Realm of Power

The early summer nights have a different coolness. The chirping in the grass rises and falls, mixed with one or two strange sounds of night owls. The mountain road at night makes people feel a different kind of tranquility. , little starlight pours down from above, everything is enveloped in the soft white light of the moon,

The sound of heavy marching footsteps came closer and closer, and the hoofs of the horses raised up the mud in the forest, breaking the tranquility of the mountain forest. The mountain birds flew up in panic, flapping their wings, and looked at the groups below in fear as they headed north. The marching torches are torches held in the hands of countless humans. These humans wear armor that looks like night. Under the reflection of the torches, they look like ghosts in the rumors. The color of the underworld, countless torches were dragged from this end of the mountain road to the invisible distance, even covering the color of the stars above, like huge monsters rolling in the dark night, and there were a large number of people in the marching column. The carriage was loaded with heavy goods, and the strong horses pulling the carriage sprayed mist outwards, and the horses' hooves left deep hoof prints on the soft ground.

"What's going on?"

Varisien came up from behind and saw that at a bend in the mountain road, a carriage carrying the God of Thunder was once again stuck on the muddy road in the mountain. The wheels slipped in the muddy water. The horse-drawn men pushed, but they couldn't get it out for a long time. Instead, The entire queue was in chaos. The vanguard troops that were supposed to be advancing lightly were moving at a snail's pace in his line of sight.

"Sir, the mountain road is too wet, and we were marching at night. Many of our carriages got stuck," a Falcon Army general replied with an embarrassed look.

Varisien frowned slightly, raised his head and glanced at the sky. His face was ashen, no one thought about it. The rainy season has passed, and there will still be so much water on the mountain roads. A large area of ​​the carriage carrying Thor is stuck in it. Although it is already traveling at full strength, when the horizon slightly reveals a white light, it is still still far away from the target Berlindel. Fifteen miles away, "If the defeated Gallic army in the mountains is allowed to arrive early, Berlindel will be in a hard fight!" Varisien raised his whip decisively. Decisively conveying orders to the cavalry behind him

"Tell all the troops to leave the last five thousand people in charge of the carriages, and everyone else to accelerate with all their strength. Even if we climb, we must reach Berlindel at dawn before the army collapses in the mountains!"

"Yes!" The cavalryman nodded and immediately turned around to convey Valicion's order to the troops. After hearing Varisien's order, the soldiers abandoned the heavy carriages that were stuck in the muddy road in the mountains, leaving behind a logistics force of 5,000 people. The special flag regiment quickly moved towards Berlindel.

At dawn, the mountains began to become low and flat. A plain appeared in front of Valicion's eyes

"Sir, the front is Berlindel's range."

The scout cavalry galloped over from the front and dismounted in front of Varisian. The news he brought made Varisian's eyes light up, and Varisian galloped up to a protruding cliff ahead. Wearing a white cloak and black armor underneath. He looked at some hazy towns in the great plains below. The morning fog was very heavy, especially the dense forests in the mountains. From high up, there was only a vast sea of ​​white clouds rolling in. Just when Varisien felt annoyed about this, there was a surging sound. The mountain wind blew, causing Varician's hair to fly away, and his eyes narrowed into a thin line.

As the mountain wind blew away the fog, a straight post road across the plain appeared in Varisien's sight. The scene below became clear. On the gentle plain, a large-scale city could be seen. A beautiful silver river passes by the city, and on the right side of the city is a lush green forest. On the left side of the city is a sparse and tall forest of trees. There is a hazy dark shadow in the forest, which is probably the station of the army.

"Berlindel!" Varisien looked at the outline of the city in the distance, silent, with a strange light shining in his eyes. His eyes seemed to want to see not only this city, but also the rich and vast land of the Gallic Empire behind the city. He turned his head and asked, "Have you figured out the other party's arrangement?"

The scout cavalry responded, "The enemy is very vigilant, and the sky is getting brighter, so we don't dare to get too close, but we can be sure that there must be large enemy troops in Berlindel and the surrounding areas, because we are on the muddy road outside the city." We found heavy ruts and a large number of horse hoof prints. Preliminary estimates suggest that there should be more than 10,000 cavalry in Delinbur, and there seems to be heavy cavalry! The horse hoof prints look very new, they should be the same as ours, really. Arrived last night!”

"Arrived last night. Heavy cavalry..."

Valicien's face darkened. According to the intelligence, Berlindel's garrison only had about 15,000 people, and they were all infantry. There was absolutely no large-scale cavalry as the scouts said.

"It should be the newly arrived reinforcements from the Gauls! It's really..." Varisien took a deep breath after making this judgment. The situation in front of him began to become complicated. The enemy's newly arrived troops were unknown. If we continue to launch a strong attack on Berlindel according to the previous plan, we are simply betting on the 50,000 Falcon troops in the assault and the 200,000 Empire troops still fighting fiercely on the center line.

"I can't afford such a bet!" Varisian raised his head and looked at the sky. The cloudless sky was blue, with almost all the clouds hidden. Varisian's face was uncertain, and finally he changed from Tian Tian withdrew his gaze and gave a serious order to the messenger: "The troops are suspended! Rest on the spot!"

The situation was unclear. He couldn't afford to gamble on this one. Varisien took a deep breath. This decision almost made him feel exhausted. As the fat man said, he was a very gambling person. , but the nearly annihilated battle on the outskirts of Kyoto made Wari Sean's usual sense of luck suffered a heavy blow. It turns out that good luck does not necessarily mean that everything will go smoothly. He must judge the situation appropriately and make the most favorable judgment. He will fight when he needs to fight and retreat when he needs to retreat. It is his own mistake. The proof of the sacrifice is the blood and lives of thousands of soldiers.

"What's going on? Why did you stop suddenly!"

An old figure rode a horse and came up from behind. It was Hutu Emma who was appointed as the adjutant. He had a slightly dissatisfied face. He glanced at Varisien with a very unhappy look, as if he didn't see anything. It shows that the relationship between the two is indeed very bad. Varisien is the most dazzling new star in the empire's military, His Majesty Falcon's most trusted general, and was even rumored to become one of the five pillars of the empire.

Such a new talent in the empire is an urgent need for any family in the empire to win over, and for Hutu Emma, ​​who joined the Falcon Army halfway. Varisien is definitely qualified to be his son-in-law. Unfortunately, Varisien has a family. For his proud daughter to fall in love with this married man, it really makes Hutu Emma Feeling embarrassed, even a sense of humiliation. But his daughter was so determined that she even pulled out "His Majesty Falcon also has ten wives," and there is no law in the empire that stipulates that a man can only marry one woman in his life! If his father is right If you have any opinions on this, I will go find some princesses to comment on it!"

As the palace physician, the daughter did have the authority to enter and exit the harem. Hutu Emma was also a little scared, so she decided to kill her with a sharp knife. "If you want to propose marriage, just come with the gift of 2 million gold coins!"

Two million gold coins is not a small amount, and even for a rising star in the Imperial military like Varisien, it is an unbearable increase. After all, Varisien is just a deputy army commander, not an imperial governor who holds power like the five pillars of the empire. Most of the military expenditures obtained are spent on armaments, appeasing soldiers, and replacing weapons. In order to achieve more victories and glory, the generals of the Falcon Empire, who regard military merit first, have always been generous in the weapons and equipment of the army, because they Know, Only when the army is well-prepared can it obtain more military rewards than others. The same is true for Varisien. If he didn't think that his army was powerful, he would have a single legion and want to withstand Rode Ten. The confidence of the main army of more than 10,000 people.

"Lord Emma, ​​the target has changed. The scouts found a large number of cavalry hoof prints outside the city. Before they can figure out the situation, taking a break can be regarded as replenishing their physical strength!" Varisien said with an embarrassed smile on his face. , Hutu Emma can ignore him, but he dare not ignore the father of his beloved,

"Cavalry! Could it be that Lord Varisien, who dared to carry King Rode's army alone, would be afraid sometimes?"

Hu Tuima glanced at him up and down, with a somewhat disdainful expression on his face, and contempt at the corners of his mouth. When he was in Ruidian, his Fifth Army was famous for its first place in defensive capabilities. Marshal Berlant severely damaged Xiting. The battle of Aichemore used the fifth legion as bait to attract hundreds of thousands of grass from King Xiting Khan. The former cavalryman, of course, what he said now was mainly because he wanted to kill the arrogance of this prospective son-in-law. His Majesty Falcon forcibly pulled himself together with this bastard, which basically showed his support for this matter. In this way Under such circumstances, no matter how much he, Hutu Emma, ​​has any objections, what else can he say!

"Since the situation is a done deal, we can't let this bastard be defeated. It will not be good for her daughter's future!" Hutu Emma secretly sighed in her heart. Before the matter is completely clear, she must also let this self-righteous person The bastard knows that when it comes to fighting, he, who has been on the battlefield all his life, is no worse than him. Before the rise of His Majesty Falcon, he was the one who had the reputation of being the number one defender in the mainland.

"Since we can't know the exact situation, it's useless to continue to speculate. Why not use force to confirm it."

Hutu Emma said calmly, "Our army is in the dark and the enemy's army is in the light. As long as we send out a decoy, won't everything be clear?"

"Sir Emma is right. I was too cautious and kept thinking about the concealment of the surprise attack. But now it seems that the surprise attack is obviously impossible to carry out, so let's fight in an open and honest manner!" Valicien said with a look of surprise. He looked at a Falcon general next to him and said, "Maurice, you lead a squadron of cavalry to launch a tentative attack on Berlindel. Don't be too reluctant. If the enemy attacks, you can decide to retreat on your own."

"Yes, I understand!" the Falcon General responded energetically. When he turned around, the blades of his armor clanked. Mount your horse and gallop away,

Valicien stood on the top of a high mountain, looking at a black line speeding towards Berlindel, his face became more and more solemn. The Gauls have always been short of cavalry, and those with heavy cavalry formations, on the Gaul side It is even more pitiful that the Murphy Dragoons were forced to the north of the border wall by His Majesty, in the name of allowing them to expand their territory. In fact, it was obviously because His Majesty was wary of them.

The only one in Gaul who still has a heavy cavalry establishment. There is only the Guards Corps, which has always been in the capital of Gaul and is known as the First Army of Gaul. "Could it be the Gallic Guards!" Varisien frowned. His guess was correct. The 20,000 Kyoto Guards who were in Berlindel City at this time were indeed the 20,000 Kyoto Guards who had just arrived last night.

These were all reinforcements sent by Algernon Julia at the request of Algernon Julia. The Gallic capital gritted its teeth and sent reinforcements again, because it was in the report submitted by Algernon Julia to the emperor. It reads, "The center line and the east line were successively lost. Although a solid defensive belt was established, there were still many conflicts among the warships. In particular, the generals' distrust of Hassan Rimbaud became more and more obvious. This general's centrifugal state, There must be a force that is strong enough to suppress it. Although we know that the Guards are responsible for the security of Kyoto, please still mobilize the Guards to reinforce the Rusty area. If you stabilize Rusty, you will stabilize Kyoto!"

The 20,000 Guardsmen who arrived at Berlindel this time were all elite cavalry, including six squadrons of heavy cavalry. The leader was an old acquaintance of Fatty who had been in the Battle of the Southwest. Together with Algernon Katja, who had the entire legion in a mess, this once vigorous Southwest Commander-in-Chief, after going through the period of weakness after being captured and hit, now showed a rare dignified aura. If it hadn't been for the encounter with Falcon, Among the bright generals of the empire, the most lucky "artifact of national subjugation" is a famous Gaul general who has experienced ups and downs. Or there's a chance to leave more than just a mockery in history.

"Sir, the Falcon Army's cavalry was spotted outside the city!" An attendant ran in in a panic. After receiving the report, Algernonkaja was arranging the saddle of his horse, carefully brushing off the dust on his beloved horse. It seemed that even a trace of dust on it was intolerable. In just six months, his hair appeared He painted a lot of white, with spots like snow, cleaning and arranging the war horse. This was a way for him to relieve his inner anxiety. During the lowest period, he did not want to see anyone, only the war horse that could not speak. It seemed that Only then can he recover from his depressed mood.

At the beginning, Algernon and Julia wanted to persuade him to make a new comeback. After learning about his behavior, she muttered: "War horses are indeed more suitable to be friends than some people, but no matter how good a war horse is, it needs to appear on the battlefield to be called a friend." War horses, the only ones hiding at home are the horses!”

This time he once again led the army to the western battlefield of the empire. In addition to his desire for revenge, he could also feel the disdain in the eyes from behind him. Those who could enter the Imperial Guard were all true nobles of Kyoto, or They are the elites of the army drawn from various places. Many of these people are full of desire to fight in the northwest.

Everyone knows that the empire's biggest enemy is launching a fierce attack in the west. The empire's armies are fighting fiercely and bleeding. However, as the most powerful army in the empire, they can only stand in the corridors of the magnificent palace every day, in a daze. Or when a certain big shot passes by, the pretentious attitude of holding his head high and chest high is more like a decorative vase than a warrior.

The Praetorian Guards were not allowed to leave the capital. This was once an iron law of the Gallic Empire. Therefore, there was an atmosphere of inaction within the Praetorian Guards. Since there was no chance to attend the battlefield, what was the point of training hard?

But the turning point came in the Battle of the Southwest,

Miss Algernon Julia became the first person to bring out the Imperial Guard from Kyoto in decades,

Although all the Praetorian Guards who went to fight in the northwest were killed in the battle, to the southwestern people, these Praetorian Guards were cold-blooded butchers, murderers who provoked wars, and despicable villains who drove civilians to resist the iron hoofs of heavy cavalry. But in Gaul Kyoto has a completely different view of these Imperial Guards who died in the southwest.

The people of Kyoto believed that these Imperial Guards were heroes. They were worthy of their status and used their bravery and blood to defend the northwest of the empire without retreating. Even in the face of the rebellion of the Black Dragon Armored Cavalry that swept across the eastern battlefield, they still used a weak force to launch a rebellion. In a desperate counterattack, facing more than 100,000 fierce and fierce Falcon Empire troops, they used Their scarred bodies stayed in the incomplete capital of the southwest for a month, and their blood blended into the land of the southwest, but their spirits made everyone remember them, whether they were their enemies or their friends. Because of this, the entire forbidden city The guards felt like they had been beaten to death, eager to fight, even if it was a blood-shedding battle!

"How many enemies are there?" Algernonkaja stopped what he was doing, bent down to pick up the saddle of the war horse, and turned around and asked, looking a little out of sorts,

"A squadron or so!"

"Don't worry about him, he's probably just a scout or a decoy force!" Algernonkaja calmly patted the grass clippings on the saddle. Having suffered a loss once, he had a full understanding of the cunning of the Falcon Army. , especially for the fat man named Weixia Falcon, who is simply a He was a despicable and shameless guy, but he was such a guy who showed no mercy and defeated himself perfectly. From that moment on, Algernonkaja decisively abandoned his pride, such as reputation and pride. Things are no longer something that people like me need to be obsessed with.

"But sir, Captain Bird, the captain of the second squadron, has led the attack!" the person who came to report said with a strange expression.

"Bird! That idiot! If he wants to die, let him go. Tell the others that anyone who goes out of the city to fight without authorization will be punished according to military law!"

Algernon Katya's fingers creaked as he gripped the saddle, his face slightly cold. The dissatisfaction of these arrogant soldiers and generals towards him was almost written on their faces, especially this Bird, who relied on his father, who was the Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Empire, to oppose him in everything. He had endured it all the way. Did he really think that he was a soft persimmon that could be easily manipulated?