"At whatever cost?" Hearing Cassdil's answer, Gastens smiled. He invited Casdir to sit down, poured tea for him with his own hands, and placed it opposite him before throwing out his reply.

"Mr. Casdier, from yesterday's news to this morning, you didn't have the permission of Commander Paul Chung, did you?"

"General Skye Hamm and I have the power to arbitrarily act before the war," Casdir did not touch the cup of tea, he made it straight and expressionless.

"Do you have such an immediacy arbitrariness as colluding with the communists, disobeying His Majesty's orders of the Emperor, and even betraying Eliot's back?" Gastens was not going to let it go, and he continued to ask, in an aggressive tone.

"If you can get what I want, the Commander won't mind."

Carsdir was clearly prepared, answering Gastens' questions without hesitation and, very decisively.

"What ...... then," Gastens relaxed and cocked Erlang's legs, "what can you give me?" ”

"Space", Casdir puts his hands on the table and leans forward to increase his oppressive force, "space, and time." ”

"But even if I don't promise you, you're going to go, and if you leave, I will naturally have space and time, won't I?"

"In that case, you will lose an ally, an ally willing to support you under the weight of His Majesty the Emperor."

"An ally that could be wiped out by the Negro Republic at any moment?" Gastens chuckled lightly, "Mr. Casdil, you can't help but think too highly of the current status of the Western Military District, right?" A warlord force that has broken away from the rear and is trying to create a small kingdom in the Principality of Ryrin, is it really worth it for me to exchange what I have pressed the bottom of the box? ”

"Rather than an ally," Casdir remains unrelenting, "and I don't mind if you prefer a neighbor who is armed to the teeth and hostile to Ankenrein." ”

"Mr. Casdil", the smile on Gastens' face disappeared, "are you threatening me?" ”

"No, I'm pleading, pleading, and convincing you," Casdir said, spreading his hands, "and while I'm a little surprised by your intelligence work, the facts are on the table. They don't change because I say or don't say anything. The Neglo Republic will definitely fight, and we may or may not be able to hold on. If we can hold out, you will be assured that we will not launch any attack on the western side of the province of Enspen, and that we will provide you with a large quantity of light industrial goods and necessities. If we can't hold on, you and your Elena will face the forces of the Negru Republic. We killed them last year with a river of blood, do you think they will turn against you and your forces because you are a communist? ”

"You have a point," Gastens nodded, "I have to admit it." But for my help, you need to give me more. A verbal promise doesn't work, and no one uses a verbal promise as a basis for making decisions, does it? ”

"A vein," Casdir threw out his own price, "a vein of top-quality pyroxene, in the province of Enspan, to the west, not far from Elena. ”

"Oh?" Gastens looked directly at Carsdil, "Why do you know?" Moreover, you are not afraid to tell me that I myself went to find someone to mine? ”

"The Mage Tower and we have always cooperated", Castil was obviously fully prepared for coming this time, "They have a lot of information on the top unmined ore veins in their hands, and there happens to be one in the province of Enspan, and that's it." ”

"So, what about I mine it myself?"

"Finding ore veins and mining require professionals, and although Elena is very strong in force, I have to admit that you are not professional in prospecting and mining."

"Makes sense, but we're not short of pyroxene right now," Gastens said, getting up and pouring himself a cup of tea, "and this condition doesn't seem to appeal to me much." ”

"Pyroxene is the most valuable mineral in the world, and if you have pyroxene, you have everything", Casdier glanced at his watch and put down the cup in his hand.

"Mr. Gastens, our army is about to depart, and I'm sorry I can't continue to talk to you. Resist the Neglo Republic, whether you help or not, we will do it. This battle may be won or lost, but no matter what, our Western Military Region will never let a soldier of the Negru Republic set foot on the territory of Anken Rein while he still has a breath. If, I mean, you encounter the forces of the Neglo Republic in the future, please don't forget that we have also fought these enemies on the front lines. ”

Getting up, dressing, and picking up his hat, Castil stood at the door and offered his conditions one last time, "A promise, a vein, an ally, and a barrier, all of which will only require a little help from you." Mr. Garstens, you all have Anken Rein in your veins, and I hope you make the right choice. When we return to the Duchy of Ryrin, Commander Paul Chung will quickly send someone to meet you, hoping that you will give us the answers we want. ”

"I see, I'll send you out."

Gastens remained silent, the decision to turn enemies into friends with the Western Military District was too relevant, and he also needed to consult with his comrades. Casdier didn't have Paul Chung's authorization to come this time, and the other party also needed to go back and ask for instructions. He was very satisfied that the two sides were able to talk about this point in the first contact. All that's left is to make decisions and adjust the strategy for the next step based on the latest developments.

Immediately after sending Casdil away, Gastens summoned all the members of the Communist Party Council in Elena to a meeting on Casdil's proposal. Everyone was amazed that Skye Hamm had so decisively abandoned the battle in Enspen, and they had a clearer understanding of the threat posed by the Negru Republic. With regard to the cooperation proposed by Casdier, the main councillors agreed that cooperation could be carried out as long as the other party's leverage was secured. As for the weapons provided to the other side, they are the Valorant rifles that have already been provided before. Since Elena had already discontinued production of the Valiant in preparation for war, Gastens and the councillors decided to resume production of the Valiant and reduce the production of the Thundering One. Even if the Brave rifles, which are lower cost but faster in production, are no longer supplied to the Western Military Region, they can speed up the reloading of the 1st and 2nd Militia Divisions and improve their combat effectiveness.

At this point, the Negro Republic has a countermeasure to the impact of breaking through the Lorraine-Rennes line on Elena. Gastens and the council members also agreed on the defensive vacuum left by Skye Hamm's departure.

Send out the 3rd Regiment of the Production Brigade and the 4th Regiment of the newly formed Production Brigade defending the Luoshan Pass, join up with Bellanch, and look for an opportunity to launch an attack on Prince Eliot and wear down the enemy's vital forces. If you can, it's best to take it by surprise.

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"He just ran away?!"

By the time Elliot got the news, Skye Hamm's army had begun to turn around and leave, the tight breastwork outside the Los Angeles crossing had been removed, and the once crowded army camp had become somewhat lonely. The 3rd and 4th Regiments of the Production Brigade, which had opened from the Luoshan crossing, had already begun to march rapidly towards Eliot's army. Time is tilting towards Elena little by little.

"We must immediately send someone to take over the defense of the Luoshan Pass, or Elena's troops will enter Enspan again! Once we release them, plus the guerrilla columns that are now fighting guerrillas outside, we will be very passive! ”

Henry Claflin, Grand Duke of the Golden Lion, had a voice that was distinctly anxious. As one of the commanders of the campaign, he knew very well how much of a threat he would pose to his own side if he released Elena's troops who were good at guerrilla warfare.

"Duke Claflin is right, we must be careful now, and in the meantime, if we can, it would be better to send at least fifty more men over. In the absence of superiority in equipment, only pure numerical superiority could guarantee a balanced battlefield in the province of Enspan. ”

Vincent Navry, Chief of the General Staff of the Guards, had the same judgment on the situation as Claflin. Once the Western Military District army attacking the Luoshan crossing retreated, Elena would quickly commit her forces to Enspan Province. At that time, Elliot's troops will be transformed into a large but weak giant elephant, which can only be bitten by Shiba Inu, but cannot organize an effective counterattack.

"Pass my orders! All troops are on high alert, four posts are added, and all are ready to fight to prevent a sneak attack by the enemy! ”

Seeing that the two generals had the same idea, Elliot no longer hesitated, he first conveyed the order, and then began to humbly ask for advice on the next move.

"Two adults, now that the battle situation is like this, what should we do? How exactly should Elena fight? ”

"The way is the same as before", Claflin reached out and patted Elliot on the shoulder, "wait for our slow rifles to come out, and then use the crowd tactics to consume them." Until then, try to avoid fighting the enemy in motion. We will continue to seal off the Johor Bahru Pass, then consolidate our control over the two surrounding cities, establish a safe zone in this small area, and then immediately ask His Majesty the Emperor to send an additional 50,000 men, or even 100,000 men. In the case of superiority of the enemy's weapons, the confrontation can be achieved only by numbers. ”

"Do you want to ask for more troops......

There was some hesitation in Elliot's voice. For him, who is stronger, asking for more troops means admitting defeat, and admitting defeat will make him flawed in the competition with Prince Wenfeng. And flaws are his least favorite thing.

"His Majesty the Emperor hated communism, and in order to eliminate the communists, he would certainly agree to increase the number of troops. Moreover, if the weapon in Elena's hand can be obtained by us, His Majesty the Emperor will definitely be able to accept this level of loss. ”

Vincent followed Elliot for longer periods of time and understood Elliot's concerns. A few words from him dispelled Eliot's worries and helped him make up his mind.

"Okay, then so be it", although unwilling, Elliot is a very actionable person. He quickly finalized his plan of action and decided to mobilize more forces to eliminate Elena once and for all.

————————————

"Head, wouldn't it be appropriate for us to fight separately from Berranch?"

In the command of the 3rd and 4th regiments of the production brigade, Ivan cautiously questioned the idea of Gastens dividing his forces to attack, "We have a small number of people, and the two regiments together have only two thousand people. There were about 2,000 men on Berrancheer's side. Isn't it a bit too risky to fight 60,000 with 2,000 people? ”

"Our weapons are advanced, our actions are more efficient, we can fight and run, what is there to worry about?" Gastens was confident, "And we try not to fight with the enemy's large forces, what we have to fight is also their supply lines, and the ratio of forces in the combat area is controlled between 1 to 1 to 1 to 2, and we will have no pressure at all to fight." ”

"This is what the leader has always said about the local military superiority, right?" , Haba Nye, commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Production Brigade, expressed clear support for Gastens' proposal, "Head, let's just say where to fight?" During this time, Elena was held back for a long time, and she was suffocated to death. ”

"That's it."

Gastens reached out on the map and gave their goal.

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In July, the province of Engspan had already entered the height of summer, and even if they were only wearing thin summer military uniforms, the heavy steam rifles and supplies on their backs still made the soldiers on the march sweat. It's just that as the elite under the command of Prince Eliot, these soldiers of the Second Division of the Three Guards Army did not complain much. They just silently lined up in battle marching formation, and cautiously advanced.

"I said, it's hot enough, will that kid take the bait?"

Richard Moore, chief of staff of the Second Division of the Third Guards Army, wiped the sweat from his head and patted the food bag beside him, "If he doesn't take the bait, we will lose a lot this time." ”

"If you don't take the bait, you have to fight like this", the commander of the second division, John Duden, frowned, looking at the road ahead that seemed to have no end, "His Royal Highness the prince has said that the enemy is likely to have left the Luoshan crossing, and in the past three days, there has been no movement at all, which is definitely not normal." If they don't want to fight us, they will definitely hold back their strength to ambush us. If they want to fight an ambush, we naturally have to deal with it, otherwise we won't release our division, will we? ”

Richard Moore knew John Duden was right. The enemy is long gone, and there is a high probability of an ambush. His Royal Highness must have pondered repeatedly before he came up with such a fishing method. He disguised the elite of the 2nd Division of the 3rd Guards Army as a convoy delivering grain, and most of the soldiers pretended to be civilian men or hid in the grain carts. If the enemy dares to come out, the 2nd Division of the 3rd Guards Army will be able to concentrate its heavy fists and give those mud legs a lesson that they will never forget.

"It's coming, it's coming!"

While the two generals of the 2nd Division were discussing the battle situation, a large group of enemies rushed out of a not-so-dense woods on the right side of the line. Looking at their gray uniforms and the kind of rifles they were holding in their hands, they looked like Elena's guerrillas. The 2nd Division of the 3rd Guards Army, which had been prepared for a long time, sounded the battle horn as soon as it encountered the enemy, and the soldiers on the periphery disguised as an escort team began to line up and form a formation.

"Do you want to do it now?"

Richard Moore looked ahead at the front of the battle, and asked softly.

"No, wait", John Duden clenched his fists, "now they can still run, and when they get in, we'll do it again!" ”