Ebolden, Gem River, Imperial Fortress.

Evening.

A bloody encounter half an hour earlier had just ended with the retreat of the Azorean elves' raiding forces.

Exhausted and scarred, the Elemanish warriors and soldiers of the Imperial Legion had no intention of pursuing at all, and did not even bother to raise their crossbows and shoot a few arrows at the fleeing enemy.

They just cleaned up the messy battlefield without saying a word, gathered the corpses of the robes, dug a large pit in a relatively soft position next to the river, and buried them on the spot.

Dressed in a dark blue cloak, the Grand Duke of Ellemont rode on a sturdy horse and personally stood in the middle of the battlefield with an iron crown banner in the middle of the battlefield, where all the soldiers could see, holding his head high and looking motionlessly in the direction of the enemy's withdrawal.

Only those who were closer could see a trace of fatigue in his silver-gray pupils.

Again, let the enemy evacuate safely.

Again, a senseless pyrrhic victory.

Clenching his teeth, the iron face of the Grand Duke of Ellemont contained anger under it.

In the face of the Azorean elven warriors, the heavily armored legionnaires could only resist head-on, but it was difficult to put up an effective resistance, while the dual-armed, lightly armored Elemish warriors had difficulty gaining an advantage in one-on-one combat.

Even if a skirmish is won, it can only be a pyro victory. An army with a small number or no fortifications is almost completely wiped out in the event of a surprise attack.

This is an unprecedented rival.

No more brainless monsters, no more cultist refugees, no more heavily armored knights and levies wielding long contradictory cards... Rather, it is a samurai with superb combat skills, wielding sharp long knives and cooperating with tacit understanding.

Not one or two, not dozens or hundreds, but hundreds and thousands, thousands!

Such an opponent who had never faced him before was very difficult for Ullie Wirtz, the Grand Duke of Ellemont, who had received a traditional imperial education, to accept that he was the one who had the advantage in geography, troops, and materials, but he was passive everywhere.

Obviously, His Majesty Emperor Conod of the Heavenly Dome Palace is also very aware of his "lack of ability", so the task left to himself is to "defend" rather than "attack", and even clearly requires himself not to launch any offensive against the elven army trapped in the city of Ebolden.

Yuli Wirtz did not feel humiliated by being "despised", what really made him miserable was that he actually felt a "sigh of relief" in his heart.

Unless there is a miracle, you can't win on your own... Yuli Wirtz is well aware of this.

Therefore, he set up a military camp at the important crossing of the Gem River, set up arrow towers and forts on all the communication arteries of the Ebolden border, and approached the city of Ebolden by advancing on foot, locking up the enemy's activity space little by little.

Of course, the last sentence is nonsense, because the enemy's space for maneuver is not outside the city of Eboden in the first place - as long as the port of Eboden is not recaptured for a day, the initiative in this war will always remain in the hands of the elves.

Therefore, the real "mission" of the Grand Duke of Elems is actually to protect the course of the Gem River, to ensure that the elven soldiers will not touch the imperial capital, and at the same time to make full preparations for the decisive battle in the spring of the coming year.

The decisive battle for the beginning of spring next year......

Myself... Will it really make it to that point?

"Are you feeling sorry for yourself again?"

The sudden sound made Yuri Wirtz look back, and Sevelin de Salion, who had come with him, had appeared behind him.

"Your Excellency, I ...... you"

"No, don't explain, I understand. Sevelin de Salion waved her hand, a nostalgic smile on her lips, "I've worked with your father and uncles, and I've seen this face countless times. ”

"You Elemands, whenever you encounter a problem, you complain and blame yourself, thinking that your own incompetence is the result of your own incompetence - I really don't know whether to call you humble or arrogant. ”

Yuri Wirtz was slightly stunned, lowered his head thoughtfully, and looked at the traces left on the battlefield.

Not knowing what he was thinking, Severin de Salion shook her head and patted him on the shoulder in half-comfort: "Don't think about it, we are not the protagonists of this battle - if we can block the battlefield and ensure that the enemy does not threaten the imperial capital and the rivers of the Jewel River before the end of winter, the mission is already completed." ”

"Leave the rest to our invincible Emperor Conrad, ha!"

"Block the battlefield and hold the river. Yuli Wirtz whispered to himself slowly, frowning and staring at the direction of the enemy's retreat: "It was we who repelled the enemy's tentative and surprise army, blocked the battlefield and held the river......

"Or is it that our enemies have exhausted their means and want us to think so?"

Well?

Hearing this, the Minister of War's face tightened: "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing, it's just ......" Archduke Elemman's expression was complicated, and his silver-gray eyes never left the direction of Eberden:

"I just suddenly felt that there was such a possibility......

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

"Poof——!

The spear that pierced through the roof of the ogre's skull was pulled out by Ria upside down, and the blood plasma gushing out of the terrible wail stained half of the female elf's body red, and the world in front of her was temporarily dyed red.

At the same time as the ogre fell below, the three figures had already tore through the curtain of the wind and snow, leaving the deep forest castle in the distance and attacking her.

These foolish monsters have realized that if they don't kill this "little bit" as soon as possible, they will all be killed one by one.

"Boom ——!"

There was a heavy roar, and the dying ogre was slapped into meat sauce by his own compatriots, and the foul-smelling liquid gushed like a burst.

Without a moment's pause, the female elf who jumped into the air threw her spear violently with the inertia of turning and falling.

The dark shadow tore through the cold wind, and the wail pierced the ogre's eyes.

The falling female elf slammed on the ogre's face, pulled out her spear with a strong stomp, and pounced on the third monster without hesitation.

Like a fairy in the ice and snow, dancing in the cold wind.

"Smack!"

A loud noise, mixed with a roar, exploded in Leah's ears.

The spear in his hand shattered unexpectedly at the touch of the ogre's claws, leaving only half of the barrel of the spear in his hand.

Throwing away the barrel of the gun, the female elf pursed the corners of her mouth and took out two one-and-a-half-foot short guns from her back.

"Bell ——!"

Two short spears of one and a half feet were combined into one in mid-air.

A gift from a little wizard, Leah never left.

Poof!

With the sound of flesh tearing, the ogre's claws swinging at the female elf were pierced with a single shot, and the tip of the spear was split as soon as it was horizontal.

The ogre, who was wailing, fell to the ground.

The female elf with a tight mouth pursed her lips is like a falcon hunting prey shuttling rapidly in the wind and snow, every time she swings her spear and every time she aims at the target, it is as natural as flowing clouds and water.

Every attack is a one-hit defeat of the enemy, and there is no mud and water.

"Ahh——!!!!h

The elf roared, her spear clenched in both hands piercing through the ogre's chest, but her massive body staggered and rolled backwards under the force of the pain and impact.

"Boom ————!"

The ogre falls to the ground.

The female elf, who had lost her borrowing point, landed steadily, clutching her spear and standing on the battlefield full of ogre corpses.

The white snow was soaked with a rich and foul-smelling liquid, and the hot "water vapor" rose up, enveloping the panting female elf, whose body was a little too thin.

Behind her, the battle outside the walls of the Deep Forest Castle was over, and before the elven war dancers could get close to the walls, the lone ogre was shot into a sieve by a rain of ballistas and arrows, and one by one fell into the snow outside the walls.

The female elf raised her eyes slightly, and looked at the opposite side of the battlefield, and she could already see the triangular flag of the Azorean elves, as well as dense figures.

In the cold wind, they stood opposite, motionless as they watched the ogres they drove die under the castle of Deepwood, and they had no intention of interfering or intervening from beginning to end.

An elven warrior standing with a sword stood right in front of the army, looking at her with cold eyes and a bit of provocation.

"Come on——!"

The elf with her spear in her hand stood in the middle of the battlefield and roared in the direction of the elf:

"Blood relatives of the Azores, don't you want war, come on——!"

"Don't you still want to take more land, come on——!"

"Don't you want to kill more people, come on——!"

"I'll give it to you, I'll give it all to you!"

"Just step over my corpse!"

The blood-stained spear was raised, pointing straight to the opposite side, and the female elf shouted out from her clenched teeth, word by word:

"Come on!"

"I'm right here!"

"Come and kill me!"

A heart-rending roar, echoing in the cold wind.

But the army of Azorean elves on the opposite side did not react at all.

They stood there motionless like sculptures in the ice and snow, allowing the female elves to "show off their might" there.

The elven warrior at the head glanced at the female elf coldly, sneered contemptuously, put away the long knife in his hand, and waved his hand behind him.

The Azorean elves, who had been given the order, finally moved, but instead of attacking, they slowly retreated back to their camp.

A kind of anger that was "despised" welled up in the heart of the female elf.

But after so many things and being entrusted with the responsibility of guarding her homeland, she did not lose her temper as she did in the past, and coldly watched the departing figure of the enemy, and the hand holding the spear clenched hard.

Why, why not attack?

Drove the ogres to attack the city, did they just want to see if these monsters could break through the defenses of the Deep Forest?

Impossible, they had apparently been planning this war for a long time and could not have done such a stupid thing;

Or is it ......

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

"Temptation?"

The Minister of War frowned in confusion and looked at the Grand Duke of Elemand: "You mean the enemy, who is also testing us?"

"Other than that, there is no second explanation. Yuli Wirtz bowed slightly: "The Elemish soldiers who participated in the Battle of Eberden told me that the enemy never had a plan to attack the city immediately, but was purposefully organizing a frontal battle with the defenders, which on the one hand could wear down the defenders' combat strength, and on the other hand, ......"

"It's also the best way to understand and figure out how we fight. The Minister of War's expression became serious.

"It's the first time that the Azorean elves and we are facing an enemy who is completely unfamiliar with each other - knowing each other's tactics, how they fight, each other's strengths and weaknesses is the most important piece of information for a commander. ”

So not only the Empire, but even the elves are taking advantage of the opportunity to test the Empire.

The Grand Duke of Elemand said in a deep voice: "The other side knows very well that they will not be able to get any support before the end of winter, rather than attacking a city like the Imperial Capital, which will never be able to defend even if it is defeated, it is better to use the opportunity to confront us throughout the winter to learn as much as possible about the Empire's fighting methods." ”

"This information is important, we have to ......"

The Minister of War was about to say, "We must report to His Majesty the Emperor at once", but on second thought, how could Conod not have expected such an outcome?

Since the two sides are locked in a state of long-term confrontation, it is almost inevitable that they will test each other - the tactics of the empire, its characteristics, and its advantages and disadvantages will be exposed to the enemy one by one.

"It sounds scary, but if you think about it, you can see that there is no way around it. The Minister of War, who reacted, chuckled and patted Yuli Wirtz on the shoulder:

"If it's something that can't be helped, why do you have to think so much?"

"No, they're not just trying to get to know us—they're not just trying to get to know us—that's more than that!" the Grand Duke of Ellemont frowned, his expression becoming more and more nervous:

"Temptation after temptation, raid after raid, forcing us to stop and confront them, it's just... It's like desperately trying to make us think that they will be like us, and wait until next spring, and then use a bloody battle to decide the victory or defeat of both sides!"

"Isn't that right?"

"Of course this is not right! If the enemy has few troops, then of course they will hope for a quick victory, but their current situation does not look like they are planning a decisive battle at all, but more like they are preparing to annex our land step by step and migrate to the territory of the empire!"

"Actually, I have a more worrying speculation......," said Yuli Wirtz, looking worriedly at the Minister of War, who had not yet understood:

"What if the enemy did not intend to fight us at Ebolden, but to turn it into their colony and base camp and advance step by step?

"This... The coastline of the empire is very long, but there is only one place that can really supply ships to dock at Ebolden!" Severin de Salion was very puzzled: "If they don't land on Ebolden, where else can they let their fleet anchor?"

"It's also what I want to know... What is their real goal, is it really just to declare war and make the Empire subordinate?" the Grand Duke of Ellemont shook his head, his gaze involuntarily looking south:

"Maybe the Duke of Byrne, who went head-to-head with the Azorean elves, knows a thing or two... What is he doing now?"