V

April 29, 1666 MDay+28 Julokk, northwest of Kengrad

The so-called court life is tea parties, banquets and balls. At least, in the eyes of Danica, who is the "First Princess of the Holy Empire", this is how court life is. Even on the battlefield where the artillery is raging, this life has not wavered.

When the war was tense, everyone would simply prepare only a tea party, and at a little better the emperor would hold a banquet, but the ball would only be held after a crucial victory. After all, this is the front line, everything has to be simple, the furnishings of the palace can't be too particular, and the building can only be built by magicians.

"Half a month later, we'll have a big ball in Kengol. If you need a new dress, hurry up and customize it, I don't think the court tailors should have the right size for you. ”

When the main force of the Imperial army was still in the city of Gustav, the emperor pointed to the map so lightly and told her. The meaning of that sentence was to ask his army to launch the second battle of Kengal in half a month and conquer the city again. Where the army she had previously "commanded" was defeated.

The emperor's intention was to command.

"Princess Olya, the dance party is still six hours away, so please hurry up and put on your makeup!"

The maid rushed in, urging her a third time, and she had to stand up and go to the royal make-up artists and tailors. It was hard for Danika to understand why her makeup was going to take the whole afternoon, but she had to follow the rules. In a way, the disguise can hide the subtle flaws in her transformation magic.

"These gowns are very flattering to you, Your Highness Olya. I don't know what jewelry you're going to use?"

Ten dresses were made in half a month. All the luxurious ornaments that the Second Empire royal family had accumulated over the course of four hundred years. Unheard of rare perfumes, rare fragrances from the East, the South and the New World.

All of this is up to her to pick and choose. This should have been a young girl's biggest dream, but now she doesn't feel happy. Every maid and servant had doubts on their faces, and the rest of the ladies in the dressing room whispered their worries about tonight's ball. No one came to talk to her, but the gossip still blew into her ears with the wind of eavesdropping magic,

"Can this also hold a ball?" "The princesses are all here, probably Your Majesty is serious......"

She knew what the ladies were worried about. There is only one key problem: Kengrad was not captured at all.

The location she is in now is just an ordinary town on the King's Road, thirty kilometers from Kengrad. An army of 70,000 spread out twenty kilometers east from here, fighting fiercely with the Free Army Central Army under the command of Field Marshal Fox. Since Fort Still's repulsion of the Fourth Army, it became the only chance for the Imperial Army. Only from now on when all the free troops in front of them laid down their arms and knelt down to meet the king's division could the ball be held on time in Kengrad, but until now there has been no good news. Thinking of this, Danika couldn't sit still.

She casually picked out a necklace with a large sapphire embellishment and put it on, stood up and walked out the door. The maids and guards hurriedly followed, and saw their "princess" standing in front of the carriage tracks not far away. Large, plainly bound four-horse transport wagons roamed on iron-clad wooden rails, carrying ammunition, weapons, and food to the front.

"Stop the car," she instructed the maid beside her, "to the General Headquarters." ”

Several maids around were shocked and hurriedly grabbed the placket of her clothes. "Your Majesty should be on the front line, Your Royal Highness, you better be careful. ”

Without hesitation, Danica waved her hand and stood on the rails herself. A carriage came to a screeching halt and nearly ran off the tracks. "Take me, and I have the right to know what he's up to. ”

The Emperor was not at the General Headquarters, and she requisitioned Huran DiMartel herself, his men, and their carriages along the newly paved hardened stone road to the headquarters of the Second Army. At the headquarters of the Second Army, she learned that Gustav had personally gone to the front in order to supervise the operation, so she had to leave her maids behind and rush to the front headquarters on horseback with the knights of the Guards. The front command was set up in a Protestant church outside the town, less than ten kilometers from Kengler. As long as this place is captured, the Free Army will no longer be in danger of defending, and can only choose to retreat back to Kengal or retreat to Lenny.

Both sides are determined to achieve this, and the town is fighting house by house and street by street. She could already hear the faint sound of gunfire, like the beat of a drum at a celebration. An entire platoon of herald cavalry stood by outside the headquarters, and the soldiers hurriedly saluted as Danika passed in front of them. From time to time, an officer wearing a medal would rush out of the church gates and join his men in the fierce battles inside and outside the town. Emperor Gustav, frowning, stood in front of a military map with his scepter on his hand, watching a group of staff officers write and draw on it. Among these people in dull military uniforms, she stood out in a dark rose red gown, and immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Olya?!What are you doing here?Do you know this is a dangerous front line? Go back!"

"Danger? For me, there is no danger as long as you are there. Is there anything more dangerous for the empire than the loss of an emperor?"

The Emperor, choked by Danica's rebuttal, looked at Xiulan with an unkind expression, "Did you tell her I was here, Di Martel?"

Danica took two steps forward, blocking in front of the guards. "I'm here on my own because everyone is worried about tonight's ball. ”

Hearing the word "ball", the emperor's brows tightened. Before he could speak, all the staff officers around him had quietly lowered their heads. A general with two stars on his epaulettes slammed his sword embedded with the marquis's family crest on the table: "I'm sorry, it's all because we didn't fight well and disappointed Your Majesty." Give us three more days, and we'll definitely take Kengrad!"

The dagger with some unknown magic attached, went straight to the handle. Gustav shook his head, stepped forward, and pulled it out with two fingers, to put it mildly—a gesture that was far from as simple as it seemed. Danika was taken aback, she had thought that the emperor was a frail and pampered nobleman.

"It's not your fault, Palenni. Everyone was already in full force, but the enemy's resistance was too stubborn. As you said, postpone the ball by three days......"

"Then why don't you just have a dance here?" said Denika, "so that you can rest for the soldiers who have fought so hard." ”

"Here?!" more than one person subconsciously exclaimed. After discovering that the emperor was really seriously considering this matter, the generals and staff officers were even more shocked, and hurriedly turned their eyes for help to the person who had been standing in the corner without saying a word. At a critical moment, only this person could possibly convince the emperor.

The Emperor's most trusted cabinet minister, one of the architects of the war plan, the Minister of Security, Sid Nasser. Everyone believed that he would stop the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the frontal enemy has at least one division, and it is not inferior to us in terms of strength, and the leader is led by a veteran general like Fox, and the staff officer was formerly López's deputy. It is impossible to achieve victory with our current forces, and we can only wait for them, as they did the other day, to retreat and regroup on their own, unable to bear the losses. Sid was expressionless when he spoke, but he just recounted the current situation with reason. "Unless ......"

"Unless?" heard the word, Gustav came to the spirit.

To everyone's surprise, Sid's attitude did not seem to be very opposed. "Throw in the general reserve, the entire Guards Division. But then we won't be able to attack Kengal again, and we certainly won't be able to go south to Lenny right away. If Your Majesty can make this determination, we can make a plan for a decisive battle here. ”

Indeed, the fighting of the past half month cannot be repeated. Repulsion, repulsion, repulsion!We must fight a war of annihilation!" Gustav walked to the map, his scepter pointed at Kengler's position, and pushed the nearby chess pieces representing the two armies. "I can probably guess what the plan was. ”

"There's just one difference. His Majesty's plan was perfect, but it was too risky. ”

Sid pushes two pawns representing the enemy, and Gustav stubbornly pushes them back. The staff officers around them whispered to each other. Intrigued, Danika squeezed forward to watch: she saw that the blue chess pieces representing the Free Army were concentrated around the town at her feet, while the black chess pieces representing the Imperial Army cut off all roads to the south in the distance. What this means is easy to see.

"Are you willing to put Her Royal Highness and the ladies in the middle of this dangerous bait, and do you believe that the Guards can stop the opponent?" Sid pointed out the crux of the question, "The enemy didn't know you were here. But this time you threw yourself directly into the Guards Division, which is tantamount to telling them about it. ”

Gustav was momentarily speechless. Just as he raised his scepter again to retreat, Danica's hand pressed against his hand holding the "mighty".

"So be it. Anyway, I'm a man with Kirman's blood. ”

"Olia ......" the emperor stared at his sister for a long time. Danika was so numb that he saw her scalp and beads of sweat on her forehead. Did she put on too much of it?

"Come out, we need to talk. We'll go back to the rear, and I'll leave the planning and prom to you, Sid. Xiulan contacted the Guards Division to come over for reinforcements. Build a site...... Let's call the guy who just lost the battle. Gustav took her hand and walked briskly out of the headquarters, leaving behind only a group of astonished officers.

"For the first time, I saw His Majesty evacuated from the front ahead of schedule. No matter how fierce the battle was, he strictly followed the schedule. ”

"Is it because of Her Royal Highness the Princess?"

The Minister of Security coughed and lifted his monocle. "Go to work. Tonight is the final battle. ”

The two men led their horses from the stables and left listening to the sound of gunfire in the town. Originally, the commander of the guard company insisted that they be equipped with guards in case they encountered the infiltration infantry squads that the Free Army excelled at, but the emperor refused.

"A normal squad, the two of us can handle it. Let's concentrate our forces on the attack. ”

They didn't encounter any enemy scouts along the way, for the reserves of the Second Army were rushing to the town company by company, filling the bottomless flesh mill. The Emperor was troubled by the fact that the officers of each company would stop and line up at the sight of the famous pale gold cuirass, and order everyone to salute, and he had to return the salute and encourage their morale. After repeating this four times, their patience finally reached its limit.

"If it doesn't go on like this, it will delay the march of the troops. How about taking the path behind the hills?" Denica proposed, sensing Gustav's embarrassment.

"Well, it's a nice day. The Emperor looked around, "Just go up that gentle slope." ”

Danika strolled along the gentle hillside, looking at the remnants of the battle of the previous days. Traces of the battle can still be seen on each of the heights that were once the strongholds of the Free Army: bullets and shells fired from both sides dotted the sea of white and yellow flowers, the fragrance mixed with the remnants of gunsmoke. In the grass of almost every hill lies a stone monument of the Imperial Army's feats, on which the engineering mages carved the names of the troops who conquered the hill and the fallen in battle. Some of the steles were still guarded by Imperial soldiers, and the Emperor was careful not to interfere with their duties. For some reason, they never talked until Danika found a stream and offered to rest and drink the horses.

"Are you scared?"

Hearing the emperor suddenly ask such a clueless question, Danica, who had just dismounted and squatted down by the stream to wash her hands, turned her head. "Afraid of what?"

"Aren't you afraid to be on the front line where you can die at any moment? Once the army is defeated or an accident happens, there is no time to retreat. ”

"Princess" held her chin in contemplation for a moment, then shook her head. "At this level, I'm probably not afraid. When venturing outside, it is not uncommon to encounter situations that are even more dangerous than this. ”

In fact, what she was doing every moment was extremely dangerous. She is confident in dealing with a few soldiers who can't do magic, but she has no chance of winning against the entire empire's military machine - once her identity is revealed, she will have to face the latter situation. In contrast, the probability of being killed by artillery in the front command is much, much lower.

Hearing her answer, the emperor sat down on the stone beside her, with a peculiar expression on his face. Even up close, there was hardly a blemish in his countenance: it was as majestic as the otherworldly handsomeness of the emperor's standard statues of marble sculptures. At this moment, what was engraved on this handsome face was an indescribable expression of pain. No one expected that someone at the top of the pyramid of power would have such an expression.

"Perhaps you are more suited to be Emperor than I am, Olya. Actually, I'm scared all the time. ”

Danika's eyes widened. Emperor Gustavus, who was known for his bravery, actually said that he was ...... Fear? This scene that was out of touch with common sense made her afraid. Did she say something wrong......?" Fear? Brother, are you? You're not even afraid of the front line where stray bullets are flying, what are you afraid of?"

"I was afraid that my vast inheritance would come to naught overnight, that my defenses would collapse overnight, that the fleeting chance of victory would slip through my fingers. I fear that the nightmare of Stillburg will be repeated, leaving the entire empire in its hands on the next successor. ”

The Emperor looked into Danika's eyes and said word by word. At first, the girl thought he was joking, but then realized that he was serious. Gustav's hand and injured leg trembled slightly as she spoke of this, and she hurriedly took his right hand to calm him down. That hand was as cold as iron. It took a long time for her to realize that the "next heir" was referring to "Princess Olya" herself. The Emperor was still talking in a way that was very different from his usual speaking style. How long had it been since he had found someone to tell him about it? After all, he was only a young man in his early twenties......

“...... Actually, I don't want to go to the front at all, and I don't like the banquets and balls that attract people's hearts. But in order to boost morale and ensure everyone's loyalty to me, I had to do that. ”

"I understand. Danica glanced at the Emperor's leg and nodded knowingly. If she had to walk with the help of crutches, she would have been furious when she heard the word "ball". "But you did it anyway, didn't you? When I traveled before, I heard the saying that only those who know what fear is, can face reality calmly. Those who don't know what fear is, only recklessness remains. The virtue of knowing fear but still having the courage to face it is called courage. ”

"Thank you for listening to me, Olya. Now I feel so much better. I have always feared that it was a reckless mistake for me to start this war. ”

"History will tell. ”

He looked at her, then smiled. Everything that just happened was as if it had never happened. Suddenly, her body heated up, and red blood rushed up her cheeks.

It wasn't shyness, it was the magic she used to detect changes around her, alerting her to impending danger in the most urgent way. The first bullet flew past her hair, and almost at the same time, she heard the sound of gunshots. The girl's unforgettable memory reminded her of the model of the gunshot. She was familiar with the sound of the gunshot, and could hear the muffled sound of the oval-shaped bullet every day she was in charge of the Overarch.

The front-loading rifled gun Type 61, the prototype of many enchanted guns, including the implosion gun, is the only firearm in the Free Army that has an accuracy at a distance of 200 meters.

“...... Chasseur class?!" Danika exclaimed. She remembered the formation, and remembered it very clearly. The Assault Company is the concentration of the Free Army's limited magical combat power, and the Chasseur Squad is the most elite infiltrator of them. It has the same tasks as a normal company reconnaissance squad, but has an alternative to "retreat if encountered". The hunter squad has the right to strike at any target of its choosing. It was clear that this squad of hunters had been eyeing Gustav's conspicuous golden armor for a long time. In her memory, each chasseur squad had six soldiers armed with front-loading rifled guns -

"I guard. ”

Gustav chanted softly. The inconspicuous cane in his hand quickly lifted and tapped the ground. More bullets from different directions crashed into the ubiquitous protective net, making a dull fluttering sound.

"I refuse. ”

Both the bullets and the magic bounced back the way they came, hitting the person who shot them. The soldiers of the Free Army resisted in a panic, and at this moment the Emperor's figure pierced through the protective net. Kirman's blood burned, and his speed had reached the limits of human imagination.

"I command. ”

The devilish impulse appeared in the minds of the free-legged soldiers who had their positions revealed by the shooting. Two snipers in the first group dropped their guns first, then two in the second group. Several other people who were supporting them hurriedly stepped forward to try to organize an attack, but their conspicuous red uniforms became the direct target of the next blow. The bullets fired by these people just grazed the emperor's figure, and I don't know if they were missed in the first place, or if they were dodged by his ultra-high-speed movements.

"I dominate. ”

Hearing this magical command, the Free Army soldiers pulled their short bayonets out of their boots and fought each other. The remnants of their sanity kept them from attacking the vital points of their comrades, but they had no time to meet the rapidly approaching Emperor.

"I judge!"

Gustav's figure stopped, and he slowly raised his staff in front of the enemy and waved it down. His weapons are not flashy, but they are very useful.

No one sees the existence of power, and few even understand it: when they finally see it in action, they have no chance to resist it anymore.

That weapon can and can only be used by big people who have the same guts, speed, and reflexes. The range of the magic covers all targets within a radius of fifty meters. Tremendous psychological pressure invaded the brains of the Free Army soldiers, and the condemnation of conscience enveloped them all over their bodies until their sanity collapsed. From the discovery of the first enemy to the fall of the ninth, it all happened for a short period of time, so short that Danika had just pulled out her pocket watch. Of course, it was also a royal collection that she had come along.

"Don't say that a chaser squad, even an assault company can't beat him! No wonder the emperor rarely dies in assassination. Speaking of which...... He seemed to have a very nimble leg just now?"

The Emperor walked back to her, still limp. Danika hurriedly put away her curiosity and put on a smiling face to greet him in triumph, but her eyes still unconsciously glanced at the emperor's lap.

"Your Majesty has worked hard, and an enemy of this level is really not enough to worry about. Do you want to take a break?"

"Of course. Now the neighborhood is safe, and those people won't wake up until sunset. Gustav noticed his sister's gaze and said with a wry smile, "This leg has long since returned to normal physiologically, and has been treated by successive popes and cardinals. It's just that I've been used to it for many years, and it is estimated that it is impossible to completely cure. ”

"That's right. She stubbornly resisted the idea of continuing to ask the reason, and changed the subject, "Then how long shall we rest......

Before the words could be spoken, the emperor had already fallen on her shoulder. Danika hurriedly helped him and sat down beside the horse, resting his head on his lap.

"Sure enough, it's Corman's bloodline, and even the point of resting is the same. ”

In the place where the emperor had defeated the enemy just now, there was the sound of the shasling of the blades of grass. The girl was startled at first, but then reacted.

"A chasper squad should be thirteen people, right? So, four of them have been ...... a long time ago."

Knowing that she didn't have to worry about safety anymore, she quietly used a weight-reducing spell to help the Emperor walk to the nearest place with a good view.

By the time Gustav woke up again, the sun had set.

He sat up from Danika's lap and found himself on a hill full of small yellow flowers. The girl behind her was sleeping soundly, and she seemed unaware of the sudden loss of weight on her knees. Looking at his sister's sleeping face, the emperor smiled unconsciously, but this smile immediately turned to melancholy.

"Why are you my sister......

When he picked up his cloak and tried to put it on "Olya", the girl opened her eyes. "Your Majesty, is the time up?"

"Ah, almost. The emperor hurriedly turned his head and looked in the direction of Kengrad, "In an afternoon, the Guards Division should be reinforced." ”

"Shall we go then?"

Gustav tried to pretend he hadn't said that, and Danica tried to pretend he hadn't heard. After all, it's much safer for no one to hear than to hear.

While they were still on the road, the battle was over. The silver-clad soldiers, who had finished the battle in just two hours, were cleaning the battlefield, and only the last rays of light were left in the sky. It was not a bitter battle for the proudest unit of the Imperial Army, and strangely enough, the losers of the battle were not much dissatisfied.

"How many losses?"

"The front-line troops lost thirty percent of their combat effectiveness, but managed to withdraw. It has been determined that the other party is the Emperor's Guard, and with their pride, they must not realize that we have deliberately retreated. ”

"Good. Are the counterattack troops ready? Pay attention to concealment, after all, the other party is the elite who claims to be the first in the empire. ”

Hel Tedwood, chief staff officer of the Central Army, listened to his subordinates' reports and bowed slightly. His front-line headquarters was indeed located on a farm not far east of town, and now several officers who had been withdrawn from the street fighting during the day were reporting to him on the previous battles. Around the table with a sand table, these staff officers chatted idly, without the slightest hint of fear or anger after defeat.

"By the way, how do you feel about that unit?"

"It's really strong, the support firepower is very good, and the tactics are very varied. They have a lot of mages, and they are adept at forming elite squads with all casters to penetrate our defenses. We've set up as many anti-magic fortifications as we can, but they still have a way around them. ”

"Even their soldiers are equipped with magical equipment, and we may not be able to win even if we attack with three or four times the force. It may be too reluctant to attack them with a national division, or even a second division. ”

"Doesn't seem like there's anything to be taken advantage of?" Hull sighed a little disappointed, "but anyway, this is an opportunity." They claimed that the emperor was there...... Even if we weren't, if we could cripple their general reserves, we would have earned it, right? There should have been another way to eat cheese on rat clips. ”

"Do you really want to do this? It's too risky to attack even if you know it's a bait. In case of failure, will our Central Army still have a chance?"

Hearing the questioning, Lieutenant Colonel Hull turned grime.

"If we can succeed in killing the emperor and his heirs, the war will end. If we can inflict heavy damage on the Guards, the Emperor will have to stop and recuperate, and Kengal will be safe. If we fail, the Emperor will inevitably cross Kengrad or even Lenny without any scruples, and we will have the opportunity to launch the 'Morning Dew' campaign. How can we say that we don't have a chance in this project? Remember, we are fighting for the sake of the motherland, not for personal honor or career. ”

All the people, whether they were in yellow, blue or red uniforms, stood up.

"The First National Division will go down to rest, and the Second Inter Division will prepare. The preparations for the battle were completed in two hours, and the emperor who thought he was full of clever plans was surprised. ”

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