"Driven by tigers and wolves? That's how you describe this method, driving powerful tigers to fight against more wolves, whether it's the wolves or the tigers who win in the end, and we are the ones who benefit. ”

Semiramis dragged her chin as her attention was focused on the chessboard in front of her.

Under the bright lights, the black and white chessboard presents a one-sided situation, and the white side is now left with only the last chariot, two knights and the king, and the rest of the chess pieces do not disappear from the chessboard, but are eroded by black.

"Well, that's right, they know that the choice we gave them was to drink poison to quench their thirst, but in order to survive the cruel and cold winter in front of them, they could only eat this sugar-coated poison. ”

With Alice's words, White's knight was destroyed by Black's chariot and let out a lifelike scream, which was reduced to pieces and slowly disappeared from the board.

"However, by getting through this difficult time, maybe the whole situation can be changed, and the way they are doing it is indeed following the path we have set, and if they are not careful, they will go from driving the tiger and devouring the wolf to becoming a strong and weak branch. ”

With the sound of Semiramis, the white pieces on the board began to grow stronger, and the collision with the black pieces became more intense.

Although it is still at a disadvantage, it has now changed from a one-sided situation to a back and forth, and even with three pieces left, it still barely supports the defense line from collapsing.

"You're breaking the rules. ”

Alice shook her head, and under her control, the black chess pieces began to unite, the chariot as the vanguard, the soldiers with swords and shields followed, the knights rode their horses on the sides, and the spellcasters with staff supported them.

"There are no rules to talk about in war. ”

Semiramis muttered quietly, she helplessly watched her three chess pieces being smashed by the enemy who cooperated with the tacit understanding, and watched as the light flickered, the chessboard became its original appearance, and the black and white chess pieces were facing each other in the distance at a distance of four squares.

This is Alice's improved wizard chess, which has changed the turn-based game mode to a real-time strategy mode, which seems to be closer to reality, and of course, the improved chessboard is no longer a luxury that ordinary spellcasters can afford.

"If it is in the Ural Mountains, your worries are likely to occur, but only if we do not interfere as a third party. ”

This strategy, which Siegel had used in Scandinavia, turned out to be the rise of Gohm, the birth of the United Kingdom, and the fall of the Scandinavian Empire. ”

Alice nodded, she turned around and picked up the milk tea on the table, twisted it gently, and said calmly in an unhurried voice.

"The man named Levi does have some ability, and if it weren't for his origin, he would have been able to achieve a position above Goliath. ”

"It is certainly a skill to use what we have taught him on us, and with his affection for Goliath, he would not do anything like that. ”

"Well, well, his betrayal, it would have been understandable. ”

"It's understandable, but it's unacceptable, we in the Baltic Empire have never forgiven traitors, and if rebellion has no cost, then more people will choose to betray next. ”

Semiramis glared at Alice.

The betrayal in Semiramis refers to the kind of situation where both families take it all, and they have their own plans, using the resources of the Baltic Empire for their own benefit or something.

The boy named Levi, Goliath's childhood sweetheart, had been in contact with the Baltic Empire for a long time, and through his dealings with merchants, he had been exposed to many ideas and cultures from the Baltic Empire.

Otherwise, there would be no way for an ordinary guard to have the insight to give Golia so many constructive suggestions, and to be able to lead the army back and forth with the Baltic Empire army, even if the Baltic Empire did not give it all out and let out as much water as possible without putting on a show.

"Sometimes the power of love is still really great, revenge for a dead lover, a betrayal chosen to achieve a lover's unfulfilled wish, this is already a story that can be recorded, and it is really romantic. ”

Semiramis had a smile on his lips.

"Alright, well, well, that's not the story, and the Empire isn't some evil villain. ”

Alice reluctantly spread her hands, admitting that she was not well prepared in the matter of Levi, and was too hasty in killing Golia, so that he seized the opportunity to grow.

It seems that Levi is not wise to solve the immediate crisis by plundering those weak tribes and surviving the cruel winter, but look at it from another angle.

Levi's actions can increase his prestige, and he can weaken the power of other tribes through this means, and he can justifiably exclude dissidents.

In Alice's theory, this is called centralization, and Levi's seemingly ruthless and ruthless method can gather the power in his hands and bring the loose coalition forces into his hands.

Both Alice and Semiramis are deeply aware of the difference between coalition forces and countries, the duration of the two, and the resources they can mobilize.

"If he survives this winter, next year, there may be a Ural kingdom to the east, and you don't want to see that happen. ”

Semiramis knew that Alice must have thought of this, but reminded him anyway.

"Well, the current situation in the Ural Mountains is still very complicated, and it is not suitable to be directly incorporated into the territory of the Baltic Empire, but we will not allow a unified kingdom to appear in the Ural Mountains. ”

Alice slightly restrained the expression on her face, looking serious.

Now the matter of Scandinavia is not over, the United Kingdom and the Attila Empire are still fiercely resisting, even if these two countries are destroyed, it will take a long time to truly complete the domination of Scandinavia, eliminate the will of those who resist, and eliminate the hatred brought about by the war.

Such a thing would not be allowed to happen in the Baltic Empire.

As with the Empire's current strategy in the Celtic Isles, only a chaotic situation and hostile states would be able to bring sufficient benefits to the Empire and facilitate the Empire's next offensive.

As with the current conquest of Scandinavia, the preparatory work is a long process that needs to be prepared from a very early stage.

"It's not difficult to solve this dilemma. ”

Semiramis looked at Alice, who suddenly became serious, and said.

"It's not difficult, but we have to see that Levi's actions can bring ample benefits to the Empire, and the tribes he defeats and the people he captures will eventually become slaves of the Empire. ”

Alice put away the serious expression on her face.

"The empire now has no shortage of materials, no lack of technology, no shortage of land, only lack of population, we need more people to produce, more people to develop our land, more people to fill the void. ”

The Baltic Empire is now the most populous country in the Northlands, but these populations would become extremely scarce if they were dispersed across the empire's territory.

In many of the more remote parts of the empire, there were still no people willing to live there, and there were many plains that no one cultivated, and there were forests that no one wanted to explore.

These resources are placed there like that, and over time, they will reduce the unimaginable benefits for the empire, which Alice will never allow, not to mention that the increase in population will bring about an increase in faith, and it will be about her becoming a god.

Now the empire is still encouraging fertility, and with the growth of medical technology, people's prime of life has been extended, and the survival rate of newborns has been guaranteed, but relying on this natural growth alone is still too slow in Alice's opinion.

Therefore, it was necessary to accept more people from the outside, and the imperial conquest of Scandinavia had such a goal in it.

"It's really an adult's choice, Alice. ”

Semiramis shook his head with a smirk.

"However, the power in Levi's hands is now the strongest in the entire Ural Mountains, and the other tribes that have suffered heavy losses are no match for them, even if they are united. ”

"Of course I know, but now in the Ural Mountains, we are the referees, and it is up to us to decide where this situation will go and where it will go. ”

Alice smiled slyly.

It is conceivable that Levi, who thinks he has been able to find a solution to the problem in front of him and has hope of avenging Golia, will receive a gift from the Baltic Empire in the coming days.

A gift that was enough to surprise him.

----------------------

The news of the disastrous defeat of the coalition forces in the Rus' region, the heavy losses, and the death of the commander of the coalition forces, Golia, finally could not be concealed, and soon spread throughout the Ural Mountains.

As if it had come early in the middle of the winter, the entire tribes of the Ural Mountains were demoralized, and this defeat brought about the need for each tribe to consider how to survive the winter without losing a large number of young adults.

If there is no solution, they are defeated by cold and hunger in the cold winter, and in the spring, they are torn apart and swallowed by the hungry beasts that have awakened from hibernation.

However, in the entire Ural Mountains, Levi, who had the largest army, was like them with their fangs open, and the weak tribes were ruthlessly attacked, and all of them were captured and sent to the merchants of the Baltic Empire in exchange for a large amount of food and supplies for the winter.

Other tribes that had not received information began to leave their original habitats, but with their families in tow, it was difficult for them to escape the pursuit of the well-trained soldiers.

There is no way, these weak tribes can only unite and rely on some special terrain to resist the attack of their original allies and now the enemy, but everyone knows that this resistance is only delaying time, and they will eventually be defeated because of the disparity in combat effectiveness and lack of supplies.

Curse and hatred will not save them, because in this part of the Ural Mountains, there is no way to survive by relying on curse and hatred alone.

Even two tribes with centuries of hatred can unite in the face of an invincible enemy and abandon their so-called hatred in order to survive.

Then the Baltic merchants, who they did not know what emotions to deal with, appeared in front of them, and they were willing to provide them with weapons and supplies for life at extremely low prices.

However, they had no other choice, the northern part of the Ural Mountains was a vast sea of ice, to the east was a cold frozen soil where even plants could not grow, and to the west the Rus' region had proven impossible to plunder, and they had no better way than to fight inwardly for the few resources.

In addition, the troops stationed in the castles on the front line of the Baltic Empire began to strike at the coalition led by Levi, forcing the coalition forces to divide part of their forces to entangle with the enemy.

With such an obvious move, everyone knows what kind of idea the Baltic Empire is fighting, but the coming harsh winter and the previous painful defeat make it impossible for both sides of the battle to proceed according to the script arranged by the Baltic Empire.

Even so, some of them deluded themselves into believing that they could defend themselves against the difficult terrain of the Ural Mountains, and that the clever Baltic Empire would never have to pay such a big price to gnaw a hard bone.

These people believe that as long as they can get through the current difficulties, as long as they survive this winter again, the situation will take a turn for the better, and what Goliath can't do doesn't mean that others can't do it.

As long as there is a change on the battlefield in Scandinavia to the west of the Baltic Empire, and the Baltic Empire is once again at a disadvantage and ushers in a crushing defeat, then the center of gravity on the Ural side will definitely shift, and at that time, it will be time for them to counterattack.

The armies of the Baltic Empire, attacking with a certain rhythm, kept the pressure to a certain range, neither despairing the people of the coalition nor letting them slack off because of the harvest.

The armies of the Baltic Empire seem to have been reduced to shepherds, while the two coalition armies in the Ural Mountains have become driven lambs, to be sheared or killed for food.

While the natives of the Ural Mountains were still in their minds, they were already under the control of the empire, controlling their actions remotely through military, economic, political and cultural means.