The sun is high

In fact, the discussion on the aesthetic issues of plateau and plain residents has always been a strange circle.

In the eyes of the Delan people, the aesthetics of the Votel people are monotonous and poor. They always prefer deep plain colors. If you look on any street, you will see black windbreakers and top hats, even the buildings and roads. Also always a color.

On the plains, a classic joke about the Votels is widely circulated.

It tells the story of a wealthy man from Walter who lost his way and was found by the police. The police then asked him very politely where his home was, who his family members were, and whether there were any bodyguards or carriages nearby...

The rich man replied: "My family lives in a steeple villa on a straight gray street. There are bodyguards in trench coats nearby, guarding a black carriage."

Then the policeman became angry: "You are not a spy who has sneaked in, are you? These things you mentioned are impossible to identify, they are everywhere!"

The rich man was also angry: "How about you guess why I got lost?"

This joke is of course biased, because the Votel people do not only use colors such as black and gray, but they believe from the bottom of their hearts that this deep color is sacred and can express the nation's perseverance and unyielding character.

Regarding the residents of Deland, the Votel people are also quite critical.

They believe that the residents of the Kingdom of Delan's love for art and beauty remains at a very superficial stage - they simply love colorful colors, but do not have much real artistic literacy, especially in terms of literature and naming.

It is also true that the Delan people are indeed a bit lazy when it comes to naming.

In response to the jokes made by the Delans, the Votels also made up some proverbs in response.

"There is a man living in Hehe Town next to the gorge. His ancestors are from Hehe City, and his wife is from Hehe Village."

The general meaning is that the people of Delan always name their names after nearby landmarks, and they like to abuse them very much, always making a lot of jokes.

Xiuge quite agrees with this point.

Because on the map in front of him, there were several landmarks named "Black Forest" clearly marked, which made him feel a little dizzy.

An officer complained: "Black Forest Fort, Black Forest Town, Black Forest Village... Damn it, I almost don't know the word 'Black Forest' anymore!"

"Ha, I think it's pretty good. I like the word 'black forest' very much. It makes people want to explore and attack."

In fact, as long as a "serious man" like Master Krauts and a lady like Wei Lin were not present, Alfred and other officers would always make some weird and obscene remarks inexplicably when they were talking in private. .

As for the existence of Shuge, they didn't care at all.

After some "hints" from Alfred, these officers all knew that this young military mage was the descendant of the family that Marshal Zeke, the three-clawed falcon, valued. All the work he participated in was done very well, and he possessed a special "aura", so that the officers of the Fifth Chasseur Regiment did not deliberately hide anything from Xiuge.

Alfred lit the cigarette and said: "There is essentially no difference between these locations. The distance between them is very limited and they are essentially one... So if we want to attack the town, then we must put these locations together." Knock down all the 'Black Forest'."

This is obviously no easy task.

But the members of the Chasseur Regiment all seemed very indifferent, and some of their eyes even started to shine - as Votel's professional soldiers, they had been holding back in Brown Hill Town for too long, and now they couldn't wait any longer.

At the same time, Xiuge stood silently with a cigarette between his arms. Although he was also staring at the map, he was busy talking to a few "old people" who had experienced battles in his heart.

"A good choice. Judging from the map location, this is indeed an ideal breakthrough point."

General Bernhard expressed his opinion: "Controlling the town will be able to cut off transportation on several nearby roads. The fortress located on the nearby hill can occupy the terrain and bombard the nearby area, and the village is very close to the forest. , if the situation is critical, you can also retreat secretly from it."

"It does look good?"

"Just looks."

Another more steady soul reminded: "Although this place is quite far away from the main defense line of the Delans, its location is too subtle, but if the Vanderlanders have a little brains, they will definitely arrange it in these places. And defense, I can guarantee that if you continue to move in the current direction, then I am afraid that it will not be long before you encounter the Delan people head-on... What they are best at is building a large frontal defense line and extending the defense line. "

At this time, Alfred and other officers had also begun discussions on related content.

"It is impossible to take the frontal road. The only choice we have is this black forest... Through the forest, we can avoid the frontal defense line set up by the Delan people and launch an attack from the northwest of the town."

"Where's the fortress? There might be people from the Legal Committee there."

"Then there are two options. One is to attack the Black Forest Castle while attacking the town. The other is to deal with the Black Forest Castle first and then use its advantages to help us attack the town... Merlin Lehe has already declared war on us. Don't worry about their identity as casters."

Alfred lightly sketched on the map with his finger: "These things are all on paper. How to do it exactly depends on the news from Mr. Krauts. The secret ceremony of the Council should have been set up. It’s over, let’s listen to Bolden’s opinion.”

At this moment, Xiuge asked: "So, what we are doing is a tentative raid?"

"Well, let's just say, a try."

Alfred nodded: "If we can control Black Forest Town for more than five days, then the subsequent legions can also follow up. In this way, we will be able to tear out the Delan people's defense line. A wound, and being able to use this wound to bleed them.”

An officer in his thirties puffed on a cigarette and asked, "Mr. Sugar is worried about the pressure on our defense, right?"

"Yes."

Shuge nodded bluntly: "We lack heavy crystal cannons. Although the personnel are fully staffed, they are much less than the Delan Army that forms the frontal defense line. After we really control the Black Forest Town, the defense The pressure will probably be exaggerated."

"You are right, but this is the purpose of the existence of the Chasseur Regiment."

Alfred blew out a puff of smoke, then threw the cigarette butt into the snowdrift on the roadside: "Surprise, infiltrate... tear apart the enemy's defense line and stand firm, isn't that what mountain hunters who go deep into the dense forest should do?"

…

After entering the plain area, the Fifth Chasseur Regiment entered a state of magical silence.

Under the cover and support of the frontline regiment, the entire Chasseur Regiment began to move in a circuitous direction towards the Black Forest Castle.

In the process, Shuge finally witnessed with his own eyes what real intensive artillery fire was.

The artillery fire from both sides continued one after another. Due to the advantages brought by the new ordnance, the artillery fire carried out by Votel's army was more frequent and intensive. According to the officers of the Chasseur Regiment, this should be deliberately consuming the defensive rituals of the Deland army. resource.

Exchanging relatively cheap artillery shells with the magical resources that the Delans and the Legal Committee are proud of is of course a very cost-effective deal for Votel's army. However, as time goes by, and the relationship between the two sides increases, With the continuous construction and improvement of the fortifications, the benefits brought by the shelling launched by the positions are also continuing to decrease.

When Xiuge raised his head, he could see the traces left in the sky - it looked like someone had used a knife to leave many traces of different shades on a huge wall.

Wei Lin told Shuge that it was the magic mark left by a large number of cannonballs passing through the air.

"There is also magic power in the sky. Although these magic powers are thin, they are a huge whole... and the cannonballs used by both sides contain magic crystals, so the flight of the cannonballs is much like the roots of plants traveling through the sky. There will always be traces left in the soil.”

A period of military life has slightly changed Wei Lin's temperament. In order to facilitate movement, she cut her hair a little shorter. Although she always has a strong scholar's air because of wearing glasses, she still has a scholarly look. After all, he is still much more capable than before.

During this precious gap in the march, Wei Lin suddenly asked: "During this period, it seems that the Black Sun Society has not made any moves?"

"It may also be because we are far away from those political centers, and the situation on the battlefield changes too quickly, so even if they really make any moves, we have no way of sensing them."

"Hmm...that makes sense."

Wei Lin nodded, but her eyes drifted to the Kalfan heavy machine guns placed aside. She suddenly sighed softly and said: "I never thought before that one day the world we are familiar with will change. Like this...in front of these weapons, magic seems to be no longer so important."

Shuge thought that Wei Lin was frustrated by this, but when he turned his gaze over, he found a strange look on her face.

She was silent for a while, and then asked: "Do you think that if the members of the Black Sun Society saw what happened in this war, their original thoughts would change?"

"Idea? What idea?"

"Faith...or something else?"

Weilin sat down on a stone in the woods: "I briefly read through the documents of the Council before, so I found some commonalities in the travel notes of those travelers and explorers - ordinary people Those people or primitive tribes mentioned in their records who maintained faith in the ancient gods actually believed in the power of those gods."

Shuge laughed: "So, they think that the power of the gods is too great, so human beings are as insignificant as ants in front of them and those dependents... But in fact, the powers respected and trusted by the Black Sun Society are as insignificant as human beings. We may be equally vulnerable to the inventions of the new era.”

Wei Lin nodded: "The monsters we encountered in Salem City, and the rats we encountered underground in Ernst Manor... they can all be hurt or even killed by our power. Even if They may just be inferior imitations of those ancient things, but this at least shows that those beings born from the lost power are not without weaknesses."

The conversation between the two did not last long, and soon the march started again.

During this period, the magical message from Bolden was finally conveyed to the Fifth Hunter Regiment through the secret ritual. Just as Alfred and others expected, Bolden issued an order, hoping that the Fifth Hunter Regiment would The Corps was able to make a penetration attempt to find an opening for the frontal front.

In fact, there are not a few troops who have received similar orders.

At the vast junction of the plateau and the plain, whether it is the Votel people, the Delan people, or the scattered principality troops, they have now begun a new round of strategic exploration.

The Black Forest and its surrounding areas are just a microcosm of the stages in this huge war.

After leaving the transportation of vehicles, the marching method of the Chasseur Regiment immediately changed. A large number of horses borrowed from the frontline military camps became the main means of transportation. They needed to help the Chasseur Regiment transport heavy ordnance, including all the accompanying mages. The infantry members quickly changed their equipment.

Because it has snowed, everyone has changed out of their coats and used standard waterproof cloaks and cloaks. Necessary equipment such as skis, goggles, and ropes have also been distributed to individuals. At this time, the heavy military boots of the Chasseur Regiment will be used. Will play their true role - the soles of these military boots are studded with spikes, which makes it easier for people to travel through complex terrain.

Several teams composed mainly of volunteers appeared.

In the process of traveling through the Black Forest, these volunteer assault teams will become the sharp arrows sent out by the Chasseur Regiment. They are both investigators and troubleshooters. When necessary, they may also become death squads. Several military mages familiar to Shuge will also Among them, they have obviously received special training in the past, so the equipment they use is very close to the sword-wielding hermits of the Law Council.

There are more than a dozen different protection and enhancement rituals, the Demonic Silver Armor that can withstand conventional magic and crystallized ammunition, the Magic Path Pendulum used to capture the tiniest traces of magic... With the support of these equipment, they will become an assault team. The most important core among them.

It started to snow again.

In those fine white snowflakes, the soldiers from the plateau mountains turned into silent hunters and silent streams, advancing rapidly towards the depths of the black forest.

The battle hasn't started yet, but the smell of blood is already stirring in people's nostrils.