I will be crowned king

After many unsuccessful attempts, Henares, who desperately wanted to get Louis Bernard in his hands, finally gave up.

To be more precise, it was actually despair.

Among the 18,000 Thun army that came with Léon Francois, no one except him realized what it meant to Thun at the moment to hold an important heir to a principality from the empire in his hands. How much room for maneuver and what huge benefits can it bring in the future.

They can't even see it!

From nobles to knights, everyone cheered and was extremely happy when they saw that the Clovis people were willing to make huge concessions in terms of spoils and ransoms for prisoners.

They simply didn't understand why the Clovis people would rather give up these immediate interests to keep Louis Bernard in their hands.

Even Count Alkader, his brother, began to persuade him that since the Clovis people were willing to make concessions, the matter could end there.

In the end, only Leon Francois was willing to fight alongside him - although his goals and ideas were completely different, Leon was completely unaware of the value of Louis Bernard. He just wanted his good friend to be safe. back home.

So after Ludwig guaranteed with the reputation of the Franz family that Louis Bernard would never suffer any harm, the simple young master Leon no longer had the idea of ​​resisting.

Henares was in complete despair.

Of course, he also knew that what his brother Count Arcade said was actually reasonable - even if Louis could really be detained, the empire on the western front would only have a little material assistance and reinforcements who didn't know when they would arrive. , and to what extent can it protect Thun who is right at the door of Clovis' house?

Once a choice is made, there is no room for choice. This is probably the tragedy of a small country... Henares sighed with emotion.

As for Louis Bernard, the nominal owner of the prisoner, Ansem had little interest in his fate from the beginning; not because he had no involvement at all - that was true - but because it didn't matter.

Taking advantage of the time he had during the past few days to recuperate, he read all the "Kingdom Loyalty News" sent from the rear supply line; although the content above was too repetitive and some of the comments had a tendency to develop into "memes", he still It has some reference value.

For example, the day before yesterday was "Clovis once again achieved a decisive victory", yesterday it was "Breaking the myth of the empire's invincibility", today's one has not been read yet, but there is a high probability that it is "Failure is only temporary, Clovis has achieved strategic absolute Advantage".

These seemingly self-talk reveal a certain fact - in the ninety-ninth year of the Saints Calendar, the empire launched a surprise attack taking advantage of Clovis's lack of preparation in the winter, and it has gradually tended to transform into a long-term war.

The surprise attack in the winter of 1999 caught Clovis off guard, and it also cost the empire a huge cost. It failed to end the victory after quickly conquering and achieving results, and it also dragged on the war, proving that this time the empire really lost. Sorry.

After all attempts and adventures failed, an empire that wanted to maintain a long-term war and engage in a war of attrition was doomed to be conservative at the strategic level, because they no longer had the capital to be radical.

Therefore, whether the empire will march to the south of the Dawn Mountains after the defeat of Yser and the defection of one of the Seven Cities Alliance depends only on whether they have a strategic plan in this regard and a reserve army that can be mobilized.

It would be too wishful thinking to use a duchy heir to force the empire to change its strategic plan.

On May 20th, the 100th year of the Saint's Calendar, logistics supplies and replacement personnel arrived in Eagle Point City one after another.

This is also the first and probably the largest logistical replacement the Southern Legion has received since the start of Eagle Point City. Ludwig privately revealed the news he had received to Anson. The war on the Western Front is currently tense, and Clovis City After experiencing the biggest labor shortage last winter...in the short term, manpower utilization has reached an upper limit.

Because the Southern Army captured Eagle Point City in less than thirty days, which greatly stimulated the emotions of the army, the royal family and the Privy Council, Clovis's war enthusiasm for Israel from top to bottom was unprecedentedly high, and he soon Reluctantly, this reinforcement was scraped together.

Fifteen thousand reserve troops - mainly composed of local levies, some demobilized veterans, and reserve troops drawn from some eastern fortresses, directly doubled the combat strength of the Southern Legion, which had only a little over 10,000 troops!

Seeing the hope of victory, the Army and the Privy Council finally stopped treating this legion of conscripts as some kind of abandoned son and began to be generous.

In addition to soldiers, more importantly, there are a large number of middle and lower-level officers - including graduates and some civilian officers, affairs officers - staff, administration, finance, etc., and professional technicians - senior gunners, draftsmen, military medical officers, etc.

Once this batch of reinforcements arrived, the Southern Army Corps, which was originally in a state of disrepair and was only barely two infantry divisions in size despite the title of a legion, finally gained the size of a "legion".

"So how much did we get?"

After waking up and just having breakfast, Anson couldn't wait to ask Carl Bain who walked in the door, his attention completely focused on the roster in his hand.

Since he was injured, the administrative work of the Storm Division has been taken care of by him and the young clerk.

Karl, who stared at the black circle, yawned:

"Uh...how to describe it...better than nothing; well, it's gratifying, it's gratifying."

The excited Anson gradually lost his smile.

The body that had just sat up from the hospital bed began to lie back down little by little, expressionlessly grabbing the edge of the quilt and slowly lifting it up to the neck.

"There are one hundred and twenty officers, which can be enough to form three newly formed infantry regiments and several companies directly under the division; there are a few freshly graduated military school students who are willing to work as civilians with you, which can support the logistics support. ”

Karl flipped through the few-page roster and added:

"Oh, I have also found two doctors and four assistants for you. From now on, the Storm Division will also have military doctors. As for the artillery company, there is an old gunner who is willing to join, but he is old and his rank is too low, so he has to take two A salary, no problem?”

"Why are there only these?" Anson looked at the ceiling expressionlessly:

"This is too little!"

"There's no way. Who told the Storm Division to be a newly formed levy, and why did our deputy commander not have the surname of Franz? Who among those talented people with ideals and ambitions wants to be with someone like you who has no bright future? Sir, are you just dawdling?"

"You, you deserve to lead us, a bunch of scum, cannon fodder, scapegoats, people who have lost their jobs, people who have just graduated and are unemployed, to fight to the death with enemies who appear out of nowhere."

Karl laughed half mockingly and half self-deprecatingly.

Anson couldn't help but roll his eyes...even though what he said was true.

Even with the support of the Franz family, the Storm Division is still an "unorganized" levy regiment; serving in this kind of army that is destined to have no future and will be disbanded at any time is either for profit or to look good. The more experience you have, the easier it will be for you to be promoted in the future.

In this case, should we follow the archbishop's own son Ludwig into Iser and fight a prestigious disciplinary battle in Iser; or should we follow Anson Bach, who appeared from nowhere, and go to the Seven Cities Alliance to "open up the world"? "Second battlefield"?

For recent graduates of military academies, which one is more promising... they have already voted with their feet.

"Anyway, go through the roster as soon as possible. If there is no problem, sign it before they regret it. After the reorganization is completed, go south as soon as possible and get out before the Southern Army." Karl handed the list to Anson:

"Alan Dawn and I will handle the supply line. You can just rest and recover."

"Thank you."

Anson nodded, took the list, glanced at it hastily, and reached for the pen on the bedside table with his right hand.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

Karl suddenly said: "Your little cousin Leon asked me to 'visit' his condition. If the injury is better, can I go with him to see someone off?"

"who?"

As soon as Anson raised his head, he immediately reacted.

"Louis Bernard." Karl said:

"The people from the Privy Council have arrived, and he will leave for Clovis City today."

………………

Eagle Point City Fortress, under the North City Gate.

Leon Francois, who had been waiting here for a long time, saw Anson approaching. His eyes were happy at first, and then he suddenly turned his head away unhappily.

"You actually lied to me."

Anson looked a little embarrassed.

"Louis said that you and he knew each other as early as Thunder Castle, and that he was defeated by you that time - he also called you his lifelong enemy, but he does not hate you."

Little Leon said with admiration, resentment and jealousy: "Obviously we are such good enemies and friends, why did you say you don't know me at the beginning?"

Why? Of course, it’s because I can’t quite tell whether you are taking the opportunity to test and dig out the details of me and the Southern Army—I would have let you know right then and there that I, the “Deputy Commander of the Southern Army,” was previously the commander of a small infantry regiment. , I wasn’t even the leader before, how could it go so smoothly and let you Thun form an alliance obediently?

Anson pursed his lips tightly, looked away, and said nothing.

Leon stared at his expression, frowning and thinking for a few seconds, and suddenly a light appeared in his eyes: "Ah! Can it be said that..."

"Could it be that you don't want to improve your image in the minds of others by belittling your friends, so you would rather lie than talk about it?!"

Anson Bach: “…that’s pretty much it.”

"Sure enough, I knew it must be like this!" Little Leon said excitedly:

"But in fact, you don't need to be like this - anyone who has seen you create miracles with their own eyes will not have any doubts about your strength; of course, I also understand that there are many snobs and people who only care about blood in this world. But our Francois family is definitely not like this, our Francois family..."

While the two were still talking, a group of Clovis infantry was escorting Louis Bernard towards the city gate; when the surrounding soldiers and officers saw them, they consciously retreated to both sides.

Anson looked at Louis, who had already seen him - the commander of the Guards Corps who had been in the dungeon of Eagle Point City for several days. Except for the clothes on his body that were a little dirty, he still showed no signs of sluggishness.

He was not as murderous as his brother, nor was he always walking like a straight rifle like Ludwig; he just stood there calmly, with his calm eyes and the smile under his handsome face, there was something about him. A temperament that makes people bow to him voluntarily.

Louis stopped and waved to Leon; the young knight secretly glanced at Anson beside him, and after confirming that his expression was not strange, he took the initiative to step forward.

The two chatted for a while, and Leon, whose expression changed slightly, hesitated for a while, finally nodded, turned and left the city gate, leaving only Anson and Louis behind.

"I didn't expect you would actually come to see me off." Louis smiled calmly:

"To be honest, I have always been very hesitant - I know we are enemies, but I don't know if we are still friends."

"I should say this."

The corner of Anson's mouth twitched: "And don't get me wrong, the person who insists on coming to see you off is Leon, I'm just accompanying him for a while."

"What will happen next? Will Clovis's army attack the royal court of Iser in one go?"

"Do you think I would tell such important information to the commander of the Iser Guards and the heir to the Principality of Adlan?"

"What does it matter - it is impossible for me to return to the Elf Kingdom of Yser again. Do you think His Majesty Herred will listen to the advice of a defeated general?"

"Then I must be careful. After all, Clovis and the Empire haven't decided the winner yet."

"In that case, it's like it was at Thunder Castle, a fair exchange."

Louis still didn't take it seriously, and chuckled at Anson: "I can tell you an important military information about the empire, and you can decide whether to tell me based on the situation, how about it?"

"After the failure of the raid last year, the empire changed its strategic direction and shifted its focus from a single breakthrough to comprehensive suppression; and in order to completely overwhelm Clovis, it must cut off Clovis's lifeline."

Lifeline... Anson raised his eyebrows:

"You mean the colony?"

"Before I set off, I received a letter from my family—that is, from the Principality of Adlan." Louis nodded slightly:

"The empire's North Sea Fleet has anchored at Adlan Port. It is loaded with weapons capable of arming at least 20,000 people and is ready to be sent to Changhu Town in the New World; oh, it's quite close to the Ice Dragon Fjord."

After the words fell, Louis stopped talking and stared at him silently.

Anson, whose eyes flickered, hesitated for almost half a minute.

"I can only tell you that the war we are experiencing is not simple." Anson said:

"It's not just the conflict between Israel and Clovis, there's something else in it."

"Of course I know this. We say it's Clovis and Israel, but it's actually the Empire and..."

"Not the empire!" Anson intercepted:

"It has nothing to do with the Empire - just like the previous Battle of Thunder Castle, it is not simple, it is just a war between the Empire and Clovis!"

Louis' expression changed, and he seemed to have guessed something in his shocked eyes.

Anson took the initiative to step forward and patted him on the shoulder, looking at Louis who was deep in thought very seriously:

"Be sure to pay attention to safety on the way back."

The battle of Eagle Point City is over, and the next step is to conquer Hantu; of course, there are other contents