Eleven years have passed in a flash, and the original ambitious imperial generals have become the current inaction.

During this period, in addition to the old Duke Bogue sighing secretly, more people were hiding in the dark and watching Count Anse's jokes...

Because, when someone does something that others can't do, what they get is often not praise, but jealousy.

Everyone has jealousy in their hearts, but most of the time people hide their jealousy.

Jealousy will make you subconsciously do many unexpected things, and although you may feel that it is not right to do so deep down, jealousy will drive you to forget about moral constraints for a while.

And the Count of Anse was ruined in the jealous eyes of the military officials.

Of course, in times of war, Count Anse might be considered a hero, but now in times of peace, the last thing needed in such a time is a hero.

Since that war, the orc tribe has hardly organized a large-scale war in the past eleven years, so this has caused a lack of awareness within the empire of the war that the orcs are about to start this time.

Even Count Anse himself did not pay attention to the assembly of the orc army at the beginning.

After all, in previous years, after the snow melted at the foot of Mount Ankro, the orcs would always gather some troops to attack the fortifications around the fortress of Anku, pulling out the forward guard towers of the humans near the Black Mountain Pass.

However, five days ago, his intelligence officer told him that from the analysis of the movements of the orc tribes, this time the orc army will be more than 100,000, and so far, the orc army has also gathered more than 30,000 people, and the number continues to increase.

When Earl Anse heard the news, he subconsciously thought it was a joke, but his intelligence officer told him with a serious face: "This is not a funny joke, my lord, you should pay attention to this information." ”

"Where are the orcs looking for so many troops?" asked Count Anse.

"All of them are soldiers, sir. "Besides, the orc northern clans have been unified, so you should know what that means." ”

Although Count Anse was still skeptical, he ordered the fortifications around the fortress to be strengthened, while shrinking his forces, abandoning some worthless areas, and then sending five times as many scouts as usual to scout the orc camp at the foot of the Ancro Mountain.

When the scout brought back one bloody report after another, the count, who was over half a hundred years old, was convinced that this time the orcs were ready for a real decisive battle.

When the military information reached the old Duke of Baoge in Crane City, the overlord of the dense forests of the northern meadows immediately summoned his family knights and vassals to urgently reinforce the fortress of Anku.

For this reason, the old duke did not even pay attention to the invitation of His Majesty the Emperor.

...

On the afternoon of May 4, the old duke, who was personally sitting in the fortress of Anku, received a military report from the front-line scouts - 30,000 people from the two legions of the orc vanguard army had been drawn and were coming straight to the fortress.

When the old duke got the information, he immediately summoned the middle and upper generals of the fortress, after all, sometimes his subordinates were able to provide some good advice.

Soon, the generals of the Fortress Legion, who had received the order, arrived under the leadership of Count Anse, and the vassals and noble knights brought by the old duke were much slower.

In the conference hall of the fortress headquarters, many generals sat down under the gaze of the old duke, although there were many people, there was no imaginary noise, after all, there was no endless etiquette in the banquet in the military meeting, and even the generals who knew each other nodded to each other at most.

"How many soldiers have we gathered now?" the old duke gently kneaded his wrinkled forehead, which would keep him from drowsy.

"Less than ten thousand," replied the old duke, Count Banda Hibbert, the lord of the Montella Fort region, "and it is the time of the farming, and the lords are trying to evade military service, and we can only equip so many men with our armaments. ”

"Even the orcs can equip an army of 30,000 men in such a short period of time, are you trying to tell me that the Crane Territory is not even as good as the orcs in the desert?" the old duke's tone was flat, but the dissatisfaction in his words was already obvious.

"My lord, the orc soldiers only need an axe to fight one of our fully armed warriors," explained Baron Caseffel Barker, the lord of the Shasterburg region, "besides, the orcs have been stockpiling their war supplies. ”

"Hmph!" the old duke glanced coldly at Baron Cassifer as a warning that he did not like people to find excuses for his incompetence, and that he hated it when Cacyfil played with his insight in front of him.

Count Banda had been fighting with the old duke for many years, he knew the temper of the other party very well, he was not afraid of the duke who seemed to be angry, and when everyone was sitting in danger, he said: "My lord, plus a legion in the fortress, we have 25,000 men in our hands, and they are all veterans who can fight well, with the defense measures of the fortress of Anku, these soldiers are fully capable of holding back the 100,000 army of the orcs. ”

The old duke was noncommittal when he heard this, he glanced at everyone, "It's better to ask the imperial capital for help first, I hope that the five major legions of the empire are not eaten clean by those damn moths." ”

"There have been no less than ten letters of help sent to the imperial capital, but none of them have been answered. The old duke's chief of staff and magical advisor, Viscount Clerens, said, "The Empire's focus now is clearly not on orcs. ”

"They're busy fighting among themselves!" said Count Banda coldly, "and here our soldiers are shedding their blood for those damned politicians." ”

"It is our duty, Earl. The old duke sighed, "Our ancestors once swore an oath!"

"Of course, I never forget. Count Banda shrugged, "I'm just being annoyed." ”

"Ask for help from the Cullens, if there are their hoplites, plus our longbow corps, we rely on the Ann Fortress for defense, even if the orcs come in 200,000, they will not return!" This is the proposal of the Earl of Anth.

The old duke was quite pleased with this proposal...

However, many generals were silent about the proposal, as tensions were high between the ancestral royal family and the Cliff family of the Cullen Clan.

The most elite troops of the two dukedoms are gathered together, and the royal family can rest assured?

"Crelens—" the old duke called to his chief of staff.

"I'm here, my lord!"

"You go," the old duke looked at him, "you went to Karen to ask for their reinforcements in person, and although it may be my heart, I always felt that this orc attack was unusual. ”

"I'm going right away. Clerence immediately got up.

Everyone was stunned and looked at his departing figure.

The old duke also watched Clerence leave with small eyes that were about to open, and after the viscount disappeared into the corridor outside the hall, he whispered: "Okay, even if Karen has reinforcements, it will be a month later, let's discuss how to face the incoming orc army first." ”

This was the main purpose of the old duke to convene a meeting of these generals, and the Earl of Anse, as the commander of the fortress, looked at him as soon as the old duke finished saying this.