Like a hammer smashed on the chest of the Germans, the first snow of Taikang's five years finally fell, and the entire Istrian highlands were wrapped in white, as if praying for the dead, frozen for thousands of miles, full of desolation. For the sake of a Vilnius city, the Germanic army has paid so many warriors' lives before and after, somehow, many Germanic soldiers have a kind of dazed and desperate in their hearts, Kiev City is in front of them, but can the Holy Empire really touch Kyiv City? There are less than 60,000 troops left, to defend the city of Psk, Vilnius, and Messoda, so that each city can only be divided into less than 20,000, and it can no longer take into account the Kaqivir River and the Ryazan River, that is, even if the Holy Empire uses all its strength, it can only concentrate 40,000 troops in front of the city of Kiev, but around the city of Kyiv, there are the garrison of Kiev and the first and second armies, with a total strength of far more than 50,000, of which more than 12,000 elite cavalry, together with other cavalry, the total number of cavalry is not less than 20,000. In the face of such a powerful defender of Kyiv, they still want to fight Kyiv, what is it that is not looking for death? The Easterners have already shown their attitude with practical actions, daring to move the city of Kiev and killing as many as they come. The snow was falling and the cold wind was raging, but it still couldn't hide the smell of blood wafting from Cen Weibok, and no one doubted the words of the Orientals, because they could do what they said.

Marchais was an ordinary Germanic son who came from a southern blacksmith family and was the lord's most loyal warrior. Once, he was also full of desire for Istria, when attacking Vilnius, it can be described as full of pride, as long as the city of Vilnius is captured, the three fortresses on the periphery of Kyiv will all fall into the hands of the Holy Empire, and the city of Kyiv, which is easy to attack and difficult to defend, is just around the corner. After a hard battle and a heavy price, what was gained was not joy, and the originally complicated situation did become clear, but everyone did not expect that the situation was the opposite. It was the Orientals who really had the advantage, not the Holy Empire, and Macaise couldn't understand why this was happening, and he had already gotten the city of Vilnius, but he was in a position of passivity. Not understanding does not mean that you can't see the situation clearly, although you hold three fortified cities, but fools know that the Holy Empire can only hold on to three fortified cities, if there are no reinforcements, only relying on the existing troops, as long as you dare to go out of the city, you will definitely be beaten by the easterners and can't find the north. A gust of cold wind blew in through the gap, Ma Kaisi shivered coldly, and quickly wrapped the quilt, "Hey, this ghost weather, can really survive people, Lesno, do you think we can go home alive?" ”

Lesno, who was next to him, held his chin blankly, and when he heard Maceith's words, he grinned with bitterness on his face, "Who knows?" Perhaps you don't know, in the last few days, the faces of the adults Byser and Sugus have been very ugly, and I have heard that there are often quarrels between several adults in the castle, as if it is about reinforcements. Hey, I don't think the situation is too optimistic, in fact, it's easy to understand, even those of us don't want to continue fighting, and Lord Cook probably doesn't want to continue fighting. Our blacksmith family is not strong in the first place, if we continue to send more family children to the Istrian highlands, will our blacksmith family have a future? ”

Lesnoe is not a wise man, let alone a smart man, he is just an ordinary peasant child, but his simple words just say the most basic truth, no matter what era, where place, in the end, you must be people-oriented, without people, there is nothing. After the failure of the Eastern Crusade and the successive battles in the Istrian Heights, the original Knights of Berjo suffered heavy losses, and there were few left, and there were few Rowland infantry regiments belonging to the Blacksmith Family, these young men were all young warriors of the Blacksmith Family, and the Blacksmith Family had paid too much to support this unprecedented war. If reinforcements continue to be sent, it will be necessary to gather fourteen or fifteen-year-old young people, these young people are still immature, far from being pure family warriors, and sending them to the battlefield is to make a bet on the future of the blacksmith family. If these young men also lose a lot, I am afraid that the blacksmith family will disappear into the history of the Germans. For the sake of the Istrian Highlands, for this place that did not belong to the blacksmith family, it was simply not worth it. Lesnoe doesn't understand those big truths, he only knows that things that don't belong to him can be grabbed if he can, and he can't be forced if he can't grab them, his life is gone, what are he doing with those things? It is more important to preserve the fate of the blacksmith family than to the temptation of the Istrian Highlands.

In fact, Lesno's idea is not unusual, Bysel, Sugus and others also don't want to send more reinforcements, of course, their starting point is more complicated, and their intentions are not as simple as Lesno. The war in Istria has become increasingly difficult, and anyone who is not blind can see that the Easterners have taken control of the situation in the Istrian heights. Especially Jorkoren, the red-robed knights built by the church with a lot of money were almost completely wiped out on the plains of Sir, as the archon of the legion, Jorkollen's courage has been broken, he really doesn't want to die here, even if there are millions of benefits, it is still not a reason to be buried here. There are still many things to worry about, without the Red Robe Knights, there is no reliance, and under such a big loss, how can he withstand the wrath of His Majesty the Pope? Now that survival has become the most basic issue, Jorkorn would never be foolish enough to suggest that the Pope continue to send reinforcements unless his head is in water. Although I don't want to admit it, the Church has lost control of the land, and the Slavs no longer support God, because God did not save them during the great plague, but the pagans from the East really saved the Slavs. Jorkoren scoffed at Lothair's idea of asking for reinforcements, and in the end, it was the Pope, Dorle, and Schwein who really ruled the general direction of the Holy Empire, and no one else could make up their minds at all. Lothair wanted to keep fighting, and it was useless to find Bysel and Suggs. Hey, Lothair's life isn't easy either, Jorkoren smashes his mouth, as if chewing something. Outside the window, the goose-feathered snow continued to fall, and the sky and the earth were white, cold and silent.

Byser and Suggs, the rare old rivals, sat together around a brazier, both of them looking sad, and no one expected that the outcome of the battle in Vilnius would be like this. The huge plan of the Orientals is like a cage that counts everyone into it, although they don't like each other, but now that the enemy is present, they can only temporarily abandon their previous suspicions. Who would have thought that a few months ago these two were still fighting to the death on the battlefield, but now they are sitting together like a pair of old friends chatting, "Bysil, do you think we need to fight?" The Orientals are now as stable as Mount Tai, with a lot of chips in their hands. No one knows when the garrison near Vladimir will move, and once those garrisons join the battle in Kyiv, we will be finished. ”

After all, there is some helplessness in saying these words, and this is the truth. At the moment, the garrison near the city of Kiev is not all the strength of the Easterners, not even a third, once Vladimir's army moves, it will be the strength of five armies, and these soldiers and horses can surround the Germanic warriors. The strong strength gap has already overwhelmed the Germanic warriors. Sugus somewhat understands why Lothair is in a hurry to ask for reinforcements, if you don't want it, you can't do it, there is not much time left for the Holy Empire, the Easterners will act at any time, and the Holy Empire has no way to deal with it, it can only increase its troops. The sooner you make a move on the city of Kiev, the less risk there will be, but unfortunately, seeing the situation clearly does not mean that reinforcements will definitely be sent, in the final analysis, Lothair has his own interests, and the eastern nobles and the Danube nobles also have their own interests. Now for the sake of the Istrian heights, a terrible price has already been paid, and no amount of losses is worth it. Bysil didn't understand the meaning of Suggs's words, so he smiled faintly and shook his head slightly, "It's Lothair, not us, at least the Danube nobles don't have such a strong desire for the Istrian Heights, if the price is too great, we will consider withdrawing." It's up to Lothair what to do, and if he can't come up with a practical solution, the only thing that awaits the Germanic warriors is failure. The Orientals have been so successful in consuming our forces with fortified cities that perhaps we are not in a position to laugh at Jorkoren. ”

The Germanic nobles, led by Bysel and Suggs, can be said to have their own agendas, and they all had different interests in participating in this highland war. Of course, Lothair understood the minds of the nobles, but so what? Although he is the noble majesty of the empire, he cannot force all the nobles to do what they are not willing to do. But Lothair can't stop, and when this war of high and low begins, he can't stop, at least he Lothair can't stop. The Duchy of Saxony is close to the Istrian Highlands, and this attack on the highlands, the Duchy of Saxony has contributed the most, which is bound to anger the Orientals, and it can be said that the Principality of Saxony has formed a mortal enmity with the Orientals. The eastern nobles and the Danube nobles could withdraw from the war, but he Lothair could not retreat, and even if he did, the Easterners would still not let go of the Duchy of Saxony. So even if there is only 10 percent hope, we must do 100 percent of our efforts. On a snowy day, it was dark earlier, and on this day the city of Vilnius fell silent early, but the oil lamps were still flickering in the castle, and Lothair was holding a quill pen and constantly writing something, one after another, and he was careful about the words, for fear of writing something wrong, and several of his own soldiers were called in, and he commanded with a serious expression, "You send these letters out as quickly as possible, and the future of the empire depends on you." ”

The soldiers all felt a heaviness that weighed them down and made them almost breathless. A few letters were delivered, and a few knights ran through the snow, heading into the unknown, and no one knew what would greet the Holy Empire.

The city of Kyiv in the Istrian Heights, and now the Teginets manor, which is still a little green, are also covered in silver, and in two days, the snow finally stopped. Seeing such a beautiful snow scene, Zhao Yougong also rarely gave birth to a little playfulness, these years have been in a high position, accumulating prestige, and his temperament is becoming more and more mature and introverted, and it is no longer as relaxed as ten years ago. But today, Zhao Yougong decided to relax, wearing a thick hat on his head, like a naughty boy running in the manor after the snow, building a snowman with his own hands, the snow in his hands is so warm, he can't help but think of the people of Chang'an and Bianliang, after leaving for so long, how are the children and the teachers okay, and the children are a year older. Today's Zhao Yougong has really experienced the helplessness of what is called war, the end of the war is not something that anyone can decide, if he can, Zhao Yougong will not launch a series of wars in the short term, but since things have happened, he has to fight hard, at least the benefits must be in his hands. Otherwise, what's the point of this war?

Emotions are flying, like a snowman in her hand accumulating little by little, Claire is the kind of naturally cheerful character, she doesn't care about many things, she hasn't been able to return to Scotland for so long, and she hasn't seen this Scottish princess homesick. Sanniang said that Claire is a little heartless and must live a long life. Claire didn't know what Zhao Yougong was thinking, she grabbed a snowball, rolled her eyes, held Zhao Yougong's little hand and probed in, and heard Zhao Yougong scream. The hateful Claire, Zhao Yougong grabbed a handful of snow, turned around quickly, and sprinkled it all on Claire's golden waves, Xiao Zhiyun and Sanniang are both mature and stable temperaments, naturally they will not play with Claire like this, they leaned on the edge of the white marble pillar, chatting with each other. This kind of warm day is so rare, and I have to thank this heavy snowfall, which caused the fighting in Istria to be temporarily stopped. Constantly fighting, not only the Germanic people needed respite, but also the soldiers of the Dingguo Army needed to rest. Sanniang was holding a hot water bottle, her handsome face was a little red, "Sister Xiao, do you think Lothair will be willing to accept the situation in front of you?" I don't know how long this short lull can last, and after coming out for so long, I really miss Chang'an and Bianliang. ”

"It's really rare to see you like this, Sanniang, like you, I don't like war, but we have a lot of responsibilities, and some things have to be done" Xiao Zhiyun had a touching smile on her face, her thoughts had already flown far away, and she still remembered going to Xixia and her relatives back then. On the vast grassland, I met Zhao Yougong, a madman, and when I saw him back then, I couldn't separate from this madman ever since. Xiao Zhiyun really likes this man, of course, the biggest regret is that she has not been able to give birth to a child yet, which is also Xiao Zhiyun's biggest heart disease. After a long time, Xiao Zhiyun's thoughts returned to the original point, and she touched Sanniang's cheek in a funny way, "You, don't worry too much, Lothair is called the old fox of Saxony, and it is by no means in vain." He knew what choice to make, and he had to send reinforcements for his own sake, even if he gambled on the fate of the Duchy of Saxony. As long as the Duchy of Saxony is eliminated, we can form a multi-faceted attack on the Baltic Sea. Without the help of the Germans, the Danes alone would not be able to withstand us, and it is expected that we will definitely be able to go home next year. ”

Although the exotic scenery is good, it is a little cold after all, and this is not really home after all. Xiao Zhiyun knows a little bit about the situation of the Danes, and has formulated a series of plans for the Baltic Sea strategy, and she must know more about the Danes. After years of conquest, Denmark's national strength has declined, and it has long since lost its bravery. More than 200 years ago, the Kingdom of Denmark joined hands with the major northern families to conquer all directions, and now it cannot even maintain its power in the south of England. The collapse of Viking power can be said to be the root cause of the decline of the Danish dynasty, and the rise of the Swedes in the Baltic Sea further weakened the Danish control. Today's Kingdom of Denmark looks huge, but in fact it is a sick tiger, as long as you find a way to break out the tiger's teeth, this tiger will not be a threat.

The second daughter chatted quietly, but she heard Xiao Zhiyun snort, raised her hand and touched her forehead, the cold coolness could not be dissipated, and her tentacles were full of water stains. Looking up at the initiator, I saw Zhao Yougong and Claire close together, smiling evilly. Xiao Zhiyun's face suddenly showed anger, and she no longer held the princess's shelf, and joined the battle with raised eyebrows, "Claire, I'll kill you." ”

Claire is not afraid of Zhao Yougong or Sanniang, she is afraid of this Princess Xiao, seeing Xiao Zhiyun rushing over, she was so frightened that she lost her face, and quickly hid behind Zhao Yougong, and kept pushing the man in front of her, "It's not me, it's him." ”

Zhao Yougong put away his smile, his face was straight, and he took Claire over seriously, "It's you, Yuyu, let's beat this hateful woman to death." How thick-skinned Zhao Yougong is, of course Xiao Zhiyun knows, and she doesn't care, the three of you chase me in the manor, which makes a group of guards dumbfounded. It's so rare that even Princess Xiao shows such a childlike side. The Teginets manor was full of laughter, which also showed that the situation in the city of Kyiv was very good, the cold winter weather, and a heavy snowfall had just fallen, but outside the manor, there were several ragged people waiting anxiously, their heavy gasps had already shown how frightened they were.

These were several aliens, they were not Slavs, they were not Orientals, three men, in the middle of a man wrapped in a coarse rag of rags, this was a woman, her hair was messy, her face was full of filth, and frostbite was so bad that she could no longer see her original appearance. The woman stood shivering in the cold wind, looking at the manor in front of her with some horror. In the whole of the West, I am afraid there are not many people who do not know about the Teginets estate, and even a serf has heard of the Slavs' estate in the Holy Land. It's a miracle in itself to be here, and more is a luxury. Her name was Lorrell Lance, and she was Sam's sister. When my brother said that he was blessed by the Emperor of the East, he didn't believe it in his heart, and even now, he still couldn't believe it, would the Emperor of the East really help the declining Lance family? From Wooden Island all the way to Kiev City, the journey is difficult, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as nine deaths, my brother's original dozen or so entourage were all buried on the road, and finally escaped to the Baltic border, and met the mountain people who were active in the deep mountains and old forests. The only hope now is that the Emperor of the East remembers who Sam is, otherwise, she will become a slave of the mountain people. The three mountain warriors around him will never have the slightest mercy.

In the manor, Zhao Yougong and Claire teamed up to tease Xiao Zhiyun, the three of them made a mess, Yang Zaixing walked slowly with a sword, and as soon as he stepped into the garden, he was hit. Claire saw that she had hit Yang Zaixing, and ran into the castle without looking back, Zhao Yougong exhaled and beckoned to Yang Zaixing, "Shao Lie, you are no longer staying in the house on a cold day, is there something wrong?" ”

"Your Highness, there is indeed something wrong, just now the guards passed the news, there are a few people outside who ask to see, one of them is called Rorel Lance, the last general really doesn't remember such a person, so I want to ask His Highness whether he sees or not?" Yang Zaixing really doesn't know who Rorel is, even if it's Sam, he may not remember, for him, Sam is just a small person, there are so many big things to deal with every day, how can he remember this person? Zhao Yougong was also slightly stunned, and he couldn't think of it for a while, so he could only scratch his forehead and say, "It's really strange, Luo Reer, who is this?" ”

Seeing Zhao Yougong's reaction, Yang Zaixing decided to throw all those people into prison, and at this moment, Sanniang walked over quickly, "Shao Lie, you slow down first, Your Highness, don't you forget, doesn't Sam have a sister?" A few days ago, you sent someone to pick her up from Sam on Wood Island, although I don't know what happened, but the person outside is likely to be Sam's sister, so it's better to meet and ask clearly. ”

Sam? After Sanniang's reminder, Zhao Yougong finally remembered, but Yang Zaixing still had a blank look on his face. Outside the manor, Lorel was still waiting anxiously, time passed minute by minute, and the hope in her heart was also passing little by little, people like the Emperor of the East didn't remember who Sam was after all, and her brother was really stupid. It's just that he has come to Kipros, if he can't see the Emperor of the East, then he can't go back to Wood Island, and the thought of becoming a slave to the mountain people to vent their beastly desires from now on makes me feel sad in my heart. The Alpine people are an almost isolated tribe that lives the most primitive of life, and Lorel can't live that kind of life.