At the beginning of April, temperatures began to warm up in most parts of the Eastern Continent.

Clashes between bandits and separatist forces on the Suk Plains are becoming more and more intense as the temperature rises.

The city-states of Kwyn, Hatis, and Sukh were busy rebuilding after the war, and turned a blind eye to the chaos wherever the local separatist forces did not infringe on their interests.

The elven forces stationed in the Suker Plains are busy participating in the battle of Crane City, and although the orcs have not been able to break through the city's northern defenses in the past month, the threat of offensive is increasing day by day.

At the same time, because the elven kingdom base camp in the Naren Forest has been cut off from the outside world for five consecutive months, the elven ranger troops fighting on the front line are somewhat embarrassed. General Angolos's position as the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces in Crane City has also been weakened by the silence of the Naryn Forest.

Two months earlier, the Suker Plains had also seen an armed uprising against the elves due to the strange state of the Naryn Forest, but it was quickly suppressed by the Duke of Mond-Jean in Norma Castle. Then, the half-elves led by Felder sent 20,000 elite troops to the southern part of the Suke Plain under the pretext of quelling the rebellion, so that the voices of opposition to elven rule within the city-state alliance gradually quieted down.

In the past month, in addition to the war of Klan City, which has attracted the attention of the entire continental power, the new and powerful Kingdom of Krulia has also attracted the attention of various regional forces.

First of all, it was the alliance negotiations between the Kingdom of Kruria and the Duchy of Tkava that made the situation in the city of Klan tense for a while. Then, the envoys of the Kingdom of Kruria visited the Kingdom of Misha, the Duchy of Suluk, and the city-states of Suk City.

When the time entered April, the various power countries visited by the Kingdom of Kruria sent their official missions to Crewe City one after another to continue the talks that had not been completed after the New Year's party.

A series of diplomatic means by the Kingdom of Kruria have brought about subtle changes in the situation on the mainland.

First of all, in order to prevent the Duchy of Twak from suddenly withdrawing from the League of Klan City and causing the alliance to suffer heavy losses, the half-elves led by Felder began to actively help the Duchy of Rigrock, rapidly expanding its army and building fortifications in the area of Fort Shaster and Fort Montella to prevent accidents;

Secondly, Felder led to replace the elves of the Naren Forest and quickly completed commercial negotiations with the Misha Kingdom, and in only half a month, he formed a business alliance called the 'South China Sea Commercial Trade Circle', and imposed high taxes on the chambers of commerce outside the alliance on the grounds of protecting the South China Sea Business District.

...

Although the Kranling in April was not as cold as in winter, it was surrounded by the wild mountains and the Lordan Mountains, and it was still bitterly cold between the two cold air conflicts.

However, compared to the cold of a month ago, the temperature is much better for the two sides fighting in the Crane Territory.

But what is strange is that the war on the front line is not so fierce.

Because, after entering April, Shikan-Silver Axe suddenly ordered the main force of the front line to withdraw to the Camer River camp, and replaced it with new recruits who had just completed their training tasks to attack the Klan Territorial Line.

The Crane City coalition forces did not let this slack off, and the commander-in-chief, General Angalos, sent letters of invitation to Andy Barrett and Trofil Cliff almost daily since the beginning of April, inviting them to come to Crane City to participate in the development of the Crane Territory defense plan for the new quarter.

But the two dukes seemed to be quite busy, and the invitations of General Angros were lost.

On 10 April, Trofil-Cliff, under pressure from the Felder Territory, acceded to Unglos's request and sent more than 20,000 soldiers of a newly recruited mixed regiment of the Duchy of Rigrock stationed in Shasterburg to quickly move closer to the city.

The next day, Andy Barrett also had to send troops and supplies to Crane City again due to pressure from other members of the Crane City Alliance.

On April 15, the main camp of the Orcs of the Kemir River.

Today, the sky is exceptionally clear, the sun's rays that have not been seen for a long time are pouring down on the land again, and the grasslands around the riverbank line represent the daily increase in the greenery of spring, and the surrounding jungle is gradually recovering from its decay.

In the upper reaches of the river, the orc logistics force is fetching water on the frozen river bank. On the nearby official road, a small group of wolf cavalry slowly marched along the river bank line under the guidance of a battle flag...

This is the personal guard of the orc Khan King Shikan - the silver axe,

The troops patrolling the surrounding area and the resting soldiers will stop and salute after the team enters.

Because Shikan-Silver Axe and Prince Khalikhan were at the front of this procession.

Beside the two of them, a gray wolf, a diminutive goblin was chatting with the two of them in a shrill voice.

"The Crane City Alliance is sending more troops to the front, and this war will be harder and harder to fight. Khalihan, apparently in no mood to wander around the river now, said as he moved his stiff neck: "We should now disrupt our enemy's disposition by instigating a major offensive plan before they have time to secure their defenses." ”

"Such an offensive plan will not be of any substantial help to the entire battle of Klanling at all, but will cost the lives of our soldiers in vain. Goblin Commander Latlel waved his hands in opposition to the suggestion, "The line of defense in depth ahead of the city of Crane is very long, and it is very unfriendly to the attackers, and with the strength in our hands, we have almost no chance of winning unless the whole army comes out for a decisive battle." ”

"This is what I have always advocated, advocating a great battle!" "Waiting like this will only make our enemies stronger and stronger, because they have most of the Eastern Continent as support!"

But in the same way, these supports can destroy themselves at any time. Ratrell lowered his voice, "We're in..."

Shikan-Silveraxe waved his hand to stop the goblin's large mouth, winked at the blue shield beside him, and then controlled his mount to speed up a nearby high slope.

After a minute or two,

Shikan-Silveraxe, Khalikhan, and Ratriel rode a giant wolf side by side on a high ground, looking out over the busy military camp.

"This war cannot be fought as it did three years ago, because we cannot afford that kind of losses now. "Besides, this war doesn't have to be won in a short period of time, I just need an environment to alleviate the conflict left over from the tribal civil war." ”

"But..."

"We can't look at the Crane City Union with our eyes. Shikan-Silver Axe stopped Khalikhan's words, "Our enemies may seem strong, but their internal contradictions are full of... Lord Latrell is right when he says that the internal problems of the Crane City League are enough to destroy themselves. ”

"Do you want to bring a protracted war of attrition in Crane?" Harry Khan frowned, "but—" he looked at Shikan-Silveraxe, "Although we have completed the war of unification and the forces of the tribes have been integrated, I don't think we have the ability to fight the elves. ”

"You rarely admit your shortcomings. Shikan-Silveraxe and Khalihan looked at each other with surprise in their eyes, "Why, don't you have the confidence to fight this war of attrition?"

"We have just completed unification, and we have just established royal power... Although this war..."Khalikhan did not continue, "but even so, the future of the khanate cannot be joked with ... I'm confident, but I'm not conceited, the war of attrition is very bad for us, it's better to have a decisive battle in advance, and if you can't fight, you can withdraw to the Anku fortress, and there is nothing to be ashamed of... If you're worried about the naysayers, you can leave this matter to me, and I promise no one will dare say anything. ”

"I'm glad you think so. "Shikan-Silver Axe" laughed, although Khalikhan originally belonged to the two-headed clan, Shikan-Silver Axe preferred to stay with him because he felt that the other party was a real warrior, and a warrior with wisdom.

"But confrontation doesn't have to be attritional. Shikan-Silver Axe shook his head and said, "For the past three hundred years, we have been at war with the Empire, but the wars we have actually waged can be counted on one hand. ”

"Nice idea. The goblin commander Latlier said: "That group of self-righteous elves has a serious problem of their own, whether it is the previous elf alliance or the current Klan City alliance, they have always been on the verge of collapse internally, they are not allied by interests, but by the power of the elves... And now, the Narunn Forest has adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards the Suke Plains, which sooner or later will plunge the already fragile city-state alliance into a civil war. ”

"According to intelligence, the top brass of the Kingdom of Misha did not want to get involved in the continental dispute at all, and they had no interest in the current battle of the Clan, while the Principality of Suluk was bent on getting involved in the Suke Plain, and there was constant internal strife among the leaders of various factions competing for the position of Chief Consul. ”

"As for the Duchy of Twak, I believe that Duke Andy Barrett would prefer to ally with his cousin rather than the elves of now, so the only thing we have to worry about is the Duchy of Rigrock, who are our main enemies on the battlefield of Crane Territory..."

"Originally, the strength of the Duchy of Rigrock had declined rapidly after the end of its alliance with the dwarves, and they posed no threat to us, but now they have the support of the 'betrayers' of the Felder Leader, and their power is increasing day by day. ”

Goblins and orcs like to refer to Felder as 'betrayals', leading the group of people who have abandoned their human identities and become half-elves. In their culture, it is absolutely intolerable to abandon one's own racial identity and transform into another race.

"Well..."Shikan-Silveraxe and Khalihan did not refute Ratler's analysis, and after a moment of silence as the three of them looked at the mountains faintly visible north of the Kemir River, Shikan-Silveraxe asked, "How are the negotiations in the Duchy of Twak?" he stroked the mane on his mount's neck, with a hint of displeasure between his eyebrows, "You told me the other day that the negotiations seemed to be going well, but Andy Barrett continued to send reinforcements and troops to Crane. ”

"Duke Andy Barrett is not so easy to convince, as a dictator, he has an independent mind, and he will not veto his own decisions on the advice of others. Ratlier explained: "Besides, if he agrees to cooperate, it does not necessarily mean that he will not be able to continue to increase his troops in the city of Crane." ”

Shikan-Silveraxe glanced thoughtfully at Ratrel, and did not comment on his answer. Then, looking at the mountains in the distance, he whispered in a voice that seemed to be a prophet, "Remember what His Highness Partved said?"

"His Highness Jerichar?"

"Yes, you used to call him that. ”

"You know, His Highness Jerichar is a true saint and he has said a lot. Latlel shook his head in confusion, "What exactly do you mean?"

Shikan-Silver Axe was silent for a few seconds and then said, "Your Highness once said that this world contains an evil force, and he warned our ancestors to use the power in their hands carefully, not to start a war blindly, otherwise evil will be revived. ”

"I don't know if he said anything like that, but he did warn us not to start war blindly. Ratlel nodded and shook his head, "What do you want to say? Are you thinking of the old priests' warning?"

"The elemental forces have been grumpy in recent times... Evil spirits, ghouls, and other evil creatures that were previously only a handful have been popping up in recent times. Shikan-Silveraxe and Khalikhan looked at each other, both with solemn expressions on their faces, "We have to pay attention... In the oldest legends of the orcs, the undead once ruled the continent, and in order to please the god of death, they endlessly caused death and spread plagues!"

"So, do you have any good plans?" asked Latreel.

"Not yet. Shikan-Silveraxe shook her head, "Still, maybe it's just me thinking too much... Because the evil creatures we see aren't powerful, a single orc warrior can basically take down a group of ghouls. ”

"The negativity on the battlefield is the best nourishment for evil creatures, and it is this war that allows them to develop quickly. Latreel was not worried about them, and said casually, "I really can't imagine how those creatures without any intelligence can conquer us. ”

"Perhaps," Shikan-Silveraxe nodded, "but the warrior's instincts tell me that it's not easy... Lately, every time I've used Berserker power, I've been noticeably more bloodthirsty than I've ever been... There is an unknown force trying to change my mind... The old priest told me that this was because the forces of evil were slowly eroding the energy in the spatial barriers. ”

"I felt it too. Khali Khan looked at the goblins and said, "These forces are very attractive, they are like the cigars you produce, they are hard to resist. He frowned, "Many of our young warriors have been in this situation, and the old priests are trying to find a way to isolate the erosion of this power. ”

"The old guys advise us, either end this war as soon as possible, or stop!" said Khalikhan shrugged.

"Obviously, you have chosen to stop this war first. Latrell was stunned when he heard this, and understood in his heart why the other party was changing the front-line combat troops.

"It was my decision. Shikan-Silveraxe glanced at Halikhan: "Although many people do not agree with this, this is my decision. ”

"Just for that legend that I don't know if it's true or not?"

"I believe in my realization, and—" Stone-Silver Axe looked at Ratrel, "A long time ago, an elven mage who had lived for tens of thousands of years came to me and warned me with his life of what was to come. ”