Realm of Power

The spring breeze blows, the ice melts and the snow turns into gurgling water in the mountains. The green color of the earth brings vitality. The distant mountains and near rivers extend to the edge of the earth like a picture scroll, showing a lazy and intoxicating attitude in the drizzle. In front of the legion adjutant Andalin,

Pushing open the office of her teacher Hassan Rimbaud, a familiar figure came into Andaline's eyes. The curtains were tightly closed in the room. Only the candlesticks on the wall illuminated the whole room. The room seemed very dull. The Gallic Empire had 400,000 in the Rusty region. Hassan Rimbaud, the chief of the imperial army, was taking a nap while leaning on his desk.

Hassan Rimbaud's face was tired and pale, his hair was disheveled, his hands were folded on his abdomen, and his slightly gray temples showed that he was no longer young. From the imperial capital to Rusty, he traveled a thousand and three hundred miles day and night. For someone who had already It is no longer an easy task for the fifty-one-year-old Hassan Rimbaud.

The Falcon Empire's offensive could be launched at any time. Hassen Rimbaud did not dare to delay and held a military meeting overnight to assign combat tasks. By the time the meeting was over, it had already reached the middle of the night unknowingly. He dragged his tired body and sat down in the office. After taking a rest in the preparation room, he immediately rushed to the Eastern Front to inspect. Although there was a specially strengthened Gallic Fifteenth Army on the Eastern Front, Hassan Rimbaud was still a little worried. The Seine River guarded by the Eastern Front was the source of the entire river network in the Rusty region. During this season of the year, heavy rains from the sky and melted water from the snow-capped mountains in the highlands would flow into this river in large quantities. The river water The skyrocketed, making it difficult for men and horses to swim across. If coupled with a large army to guard it, it would be enough to form an indestructible natural barrier that would deter the Falcon Army.

Andalin walked over gently and carefully placed the document in her hand on Hasen Rimbaud's desk. A slight noise made the famous Gaul general raise his head and saw that it was his disciple and adjutant. Hasen Rimbaud patted the general on his body. There was dust on the uniform, and I coughed dryly.

"Ahem, is it dawn yet?"

"Yes," Andalin replied, moving to the window and opening the curtains with her hands. The rain was flying outside, and the raindrops pattered on the glass, like a meditative charm.

"It's still raining!" Hassan Rimbaud narrowed his eyes meaningfully. "Is there any news from the Eastern Front?"

"Not yet. According to the teacher's instructions, I will send someone there every day." Andalin nodded and replied, with a trace of complicated emotions flashing through her beautiful eyes.

"But the Eastern Front is more than 50 miles away from here, and it has been raining for days. The road is muddy, and the bridge leading to the Eastern Front has also been washed away by floods. Our people have to go around the Burles Forest and go back and forth. , Even if we are riding fast horses, our people will not get the news back until the afternoon at the earliest!"

"Afternoon? I hope nothing happens. I don't know why, but I always have an ominous premonition!"

Hashem Rimbaud rubbed his swollen temples and gave a wry smile. This kind of tiredness is not only for the body, but also for the heart. Now there are rumors about him everywhere. One theory is that he holds half of the empire. troops. With a move of his hand, the empire can be revived or destroyed, and it is even possible to establish himself as emperor. There is also a ridiculous saying that he has signed a secret agreement with the Eagle Emperor, and the two are planning to split it equally. "The entire land of the Gallic Empire" and "Hassen Rimbaud had already secretly defected to the Falcon Empire. Otherwise, why would the Falcon Empire army defeat the Eighth Legion of Gaul with such momentum? To actually stand still in front of the Sixth Army for the whole winter is simply incomprehensible behavior! "Conclusions like

Regarding these rumors full of malice and speculation, Hassan Rimbaud did not care, nor did he have the energy to care.

He knew that the people who said these words were the generals of the Kyoto Guards who temporarily rushed from Kyoto to Rusty's reinforcements when Rusty was nervous. When they arrived. The Falcon Empire Army has stopped advancing. Seeing that all the halo of glory has fallen on itself, it is undoubtedly too jealous for these Guards generals who consider themselves superior to others. In the Battle of Rusty, he accidentally blocked the Falcon Army's offensive, which led to a sharp rise in his domestic reputation. He rose from a famous general in the eastern battlefield to the first general in Gaul.

Last winter, the Falcon Empire uncharacteristically proposed armistice negotiations, which gave everyone an illusion.

That was the extremely vicious Vecchia Falcon, and General Hassan Rimbaud who was also afraid of the empire. With the empire in turmoil and losing ground on both the eastern and western battlefields, the Gauls, who lived in a state of bad news and uneasiness every day, suddenly found themselves A peerless general also appeared here. It was like seeing the morning star in the dark night. He sang praises for Hassan Rimbaud and placed high hopes on him.

Even Fatty himself did not expect that his decision to suspend the offensive would actually create a Gallic "God of War"

In the Gauls' taverns, in the noise all night long, you can often hear "Cheers for the well-being of Lord Hassan Rimbaud!" "Lord Hassen Rimbaud will definitely defeat those northwest barbarians who don't know the heights of the sky and the earth, and let the glory of the empire Shine on the Northwest ""Come and drink to Hassen Rimbaud, the Imperial God of War!" Words like these are very encouraging!

In some public performance venues, the most popular play now is "The Imperial War God Hassan Rimbaud vs. the Evil Falcon King". The program of the play is basically the same old-fashioned routine of an upright knight defeating a monster, except that the knight becomes The actor who played Hassan Rimbaud led the soldiers into the Falcon King's palace, cut off the falcon flag that was rumored to be able to steal people's souls, and with a shrill howl, a The black clown with a red crown on his head and a feather costume all over his body is the Vecchia Falcon. The majestic actor wearing the costume of a Gallic general severely stepped on the ground with one foot. He struggled to death, begged for mercy, and cried bitterly. With tears streaming down his face, he slapped himself. The actor dressed as Hassan Rimbaud looked at him with disdain. He held up the Gaul broad sword in his hand, full of momentum and power, and made a gesture to chop it down violently.

The scene freezes at this scene, which is usually the climax of the play.

"Kill him, kill this devil!"

The people watching in the audience raised their hands and screamed hysterically. The people watching would also throw cheap coins at the black clown without hesitation. Finally, with the broad sword in the eyes of everyone's excitement, After falling, a human head as a prop was thrown onto the stage by the actor. It was a ball made of leather, with a mouth and nose drawn with charcoal, and red dye poured into it, making it look bloody.

The high-pitched Gallic military song "Song of the Gallic Warriors" sounded behind the stage, and the scene was exciting. It was so exciting that everyone sang along. This kind of play even spread to the Rusty area. There was even a performance troupe that boldly went to the border line between the two armies to perform. The Gallic soldiers shouted in triumph. , attracted the attention of the other party. Soon, several slingshots trailed thick black smoke and blew the performance stage to pieces on the spot, causing more than a dozen casualties. It was so scary that no one dared to do this anymore.

But in areas that cannot be attacked, this situation is still happening. Gallic soldiers often went to see it in groups and never tired of it. To be honest, Hassan Rimbaud himself secretly went to see it once, but he couldn't bear to leave before he saw his glorious image. It was too funny. Well, war can't be a child's play. The soldiers had seen this so much that they actually thought that the Falcon Army was an opponent that could be defeated at a single touch. In fact, in the situation last year when the army was completely defeated, Hassen Rimbaud himself didn’t know how he could stop the Falcon Army. The pace of the empire's advancement!

In the afternoon, the sound of galloping horse hooves woke up the dozing guards. An embarrassed imperial cavalry covered in mud and water, Feng Cheng's servant had just stopped his horse and jumped to the ground. Andalin quickly walked over. This was the man she sent to the Eastern Front. The appearance of the cavalry made her beautiful eyebrows frown slightly.

"What's going on, Schroeder!" Andalin asked solemnly.

"East... The Seine River on the eastern front has been lost!" The Imperial Cavalry gasped for air, took a few sips from the water bottle from his companion, and then said intermittently, "I don't know what the situation is. The Sis who just crossed the center line... Lasse Village. I saw the 15th Army Corps everywhere on the road. The army was defeated, people were panic-stricken, and there was great confusion. Both officers and soldiers were retreating towards the urban area on the central line. I found a familiar officer to ask. He told me that the eastern front had been lost. The Falcon Army launched warships and rushed to the river bank. The river defense line was defeated! The 15th Army suffered heavy casualties."

"The battleship rushed into the river! What is going on?" A flash of shock flashed across Andalin's face, and she quickly walked up to the second floor. She opened the door with a pale face, and her uncharacteristically eager expression made Hassan Rimbaud in the room feel a little ominous. premonition

"Have the people who went to the Eastern Front come back? What's the situation there? I'm going to the Eastern Front to inspect!" Hassan Rimbaud said uneasily as he tied on his cloak, "Although I know there will be no problems on the Eastern Front, I still feel uncomfortable today. I have an uneasy feeling. If I don’t go there, I won’t feel at ease!”

"Teacher, there's no need to go to the Eastern Front!"

Andalin took a deep breath of cold air, looked at Hassen Rimbaud who was picking up his sword, and said slowly, "The Eastern Front has been lost. The Falcon Army used battleships to overwhelm the defense line of the Fifteenth Army. The entire Fifteenth Army Broken, suffering heavy casualties, retreating to the center line!"

"What!"

The cloak slipped from Hasen Rimbaud's hands and fell to the ground. He was stunned, with an unbelievable expression on his face, as if someone had stepped on him. Was the Eastern Front lost? How is it possible, what is going on! "Hasen Rambo asked a series of questions, but Andalin couldn't answer him. She just said that the Falcon Army had used battleships.

"Battleship! Eastern Front! The Seine River upstream... The other party doesn't want..." Hassan Rimbaud seemed to have thought of something, his face suddenly lost all color, and he no longer cared about the cloak that fell to the ground, and He quickly ran to the wall with the map, his expression solemn and terrifying, his eyes searching for the Seine River on the eastern front.

"That color, it must be that color!" Andalin heard the teacher who was looking at the map suddenly make a sound that sounded like despair.

The center of gravity of the Rusty war zone, Nase City,

This is the easternmost city on the central line, and it is also the pass where the Seine River enters the urban area of ​​the central line. The Seine River divides into several tributaries from here. A long time ago, the Nascent people built river forks on the river. The Gauls here The garrison consisted of 8,000 men, and it formed a corner with the 15th Gallic Legion guarding the upper reaches of the Seine.

After crossing the Seine River on the east line, Clolisat immediately sent 20,000 light infantrymen to pursue the scattered 15th Legion and complete the full occupation of the upper reaches of the river on the east line. He personally led 30,000 main forces and pounced on Nase below the river like a tiger. In the afternoon, the troops arrived at the city of Nase.

Nase in front of the northwest legion was just a city with city walls and a moat connecting the river. It lacked the sturdy trebuchet towers and arrow towers like a fortress, and there were no corner structures to resist the approach of infantry clusters.

Such a defense is effortless! Clolisat rode on a warhorse and commented in his heart.

The Gaul defenders obviously did not know that the 15th Legion had collapsed. They were frightened by the sudden appearance of the Falcon Army under the city of Nase, and the anxious alarm bells rang over the city. The Gauls on the city wall were in a panic, and the archers were deployed in batches on the city walls.

Below the city, 20,000 infantrymen of the Northwest Legion holding shields and spears were divided into four square formations. Fifteen thousand Northwest archers held strong bows and set up an attack array under the city. The metal shields reflected dazzling white light under the rain, like a large piece of bright light band. The neatly arranged armor and lances were endless.

The black armor was dark in the rain, and the gathered pressure was like a huge black tide that was about to surge up. The Gauls on the opposite wall were pale at this time. The unfathomable mysterious feeling of the Falcon Army below gave people pressure and made them feel more terrified. This was not the farce seen before, this was the real army of the Falcon Empire, representing killing and strength, invincible, and never defeated in the battle with the empire!

"What's going on? Isn't the upstream the defense zone of the 15th Legion?" the soldiers asked in a low voice.

"Yes, how could these falcon troops come down from upstream? Where is the 15th Legion!" The Gaul soldiers on the city wall were panicked, and they saw horror in each other's eyes. At this moment, a black spot suddenly rose from behind the falcon troops under the city.

"Attention, catapults!" A shrill cry suddenly sounded on the city wall.

"Catapults?" The soldiers looked up blankly, looking at the countless boulders with various sharp corners with pale faces. It was like a flock of birds suddenly flew through the air, from the white sky and rain, with a shrill sound of wind, and smashed on the heads of the whole team of companions like thunder, and brains splattered. Minced meat flew everywhere, and under the impact of the boulders, the Gauls saw their companions. Just like this, they turned into a bloody piece of minced meat on the city wall.

"Oh my God!" This terrible effect is dozens of times more shocking than the actual killing effect. The Gallic soldiers didn't even have time to dodge, and their metal shields were deformed. Huge stones rolled through the ranks like raindrops, and the soldiers on the entire road were instantly smashed into pulp.

Many Gallic soldiers faced such terrible siege weapons for the first time. Seeing their companions die so miserably, the horror controlled their already terrified hearts. The neatly arranged shields in their hands were shattered by the dense blows of the stones, and the soldiers' ranks were completely chaotic.

"Attack the city, sir!"

The northwestern generals below were already excited to ask Chlorisat to fight. The Seine River was a spectator, which aroused the raging fighting spirit in the hearts of the northwestern generals like a raging fire.

Crolisat was still sober. In the order of His Majesty the Falcon, he asked the warships to go down the river. Entering the central urban area, whether it is possible to take that color as quickly as possible will be the top priority of the entire battle, and it is also the real role of the Northwest Legion. Taking the river pass and allowing the warships to enter the river in the central urban area, we have to thank the Gauls for this.

During the winter rest period, in order to strengthen the defense of the urban area, the Gauls connected the rivers between the urban areas with the moats. All the moats were widened three times, almost as wide as the entire river. In other words, the warships can enter the inner river of the urban area and attack any city at will.

The Dragon Tooth warships entering the inner river this time were built with special requirements. In order to enable the warships to have the ability to suppress the city walls, all the Dragon Tooth warships have their side heightened. , can attack the city wall directly from a high position. In order to be suitable for navigation in the inland waterway, the bottom of the boat is also flat, so it can hit the embankment quickly without tipping over.

Crolisat unceremoniously pulled all the more than 300 catapults he used for crossing the river to the city of Nase, catching the Gaul defenders off guard. He looked at the Gaul defenders howling under the attack of the catapults with cold eyes, and then ordered in a deep voice, "Archers press on to cover, and the whole army begins to attack the city!"

"Forward!" The captains of the Falcon Infantry opened their loud voices, and 20,000 infantrymen in four infantry columns began to approach the city wall. Fifteen thousand archers of the Northwest Army raised their composite strong bows in the direction of the city wall.

"Shoot!" With a sound of below zero, the bowstring vibrated like a rainstorm

"Hua! Hua! Hua!" The sky and earth seemed to be filled with terrible shocking waves. The arrows as dense as raindrops once again fiercely bombarded the Gaul defenders. Although the range of the composite strong bows used by these northwestern archers was not as terrible as the terrible thorn tile longbow, it was far beyond the 80-meter range of the Gaul archers' laminated bows.

As 15,000 archers uniformly released their fingers holding the tail feathers, dense black dots shot towards the top of the city like a black cloud. Like waves hitting the hard rock wall, it turned into a splash of terrifying bright red. "Puff puff puff" the sound of sharp weapons piercing the body and bones breaking in the raindrops, this is a symphony of killing.

"Crack"

More than a dozen huge siege vehicles slowly moved forward under the push of the infantry, the wooden wheels made a swaying sound, approaching the city wall in the muddy rain,

'Pa pa "the heavy baffle hit the top of the city fiercely,

"Kill" with a shout that resounded through the battlefield, countless cold-light Falcon Army horizontal spears rushed out from the place where the baffle fell,

The dense spear heads were like a wall of countless sharp thorns, the heavy footsteps made the pedals thump, and in a flash, it was like a heavy war knife suddenly slashed on the joint of the city wall,