In the Changfeng Fortress, Maryland ended the communication with the machine factory, and the adjutant standing next to him couldn't help but speak: "General, are you planning to use a batch of fake magic equipment to arm those newly assembled levies?" ”

Maryland nodded: "That's what it means - let them put on fake gear and stand on the city walls, and it's not enough." ”

"Not enough?"

"There is still a limit to the number of 'fakes' that can be supplied in a few days in the south, and only the equipment of individual soldiers can be solved in a short time, and these things may not be able to scare the Tiphons, and we will have to figure it out ourselves," Maryland continued, "The engineering team that built the additional camp before should have been idle - pass my order to build construction in the hills north of Fort Longwind and the Palamel Heights, and transport all the timber piled up on the shoals, and I will tell you what I am going to do......"

The garrison of the Strongwind was once again operational, and before the next wave of Typhon reconnaissance arrived, several engineering teams began a large-scale civil construction on Maryland's orders - from the hills on the north side of the fortress to the Paramel Heights on the south side of the fortress, a series of more than a dozen fortifications or fire positions began to be built.

On the Paramel Heights, on the No. 4 "Artillery Position", the engineers are stepping up their trenches to level the ground, and the heavily armed sentries are standing on the makeshift lookouts, constantly vigilantly scanning the open wasteland around them, two soldiers equipped with engineering magic terminals are cutting wood, and several others are handling large bundles of tarpaulins and coiled ropes, the scene is busy, but orderly.

The commander in charge of directing the engineering team walked through a newly dug earth ditch, looked at the progress of the soldiers' work, nodded slightly, and said to the soldiers next to him: "At this rate - set up the shelves before noon." ”

"Sir, is this really going to work?" The soldier scratched his hair, "Scare people with these fancy racks?" ”

"Execute the order," the commander glanced at the soldier, then grinned, "and I think it's doable." ”

He looked up and saw several soldiers not far away nailing up the cut logs, placing them on the slope of the mound, and then covering them with tarpaulin, the four corners of which were firmly nailed to the ground, and in another pit a real magic crystal railgun was erected, and the acceleration guide was pointing in the direction of the plain, and the tarpaulin on the cannon body was halfway covered.

In fact, it was the only real gun on the position, and all the other railguns were built of wood or scrap metal.

It was a false position, a false position, and there were several similar positions nearby, and more on the north side of the fortress, but not all of them were fake - about a quarter of the dozen positions were real, and the deployment of railguns and sufficient troops from the Holy Spirit Plains was definitely hard to bite.

This is the battlefield wisdom that the traditional aristocratic army has never thought of, and it is a cunning that has nothing to do with the so-called "integrity, honesty" and other chivalry, but the large and small battlefields experienced by Cecil's legion all prove one thing - the era of chivalric warfare is over, buried in the red-hot cannon fodder embers, and the standard of justice in the new era is calculated by both caliber and range.

"Don't forget one thing, those Typhons haven't been blown up by the Wizard Cannon," the veteran-promoted commander grinned and said to the soldiers beside him, "Most of them don't know what the real Wizard gear looks like, especially after we've disguised it - if they don't recognize it within a week, the Iron Throne is here!" ”

……

On the walls of the Fortress of the Long Wind, Maryland stood with his sword next to a magic crystal railgun, not far from him, next to the gun position of a real magic cannon, the soldiers were building the steel plates and cement blocks that were originally used to strengthen the city wall, and a group of patrols were walking not far behind him, those patrolmen were wearing strange light armor, neatly lined up, full of energy.

At least on the surface.

"The troops on Typhon's border haven't seen the magic equipment with their own eyes, but their intelligence officers must have reported the general form and power of these things, which is an intelligence deviation," Maryland exhaled softly and said to the adjutant, "After the completion of Position 8, a round of artillery fire will be carried out in the direction of the Ash Pool—the news will be released in advance, that it is to test the new weapons of the second generation, and the same will be done after the completion of Position 12." ”

"Yes, General." The adjutant bowed his head and took orders.

Maryland nodded, looking beyond the battlements of the walls to the vast expanse of wasteland beyond.

The false deterrent force is already there, but it is also necessary to be prepared in case the Tifeng people see through it in advance or are not fooled at all, and the war will rely on hard power to speak after all - while building those false positions, Maryland has also been strengthening the real defense force of the Changfeng Fortress, the mine positions at some key crossings have been laid, the traps and trench works around the fortress have not stopped day by day, and the training of recruits inside the fortress has not been sloppy at all, and it has always been carried out in an orderly manner.

After all, in addition to those empty "magic equipment", a number of real magic weapons were also transported to the rear, and the biggest feature of these equipment is that it is easy to control and easy to form combat effectiveness - ordinary people can shoot correctly as long as they train for three days, and recruits can barely stand on the city wall after more than ten days of training, and at this most critical moment, every time one more soldier is trained, the security of the imperial border will be more guaranteed.

He had lost a fortress once, and in his lifetime, he didn't want the same thing to happen a second time.

Beside him, the young adjutant who had been following him for many years, had been with him since the time of the Rock Fortress, and had experienced the Battle of Rock, the Labor Reform, and the Battle of the Hunter God together, was also looking at this vast defense line, and the young man's bronzed face seemed to have mixed emotions.

After a few minutes of silence, Maryland asked, "Payne, what are you thinking?" ”

"General......" The young lieutenant hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke, "I just suddenly felt a little emotional, the last time I guarded the fortress, chivalry was still my only creed. ”

"Defending the country is also chivalry, and it is a higher chivalry—we are protecting more people by defending this place," Maryland shook his head, "and as for the means used on the battlefield...... Times have changed, Payne, I had an epiphany in front of the cannon, and you should try it too. ”

“…… You have a point, General. ”

……

The changes that took place in the defense line of the Fortress of the Long Wind and its perimeter did not hide from the scouts of the Typhons, and the continuous information was quickly gathered in the command post of the Winter Wolf Castle, Andesa?? Wendell even stood up in surprise when he received this information - the young wolf general had no idea that the Cecil would suddenly build a second line of defense.

In the face of increasing military pressure from the Typhons, the Cecils did not adopt the strategy of shrinking their defensive lines, but actively built a number of new positions, does this mean...... They have more reservists than they thought at the beginning?

The commander of the reconnaissance unit who came to report stood in front of Andesa and meticulously reported the situation: "General, we have found at least six newly built positions in the area of the Paramel Heights, all of which are garrisoned by a large number of soldiers, and an unknown number of troops and positions have also been found in the hilly areas to the north...... In addition, according to the intelligence of the correspondents, the Cecil people have been moving troops frequently during this time, and many soldiers and convoys have entered the Changfeng Fortress from the northwest and southwest directions"

Andesa thought of the information she had received not long ago, and the report of the increasing number of troops in the Fortress of the Long Wind.

"Where did they come from...... "The young wolf general frowned, "can you confirm the details of those soldiers and positions?" ”

"Those soldiers seem to be the rumored Cecil Wizard Legion, their equipment is very different from the average soldier, they carry their iconic combat backpacks, and they are very disciplined, as for those positions...... The Scouts didn't get too close, but we did observe sights of Cecil's weapons being tested, as powerful as the previous intelligence had suggested, and comparable to our mage's regiment. ”

Andesa left the table and walked to the battle map hanging nearby, following the report from the scouts, making marks on the defensive positions of the Long Wind Fortress.

"It's a complete line of defense...... "The scale is the same as the previous troop buildup." "There are large legions assembled in the Palamel Highlands and the hills to the north...... "Are they ready to deal with the Iron River Knights' 'Legion-level spells'?"

Staring at the combat map in front of her, Andresa?? Wendell was lost in thought.

Through the relay of the magic teleportation tower regardless of the cost, the intelligence from the border arrived at Rosetta as soon as possible?? Augustus in front of him.

"Pei Di Nanqing, the Ansu people have once again increased their troops on the defensive line."

The Emperor Typhon raised his head and looked at the old duke standing in front of him.

"Now call them Cecil, Your Majesty," Ferdinand?? Wendell said in a deep voice, "They have built a series of extended positions based on the original defense line of the Long Wind Fortress, and combined with the information they have obtained before, they should be ready to deal with the Iron River Knights." ”

“…… Able to create a storm of energy with a range of nearly two kilometers in a single charge, the Knights are extremely adept at destroying heavy fortress shields, but if there is a series of positions with long-range firepower to attack and interfere continuously, the Knights of the Iron River will be broken up with their legion-level spells...... The new commander of the Long Wind Fortress is an experienced man. ”

Duke Peridinand nodded: "Andessa's scout unit has 'competed' with the opposite side several times, and the scouts of the Cecil people are experienced and well-equipped, although most of them are ordinary people, but they are not inferior at all when facing the transcendental, and they should indeed be elite." ”

Rosetta didn't say anything, just sat quietly in the high-backed chair, while Ferdinand, who was opposite, paused for a moment and continued: "The Royal Advisory Group has assessed the recent trade with the Cecils and the intelligence gathered from civilian sources, and has come to the conclusion that war is not appropriate. ”

"The opinions of the advisory group are all based on indirect intelligence, but Andesa's information is obtained through direct contact," Rosetta broke the silence, "we have to make a decision, if we want to fight, now is the last chance, if not, we must also think about what we say to the noble council now." ”

Pei Dinan was silent for half a minute before finally speaking solemnly: "...... My opinion is in agreement with that of the Advisory Corps, that war is not appropriate, Your Majesty. ”

"Why?"

"Our industry and economy are undergoing great changes, and in the process, a large part of the pressure of reform that has accumulated before can be relieved, and we no longer have such an urgent need for war, and on the other hand, once the Cecil people are really ready to face the war, then we will suffer a greater setback than previously thought, not only will the internal pressure not be relieved, but even the ongoing industrial construction will be interrupted."

The great transformation of industry and the economy......

Rosetta frowned.

What Peddinand is saying is a fact that cannot be ignored - the Typhon Empire is entering a new era at a critical juncture, where the burgeoning magic industry is destined to completely change the rules of society, and to the extent that it is expected, these changes may generate more benefits than they had for hundreds of years.

In this case, does Typhon really need a war?

Rosetta got up and walked away from her desk, pacing slowly around her desk.

It took more than ten minutes for him to stop.

"Let Andrisa shrink her forces and withdraw the Iron River Knights to the east of the Winterwolf Castle line."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After making the decision, Rosetta looked a little more relaxed, he exhaled slowly, and looked at Pei Dinan: "I hope our decision today is correct, Pei Dinanqing." ”