II

On April 13, 1666, MDay+12 was stationed in Fort Still, the 1st Division of the Free Army

Lieutenant Namen Soleton stood in the treetop of a cedar tree, hidden behind its foliage, looking through his monoculars at Fort Still, a few kilometers away on the plain. This was an ordinary reconnaissance mission, but the patchwork Sixth Division of the Free Army was so short of magic users that it had to send both the Undersecretary of Operations and the Undersecretary of Logistics to take on this kind of task.

The strongest fortress on earth consists of two stars, the inner fort is a five-pointed star, and the outer fort is also a five-pointed star. Its foundation is a cyan hill, and engineering mages have razed all nearby hills that threaten it with powerful magic. Designed by the Empire's most brilliant mages and clerics, the Inner Fortress is full of ingenious traps that use defensive and communication magic to connect departments, while the low, sloping Outer Fortress was designed and built by the Republic's fortress engineers and ballistic mathematicians, whose firepower blocks every nearby vantage point suitable for artillery mounting, ensuring that the Empire cannot replicate the Free Army's artillery group tactics.

The detection enchantment magic shrouded the lenses of his telescope, and the double-star-shaped castle looked like it was surrounded by light red, translucent smoke. A cloud of vigilant magic swirled upwards and vanished into the sky. Naimon put away the binoculars, opened the magic identification manual, and compared it with the spell descriptions inside.

Light Red, p. 15. A large area of light red spreading mist, when any formation or object with medium or higher magical power enters this mist, observing the crystal designated by the mage will be notified. He closed the manual and told his companions, "The defenses are so tight that they don't look leaky." ”

"It's so beautiful, it's like a work of art...... Well, like a matcha cake studded with chocolate stars. ”

As the under-lieutenant for logistics, Second Lieutenant Anne Seiffel unconsciously lamented that it had nothing to do with the results of the reconnaissance. She sat sideways on a nondescript broomstick, swaying her legs slightly, floating in the air very close to Naimon. Today, instead of wearing the fiery red military uniform, she changed into an equally eye-catching "civilian dress" - a light blue short skirt suit, with a pointed hat of the same color and a black velvet cape. If it were still the barbaric age of hunting magicians, she would definitely be burned at the stake in such an outfit.

Naimon shook his head, banishing all kinds of strange associations from his mind, and then answered solemnly, "Matcha cake?

"Uh...... Like、Probably not。 Anne realized she had made an inappropriate joke and hurried back to the point, "So the Stillburg garrison is still functioning quite normally. It's a bit strange, isn't it? The Twelfth Division is already in full swing. ”

"Is it treason, selling at a price, or being coerced......" Naimon pondered as he touched his chin.

"It seems that the only way to know what is going on is to go into the middle of the overlapping stars. Anne adjusted the balance of her broomstick and pointed her free hand at Fort Steele. "Do you want to check it out? ”

"Our mission is to scout in civilian clothes, and we can't venture into the detection magic range...... Forget it. Let's go north, okay?"

He spoke in a consultative tone. Anne tilted her head in thought, and nodded a little reluctantly. "Actually, you don't have to be so polite. You are the superior, and I will follow your decision. ”

"What a superior, it's not the same department anymore. We've known each other for a long time, haven't we?" Naimon sighed and spread his hands with a wry smile. "To me, you are a friend, not a subordinate. Don't use that formal tone, please...... You're the last person here to know the original me. ”

Hearing his pleading tone, Anne blushed and lowered her head, quickly avoiding his gaze. She pressed her broomstick low, and the magic craft restarted and swooped down into the forest. She hadn't used the magic of detecting enchantments, but she dodged the arc of the detection magic as if she knew the range of the light red smoke.

"Wait for me, you know I only have jumping boots!"

The blue figure had vanished into the distance. Naimon rubbed his eyes and jumped off the treetops in the right direction. His movements were much more clumsy, barely keeping up with Anne's speed with the acceleration and jumping power he gained from gliding.

"I bet that the Central Army's assignment of only flying broomsticks and jumping boots to us is a conspiracy to destroy obsolete goods. There must be something wrong with the guy who procured this batch of brooms......"

When he began to feel tired, the Oss River finally appeared in front of him. It was the widest river in the Great Plains of Koman, and it was impossible to cross it without boats. Naimon stopped at the water's edge and looked around, where the unusually dense bushes on the other side of the river caught his attention. He jumped lightly, and with the power of his jumping boots, he reached mid-air dozens of meters above the ground.

“...... Feather Fall!"

When reaching the highest point, Naimon changes the air resistance it is subjected to in order to observe it slowly. The most dazzling sight of the magic telescope is the "Great Detection Net" that spans above the Oss River. This striking border hindered communication between the North and the South, and was used by the Empire to control people who entered and left the country illegally.

"Ah, forget there's still this thing. The door turned off the detection magic, and the real thing appeared at the end of the telescope, "That'...... Harbor?"

Behind the dense bushes and aquatic weeds is a secret military port. Gray and black uniforms busily weaved between the humble docks, interspersed with the blue uniforms of several Republican Division officers. Dozens of knights in large capes formed a large circle near the harbor, as if on guard against something. The knights' capes were colorful, but each one was embroidered with a special and striking coat of arms: purple sativa.

"Is Stillburg really surrendering? It's not more than twenty kilometers from the fortress...... Hmm? What's that?"

He carefully observed the middle of the large circle through the telescope, and a few drops of cold sweat oozed from his back. He found the object of the other party's warning.

The dazzlingly dressed blue witch was rushing to the left and right in the center of the circle, still sitting on her broomstick, her hands trying to defend against her opponent's magical and non-magical attacks. She was stopped by a tall, but not burly, red-robed knight with long white hair like a woman. It was difficult to see the magic used by the two sides of the battle at this distance, but it was vaguely clear that the red-robed man was using divine magic, and the silver light he swung out almost formed a circle, and it was obvious that he was having the upper hand.

"It's familiar. Have I seen him anywhere?"

Just as Naimon was about to go to the rescue, the blue petite figure suddenly changed his position from sitting on his side to riding it.

She grasped the handle of the broom with both hands, and leaned forward to lean forward against the broom, like a cannonball ready to fire. The red-robed priest flew forward to try to stop him, but was kicked in the forehead by Anne's knee and flipped backwards. As soon as she gained the required acceleration, she burst out of the encirclement. The knights around them all exclaimed, but they could only watch the aqua blue figure sweep across the river, causing a red ripple of vigilance on the large detection net.

"Let's go, I've got the layout map of the Imperial Army!"

"Annie, what the hell have you done?!"

Before Naimon could react, Anne had already hooked his neck and threw it on the "back seat" of the broomstick, immediately raising the height. The broomstick fled much faster than Naimon had seen before, and the sudden pull made him almost fall. Ignoring his pride and demeanor, he hugged Anne's waist tightly for fear of falling to the ground. Thankfully, Anne didn't protest at his actions.

"I went to their camp and got a military configuration map. It seems that Pickett is not at ease with the Imperial army of the brigade near him, and the Imperial army is not at ease with him. What I didn't expect was that they would send the famous alfalfa nuns to come here......"

In Anne's calm voice, the broom suddenly made an abrupt 360-degree roll, and Naimon bit his tongue to prevent himself from screaming. The blade of the chain with a silver light pursued them, just past the path they had just flown into. Anne lowered her broomstick head and made a near-vertical dive, dodging the Chainblade's retraction slash. Her peaked hat had long since been blown away, and her short hair swept across Naimon's face, itching a little.

"It turns out that it can be turned into a chain blade of infinite length, what a magical weapon. ”

After a series of maneuvers, Naimon's face turned blue. He couldn't say anything, and could only swear in his heart that he must learn flying magic as soon as possible.

Behind them, Ionette Hartmann retracted his chain-bladed "Arbiter of the Covenant" and muttered to himself, "What a familiar face, I always feel like I've seen it somewhere." But why can't you remember......?"

"Your Excellency, the commander of the Fourth Army is still waiting for us. Don't waste your time here. The adjutant of the knights, a nun riding a horse, reminded him.

"Okay. Notify the Commander of any change in deployment. The new cardinal, who had succeeded Jett Newton, put away his weapons, "The recipients from the south have finally arrived. ”

*** ***

"This is the configuration diagram of the Imperial Army. Fifty kilometers to the northwest was their front, more than two regiments in strength, under the Fourth Army of Fort New. The Sisters of Alfalfa, also known as the 'Knights of the Medicera', are also nearby, and their magical combat power alone is more than five times greater than ours. ”

The information that Anne brought back made everyone frown. Other mages who used summoning magic to scout also reported that the First Division in the fortress was frequently moved, but there was no intention of dispatching at all.

"I think it's very dangerous to go to Steelburg and we should avoid them and find another way. For example, to reinforce Albera's Twelfth Division. ”

"Didn't we try it yesterday? The Twelfth Division headquarters no longer has a mage capable of long-distance communication, and it is likely that it has already been devastated. Only by using the existing forces to attack the Imperial baggage forces and reduce the pressure on the Western front can the greatest results be achieved. ”

"We should attack! Attack Fort Still, or simply attack the Fourth Army left behind by the Empire! How can we win the enemy by defending? Shall we let them dominate the land of the Juloks?"

"The problem is logistics! Without Fort Still's logistics, what kind of attack can we take? With the number of spellcasters and artillery we have now, we can't break through the defenses here. If you think you can solve the logistical problems, then do it yourself, I will not accompany you!"

Egar Eugen smoked a cigarette and stared irritably at the members of the staff who were expressing their opinions. He had served in the Colonial Army, the 10th Division, and the former 6th Division, but he had never seen such a mess of staff meetings. In this staff department, there are as many as three different military uniforms, and the military rank has no correspondence with the position at all.

Dressed in red uniforms were staff officers and commanders seconded from the 2nd Division, along with a regiment of cavalry and a regiment of infantry. Dressed in sky-blue uniforms were the remnants of the original Metributsey Division, which, together with the rout left behind in Kengrad, formed two infantry regiments. The gray-blue uniforms were the most numerous, worn by an infantry regiment of a former halberd division and two militia regiments newly recruited by the Federalists. In terms of purely troop strength, this division has a huge strength of more than 12,000 men in seven fully formed regiments, but in terms of organization and combat effectiveness, it is absolutely not reassuring.

"Send someone to negotiate with Fort Still, General Pickett may still have his heart set on the Union. ”

"Oh, and who wants to take on this task, is it you, Major Machiavelli?"

"Of course...... Ah, I think we former politicians can go and persuade together. As long as the operational staff can allocate enough deterrent manpower, we can persuade Pickett. ”

"Well, it's hard to get people right now. It took so many troops to put together three assault companies......"

Eugen snuffed out his cigarette and replaced it with a pipe, still silent.

"To send out more scouts, the casters should focus as much as possible on the reconnaissance side, including the staff officers here. ”

"I'm against it. The highest priority now is to ensure that our side is capable of defending, and it should be dispersed among the various forces to ensure basic combat strength. Operational staff officer, the assault companies are not satisfied with the establishment right now, right?"

"Hmm. Almost all of the lieutenants now serve as battle mages, but they are still understaffed. In the battles at the end of March, the rate of loss of officers was even higher than that of soldiers. The Interre regiment is fine, but the other regiments are really not optimistic. ”

"The quota of magic items has also been seriously insufficient recently, and there is no chance of making up for the previous consumption. We should wait for more supplies. It would be nice if you had the money to be able to conjure up supplies. ”

"The limited magic power should be displayed in front of the other party. Now the supply lines behind us are also vulnerable, and the enemy could cut off the Royal Mile from the west or east at any time...... If we don't convince Fort Still, we won't be safe for a day. ”

After another noisy moment, the Major General pulled out the metal box containing the cigar. The idea of the three military uniforms is completely different, and it is slow to reach a battle plan. It is impossible to imagine that these people can work together to achieve miraculous feats. The greatest contribution they could make seemed to be to get the Imperial Staff to send more troops to guard against them.

"Bypass Steelburg and attack ......", "Reinforcement of the 12th Division...... "Cut off the supply ...... of the other side", "Send a negotiation envoy ......", "Wait for the supply of magic items......

The commander of the Halberd Division Infantry Regiment was a ridiculously young lieutenant. The two militia regiments were commanded by Liberal and Federalist politicians, who were able to attain the rank of colonel thanks to mobilization and logistical capabilities. The Intertres were bold and clinging to the doctrine of attack, and his own old troops were cautious and always wanted to evacuate the main battlefield. Operational staff officers, intelligence staff officers, and logistics staff officers are all concurrent, and most of them are not in rank, and there are even cases where female second lieutenants directly manage a department. There were disputes over the battle plan alone, and in 12 days 17 plans were drawn up alone. It was originally intended to break up the troops to increase the combat effectiveness of the militia divisions, but was opposed by all the commanders of the standing army.

Eugen snuffed out his cigar again, took out the gum he used to clean his mouth, and threw it into his mouth. Everything is not going well: he does not know what the meeting of the general staff of the enemy army is like, but he knows that it is certainly not so.

"The plans and suggestions that you put forward are very constructive, and it is really difficult to choose. But in any case, the task still has to be carried out. Therefore, the final order is as follows-"

The Major General coughed twice and stood up with a nonchalant smile on his face - an expression that emerges when his anger reaches a certain tipping point.

"The 5th Interre Regiment, strengthen the defense on the spot, you are a guest army, not adapted to the weather and terrain here. The 1st Inter Cavalry Regiment reconnoitred the situation on the eastern flank and tried to get in touch with the 12th Division as soon as possible. The 4th and 7th Metbutsi Regiments, posing as Directory troops, harassed the Imperial Army's baggage forces. The 2nd, 3rd, and 6th Rulok Regiments, drawn from the General Staff, were organized into a mission to escort His Excellency Machiavelli and His Excellency Luthor to Fort Still. Above, who has a problem?"

There was silence. The officers whispered to each other below.

"This guy didn't make any decisions at all. Can this be considered a celebrity?"

"Well, he's swapped the tasks of the Interre Army and the Rulok Army. It's reasonable, but I'm afraid it won't have much effect......"

Ignoring the whispers of the people below, Eugen picked up the full ashtray and poured it into the paper basket beside him.

"Today has just begun, hurry up and complete your respective tasks!

Everyone hurried out of the tent and went to organize their teams. Only the head of the logistics department, who was the lowest in rank, scratched his head and asked the people on the left and right: "I say, is the major general angry? Can he hear our whispers?"

The young lieutenant combat staff officer sitting to her left smiled wryly, and the major militia commander who was sitting to her right in a woman's disguise glanced at her. Both sighed at the same time and replied, "Nonsense. ”

Everyone's head hurts. The situation seems to be worse than half a month ago.

*** ***

After receiving the order, the soldiers began to busily assemble a team to negotiate with Fort Still. All magic-wielding officers in the entire division were gathered to ensure the safe return of all dignitaries who had gone to negotiate. The post of commander of this convoy naturally fell to the head of the operational staff officer. His ability is above the horizontal line, and he gets along well with the soldiers, but his personal resume makes his boss scratch his head. By virtue of his exploits in the three battles of Lenny, Fortiburg, and Kengrad, or betrayal, he was promoted to lieutenant at the age when his peers were still cadets or non-commissioned officers.

Naymen Soleton's life rule is that there are no rules. At best, he's a realist who lacks ambition, and at worst, he's an unscrupulous and unpredictable guy.

"Sir, seeing our Courier's banner, Pickett agrees to negotiate with us. "After the team had rested for a long time in the town of Steele on the outskirts of the fortress, the sergeant of the front team rode his horse to report to him.

"It took three hours, deliberately waiting until lunchtime...... This guy is trying to give us a kick. Naimon shook his head and ordered the whole team to prepare for the start while he went to inform the distinguished negotiators.

The negotiator was Nicolas Machiavelli, who had the rank of lieutenant colonel and whose name even a three-year-old had heard. There were two deputies, Bishop Nemola of Kengrad, who was the chief priest of the Varsikh, and Pluto Luthor, a rookie politician, who represented the secular and religious power of the Julockks. The dignitaries sat in the same chariot and secretly discussed how to convince General Pickett to let them into Fort Steele.

Naimon greeted Anne, who was in charge of guarding the carriage, knocked on the door of the carriage, waited for a moment, and then opened the curtain and gave a military salute.

"Fort Steele agreed to let us in, so let's go now, or wait until after lunch?"

The three men in the car looked at each other, and Machiavelli and Nemora both glanced at the youngest Luthor out of the corner of their eyes. After the good-looking major nodded, Nikolai said: "Let's go now, the sooner this matter is settled, the better." ”

"Understood. Naimon turned his head and shouted to the other side of the carriage, "It's time to go, Annie." ”

Naimon smiled slyly, and without stopping, he turned his horse and hurried towards the front of the group. Anne Seffir stood on the other side of the carriage, looked at his back and sighed, "He's already figured out who is really making decisions here, right?"

Bonnie, who appears as "Luther," replied thoughtfully, "He's obviously a smart guy." Then again, secrecy doesn't mean much to the current situation. I must control this army. ”

"Yes, Yes, Your Excellency Chairman Luther. Anne looked at the black-dotted fortress on the banks of the Oss River not far away, "Now, let's march to the Iron Castle." ”

Steele Town is a town that thrives on the supply of forts, and it is less than three kilometers from here to the forts. A century ago, there was a historic city dating back to the time of the Elven Empire, but it was destroyed in the First Freedom War. Forty years ago, the Empire re-established a fortress here, and the town became more and more populated after the United Provinces conquered and ceded the fortress as the backbone of the northern defense system.

From the moment you leave the town, you can feel the pressure of the military town. The pressure didn't come from patrols or cordons, but from the fluctuations of magic around them. On the side of the road, there is a striking warning in Corman and Elven that reads, "Magic Out of Control Zone, please remove all magic effects, and do not use spells." All of the protective wagons in the team were despelled, and the mages put away their equipment.

"As long as the magic item doesn't activate, it's fine. Seeing this kind of warning, I really want to use a random magic to see ......"

Hearing Anne's self-talk, Naimon hurriedly dissuaded her. "Don't. What will happen, but I don't know. Illumination can turn into fireballs, blessings can turn into well-known curses, and divine grace may open dimensional rifts...... This is a free magic zone set up by the Empire using secret technology to prevent others from using magic to take over the bunker. ”

"Of course I do. So, in the last war, we were able to use artillery to forcibly break through this place, right? Although sufficient anti-magic measures were taken, it could not withstand the attack of pure chemical energy. The Runaway Zone is so dangerous that one careless one can hurt an innocent person. What if an ignorant caster approaches?"

"Probably not. Originally, there weren't many spellcasters, and it shouldn't be a problem to be either a soldier or an agent who would approach here. Naimon thought for a moment and replied, "Of course, out of curiosity doesn't count. ”

"But what if every ordinary person could learn magic like you did?" Anne pointed out for a moment, "and one day we will have to carefully remove all the runaway zones in the world bit by bit, which will be far more difficult than setting them up." ”

"Everybody can learn magic? It's too far away to be something we should be worried about. You're really out of touch with reality sometimes, Annie. Naimon shifted the subject as he pointed to the receiving flag set up in the distance, "Look, it's our liaison officer and Pickett's guys. ”

Anne looked up. The road zigzagged in the middle of the breastwork, the trenches, the cannons, and the barricades, gradually climbing higher up the hills. Three flags and a platoon or so of soldiers gathered at the end of the road, waiting for their arrival. The "Crimson" of the Sixth Division, the "Four Colors" of the First Division, and a flag she didn't recognize, the flag was a white background inlaid with a blood-red horizontal line. Her gaze lingered only briefly on the flags of the divisions before she was drawn to something else.

"It's beautiful. ”

Before she knew it, she loosened the reins and was shocked by the beauty in front of her. That's Stillburg, a beautiful building known as the "Steel Diamond".

She had only seen the fortress in black and white photographs, which had been blown up by the Corman Army in 1873. Growing up, the fortress was entangled in oversized cities and complex firepower nets, and beautiful armor was covered in camouflage and behind concrete walls, like a beauty trapped in thorns. In 1666, Steelburg was like a young woman in the prime of her life, in the most beautiful time of her life. The ups and downs of her girlhood did not tarnish her, but made her a courtesan who made all military men dizzy.

The spring midday sun was projected vertically on the multiple bulletproof slopes of the outer fort, and the light was dazzling and indescribable. Protected by rust-proof magic, the massive metal armor is covered in concrete, designed at an angle that allows most cannonball attacks to bounce off or fail. At this distance, the Iron Keep does look like a giant star-shaped diamond set in the verdant central plains of Koman. Even the dense trenches around it, the cannon holes and hidden bullet holes dotted with diamonds could not hide its brilliance. There are no cities, no residences, no zigzag and ugly defensive lines, just Fort Steele. In this age when the art of war was still very "pure", she was invincible.

"Wait a minute. Namen's voice summoned her back to reality, "Why are these soldiers of the Twelfth Division waiting here too?"

"General Pickett is very busy, and he doesn't have time to receive all the visitors, so he will meet you together. You know, the North is on the move. Please come out quickly, Mr. Machiavelli. "The man who spoke out was a bearded Colonel Rulock, who made a speech in complete disregard of the fact that the Imperial Army was already operating freely south of the Oss River. Even a patient person like Naimon can't help but feel very uncomfortable seeing this attitude.

"With all due respect, our negotiators are all important people in Kengler. Leave the well-protected carriage, and if something goes wrong, can you be responsible? If you are not sincere, we can talk about it another day. ”

"Sincerity?, as the deputy commander of the garrison of the fortress, the colonel came out to greet him in person, isn't it sincere?" the bearded man pouted disdainfully, "A little lieutenant, dare to negotiate terms with me?"

Pickett's intention was to use the greeting of the colonel class to pressure Machiavelli, who was currently holding the rank of lieutenant colonel, to salute the military - Naimon knew this fact, but he could only hold back the anger in his heart and prevent himself from saying this. His rank and status cannot afford to let the negotiations break down. The Twelfth Division had been newly defeated, and if the First Division had surrendered to the Empire, the war would have been almost irretrievable.

"Alright, don't be so excited, be accommodating?" said Anne, who had just jumped out of the saddle, and duly squeezed forward, winking at the colonel, and between her right fingers was a piece of tissue paper stamped with the "Pay on sight" badge of the Krosso Brothers' Bank. The gender of the other party and such a blatant bribery made the colonel hesitate for a moment, but in the end he took it.

"You ......" Seeing the amount on it, the bearded man frowned, crumpled it casually, and was about to lose it, but he was stunned as if he remembered something. In the end, he still stuffed the paper ball into the pocket of his military coat, and his voice was lowered: "The carriage is not intolerant. After all, safety comes first. ”

His subordinates were all stunned, and one of the lieutenants immediately wanted to speak. Anne hurriedly squeezed forward and held out a large handful of gold pounds in both hands: "Everyone has worked hard to come out to greet them, so you can get some allowances as you like." ”

Although the soldiers were a little stunned, they were embarrassed not to take it when they saw that the commander had taken it, and in the end everyone had an extra allowance in their pockets about the same as their monthly salary. Naimon couldn't help but swallow as he looked at the bribe that was almost equivalent to a year's salary for him. After dividing the money, the arrogance of these soldiers was significantly lower, and they began to lead the way with peace of mind, leading the negotiating team through the main gate of the heavily guarded fortress.

The officers and men of the 12th Division wearing green uniforms could only watch their performances helplessly, and the major led by them looked even more disdainful. Noticing his expression, Naimon summoned several assault company soldiers over and asked them to free up their horses to lend to friendly troops who had no mounts. His friendly behavior was only exchanged for a reluctant thank-you and self-introduction from the upright-looking major.

"Thank you. Jacques Pierre, operational staff officer of the Oss River Division. I don't understand why you would want to bribe such people. ”

After a very unceremonious resignation, the Phates did not hesitate to leave Naimon and Anne, leaving their men at a distance from the Sixth Division. Naimon could only smile wryly, because this was also his question.

"Even if there is money, is it necessary to spend it like this? These ordinary soldiers can't influence Pickett's decision......

"Who said that?" said Anne, who suddenly interjected into his complaint, "the two hundred pounds, but a very important stepping stone before the negotiations." There are at least two important things to learn from this. ”

"Ah......" Naimon smiled awkwardly, "Pathfinder?"

"First, there is a huge arrears of wages in Stillburg. The Republican Division has always been known for its elite soldiers, but now every soldier is willing to abandon his principles for the sake of gold coins, which shows how serious the arrears of pay have become. Second, at least among high-ranking officers, the idea of defecting to the empire was not in vogue. The colonel, who was already one of the most senior officers in the fort, had accepted a bribe from a bill issued by the Southern Bank in the denomination of only one hundred pounds, which showed that he was counting on the future to honour it. In other words, negotiations by economic means should be feasible. ”

At times, Anne would show her bayonet-sharp analytical and processing skills, and that somewhat confused smile was just her everyday side...... Thinking of this, Naimon didn't want to delve any further, so he changed the subject.

"So what should we do?"

"We came this time because there was only one thing we lacked: money. Almost all of the assets of the former Kengrad Governor are in our hands. Anne cocked up her fingers, "We have to buy not only the high-ranking officials, but also the low-level soldiers." As long as we have Fort Steel, we have a strong point of support, and there will never be even a single cart of grain from the central part to the emperor. ”

As she said this, she happened to pass under the motto of the main entrance of the fortress. Naimon looked up and stared at the words on it. The line reads, "A shield for defense, and a sharp blade for offense": the bold designers of the empire wrote it, and the designers of the republic not only did not erase it, but retouched it.

"Is the Fourth Army really just trying to transport baggage from here?"

Anne curled her fingers and calculated, "There's no way they're going to conquer here." According to that deployment document, the Fourth Army had a maximum of 30,000 troops. ”

"There are only 10,000 of us......" Naimon smiled wryly, and stopped talking, and his surroundings no longer allowed him to make small talk.

The surrounding spires with an imperial atmosphere tell them that the inner fort has arrived.

*** ***

The carriage stopped in front of the Central Command Tower, and the three deputies and Jacques, representing the Twelfth Division, stepped out of the carriage in turn, followed by Namen, Anne, and Jacques's adjutants.

Perhaps they had been told not to salute, but some of the guards saluted when they saw the silver-rimmed white robe that Nemora wore to represent the bishop. Pikett's conditions were also quite harsh: there were only three guards, and only pistols could be armed. Bishop Nemora and Major Jacques tried to protest, but Bonnie stopped them.

"Three is enough, killing us won't do him any good. Actually, two of our guards are enough. Bonnie pulled out her emblem and placed it on the table beside her, "As you ask." ”

The sergeant in charge of inspecting the equipment glanced at the holy emblem, was taken aback, and hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No, no need. Please put away your emblem, Mr. Luther, and so does Lord Nemorrah. We didn't dare to confiscate the bishop's emblem, as long as a few of the guards took out their pistols and examined them. ”

As he spoke, the sergeant turned his head—and stared at what Naimon and Anne had brought out, stunned. "Pistol...... Do you have a Sixth Division that sends this kind of thing as a pistol?"

A black all-metal revolver and an aluminum pistol that looked like nothing more than a silver nugget struck the table, all with jumbled spells engraved on the body. Both Naimon and Anne laughed awkwardly, wondering what reason they could find to fool around.

Anne grabbed her "Spell Exterminator" and explained as she toggled the safe: "This magic gun is safe, as long as you don't open it, it's okay......"

"Forget it, magic guns are useless things anyway. Take it back. The sergeant pushed the two guns in his hand and waved for the two to let them go, and the two finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, Pickett's deliberate troubles are far from over.

The group of seven was about to enter the conference room, but found that there were only five chairs on their side, the name tags of the four delegates on the left and right, and the name plate of "Major General Egar Eugen" was placed in the center.

"Please take your seats according to a brand, everybody. A major sitting across from him instructed condescendingly.

Nikolai finally couldn't bear it anymore, grabbed all the name tags one by one, sat down straight on the main seat in the middle, glared angrily at the lieutenant general who was already sitting opposite, and said word by word: "I believe that our messenger has handed over the list of representatives to you. If you don't have good faith in negotiating, please say so. Don't do any more of these little tricks!"

"Negotiations? Who said we were going to negotiate? I only came to receive you delegates out of the obligation of friendly forces, make no mistake. Lieutenant General Pickett, who had two mustaches, sneered, "You want to be stationed in Fort Still? I'm sorry, this is the responsibility of the Republican Division, not yours." The 'King' division is going to defend the King's River in the south, right?"

Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Luthor hurriedly grabbed Nikolai's sleeve and whispered, "Calm down, calm down, don't fall for him." He turned to General Pickett again, and put on a very low posture, meeting the arrogance of the other man one by one. Receiving the reminder, Machiavelli also calmed down and waved his hand to let everyone take their seats.

Since the other party was going to vacate the position of Major General Eugen, Naemon had to sit next to Jacques to fill the table. Anne stood behind him, watching the negotiation with Jacques' lieutenant.

"Let me start by stating our position. Fort Stillburg can provide a certain amount of supplies to the 6th Division, but it is absolutely not allowed to enter the fortress, this is our bottom line. Before attacking the Imperial Fourth Army on the opposite side, your two divisions could use the town of Steele as a base to contain troops. "The chief staff officer of the 1st Division first came up with a plan and put it on the table.

"Using the undisguised town of Steele as a base to attack the Imperial Fourth Army with 30,000 troops?!What are you kidding!" Hearing this outrageous condition, Major Jacques slapped the table directly, "Do you still have even a shred of self-esteem to defend your country?"

"In terms of establishment, the Sixth and Twelfth Divisions should have 28,000 troops, which is on par with the Fourth Army. Why can't you attack, Major Jacques Pierre, and how many men have you lost at Albera?" asked the other man condescendingly, completely ignoring the shame and anger of the Twelfth Division's rout. They deliberately rubbed salt in the wound.

“...... Eight thousand people. Hearing Pickett mention this, Jacques was noticeably shorter, and after spitting out a number, he was silent.

"Looks like you've accepted it. So, what about all of you of the Sixth Division, as long as you agree, we can start organizing your supplies from now on. The enemy has crossed Gistov, and the supply line from Kengrad is in danger. ”

Seeing that the other party was confident, Bonnie, who had been backing down and mediating, smiled slightly, and finally spoke as Pluto Luthor. "Your Excellency, have you made a mistake? Our mission is not to meet the Fourth Army. We are here to reinforce you. ”

"Reinforcements, we don't need reinforcements! Fort Still's is impregnable!" the commander of the garrison on the side shouted sharply.

"We're bringing more than just reinforcements. Bonnie quietly pulled out a cheque signed by Pluto Luthor on behalf of the new government in Kengal and placed it lightly on the table. "As far as I know, the people of Steele Town are running to the limit of their patience with your credit. Here are three months' salaries. ”

The paper was much heavier than it actually weighed. The officers on the opposite side almost stood up, and all the guards had their eyes firmly fixed on the check, and their eyes seemed to be on fire. The last time a pay was sent to Kengol was in December last year – Pickett's retribution for his perennial wait-and-see direction.

"Even then, you can't enter the fortress. We are not very anxious about the issue of military salaries...... After all, even if we don't have the money, we're going to defend Fort Still. Pickett swallowed and continued to hold on to his terms.

"Defend here, if we lose to the Fourth Army, Kengale will become an isolated city, and the Emperor will not care about it. If he had defeated Lennie, it would have lost all value. Bonnie bites the word "value" very hard, hitting the luck in Pickett's heart.

"Let's discuss. The lieutenant general wiped his sweat, stood up, and walked to the window with a few henchmen. They seemed to be divided into two factions, arguing in low voices.

"These unscrupulous people are actually high-ranking generals of the Free Army? Your commander wants to use money to buy his allies! What kind of free country is this, more corrupt than the nobles of the Empire!"

Jacques clutched the armrest of his chair tightly, his face full of indignation. Naimon moved uneasily in his chair and said, "This is also something that can't be helped, after all, they are high-ranking officers, and we are low-level ......"

"Why should these people be so happy that we should give them their lives on the battlefield? We should have our own freedom, don't you think, Lieutenant?"

"That's how war is, our junior officers can only be sent to death......" Naimon suddenly noticed that something was wrong with Jacques's expression, "Wait a minute, your eyes are bloodshot." Did you come directly from the Twelfth Division?"

"Thank you for agreeing. Jacques scrambled to his feet, grabbed the unsuspecting Anne, and snatched the pistol from her waist with a swift motion—the silver "Spell Exterminator" from two centuries later.

"In the name of the Republic, I execute you, Your Excellency Lieutenant General Pickett. ”

Jacques had previously noticed how Anne operated the gun while inspecting his equipment. He stiffly unloaded the safety of the gun, and pulled the trigger in succession in front of General Pickett, who was discussing the issue of personal interests.

What happened next was something that even the executioners themselves could not believe. The power of this gun is far beyond the imagination of the soldiers of this era - it is a terrible pistol that claims to "destroy even dragons and tanks", and the results of hitting people can only be described as "tragedy".

Eight massive bullets over twelve millimeters in diameter pierced through the protective magic on Pickett's body, piercing through his skin, muscles, and blood vessels, rolling and bursting inside him. The tremendous kinetic energy slammed him against the window, shattering the glass and the bulletproof barrier outside, and blood spurted out of the wound and remained on the shattered glass. The lieutenant general didn't even have a chance to scream, he fell out of the tower and disappeared from view.

Almost everyone ignored the anger of the rout of the 12th Division. But that doesn't mean no one notices them.

For a full minute, no one spoke, only Jacques could be heard muttering to himself.

"Oh my God. What did I do?"

Naimon hurried forward and took the silver pistol from Jacques's hand. The Phaetes did not resist.

"Is it true that the emperor only needs to transport the baggage here?" Naimon remembered his previous doubts, and his heart tightened. The ominous foreboth has been fulfilled. He bet that the female knights of the Sisters of Alfalfa had not come here to transport their baggage, but to wait for an opportunity......

The opportunity is here. It is said to favor only those who are prepared.

Welcome to the majority of book friends to come and read, the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all here!

Welcome the majority of book friends to come and read, the latest, fastest, the hottest serialized works are all here!