In the conference room of the Lone Rock City Barracks, Jennings, who had a dejected face, sat on a chair, looked at the map in front of him, and said calmly: "So, as early as half a month ago, the enemy's fleet had already set off from the port and headed north. ”

"They bypassed the lookout range of Lone Rock and transported a large number of troops to the Moon Creek Plain in the north, and then used a frontal attack to attract our attention. ”

The Humpty Dumpty Knight, wearing the umbrella crest, nodded in response, "That's right, this fleet landed in the north of Lone Rock City, and waited for your message for help before starting to snipe reinforcements. ”

Jennings rubbed his eyebrows and said irritably: "Therefore, those enemy troops at the gate of the outer city are not in a hurry to negotiate peace with us. Because their purpose was to surround Lone Rock City and then break the reinforcements that arrived one by one, they did not rush to attack the city. ”

The knight nodded again, "That's true. ”

Jennings looked at him and asked, "I'm sorry, but can you ...... again about your identity?"

The knight cleared his throat and saluted Jennings, "Knights of the Twilight, Knight Horn, salute you. ”

Jennings looked at Randall in the corner and said, "I heard that you and your men were originally escorts to the Golden Lark Troupe?"

Horn smiled wryly and said, "Yes, we had already escorted the Golden Skylark Troupe to a place close to the border, but I heard gunshots. In desperation, I had no choice but to break up my men into two teams, one to continue escorting the troupe back to Twilight City, and the other to the battlefield to save the messenger...... However, after all, it was still a step too late......"

Jennings squeezed out a smile hard, "Knight Horn, please don't blame yourself, I want to express my sincere gratitude to you on behalf of everyone in Lone Rock City. Without your help, I would never have dreamed that the enemy had gone around to the rear of the kingdom. ”

Horn and Jennings talked for a while, and the former left the room first.

Randall looked at Horn's back, bowed and followed, leaving Jennings alone looking feebly at the door.

"Knight Horn, take a step to speak. Randall followed the stocky knight, tilting his head and motioning for him to follow.

When the two of them arrived at a hidden place, Randall asked, "How many Imperial troops are there that landed from the north?"

Horn touched his chin and thought for a while, and replied, "The exact number is not clear, but it should not be less than five thousand, and there are quite a few cavalry. ”

"In this way, there is a good chance that Lone Rock City's reinforcements are ......."

Horn sighed, "I'm afraid they'll never come again...... This tactic of encircling the point to send reinforcements has been used more than once by the southern infidels. ”

Randall glanced at the chief knight: "When you return to Lone Rock City this time, I'm afraid it's not as simple as returning the messenger, right?"

Horn didn't answer Randall's question, but asked rhetorically, "I ask you, if Lone Rock City falls, what will be the impact on Dusk City?"

The latter replied without hesitation: "If Lone Rock City falls into the hands of the Ayyubid Empire, it means that the enemy can directly pass through the mountains and enter the plains of Yima Pingchuan, and if they march quickly, they can even reach the Western City in a week." ”

"Lone Rock is a fortified city, but it is also a barrier, a barrier to separate the northern and southern worlds. Horn sank his face and said solemnly: "The Southern Empire is now unified by Saladin, and it is far stronger than the scattered North in terms of population, technology, land and military. Twilight City is the only kingdom in the northern diocese that has the potential to compete with it, but it will still take time for it to develop and grow. And the control of Lone Rock City is the biggest guarantee for Dusk West City to gain development time. ”

Horn said word by word: "The gains and losses of Lone Rock City are not only related to a city, but also to whether God's faith will fall into darkness forever." ”

Randall looked at Horn's face, the knight chief, who had always been frolicking, and for the first time showed a serious face in front of him.

"So, you're here to defend the city. ”

Horn grinned, "No, I'm here to protect God. ”

Randall shook his head slightly: "The condition of this city may be worse than you think. ”

"Tell me about it. ”

"The defenders of the city were less than a thousand men, and the long period of peace had made them inexperienced and timid as sheep, and the inhabitants, fearing the strength of the Empire, hid themselves in their homes all day long, knowing only to pray to God. ”

Horn's face was slightly surprised when he heard Randall's troop numbers, but he quickly regained his composure and said to the latter, "When I was at the border, I had already written a letter for my subordinates to bring to Lord Cumberland. It won't be long before the kingdom sends an army to the aid of Lone Rock. ”

"When you say 'it won't take long,' how long is it?"

"Ten days. ”

Randall shifted his gaze into the distance, his face full of concern: "Ten days...... Can the city really last ten days?"

Horn's eyes suddenly widened, and he tapped Randall on the shoulder, "Oh yes! I almost forgot something very important!"

"What?"

Horn pointed behind Randall and whispered, "On the way back to escort the Golden Skylark Troupe, there is a person who is unwilling to go back, and must follow us here to find you......"

Randall turned around and saw the man in Horn's mouth, and was stunned for a moment, as if his brain had lost the ability to think, and the whole person stayed in place like a log.

The beautiful Miss Barbara stood in the firelight not far away, still wearing the magnificent armor of the stage, waving her arms excitedly at him.

Three days later, Twilight City, the office of the Prime Minister.

Exhausted, Emerson was nervously discussing the report in front of him with his assistants. Suddenly, there was a quarrel outside the door, and then, a big foot kicked the door, and an old knight in armor and a sword rushed into the room, pointed at the nose of the prime minister, and scolded directly.

"You eggless coward!The report of the Knights sending troops to Lone Rock City, why haven't you replied so far?!"

Emerson didn't even have to look, and by listening to the sound, he knew that the only person who came could only be Cumberland.

Waving his hand to the left and right, signaling them to retreat first, Emerson asked Cumberland to sit down first, and said, "You should know whether Twilight City will wage war against the outside world, it is the king's power. ”

The latter roared angrily: "But Your Majesty has also said that if there is an emergency, it can be decided by the cabinet after deliberation. ”

"Here's the problem!" Emerson said in a deep voice as he tapped his knuckles on the table, "The Cabinet is not my Cabinet alone! The Minister of Economy told me that the treasury was tight this year, and the Minister of Agriculture told me that there was a shortage of labor in the farmland, and that the Minister of Foreign Affairs would warn me of the fact that it was unwise to enter the territory of another country without permission!"

Cumberland stood up abruptly and kicked the chair under him: "Discuss, discuss! Discuss the shit! Do you fucking know?! The southerners have already entered the Moon Creek Plain! In a few days, those bastards will be coming into the city and stabbing your **!"

Emerson's face was flushed with anger at the other party's words, and he flipped over the papers on the table and shouted, "Do you think I'm willing to watch the enemy approach?! Do you know what the people outside call me?! Shadow King! Listen! Shadow King! If I don't pay attention to my words and deeds at this time, I will be ...... sooner or later."

Cumberland coldly interrupted Emerson's words: "At the end of the day, all you worry about is your reputation and status. The old guy I knew, who dared to think and do things for his ideals, turned out to be dead......"

With that, Cumberland turned away and left the room without looking back.

Looking at Cumberland's distant back, Emerson's face was depressed, as if he had used all his strength, he sat down in a chair, slowly closed his eyes, and did not speak for a long time.

"Prime Minister......

An assistant cautiously peeked in through the doorway and looked at Emerson with trepidation.

After a long time, Emerson let out a long breath, and when he opened his eyes again, there was no more hesitation in his eyes.

As he scribbled the words "war cabinet" on a piece of paper, he said to his aides: "Inform all cabinet members of an emergency meeting, I have something important to announce." ”