Realm of Power

Three days later, the imperial army, which had not received a reply from Yue Valley, marched towards Yue Valley.

The morning sun rose from the horizon, and a bright golden edge illuminated the sky and the earth. There was a raised hill in the outer area of ​​the Yue Valley. The fat man stopped his horse and took in the terrain of the Yue Valley in front of him. His face couldn't help but be moved. He saw a small mountain in the distance. A large number of houses surround a huge trench-like canyon area.

The houses spread out like a fan shape, like a huge circular screen that suddenly came out. The upward bulge of the earth gave the entire area an upward terrain. A piece of steaming white smoke could be seen in the sky, and countless black clouds could be faintly seen. The point moved in the direction of the valley, and there was a large area of ​​cultivated fields in the valley. From a distance, it turned out to be a golden wheat field.

The buildings on the outer edge of the valley are gray-white, while all the buildings in the valley are covered with three-color glazed tiles. Among them, the large three-color peacock blue building in the middle of the valley is the most dazzling. The color is as new and it looks refreshing. Under the sunlight The brilliance is like a fairyland. Judging from the scale of the city in front of you, the area spread out with Yue Valley as the center is more than ten square miles, which is actually larger than the area of ​​Murphy City.

Murphy O'Brien's face looked a little ugly, while the fat man was a little surprised and curious, and asked, "Why is there wheat in the valley? And it looks like it's waiting to be harvested!"

Murphy O'Brien replied with a natural expression, "The temperature inside the Yue Valley is naturally higher than outside, making it suitable for living. I don't know what method the Central Asians used to cultivate fields here. Murphy City and In comparison, it is simply the gap between a beggar in the wilderness and a wealthy noble."

"So the Central Asians have mastered the technology of planting in the valley!" The fat man was slightly silent, touching the riding crop with his eyes a little bright, and said, "If crops can be grown in the valley, based on the area of ​​the valley, all of them will be planted." The crops should be able to supply more than 10,000 troops. After taking over the Yue Valley, the empire can use this place as a support point to build a settlement city that can station troops.

After the imperial army conquered the Slavic regions, they naturally needed control points that could support the logistics line. It would be ideal if they could station troops. There are not many such areas in the Slavic wilderness. The wilderness is cold and windy, and most areas are hard. On hard soil, all but a few hardy plants can grow. Other crops cannot be grown at all, so it was very difficult for the Slavs to live in this area. This highlights the importance of the mountain valley in front of me. The reason why I value the Tianlang River land that was burned down by Ruitang Tingna so much is also So, we are here to occupy, not to plunder and destroy! "

"Your Majesty said that he wants to build a city in the Yue Valley!" Murphy O'Brien looked surprised, blinked his eyes, and made sure that the fat man was not joking. He said very seriously, "Since the empire has issued an order to establish the Murphy Province. I boldly recommend it, can you? Set the capital of Murphy Province in Yue Valley!”

"There is no problem in setting the capital here, but has no other force been interested in such a treasured land before?"

The fat man looked at Murphy O'Brien. He always felt that Murphy O'Brien had a strange emotion towards Yue Valley, and he felt it from the time he held the conference room. When he mentioned Yue Valley, Murphy O'Brien's face had an indescribable look. The Yue Valley that appeared in front of him also made Fatty's fighting spirit waver a little.

The Zambians in the valley have already figured out the technology of growing crops and calcining glazed tiles in the valley. This is a technology that can change the situation in the wilderness. If it can be taken over without any damage, it will be of great benefit to the empire's stable control of the wilderness and the expansion of the empire's commerce.

"What Your Majesty is saying is, how could no one make plans for such a treasured land?"

Sure enough, the fat man saw a hint of bitterness on the corner of Murphy O'Brien's mouth. He raised his whip and pointed at the bulging cliff at the mouth of the valley in the distance. He said to himself, "But the terrain of the outer wall of the Yue Valley and the only stone bridge passage can be said to be dangerous." , No one can enter the interior of the valley without passing through the stone bridge. This alone is enough to crush most prying eyes. "

"The five thousand cavalrymen of Tianlang Mansion once launched a surprise attack on Yue Valley, but they could only stop in front of the stone bridge. After paying the price of thousands of prairie warriors, they finally had to withdraw in disappointment, and were attacked by Yue Shan on the way. The counterattack killed more than two hundred people, which shocked all nearby forces. The big event in Yue Valley came from that time. It knew that it could not occupy this treasure land for a long time with just a few thousand people, so it used the name of fellow Central Bians to gather the Central Bian migrants from all sides. In more than half a year, an area with a control area of ​​more than ten miles centered on Yue Valley was formed!

"It seems that this Yue Shan is quite a character!" The fat man touched his nose and asked tentatively.

"To be precise, Yue Shan is regarded as a hero in this area! Yue Valley is seen as the only holy land that can fight against the Dongting people!" Murphy O'Brien stared at the valley ahead, showing a trace of hesitation. "If possible, I still hope that your majesty can consider that Yue Shan does not have much ambition, but And it has a good reputation in this wilderness! There are almost no records of external attacks after the rise of Yue Valley, so most migrants trust Yue Valley, and most of the supplies in Yue Valley are stored in the well-defended valley with heavy troops. If you defend it, even if you encounter a surprise attack, it will be difficult to shake its foundation!”

"Maybe Yueshan Valley thinks that it can resist His Majesty and the Empire, but I know very well! In front of His Majesty, Yueshan Valley's natural defense is simply vulnerable!" Murphy O'Burn sighed deeply. "Your Majesty, the move of breaking the stone bridge hit its most fatal point. Even if there is wheat and accumulation in Yueshan Valley, it is far from being able to supply tens of thousands of people for a long time. As long as I think that the tens of thousands of lives in the valley are all wilderness people that I know, the final result must be the fate of all starving to death. I still feel a little uncomfortable in my heart! "

The fat man's eyes swept across the sky above the valley. The rising smoke explained the secret of Yueshan Valley's unique terrain and internal warmth.

The entire Yueshan Valley, which was as huge as a disc, was actually a large crater. There should be hot springs inside. The fat man's black pupils flashed with a terrifying luster. He put down the whip in his hand and sighed, "Such a beautiful place, if possible, I don't want it to be completely destroyed!

The fat man looked at Murphy Obuen beside him, his eyes moving. Suddenly he said in a deep voice, "If I ask you to persuade Yueshan Valley to belong to the empire again, how sure are you?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure at all. I've actually tried it. I sent several letters but there was no response." Murphy Obuen shook his head helplessly, and said with a wry smile, "And judging from the other party's practice of withdrawing all the peripheral population into the valley, the other party is ready to repeat the old trick and learn to fight to the end like a tortoise!"

"That's not necessarily true. Fighting to the end also requires determination! And the Yueshan Valley you mentioned doesn't seem to have the determination to die with the valley. "

"I just think I can withstand the attack of the imperial army, and I am just hoping for the best." The fat man sneered and raised his hand to the guards behind him, "If that's the case, let's start, order the army to move in!"

A dozen guards lined up in a row and took the curved horns from their waists and blew them at the same time. The humming horns resounded through the sky, and the quiet valley in the distance seemed to come alive, with small black dots running everywhere. There were also bells representing alerts. The sound came in batches, and the mixed ranks of infantry and cavalry holding the imperial flag began to emerge from the foothills outside the city. Like a tide covering the earth,

The rumbling of hooves and footsteps resounded through the earth, and the cavalry raised a cloud of dust. The black imperial infantry cluster entered the city in full, with the imperial falcon flag flying. It was like a huge wave, gathering in front of the empty city outside the valley, and could submerge the city at any time. With the sound of the horn, the black The imperial army began to encircle the front of the valley.

From a high place, the armor of the army flashed with a dark black luster, and the shining spears moved like a forest. The Yueshan Valley was tense. The army drove all the way to the entrance of Yueshan Valley, but no one was seen. In the area near the entrance of the valley, all the houses that blocked the view had been demolished in advance. The long stone bridge at the only entrance of the valley was filled with various obstacles. At the other end of the entrance, a stone defense line like a city wall was revealed, and it was full of warriors holding bows. Judging from the clothing, the red armor of the Central Asians was the main one, and other armors of various colors were mixed. There were actually 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers.

"Your Majesty, the army has completed the encirclement! The Thunder God is making arrangements. Lord Hu Keqili asks whether to start attacking the stone bridge immediately after the arrangements are completed!" A messenger cavalry ran over from behind and reported to the fat man standing on the hill.

"No, don't attack the stone bridge for the time being. Let Hu Keqili test fire ten guns in the direction of the valley first! "The fat man waved his hand calmly," hoping that the roar of the Empire's Thunder God could wake up the people inside. Their defense as a barrier is completely useless. The stone bridge is only fifty meters long. Even if the Empire doesn't cross the stone bridge, they can still know what destruction feels like! "

The tall Yue Shan, surrounded by a dozen of his subordinates, climbed onto the wall at the entrance of Yue Valley wearing a set of armor worn by a general of Zhongbia.

He placed his hands on the battlements and looked sharply at the imperial army that was parked two hundred meters away. The ferocious black army on the opposite side was rushing towards him. The Falcon Empire, the country behind the mysterious long wall defense line, was surrounded by people in the abandoned city outside the valley. Thousands of troops emerged from inside, and the heads were so dense that they could not be counted. With the loud command, the neat infantry teams lined up in formation, and the feet of tens of millions of soldiers were raised and stopped at the same time, with uniform steps. Dong, Dong!" With the rhythmic and orderly stepping, the walls at the entrance of the valley were shaking.

Long spears were like a forest, and the armor was white in front of them. The oppression of tens of millions of people gathered The force was coming towards them.

The two wings of the infantry square were the skirmish lines of the grassland cavalry. These grassland cavalry were completely different from the cavalry of Tianlang Mansion. They were wearing elite and neat armor, carrying bows, scimitars on their waists, and leather helmets and fur hats with a long blue cloth fluttering on the top. The grassland people looked at this side with wolf-like eyes on their resolute faces. These were the West Courtyard cavalry. The East Courtyard cavalry was too notorious, so they were left by Fatty in Murphy City to guard the base camp. As the army formation was fully deployed, a team of horses pulling Thor began to enter the battlefield. Each Thor was pulled by two carriages. The carriages stopped in front of the formation and lined up. The soldiers unloaded the Thor from the carriage racks, and the black muzzles were facing the direction of the long wall at the entrance of the valley.

"Don't attack the stone bridge for the time being? Okay, I get it!"

Hu Keqili received the command and was stunned for a moment, then shouted to the leader of the Thunder God squadron who was playing with it, "Everyone obey the order and test-fire ten rounds into the wall of the valley entrance!" Hundreds of Thunder Gods began to slowly raise their heads. After raising the adjusted muzzle, each captain adjusted the final deployment according to the attack distance.

"Raise it six degrees, extend the range by 60 meters"

The lookout gunner skillfully zoomed in and out of the rangefinder lens. This was the latest artillery distance rangefinder and corrector. They were fixed on an iron tripod and could swing left and right. This compact instrument has been able to provide very precise data. The case shows the amount of gunpowder that needs to be filled and the shooting height based on the distance.

On the wall at the entrance of the valley, the defenders at the bottom of the valley looked curiously at the long black pipe a hundred meters away in front of them, and kept whispering to each other. Yue Shan, who was in the command tower, was also attracted. Surrounded by more than a dozen subordinates, he came to the entrance of the valley. Looking at the battlements in front of the stone bridge, looking at the long black metal pipe in the distance, his eyebrows were tightly knitted together. Form the character Sichuan on your forehead,

He didn't know why, but he felt that these long black metal tubes had a chilling chill. The Falcon Emperor team opposite had arranged such a large array, and they wouldn't stop just putting up such a row of black tubes. , what about the trebuchet? What about the siege carts? Why haven't you pushed it up yet?

"Rumble"

The huge rolling thunder resounded through his eardrums, and the bright light group drew beautiful and cruel arcs representing death from the opposite side, directly crossing the wall of the valley entrance. Everyone couldn't help but open their mouths, a little unbelievable. He looked at the thing trailing the thick black smoke, like a meteorite falling from the sky towards the city.

"Boom!"

A series of violent explosions like thunder. The wind came from the residential area behind the city wall, and Yue Shan's face was ashen.

From his position, he could only see several consecutive clusters of red light rising slowly from the residential area in the city, and then quickly grew in size. As if being hit by a huge red meteor, the ball of light exploded, and the white light instantly burned his retinas. "What... what is this!" Yue Shan felt that his soul was trembling,

These fires are so dazzling that they seem to be brighter than the sun. What was brought about was the explosion of deadly circles of light, and the original house collapsed at the impact point of those test rounds. Screams, screams, and dogs barked one after another, and the entire city was like a hell on earth. A large circular crack with a diameter of several meters wide, for a while, the entire city wall was still, and only the city was filled with a hell-like sound. Screams echo in the wind

"How terrible!"

The defenders on the city wall were shaking. The timid people sat on the ground in fear. The bold ones looked at the thunder gods lined up in front of them and felt as if their scalps were exploding. What was fired just now was only a very small part of them. The power caused was already so terrifying. If all the black pipes in front were fired, the soldiers could no longer imagine it.

Some officers looked extremely ugly. Their confidence in their ability to resist the empire came from the unique topography of the Yue Valley. Everyone believed that the Yue Valley could not be conquered from the front, and that the Yue Valley was not a very centralized organization.

Joining the Yue Valley is an alliance, while joining the Empire is a co-optation. Most of the people who can raise the flag in the wilderness are ambitious people. Everyone believes that although the Falcon Empire has a strong military, it will obviously not be stationed for a long time. In this wilderness, when the storm is over, what should everyone do?

Even the Falcon Empire, which was rumored to have defeated the Tianlang Mansion army, may not be able to capture the Yue Valley. This was the thought of all the forces that invested in the Yue Valley. However, the roar of the Falcon Thunder God suddenly wiped out the luck of all forces. It was shattered into pieces. It turns out that even if they don't go to the stone bridge, the Falcon Empire on the opposite side still has weapons that can crush the Yue Valley. As long as the opponent is willing, the Yue Valley is a dead place.

"Asshole, Yue Gugu lied to us, I don't want to die!"

"Surrender, otherwise we will all be killed!" With the morale of the army shaken, there was an uproar on the city wall, and deserters actually appeared. As long as one person ran away, more people would run away. At this moment, Yue Valley's loose organization The shortcomings were fully exposed. The temporary supervision team was completely helpless when they saw the fleeing soldiers. Most of them were people they knew. How could they be so cruel?

"Sir, the enemy seems to be collapsing... Do we still need to continue the bombardment?" An imperial officer leaned towards Hu Keqili with a hesitant expression and said

"I saw it, stop it for now!" Hu Keqili looked at the chaos on the city wall in the distance, feeling a little dumbfounded in his heart.

Is this Yue Valley? I didn't expect it to be so easy! It is simply more miscellaneous than a miscellaneous army. . . The empire is still in such a posture, it’s true. . . . .

"Go back, everyone go back!"

A hot-blooded officer of the supervising team drew his sword and tried to rush forward, but he retreated within a few seconds. Among the few people running in front, one was his brother-in-law, and several others were his best friends. When the persuasion failed, the officer from the war team also ran away.

"My lord, the morale of the army is shaken. If there is no way to stabilize the morale of the army, I'm afraid..."

A subordinate of Yue Shan hurriedly ran over. Yue Valley was not a real military group, but an organization similar to self-defense. Although it had tens of thousands of troops, its combat capabilities were not strong. Among them were the direct lineage soldiers of the leader Yue Shan. There are only three to four thousand people, and the others are all forces that have taken refuge.

"What can I do? Unless we kill the deserters, there is no other way!" Yue Shan waved his hand with an unpleasant look on his face, and his spirit suddenly became depressed. He waved his hand and said, "Forget it, Yueshan Valley is finished today, surrender!" (To be continued..)