Realm of Power

The southern region of Istanbul is a famous hilly and swampy terrain in Eastern Europe. In early winter, the colder the weather, a river winds away like a silver belt across the land.

Under the setting sun, in the golden sunset, the land where the weeds have declined reveals a large field of gray and white withered yellow. The traces left by the war are still there. The large fields are covered with weeds. In the slightly cold wind, a team of black The cavalry jumped onto the hill in front, and the first person stopped his horse. This was a fat black young man, aged 27 or 27, who immediately stamped his feet, but gave people the majestic appearance of an eagle looking forward.

The hilly wind blew the black young man's head up slightly, and he still had a somewhat honest face. At this time, a pair of cold and slender eyes looked down at the earth in front of him like a god. He was just letting go. At the mountain pass, the imperial emperor who made the main force of the coalition base camp flee south, the hills of southern Istan in front of him made Fatty's eyes light up. Although he already knew something about it, Fatty was still shocked by the land in front of him.

Such a large area of ​​water network and hilly land can serve as the largest water network even in the vast territory of the empire. It is no wonder that many people say that the foundation of the Istan Empire is the capital of Kyoto. Plains, but it really grew into an empire and had the power to expand aggressively, but it was after occupying the southern hills. The southern region was not only a good source of grain. The area is also a fertile land with forty-four cities and a population of more than 20 million. The geographical location of this area is exactly at the gateway to the north of the southern region. It can be said that whoever occupies this area is equivalent to mastering it. The Southern Allied Forces had considered taking the initiative to advance from the north to the south. If given time, they might actually be able to turn the south into a support point for advancing north.

However, because the heavy troop group attacking Kyoto was frustrated, they had to gather the troops in the south and march north for rescue. However, this was only a short-lived occupation, and the coalition forces gained enough to support hundreds of thousands of troops during the harvest season of July and August. A large amount of food and supplies for the army to fight. It can be seen that the southern region is rich. For the purpose of carving up, the southern coalition forces did not cause violent destruction or bloody suppression in the south. It can be seen that there are plans for long-term control, so southern Istan, both in terms of population and economy, basically maintains the level of the Istan Empire at its peak. Cities of all sizes are dotted among the undulating hills, like pearls scattered by the gods. What strikes you is a unique softness of a water town, with criss-crossing rivers and numerous villages.

Generally speaking, the vegetation in the southern hills is not lush. There are no thick pine forests that are unforgettable in the northern region, nor are they full of white maples like the central region. There are only sparkling trees here. The dense water network avoids the cool breeze of the hilly areas. The most luxuriant plants here are low shrubs, and the rivers formed by flowing water have turned the entire land into a spider web. During the period, large and small lakes look like undulating hills like waves.

But at this moment, in Fatty's field of vision, he could see several long black smoke rising straight into the sky, like a crack destroying the beautiful scenery in front of him.

Facing such a scene, the fat man couldn't help but frown slightly. He could see a lot of such scenes the day before. It was all done by the coalition forces who fled south. In order to escape for their lives, the coalition generals completely relaxed their control over the soldiers and even condoned looting. Since we are going back to China anyway, we naturally want to grab a good one before leaving. The coalition forces have already launched a ban on Kusta City, and it is impossible to gather them back. So even if they know that the emperor's cavalry is behind them, there are still people. The audacity to think of a vote. But when we got here, we basically couldn't see such a scene, so the fat man frowned slightly. It was conceivable that there should be a burning village under the black smoke.

Since the main force of the coalition forces fled into the southern hills, the main force of the empire also entered at the same time. Just like a spider weaving a large web, the main force of the empire was divided into dozens of detachments to chase all the way. The coalition forces chasing along the way were defeated, leaving 50,000 cavalry to assist in the pursuit, and the other five The main force of ten thousand cavalrymen, under the personal leadership of Fatty, headed directly towards a target with clear goals. That is the province of Tessaly, known as the southern fork of the road. On the route of the six-nation coalition returning home, they more or less need to pass through the province of Tessaly. The fat man decided to wait for work here and tighten this pocket. As long as the coalition forces appear If he is nearby, he will give a fatal blow, but the current situation makes him a little confused. Is the speed of the coalition army faster than the hooves of the cavalry? Originally, I thought that with the speed of the cavalry, the coalition forces would not arrive here so soon, but the black smoke in front of them showed that the coalition forces had already arrived in the province of Theresa! It was probably not the main force of the coalition forces that had been blocked by him at the mountain pass. Fatty thought of the messy footprints at the mountain pass, and he definitely came to the conclusion that there was already a coalition force passing through before he blocked the mountain pass. Judging from the time, , this is the only possibility, and this coalition force that escaped early had a very clear direction and unified actions. Thinking that this fish that slipped through the net might be nearby, Fatty couldn't help but get excited.

The other party was able to endure it, and ran to the Thessaly Province in one breath before the traces were exposed. As long as you pass through the Theresa Province, you will reach the southern border and it is already a safe zone. This is what the other party must have thought! Even if the opponent was killed, he would not have thought that he would lead the imperial cavalry and sweep down, heading straight towards the province of Theresa. Otherwise, it would only take half a day or a day for the opponent to escape successfully. It is hard to say, but here he was See it for yourself, is there still such an opportunity?

"The order was given, and the scouts were released fifty miles away to quickly explore the nearby area of ​​thirty miles!" The fat man raised his hand with a sneer. He didn't expect that this fish that had slipped through the net would accidentally bump in. The black smoke was at most ten miles away from here. The opponent must have just left. Even if he could fly, he would definitely be within a range of fifty miles. As long as he could catch the opponent's tail, in such a vast flat hilly area, it would be difficult for the opponent to fly even with wings.

Master Anliu looked at the city in front of him with a serious face, and the hand holding the riding crop was flapping impatiently. He fled south all the way. He always felt that he was being pushed by an inexplicable danger, but he had already arrived not far from the border. Theresa, this feeling has been relieved a lot, press As expected, as long as he could escape into the south, he would have the opportunity to return home. However, he did not expect that the southern part of Istanbul, which the coalition forces had always called a loser, would uncharacteristically refuse to allow his army to pass through. When did people become so arrogant? Do you really think that relying on the garrison can stop the elites of my kingdom! The angry subordinates suggested to Anliu that in order to frighten the Istan garrison blocking their way back to the country, they should follow the practice of the Martin Tooth Kingdom. Before attacking the city, he sent troops to massacre the villages near the city. It happened that the supplies he had robbed were almost consumed. In addition, he really did not think that the garrison in these areas could stop him. Andrius agreed to the suggestion of his subordinates.

It seems to work well. When thousands of Istani heads were displayed to the Istani garrison on the city by the soldiers of Andrius with spears, Andrius could feel the opponent's wavering from the opponent's pale face. The garrison was the garrison. The team thought they could be more courageous, but if they were really that courageous, they would have been killed by the coalition forces from the beginning!

"The whole army is pressing forward and taking the city." Andrius raised the gilded spear in his hand high. The long red tassel tied to the front of the spear was blown back by the wind.

"Forward!" I saw the long red tassel raised in the direction of the formation. Countless flags began to sway in the wind. The strength of Andreus was more than 40,000, and they were all well-equipped private troops. At this time, after the attack order sounded in their ears, the soldiers began to form a line. Moving forward like a wave, the officers loudly encouraged the blood of the soldiers in the queue, and the rows of sharp spears dazzled the eyes.

War flags were like clouds, enemies were everywhere, and the Marquis of Bisalia on the city wall was so frightened that his face was as pale as paper. Isn’t it said that the coalition forces are already losing their homes? So what is in front of you? If he knew that the coalition forces still had such combat power, even if he offended the Falcon Empire, he would not dare to be so bold and mobilize the entire province's troops to Boos City for the first time, wanting to risk his life. . It's miserable now. Even a fool can see how big the gap between the two sides is. What the other side shows is definitely a real front-line elite. The soldiers on his side are still mobilizing, but the momentum of the other side is already boiling like boiling water. , the powerful momentum emanating from it seemed to submerge the entire city of Boos. Thousands of mercenaries whom he had spent a lot of money to recruit began to flee in twos and threes without even hearing the order.

"Sir, if we can't hold on, let's escape!" His adjutant was shaking all over and his legs and feet were weak. As a local garrison officer, I have seen such battles before. Just the momentum of the opponent made me want to rush up and eat myself. I originally thought that recruiting three to four thousand more mercenaries would be regarded as a huge improvement in combat power. , it should be enough to defeat the defeated coalition forces that were killed by the emperor, but the scene in front of me is full of irony. , these mercenaries who took their own money and vowed to fight hard, actually withdrew without any credibility. The Marquis of Bisalia gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do. The entire province's troops were here, a total of 20,000. With so many people, I thought I was strong enough, but I didn’t expect that we would be in such an embarrassing situation before the first battle started.

In the allied attack line under the city, the densely packed spear tips shone with the terrifying sharpness of metal in the setting sun. Not to mention the garrison soldiers on the city wall were wavering, even the officers in the garrison were wavering. The enemies below were too ferocious. Just this murderous aura made the garrison officers feel like grass swept by a typhoon. The opponent could crush them to pieces at any time. The weapon is a magic weapon, and the weapon in the hands of his subordinates is a fire stick. How to fight this? The enemy is armored and already fully armored. The heavy infantry in the front team are like steel monsters, holding up a huge steel weapon half a man high. Shield, holding a broad long sword in his hand, the arrow clusters shot from the city wall bounced off the opponent's heavy armor and bounced to the ground, leaving not even a white spot.

"No, I don't want to die yet, I won't do it!" A soldier on the city wall was so frightened by such a scene that he stepped back with a pale face, dropped the weapon in his hand on the ground, turned around and ran back, someone took the lead, This immediately caused a collapse of the garrison on the city wall. Most of the soldiers were temporarily recruited and only received a few basic coins. Who would really work for the governor?

"Run quickly, the monster is coming!" In almost ten minutes, the coalition forces below the city had just set up the siege ladder at the base of the wall. The provincial soldiers above the city had almost run away. Bisha looked dull. Marquis Leah was also forcibly dragged away by his adjutant.

"A bunch of rabble!" Da Anlius laughed. He didn't expect the other side to be so weak and collapse before the battle. The road to the border is now in front of him! He even sent people to massacre the nearby villages, but it doesn't matter. Anyway, he will return home soon. Why not do it again here? The city in front of him is not big, but at least it is a medium-sized city. If he is lucky, it will be enough for him to make a lot of money and go back. "Order all the troops outside to come back, don't massacre any villages anymore, just massacre the city!" Da Anlius shouted excitedly to the messenger cavalry behind him. At this time, he heard a guard beside him pointing to the flank hills and shouting "Look, what is that!"

"What's going on? Why are you making such a fuss!" Da Anlius looked in the direction pointed by the guard with dissatisfaction. His body shuddered suddenly. He saw a dark black line appearing on the golden edge of the mountain that was about to set. The number of such black lines increased, just like water, expanding at an alarming speed. The flow of the black water turned into a black river, and finally into a black cloud, which was flying towards him.

"Attention, it's the Imperial Cavalry!" Crazy shouts, overwhelming horse hooves. The black armor made people completely unbelievable. Da Anlius finally knew where his uneasiness came from. When did the Imperial Cavalry arrive here? Did the other party arrive accidentally, or have they been waiting here for a long time? If it was the latter, it would be terrible! Did the other party ambush him here from the beginning?

Although he was in a panic, Da Anlius still showed a considerable level of command. He immediately let all the troops automatically disperse into more than a dozen resistance teams. This was originally his private army. All the officers were from his family, and the efficiency of command was surprisingly good.

In a short period of time, one team after another formed a square formation. Suppressing the panic, the soldiers lined up tightly. The long spear shaft was placed on the ground, with the tip of the spear pointing forward. The spears at the back were placed on their shoulders. The soldiers at the front looked at the black cavalry in the distance with trembling teeth, holding their spears tightly and pointing them diagonally forward, ordering the cavalry to run back and forth in front of the formation teams like the wind, shouting "The Lord has ordered that anyone who dares to retreat without authorization will be killed without mercy!" (To be continued.)

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