On the road to the Duchy of Rylin in the province of Enspan, the 3rd Army of the Western Theater of Operations was on the march. The sides of the road, which was widened at the end of last year to start the war, are still piled up with dirt that has not had time to be cleared. On top of those high and low mounds, small brown flowers and stars fall and sway in the wind.

"This is Sanssouci flowers, right?"

Sitting in the carriage, Skye Hamm looked at the flowers outside the window and asked softly. The summer wind blew in from outside the carriage, taking away the slightest restlessness from the carriage.

"It seems that this year's carefree flowers bloomed very early."

Manny Casdill, chief of staff of the Third Legion, turned the freezer in the compartment to the maximum, leaving the already somewhat melted ice completely exposed to the air, and his tone was a little embarrassed. Despite its name, it is not an expensive or scarce plant, this floret is highly adaptable to the land and climate, and grows in a wide area west of Ankenrein. Its only requirement is an adequate temperature. It will only bloom if the temperature reaches a certain level. The reason for its original name Wuwu is no longer reliable, and it is said that it is because of the easy-going and easy cultivation of this flower.

The decision to abandon the attack on Elena was difficult before it was made, but once she did leave, Casdier didn't feel that sad. Although they suffered heavy losses during their trip to Enspen, they also captured the enemy's most powerful weapon, the Los Angeles 1 steam machine gun. The news of the good news had already been sent, and the reply from Paul Chung had not yet arrived, but neither Carsdir nor Skye Hamm were too worried about the outcome of this return.

"You've met him, how do you feel?"

Even if ice cubes are placed in the carriage, the summer heat is still not completely resistible. Skye Hamm opened the chest of his uniform, revealing the long scar on his chest. It was a wound he had sustained when he was a young man fighting with the soldiers of the Negru Republic on the land of the Duchy of Ryrin, and it was also a testimony to his bravery.

"Something indescribable", Casdier's thoughts were brought back to a few days ago by Skye Hamm's question. The meeting with Gastens was short and tense, and although he expressed his intentions and received an answer from the other party, he could not summarize the main impression of the young leader of the armed forces in retrospect.

"If I have to say it, I am calm, calm and cunning."

"Those two words are not very common."

Skye Hamm smiled, "I heard that man was only eighteen years old, and when I was eighteen years old, I was still cutting people on the battlefield, and I didn't even know if I would live or die the next day. But he is already the leader of a faction. Moreover, we and Elliot have a total of 100,000 people, and we can't do anything about him. ”

"We're not on the same page, and his weapons are too advanced," Carstile didn't accept this, "If we really want to kill him, we're not here, and it's better to give it all to Elliot." ”

"Look at what you said, we are also following the orders of His Majesty the Emperor, how do we feel like it?"

"My lord, don't you know that His Majesty's order from the Emperor is still effective when he goes out of Enspan Province?"

Skye Hamm and Manny Castil laughed in unison. Although the current situation in the Western Military District is not good, Paul Kind is still good to them. Coupled with the support of the Mage Tower Capital, these people have received more benefits than when they worked under the emperor, and their hearts are relatively even.

"I just don't know what the attack is on Negro's side", although he was joking, Skye Hamm was also faintly worried. Although the Lorraine-Rennes defense line was not as long as the Thorny Hills defense line, it was also a lot of work, and it stands to reason that it should not have been breached so quickly. The enemy's steam cannon, which is said to be not stable and often explodes, should not have such a strong deterrent effect on the battle situation.

"I've crossed the border."

Casdir said suddenly, and pointed out the window, "The Fifth Legion seems to be repairing the defensive line. ”

"The family of the Grand Duke of the Golden Lion, named Golden Lion, is actually similar to a dog. The commander is good to them, but these people are looking for the emperor in their hearts. If we can't keep Rylin, we still want to keep Enspenn by his Bill Claflin's men? ”

"That's why we can now maintain a basic relationship with Anken Reyne. If the Fifth Legion really grows bigger, our life will not be easy. ”

The two chatted a few more words, and the army had already left the troops that were building fortifications. Since the Western Military District began to listen to the announcement, His Majesty the Emperor has increased its investment in the province of Enspan, and the Fifth Army was soon restored to 60,000 men, and it is planned to equip the entire army with Glory rifles. It's just that the plan can't catch up with the change, and after Elena was forced to rebel, the supply of Glory rifles suddenly decreased a lot. The Fifth Army was dragged down because it was not on the front line, and the main weapon is still the 27th type.

"General, the Second Army has been routed in front!"

The herald's report interrupts Skye Hamm and Manny Carsdil's chat. The two looked at each other and jumped out of the carriage. Skye Hamm didn't even bother to pull on his own clothes, and rushed onto his horse. Nor was Castle Hamm much slower, and the two of them galloped past the advancing troops, one after the other, to the front of the marching column.

Here, it is already clear that on both sides of the road are a stream of soldiers wearing Ankenrein's red uniforms, they are disheveled, there is no queue, no command, and they walk on the edge of the road in waves. For the soldiers of the Third Legion who passed by them, they only chatted once in a while, and did not mean to stop.

"Hey, soldier!"

Skye Hamm stepped forward and stopped a group of routs, and his guards scrambled to keep up and surround them. When the dozen or so people who were surrounded saw this posture and knew that the big officials were coming, they all became nervous. They get together, intentionally or unintentionally, pushing a person to the front.

Skye Hamm knew that this man was the leader of the handful. He didn't bother to talk nonsense, rode on his horse, opened his mouth and asked, "What's wrong ahead, why are you here?" ”

"Sir, the Fourth Army is defeated, Negru has surrounded Chadra, everyone has fled, General Rove Helm has also fled, Rylin can't hold !!"

The soldier fell to his knees at once, and the soldiers around him took a step slower and fell to their knees as well. Skye Hamm didn't care about them at this time. The news brought to him by the soldiers was so shocking that he didn't reflect it for a while.

"Gone?! Helm defeated?! Impossible! The commander had just given him 40,000 men, and he had more than 100,000 in his hands, how could he be defeated!! ”

With some disbelief in his tone, Manning Casdier rode forward. He was just as shocked by the news as Skye Hamm. But now is not the time for shock, the news of the rout at the front must be quickly blocked and verified for authenticity, otherwise it will seriously affect their own troops who are now on the march. He asked questions, both to ease his shock and to hear more details. He needs more details to be able to judge what is really going on on the front.

"Defeated! The enemy used steam artillery, and our iron shield breastwork line and the queue for firing could not be stopped at all, and as soon as the cannon went down, the line of defense was gone, and a large number of people in the queue died. You can't beat it at all. At first, we still wanted to fight, but later, there were too many dead people, and some people started to run, and finally everyone died and ran, and we came here......"

"Which unit are you from, and which defense zone was you responsible for guarding before?" Manny Casdir glanced sideways at Skye Hamm, and seeing that his general was still silent, he continued to ask questions. Now is the critical moment, and the two of them must not be chaotic.

"The 2nd Company of the 6th Regiment of the 5th Division of the 4th Corps, my name is Alec Viard, with the rank of sergeant. We were stationed in Anava. ”

The soldier knelt on the ground, looking at the ground, his voice trembling. Desertion is a capital offense according to military law, and whether he can live now depends on the will of the two commanders in front of him.

"Anava has fallen?"

"I don't know, we were still in our own control when we ran."

Alec Viad replied truthfully.

"Anava must be gone," Skye Hamm interjected at this time, "to tell him to stop the march at once, and to take up his rout." Send three times as many scouts to the front, and I'm going to find out what's going on up ahead. Notice, now the battle situation on the front line is unknown, all troops are in a state of emergency, and they are not allowed to leave the team without permission! ”

Seeing Skye Hamm recover, Casdir quietly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, he followed Skye Hamm's instructions to implement the orders one by one, and found someone to start collecting the rout, and after a while, he found the gap in the discussion with Skye Hamm again.

"Chadra is surrounded, and the enemy has reached Anawar. I've asked several groups of soldiers, it's been four days since the collapse of Anava, and now that the battle situation on the front line is unknown, what should we do next? ”

The situation is more dire than imagined. Anawar is the closest city to Enspan Province in the Principality of Rairin, and if the enemy has already reached Anava, it means that the entire Duchy of Raiin may have fallen into the hands of the enemy. As for Chadra's current disability and the fate of Commander Paul Chung, they have no news now, and there is no way to know. Under these circumstances, it would be very dangerous and unwise to rush into enemy-controlled territory with a defeated army. But if they don't go, they will make an unforgivable mistake in case Chadra is still saved. And, more seriously, whether it's Manny Casdir or Skye Hamm, their families are all in Chadra. If Chadra falls, none of them will be able to escape.

"I also said why there has been no follow-up news, it turns out that it has been surrounded."

Skye Hamm looked up at Casdire, "Old friend, I was careless. I've been waiting for news from Commander Paul, but it never occurred to me that his news might not be out of Chadra. Now that the situation ahead is unclear, and any rash action could make us doomed, the only way to do this is to be stationed on the spot, establish a temporary line of defense, and wait for news from the front. If you can, it's a good idea to grab some enemies and ask about the situation. ”

"I've sent out all the scouts, solo and two-ponies, and should be back soon," Carsdil's voice was also anxious, "I hope Chadra is okay." ”

"Hope Chadra is okay."

Skye Hamm repeated, silent. Although he has become a general, he has always been accustomed to obedience. It is precisely because of this characteristic that Paul Chung made him his cronies. Now that the situation of the person who led him is unknown, Skye Hamm has to take on the responsibility of leading himself and find a way out for his 50,000 people.

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While Skye Hamm's scouts were rapidly infiltrating the territory of the Duchy of Ryrin, Chadra, the capital of the small principality, also ushered in a turning point in its fate.

"My lord, go back and rest, if you continue like this, you won't be able to stand it!!"

Tobias Paz, commander of the 2nd Army Corps of the Western Theater, stood in front of Paul Chung, commander of the Western Theater, with a sincere attitude and a slightly impatient tone. Behind him, a faint roar could be heard. It was the steam cannon of the Neglo Republic, and it was also a sharp weapon to destroy the three lines of defense in the Western Theater in a row.

"I'm not going down," Paul waved his hand, as if trying to get rid of something, "it's just some empty toy, what's there to be afraid of!" ”

"But, but, you have been on the front line for two days and two nights, and if you don't rest, your body will not be able to stand it!"

"Have you rested? Are the soldiers resting? You are not resting, the enemy is not repulsed, I am alone, how can I be embarrassed to go back?! Stop talking nonsense, give me good command! ”

Paul Chung dismissed Tobias Paz's request in one sentence. He stood on a high command platform and watched the battle in the distance. This wave of enemy attacks had been going on for an hour, and seventeen of the twenty-six guns they had pushed to the front line had already been muted. Although their losses are heavy, they are still manageable. At this time, how can he go back?

"You've all heard that!! If you can't win this battle, the commander won't rest! We won't rest either! Listen to me, drums! Hit me to death!!!! ”

Tobias was also in a hurry, and his voice was already hoarse. The sudden rout of Rove Helm's Fourth Army completely disrupted the deployment of Commander Paul Chung. Now Chadra is surrounded on all sides, and the waters that are besieged cannot be drained. The Second Legion of their own side fought hard for many days, and there were less than 50,000 people who could fight. If this continues, Chadra will probably not be able to hold on.

At that time, where can they go?

"Lay down", the voice of Paul Bell rang not far away. Tobias, who was a little distracted, realized that the commander had somehow walked to the drum. He watched as the Commander took off his shirt and took the long hammer from the hands of the drummer, who was also shirtless. The summer wind blew through Paul Chung's body, blowing shallow wrinkles. The old commander weighed the drum hammer and turned his head to give Tobias a smile.

The drum beat again.

For some reason, Tobias looked at the shirtless old general beating the drum, and he wanted to cry inexplicably.