VII

While Clad was sipping sullen wine in the tavern, his best men were busy in the headquarters of the East City.

"The enemy vehicles have fled to Xicheng! They are between the third and fourth city walls, and the Fifth National Guard Division and the Third Division have already invested more than 3,000 troops in three regiments to surround and intercept them!"

"Not enough! Not enough! More men are needed to block that carriage that can gallop across any surface!"

The latest battle reports kept coming from Vena Betsy, who personally commanded the interception operation. The three regiments had nearly two hundred spell users, but the vast majority of low-level spell users were completely incapable of blocking the two people in the carriage. Whether it's Isaac's light and gravity, or Jet's Holy Judgment, they can easily break through the ordinary level of defense. The division's elite numbers are limited, and they can only be deployed on the city wall to prepare for interception—but the current situation is that it is possible for the opposing side to break through from any point on the north wall.

Fortunately, new troops kept arriving, alleviating the shortage of troops. The regiments of the Southwest Army successively reorganized their ranks and returned to their units, and the river fleet also allocated more than 10 companies of sailors to assist him in blockading. Of course, the most reliable reinforcements were Betsy's 3rd and 9th Divisions, which had made Hull overjoyed with their arrival—and even if they took the credit, he didn't mind much now.

"When our pursuing unit received contact from the lieutenant general, they followed Robert overnight. The main force has already gone to strengthen the defenses of the northern city, and I have come with the rest of the men to stand by. ”

The man who led the two green-coated companies was a stern major, dressed in a blue gendarmerie uniform. Seeing Hull's suspicious face, he explained: "I was still infiltrated by the rebels last night, and I haven't had time to change my clothes yet. Also, Lord Betsy must have left an 'implosion gun', right?"

"Oh, that's the thing. Are you one of those two top shooters?

Hel solemnly unraveled the two guns from the layers of protective magic. Due to the danger of this weapon and its ability to thwart resurrection magic, the three specially crafted weapons were permanently sealed with the unanimous consent of the Republic's dignitaries. The major took the gun and slung it directly over his shoulder.

"Sean Constance. There weren't two of them, because both guns were for me. I'm off at that, thank you. Sein gave a military salute and turned to leave. In the tactical preparation room outside the door, he ran into Anne and Naimon, who were hurrying back from outside.

"Thorn!" exclaimed the boy when he saw that he was also here, but the gendarmes only smiled.

"The past has passed, and who will take the credit depends on today. ”

After shaking off these words, the major walked briskly out the door. Naimon tried to catch up and explain, but Annie held him back.

"Leave him alone, he doesn't have our latest information. If you want to say something big, let him say it. She approached Hull's desk and interrupted Hull's conversation with the staff officers. "I just received a report from the guard company near the East Third Gate that there is news from General López. He is mobilizing the troops of the East Gate to support the North Gate battlefield. ”

"What?" said Hull, "if Your Excellency the Lieutenant General can also go to our aid, we will have a good chance of winning! ”

Anne shook her head: "No, that's not my judgment. According to those who met them, His Excellency the General was riding on the same horse with his daughter, accompanied by several guards. The soldiers below don't know about it, but I think the lieutenant colonel should know. ”

"Miss Danica?" Hull couldn't help but lower her voice, "She's been out of here for half a month! How is this possible?

"Yes, there's probably something wrong with that. As for the question of authenticity, Soleton and I happened to be at the East Third Gate just now. What is certain is that at least Danica Viren is herself. I suspect that Lord Clad has been persuaded by his daughter. ”

Naimon nodded bitterly on the side: "That's indeed Denica." ”

Hull thought for a moment and raised his eyebrows: "Even if you are really with Danica, what does it mean? Your argument is too unreliable. The general meets her daughter, so it is more likely that he decides to leave the dangerous pursuit. Besides, isn't your and Denica's home near here, Lieutenant?"

"It's really unlikely, but it's just in case. The fact that they were carrying a few guards was strange in itself. What if Danika is really working for the Empire, and what if General López really decides to escort Govar out of Rennie out of family affection and personal interest?"

Anne sighed. It is impossible for her to say the real reason: she knows history. In her future, the legendary woman has five records of treason alone...... Those who opposed her called her a "chameleon" and a "witch", while her worshippers called her "Our Lady of the New World". If she knew that her friend Danica López was that Danica Viren, she would definitely put her on the list of dangerous people.

"Pay attention to what you say, Miss Sefir. Your Excellency the General could not have done such a thing!" Hull reflexively retorted, sinking his face. But he felt that this possibility could not be ruled out, so he added: "However, we can't rule out the possibility that the Imperial Mage used strange new magic to disguise themselves. After all, those people used a lot of magic this morning that we didn't recognize. I'll dial a ...... No, a platoon of pure cavalry is for you, and you are responsible for tracking this matter. ”

(Actually, it's not the Empire's cutting-edge magic, it's her own invention...... Anne thought quietly, taking the order from his hand. She turned her head and called out to the boy, and the two of them quickly left the command.

After everyone had left, Hel rubbed his face vigorously, got up from the table, and walked back to the map. On Lenny's map, the north-west surveillance towers are red, each reporting "enemy observations" incessantly, while the rest of the area is surprisingly quiet. From his instincts, if you don't consider the irrationality of that decoy's great strength, this could indeed be a decoy tactic.

"It doesn't matter. By the time they get through the Big Detection Network, everything will be clear. ”

He shifted his gaze to the fluorescent blue line that shrouded the inside and outside of the fifth layer of the wall. Tiny red dots flickered from time to time, and they were mortals or animals that had detected the circle. If necessary, this magic circle can instantly expand outside the city, or shrink inward to the third layer of the wall. It reacts naturally when a huge amount of mana passes through......

And the scepter, which controlled the change in the power of a magic circle, was now in his hand. Instantly activate a new magic array for attack near a certain section, which is a function that even the Empire's "Oss River Detection Network" does not have. After all, the detection magic that envelops a thousand-kilometer border cannot be the same as the detection magic that envelops a small capital.

He decided to stay here until the Breakout showed up - not very long.

The map enclosed in magic glows. The blue fluorescent line is distorted and distorted, and a little above it, a red light rises into the sky!

"The enemy has broken through!Emergency alert!" Hull waved his uninjured hand, "Gather reinforcements!"

The lieutenant colonel turned the gem on the activation scepter, and the blue fluorescent line on the map widened in a circle. He adjusted the strength of his defense to "Seal Demon" and "Paralyze", and the blue fluorescent line turned into light green. He selects all the Northwest Guard Towers on the map, and uses the flickering of the red magic vigilance lights at the top of the towers to send out a code to notify Betsy of his actions.

"Decoding. The two men inside and outside the city who noticed the light were talking to the people around them at the same time. Even in the afternoon sun, the red lights flashing together on the dozens of guard towers are quite eye-catching.

"Enemy, retreat, north-west, thirty degrees. Protective Magic, Activation, Range, Expansion. degree, third level. ”

Robert asked a lieutenant next to him to copy the rhythm of the lights and flipped through the cipher sheet to make the answer. With the command "The enemy will be stopped by defensive magic, hurry up and intercept it", all the nearby Free Army soldiers mobilized and rushed to their destination.

*** ***

At this moment, the two people who triggered the detection circle were standing at the head of the city, also translating the code.

"It's time. They have discovered us and sent a signal for the concentration of the whole army. It seems that their detection magic array is not an ornament, it is indeed the same level of technology as us. ”

Isaac looked at the flickering lights at the top of the nearby guard tower. Their black carriage was parked right next to the city wall, and it was very conspicuous. The blue and green streams of people approached the walls, seemingly drowning them at any moment.

"It's ready, let's go. ”

Jett Newton spoke to the empty carriage behind him, making the illusion that someone was sitting inside. As soon as the cardinal waved his horsewhip, the carriage rushed down the city walls, heading straight for the moat, more than three meters wide, ready to leap over it with the help of gravity. Under the effect of the "surface gravity" spell, this carriage can run on any surface.

"Light the moat!" ordered Vena Betsy loudly from the wall more than 100 meters away.

At some point, a light-colored layer of oil covered the surface of the nearby moat, giving off a slight pungent smell that would not be noticeable if you didn't look at it. It wasn't the black "Elven Burning Water" traditionally used for naval warfare, but a new fuel.

Isaac and Jett were startled and tried to hold the reins, but it was too late. Before their eyes, a sea of fire rose into the sky, and two horses neighed and rushed into the flames!

"In the name of Fortila, let this water be separated from the fire!"

Jett shouted the name of the goddess of fate, and a holy light emanated from the emblem in his hand. The light had forcibly separated the moat from the flames above!

The soldiers of the Free Army stared in amazement at the parting water and fire, and they all held their breath. Even Betsy was stunned, and he had to re-evaluate the strength of the other party. A handful of Orthodox military priests knelt down in astonishment, closed their eyes and began to pray, while Protestant priests involuntarily recited prayers. As everyone watched, the carriage swept past the bottom of the moat and up the embankment to the other side of the river, heading for the enlarged barrier in the distance.

Not a single one attacked them, and for nearly twenty years since the Fourth War, no such powerful magic had been seen in the southern lands.

"What's that?" asked Betsy as he pulled a praying Orthodox priest.

The pastor opened his eyes and replied in a tone of awe, "That's 'heavenly grace.'" The greatest prayer, second only to the 'miracles,' is a favor that only recognized cardinals and the elect can receive. That's a cardinal, I think. ”

The answer to the question of "Cardinal ......" was beyond the general's imagination. He had to start anew to estimate the secret pact between Clad and the North...... The Emperor actually sent a cardinal and a highest-ranking mage for this purpose! Is the entire Julok going to surrender to the Empire?

There is no time to hesitate. He saw that the black carriage had rushed through the three hundred meters of close defense line in the blink of an eye, and had stopped accurately in front of the defensive circle, and the two riders jumped out of the car, studying the ground near them where the circle circuit was buried, trying to make a temporary hole in the circle.

The red light on the guard tower began to flash again, as if to set off the situation. He motioned for a staff officer to decipher the code, and at the same time called out the final trump card he had been preparing for a long time.

"Shoot that wagon. Only your weapon can accurately destroy it at a distance of three hundred meters. We only have one chance. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency. ”

The leading shooters who arrived lowered the support frame and set up a weapon called the "implosion gun" on the top of the city.

It was not so much a gun as a tubular magic cannon with a precise optical sight. It can only shoot one shot per reload, and after firing, all the magic faces in the magic guide circuit will be depleted and burned. He took five deep breaths, held his breath for ten seconds, and fired.

"Huh".

The invisible line of action flew in the direction of the muzzle pointing, right in the carriage.

A mass of compressed air flew and gathered into a small mass at the end of the line of action, embedded like a bullet into the depths of the target. Immediately afterward, the air mass violently spread, refilling the surrounding temporary vacuum with a dull popping sound.

Smoke and dust rose and obscured everyone's view, as if twenty guns were firing shotguns at the same time. The thing that was still a carriage had disappeared into the smoke and dust. The soldiers woke up from a dream and fired their bullets indiscriminately at the area, a dense rain of bullets weaving through the area shrouded in smoke and dust. After two or three minutes, the smoke and dust gradually cleared, but the gunfire continued.

Betsy took the binoculars from Robert's hand and looked at the carriage, which had been completely blown apart by the implosion.

"It's just projecting artillery. The admiral, who saw this secret weapon for the first time, couldn't help but be stunned, unable to take his eyes off the ruins.

The carriage had completely ceased to exist, and had turned into countless "shrapnel" that shot into the surrounding area, leaving only a large empty crater on the ground. Of all the weapons he knew, only twenty-four, nay, forty-two pounds of siege artillery could leave such a large crater. No matter how many people were in the car, no matter how strong the great magician was, it was impossible for them to survive the direct hit of a twenty-four-pound cannonball.

"Being hit by this weapon, it is absolutely impossible to resurrect with any magic unless you have divine grace...... Not even cardinals, only the pope and the elect. ”

A priest's muttering reached Betsy's ears. The general came to his senses and began to search for possible survivors—he believed that Govar was dead, but he didn't quite believe that it would be so easy to take out a High Mage and a Cardinal.

All the smoke and dust had fallen, but there was not a single person in sight, nor any body parts or blood. While Betsy struggled to find it, exclamations began to sound around her. He lowered his binoculars and saw that everyone was looking up at the sky.

"On it?!"

The Admiral looked up like the others around him, and saw two black dots floating in the air much higher than the city walls. He raised his binoculars and saw the fragments of the carriage he was looking for, as well as Isaac and Jeter, who were using the wind to cross the defensive magic array, and opened their mouths wide like the people around them, and couldn't close them for a long time.

"It's that magic, it's the magic they use in the parking lot. They turned the blast into a propulsion, and then used instantaneous protective magic...... Are they ready for instant magic to deal with this? In other words, they are decoys...... The carriage is empty?"

"General, there's a new code! The real enemy has broken through from the east gate!" The decoder on the side finally seized the opportunity to speak.

Hearing this report, the admiral's face turned iron-blue. "Robert!"

The chief staff officer touched the back of his head and said confidently: "It's okay, I have already sent reinforcements according to your previous explanation." Please trust that person. ”

*** ***

Almost at the same time, Lenny East Gate.

"Oh, what's that?" asked Govar, dressed as "Clad," pointing to the flashing lights at the gates, "Can you translate for me, Captain?"

"That's our circle open. It seems that your order may have come too late...... The other party has probably broken through. "But it doesn't matter, we are a regular army, and there is a platoon of cavalry deployed here." ”

He turned around and called nearly twenty cavalrymen from the cavalry platoon of the East Gate. As the guards lined up with the cavalry, Pike Tarp, who had not spoken for a long time, suddenly noticed smoke and dust rising from the avenue leading to the west. He patted Xiulan on the shoulder and motioned for him to turn back.

The Knight of the Guards was also shocked when he saw this, and immediately whispered to Goval. The former marshal was stunned at first, but then regained his composure and turned back to the captain.

"Guys, show me the queue. I would like to confirm your combat effectiveness. ”

This undeniable solemn tone made the captain snort: "Yes, sir! all dismount! Salute!"

"Lieutenant General Klad" nodded with satisfaction: "Turn left, one, two! Turn right, one, two! Turn back, one, two......"

As soon as he turned around, the captain immediately saw the smoke and dust, and exclaimed, "Your Excellency, what is that? Shouldn't the enemy be at the north gate?!"

"No, the enemy is at the east gate. Govar replied slowly. The girl on the horse behind him whispered to everyone, "Don't kill them." ”

Before the battalion commander could react, he was hit the back of the head and fainted directly. Hulan's Iron Gauntlet mercilessly knocked his lieutenant unconscious, while Frasol and Pike stuned the rest with unimaginable speed with Honor and Iron Bars.

"Get on your horse and get out of here!" Govar ordered, jumping off the horse he was riding with Danika and replacing it with a new one. The other four men, who had no horses, did the same, and took the best horses in the platoon of cavalry and quickly set out on the road. Danika rushed to the first one, as she wanted to probe the exact location of the detection circle.

After three minutes, Anne and Naimon arrived with their pursuers, and all they could see was a row of fallen soldiers and ownerless horses.

"This ...... Has the big detection network been activated?" Seffir jumped off his horse, approached the unconscious captain, and stretched out his finger to probe his breath.

Seeing this, Naimon understood that they had bet on the right points. "They're really going down that path...... How's it going?"

Anne stood up and replied hurriedly, "It's okay, just passed out, and the time is probably not long." More and more, I felt that this was what Danica did. They shouldn't have gone far yet, and we can catch up. ”

"No...... I think I'd better stay here and arrange the defenses. The boy lowered his voice, "I don't think I'm a good fit...... Meet her now. ”

"Oh, long time no see, so timid?" Anne teased, "that's fine, wait until I go over and convince her first, you as the chief officer, organize the defense here first, and take a few men to the city wall to hold the high ground." If there are many people on the other side, snipers may be arranged here. ”

"Okay. After seeing Sseefer, dressed in a red lieutenant's uniform, cross the drawbridge, Naimon's face was grim and he turned around sharply. The soldiers, who were still quietly talking about topics such as "why did the female officers of the Interre Army come to the Southwest Army" and "What is the relationship between the two of them?" hurriedly stopped talking.

"The first and second groups sent the fainted people back to the nearby barracks. The third and fourth groups guarded the gates and did not let anyone pass. The leaders of each group picked a person with good marksmanship and followed me to the city wall to occupy the commanding heights. ”

The cavalrymen looked at each other with uncertain expressions and jumped off their horses. With four marksmanship soldiers, Naimon walked through the gate to the fortress by the gate, and climbed up the low spiral staircase to the top of the multi-tiered fortress. Visibility wasn't too good today, but you could still clearly see the seven horsemen running towards the detection net from 300 meters away. Is Denika among them?

A blue figure appeared out of the corner of his eye. Thinking of Annie's reminder, Naimon subconsciously pulled out his pistol and ran towards the man with the rifle.

"Stop, Lieutenant. I don't want to waste this gun. ”

The man shook the gun and pointed it at Soleton's head, "Why are you again? This is not the dock where you grabbed Govar, do you want to repeat what happened last night?"

Hearing his words, the four soldiers whispered. Naimon recognized the man in front of him and lowered his gun in disbelief: "Major Constan, shouldn't you go to the North Gate?"

"My judgment is the same as yours, the North Gate is a bait, but a bait that is too strong to be believed. I sensed that the opposing force was coming towards the east. With that, Tyan Constance turned his gun back at the fugitives who had stopped in the distance. "We're running out of time......"

Naimon looked at the gun with so many inlaid circuits that it was a little outrageous, and suddenly had an ominous premonition, and hurriedly spoke to stop it: "Wait a minute, Major! Wait for us to convince ......"

"There's no time. Sain was completely unmoved and pulled the trigger.

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