The red sun struggled to break free from the shackles of the earth and leaped gently into the air. The warm sunlight then sprinkled all over the earth, bringing infinite light and heat to the world.

The breeze blows slowly, rustling the leaves. A few birdsongs mingle in the mix, crisp and pleasant.

It's another great morning.

"Kill!"

Suddenly, a discordant sound rang out.

Like a flood rushing out of a breach in a levee, once it starts, wave after wave of shouts and killings keep coming to mind, completely shattering and dispersing the quiet and harmony of the early morning.

"Phew! It's these bastards again! If you don't have other skills, you will howl wolves and dogs all day long, which almost scared your grandfather and me. ”

A black and thin young soldier standing guard at the head of the city was startled by the sudden shouting of killing. He glanced nervously out of the city, then relaxed in surprise and muttered a curse.

A slightly fat soldier standing guard with him next to him laughed and scolded in a low voice: "I know that those family members will practice at this time every day, and they will be scared, which proves that you deserted when you stood guard just now." If you let the chief know about this, you will have to suffer. ”

The thin black young man shrank his head unconsciously, and complained in his mouth: "Brother, what do you mean when you say that these Riga dogs don't attack anymore and practice there every day?" Aren't you afraid of us? ”

"How is that possible?" The chubby soldier is obviously more senior in the military. He shook his head and flatly denied it.

"The Rigas are ferocious, like jackals and beasts. Frequently harass neighboring countries and provokes wars. There is not a single country with which they have not been at war. For their soldiers, fighting a war was as normal as drinking water and eating. A few big battles some time ago may also be fierce. But with such a formation alone, it is far from possible to scare them. Now that he is putting on such a posture, I don't know what conspiracy is hidden inside. We must brace ourselves and pay close attention to their every move, and we must not be careless and negligent. ”

The thin black soldier pursed his lips and replied in a casual voice: "Don't worry, don't worry." Scolding and scolding, I can still figure out the severity of the matter, and I will never make a mistake. ”

The chubby soldier nodded, and was about to give a few more words of encouragement to his juniors, when an officer suddenly turned around.

"What's the matter with you two! When you stand guard, you talk to each other, do you want to taste the taste of military law? ”

The two hurriedly clasped their hands, stood up straight, and assumed the most standard posture.

The chubby soldier's head didn't move, but his eyes glared at his companion fiercely, and he cursed in his heart: Stinky boy, I almost got you involved!

Inside the Huaishui Pass, Grand Duke Mattesias sat on a wide chair. His lieutenant stood respectfully to the side, reporting to him.

“…… The Rigas had not been attacking for some time, but had only practiced their soldiers or shouted provocations not far from the pass every day. On the instructions of the Grand Duke, we did not pay much attention to this. Just let the fighters be vigilant, pay close attention to each other's every move, and report any abnormalities immediately. ”

"Well done." Grand Duke Mattesias leaned back and leaned comfortably back in his chair.

"In terms of strength, we do still have a big gap with each other. Relying on the city wall to hold on, it is not yet possible to take advantage of it. Going out of the city to fight, even if the sneak attack is successful, I am afraid that in the end there will be no good fruit to eat. Besides, although the old man has never fought with that Dino, the other party's reputation is not in vain. It's too risky to rush into action. Let him go. As long as we have a firm purpose, we will respond to all changes with the same attitude, and we will guard the Huaishui Pass and prevent the Riga people from entering. No matter how much calculation he has, he can't help the old man. ”

The Grand Duke has been in the army for decades, and almost all of them are put on this Huaishui Pass, and he has extremely rich experience in the confrontation with the Li family. With little to no thought in your head, you can immediately figure out the most appropriate countermeasure.

Naturally, the adjutant had no objections, and continued to report: "According to the officers, I don't know if they were influenced by the Riga, but the soldiers below have a strong desire to fight, and they have the idea of despising the enemy. Many people shouted to take the initiative and go out of the city to drive away the enemy. ”

When the Grand Duke heard this, his eyes froze. But then his expression relaxed again.

Perhaps, this is also one of Nadino's purposes. Even if we can't be lured and provoked out of the city for a decisive battle, it is good to affect and disturb the mood of the warriors. ”

"That ......"

"Don't worry, just let those boys take care of themselves."

Grand Duke Mattesias' eyes narrowed slightly, a little dazed.

Although the Rigas quieted down and did not continue to attack, the Grand Duke did not dare to relax his vigilance in the slightest. Every day, I rack my brains to make sure that there are no flaws in the defense, and that the enemy does not have the slightest chance.

As for the morale of the army, the Grand Duke was not worried at all.

Under his command, whether it was a general in the upper ranks, or officers and soldiers in the middle and lower ranks, there were many old men who had experienced a hundred battles and had dealt with the Rigas countless times. This little trick is trying to disturb their minds too? Dream on!

The Grand Duke was convinced that these old men would not only be able to control themselves well, but would also help the newcomers to stabilize their emotions and not be affected by the enemy.

“…… Word came from Taranto that the first battle between the Aberdeen army and the Taranto rebels ended in a great victory for Aberdeen......"

"Oh?"

Grand Duke Mattesias, who was closing his eyes and recuperating his mind, suddenly opened his eyes, and his gaze, which was still careless, instantly became bright.

"Tell me more."

"Yes!" The adjutant bowed down to receive the order......

After listening to the detailed information, the Grand Duke slapped the table, stood up, and exclaimed: "Good, great! ”

Although the Grand Duke had reservations about General John, he still had some doubts that he would be able to defeat the famous Frankie. But the most important thing in fighting a war is the result, and winning is winning, and in any case, winning a battle is better than losing a war.

I only hope that they can defeat the rebels as soon as possible and completely put down the rebellion in the country.

As long as the rear is stable and can provide more troops and resources for Huaishui Pass, Mattosias may not always be willing to be a big turtle with his head shrunk to defend.

When the time comes, if the Riga people still dare to play this kind of trick to lure the snake out of the hole, the Grand Duke will not mind doing the fake play at all, and it will be self-defeating for the other party.

Hum!

……

The magnificent interior, the lifelike mural reliefs, and the walls are surrounded by priceless ornaments and famous paintings, which are atmospheric and majestic.

The tables, chairs, screens and other furniture in the hall are also mediocre and valuable. It is impossible for those who are not rich and noble, high-ranking officials and nobles to afford to buy them.

Obviously, this is a wealthy family.

To be more accurate, perhaps the word "was" should be added in front.

If you look closely, it is not difficult to find that all these items have been washed away by time for a long time, leaving behind indelible traces of damage.

In the upper part of the hall sat an old man on a high-backed chair that was equally noble but dilapidated and worn.

The old man was dressed in white, and his clothes were extremely plain. The fabric used is not very bad, but it is far from luxurious. There are almost no extra gold, silver, jade and other ornaments on his hands, head, and body, just like an ordinary old man in an ordinary family.

Anyone who steps into the hall only needs to glance at it to see it:

The ancestors of this family must have been glorious and extremely wealthy, but now they are in the middle of the family. The old man was reluctant to change the money left by his ancestors to help the family. I had to save money and live hard to keep the dilapidated "antiques".

If anyone who knew this old man heard this, they would surely scoff at this statement and shout ridiculous!

The old man looks kind, like a kind old man next door. But looking at the occasional flash of light between his eyes opening and closing and looking forward to it, and the faint power that does not need to be deliberately expressed, but faintly emitted between gestures, all show that the old man is extraordinary.

The so-called "nourishing the body, living in a relaxed atmosphere", if it is not for a long time at the top, accustomed to giving orders, how can there be such a performance?

At this moment, this noble old man just sat quietly on the chair, without any movement, like a well-built sculpture.

The old man had carefully read the information sent by the butler, word by word, and deeply engraved it in his mind. Those words seemed to turn into a whip, constantly whipping his body and soul, urging him to make a decision as soon as possible.

But is this multiple-choice question so easy to do?

The loyal old butler stood with his hands bowed and waited by his side, his wrinkled face full of anxious looks.

Long.

The old butler finally couldn't bear it anymore and reminded: "Master......"

The old man, who seemed to be immersed in some kind of thought and couldn't extricate himself, was shocked, as if he had been woken up.

"Alas~"

He moved his lips, but he didn't say anything, just a deep sigh. It is full of compassion, reluctance, regret, pain, and guilt...... and so on, complex and inexplicable.

For a moment, the hall fell into deathly silence again. It seems that this has been the case since the dawn of time, and it will continue to be so forever.

On the large, precious, and quaint long table in front of the old man, a piece of paper lay quietly. The neat lines of text above bring news from afar:

On 24 May, Aberdeen's army made a detour north to fight Taranto, who was waiting for work, in an unnamed valley. Aberdeen won, and Curcis and French retreated north......

On 5 June, the rested Aberdeen army continued northward to attack the Taranto Line on the banks of the White River. After three days, Kochis and French continued to retreat north......

On 14 June, the high-spirited Aberdeen army pursued the victory and attacked Taranto's third checkpoint in the town of Ironwood. After two days of fierce fighting, the defense line was breached, and Kochis and French continued to lead the defeated army to retreat north......

- On June 20th, Aberdeen's army did not have time to rest, and followed closely behind the defeated army of Kocis and Franchi, and reached the fourth checkpoint of Taranto: Mora Mountain. John did not set up camp, but after a slight rectification, he immediately commanded the whole army to assault. Caught off guard, Taranto's side was unable to resist, and after holding out for an hour, he had to abandon the defensive line and retreat in a hurry......

- On June 28, the Aberdeen army, despite their fatigue, bit Taranto's tail and chased them to the fifth line of defense. The defenders of the pre-defended checkpoint desperately blocked the enemy, and Frankie was able to successfully enter the camp in the Silverhill Valley and gain a firm foothold......

As of the date of this report, the two armies are still in a phase of standoff......