PRELUDEI

Although the Empire took the coveted inter-provincial capital, Lenny, it was not a decisive victory to boast about. Mobilizing more than 150,000 men in total, Emperor Gustav did not completely solve the southern problem with an overwhelming superiority of forces, and they failed to defeat the free army on the opposite side, which was not organized from the beginning, and gave the other side the opportunity to rebuild the army.

To the west of the Roof Ridge Mountains, the northern nobles were eventually reduced to only 60,000 capable armies, defending the hard-won West Rulok and a third of the Lenny Special District, and opposite them was an almost equally powerful and battle-tested Southern Army, consisting of 25,000 New Lunni in Upper Italy and 30,000 in Eastern Rulok. What 150,000 people can't do, there's no hope of doing it with 60,000 people.

In addition to this, they have exhausted all the savings of the entire civilized world for almost a decade. Not only have all human banks bought too many war bonds, but even the elven bankers of Honrinasti are beginning to feel the tightening of their money, which in turn has sent the entire New World's economy into a panic. The insane need for war expenses in the empire and the republics caused a money shortage in the Far Eastern Empire, and the chief scholar of the Hua Dynasty suddenly found that he could not receive as much money to support his tax reform plan as he had in previous years, and the daimyo of Yingzhou had to stop their reform of the Guangao system and begin to count their strength with their grain harvests.

To add insult to injury, the impact will last for more than a year.

—From Chapter 4 of Modern History of Akrana, Book I, "The Beginning of Modern Times (1666-1682)", by Magia Verry

(The owner's note on the title page of the collection: If I had time, I would love to study the subtle differences between the name, author, volume, and content of this book and the edition I remember.) ——Bonnie.S）

August 27, 1666

The Holy Koman Empire is the Southern Crown (West Rulock), the west bank of the King's River

An army of modest size is advancing on the road that has been repaired with great difficulty.

This army consisted of about 100 cavalry and more than 300 horseback infantry.

However, with the strength of a cavalry squadron and three infantry companies, there were more than 130 carriages for transport. More like a convoy with a surplus of defense forces than like an elite army.

Like all modern armies, this one has many battle flags painted with various coats of arms.

Each company will carry four or five flags, and two of them will always be identified: one is the iron-gray diagonal cross royal heraldic flag of the Holy Empire, and the other is the purple sativa coat of arms of the Figota family. If you are familiar with heraldry, you can discern a lot of information from the outer side crests that have been urgently reworked.

For example, the simplicity of the main motif "purple alfalfa" proves that this is the flag of a "duke" and not the flag of a "marquis" or "count" of a branch of Figota. The tassel at the end of the banner is made of white lace, which proves that the owner of the banner is a duchess.

The diagonal cross in the upper left quadrant indicates that the duchess has sworn allegiance to the Emperor, while the blank space in the upper right indicates that she has not yet received the oath of allegiance from all of her vassals. Depending on the situation, an olive branch may be drawn to indicate that the vassals have been fully sold, or crossed swords to indicate the liege's determination to suppress all disobedient vassals by force.

This is the convoy of the new Duchess of Figota, who is heading north to join the main force of the Duchy of Figota's army.

In late summer, showers fall in the valley of the King River, turning the ground into a muddy mess. The mud puddles on the side of the road were fine, and occasionally there were mud puddles that cut off the entire road, forcing the whole team to stop.

The soldiers in charge of the escort had to curse a few times, and stumbled to find a tree on the side of the road, waiting for the troops in charge of dealing with the situation to arrive from the central company.

"If it were this time of spring, it wouldn't be so exaggerated. Some soldiers passed by here during the Spring Campaign, and they still have an impression of the King's Avenue at that time, "At that time, the Southerners had repaired this place quite well." ”

"It's not all this war. One summer, you dug and I dug too, and finally dug the good avenue into a muddy and dirt road. No wonder the Southern Army so readily withdrew west of the King's River to us, these traitors are probably still waiting to see the joke. In retrospect, it was a really smooth trip in the spring. ”

"The largest mobilization in the history of the Empire, the first alliance with the Pointed Ears, and the civil strife of the Free Army, the Fort Stillburg sit-in let us through, we have never fought so smoothly. To be able to make such a good start into this mess, His Majesty the Emperor is nothing remarkable. It's not us Figota who bleed the most!"

"You can't blame all the big guys above, the Southern Army is still quite tenacious. It's His Royal Highness the Old Duke who is in command of the overall situation, and even he can't win, so what can the emperor do?"

"Speaking of Lenny, the food can be eaten until the beginning of September at most. At this time, I remembered our Principality of Figota Army, and they were all counting on the supplies we were transporting......"

"Speaking of which, will the southern army in Jena sell some of them? I heard that wine is abundant. ”

"How is that possible? The traitors are also struggling to resupply, and I heard that López has taken his troops to Phates to eat. It's time for winter, too...... Can you go home for the winter this year?"

The soldiers chatted insolently about the current state of the war. If a month ago, their commander would have sent these guys to the military judge without hesitation, but now even their noble commander has joined in the chatter.

After all, it has been more than half a month since the end of the war. For these Imperial soldiers, who had been fighting hard for nearly half a year, going home was already on the agenda.

If you count from the civil strife that broke out in the depths of winter in the Free Army, there has been a full eight months of war going on on in this land.

From the Meterbuti River to the Oss River, from the Emerald Bay to the Great Wilderness, the war has swept almost half of the land of the free countries, hundreds of urbanizations have been in ruins, more than 200,000 casualties on both sides have been lost, and more than a million refugees have been displaced.

But it ended eventually.

Better than the previous Freedom Wars, this time both sides did not fight until one side was completely annihilated, but only until both sides were unable to attack.

Such a peace is more stable than a treaty peace.

As soon as he heard about the loss of almost all the supplies stored in Renni, the Supreme Commander of the Free Army in Jena, Field Marshal López, immediately accepted the orders of the new junta and dictatorship without any suspense. The general army of the West withdrew across the King's River, established a new stronghold in Eastern Rulok, and began to collect the first batch of autumn grain.

But that doesn't mean the Imperial Army can move west of the King River at will.

Along with the ceasefire, dictator Conti Fox's speech "To the land of the free" was circulated.

With the implementation of the ceasefire treaty, the long-pent-up refugee flow finally began to move.

In the northwestern Julok region centered on Flonasti, humans and half-elves left their homes in villages and towns, driving wagons, ox carts, donkey carts, and even rickshaws to Eastern Julok and Upper Etymaya, which were still under the control of the Free Army.

The road leading to the fortress on the coast of Witland, where the First Freedom Fleet was stationed, was also congested, and the legions of St. Sen took the opportunity to set up roadblocks to strip the last copper in their wallets, while planning an embargo on the fortress of Witland.

Seventeen days have passed since the ceasefire was agreed, and the flow of refugees has reached as far as Fortiburg. On the Avenue by the King's River, you can also see groups of refugees with yellow faces and thin muscles everywhere.

Seeing the cart slipping in the mud, some refugees gradually stopped and stared at the cart with longing eyes. The chatting soldiers were too lax, and by the time they found out, there were already more than a hundred refugees gathered.

Only then did the commander of the avant-garde detachment feel that something was wrong. He hurriedly gathered his combat detachment to disperse the refugees.

"If you can't do what you say, use the hilt of your spear and the butt of your spear!" the knight, who had been discussing current affairs with his subordinates just now, had to wave his command sword, "Be sure to disperse the magic detachment before it arrives, and if necessary, shoot—"

A cold female voice interrupted his command.

"I think I heard you say something about dispersing refugees and shooting, Baron von Tack. Although you are a knight directly under His Majesty the Emperor, the orders we receive should be the same, right? ”

The knight turned his head in panic and saw the sassy young woman.

She wore a dusty general's gown, a lilac color used by the Figota family for formal occasions, with bright white trim. The brim of the military hat was pressed low, almost obscuring her bright eyes and slender eyelashes. Presumably to minimize gender symbols, her hair was almost entirely coiled inside the cap, with only a few strands of tan hair peeking out from the sides of the brim.

“...... Her Royal Highness the Duchess von Figota!"

The whip in the duchess's hand swirled lightly in the air, making a crisp sound.

"Repeat for me the order you received, Mr. Baron. ”

Whether it was due to the difference in titles, his status, or the gender of the other party, the knight commander had no reason to refuse.

He swallowed his saliva and replied, "First, restore command of the Imperial forces north of Jena. Second, it negotiated with the remaining Yugoslav troops stranded in Jena, resolutely implemented the ceasefire agreement, and persuaded them to surrender their strongholds. Thirdly, to redeem the prisoners of war in the Jena prisoner of war camp, and in particular to guarantee the return of Her Royal Highness Olia, the First Princess, who is still in the hands of the Southern Army......"

"So, this place is already very close to Jena, are you planning to break these orders?"

The young new duchess turned over and dismounted, casually sarcastic. Her retinue and guards also hurriedly dismounted after her. Duchess Figota frowned at the more than a hundred refugees, turned her head and asked her adjutant: "Colonel Edith, I remember that when you came to join us, the Duchy army that was originally in Blenium had already reached the north of Jena. ”

"Yes, Her Royal Highness the Duchess. That's what I commanded. ”

Known as "Colonel Edith", she was a charming young woman who also wore the lilac uniform of an officer of the Duchy of Figota and looked to be less than thirty years old.

From the looks alone, it's hard to tell that she was once the best agent of the Empire. Whether it was in the civil strife of the Republic or in the Great War that had just ceased fire, Edith Magnum, codenamed "Fog Eagle", was the backbone of the secret front. Gaining the trust of Danica Villen, she regrouped and retreated during the rout at Jena, and stabilized her forces in Blenheim as the second Duchess. As soon as the ceasefire was signed, the colonel marched south with the Duchy Guard to meet her lord, and her former superior, the Minister of Security, had to fully recognize her position in the future Duchy of Figota.

Everyone in Lenny's court thought that if Danica Viren von Figota could indeed succeed to the duchy, then Edith Magnum would have a good chance of becoming the chancellor of her duchy. Two women from the south will rule over the most powerful dukedoms of the Holy Empire.

"That means we should be able to get supplies at any time, right?"

"I think so, Her Royal Highness the Duchess. ”

Duchess Danica Viren nodded, "That's easy." We can use the food in these two trucks as a payment to get the refugees here to leave. After all, it's a long way from here to Lenny. ”

"Is that good, Your Highness?, anyway, those southern citizens who are also fleeing the territory of the Empire......" Ithis paused, deliberately glancing at the others around her in front of Danica, who all had disdain in their eyes for the refugees around them, "Do you want to exchange your precious supplies for an unobstructed road?"

"But after all, there has been a ceasefire. If we fight with them here, I'm afraid that the southern army in Jena will get entangled with us, and it will be troublesome. Two or three carts of grain in exchange for Jena's kindness must be a good deal. ”

Danika sighed and lowered her voice: "And...... Actually, I can understand their thoughts that they don't want to live under the rule of the Empire or the Elves. Everyone should have the freedom to choose which regime they want to be loyal to, shouldn't they?"

Edith was silent. As a descendant of the old royalists, she faced the same situation as Danica.

Danika raised her horsewhip and raised her voice slightly, "Since I am going to rule the Duchy of Figota, I want it to be a land where people live voluntarily, not a land where swords are needed to stop people from fleeing. I'm sure all my lords think the same way. These refugees may one day be my subjects. ”

Hearing her words, some of the soldiers were thoughtful, while many more showed contempt.

But anyway, they began to organize the refugees to drag the wagons out of the mud with ropes. The magic users around Danika also began to use their magic to re-harden the mud and repair the soil, while the refugees dug up slabs and stone bars from the muddy water and re-paved the pavement.

Soon, the troops began to advance again. In the following roads, such a quagmire appeared again and again, and the soldiers of the Duchy of Figota dealt with it as usual. Thanks to the processing experience, each time they repaired it a little faster than the last time.

But by the time of the fourth, the young duchess frowned. She stopped in front of a newly repaired mud pool, wondering if it might be too big.

A voice rang in her ear just in time, alerting her to the anomaly: "Something isn't right, Danica. It's already close to Jena, why is the road in worse condition than it is further south? The main army of the empire repaired the southern half of the King's Road, the Lo ...... of Jena It would be strange that the Marshal of the Free Army did nothing. ”

"Since I'm the only one who can hear it, you don't have to be so tactful, Magia. Danika smiled and replied in a low voice, "It's good to mention Clad López's name directly, after all, we can't completely avoid that person's huge influence." I see what you mean, you're saying these quagmires and refugees are traps, right?"

"Exactly, Her Royal Highness the Duchess. ”

The bewitching soul with long dark green hair gently tapped her hand on Danica's shoulder a few times in response to a nodding in response. Majia Verry, who had ruled the Julok Republic almost with the help of puppet politicians, was now able to subdue the Fegotas for Danica.

Danika knew in her heart that without Maggia's vast experience and cunning political skills, she would not have been recognized so quickly in Lenny's new court, and had added the oblique saffia, which represented the emperor's recognition, to her coat of arms.

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to check with Edith. She'd been on this road day and night—"

As soon as Danika had said this, she saw a herald galloping from the former army.

"Your Royal Highness, the Colonel has found a large quagmire ahead, and suspects that it was created by magic such as 'fossils are mud', please be on high alert with the Central Company-"

He spoke too loudly.

Magia's face changed slightly, and her eyes immediately fell on the refugees who had just received relief and were rebuilding their roads in the huge quagmire, and whispered in Danica's ear: "Idiot!"

Sure enough, at the same time as the herald shouted at the same time, the faces of some of the refugees changed.

A man who had been wearing a cloak suddenly dropped his cloak, stood up, and drew a compound short bow from behind his back.

"The Duchess is here!

The shout had a hint of an elven accent.

The eyes of all the soldiers widened. They saw a small number of refugees artificially tearing their tattered coats, revealing the leather and studded armor underneath. The men drew their weapons of all colors, spear tips and blades reflecting the cold light in the sunlight.

"It's the guerrillas !! protect Your Highness!"

The elf at the head did not hesitate, and shot an arrow straight into Denica's right chest. It was clear that he didn't want to kill the Duchess, but certainly had an interest in rendering the powerful magician ineffective.

In the face of the sudden sneak attack, the corners of Danica's mouth twitched slightly. She lowered her head slightly, and drew her wand from her waist with her free right hand, still holding the reins of her horse in her left hand, as if she had not noticed the arrow at all.

Before the surrounding soldiers could cry out their worries, a sturdy magic shield suddenly appeared in the air out of thin air, blocking the accurate and ruthless arrow!

"Thanks. Danika shook her head, leaned down, spurs in her heel and slammed the horse's belly, and charged at the guerrilla leader who had shot cold arrows.

"You're so confident that I can stop it for you?"

Magia Veri put away her magic shield and began to prepare to attack the magic.

"Most of the magic you use is spent from me, and I'll still reconcile it every day. Judging by the amount you've spent secretly testing your magic these nights, it's no longer a problem to block this attack. ”

Danika said, her fingertips flicking at her wand, and a flaming spear burst out from the tip of her wand.

"Civilians get down on the spot!"

The duchess said softly, and with the speed of her horse, she rushed straight into the group of armed refugees, and the flaming spear in her hand flew like a net of fire. Occasionally, mages would try to engage in hand-to-hand combat like knights, but most of them did not have the stamina to wield spears or sabers, and often used short wands that were easy to handle and dealt magic damage instead of spears - at least not the tragedy of stabbing an enemy only to be hooked off by the reaction force.

The elven archer at the head seemed to be prepared, he threw away the long hunting bow in his hand, and bent down to blend into the group of refugees lying down, but several soldiers on the side were swept away by the flaming spear in Danica's hand, and howled miserably.

"Surround her! Signal, do it!"

The leader rolled on the ground a few times, and took advantage of Danica's tripped by his men to escape the range of the flaming spear, throwing a buzzing arrow into the air. The regular army does not use buzzing arrows as a communication signal, but for small groups of bandits, guerrillas, and adventurers, this cheap magic item that does not require a pre-agreed code or cost extra mana is the best indicator of action.

From the front army came scattered gunfire, mixed with the sound of grenadier explosions. In times of war, it is not difficult to get weapons. The weapons scattered in the West Juloc region were enough to arm 100,000 bandits and guerrillas.

Not to mention that they now have more powerful magic. The web gives everyone the opportunity to learn magic, and with a piece of parchment, they can learn a variety of advanced spells that were previously considered top secret by governments and wizards' associations.

"You're in charge of the defense, Magia, I'm going to use a cluster missile!"

Although she saw the elf whispering some magic, Danika didn't have time to pay attention to him.

The Duchess was surrounded by about twenty armed men dressed as refugees, most of them armed with cold weapons, and even one with a net, with an expression that they wanted to capture her for ransom.

"Leave it to me!"

Magia Verri replied, and the ghost's hand slashed through the air, pulling out one defensive force field after another with different attributes. Ordinary people couldn't see the soul body, they only saw the Duchess wielding the flame wand in her right hand, the fourteen knuckles of her left hand were full of magic, and there were countless defensive magic around her.

The Imperial soldiers cheered and rushed into the crowd after their female lord, cutting down all those who dared to stand. In the midst of this cheer, Danika unleashed a cluster missile prepared in her left hand, killing everyone on the opponent's entire left flank in one fell swoop.

Even the most daring assassin couldn't help but feel a chill now.

"Didn't you say that this duchess was adopted, why is it so difficult!"

The elf cursed twice, completing the spell. His hand smashed into the mire on the ground, and countless clay figures suddenly stood up from beside him. It may be an exaggeration to say that there are numerous, but there are definitely thirty or forty - it is obvious that there is an ambush that has been prepared for a long time. Ordinary mages can summon at most one or two golems at a time, and such a large number of spells must have been prepared in advance, and then activated together at the end.

"Mud Golem! Even the guerrillas have four levels of magic!"

"Her Royal Highness the Duchess, please retreat!"

Contrary to the expectations of the Guards, Danica Viren did not retreat. She took a deep breath and threw the scepter out of her hand. The flaming lance turned into a javelin and plunged straight at the elven mage!

"Magia, hold on to me!

Danika and Margia poured cold magic on them, and the mire froze before her eyes. The horses' hooves are on the ice and are forced to take the next step forward before they slip.

Assault, assault, assault!

The elven mage had just dodged a sneak attack and had no idea that the other master's would come at him so unwisely. The cone-shaped ice ridges punctured his defensive magic intensively, piercing his nail leather armor and knocking down all the mud golems around him.

Before he could vomit blood, he felt light, and his collar seemed to be lifted.

A stun magic pierced the nerves, and the elven mage's eyes went black and he fainted.

Danica threw her captives on horseback and rushed through the quagmire before turning back to give orders to her troops.

"I'll leave these mud golems and refugees to you, lords!"

From the other side of the quagmire, there was a sound of "obedience" full of awe. If there were doubts about the dukedom of Danika Viren von Figota, now that doubt has disappeared without a trace.

The Second Dynasty of the Holy Koman Empire was a complete military state, with magical talent being one of the most important components. Danika was in ambush but did not panic at all, both in terms of combat skills and fighting will, which can be compared to the previous Marquis von Figota. In this force, at least, no one will ever question her succession qualifications, but instead admire the foresight of the former duke who adopted her as his adopted daughter.

The duchess nodded slightly, and ran in the direction of the forward company. At this distance, gunshots and shouts of killing could already be heard.

"Magia, do you think some magic has been working better lately?"

"Is it because of the 'resonance effect' that I discovered last time? At that time, the magicians of the Empire laughed at the stupidity of their opponents. While this does make it easier to cast, it also gives away the secret of his magic......"

"I don't think it's that simple. After that, I also analyzed one of his magics, the 'cluster missile'. Moreover, I also submitted this spell to the Provisional Ministry of Magic. ”

Magia's ghost nodded, "Yes, I know all of that. ”

"But there are parts you don't know. I invented this spell, and Soleton has only seen it a few times. I actually spread the magic I had invented, rather than reconstructing his methods. And just now I found that the difficulty of using this spell has dropped by nearly a whole level. So I hypothesize that this new web of magic will probably bring additional power to its creators according to the popularity of magic and knowledge. ”

Hearing Danica's hypothesis, Magia fell into deep thought: "I have to say that this is a very reasonable hypothesis. Explains a lot of things. But if that's the case, the magic of the future ......"

Just as the two were about to step into the combat range of the forward company, a clear female voice suddenly echoed over the entire battlefield, interrupting their small talk.

"This is the Jena army, the attacker immediately lays down his arms and surrenders, otherwise he will be considered a bandit!This is the Jena army, the attacker immediately lays down his arms and surrenders, otherwise he will be considered a bandit......!"

The magic of amplification magic is abundant, and the effect formed by repeated playback is also quite impressive, which can definitely ensure that everyone in the entire battlefield hears this sound.

Hearing this familiar voice, Danika grabbed the reins of her horse on the edge of the battlefield and watched the situation develop coldly.

"It's a coincidence that the Southern Army is here, and it uses pre-recorded amplification magic. I guess it's a recording magic stone. They should have been notified of the arrival of our Imperial envoys before we arrived...... What kind of emotions should I use to deal with such a fellow, Magia?"

"It's not good for both of us to tear our faces right now. Although it is impossible for the other party not to know about this raid, it does not look like it was deliberately arranged by the Southern Army. If they want to kill us, they can muster a larger force. ”

Magia floated in the air to the right of Danica, thinking and sorting out her countermeasures.

"It's good not to be too aggressive and not too weak when dealing with the other party. Use this raid to pressure the POW handover as quickly as possible, but don't go too far. We have no evidence. ”

"Well, there is no evidence. ”

Danika sighed, pulled out her pistol, shot three bullets into the elven captive's head, and dropped the body of the guerrilla leader off his horse.

"It's better not to give the opponent a chance to question the prisoners, whether it was arranged by the Shengsen side to frame the prisoner, or if it was really arranged by them, it would be more troublesome to force the confession. We have encountered bandits and guerrillas four or five times since we went north, and not this time. ”

The attacking partisans, of course, did not obediently lay down their arms, but left the avenue with shouts and fled along the path into the woods and hills.

Edith, who was in command of the battle, noticed that the duchess had arrived alone, and hurriedly met her with a few guards.

"Your Highness, why did you come here alone from the Central Company...... It's too dangerous!"

Danika waved her hand: "There is no danger, their combat effectiveness is not really much higher than that of refugees." Has the Confederate greeting unit arrived?"

Edith nodded, "Our men have contacted them, but their commander is not in the team. ”

"The commander of the Jena army will definitely not come, I already heard who it is. ”

Danika thought back to memories that seemed far away. Those memories of when she was still living in a welfare home.

"She's the one who killed my two brothers-in-law. I think that's Bonnie Sefir, a major general by now. 'The Holy Maiden of Blenheim' or something, that sounds so annoying. ”

Hearing Danika's words, the young and vigorous soldiers around them lowered their heads one after another.

"Not being able to avenge the deceased duke and the three marquis is a shame for the Duchy of Figota!"

I could hear someone whispering that. Hearing this, the Duchess sighed.

"But after all, it was war, not a personal vendetta. And the war is over. I reiterate His Majesty's order that all subjects of the Empire, including all dukes and himself, must not seek revenge during the ceasefire period, otherwise they will be tried by the other party's courts. Do you understand everything?"

After emphasizing discipline, Danika reassured, "But I personally believe that soon we will have a chance to re-compete with them on the battlefield." Until then, please bear with me!"

So, after joining up with the convoy sent by the Jena army, the army set out again as if nothing had happened.

From here to Jena, there were no more unexpected battles.

The Duchess's convoy arrived outside the camp of the Free Army of Jena, where she awaited the commander of the opposing party to greet her. Edith also sent a liaison to inform the Duchy of Figota troops stationed not far to the north, asking them to take the thousands of prisoners of war from the Battle of Blenheim south to prepare for the exchange ceremony.

"But why did the other party arrange this dismount for us?" Majia frowned, thinking hard, "Is it really an intelligence leak, they didn't find this guerrilla force?"

"I think I know part of it. It seems that the Holy Maiden of Blenheim has a new position in addition to the commander of the Jena army. ”

Danika raised her whip and pointed to the overwhelming green diagonal crusade flag on the Jena camp and the green uniforms that could be seen everywhere in the barracks. Green was the color of the Phates, and when the Free Army had twelve divisions before the war, they occupied three of them, second only to the most powerful Julok Republic.

"I don't know what that position is, but it definitely has something to do with Fates. It seems that our principality of Figota is going to have another troublesome neighbor. ”

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