"Griffith, we're so worried about you!" Sonia threw herself into Xiao Yan's arms, and Valkyrie and Joshua also walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"We thought you were buried in an avalanche too." Valkyrie looked back at the changed landscape, "It's amazing how variables can happen. Good thing for Grand Duke Misrat...... Now that the king has stabilized his army, we can still continue our plans. ”

Xiao Yan looked at the red-haired girl deeply, as if he wanted to see some hints and sarcasm in her words and eyes. However, Valkyrie's expression was very sincere, and there was no sign of hiding anything.

Am I overthinking...... Sure enough, he killed his allies, and his heart was weak, and everyone else would feel weird. Xiao Yan hugged Sonya, "Okay, okay, I'm fine~."

Galadia crossed her arms and watched, silent and silent. Xiao Yan's head turned to meet her gaze.

It was a look that mixed a little distance, but more of a sadness, pity and understanding.

……

Prince Thorn personally led a team to join Xiao Yan and them, preparing to sneak into Cold Mountain from the path. Ever since Grand Duke Misrati proclaimed himself King of the Dwarves, the title of Young Master Thorn has changed to His Highness.

Not far from him, lined up were three thousand elite soldiers of the Mithril tribe like an impregnable wall. A thousand warriors of the Black Sea Dwarven tribe, the staunchest allies of Salaharddin I, also arrived from nearby and waited for orders to fight.

"The warriors of Mithril will attack in a moment to divert the attention of the Red Iron Clan in front of them." Xiao Yan gestured on the map, "Before the attack began, under the leadership of His Highness Thorn, who was familiar with the route, we sneaked through the secret passage in the mountains into the Autumn Leaves Hall on the upper level of the Cold Mountain, where the Heart of the Mountains Lorentia Treasure Diamond was located. ”

"We agree with you, Marudan Marudang." Thorn touched his beard and nodded, Xiao Yan's bravery had been conveyed to the various clans through letters in advance, and the recent solitary rescue made Mithril's middle and lower level officers and soldiers respect him.

Prince Thorn also admired Xiao Yan and supported his plan: "On that tragic day, the dragon Angmar spent a whole day sweeping through the mountains, which gave us some time to evacuate, but the core of the upper treasury and the vault fell at the beginning. The bravest warriors tried to snatch the Lorentia Diamond from there, but they were either turned into gibberish madmen by the dragon's might or charred by the fire. ”

"Our team will be as lean as possible, and since dragons are particularly sensitive to dwarven breath, the task of retrieving the Lorentia Diamond will be largely ours." Xiao Yan continued, "If the Mithril Clan has already controlled the situation in the middle and lower levels at this time, we will directly join everyone and temporarily hide from the dragon there. ”

Salahardin I was also present to listen to their plans. The new king glanced at Sonia and his eldest son and said, "If the war below does not go well, you must also hand over the Heart of the Mountains to me at the first opportunity." With the Diamond, I will be able to unite the seven tribes under my banner. Even if you can't recapture Cold Mountain and the other treasures this time, it doesn't matter. ”

It's easy to talk to a career politician...... Xiao Yan and Sonia glanced at each other and accepted the king's proposal very happily.

On the opposite side of them, 5,000 Red Iron soldiers also lined up in a neat line to confront them.

Avalanche not only killed the heir of the Kingdom of Lorraine, but also annihilated the orc coalition that stood in its way. The only remaining hostile force is the Red Iron Clan, one of the seven dwarven tribes, who have occupied the lowest level of the mines after the fall of Cold Mountain, and have settled there at the risk of being preyed upon by dragons.

After the Mithril army made its way through the avalanche area at a rapid pace, it confronted the settled Red Iron at the foot of the Cold Mountain. Both sides advertise themselves as the rightful successors to the Kingdom of Lorraine, and ask for support from other dwarven clans.

In the midst of the siege, Prince Thor had the mage Martin Benioff unleash ravens and demons to explain the situation to the nearby dwarven clans and ask for support.

Before the armies of these dwarven tribes could come to their aid, they received bad news from Prince Thor. Now, they turn a blind eye to the summons of either Mithril or Hematite, and quietly hide as they wait for the winner to be decided.

……

"I am Salahaddin Misrati I, the rightful king and guardian of the dwarven kingdom." Standing on a boulder, Misrati I stood on a boulder and cried out to the Red Iron people, "I have come here to recover the Lorentia Diamond and regain the glory of the Dwarves." Brothers of the Red Iron Clan, you fought with me in Baku against the brutal orc pirates and the trolls of the north in Grozny, and now, as king, I ask you to join me under my banner. ”

The bleak cold wind blew across the battlefield, and the Red Iron Clan's positions were silent, and no one responded to the king's call.

"Go back to your cave!" There was a shout from the Red Iron Army.

"The Red Iron Tribe will establish its own kingdom and glory!"

Salahaddin Misrati shook his head regretfully and stepped down the rock to the Mithril commander and said, "They won't take it. The Red Iron Clan has forgotten their old oaths. Prepare for the offensive. Prolonged guns and war cries can awaken dragons to destruction, putting our troops exposed to great risk in the wilderness. Commanders Sochi, Rami, Chona, we must be quick. ”

"Yes, my king." The three Mithril warriors replied in unison, "In order to defeat them as soon as possible, we will lead our troops in the first line to assault and hold out until 30 paces before firing." ”

"20 steps, ladies and gentlemen." The king looked at his compatriots and said, "The armor of the Red Iron clan is also excellent, and we must hold out until 20 paces. ”

The three commanders looked at each other, but soon they all received orders: "Do your bidding, Your Majesty, we will ask the gentlemen of the Red Iron Clan to shoot first." ”

……

"Prepare to attack!"

"Let's go!"

Three thousand heavily armoured Mithril dwarven soldiers armed with heavy iron muskets marched forward in three neat rows like three stone walls made of rock. The 1,000 soldiers of the Black Sea Clan are the reserve of the Mithril-Black Sea Alliance, and once the battle infantry completes the breakthrough, the Black Sea infantry will use axes and hammers to extend the advantage.

"Our infantry waited for them to come, and let the artillery bombard their center with twelve-inch artillery first." The red iron patriarch Kazlok's face was like a red-hot iron, and he glared at the Mithril dwarf who was slowly pressing down with bloodshot eyes, and turned to the officers and said, "Go and shout, ask the gentlemen of Mithril to shoot first." ”

The 3,000 red iron soldiers also lined up in three rows, with their backs to the cold rocks of the cold mountain. In addition, Kazlok had in his hands a reserve of one and a half thousand men and an artillery of five hundred.

The two armies soon entered the maximum range of muskets, two hundred paces apart. Due to the complexity of the reloading process, the chance for a dwarven musketeer to fire at an effective range is generally three or four times.

A commander of the Red Iron ran into battle and shouted at the Mithril tribe advancing like a wall.

"Gentlemen of Mithril, please shoot first."

The Mithril commanders are in control of the army rolling forward, with no intention of stopping. One of the flag bearers shouted, "Gentlemen of the Red Iron, please shoot first." ”

"Gentlemen of Mithril, please shoot first."

"Boom!" With a loud bang, twelve huge cannonballs shot out from the rear of the Red Iron line, whizzing over the top of the Mithril battle line.

"Their front is too thin." Kazlok roared, "Keep shooting the gunner!" ”

Amid the roar of cannons, the two sides shouted to each other, and the distance had been shortened to seventy paces. From time to time, Mithril infantry was blasted into the sky and fell into scattered pieces.

The Mithril tribe did not carry artillery for the hurried march, and their infantry ignored the steel flying overhead, and the line of battle was as straight as the elven sword. The rumbling steps were as heavy as the snoring of an iron dragon.

"Boom!" There was another loud bang, and the last six shells pierced through the Mithril line, and dozens of soldiers turned into a cloud of blood and minced flesh on the spot.

The distance between the two sides was fifty paces, and the Red Iron artillery had stopped firing due to the proximity.

"Gentlemen of Mithril, please shoot first." With no fire support, the Red Iron Commander had begun to waver, and they shouted again in vain, answered by the neat footsteps of the Mithril Clan.

"Raise your gun!" The commander of the Red Iron ordered, "They will stop soon, and come three rounds of rapid fire while they are stopping!" ”

The red iron dwarves raised their muskets in unison, staring coldly at the approaching enemy.

Forty paces apart, Mithril's army was still advancing.

"Why did they stop!?" The Red Iron Patriarch Kazlok looked anxiously at the battle line advancing like a wall. The palms of the officers beside him were covered with sweat, and the hands of the Red Iron soldiers holding their muskets began to tremble.

They could already see the determined and persistent gaze of the Mithril dwarf, and they could even see the sesame seeds on their beards.

"Smack!" A soldier finally couldn't hold it anymore and pulled the trigger in his hand. One by one, the red iron soldiers seemed to hear the bell of amnesty, and the dense firing resounded through the battlefield, and the smoke filled the air.

More than a dozen Mithril dwarves were shot through their skulls by the projectile, and their brains fell on their backs.

"Second platoon, come forward, shoot!"

"Shoot!" The Red Iron Dwarves fired another round of fire, this time killing hundreds of Mithril Dwarves. The other dwarves made a clanging sound, and most of the projectiles failed to penetrate their heavy armor due to their angle and distance, or only caused minor damage.

"Drop off and reload! Reload! The third row is forward! The Red Iron commanders shouted.

Opposite them, Mithril began to move forward again, as if the man who had just been killed had nothing to do with them.

The battlefield was almost covered in black smoke. The Mithril tribe was struck down by several more soldiers, and one of their commanders, Sochi, was beaten into a sieve in front of countless soldiers and fell to the ground. His adjutant did not hesitate for a moment, quickly picked up Sochi's command knife, and the dwarves in the back row filled the fallen vacancies in the front row, approaching without pause.

Twenty steps apart.

"Brigade! Halt. The Mithril soldiers stopped at the command's command, facing the red iron dwarves who had already fired three rounds.

Most of the Dwarves of the Red Iron had not yet had time to load their guns, and looked at the Mithril Dwarves in panic and fear.

"Raise your gun!" Mithril's officers shouted coldly.

"Aim!" The slogan was passed from company to company, with the soldiers of the first row kneeling and the soldiers of the third row resting their guns on the shoulders of the second row. Three rows of Mithril soldiers raise their guns in unison, aiming at the enemy forces at close range.

There was a commotion in the ranks of the Red Iron Dwarves, and many soldiers subconsciously raised their empty muskets in accordance with the orders from the other side. Being aimed at such close distances made them feel like death row prisoners about to be shot.

"Shoot!"

The stormy projectiles roared out at close range, easily tearing through the armor of the Red Iron dwarves, and their first row of soldiers was swept away in an instant, and several of the second row soldiers were also knocked to the ground.

The lucky few were still reloading, and suddenly they saw that all the people around them had disappeared like dead leaves under a storm.

Fear immediately took over their minds, and in the blink of an eye, the Red Iron army was in disarray, and many of the dwarves began to turn around and flee.

"Get on the bayonet!" The Mithril dwarf puts a heavy bayonet on the barrel.

"Charge!" Mithril's commanders drew their swords and took the lead. All the Mithril dwarves followed their officers, swooping down on the Red Iron with their blatant bayonets.

The three lines of the red iron dwarves were broken through almost instantly, many were killed by bayonets on the spot, and many more dropped their weapons and ran away.

"Send in reserves!" The commanders of both sides uttered the same words almost simultaneously.

"Block them!"

"Rush into the cold mountain!"

(End of chapter)