Realm of Power

furlong pass

White snowflakes were floating in the sky, and crystal clear ice hanging from the high cliffs on both sides for several meters. In the vast land, the biting wind dropped a layer of misty white frost on the icy armor, tens of thousands of Fei Shan The soldiers and infantrymen breathed air-conditioning. , jumped out from the mountain pass in a long snake formation, and began to line up outside the valley. Outside the mountain pass, there was a plain terrain with the color of early winter. The horse hooves of a group of cavalry trampled the ground, causing dry grass to fly, and they headed towards a place outside the valley with lightning speed. Run to the high ground,

On the high ground, the mountain wind swept this long cloak of golden cicada flowers and vines with dark gold patterns. A middle-aged general in red armor was riding on a war horse, looking down at the land in front of him with bright eyes, holding a golden handle in his hand. The handle of the riding whip, the cheekbones are very high, the eyes are rare and slender, and under the tall nose, there is an aristocratic atmosphere that is different from the Barrow people in Central Europe. It is a kind of exquisite feeling.

"Master, the emperor has not noticed the arrival of our army at all, and is now fighting against Nulon." The galloping cavalry stopped below him, and an officer with flaxen hair, Feishan, who was leading the team, raised his head and loudly reported

"Are you sure? You must know that your judgment is likely to determine the life or death of tens of thousands of troops. Don't be sloppy!" Pastanon looked serious, with his whip tied in a knot in his hand, and he looked at the general under his command like a knife. This legion is Tapas Tanon's private army, before receiving the order, Pastanon had already ordered the legion to assemble. Although he was an opponent of war with the empire, at this moment of life and death for the country, in a battle that overturned the country, he had no personal feelings for him. Grudges, honor and disgrace have long been put aside. Seeing the domestic corps being mobilized into the battlefield one by one, but his 40,000 elite soldiers had not received orders for a long time, Pastanon also felt like he was scolding his mother.

"It must be a bastard from the Ministry of Military Affairs. He ignored the difficult situation of the war and put aside tens of thousands of elites because of personal hatred!"

He personally went to Kyoto to ask for an audience with King Fei Shan, but King Fei Shan's ambiguous attitude made him return to the fiefdom a little frustrated. He must have been used as a reserve for the army! Before the situation of this war becomes clear, there is no need to think about appearing on the battlefield. The position of reserve is a humiliating position for any Feishan soldier.

If the battle situation is advantageous, the frontline combat troops will eat and drink wildly, and the spoils will be enough, as if all the meat on the bones has been eaten away. If you feel too lazy to clean up, you will let the reserve troops go up to clean up the battlefield. If the battle situation is unfavorable, the fate of the reserves will be even worse. If you are lucky, you can get a good reputation of working hard to clear the road and rescue the main force.

Unlucky enough, he was designated as the rear guard of the retreating army. It is normal for the enemies who were chasing all the way to swarm them and eat them all. The main force of the kingdom who escaped safely may also say: "The rear army's combat power is weak. It doesn't even have the combat power to stop it for a while. It's just a waste of food and wine. No wonder it's like this." In such a tense situation, it is only used as a reserve force, and it is simply useless!"

Pastanon has seen too many such things. In the past, relying on the king's trust and his status as a duke, he had done this kind of thing to punish political opponents. But he didn't expect that one day he would also be placed in reserve. Just when he was very bored analyzing the situation of the two armies on the map every day, the top-secret combat order from the Ministry of Military Affairs, which almost made him despair, came miraculously.

This feeling of being reclassified from abandonment to order again made Pastanon excitedly read the combat order three times. The first time he was happy, the second time was confusion, and the third time was shock. What happened? The Ministry of Military Affairs does not want to go to the Bavaria area where heavy troops are gathered, nor does it want to go to the coastal defense line, which is the center of defense. Instead, it requires its own legion to go to the east to rescue Nulon.

The word rescue was like a needle piercing into the flesh. Pastanon's pupils shrank unnaturally. The hand holding the order trembled a little, and his mind was a little confused.

As a Feishan soldier, how could he not know the importance of Nulon, which is the eastern gateway of Feishan. Nulon was in emergency, the Helena barrier fell, and the imperial army miraculously entered Feishan from the Eastern Province of the Istan Empire. The news is a huge shock to everyone. It is no wonder that the Ministry of Military Affairs thinks of itself. He is here. At this time, all the troops in Fei Shan's country are like a bowstring tightened, and it is difficult to even move. The Ministry of Military Affairs still has troops to fill this hole. Once New York is really captured by the emperor, Fei Shan will The eastern part of Shanshan is completely exposed to the imperial military front, and there will also be huge fluctuations on the other two fronts.

Feishan and the Istani people have been fighting and fighting in the Nulon area for decades. The understanding of the terrain of the Nulon area is like a panoramic view appearing in Pastanon's mind.

The terrain of Nulon has always been easy to attack and difficult to defend. That time, Fei Shan not only gathered a large number of troops to fight the Istan people here, but also used a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood to stop the Istan people's progress. The Emperor has the powerful weapon Thor, which can be said to be invincible and cannot conquer any city. Helena Fortress has been lost. Even if he sends rescue troops to Nulon, the effect will only be short-lived.

If you really want to close the eastern gate that was broken through by the emperor, the only way is to recapture Helena Fortress!

Pastanon is known as Feishan's famous general, and he still has this point of view. After a brief consideration, Pastanon also came up with the idea of ​​not rescuing Nulon, but taking a shortcut directly through the Furlong Pass. , the idea of ​​​​going straight to the Helena Fortress, the largest highland snow mountain in the Kingdom of Feishan in Fron Mountain City. It is covered with snow all year round. It snows in September and October. The mountain is closed and will not thaw until June next year. The possibility of the emperor knowing about such a hidden passage in a short period of time is very low. Or even if it knew, it would not think that Feishan's reinforcements would ignore Nulon. As The Pastanon Legion's rush to support Nulon is getting closer and closer, and the news from the emperor in the east is getting more and more detailed.

"The emperor's troops that broke into Feishan's eastern front were not many, but with more than 10,000 troops, they only took advantage of the unexpected and captured the solid Helena barrier in one fell swoop, but it was like an arrow piercing the cowhide. The follow-up strength is the same. This imperial army, which was expected to expand its results, fell into a weak state after the failure of the attack on Nulon City Gate."

News from the front. Pastanon's eyes lit up, and his hands holding the riding crop couldn't help but clench together. This was God's will. It was God who sent this peerless military exploit to him.

It had been so ferocious before, but I didn't expect that it would be delayed for three days in Nulon by a mere eight thousand troops without breaking through. The combat power of this imperial army should have reached its limit, but it was also the case that it broke into the Eastern Front with more than ten thousand troops. Barrier, Helena broke through the defense of 5,000 people. Then they rushed towards Nulon non-stop, and almost captured the city gate by force. With such a force, it is extremely rare to be able to fight like this.

If there were more troops, Nulon would probably have fallen long ago. Or it is hard to say whether we can really open the eastern portal of Feishan, but now, everything is impossible, because I, Pastanon, have arrived, and the imperial army in front of me is already a tired army, what else can I use to stop the momentum? The 40,000 elite troops that have been waiting for many days,

To annihilate ten thousand emperors* with such an advantage is a bit disgraceful to say.

But if it is the current situation where the main battle between the two countries is about to break out. That's another story. Hundreds of thousands of armies are fighting, and legions are fighting against each other. The victory of the first battle determines the morale of both sides. Whether the Imperial Army captures Nulon and opens a gap, or Fei Shan's army annihilates the invading Imperial Army, as long as the news reaches the main battlefield, it will have a huge impact on the morale of one side. Inspire. On the contrary, it is inevitable that the loser's military morale will be turbulent. And such an important military achievement in the first battle was placed in front of him, so what are you waiting for! It only took more than a day for the Pastanon Army to reach the eastern front, and then the army crossed the Fron Pass.

The Fron Mountain Road under the ice and snow caused some losses to the Pastanon Army. About a hundred people were frozen to death and hundreds more suffered frostbite. However, for the Pastanon Army with a total of 40,000 people, such a The loss is negligible,

"Even from a distance of ten miles, the voice of the Empire's Thunder God can be heard, which is as loud as a thunder." The news brought by the scout responsible for the investigation proved Pastanon's conjecture. Under normal circumstances, where the Thunder God is, it must be the main force of the Empire. At this moment, the emperor would never have thought that 40,000 Feishan's troops would cross Nulon and turn towards Helena Fortress, just like what the emperor did when he came out of the Eastern Province. The shock must also be written on the emperor's face,

Riding on a majestic war horse, Pastanon confidently raised his sword high and pointed it towards the sky. His eyes swept across the 40,000-strong army below, with spears like a forest and murderous intent charging into the sky.

"If you capture the Helena Fortress, everyone's bounty will be doubled. The first person to board the Helena Fortress will be promoted to level three and receive a thousand bounties!"

Pastanon let out a long roar and pointed his sword to the sky. The soldiers below were immediately jealous. They received a thousand bounties and were promoted to three levels. Not to mention the soldiers, even the officers with low-level positions were also excited and shouted loudly, The morale was like a rainbow, turning all the cold air that had just crossed the bottom of the snowy valley into warm blood, and the private regiment However, there are 40,000 elites, even if it is four against one, it is enough to annihilate this bold intrusion of the Imperial Army on the Newlon front line, but the prerequisite is that the Helena barrier must be taken down in advance, otherwise who knows that there will be no more behind this Imperial Army. More reinforcements are coming, and only by closing the door can we beat this drowned dog! In order to seize the glory of this first victory in the super war that will definitely be recorded in the history of Obaro, the speed of the Pasta Farm Army began to advance rapidly, as fast as thunder. Helena, without the main force, for her own army , it’s not much harder than a strong man pounces on a delicate young woman who has stripped off her clothes.

Pastanon didn't know that just as he rushed towards Helena Fortress in excitement, in the direction of Nulon, countless imperial heavy infantry in black armor had already passed through Nulon's city wall.

The indiscriminate bombardment of the empire's hundreds of thunder gods destroyed the morale of Fei Shan's army. The empire's two new central armies rushed in like tigers pouncing on prey. Nulon, with only a few thousand defenders, could not survive for two hours. Since the commander More than 4,000 people below Gradat were captured, Nulon fell, and the Imperial Army's strength on the Eastern Front had exceeded 40,000.

Helena Fortress, the defensive facilities on the city wall that originally belonged to Fei Shan's army, were all turned in one direction at this time, and dozens of steel-framed Imperial heavy crossbows were pushed up the city wall by the soldiers, but not directly to the battlements. Instead, it is located two or three meters behind the battlements. Bundles of refined iron crossbow arrows were piled on the ground. The Imperial Guards heavy crossbowmen squatting near the Imperial crossbows all had armors carefully crafted by military craftsmen. A whole plate of steel protected their chests, and their arms were made of tough leather strips and armor. The scales are made of finely connected scales, which have protective capabilities. Second only to the Empire's main battle heavy infantry, and the selected crossbowmen are all strong Nord elites. They are a branch of the Empire specially used to protect the Empire's crossbow vehicles.

The longbowmen of the Imperial Guards who retreated from the direction of Nulon put a red liquid on the tail ends of arrow clusters with a pious look, and then placed them flatly in the gap behind the battlements one by one. This is the longbowman. A ritual in which the red juice is the blood of a cow. The Ciwa people believe that the blood of the cow can bring protection from their ancestors and make arrow clusters fly farther. More penetrating,

In fact, the shooting range of the Ciwa Longbowmen is already very terrifying. However, the Ciwa people still adhere to this custom. The skin pouch on the waist of every Ciwa archer contains cow's blood. In the eyes of ordinary imperial soldiers, it feels like the Ciwa long archers apply cow's blood on the tail feathers of arrow clusters with pious expressions. It's more like a sign that the devil is marking the life that is about to be harvested,

Twenty-seven thousand people accompanied His Majesty Falcon to support the Nulon attack. Another three thousand people of the Imperial Guard Heavy Crossbow Corps, together with the withdrawn Third Flag Regiment of the Central Army, are waiting for uninvited guests in the fully defended Helena Fortress. The moment the Stanon Army leapt out of the Furlong Pass, an imperceptible messenger pigeon flew into the sky. A huge pocket flanked from the front and back, unknowingly shrouded the heads of Pastanon's 40,000 elite troops.

In the flat area from Newlon to Helena, the empire's sword has been sharpened and is waiting for blood! The wind picks up. The army rushed towards us, and the killing aura was accompanied by the bleak wind. Neither the empire nor Fei Shan expected that the first collision that triggered a decisive battle for hundreds of thousands of troops would begin here.

The Pastanon Legion appeared in front of the fortress of Helena at one o'clock in the afternoon. Dozens of infantry teams marched forward in unison, forming a sea of ​​people. The military flags rolled across the entire land, and a spear phalanx was lit up above each infantry team in an extremely orderly manner. Above each phalanx was flying the golden three-striped military flag of the Pastanon family, like a sharp sword filled with ferocious murderous intent. About to be unsheathed,

Gazing across the fortress of Helena, which was waiting in front, Pastanon slowly raised his right hand, his expression turning from excitement to seriousness. There were thousands of imperial heavy infantry and heavy crossbowmen on the city. The Falcon Emperor's flag above his head was also as tight as a knife in the wind, and a few days ago, Fei Shan's military flag was still there. Under the military flag, the Empire was heavily The infantry erected a large shield that was almost as tall as a man in front, and the sharp spears in the rear row slanted out from between the shields, just like an iron wall was erected on the city wall, forming a cold atmosphere even in the middle of summer. There was a forest of guns, followed by the powerful Imperial crossbowmen of Opalo. These crossbowmen had a range longer than the infantry bow, and the Imperial crossbows could penetrate heavy armor up to 100 meters.

But so what?

Pastanon spoke with confidence. He saw no trace of the Imperial Thunder God on the city wall, which made him more certain of victory. No matter how terrifying the opponent's momentum was, the fact that there was no Thunder God on the Helena Fortress was enough. It proves that the opponent hastily responded to the battle. Without the Thunder God's shock and suppression, the emperor's army can kill more powerfully from a distance. What is the difference between the others and regular city defense?

With 40,000 elites, why can't he take down this fortress with thousands of people? At this time, having more people is a sure-win advantage!

"Attack!" Pastanon's raised right hand suddenly came down. The trombone sound representing a full-scale attack came from the direction of the formation, and there was a sound of metal armor rubbing against each other. "One, two, one, two" followed by waves of excited shouts. The improvised siege ladder slowly moved forward amidst creaking sounds. The soldiers below held up their shields and squirmed like a swarm of ants. Amidst the neat footsteps, tens of thousands of heavy infantrymen of the Pastanon Legion were arranged in a square formation. Pounced on Helena Fortress, countless spears. The polished steel shield glowed red under the light. Like a sparkling river surface,

"assault!"

The heavy infantry began to accelerate, put down the spears in their hands, and rushed forward with their shields raised. The momentum was astonishing, like a mountain torrent and a tsunami, trying to destroy the fortress wall with one blow! Thousands of them surged forward. Under the blood-red sunlight, the infantry line quickly pressed down like a long collapsed line. Above the fortress, a sudden burst of white light flashed, and crossbow arrows fell like a storm. In an instant, the first row of soldiers came down. Feishan's soldiers were beaten to the point of collapse by this terrifying counterattack. The roaring heavy crossbow crashed into the crowd like a sickle wielded by the god of death. The pieces of flesh flew everywhere and screamed out. The thick crossbow arrows pierced through* and finally hit the shields of the queue behind them. They either penetrated or turned around, and the people nearby were like bowling balls being hit. Thousands of elite forward attackers The queue was scattered in an instant. Wounded soldiers and corpses lay all over the ground. Even if they were wearing heavy infantry armor, they were twisted and deformed by the heavy crossbows. The heavily armored warriors who were so vigorous just now have become Howling all over the ground

keep going!

Under the military order, the army moved forward, and this small fluctuation was immediately drowned out. Thousands of people rushed forward to the attack line. Just the deafening shouts around were enough to stimulate the soldiers' adrenaline to secrete a lot, giving people a feeling like being sucked into a big whirlpool. Life and death were thrown behind their minds. One team after another rolled in like waves, covered by arrows, killed by heavy crossbows, and swept by longbowmen's dense arrows in rows. There were still more huge phalanxes that fearlessly crashed into the city wall, like a long snake beast winding forward to swallow the Helena Fortress in front of them. (To be continued)

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