XV

The crowd is a strange thing, sometimes fanatical and blind, sometimes indifferent and cowering, sometimes scattered, sometimes indestructible.

When they are ordinary people, they all have their own personalities: some are indignant, some are taking advantage of the fire, some are hesitant, some are in a hurry, some stand up, and some flee in confusion. But after the sudden bloodshed, all these personalities converge into the same reflection: disorder. Gradually, reason began to be lost, and empty slogans flooded the earth.

"It happened. Finally it happened. ”

Faced with a bad situation, the young lieutenant not only did not feel disappointed, but breathed a sigh of relief. He had long guessed that an election with such a close outcome could not be resolved peacefully, and would end in riots and intrigues.

In the past few months of failures and trials, he has really learned only one thing: to be prepared for the worst at all times, and to plan for the worst. While things may not go your way, it's not a bad idea to have a few more contingency plans in place. Even the best of times can take a sudden turn for the worse, not to mention the already not-so-rosy situation.

He had long conceived of the possibility of a potential adversary creating a riot in Kengrad. He had already seen riots and collapses more than once, in Lenny, in Fortibourg. People who live in good order, comrades-in-arms who usually take care of each other like brothers, can become helpless lambs, greedy robbers, crazy abusers, or merciless enemies in the blink of an eye. Once such a storm erupts, it cannot be stopped, only permanent scars and hatred.

Over the years, Naimon has repeatedly recreated the riots in his mind and in nightmares of the night. After numerous defeats, he painfully admits that with his limited forces and mediocre abilities are far from enough to turn the tide—except in one way. That method is not legal or ethical, but it is the only way to do it.

Fear them before the riots begin, and use thunderous means to control and disperse the crowd at all costs. As long as there are no more crowds, there will be no chance for potential perpetrators – or rather killers. Only a very small number of people really take pleasure in violence, and the danger can be minimized without giving them a chance. To that end, he had carefully studied the mess of magical items that Anne had brought to the team.

"The whole company is deployed! Men with pickaxes dig fortifications on the spot, men with non-lethal weapons control the commanding heights, and the reconnaissance group informs the follow-up companies to disperse the crowd by force! Disperse them by all means as quickly as possible, and hand over the wounded to the follow-up company! We must not allow any group of more than five people to pass through our blockade line!"

Hearing the orders of the official commander, who usually doesn't give orders much, the soldiers couldn't react for a while.

"Where is the first line?" "Where are the fortifications?"

Impatiently, Naimon snatched the flag from the company's standard-bearer, raised it high, drew a line in the air, and commanded in a loud voice: "Defend here! Throw stinky cloud bombs at the opposite side!

The soldiers hesitated, looked at the flying halberd flags, and moved. They hurried forward in a haphazard manner, throwing their stinky cloud bombs at the mob in front of them.

The cloud of rotten eggs that smelled of rotting eggs spread through the crowd that was swarming towards them, provoking countless violent coughs and screams. The civilians, who couldn't stand it, retreated one after another, rushing out of the range of magic weapons, and only the well-trained Rulok soldiers remained in formation. They also felt panic and great pressure, but did not dare to act at will without receiving orders.

"Lieutenant, what do you want to do?!ahem...... Disperse the stinking clouds!

The first to react to his actions was Eugen. He tore off the emblem from his chest and grasped it tightly in his hand, and together with both hands, he used his magic to blow away all the green stinky clouds in front of him. Naimon gritted his teeth, ignoring Eugen's threats, and continued to convey his orders.

"All shields raised!All spellcasters ready to take cover!Second Lieutenant Sefir, it's up to you!"

Hearing this double order, several non-commissioned officers did not hesitate to pull out their scepters and point at the crowd on the opposite side and the few dozen Directory soldiers. Anne acted faster than he commanded, hypnotizing the two Directory soldiers who were watching, and her brother and Machiavelli knocked the other two unconscious with their fists.

"Stop, Soleton, what do you want to do?!" Edith and Govar, who had retreated behind their own lines, shouted his last name almost at the same time, but Naymen remained deaf.

"Hurry, hurry, what else can be done?...... There you go!"

In his desperation, he remembered the last time he had seen the Soaring Flame at Lennie. If it's that kind of dirt curtain...... Thinking of this, Naimon rushed to the paving stone that had been lifted and thrown aside, snatched a soldier's tunneling pick, held it horizontally, and swept it out close to the ground!

"Follow me!"

The command is simple and straightforward. It only took a split second for the soldiers to understand the commander's intentions. The earthy curtain that rushed to the sky was stirred up, and it flew diagonally towards the crowded crowd, smashing everyone who couldn't open their eyes!

Many of the supporters of the Autonomy Party had already begun to flee, and Naimon knew that the brutality of the rabble was approaching its limit, and it was only the last straw away. The last one. With his pathetic magical abilities, he couldn't add straw.

"Please. Anyone else, disperse the crowd!"

The paving stone was cut off by his last pickaxe, and his hands ached. At this moment, several shouts suddenly erupted in the crowd on both sides.

"It's too dangerous here, let's go back!

"Run! No amount of lives here is enough to pay!"

"Don't get involved in the regular army battles!

The last straw was not one, but three, and the camel was crushed in an instant. Three inflammatory voices burst through the crowd almost simultaneously.

Fear and confusion swept over the minds of the people for a moment, and they felt timid in the face of the confrontation of tower shields, muzzles, and regular troops. Screaming, racing, pushing and trampling on each other, the protesters on both sides rushed to their homes, fleeing in a matter of minutes, leaving behind a sky of yellow fog and two opposing armies.

Naimon patted the dust off his body, got up from the pit, and tossed aside his exhausted tunneling pickaxe. He couldn't figure out which three people understood what he meant, but it didn't matter. He did it. The next task is to solve the misunderstanding with the other party and evacuate everyone safely.

"I'm sorry, I was forced to do ......," he exclaimed, raising his hands and walking to the opposite position, trying to explain to Eugen and Govar the purpose of his actions.

But what he did not take into account was that now he was the only one on the entire company's front exposed beyond the shield walls and bunkers. He was the only one who attracted the attention of the opposing general—a priest who would be more serious than anyone else at that critical moment. Now, Eugen has borrowed a sword from his own guards.

"Actually, we are also forced by the situation. ”

Naimon heard Eugen say this sentence locally, and only had time to see a flash of white light in front of him. He instinctively ducked to the side, but the blade with the light grazed his left abdomen. He'd seen this trick before, and Eugen had used it against Robert Eyre -

The problem was that he wasn't Robert, and he didn't have the power to swing the whirling sword away.

There must have been a few small organs ruptured, and the eyes quickly fell into darkness. He heard four screams and confusion. The voices of Govar and Edith were stopping Eugen as several footsteps quickly approached him.

"I can't help it...... I had to use this. Then a young female voice he could not distinguish, but which he was somewhat familiar with, whispered a prayer in his ear.

Then one saw the first complete healing technique in history, initiated by a Protestant priest.

*** ***

Naimon stood up stunned.

The slight numbness brings indescribable comfort, and the soft white light massages the whole body. The large and small scars and wounds disappeared in an instant, the large wound on the abdomen healed rapidly, and even the sight of the left eye was restored. The fatigue and hard work were swept away, and it was as refreshing as if I had slept twelve hours.

He wasn't sure, but the rest of the people looked at the caster in amazement. The most surprising was Major General Egar Eugen, who had the status of a patriarch.

"You are also a priest? can't be...... Too young. Are you affiliated with the Reformation Society?!" Realizing that the other party might be a high-ranking priest, Eugen's attitude softened considerably. Originally, he looked down on this cunning playboy, but now he had to revise his opinion.

"In the name of all the gods and the Renovators who convey their will, let us all stop. Now that the crowd has dispersed, what can't we talk about?"

With a simple smile and a holy emblem in her right hand, Pluto Luthor, or Bonnie Sefir, stood in front of Naimon's entire company, preventing the situation from deteriorating further. Even her sister Anne had no idea why she was revealing her status as a senior priest - she had not been given any notice beforehand.

"Speaking of which, neither of us really looks like a clergyman, General Eugen. The playboy who went from politician to clergy in the blink of an eye spoke.

Eugen, who was shocked by that divine skill, didn't listen to him at all, but muttered to himself, "Complete healing technique...... I heard the rumors a while ago, but I didn't expect it to be true. It's finally done......"

Realizing that her boss was useless now, Edith hurriedly interjected: "Then let me talk about your unauthorized armed entry into our defense zone." Didn't there be a clear stipulation in the agreement that neither the Imperial Volunteers nor the Lenny Army were allowed to enter our defense zone?

Naimon was greatly wronged: "It was because the politicians here were physically threatened that we came here at the request of the people!

"Wait a minute. You just said requested?" Pluto turned his head sharply, staring into Naimon's eyes, "At whose request?"

"At your request, of course. The secretary rushed to call for help. Naimon was startled and hurriedly defended.

"Secretary, we didn't send anyone for help......" He followed Namen's gaze, noticing the cowardly messenger who was the secretary of the politician.

The messenger was cowering in the corner. Seeing Luthor turn his gaze, he shook his head frantically and shouted, "It's not me!

Bonnie, who was dressed as a man, was not deceived by this performance. Magically, she pulled out a beautifully decorated spring-wheel machine pistol with many gems from inside her coat and pointed it at the man. "I've never seen you, who the hell are you? Did you shoot the people across from you?"

"No, no......" The man waved his hands frantically, turning his head to escape down the already empty street behind him.

"Wait a minute, don't run!" Naimon hurriedly shouted to another company that came from behind, "Stop him......

"Enough. Without hesitation, Bonnie flicked her wrist, and all the jewels and gold and silver threads on the gun lit up, and the projectile flew out with a bang. The projectile, with a tracer, staggered towards that target. Just as he was about to be hit, the man suddenly disappeared out of thin air—sinking into his shadow!

"Shadowland?" Anne, Pluto, and Machiavelli all exclaimed at the same time, all reading the magic that would make entities disappear into any shadows. As long as there is a continuous shadow, this magic allows the caster to move through the shadows at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people. Machiavelli, who was already good at the Shadow Domain, immediately threw a shot of illumination in that direction, causing all the natural shadows to disappear, trying to catch the man.

The light flashed, but nothing appeared. It was as if the man had vanished into thin air, never to be seen again.

"He's going to fade away...... Who is he?" Machiavelli stared at the fading light, "is he the mysterious strategist?"

This sudden turn of events silenced everyone, and in the end it was Marshal Govar who broke the cold. Seeing that he was about to speak again, Edith tried to hold him, but was gently thrown away—the movement was very gentle, but unstoppable.

"Anyway, you've saved the crisis. Although this is contrary to the military rule that 'the Free Army shall not fire at the people'...... But you've done a great job. I thank you so much. Without your decisive action, it may have led to an even greater tragedy. ”

Hearing the Supreme Commander of the Overseer say this, everyone around was stunned. What he said did not correspond to his position at all. According to common sense, Govar should be held accountable for their unauthorized entry into the defense zone of the Metbysi Division. Only a few people knew that this "Radetz Govar" was in fact a young woman, and only one person guessed that this "Govar" was not entirely on the side of the Directory.

"But," Govar said, "as a soldier, I don't want to and shouldn't care about politics, and I will never interfere in this election." There are a lot of people who support Mr. Brighton, and I'm afraid it would be awkward for you to continue to stay here. Even if you do bring the election dispute to court, you will probably not be able to take advantage of it. If you leave now, Master Matthibisi will not interfere in any way. ”

Hearing his words, both the Federalist Party's Felder Chairman and the Liberal Party's Machiavelli had a look of disdain on their faces. Both men had been in the political arena of Rulok for many years, confident that they would always have a way to win when their own methods were superior, and they did not want to give up now. But it was Luthor who was speaking now, and they were tactful enough not to interrupt others as freely as Govar did. What they didn't expect was that Luthor's choice was completely unexpected.

"Okay. We'll get out of the city right away, before Chase makes the next strong statement. Thank you for your magnanimity. He turned around and patted Soleton, who had just stood up, on the shoulder, "Gather all the troops in the city, and we'll get out of the city." ”

"Wait a minute. Nikolai Machiavelli stopped him, "Why are we evacuating? We won the election!"

"It was 'we nominally won the election'. Luther corrected solemnly, "In the past as you know, this situation should be here to fight to the end." But in these extraordinary moments, we have to leave, as soon as possible. Where is the main team of the Central Army now, Naimon?"

"Sorry, it's a military secret. Naimon hesitated, looked at Anne and replied. Anne immediately understood, and stepped forward to whisper the location in the ear of "Cousin Luther".

Hearing this position, Luthor was startled at first, then regained his usual expression, and explained to his colleagues solemnly: "The current situation is very delicate, and we must act quickly. I know you all have a lot of questions, but please don't question them and follow us out. This is a decision I made with the officers. ”

His words cannot be rejected. The politicians were skeptical, but Métie Crosso cautiously asked, "Well, we'll be fine, Pluto?"

"No problem, everything is under control. Bonnie touched Metti's hair and promised.

At this moment, all the amplification magic devices installed on the guard towers and bell towers were activated, broadcasting Chase Brighton's second proclamatory statement. Obviously, this is a new statement that he wrote after he got the news of the march to incite the march, and the tone has completely changed.

"Pro-Federalist forces have invaded the city and they are trying to interfere with this election with arms. The fact that the Federalist Party, which has only 30% of the support rate, is trying to gain power through the manipulation of the system is unreasonable and illegal, and it is not in line with the agreement reached by the three parties before. Why can these politicians arbitrarily exploit the will of the people who support them? Why can they suppress the real majority through a numbers game? The nascent Julok Republic has never recognized a new amendment that contains these evil provisions! These people are trying to undermine the autonomy of the Juloks by all means, and we absolutely cannot tolerate it! Those who support the Autonomous Party, unite, surround them, and defend the Republic! Let us drive out of Kengrad these careerists who infringe on the sovereignty of the people!"

Hearing such a sinister statement, more than one person at the same time disdainfully "poofed". This is simply a statement to catch them all!

"It turns out that the legal basis is this. The agreement only stated the Succession Electoral Law, but not the Succession Electoral Act. There's still such a trick!" Machiavelli said hatefully, apologizing to Luthor in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I misjudged just now. If that person was here, she should be able to see through the other person's plan. ”

Bonnie nodded and accepted his apology, "It's not your fault, it's just that you haven't seen that person yet." Chase didn't intend for us to win from the start. However, with his ability, it is impossible to come up with such an idea, I wonder who gave him advice?"

"They're really fast. If this statement had been five minutes earlier, everything would have been different. Anne spoke everyone's mind. Immediately afterwards, she asked with a worried face: "What should we do now? Soleton, what do you see? Shall we rush back to the rescue of the division? Or should we rush to Voltkagrad and join the main force as the other party suggests?"

"It's probably too late to go back to the rescue division. If that spy is an Imperial, the Imperial Volunteers must be already in our division headquarters now, and it won't help us to rush back. It was indeed safe to escape to Vodkagrad, but ......"

Naimon weighed these two options and hesitated. The elected officers of the division headquarters could not be relied upon, and they would certainly surrender soon, but he was not reconciled to flee to Vodkagrad like this. In the evaluation of the promotion of junior officers, interpersonal relationships are more important than ability or merit – but the former is something that a man like him cannot count on. If he retreats, he may even be caught as a scapegoat by other officers. What he needs now is merit! Merit enough for him to leave the front line and go back to the Higher Army Academy!

A thought suddenly flooded into his mind, and he couldn't get rid of it. Risky, but there are huge opportunities hidden. He lowered his voice and asked his lieutenant and the politicians.

"What do you think we have a chance of attacking the other side's garrison now?

Both Field's and Machiavelli's faces changed, but Pluto was quicker than them and spoke his mind before they did.

"I think it's a good plan, probably safer than fleeing to Vodkagrad. If we're lucky, we'll probably catch a few more hostages. How sure are you, Lieutenant?"

"If you start now, I think I'm at least 70% sure. After a rough calculation, Naimon replied, "The troops we sent out have a total of eleven or two companies, and there are nearly two thousand people in total. ”

"Then I don't mind taking risks with you. What do you think, Lord Nicholas, Field? At least, we still have basic fortifications and artillery to use in the camp of the Imperial Army north of the city. ”

Pluto's voice was low, but with a faint threat. In the last three months, he had put the Directory's finances in such disarray that not a single banker in the whole of Kengal dared to disobey him. The two politicians, who were nominally higher than him, could not find the words to refute it, so they nodded silently - while abandoning the other Free Army that remained in the camp.

"Let's go, then. Seeing that there was no objection, Anne nodded, "I'll go gather the other companies." ”

More than a dozen companies that entered the city were scattered all over the place, and now only three could be seen in Naimon's naked eye, and it was not easy to gather them. But Naimon was confident that his lieutenant would be able to do the task perfectly.

"All to the East Gate!" he commanded aloud, picking up the company's flag from the ground again, in order to make Eugen and Govar hear their movements. He knew he was sitting back and watching the rest of the division slide into the abyss, but he also knew there was nothing he could do about it.

"Radetz Govar" and Edith watched as the troops of the Halberd Division left in the direction of the east gate. The Major breathed a sigh of relief, but the "marshal" sighed; Edith leaned into the ear of Marshal Govar and whispered, "Denica, I am afraid that you will not be appreciated by that gentleman for such arbitrariness. The gentleman must have been in the south, but we haven't seen him yet...... Ah, actually, I haven't even met that gentleman. ”

"I don't care what you guys say. We're just a contractual partnership, aren't we? You didn't tell me any real secrets, so you shouldn't kill me. The girl, disguised as Govar, changed her voice and replied in a volume that only the other could hear.

Edith was startled: "How is it possible! The Royal Department of Security is not an evil organization. I can keep you safe with my rank. ”

"I hope so. Danika smiled sarcastically, a smile that looked like a treacherous on her face now. She looked up, first to the east and then to the north, and guessed what Naimon would do—a guy who would risk his best personal gain.

"I wish you all the best in your adventure, too. She quietly blessed her childhood sweetheart in her heart.

At this time, in the headquarters of the Fifth National Division's "War Halberd", the commander of the Benson Division, who had just been invincible, was looking at the magicians, bishops, and knights of the Imperial Army coming and going in front of his eyes.

After signing the order to surrender and making the name of the division disappear completely, no one looked at him again. The Imperial Volunteer Army was small in number, but surprisingly high in quality. The Great Mage, wielding the terrifying gravity magic, easily infiltrated the artillery positions and easily rendered all artillery incapacitated. They also had many knights who were skilled in battle, and soldiers who fought with ordinary swords without magic were completely unmatched.

The humble base had fallen so quickly that he hadn't even had time to send someone to inform the Central Army headquarters. The capture of this makeshift fortress, which was fairly defended, took the Imperial soldiers only three hours.

The techniques of siege and defense are the fastest changing technologies in this era. At the end of the Middle Ages a hundred years ago, it took at least three months of siege to conquer a fortress. Eighty years ago, artillery cut that time to one week, and forty years ago to one day with the popularity of short-range teleportation. Twenty years ago, cement, new building magic, and a cheap anti-magic array restored that time to five days—

But in an era where spellcaster rates have skyrocketed and new magic is popping up at an unprecedented rate, everything has changed again.

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