XXIII

*** ***

The time goes back to the early morning of December 8th.

From the beginning of the general offensive to now, an hour has passed. Almost all the houses on the left and right sides of Central Avenue were in ruins, and debris and dirt bags piled up on the road became a natural fortress for soldiers to hide from the guns and hand-thrown-to-hand grenades. Soldiers in short weapons weave their way through indistinguishable streets and obstacles, fighting and fighting.

"The defense line of the Seventh Avenue has been broken through and retreated to the Fifth Avenue!"

At this distance, there was no longer time for the arquebusiers to reload, and they picked up the swords and spears left behind by their comrades and enemies and threw themselves into close combat. The lead particles of the six-pounder shotgun could not penetrate the wreckage of the building, and the self-propelled guns of the Klad's pride were reduced to mobile and fire cover.

“...... Go forward, valiant warriors, God is praying for you......"

“...... Aim and shoot!"

The fierce gunfire interrupted the priest's prayers forever. As the commander of the defenders, Klad López leads a specially formed hunt party in search of support mages and priests. This is not a friendly competition or competition between magicians, but a real war.

"Why are they all supporting spellcasters, and where are the attacking spellcasters?"

General Clad leaned on cover and prostrated himself, picked up a telescope, and observed the opponent's attack. Countless battle groups braved artillery fire and infiltrated the López Army's defensive lines.

"Another new serial number, this is the twelfth. The opposing side threw another company into reserve. ”

Hel Tedwood crouched down next to the corpse, examining the deceased's logo. Twelve companies means that the other side does not have many troops...... But it's the same on their side.

"Throw in the last company. Clad ordered in a deep voice, "Let the fighters of the first three companies go down and regroup." ”

"Your Excellency, the remaining strength of those three companies is probably one company combined...... No, not a platoon can be put together. ”

Of the 900 blocking troops, less than 200 remained...... Although Govar had already lost about two thousand men in street fighting, he still had much more reserves. To add insult to injury, the López Army's defensive line was constantly retreating, and their wounded could not be rescued. The current situation is no longer 900 people blocking 2,500 people, but 200 people blocking 1,000 people. By the time Govar threw himself into the Fourteenth Company, their defense would undoubtedly collapse......

At that moment, the opponent's offensive suddenly stopped. The entire battlefield was unusually quiet, and even the soldiers of the infiltrated coup army turned their heads in amazement and listened.

Not far from the north, the rumbling of artillery was heard.

The sound of the cannon sounded like it came from hell!

"It's finally here. Craid stood up, a flash of blue light in his hand, killing a mage.

"It's finally here. Hel Tedwood wiped the cold sweat from his head and smiled.

All the self-propelled guns roared, and the encirclement was finally completed. From that moment on, both sides were back on the same starting line: neither of them had any more reserves.

In retrospect, Clad feels that was the closest he came to victory. It's a pity that he didn't expect the other party to break through so resolutely......

*** ***

"Clad López?...... I'm sorry, but please wait a moment while I'll go in and report it. ”

The porter politely repeated the name twice, then retreated into the guardhouse next to the gate, and asked inside with a brass microphone. Taking advantage of this time, middle-aged soldiers in civilian clothes began to look at the mansion and the courtyard around it. Located just north of the ring fort, it was lucky enough to escape the flames that nearly burned the north side of Central Street.

The first thing that caught his attention was, of course, the wall—no anomaly visible from the outside, but from the inside, the shape of the wall was very abrupt. The average height of the parapet is only about two people high, but it is a long section that is full of five people high, and at the top of this parapet of different heights, a huge "awning" sticks out to cover half of the garden. If this is an architectural style, it is too unique. There are quite a few eye-catching bullet marks and bullet holes scattered on the wall, and it seems that there has been a fierce firefight. The color of the earth was dark, and Clad could tell at a glance that the places had been soaked in blood......

Immersion through ...... His gaze suddenly fixed on a dark patch of dirt that seemed to have been soaked in blood. On that piece of dirt, there were thousands of tiny pits dotted with stars, tiny pits made by a rapidly impacting object. If it weren't for Clad's eyesight, he might not have seen it at all. Each pit is almost identical: long, narrow, deep, with the same scratches on the rim.

"Three thousand...... No, four thousand shadow swords. ”

Clad approached briskly, crouched down, and scrutinized the dense pit. He could make out the scratches at a glance: they were familiar to him. He didn't have to count to know the exact number of swords.

"One sword illusion two instruments, two instruments illusion four images, four elephant illusion eight trigrams, eight trigrams complex into sixty-four hexagrams, sixty-four hexagrams self-generated four thousand and ninety-six ghost swords, ranked as one of the ten swords in the world's 'scarlet sky'...... Have you also come to this distant land, Senior Brother Yunhai?"

The memories of the past on the True Cultivation Spirit Mountain overlapped with the sword marks in front of him. The clearest memory is before the man in white with the road name "Sea of Clouds" left for the East China Sea.

"For the world is round, and the place we call the province of the East China Sea is actually to the west of you? If I had the opportunity in my lifetime, I would like to see it from you. You came to us to see the world, did you?"

"If we have the chance, let's travel in the East China Sea...... Or see you in my hometown. My country is called the 'United Provinces Republic', and we can see each other again if we have the chance. Have a good trip, Senior Brother Yunhai. ”

Clad gently picked up the small sword at his waist and breathed up. The blue light flashed and disappeared – without any resonance. He couldn't feel the resonance between the flying sword and the flying sword, nor could he feel the information about the existence of the sword's owner. The sword is in the people, and the sword is dead. If he didn't feel the sword, there were only two possibilities - the sword's owner was dead, or he had left the city.

"This is His Excellency Lieutenant General Clad López. What are you looking for me?"

The magnetic voice was smooth and gentle, but also incomparably sharp, and at that moment, the general even felt that it was a bit like the voice of the Scarlet Master. He stood up and turned his head. In front of him was a handsome face with a rare impression, and a pair of pointed but not long ears. At that moment, he knew immediately that he was the person he was looking for: the person in front of him seemed to be the embodiment of the sea.

"In last night's battle, thanks to Mr. Stihaus, we were able to keep the lower half of the river fleet. I mentioned that I wanted to hire him into the river fleet, but he refused - he recommended you. ”

This is the first official meeting between the dragon of the sea with a gentle smile and the cold and solemn land eagle. Seven years into history, the dragon and the eagle would have played a magnificent requiem for the behemoth known as the Holy Empire on the edge of Teresa.

*** ***

Back to the night before.

"The direction of the ninth company was ...... Broke through. The main forces of the enemy have already assaulted the south side along Sixth Avenue. ”

The arrival of this news was like a bolt from the blue. Clad's face still looked grim as usual - he just slammed the pistol in his hand to the ground without saying a word.

"Radetz Govar is a battle-hardened veteran who found the only way out so quickly. He's sent all the attacking mages as the general reserve, right? Centralizing all the mages at the division level and even the headquarters can indeed tear a path in front of us. Major Hull nervously calculated the current situation, "If it is detoured from the flank......"

"Let the cavalry company go and inform all the companies to turn south en masse and annihilate all the enemy in sight. We have to race against them. ”

Go south! Every soldier of the two armies received this order. Whoever it is, as long as they detour back to the front of their opponent, they can win.

Central Plaza, South 1st District, South 2nd District, Government Building, South 3rd District......

All formations are gone, only racing and pursuit. From time to time, there were small-scale firefights, and the flames followed the footsteps of the soldiers, spreading, and moving forward. The battle went on and on until the endless river Metbysi crossed the two armies at the same time. It was the largest port on the Metributi River and the station of the Inter-Provincial River Fleet.

A burst of naval artillery fire suddenly stopped the pace of López's army. One shell hit the self-propelled gun right on it, making a deafening sound. When people reacted, they realized that the gun carriage had been punched a huge hole by the 24-pound shell. This is the third artillery carriage lost by the López army tonight.

"Fleet shelling!"

The soldiers stopped and fell to their stomachs. In front, there was a crowd of thousands of coup army soldiers, whose morale had collapsed, was rushing towards the transport ships. Even in the middle of the race, Govar managed to gather almost all the defeated soldiers and prisoners, and assembled a huge team of about 5,000 men.

The situation suddenly became extremely grim again.

"Sir, this will not work, we must withdraw from the range of the naval guns!" shouted Hull to the roar of the naval guns.

"Is that all we have to do is watch them regroup their forces by water?" Clade, the eagle on land, clenched his fists, "Does anyone know what to do with the ships?"

"I think it's probably to destroy their sails first, to weaken their mobility, and then to occupy the batteries on the shore......"

"Then you go and occupy the fort. ”

After giving the order, Clad clenched the "broken dream". Only to use dangerous tricks, he thought. He turned into a blue light and streaked across the sky, slashing every sail with the flying sword in his hand.

At the same time, an inconspicuous dinghy approached the battleship, its shining silver katana unsheathed. With a hideous smile on his face, Kezmi wants to take advantage of the chaos to capture a few ships.

Immediately after, the smile on the face of Marshal Govar, who still had the upper hand, froze.

The sails, one after the other, fell with the blue light, and soon half of them were sinked, and the ships sank one after the other under the shelling of a rebellious ship.

As a result, the river fleet, which had not fought for twenty years, soon fell into a state of rout, like the passengers on it. Radetz Govar looked around him, and when he felt that all the important troops had been withdrawn, he ordered the ship to flee. He took only five transport ships and 2,000 elite troops barely able to maintain their morale, leaving behind all who were left.

"Damn! let their main force run!" Kazmi sighed and let go of the steering wheel. In the brief exchange of fire just now, he had already forced four down, sunk two, and controlled two ships.

"Are you also from the River Fleet? You can hold on to your true colors as a soldier of the Free Army, you are very good. The middle-aged man's solemn voice sounded from behind him.

"Sorry...... I'm just a pirate. Kezmi turned, "I think I've seen you somewhere...... Who are you?"

"Clad López, commander-in-chief of the Repression Army. Pirates? That's okay. Do you want to be the commander of the river fleet?"

"Nope. Without hesitation, Kezmi replied, "I'm fed up with the life of being commanded. If you're going to give me an award, you might as well give me a good boat. ”

"But I appreciate your ability to steer the boat with your men. No matter what means are used, I will find a way to keep you...... If I'm not mistaken, you're still on the wanted warrant, Hull?"

Major Hull frowned and thought for a moment: "Japanese sword...... You're Kezmi Stichus, and you're 11th in the open sea. ”

"Have you fallen to eleventh yet?" Kezmi spread his hands, "I can't help you, but I can recommend someone to you...... It was a genius of naval warfare that he had never met. ”

*** ***

"I see...... half-elf Kakkawi sighed, "is ......it a naval genius? I have never commanded a single ship on my own. ”

"That's just because you didn't get a chance. Clad López shook his head, "The person who recommended you is the best captain I've ever met; Aren't you going to become a fleet commander? I'll give you the entire river fleet. ”

A fleet ......!! half-elf's eyes lit up, but then dimmed.

"It's a fleet, but it's actually only a third of the fleet, a few Fluyt-class and a few Exploiter-class ships. The other two-thirds have already fallen into the hands of the coup army. This may be difficult for some strong men......" Clad said with a serious expression, "but the pirate told me that if it were you, he could do it." ”

If it's you, you can do it...... Kakawi pressed his forehead in pain. The serious expression and serious words of the middle-aged human in front of him were really irresistible to him. However, he didn't want to give up the leisurely life here......

"I promise you in his place, General López. But you have to promise to give him full command of the river fleet. Can you swear by your honor?"

At some point, Resa Helmont appeared on the edge of the pit-filled meadow. The half-elf turned his head in surprise and looked at the woman he loved.

"Lesa ......?"

"I don't think I can monopolize your life. Go fulfill your dreams, I'll be waiting for you. The blonde alchemist flicked her hair and turned her head. She felt a tingle in her heart and hurriedly piled a smile on her face.

Leonard Kakkavey pondered, patted her on the shoulder, looked at her tenderly, and did not speak.

"It's good to be young......" A slightly bitter smile flowed from the corner of the middle-aged man's mouth, who was already completely insulated from his feelings.

"I swear by my honour and capacity that I will at all costs hand over the command of the River Fleet to Mr. Kakawi. Now, can you accept my request?"

"I've just been dismissed from the Elven Navy, and I've been hired by the Free Army Navy, is that okay?" Kakawi asked, a little uneasy, "I'm a half-elf ......"

"In our republic, citizens of all races are created equal. If you don't accept it, I'll come back. ”

"Well, I accept it. Do I need to swear?"

The lieutenant general, dressed in civilian clothes, raised his right hand: "For freedom." ”

"For freedom. The half-elf raised his right hand as well, and swore in a low voice.

"In the case of the letter of appointment, it will be in a few days, and there are still some procedural matters to be completed. All captains of ships involved in the coup d'état will be punished by trial and demotion, and you can appoint your own person as captain. And also...... I would like to ask a very personal question. Clad looked at the four thousand and ninety-six pits at his feet and said, "Have you ever seen an Oriental foreigner dressed in white......? No, the traces left by magic weapons. ”

Hearing this, Rysa's eyelids jumped. ...... dressed in white Exotic magic weapons, is it ......?

"What kind of Oriental?" Kakawi recalled, "I didn't remember much last night. What kind of magic weapon?"

Klad hesitated for a moment and pulled out his "broken dream" from his pocket.

"A little sword like this, it's just red. If it was nearby, I should be able to detect it with magic. ”

Kekawi high-fived: "That, it seems to have seen ......"

"That's right, a man in white passed by yesterday and came to our aid when we were in a bitter fight. Resa suddenly interjected, "He just stood on the roof, and with a flick of this sword, countless phantom swords were issued. From an alchemist's point of view, it is probably a magical item similar to a storage type, which requires a lot of mana to be stored before it can be ......"

The half-elf was stunned for a moment, and then he immediately understood, and echoed Lysa's words.

"No, it's a soul-linked magical item. Its power comes from the soul of the user. Did he say where he's going next?"

"Uh...... No, he was just passing through. May I ask who that person is?" Lesa could, thinking about the new information she had just gotten. Soul Connection...... Is it this kind of technology? No wonder the man is so powerful with it. Is it possible to make up for this magic gap with magic circuits and energy storage systems?

"He's studying with me...... Uh, friends of Eastern magic. We had agreed to meet each other in this far-flung overseas country if we had the chance. Clad looked at the sky in the distance and said flatly.

Lesa gasped, shed two drops of cold sweat, and pretended to be calm: "...... Then I wish you a speedy search for him. ”

"Thank you. After thanking him, the hero who saved freedom went out the door alone, his back looking very lonely in the cold wind.

*** ***

Not far away, sisters Rose and Bonnie were admiring the historic scene.

"It seems a little hard to calculate for the South to get good admirals so early......," Bonnie frowned.

"It should be fine, I think. Anyway, history is already in chaos, and it doesn't matter if it's messed up a little more. Rose said lightly, "Even if the world has changed, people's personalities will not change. ”

“...... Well, but I don't think you're qualified to say that, sister, who changes because the world changes. ”

Hearing this ridicule, Rose immediately retorted: "So, Miriana, do you think you are still qualified to say the word 'computing' now?

"At least, the scope of damage is smaller, and the number of dead and wounded is also smaller, right?" the sister argued.

"The number of soldier injuries is not necessarily smaller than in history. As for the casualties of innocent citizens, they are only smaller than in history when the civil war did not break out. It's hard to say whether it's good or bad......"

Bonnie interrupted suddenly, "Then let's stop this civil war that hasn't happened in history." This is a good target if you've lost sight of your goal. ”

Hearing this, Rose was stunned for a moment and stopped arguing. "Let's go...... Stop the civil war?"

"Yes. Since we are destined to not be able to sustain history, why not let history evolve in a better direction? We can create a world that is better than actual history!" The brown-haired girl clenched her fists, "Then there will be no thirty years of war, no invasion from another world, no senseless war for hegemony, and no continental war! There will be no religious purge, there will be no massacre, we can let the modern age come early! We can do it in this era that is at the juncture of historical change." We have the knowledge, technology and magic that are two hundred and fifty years ahead!"

Was this what she really thought? For a moment, Rose felt that her sister had become a strange stranger. What appeared before her eyes was an astonishing ambition, even more astonishing than the so-called "savior" or "great man".

She actually wants to reshape the whole era!

"How is this possible? You can't get around the inevitable price of all the times!"

"Yes, we can't get around all the costs, but we can at least mitigate most of them. We're not going to reduce the 30,000-year Dark Ages to 1,000 years, we just need to reduce the damage by half. Think about how many historical sites we can save, how many lives we can save!"

“...... Can you give me some time to think about it, Miley? After all, we still have time. With a smile that she couldn't tell whether it was a sneer or a wry smile, Rose turned and walked out the door.

"Where are you going, sister?"

"I'll go to Denica. Detection magic tells me that she's home, and that's probably the only actual change I can see right now. ”

Rose walked out the door, thinking about her sister's suggestion. This plan sounds exaggerated, but it is not entirely out of reach: with their knowledge...... and the power it has......

"Change history and recover half of the loss?"

She closed her eyes and reflected on the painful dark history of this era. This is not a romantic world full of love, nor is it a war-torn world of dominance. It is a world that is trying to move forward, a real world full of darkness and light, barbarism and civilization, and different paths to progress. This world already has all the necessary conditions to reach the modern age...... and all the thorns and dangers that lead to modern times.

She felt that she would definitely choose that goal in the end.

Because she's Reece Seiffel. In her body, she is also burdened with two hundred and fifty years of civilization, reason, progress, strength and glory. As soon as she woke up from her dream, she felt "that thing";

"Perhaps, I was just using a girl's dream to escape it......"

The morning sun shone on her face, and at that moment she suddenly understood what she was running away. Just as power is determined by people's spirits, "that kind of thing" is determined by people's positions......

That kind of thing is called "responsibility".

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