expression suddenly stiffened.

"Lord Duke, I have expelled that renegade son from the house."

He said stubbornly.

Looking at his nervous appearance, Joseph laughed:

"Haha, don't be nervous, Roland. Don't worry, you're you, he's him, I won't blame you. It's just a pity, that idiot Frank will only mess with the lowly poor people and cause trouble for your family. That stupid son..."

After speaking, he narrowed his eyes again:

"However, it's just a group of rabble. I have already greeted Uncle Correns. When the southern leader is broken, he will send someone to escort my stupid brother back, including your son."

"All beings are equal? ​​Hey, it's just a lie from the Church of Life. That idiot Frank, it's time to let him know who the real master of this continent is."

Saying that, a trace of disdain flashed across Joseph's expression.

He raised the telescope again and looked south.

At the end of the line of sight, the castle of Augs City, the important northern city of Maple Moon Free Territory, is already faintly visible.

"Where has the Wagner family's army gone?"

Looking at the vaguely tall walls of Augs City, Joseph asked.

The Wagner family is one of the great nobles in the northern part of the empire, and is considered a vassal of the Rosen family.

His family is famous for being good at crafting various siege equipment. As early as the beginning of the establishment of the empire, it was in charge of the manufacture of siege weapons for the empire to fight in all directions.

This time, the main siege equipment of the Northern Legion was mostly provided by the Wagner family, mainly some magic crystal cannons, trebuchets and siege vehicles.

Among them, the magic crystal cannons were shipped directly, while the catapults and siege vehicles were brought with core parts, and they were directly assembled on the battlefield by cutting down trees.

"Lord Duke, they just left the central city of Airo in the Western Territory a day ago, and they should be able to arrive here in three days."

The middle-aged man replied respectfully.

Joseph nodded lightly, pondered for a moment, and ordered:

"The whole army, move in the direction of Augs City, stationed ten kilometers outside the city, collect wood on the spot, and build siege weapons after the Wagner family converges!"

"Within seven days, I will officially attack the city! Within ten days, I will hold a celebration dinner in Augs City!"

...

At the same time, in the middle of the Western Territory, in a dilapidated town, the mighty Wagner family's army of more than 5,000 people, transporting large and small carriages, was stationed to rest.

In the town's largest hotel, Viscount Wagner was sitting in the best room and had just finished his lunch.

He wiped the corners of his mouth gracefully, and the hotel owner immediately flattered and offered a glass of gargle lemonade:

"Sir, drink water, you drink water."

Glancing at the innkeeper who nodded and bowed, Viscount Wagner did not respond.

He glanced at the guard beside him, and the guard immediately greeted him, took the lemonade from the innkeeper's hand, and handed it to him respectfully.

Viscount Wagner nodded slightly, and there was a hint of satisfaction in his expression.

He took the water and rinsed it a few times, seemingly enjoying it.

Afterwards, the innkeeper took out the perfumed wet wipes, handed them to the guards with both hands, and asked curiously:

"My lord, are you going to participate in the holy war in the south?"

Viscount Wagner glanced at him and did not answer.

He took the wipes from his personal guard and wiped his hands lightly.

However, the knight beside him replied for him:

"Of course, as devout and eternal believers, it is our responsibility to expel the infidels and protect the subjects!"

The knight looked proud and proud.

When the innkeeper heard this, his expression instantly became extremely admirable.

"My lord, I am also a devout believer. I wish you a great success in the war! The True God will bless you!"

he said flatteringly.

After speaking, he tilted his head again and looked out the window, his eyes stopped on the long carriage on the street, his eyes were curious:

"Sir, speaking of which, what are these carriages? I've never seen so many carriages on an expedition..."

Viscount Wagner frowned slightly.

Noticing his Viscount's expression, the guard snorted coldly and scolded:

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, this is a military secret, not something you civilians can inquire about."

Seeing the chilling look of the noble guards, the innkeeper's face turned pale, and he apologized profusely:

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Sir Knight, I'm talking too much, I'm talking too much."

After a short rest, Viscount Wagner and his guards left the hotel.

The troops stationed in the small town also moved again, heading south.

"My lord, I wish you a smooth journey!"

In front of the hotel's door, the boss looked at the direction the army was going, and waved enthusiastically.

The smile on his face gradually faded until he could no longer see the shadow of the army.

Back in the hotel again, the proprietress greeted her:

"Dear, are those noble pigs gone?"

"Hmph, gone, but finally gone!"

The innkeeper sneered.

After speaking, he glanced at his wife again:

"How much did they pay?"

The wife smiled wryly:

"Do you think they'll give it?"

She sighed:

"When they left, they said that they were knights of their own gods, and they didn't need to pay for holy war, and said that if we were devout believers, we should provide them with food and drink for free, and if we refused... it must be an evil infidel... …”

The hotel owner was stunned for a while, his face a bit ugly.

He glanced at the direction in which the nobles were leaving, snorted, and said bitterly:

"Or what the priests said is right, the imperial nobles, there is no good thing!"

After speaking, he put on a hooded dress and walked out the door.

"Honey, where are you going?"

The wife asked quickly.

"Go to see the priest."

said the innkeeper.

After leaving the hotel and riding a fast horse, the hotel owner hurried out of the town.

About an hour later, he came to a village outside the town.

This village is not big, but it is very clean. Unlike other villages, it gives people a sense of dilapidation and poverty. On the contrary, it seems to have a kind of vitality.

Especially the people in the village are full of energy and bright eyes, and they seem to be full of expectations for the future.

Entering the village and coming to a small yard, the hotel owner knocked on the door lightly:

"Master Priest, Master Priest, I'm Jonas from the town, I have urgent information and I want to report to you!"

After a while, the door was opened, and a handsome young man in a white priest's robe appeared in the sight of the innkeeper.

His pointed ears turned out to be an elf.

Seeing the elf, the innkeeper Jonas' expression instantly became respectful.

I saw that he reverently drew a symbol of the scepter of life on his chest, and then took out a piece of parchment that seemed to have been written for a while, and presented his hands:

"Sir Priest, according to your instructions, I have been paying attention to the passing noble army these days, and just now, an imperial army with baggage passed through our town."

"This army is about 5,000 people. I inquired about them. They are the private army of Viscount Wagner, and they are probably the siege troops of the nobles..."

"Lord Priest, this is the detailed information I recorded after my observation! Now they are heading south."