Tianhao didn't know that this was the first time he had heard the word "patron saint".

One thing is certain———— the name of the deity was not mentioned in the previous lessons the old priest had taught him about the shaman.

What exactly is it?

With the white man's firepower advantage so obvious, why was Eagle Town so sure that he could win this battle?

……

The sun has risen.

Heavy shelling continues.

The process of civilization that surpassed the barbarians of the north allowed the southern kingdoms to build powerful industries, which was the basis for the unbridled and unprecedented waste of the kingdom's coalition forces. When the barrel is hot, it is dragged down and replaced, and the shells are supplied as if they don't need money. The greater consumption was gunpowder, and the kingdoms set up temporary warehouses at the front, and the barrels of Chinese medicine were piled up, and countless cattle pulled carts back and forth between the front and rear every day, emptying the warehouses and then filling them.

The concentration of gunpowder smoke reached an unbearable level, and it was almost impossible to breathe. The gunners had to cover their noses with wet towels and bolt them tightly behind their heads to operate. The soil under the gun emplacement was loosened again and again under the violent vibration, and was tamped again and again by the people. From the offensive to the present, there have been dozens of accidents such as explosions, and hundreds of gunners have been lost, and the substitutes have replaced their positions and continued to shoot at the unyielding wall in the distance.

From the front, Suolongguan has changed beyond recognition. Potholes are full of holes, and large fissures start at the upper end of the wall, forming flared openings that extend downward. Scattered pieces of masonry piled up under the city, forming triangular natural arches, and several walls were pierced, and faint figures could be seen shaking in the distance. It was the barbarian sappers who were urgently repairing with mortar and various materials, and if they hadn't filled the breaches from inside the walls, this artillery battle would have ended long ago.

The Duke of Calis rode on horseback and held a telescope in hand, and stopped on the hill to look into the distance.

Next to him, the artillery commander, who was also on horseback, cautiously introduced the situation: "My lord, it is expected that in a few more hours, we will be able to blow up that wall." ”

This seemed redundant to the Duke. He was so experienced that he could see clearly through his telescope that there was a crack in the base of the outer wall of Suolong Pass, which was fatal to the entire city wall and could not be repaired by a simple internal filling.

A strong agitation ran through the Duke's body.

The "conquest of the North" was the dream of all kings and generals. Today, just today, this honor will be mine!

"Shoot at the base of the wall and smash it completely!" With indescribable excitement, Calis lowered his binoculars and swung his right fist fiercely.

More than ten minutes later, a large-caliber shell came out of its chamber and smashed into the wall with huge kinetic energy, triggering an earth-shattering upheaval.

The entire wall seemed to have lost its support, and with a loud "boom" sound, it collapsed in hoarse screams and roars. Fragments of masonry poured down like a torrential downpour, and the terrible cracks drowned everything like mudslides. Dense dust rises high, drowning everything in the distance into the depths of the fog. Death tragedies are unfolding in places that are invisible to the naked eye, and people who have not had time to evacuate are buried deep in them.

His eyes were full of ecstasy, and he raised his right hand in a trembling voice, giving the long-awaited command.

"Stop shooting, the first infantry phalanx will take the potion, and then move forward and break through the Lock Dragon Pass."

……

Tianhao stood on the tower more than 300 meters away from the city wall, raised his left hand to block the dust in front of his forehead, and stared at the world in front of him with slightly squinted eyes.

Everything was gray, and the dust storm caused by the massive collapse could not be dispersed for a short time. The momentum was indeed a landslide, but the actual casualties were not many———— since the day before yesterday, there were not too many people on the city wall in front. Thirty people were replaced in turn, and except for the watchtower at the top, and a few important positions, the entire outer wall was not guarded by any soldiers.

The commanders had apparently expected this to turn out for a long time. The collapse of the exterior wall did not affect the structure of the interior wall, and the repair work continued, except that the original position flush with the mountains on both sides revealed a depression, like someone missing a front tooth, but as long as you continue to walk, you will see the low height of the inner wall, and the dense barbarian sappers who are busy like ants.

From this angle, Tianhao could see that the huge white army outside the city was advancing. They marched in a firm and orderly manner, still lined up with halberders in front and musketeers behind. The array of 50,000 men was thick and dense, and behind them there were more infantry in formation, and the armies on both flanks were moving towards the center, interspersed with light artillery.

Farther away, the horizon was full of blackened clumps. That means more soldiers, a bigger army.

The white artillery order was very stable and was not in any way affected by the advance of the infantry array. They were well-trained, but the interval between the firing was slightly longer than before, and the intensity and intensity were not as high, so as to avoid accidental injuries and at the same time maintain the suppression of fire in the direction of Suolongguan.

Tianhao's expression was grim and he didn't say a word.

The collapse of the outer wall is equivalent to the loss of protection of the Lock Dragon Pass, but other than that, the overall situation is no different from before. Once the barbarian army stationed in the pass went out, it would inevitably encounter artillery suppression and heavy casualties, and the remaining strength could not shake the white infantry array, so it could only die in vain.

The current army inside Suolong Pass is quite large, with a total of more than 1.1 million. Tianhao believed that the three commanders knew very well what this meant, the area of the Guannai was narrow, and so many troops could not be sent at once, could it be that their intention was to rely on the broken city walls to fight a war of attrition, and use the strong physical strength and strength of the barbarians to wear down the attacking white soldiers little by little?

Thinking of this, Tianhao shook his head, lowered his head, and looked at the First Legion that had completed the assembly on the inside of the pass.

To be precise, there are only 30,000 Tiger cavalry and 20,000 Leon infantry here.

The First Army had a capacity of 100,000 men, and the open space was narrow, and the rest of the army could not be opened, so it could only be crowded in the form of queues on farther roads.

In contrast, the power of the white man to press over is too strong.

How is this battle fought?

Suddenly, at the top of the tallest tower in the distance, a long trumpet sounded.

Tianhao was stunned, this is a rhythm that only shamans are qualified to blow, which means that prayers are now made to the gods.

He thought it was all ridiculous———— the enemy was outside, and it wouldn't take long to break through the obstacles. At such a critical juncture, instead of ordering the whole army to meet them, the commanders engaged in sacrificial ceremonies?

What exactly do they want to do?

At this time, a priest of Suolongguan who was standing behind Tianhao opened his arms and his face was full of fanaticism, and knelt down in the direction of the south.

"Great Patronus, please show your great power and kill all the damned white people!"

All this was very sudden, Tianhao hurriedly turned to look at the priest, feeling that this was not like a formal prayer, except for fanaticism, there was not the slightest sense of solemn ceremony.

"Is such a prayer useful?" He looked at Liao Qiu, who was standing beside him, and asked earnestly and eagerly.

"I don't know." Liao Qiu clenched the long knife in his hand with a resolute expression: "But I've heard the name of the guardian saint, it is omnipotent, as long as it is there, the white man will never be able to cross the lock dragon pass." ”

At this moment, the priest, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly straightened up, pointed to the north with trembling hands, his ecstatic face covered with sweat and dust, and let out a hoarse roar from the depths of his throat: "Here it is...... Tutelary...... It's coming! ”

Tianhao turned around with his guidance, and the moment his eyes made contact with the distance, his whole person seemed to be petrified, standing in place, motionless.

His heart was filled with a storm, like a tornado that swept everything, and the cry of the priests rose and fell in his heart like a flame that grew stronger and stronger in a strong wind.

A huge heavy machine appeared on the top of a mountain in the distance. The hills due north are its hiding place, and it slowly rises from the depths of the earth, like a dead person locked in a coffin buried in a tomb, because some mysterious power stimulates rebirth, with great power to push open the coffin lid and cover the earth, and reappear in this world in a terrifying posture.

The body is more than 400 meters tall and full of power, and it travels alternately on its feet, crossing the mountain with a single step. The whole structure is square, and the edges of the hands and feet are clear, which is far less smooth than the heavy mecha of the civilization era movie "Pacific Rim". It is no wonder that, after all, this is a real product of war, not the result of a deliberate embellishment of appearance for the sake of pleasing people. The huge steel skull was cylindrical, and as the infrared camera in front of it scanned it, it avoided the assembled army on the hillside and embarked on a pre-set path.

It has an army-green exterior paint, though most of it has peeled off, revealing parts of metal that have been eroded by rust. Steel is also unable to resist the force of time, many parts of it have aged, and it travels slowly, because of the lack of oil lubrication, the joints between the hands and feet make a "creaking" sound. Huge geared steel feet landed on the ground, pressing footprints up to five centimeters deep, and once again kicking up the dust.

Tianhao felt an indescribable consciousness burst out from the depths of his mind. Everything is crystal clear, and all kinds of images from the past are vivid.

"Project 85" is a top secret. As Tianhao's identity before he fell asleep in the era of civilization, he had seen some of the engineering drawings and knew the general content.

This is a "Type 22 Marine Mecha" and one of the achievements of the "Project No. 85".

For a long time, the superiority and disadvantage between humanoid weapons and traditional vehicle-mounted weapons has been the biggest controversy in the study of future warfare in the era of civilization. Both have their own advantages, on the whole, the applicability of vehicle-mounted weapons is higher, and the comprehensive index is also better than the former. However, the research on humanoid weapons has not ended, and it can still receive partial funding and material support. It's just that on the whole, it is far inferior to vehicle-mounted general-purpose weapons.

Tian Hao had seen the concept of the Type 22 Marine Mecha, which was not much different from the huge war weapon in front of him. In the era of civilization, this weapon has been out of the experimental stage, before Tianhao entered hibernation, I heard that the weapons research institute has completed 70% of the parts manufacturing, and the weapon has also tended to be practical.

Has it ever been approved for mass production?

Why is it in this place?

Could it be the so-called "guardian saint" of the defenders of the Dragon Pass?

The chaotic thoughts broke through the time barrier, and Tianhao felt that the past and the reality overlapped in confusion. It was as if countless dead people had been resurrected at this time, and they had gathered on this heavy mecha in the form of energy, urging it to cross the assembled barbarian army and approach the lock dragon pass, which had lost its outer protection.

He remembered a lot of legends about the "Project Eighty-Five".

"Humanoid weapons are suitable for complex terrain, I do not recommend miniaturizing them, the problem of engines has been solved, since it is a regional battle, it is necessary to have overwhelming firepower."

"The problem between protection and weight is not difficult to solve, as long as you focus on firepower delivery, plus appropriate auxiliary combat power, you can achieve the goal. Sudden and concealment, this is the greatest characteristic of a humanoid weapon, as long as it is used properly, its power is enough to surprise everyone. ”

"Let's increase the size of the humanoid weapon as much as possible! This allows its body to be used as a weapon when it runs out of ammunition. This is just a little bit of advice from me, and it may not be appropriate, or experiment before deciding if it's necessary. ”

"The new weapon should have two control systems, one operated by the pilot and the other by a computer. Decide the controls according to different areas and battle conditions. ”

As a military director, Tianhao has participated in many similar seminars. Weapons research and development is not done behind closed doors, and researchers need to listen to the opinions of front-line soldiers.

It's just too old.

The mechanical foot, which should have been powerful and powerful, seemed to Tianhao to be faltering, and the large pieces of peeling paint made this war weapon look full of age. It is like an old man, and every time he takes a step, he has to stay for half a second to two seconds, as if he is tired of walking and needs to stand in place to catch his breath and rest for a while.

The barbarian warriors on the ground were completely shocked by this scene, and many of them forgot to breathe, staring at this land mecha that had appeared beyond the limitations of time and space. They don't know what a humanoid weapon is, but it doesn't prevent them from thinking simply, and everything is on their side, and the powerful abnormal existence is regarded as a god.

It comes out of calling, it stands up when we need help the most, it's as huge as we are (as opposed to the result of whiteness), so it's the God we worship and worship.

The people knelt down one after another, and the shamans and priests behaved more religiously. They took off their clothes and cut the skin on their chests with daggers, drawing the general outline of a humanoid weapon. The blood-drenched self-mutilation is so horrifying, but the shamans are happy to do it, and it is the highest ritual in the sacrifice, where the image of the deity is engraved on the chest, and the blood is used as a testimony, which is kept and worshiped forever.

"Great Patron Saint, guide us to victory!"

An older wizard smeared his body with his fingers dipped in the blood on his chest, and followed behind the humanoid weapon, his right hand clenching the dagger, his face full of fanaticism, and his blood-colored eyes were full of murderous intent.