In the next two days, the 101st Special Division swung the trebuchet and bombarded the walls of the Demon God Fortress indiscriminately, and the huge rumble of falling rocks and the impact of the city walls rang out day and night for two days. Then, Wu Bin Hongyi reluctantly reported to Sterling: "The effect is very small!" Volkswagen, if this continues, before there is a gap, our catapults will all have to be scrapped! ”

After a lot of hard work, he went to the Demon God Castle, but in the end, he was helpless against the outer wall of the Demon God Castle. In order to find a solution, the top level of the expeditionary force held many discussions, and the staff of the staff also conducted a lot of arguments and studies.

On the evening of 16 September, another joint meeting of the top leaders of the Inland Army and the Far Eastern Army was held.

The meeting began with a speech by the chief of staff of the expeditionary force, Jin He, who claimed that the general staff had already done research and that in order to break through and occupy the outer city of the Demon God Fortress, the attackers would suffer 80,000 casualties.

"Ahh There was a buzzing exclamation during the banquet, and Zichuan Xiu asked, "Is the estimate of the General Staff too pessimistic?" You know, the demons don't have many new soldiers anymore. ”

"Your Excellency, the lower officials have taken into account the lack of strength of the demon clan. In fact, 80,000 casualties is still a conservative estimate, if the demons have sufficient troops, archers and garrison equipment, our army may not be able to take millions of casualties. You know, we are facing the number one fortified city on the continent, which is especially ranked above the Valen Fortress. ”

The Golden River Red Banner originally mentioned the Valen Fortress, and everyone couldn't help but be terrified. Remembering the experience of the demons dispatching a million-scale number of people several times to hit their heads and bleed under Valen City, everyone seemed to have in their minds the tragic scene of human officers and soldiers piling up corpses under the Demon God Castle City, and suddenly felt that the future was hopeless.

Stirling looked at Wu Bin: "Wu Hongyi, if you want to deal with the outer wall of the Demon God Castle, is there any way for the special division?" ”

"My lord, the 101st Division is equipped with 731 stone trebuchets, including 415 light trebuchets, 203 medium trebuchets, 98 heavy trebuchets, and 10 super heavy trebuchets. Five extra-large trebuchets.

In the past two days, we have done a blow strength test on the west wall of the Demon God Castle, and we found that the outer wall of the Demon God Castle is extremely strong, and the design is very wonderful, and the wall surface is diamond-shaped or triangular. Just enough to bounce off falling rocks and minimize damage. After testing, light and medium-sized trebuchets can not cause damage to the external wall at all, while heavy trebuchets and above can cause a little damage, but they are all within the scope of human repair......"

"Wu Hongyi, can you briefly tell us the conclusion?"

"To put it simply, trebuchets can cause damage to the Demon God Castle, but the damage is relatively small. As long as the enemy has enough labor and materials, we can't destroy as fast as they can repair. ”

"Can we slow them down? For example, use light trebuchets and crossbows to suppress demon sappers, kill and injure them, and keep them from approaching the gap? ”

"It works in theory, but in practice it doesn't work."

"Wu Hongyi, can you talk about it? Why not? ”

"My lord, forgive me for being rude. Have you made an estimate? A crossbow machine can fire twenty arrows a minute. A trebuchet can throw more than 200 20-kilogram stones in an hour, if you do it your way. The repair of the head of the city was to be carried out with crossbows and trebuchets that were to be suppressed without interruption. The number of arrows and slings required is astronomical. Even if we can take talents on the spot and make arrows and stones, the number of trebuchets is also limited, and such uninterrupted firing will cause great damage to the wear and tear of the machine, and it will not take more than a week for the existing trebuchets and crossbows to be scrapped. Moreover, at night, the field of view and aiming accuracy are greatly reduced. Even if you shoot non-stop, it will be difficult to stop the demons from repairing the city walls. ”

"Understood, you don't have to say any more." Sterling asked, "Your Excellency Jinhe, how to attack the Demon God Castle, does the staff have a plan?" ”

"This ......" Jinhe Red Banner showed a look of embarrassment: "We only made a plan for a regular attack, but it may not work." Further research is ongoing. ”

Everyone knows that "further research" is often synonymous with "we can't do anything", and seeing that even the General Staff has no choice, those generals who only know how to wield swords and ride horses have no choice but to stare and sit stupidly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, who has any good ideas?" Stirling looked at the generals, and the generals reluctantly avoided his gaze.

When he looked at the group of Far Eastern generals on the other side, he suddenly felt that his eyes lit up, and a beautiful woman in a dark blue officer's uniform stood up, as if standing out from the crowd, her voice was soft and crisp: "Chief, although the walls of the Demon God Castle are strong, since ancient times, in addition to direct attack, long-term siege is also a good way to deal with the city that cannot be held. The Seneans have run out of food, and without foreign help, they will die after a long siege. ”

"Deputy Commander Lin, the siege is indeed a good way. But now that the family is urging us very tightly, we are struggling to supply food, grass and supplies. According to the information provided by Toucheng to our Senean Interior Minister Osru, the food stored in the Demon God Castle will last for at least three months, and then the Seneans will be able to support them by slaughtering their horses and livestock for another month. For four months of siege, we can't support it even more than the demons. ”

In addition to rank and position, the military also pays great attention to seniority. When Lin Bing served as Ge Yingxing's deputy in the Far East, Zichuan Sanjie was just the deputy flag book under her command. Like Zichuan Xiu, Sterling has great respect for Lin Bing, a senior of the Far Eastern Army, and is very polite in his speech, and his explanation is also very detailed, and this courtesy is not available to other officers at the deputy commander level.

"Chief, if we only have half or even a quarter of the army left, the logistical pressure will be greatly reduced, and a long-term siege will not be a problem, right?"

There was a buzzing discussion in the banquet, and the generals turned their heads to each other, looking at Lin Bing with an idiotic look. If it weren't for Lin Bing's qualifications and prestige, everyone would have booed her out of power.

Strinch said: "Your Excellency, do you mean that you can besiege the Seneans by leaving an army of fifty or sixty thousand?" Senea's soldiers are brave and good at fighting, and if they leave too few troops, they may be eaten by them. ”

"My lord," Lin Bing stood as straight as a pen, as if the whispering voices around him did not exist at all: "Xiaguan has an idea, please review it with the public."

Our army set up a large camp in the west town of Vahnstad, and left 50,000 soldiers and horses in it. In the two cities of Wana and Nista, the Nanzhen battalion was set up, and 80,000 soldiers and horses were stationed, and the two battalions formed a strategic encirclement of the Demon God Castle from the southwest end. Usually dispatch elite light cavalry to sweep the surroundings of the Demon God Castle. Destroy their outskirts and villages, burn granaries, fertile fields and fruit trees, plunder their population, and make it impossible for the Seneans to cultivate and collect! In this way, the Demon God Castle will inevitably be unable to hold on again. ”

Sterling's eyes lit up. He asked, "What if the Seneans go out of the city to intercept our light horsemen?" ”

"My lord, our army is dispatched with light cavalry, and it has an advantage in speed over the enemy. The enemy goes to the east, and I go to the west; If the enemy is strong, our light cavalry troops simply withdrew to the camp and did not come out. My lord, it is impossible for the Seneans to garrison every place, and if they are to garrison them everywhere, we will take them to death. ”

"What if the enemy, after the departure of our expeditionary army, attacks the camps in Xizhen and Nanzhen set up by our army?"

"Your Excellency. Now the Seneans have at most forty or fifty thousand remnants. Whether it is the Nanzhen camp or the Xizhen camp of our army, it is not something they can easily take. Moreover, the two battalions echoed each other and reinforced each other. If the Seneans want to take it, it is simply impossible. ”

Lin Bing said with a smile: "Even if they can take any big battalion, they will inevitably lose their troops and lose their generals, and they will not be able to withstand our army's counterattack." My lord, as long as the demons dare to come out of the city to fight, no matter whether they win or lose, they will lose! There are too few of them to withstand wear and tear. ”

Sterling's eyes lit up, and he looked at the golden river red-clothed flagbook. Jin He nodded affirmatively and said, "Set up an advance base." It is tactically feasible to plunder the logistics and supply of the demons with light cavalry and implement the clearing of the wilderness.

However, Lord Lin, the lower officer has noticed that if according to your plan, two town guard camps are set up to echo each other, and our army must leave at least 150,000 troops to ensure the safety of the two town camps. Although the size of the army is half that of today, the logistical pressure is still very heavy. ”

Lin Bingzheng said: "Lord Stirling, for the sake of the overall situation, the Far Eastern Army is willing to make sacrifices. As long as the family can provide us with 50,000 supplies and grass, we can support the 150,000 army in battle. ”

There was a buzz of discussion at the banquet, and the generals exchanged ears. Sterling looked at Zichuan Xiu: "Commander Xiuchuan, is Deputy Commander Lin's words serious?" ”

Zi Chuanxiu smiled: "Of course, her words are my words." ”

Sterling's expression was very serious: "Show the commander, the affairs in the army, don't joke." I would like to know, how can the Far Eastern army supply 150,000 troops with 50,000 people of grain and grass? ”

"Feed the war with war, plunder on the spot to solve the shortage of grain and grass."

"To solve the shortage of grain and grass for 100,000 people, it is absolutely not enough to rely on war to feed the war."

Zichuan Xiu smiled incomprehensibly and stopped talking.

In the end, Sterling couldn't guess his details, so he leaned over and asked, "Get to the bottom of it, what do you want to do?" ”

Zi Chuanxiu smiled and replied in a low voice, "The secret of heaven must not be leaked. ”

"Nonsense, if you don't say it, I'm going to turn my face!"

"Second brother, it's not good for you to know. All you need to know is that I can do it. ”

"No! It's not a joke, I want to know what you do. ”

Looking around, close to Stirling's ear, Zichuan Xiu lowered his voice to the lowest: "Recruit strong men on the spot, form an army to fight the Seneans." They are locals, and they solve the problem of food and grass by themselves. ”

"! Doesn't it cost food to recruit strong men on the spot? Besides, in this wild wilderness, where did Zhuangxi recruit from! ”

Looking at Zi Chuanxiu's sly smiling face, Sterling suddenly came to his senses, he dragged Zi Chuanxiu out of the conference room, and said sternly: "Ah Xiu, I'm afraid the person you want to recruit is not a strong man, right?" You don't want to form an army of demon tribes and fight the Seneans, do you? ”

"Shhhh This kind of thing, just know it, there's no need to say it! Zi Chuanxiu shook his finger lightly and smiled: "In this way, won't the problem be solved?" The soldiers can go home as soon as possible, shed a lot less blood, the family can spend a lot less money, and Goshan doesn't have to chase after us with the boss's face. ”

"But it's very dangerous, it's like playing with fire! We managed to disarm the millions of demon armies, scattered them and divided them, and now you have reorganized them into an army, in case they are instigated and used by the Seneans, our previous sacrifices and hard work will be in vain. ”

"But I've already formed a demon army." Zichuan Xiu said lightly. That aura made Sterling want to beat him up.

He held back his anger and whispered, "I know, it's Gota Khan's subordinates, right?" The Goang clan is a moderate faction among the demons, and we must also support a force to control the demon kingdom after the war. It is possible to let Gotha Khan lead his troops to occupy with us, as a guide and auxiliary force for our army. The Commander-in-Chief also expressed his approval of this matter. ”

"It's not just Gotha Khan's people." Zi Chuan Xiu smiled embarrassedly: "Some people who are interested in overthrowing the brutal rule of Senea, although they are in the demon clan, they have always admired the benevolence of His Royal Highness the Chief and the kindness of the family, and hate the rule of the Demon God Emperor, and now, they have voluntarily joined our army." Devoted to the great cause of overthrowing the Seneans - seeing the kindness of others, it is not easy for me to refuse people thousands of miles away! ”

"Less! Who are those people you're talking about? ”

"There are too many people. I can't finish their names for a while. But the name of one of them is Thunder Leopard. He was the most resolute in his opposition to the Seneans. ”

"Thunder Leopard, the commander of the fifteenth army of the demon race!" Sterling gasped and his eyes widened: "Is it really him?" ”

"It's him. There was also a good man named Gangwa, who was loyal to his family; There are also a few heroes named Dong Hanqing and Tu Feng, who swore to fight against the Seneans. By the way, there is also an old man named Ross, who is the most determined against the Seneans, and it is said that he has a blood feud with a certain guy named Carter......"

"In other words, the Tartars, Thunder Clans, Gangwa Clans, Winter Clans, and Tu Clans have all been absorbed by you?" At this point, Sterling calmed down and muttered, "Good fellow." At this time, I'm afraid there are 70,000 or 80,000 horses? ”

Zichuan Xiu smiled, he didn't dare to say it, in fact, including the Tatar and Goang armies, there were as many as 150,000 demon soldiers and horses in his hands.

"Ah Xiu, you have recruited so many demon soldiers, why are they willing to listen to you? What if you can't control them? ”

As a tactical commander, Sterling was superb. But from a statesman's point of view, his vision is dull, and his thinking is still stuck in the old model, believing that strength is measured only by the number of troops at his disposal. In Zichuan Xiu's view, this view is inevitably backward.

The military is certainly an important indicator of strength, but strength also includes many hidden conditions: situation, prestige, economy, and politics. The demons have experienced an unprecedented rout. The bloody battle on the outskirts of Bataan not only destroyed the Demon Race's dream of dominating the continent, but also defeated the Demon Race's self-confidence and pride for three hundred years.

This long-impoverished nation cannot compete with human beings politically, economically, or culturally, and only strong force is their only pride. But it was precisely in the frontal field battle that they were defeated by humans, and the entire demon race fell into a trough of inferiority and depression, and no longer had the confidence to confront humans.

The current demons are the easiest to satisfy and the easiest to control.

"Second brother, now all the demon clans are staring at the post-war situation, and they are all counting on getting more benefits in the post-war land division. As long as we promise that those who have made meritorious contributions in the battle to destroy the Seneans will be given a fertile and good territory, then they will gnaw the walls of the Demon God Castle with their teeth!

Now, the order I gave them was only to clear the rear of the Seneans, plundering and burning have always been the favorite of the demons, and there was no reason why they should not accept this easy and rewarding task. ”

Listening to Zichuan Xiu, Sterling was stunned for a while. Then, he looked into Zichuan Xiu's eyes and asked word by word: "Ah Xiu, I am not as familiar with the situation of the demon clan as you." Are you sure about this plan? ”

"Second brother, how can there be a battle in the world that is completely certain! It's okay to have a six-or seven-percent certainty! It's better to do this than to take the army to meet under the Demon God Castle and break the blood, right?

Second brother, war is like a game of chess, and ninety percent of the Seneans have already lost. As long as we don't make mistakes, have patience, and don't make dangerous moves or stupid moves, the Seneans have no chance of turning the tables. A direct attack on the Demon God Castle is the fastest way to resolve the war, but it is also a risky move. If we suffer heavy casualties under the fortified city of the Demon God Castle, and we can't attack for a long time, or even give the Seneans a successful counterattack, then the demon tribes that have taken refuge in us will have different intentions, and maybe even rejoin the Seneans, and the whole situation will be in danger repeatedly

And as long as the strength of our army is not damaged, no matter how long it drags on. With the powerful strength of multiple armies as a deterrent, the demon tribes will never dare to disagree, and the Seneans will not have the possibility of making a deal. How long can they hide in the Demon God Castle? ”

"yes, how long can she hide?" Apparently has been spoken by Shikawa Xiu. Sterling asked rhetorically.

Zi Chuanxiu was stunned: "She? Who is she? ”

Suddenly, Sterling realized that he had made a mistake. He quickly changed his tune and said, "I mean the Seneans. How long can they hold out when they are pressed and beaten like this? ”

Looking at Sterling silently, Zichuan Xiu's eyes were full of sympathy and pity. He whispered, "It won't be long." At most, if they don't surrender, Senea, a fighting race, will all starve to death in the Demon God Castle. ”

On July 18, 785, the main force of the expeditionary force returned to Vahnstad. Because the commander-in-chief's order for the withdrawal of troops was still not finally issued, in order not to shake the morale of the troops, the expeditionary headquarters did not announce the withdrawal of troops. Just to return to Vahnstad for a while to recuperate.

After receiving the order, more than 200,000 humans and half-orcs and ten soldiers evacuated from the camp in front of the Demon God Castle in an orderly manner. The soldiers thought that this was just a temporary break before launching a general assault on the Demon God Fortress. No one knew that this was the closest they had ever gotten to the Demon God Castle. Most of them have never had the chance to touch the walls of the Demon God Castle in their lives.

And while the human and orc armies retreated backwards, in the opposite direction to them, in the smoke and dust billowing on the avenue, a large group of demon soldiers were taking over the line they had left behind. Unlike usual, the Demon warriors did not act according to the orders of their troops or the Demon Emperor, but were commanded by a young human general, the twenty-six-year-old Far Eastern Commander Shikawa Shu.

According to the order of Shikawa Xiu, the commander of the Vahnstad coalition army, Duke Thunder Leopard, will be the governor of Nesta - in an official official document. He is the "Governor of the Left Wing of the Fortress of the Demon God Castle Countermeasures Headquarters of the Nanzhen Battalion Garrison" - of course, for such an important town, it is impossible to completely hand it over to a demon general, and Zichuan Xiu sent the half-orc general Dekun to serve as a supervisor for him.

And Wana City is the first line of the battle with the Demon God Castle, and Zichuan Xiu appointed Gota Khan to lead the main force of the Goang tribe to defend this place.

With his usual gentle smile, Gotha Khan quietly accepted the task. But he said, "My lord, Vana is a strategic point. It is a great honour for Your Highness to entrust me with this important task, and I will do my best to complete the task. But my talent is limited, and I am afraid that I will miss your big event. The Far Eastern Army is full of talents, and I beg His Highness to send capable generals to support me and help me successfully complete my mission. ”

I wanted to be embarrassed how to speak, but fortunately, he actually proposed it himself. Zichuan Xiu praised Goda Khan for knowing and knowing, and said with a smile: "The knight is too modest. With the identity and talent of the knighthood, it is too condescending to guard a watt. However, it is better to consult with many people in everything, and General Bran has asked me to fight several times, and I will not be able to chill his heart. In this case, how about I let General Bran lead his own 8,000 infantry to help you in the battle? ”

Gotha Khan nodded repeatedly: "Very good, very good!" It has been a privilege to have heard of General Bran's great reputation for a long time, and to be able to fight alongside him. ”

The base camp of Vahnstasi Town is the key and pivot of the entire encirclement, for this important town, Zichuan Xiu sent Senea general Lu Di to garrison, and he led 30,000 demon troops who returned to Zichuan Xiu to stay there and command the battle to encircle and suppress the Seneans.

To be sent to the front line to fight to the death with the former master, for such a task, Lord Lu Di is of course insensitive to him. If possible, he still likes to hide behind the Zichuan Show to pick up the bargain easily.

He came to Zichuan Xiu, and chattered a lot, the theme is that Uncle Lu Di is old, his blood pressure is high, rheumatism is also common, and his appetite is not very good (he can only eat two catties of meat at each meal), his energy is not as good as in previous years (he can only engage in two demon women every night), and his legs and feet are not very flexible (especially when charging, and he is extremely flexible when retreating), if possible, he still leaves the opportunity to make contributions to those young and strong young men- For example, Ross or any of the chiefs who joined the Vahnstad Confederate Army - Grandpa Rudy is old, let him rest at home with his grandson by the fire.

It is a pity that the commander of the Far East, Zichuan Xiu, is not a model of respecting the elderly. After listening patiently to Lu Di Luo for a long time, Zi Chuan Xiu said slowly: "So, Lu Di, you are now old and weak, and you can't fight?" ”

"Yes, yes, although I would like to continue to serve you, my lord, but the years are really unforgiving. Ahem, as soon as the weather is cold, my back hurts, this old bone is really bad......"

"So, you're of little use to us now?"

"This ......" got a hint of danger from Zichuan Xiu's words, and Lu Di was terrified. He secretly looked up at Zi Chuanxiu's face: "This, I'm still very useful...... I can still preach the prestige of the Lord to the people of the Demon Clan, and appease the officers and soldiers of the Protoss of the Alliance Army...... Even though I'm older, I can still use my spare heat. ”

"It was better to do so. Otherwise...... Sterling was there to liquidate and arrest war criminals, and I heard that he was now tracking down the mastermind of the Battle of Moon Bay that year. Lu Di, if you are really too old to be useful, you should go to Stirling before going home to retire, it won't take much time. It's all over in a while......"

As soon as Zi Chuanxiu's words fell, Lu Di immediately declared: "My lord." I'm a little older, though. But when it comes to fighting, it's no worse than those young lads! I really can't think of a suitable task for guarding Vahnstad other than me. My lord, I was born in the Demon God Castle, and I am very familiar with the surrounding geographical environment, every grass and tree. Cardin tried to set up an ambush for me, but there was no door. Moreover, my subordinates can all speak Senea and are familiar with the local situation. This, no unit can compare with me. ”

"How's Rose?"

"That old man is older than me, my lord, and his subordinates are not familiar with the geography around the Demon God Castle at all, so he will definitely not be able to do this job. Sir, you can leave Vahnstad to me, and Kadin will never be pleased. ”

Although Lord Rudi behaved so positively, Shikawa Shu was not completely reassured of him, and he sent Rose to "assist" Rudi in his mission. The Tatars have a blood feud with the Seneans, and Rose can be said to be the most trusted high-ranking demon official of Zichuan Xiu, and it is impossible for him to collude with Cardin in any case.

After some arrangement, Zichuan Xiu looked at the red dots around the Demon God Castle on the map with satisfaction and smiled, feeling triumphant. The war between humans and demons,The main force of the war between the two sides is actually the demons.,This kind of cheap thing to use force to fight is really pleasing to the eye.。 His Majesty the Demon God Emperor Carter has a spirit in the sky, and I don't know how he will feel when he sees his people being driven by humans to kill each other?

I'm afraid that I am the only one in the world who can use such a tactic, right?

It is also for this reason that in the historical research of later generations, the Eastern Crusade War of 785 was a very "complicated" war, and there are various controversies in historiography about its characterization. In the early stage of the war, the protagonists of the two warring sides were the Senean army led by Stirling and Zichuan Xiu, and the Far Eastern coalition army led by Kafan; After the beginning of summer, the fighting side was still the Senean army led by Cardin, while the other side became a multi-tribal alliance army under the command of Zichuan Xiu, such as Goda Khan, Ludi, Lei Leopard, and Gangwa, which looked more like a civil war between demon tribes.

Human historians say: "The Eastern Crusade of 785 was a war of revenge by the Zichuan family against the Demon Kingdom, a large-scale counterattack by human beings against the alien invading army, and a great duel between justice and evil. The military power is thousands of miles away, the black eagle flag often swings to the ends of the earth, and the monarch and the devil are terrified, this is an unprecedented event! ”

The Demon Clan's Divine Book records: "In the 3123rd year of the Divine Calendar, the Senea Demon God Emperor Carter was killed in the war to conquer mankind, and the strength of the Senea tribe was greatly damaged. In the spring of 3124, the leader of the Goang tribe, Gota Khan, coveted the supreme crown and launched an imperial war against the Senea. In the course of the war, Gotha Khan violated the tradition of not borrowing external forces in imperial wars, and colluded with the Far East and human soldiers to enter the country to help. In autumn, the main forces of the two armies encountered each other around the Demon God Castle, and the Senea tribe was unfavorable in the initial battle and retreated to the Demon God Castle. Subsequently, the two armies engaged in a long-term tug-of-war ......"

However, in the eyes of the real commander and planner of this war, Zichuan Transparent, the king of light in the Far East, the war in 785 was nothing more than a military operation by the Far Eastern Army to expand its sphere of influence. After this war, the Far East will not have to worry about the threat from the Eastern powers for a hundred years.

The only thing that surprised him was that after Stirling's request for withdrawal was handed over, the commander-in-chief did not sign a reply, so hundreds of thousands of expeditionary troops had to stay in the city of Vahnstad, unable to return.

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