I will be crowned king

Slave Port, early morning.

The rumbling sound of artillery fire interrupted the dead silence before dawn, and a long series of golden-red fireworks bloomed on the ground, and the ground began to shake slightly.

Under the light of the explosion, the main force of Levent of the Borre Corps was once again assembled, stepping on the blast points of the covering bombardment to launch an assault on the Slave Port position; the shadowy figure could be heard as the sound of thousands of military boots hitting the ground. , like a sign before thunder flashes.

Their daytime raid fell short due to a misjudgment of the shooting force. Pavel not only did not blame him for this, but generously said that he had his own responsibility and hoped that they could continue their efforts and take advantage of the early morning hours when the enemy was at its weakest and most vulnerable. Launch a raid when there is no combat capability to "open up the situation" for the legion.

The early morning hours are indeed a great opportunity for sneak attacks. Most people are still resting at this time. Even if they wake up immediately and rush to fight, fatigue and physical weakness caused by not eating will greatly reduce their combat effectiveness and willpower.

But the problem is that the enemy is in the same situation, and the Borre Corps itself is the same... and because of the lack of supplies and logistics, they cannot get a good rest, and they are still camping in the open air without food or drink, which is definitely more painful than the opposite side.

If it were the usual "great wisdom" impromptu idea, it would definitely be ruthlessly rejected by officers and soldiers; but after just experiencing a disastrous defeat, and the urgent need to break through and capture the slave port as soon as possible, even if there was no preparation, I still gritted my teeth. Agree.

More than two thousand private soldiers of the Levante family set out in fear and entered the position of the defenders of Slave Port. They originally thought that they would encounter fierce resistance from the enemy and at least a few rounds of gunfire. However, they found only a mere One to two hundred defenders, and completely defenseless!

After easily defeating or driving away the defenders on the opposite side with one charge, the army commander who saw that he had occupied a large area felt guilty and did not immediately order a pursuit. He very cautiously reported the battle situation to the rear and said that he might be the enemy. trap.

Such a cowardly idea was immediately severely criticized by Pavel, but at the same time he greatly praised the bravery of Levent's private soldiers and said that he immediately ordered reinforcements to launch a full-scale offensive against the infidel defenders.

After receiving the guarantee from their superiors, no matter how much they suspected something was wrong, the Knights of Levent did not dare to neglect and continued to direct the army to attack; the opponents who had been extremely difficult to deal with during the day seemed to have turned into paper at this moment, and every front was in danger. It collapsed upon contact. Rifles, military flags, hats and shoes... all kinds of equipment were thrown everywhere, literally throwing away their helmets and armor.

In less than fifteen minutes, the second line of defense, which had been unable to be captured after a whole day of fierce fighting, was broken through. There was only one step away from the third line of defense. Behind it was the garrison's headquarters and In the baggage camp, the defenders who had penetrated all the defense lines either collapsed or had no choice but to retreat to the undefendable slave port.

Once this happens, it means that the slave port has become the possession of the Borre Corps.

Now let alone others, even the Levent knights themselves felt that they were lucky, and Pavel had indeed begun to mobilize the entire army... If the military achievements that were already in front of them were taken away by the troops of the non-Levent faction , is that okay? !

So Levent's private soldiers, who had been procrastinating at first, immediately stepped up their offensive and even began to divide their forces into multiple routes. Without completely occupying the second line of defense, they launched an attack on the third line of defense from four directions at the same time.

For a moment, the roar of guns and the sound of soldiers rushing echoed repeatedly in the dark position; although the "caught off guard" slave-trapping port defenders desperately resisted, they still could not conceal the reality that the defense line was already crumbling; it seemed that as long as the Levant family regained control a little bit, If you put more force, you can tear through the entire position.

"...Two communication trenches on the right wing were attacked fiercely. The enemy's strength is about a thousand people, and a fortress on the outside has been captured!"

"...The central position has just defeated an enemy raid. The opposite side seems to be preparing to cross the trench for a sneak attack, but it was discovered by our skirmishers when passing the fence. The two sides are engaged in a fierce battle, and the situation is slightly unfavorable for us!"

"...The enemy's artillery hit one of our trench shelters and did not cause any casualties. However, the trench passage was blocked by earth and rocks and cannot be passed normally. It needs to be organized and cleared as soon as possible!"

"...The 2nd Infantry Battalion has defeated the enemy's assault. Captain Marcos requested a counterattack order to recapture part of the occupied second line of defense and create a protrusion to prevent the enemy from quickly completing the counterattack. Please approve it as soon as possible!"

"...The camp of the slave-catching militiamen was attacked by the enemy. One company has been completely defeated and suffered heavy losses. The congressman sent someone to inquire about the situation. Is the position about to be lost? Do you want to retreat to the town as soon as possible?"

...Amidst the chaotic shouting, information one after another was accurately conveyed to the ears of Alexey Dukasky. In the past, he was most enthusiastic about going into battle in person, but now he was sitting firmly in the rear, his mouth was not moving. Consciously rising slightly.

Judging from the information obtained, the main force of the attack on the opposite side is the private soldiers of the Levent family. This shows that at least so far, the commander of the second and fifth corps of the Borre Corps is still fulfilling his promise; even if he regrets it later, he There are also ways to surround, defeat, or even annihilate the enemy.

And without Levent's private soldiers who are the main force, the combat effectiveness of the Borre Corps will be greatly reduced, and even become a mess... If the previous intelligence of Commander-in-Chief Anson Bach is correct, the core of the Borre Corps is the Levent family. , the remaining troops that were pieced together had no cohesion at all. Even if they rebelled on the spot and dispersed, it would not be surprising.

This is also a common problem among most imperial armies...Except for the armies organized under the personal order of Emperor Herred, the armies put together by wealthy families from all sides are often based on a certain family, supplemented by several vassals and small alliances "friendly sponsors" By forming an army, and hiring a group of technical troops - such as artillery - they can almost be sent to the battlefield to die, or to compete for honor for the knights.

Although their army has strong combat effectiveness, it has poor discipline and is very reluctant to cross-border operations. It can only hold on for two or three months at most before clamoring to withdraw.

This is why the combat effectiveness of Clovis's army is inferior to that of the Empire, and its troops are also smaller. They are often attacked head-on by the Empire as soon as they capture a small territory. However, as long as they withdraw within the national borders, they will no longer be surrounded by the Empire's superior forces, or even You can occasionally gather forces for counterattacks or something like that.

Alexey knew very well the shortcomings of the imperial army, especially the private soldiers of the nobles...Karin Jacques was right. There was no need to kill all 20,000 people. As long as the direct subordinates of the Levent family were annihilated, the entire The Legion existed in name only.

But precisely because the priest who behaved strangely knew all about this, Alexey felt that he had to be more cautious... The specific method was to make the other party show more sincerity, such as watching his own people die in vain. some type of……

"Marcus sent intelligence that a group of enemies were discovered on the left side of the position without passing through the trenches. They directly crossed the defense line and quickly approached their position!"

The out-of-breath Chief Bursar rushed into the headquarters, lying on the table and glaring at Alexey, who was still smiling: "It's about the size of a company. Judging from the equipment, it shouldn't be the elite of the Levent family."

"Then you're welcome, let them organize an ambush on the spot and use the position to wipe out this infantry company without leaving any survivors!" Alexei held a cigarette in his mouth and looked at the artillery position of the Borei Corps with narrowed eyes:

"Move quickly and don't give any opportunity to Levent's main force on the opposite side!"

"clear!"

The chief of staff nodded in agreement but did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked at the leisurely leader suspiciously: "Have you... been stimulated by anything recently?"

"Well, why do you ask?"

"It's nothing, I just feel like you are a little... different from usual." The Chief of Staff shook his head:

"It's really not your style to be so calm and collected."

"How is that possible? It's probably your illusion, right?" Alexei took a deep breath of smoke and said calmly:

"Calm and confident, always letting everything be as expected... I always regard our Commander-in-Chief Anson Bach as a learning object and strive to imitate him."

"What you see... is probably the result of my recent studies."

At this moment, Alexei stood up slowly in the face of his subordinates' rolling eyes, as if he could see his majestic back and countless adoring eyes looking towards him.

But at the critical moment when the defenders of the Slave Port were retreating steadily on the frontal battlefield and the Holy War Army was about to win, the Borei Legion, which was in a good situation, fell into endless chaos.

Hesitation, the entire raid plan was Pavel Dukaski's impromptu idea, and the entire army was not prepared at all; the most elite Levent private soldiers could still maintain discipline and gather action as soon as possible, and the remaining big soldiers also wanted to do something It’s difficult to get there.

Even if there are very few supplies left, Levent's private soldiers can still enjoy most of them by virtue of their status. The rest can only sleep in the wilderness, and a few people share a half of the oats, potatoes, and boiled food obtained from the logistics at a high price. It turns into a paste without salt, or there is no fuel and can only be eaten dry.

The soldiers who were so hungry that their eyes were filled with stars were forcefully kicked out of their beds by their superiors and hurriedly gathered together. It is impossible to maintain discipline and proficiency. This is indeed the case... It took less than half an hour after the order was issued. A thousand people had completed the gathering, and every one of them was loose. They either lost their boots or forgot to bring their guns. They couldn't even wear trousers. They were basically no different from the refugees begging along the road.

Even this kind of army, which can't even compete with the might of a fox or a tiger, is even the only "elite" left in the entire legion... After half a minute of silence, Pavel still ordered them to be sent off. Even if they fill the trenches, they can give Lewin on the front line. Special private soldiers provide a little reinforcement.

But after that, he never sent another soldier. Even if the soldiers of the legion were still procrastinating and completely disobeying military orders, he had no intention of urging them.

"Sir, please order reinforcements quickly!"

Adjutant Levent, who was on the side, couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but stepped forward and said: "If we continue to delay like this, once the enemy reacts, with the strength of the main force, it will be easy to be divided on the position by the enemy with a greater numerical advantage. In a siege, even if we can win, we are likely to suffer heavy casualties!"

"Of course I know this kind of thing, but you have also seen the situation." Pavel sighed helplessly: "There are not many supplies left. We can only ensure the supply of the main force first... The soldiers are already fighting hungry. For two days, even if I can go into battle when I am exhausted, how effective can it be?"

"By the way, how are the reinforcements of a thousand people sent earlier? Do you have any news to report? It's too dark, I really can't see clearly from here."

"Uh, this, this..."

Adjutant Levent stammered and avoided Pavel's gaze; he had just received information that the thousand people seemed to have been wiped out. Of course he couldn't tell it at this time, otherwise how could he let the remaining unlucky people take their place? The Levant family is sent to death?

"Sigh... Actually, even if you didn't tell me, I probably already had a hunch. They were prepared so hastily without any plan and were deployed directly on the battlefield. Besides being easily annihilated by the enemy, what other possibility is there?"

Pavel sighed: "Even if we let the remaining thousands of soldiers go into battle immediately, I am afraid that the number of people who died from accidental injuries will far exceed the list of casualties killed by the enemy."

"B-but..."

"Of course, I can understand your difficulties... Without the main force, the Borei Legion's combat effectiveness cannot be guaranteed at all."

Raising his hand to interrupt Adjutant Levent's words, Pavel emphasized slightly: "Now the legion has the last base number of artillery shells left. I have ordered the artillery to target the enemy's third line of defense with all their strength in ten minutes. shooting."

"On the one hand, we can buy some time, and on the other hand, if we can disrupt the enemy's position, we might be able to give the main army a chance to break through, and capture the Slave Port in one fell swoop!"

"I see……"

Adjutant Levent suddenly realized it and no longer struggled too much. He looked back at the battlefield and waited for the upcoming covering artillery bombardment.

To be honest, as a member of the Levant family, he would naturally be happy to see it happen if he didn't have to share the victory of retaking the slave port with those scum; after all, it is known that the core of this legion is the Levant family, and the rest They are just foils, why should they share the honor that their own people have won with their own blood and sweat?

Thinking of this, a contemptuous sneer appeared in his eyes, and a faint dark red color overflowed from the corners of his raised mouth.

"Well……?!"

As if he noticed something incredible, the adjutant lowered his gaze and stared at the sharp blade coming out of his chest. The mirror-like blade even reflected his own shocked face.

He trembled slightly and wanted to turn his head to look at the face of the person behind him, but then a cold iron block was pressed against the back of his head, and there was a crisp sound from the amplified machine.

To be more precise, it was the sound of the hammer being snapped apart.

"boom--!"

A shot hit the adjutant in the back of the neck. Pavel, whose face was sprayed with gunk, looked back at the artillery commander who was always standing beside him and said expressionlessly:

"Five minutes later, aim at Levent's private soldiers on the second line of defense and fire until all the shells are gone."