On the third Monday of September, the battle for Besançon began.

More than 2,200 soldiers of the Forward Corps, Left Wing Corps, and Right Wing Corps of the Liberation Army attacked simultaneously from the upper, middle and lower roads east of Besançon to sweep the five castles and fortresses on the periphery of Besançon; At the same time, the Midsummer Legion of the Chinese Praetorian Guard Corps also marched from the Black Iron Fort and went south to attack the basic and important strongholds on the line from the Black Iron Fort to Besançon.

The old and new factions, which were confronting each other and testing each other, fell into a scuffle in one day.

In the war against the Swabians a few years earlier, the Count of Burgundy had invested only 2,000 troops (not including miscellaneous forces) in addition to the standing frontier legions in the east, but this battle of the successors set off a melee of 5,000 men (including 3,000 of the new forces) in a single day.

The two eastern and western earls plus one of the Flemish counties of Longxia, the territory of less than three provinces cobbled together 5,000 troops, which was considered to be extremely exhaustive.

It is not difficult to understand that this is the opening battle of the successor, and this is the beginning that can also determine the end. Since Robert and Flanders announced the establishment of the court as the heir to the iron throne, Codor, Lucesen, the autonomous cities of the Earl State, and the fiefdoms directly under the Marquis have all chosen neutrality, and even the Duchy of Burgundy and several surrounding principalities have declared that this war is a civil war between the Count of Burgundy and have expressed their inconvenience to intervene.

However, fools can see that all forces are waiting, and they need to wait for the old and new forces to show their strength and weakness before they come forward, of course, on the superior side. It is precisely because of this that the old and new forces will do their best in the opening battle, and in order to form a military advantage over the Western Army, Flanders and Balwin even drew one-third of the elite of the Eastern Border Army stationed on the eastern border to guard against the Swabians to join the Liberation Army.

When the war broke out, Yat's treatment slowly "warmed up" under the scorching heat of the war.

On the third Thursday of September, the third day of the battle for Besançon, the Wells Corps received an order from the command camp of the Central Army of the Liberation Army, and the Wells Corps would make a detour through the Lucesen border, sneak into the south of Besançon from the border, and attack several castles on the southern line of Besançon, forming a north-south flank with the Midsummer Corps to relieve the pressure on the attacking army in the east.

After receiving the order, the Wells Corps quickly prepared, on the one hand, let the adjutant Otto and Angus lead a group of officers to discuss the marching route, simulating the progress of the battle and tactics, and on the other hand, with the baggage officer Spencer ran to Bomdalem to ask for weapons, armor, and heavy grain and grass from the Chinese army command tent.

On the third Saturday of September, the Welsh Legion had completed its combat preparations in two days, and after being "idle" for more than 20 days, the Wells Legion was finally going to the war zone, and the army was as excited as chicken blood.

At noon on the same day, Art handed over the city of Saint-Ryan to a conscription peasant army from Bomdalem, and then led all the Welsh regiments south, and they were to go southwest from the southern city of Vaal and make a detour south of Besançon along the mountain border of Lucesinn.

Three days later, however, no sooner had the Wells legion set out from Vaal than two horsemen from the Chinese command camp chasing from Bomdalem, and the heralds intercepted Arte.

An urgent letter was sent to Art, who opened it, glanced at it, and immediately ordered the army to turn around and return to Bomdalem......

............

Just as the Liberation Army began to launch a fierce offensive on the outer defenses of Besançon, five castle fortresses in the northern part of the eastern border of Jonne Province, including Walloon Castle, were suddenly attacked, and it was the Schwabians who attacked these border towns, and they conquered two castles in one day, and the villages and estates near the remaining three castle fortresses were also ravaged by the war, and the eastern frontier, which had just recovered after the last war with Schwana, was slaughtered by foreign enemies again. Most of the soldiers stationed on the border were conscripted peasants and the private soldiers of the local lords (most of the elite border troops were drawn to the Liberation Army to participate in the battle for Besançon).

The Swabian offense was so sudden that the Jonah court and the Restoration Army were caught off guard.

While the warns from all over the east poured into the city of Bomledham, the commander of the Liberation Army, Flender, was personally commanding the front-line troops, and the commander-in-chief, Earl Balwin, was a little out of shape after receiving the order.

It is impossible for the Liberation Army's Third Route Army, which has already fought a fierce battle with the Western Army, to withdraw, and once Besançon loses ground on the battlefield, they may lose the support of the whole world, and those "neutrals" who are waiting for it will inevitably lean towards the Besançon court.

However, the province of Jonah was not only the border of the Count of Burgundy, but also the direct domain of the Earl of Balwyn, and he could not sit idly by and watch the fall of the province of Jonne, once the province of Jonah was occupied by the Schwabians, the Restoration Army that had lost its support would also be drained of everything.

In times of trouble, Flender and Balwyn thought of the Welsh Legion, which had not yet gone far.

Bomledham, a city depleted by the battle for Besançon.

Except for the 200 guards and less than 100 defenders of the city under the command tent of the Central Army of the Liberation Army, as well as the labor convoys that collected grain and grass from the hinterland of Jonah Province, there were not many troops in sight, and the city was full of food scraps, campfire ashes, tattered clothes, and dung and urine pools left by the army's departure......

While the Wells were still on their way back to Bomledham, Art drove back with his guards. As soon as he entered the city, he was summoned to the city lord's hall by Earl Balwin's guards. Xinnet Computer:.x81zw./

In the official room of the hall of the lords of Bomledham, Art met the emaciated, emaciated, gray-bearded Earl of Balwin.

Balwyn had aged a lot, and since the bloody incident at the funeral of the Marquis of Ivrea, Balwyn had been in a state of high tension and exertion.

It turned out that although you were the deputy prime minister and military vice-minister of the country, there were marquis and prime ministers on top of the sky, and there were important ministers of the palace around him, as well as large and small vice-ministers, officials and governors of various places. Even in the war with Schwaben a few years ago, he did not feel exhausted.

However, when Flender announced that he would move the court of the kingdom to the city of Jonah, Balwyn became the one who was pushed to the forefront, the court needed him to manage, the territory needed him to take care of, the external forces needed him to negotiate, and most importantly, he was responsible for requisitioning soldiers, training the army, collecting food and baggage, formulating battle plans, and personally commanding the army to fight.

The original bald old slippery head with a broad body has become the lean old man in front of him with a thin body and a tired face.

As soon as Art entered, he bowed to Balwin, who was standing in front of the terrain map.

Balwin turned around and raised his hand to signal Art to get up, "Arter, Lord Flanders had already set off overnight last night to seek rescue in the Duchy of Burgundy. I think you've heard the guards give you a general overview of the crisis in the east. ”

Balwin pointed to the topography map hanging on the wall, "You see, the Liberation Army is already in a war situation and cannot get out, and it is impossible for us to transfer the troops from the Besançon Theater back to the east to help the east, then we may lose this battle." After my consultation with Lord Flender, I intend to transfer the Welsh Legion to the east to rescue the frontier army and fend off the Schwabians. Are you willing to lead an army into battle? Balwyn spoke of "Flender" very seriously, and Arte's previous speculation was not unreasonable.

"The Welsh Legion is at the disposal of two adults!" Art immediately spoke, his tone firm, without the slightest hesitation.

Balwin looked up into Art's eyes, and Art focused his gaze on the center of his eyebrows between Balwin's eyes, and the two "looked at each other" for more than a dozen heartbeats.

"Good!" Balwin's eyes suddenly warmed a lot, and his tone softened.

Balwin took a few steps forward, led Yat to the topography map, and pointed to the surroundings of Besançon City, which had been pasted with many heraldic maps, "In less than a week, the area around Besançon has become purgatory, the enemy and us have been glued into a pot of wheat paste on the front of the north and south for a hundred miles, the forward corps lost more than 100 elite soldiers in the battle yesterday alone, a small castle occupied by the left flank corps the day before yesterday was robbed back by the enemy in the early hours of this morning, and the right flank corps also suffered heavy casualties when the attack on the northern front was blocked. I really can't give you more people."

After hearing Balwin's meaning, Art not only did not send men, but also wanted to draw some men from the Wells army to fill the front war zone.

Sure enough, Balwin whispered, "I'm wondering if I can take some men from your army to stay in the Western Front theater." The voice was low, and perhaps even Balwin himself was a little embarrassed.

Art didn't say anything more, just lowered his head in contemplation.

"Don't worry, I only have half of the infantry left, and the remaining troops don't have to be sent to the war zone, they only need to take over the garrison of Vaal City and garrison the south to prevent the enemy from sneaking up on my southern pass. The 1st Regiment of the Jonah Legion, which was stationed in Vaal City, was to be sent to fight in the Forward Legion. "Balwyn is only going to have the Welsh Legion in place of the Vaal defenders to defend the defenses.

"I will transport enough grain and grass to Vaal City, and the lord army around Vaal City can also be commanded and dispatched by the legion commander you left behind."

"My lord, if I have six hundred men in my hands, I can barely resist the eastern border for a while, and if you leave half of my infantry, how can I resist the attack of the Swabian army?" Swabia was not a small border county, it was a powerful principality, and even if there was no full-scale declaration of war on the Count of Burgundy, there would always be an army of one or two thousand, and only the remaining half of the infantry and cavalry crossbowmen of the Welsh regiment could not stop the enemy's offensive, which was a fact that did not need to be considered.

Apparently prepared, Balwyn turned and pulled out a piece of parchment from his desk that had not yet dried, and handed it to Art. New .x81zw. m.x81zw.

"This is my letter of appointment to you in the name of Prime Minister of the Court of Jonah and Minister of War, and Keeper of the Province of Jonah and the Towns of the East, who was the Adjutant of the Eastern Frontier of the Burgundian Court and the Adjutant of the Commands in wartime. With immediate effect, Art Wood Wells was appointed as the Border Officer of Jonah Province and the Commander-in-Chief of the Yonah Provincial Border Corps, with jurisdiction over the military and political affairs of the Border Corps of Jonah Province and the Nine Forts and Twelve Forts of the two counties on the border of Jonah Province. ”

At first glance, this letter of appointment will give you the illusion of being promoted several levels in a row and being a powerful person in the territory, but if you taste it carefully, you will find that it is a hollow carrot.

The so-called military officer of the province of Jonah is a military position that has never appeared, in other words, it is a military office that has just been born, and its source of power is the temporary authorization of the lord;

The so-called commander-in-chief of the Frontier Corps of Jonah Province is even more of an airy existence, and its current strength is half that of the Wells Corps;

More than 20 castles and fortresses in the two eastern counties of Jonah Province are under the jurisdiction of lords and governors, and there are also various county soldiers and private soldiers stationed in the local area, and the power to collect grain, grass, baggage and taxes is vested in the Jonah court.

"Of course, the Frontier Legion of Jonah Province needs you to recruit yourself, and I will order the Jonah court to immediately allocate 150,000 pfennigs from the internal treasury and supply eight hundred men with two months' food and grass baggage, and if you have weapons and armor, I can squeeze out three hundred sets of infantry from the arsenals in various parts of the eastern border, and the rest will depend on you."

"Two months! I need you to resist the East for two months, and in two months I will definitely send troops back to the East. ”

Balwin saw that Art was just listening quietly without saying a word, and he also knew that such a difficult task was absolutely not equal to such rudimentary conditions. He walked to the official table again, leaned over and opened the drawer under the wooden table, carefully took out a piece of fine parchment inlaid with gold wire, raised it and said with a smile: "I know that it is too difficult for you to bring two or three hundred soldiers to resist the Swabian army, but as long as you can hold the eastern border and come back alive, this viscount pre-ordination document will become a viscount canonization document." ”

It was a pre-decree from the Viscount of the Frontier, signed by Flanders and Balwin.