By the time the sun rose from the thick treetops, three days had passed since the last gathering in the square.

Today is an important day for the new warriors to leave the birthplace and embark on a new journey in life. As a result, the inhabitants of the Salz region flocked to the city gates from all directions early in the morning. At this moment, a dense crowd of people gathered both inside and outside the city gates. They arrived either from the city or from the villages near Salz, from the powerful class of Salz, such as the Count Antony, to the commoners, all holding flowers, spirits, and food in their hands.

Yes, the people of the Aragon Empire will not skimp on their enthusiasm for these warriors who are about to embark on their journey. Hey, you know, these are a bunch of cute kids. Their faith, their patron saint, the name they wake up to pray to that great being every day is the god of war, man!

After a series of generous speeches, an exciting farewell ceremony, under the caring advice of the Earl, the cheers of the simple citizens of the Empire of Salz, the gaze of thousands of people, and of course, the blessings and prayers of dozens of priests in Salz City, Captain Jack can be said to have set off with a magnificent team of recruits from Salz City under the watchful eyes of all people.

Riding on the sturdy and fat tall horse, Jack said to the two knights from the bottom of his heart: "Hey man, do you see? This is the people of our Aragon Empire, haha! Praise the great Lord of War, may the light of courage and loyalty shine forever on your believers!"

"Your Excellency, you are right! As long as the war is fought together, there is no need for a conscription order issued by His Majesty, and the people of our empire will also volunteer to join the army. Jack's lieutenant nodded in agreement.

"Haha, otherwise, how could the army of our Aragon Empire be the most powerful on the continent! A burly knight to Jack's right tapped the horse's buttocks a few times and echoed in a loud voice.

"Haha-" The dozens of cavalrymen behind the three of them also burst out laughing, causing the recruits to relax a lot.

In the ranks of recruits, two small figures sat or lay on a tattered mule cart. Yes, it was Allen and Gibson Jr., who I hadn't seen for a few days. Crowded together on the tattered mule cart, which could break down at any moment, was some dry rations prepared for them by old Gibson, fresh water, and a few sets of change of clothes.

Since he had a large amount of money raised, the elder Gibson was very generous in preparing plenty of food, fresh water and a few newly bought clothes for his boy and his adopted Aaron. Of course, all this is not a sudden big change in Gibson's father's personality, but that Dad thinks that only in this way can he show that Gibson is a patriotic person who supports the army, and the two imps will not fall into a mean and ruthless reputation for being too shabby when they go to the army.

As the team progressed, the temperature gradually rose over time, and the moisture in the air was evaporated by the sun's constant release of its own scorching energy.

"Goo-" Many people in the team already started to swallow their saliva.

"Damn, this ghost weather is so bad, why should you choose this weather to rush!" One of the recruits waved his hand and wiped a few handfuls of sweat from his cheeks, and cursed in a low voice to the man who gave the order to this ghost, Jack.

The number of people who think this way is by no means large in proportion, but it is not small in terms of quantity, about one or two hundred. These people are basically the children of the nobility of Salz, and there are a few rich children of commoners. The remaining large part of the population made up about four-fifths of the total number of recruits, or about seven or eight hundred.

Aaron was born in poverty, and since he was a child, he has lived a hard life in the sun and rain. Therefore, the first day of the trip is nothing for them. On the contrary, in their view, this time of joining the army is simply a day that they have always looked forward to -- killing the enemy, making meritorious contributions, receiving awards and awards, and perhaps one day making a name for themselves in the future! Not to mention, today is the first experience for many poor people.

The first time I could ride on a mule cart, though it was very shabby and the mules were old, the first time I wore new clothes and praised the great gods, I swear it was not sewn with many cloth flowers of all sizes, the first time I was in a queue with these rumored mighty knights, and the first time I would have to fight together! For the first time, I had a table full of delicious dishes. Oh, I dare say that the vast majority of the poor people ate the delicacies that their families had prepared for themselves the night before they left......

Along the way, the horizon in front of him constantly appeared, then swept past him, and finally disappeared into the back of his mind. Whether it is the dense verdant forests, the towering mountains, the wide lakes, or even the occasional Gobi desert, etc., these are enough to make this class of rookies who have never left the city of Salz within 20 miles since they were young be amazed and dizzy. Everything that nature has fallen into their eyes has become a gift from the gods.

For the next few days, according to Jack's orders: every day, the team marched forward as soon as the sky was white, and then marched to sunset under the scorching sun that seemed to scorch people. The novelty and excitement of the first day of the recruits gradually turned into pain and suffering. This is true even for the commoners who are accustomed to living a hard life, let alone the children of the nobles who are delicate and expensive.

Little Gibson has also complained frequently in the past few days, but he only dared to whisper bitterness to Aaron, and never dared to say half a word of dissatisfaction with it out loud. For, the day before yesterday, after a nobleman had openly accused Master Jack of his mistakes in the march, and had asked Jack to give them a sufficient rest time, little Gibson was horrified to see several soldiers with fierce faces, no different from butchers, beating the nobleman and the other recruits who had instigated trouble. From that day on, no one in the team dared to publicly disagree with Jack's decision. Although there were more voices of opposition and cursing at Jack, at least the team was ostensibly quieter, and the march seemed to be much faster than before. Gibson Jr. didn't think that his petty commoner would have more say than those nobles.

Of all the recruits, there were only two people who never uttered a word of complaining, cursing, or frustration, and that was little Aaron and a guy named Atai.

To those knights and swordsmen, it was just a kind of training for these rookie girls that Lord Jack had. It's the best way for newcomers to hone their physical endurance and will. Only in this way will they be able to adapt to the military life that will welcome them as soon as possible. Think about it back then, when I first joined the army, wasn't I also a virtue with these rookies?

Therefore, the veterans felt obliged to teach the girls a lesson: "Damn, the ladies are much stronger than you Salz." ”

"Hehe, maybe their Salz men are just like the women in the kiln, there is no second child, haha!"

"Haha-"

"Damn, you're the a**!"

"Brothers, work hard, you can't lose to these bastards......"

In this way, in the ridicule of the veterans, the recruits scolded back without showing weakness, and the team moved forward rapidly unconsciously. The daily trek, the beauty along the way is constantly repeated, and the aesthetic fatigue is also fatigued. In the days that followed, the not-so-sad itinerary was gradually replaced by a yellow heat. The recruits were so tormented by the damn weather that they almost forgot how many days they had spent in this abominable desert. They just want to make this trip end soon.

Finally, when a handful of woods appeared in everyone's sight, the long-dull team gradually let out some irrepressible excitement. Soon, these excited emotions quickly converged into a boiling cheer. Indeed, even for Jack, who was often on the march, they felt tired from the continuous rush during this time. Soon, Jack ordered the party to rest for a day at the edge of the handful of woods in front of them, and then continue on their way. There was another cheer over the team, and the recruits praised Master Jack's wise decision, saying that the oasis must have been a gift from the gods.

When they reached the edge of the woods, they found that the forest was only composed of hundreds of drought-tolerant trees and succulent plants. But even so, for everyone in the desert Gobi where the yellow sand is flying, this is simply the most gorgeous and dazzling scenery that the recruits have seen since they were born in their womb. The news that made the recruits overjoyed was not limited to this, there was actually a small freshwater lake in the center of the woods, about half an acre in size. Although the water level of the lake has dropped considerably due to seasonal and geographical drought, it is sufficient to meet the team's fresh water supply problem. As a result, the negative emotions such as irritability and sluggishness caused by the heat and drought along the way were immediately dispelled in the team.

Unlike most people, little Aaron didn't seem to be in a hurry to close his eyes and relax after settling in. Because he felt as if he could already adapt to a march of this intensity. Ever since he woke up from the devil during that storm, Aaron was surprised to find that although his body was still so thin, the strength and endurance contained within him seemed to have strengthened a lot. At this moment, although the body is tired, the spirit is not as unbearable as others. At least, he didn't have the sleepiness to sleep, because he was too excited right now.

After leaving Salz, I realized how big the world was. Thankfully, he will never hear the horrible and obnoxious voice of old Gibson again. Isn't this worth the excitement of yourself?

Under the scorching flames, the fine sand shimmering with the color of gold coins had become hot and painful to the touch. From time to time, some strange small animals sprang out of the Gobi yellow sand, and after a quick look at the strange visitors in the woods, they burrowed into the hot yellow sand like lightning. The eagle vulture hovering in the cloudless blue sky, its cold and merciless eyes looking down on the vast desert, its strong and powerful claws flickering in a terrifying cold light from time to time under the scorching sun, as if it would swoop down on its prey at any moment.

A rare breeze swept through the woods, bringing up some water vapor over the surface of the lake and blowing through the people stationed in the forest.

Oh –

Because of the cool moisture in the breeze, a series of indescribably comfortable ** sounds sounded in the forest.

Suddenly, Aaron stumbled upon the large black dot hovering over the woods and drew a graceful arc in the air, quickly sweeping towards the southeast of the Acura Plain.

"Perhaps the vulture has found its prey!, alas, one more vigorous thing......" Little Aaron reclined against the root of a not-so-large tree, picked up a small stone from the wasteland on the right side of his thigh with his right hand, and threw it out of the lake in front of him.

"Da-da-da-

After jumping quickly for three lengths on the calm surface of the lake, the stone finally sank reluctantly because of the weakening of its strength.

Two days later, at dusk, Aaron and little Gibson were already far from the Salz region, officially embarking on a journey they had never experienced before.

Now, the direction of the party is the departure from the area where Jack's legion is stationed. It is a place with a little-known name, which the locals call "Oseibia". At the same time, teams identical to Jack's team of recruits have also appeared throughout the province of Aquitania.

The province of Aquitania, an important breadbasket of the Empire, bordered the territory of the Slovenian Empire. Having lost an important military fortress a month earlier by a surprise attack by those vile and shameless bastards, Duke Paul Claes, fearing that his territory would be occupied by the Slovenians before the arrival of Imperial reinforcements, sent his powerful and luxurious private army to camp fifty kilometers behind the lost fortress, and used all the forces at his disposal to gather the ordnance in order to arm the recruits.

In the prosperous province of Aquitania, under the conscription order of Louis III and the thirteen military orders issued by the Duke in one day at the beginning of the war, by the time Aaron and the others arrived at the garrison, more than 300,000 recruits had been recruited, and the recruits from all over the country were still arriving one after another. In the end, only the Duke will know how large the new legions will be.

The heart of the province of Aquitania, in the main city of the granary, Oak Castle.

"My lord, with these hundreds of thousands of soldiers recruited, plus your elite 'Oak Legion', haha! It's so easy to deal with those Slovenians who are as weak as a ****!" said an officer at the Duke's desk.

His words were immediately echoed by several other senior officers. Indeed, as a rule of thumb, those vile mongrels are bound to ask for an armistice and peace again after several head-to-head defeats. And then, hey, there's an innumerable amount of war reparations.

"Haha, these depraved criminals who believe in the power of evil, they must have so many coins that they can't even count themselves!" said another officer, smugly.

"Oh, I said, Lord Rondo, you speak with such a good sense of humor!"

"Haha-"

At the large round table made of mahogany, the group of Duke Lord's subordinates did not have the slightest pre-war nervousness, and they talked loudly about their thoughts. At one end of the mahogany round table, the Duke reclined in his comfortable long-backed chair in silence, his brow furrowed, as if something was bothering him.

It was a long time before the officers noticed that the atmosphere in the room was abnormal, and then they suddenly closed their mouths.

"Dear Archmage Kukotchi, what do you think of the current situation?" the Duke, who had been silent, suddenly turned to an old man and asked in a tone of equal consultation.

"Paul, my dear friend, perhaps our greatest problem now is not how to defeat the invaders, but where to find enough armor and weapons to arm our soldiers. The old man, whom the Duke called Kukot, opened his eyes with heavy eyelids and spoke slowly.

The old man was dressed in a gray robe trimmed with red satin, and his gray-white thick hair and beard almost covered his entire face, revealing only a pair of piercing blue eyes. The bushy gray beard occasionally sneezes and exaggerates a string of faint smoke rings.

The officers next to them, who had been talking excitedly about how they would defeat the invaders, fell silent for a moment after Master Kukochi finished speaking. Indeed, even in the main producer of grain, it was obviously not easy to equip a new army with perhaps more than 300,000 troops with the financial resources of the province of Aquitania. What's more, the Slovenians who occupy the Iron Castle could rely on it at any time, and then attack to plunder and burn the resources of the province. Even if it was financially sufficient to meet the needs of the war, it would certainly not be possible to produce such an astonishing amount of equipment in a short period of time. On the battlefield, unarmed soldiers sit like a piece of cheese-stained moving bread under the diner's wielded knife and fork, which can be punctured at the slightest poke.

For the citizens of the Aragon Empire, the high casualty rate despite the superior power was a sign of incompetence. The most common fate of the commander of the legion is suicide. In the eyes of the people of Aragon and the ruling circles of the empire, suicide is self-indulgence, the only way for the incompetent to save themselves from the blasphemous act of incompetence that has tarnished the glory of the supreme "lord of war." Only in this way will the soul after death be called by the Lord of War, and in the afterlife will have the opportunity to continue to be a devout follower of the Lord of War. Therefore, the outcome of every war is closely related to them, the senior officers.

The Duke anxiously probed his inquiring gaze to his confidant, Earl Bruce. Feeling the murderous gaze of his master, the earl did not bravely meet it, he chose to bow his head.

The Count, who knew best about the financial situation of the province, was so disconfident that the Duke's impatience became a little uneasy. Half of the Duke's self-confidence, which had just been built up by the large number of troops he had gathered, was suddenly gone, and he looked a little haggard.

The duke, whose mind was in a state of confusion and could not concentrate at all, sat on his recline and thought for a long time that he could not think of an effective solution to all this, and finally stood up and pointed to the officers in front of him and said loudly: "Didn't you guys look arrogant just now? ”

The Duke was a little out of breath, and the officers were even more frightened by the Duke's anger, and they all subconsciously lowered their heads, which were so noble in front of the commoners.

Paul walked back and forth quickly, clutching a parchment roll with both hands and venting his anger loudly: "Damn, why haven't our neighbors seen half a shadow yet?

Kukoc's eyes were still as heavy as ever, and the high-ranking officers and the internal affairs officers in charge of the provincial administration did not dare to come out, hanging their heads and letting their dukes roar and vent in their ears.