I

What is the most lethal invention in the history of warfare?

The answer is not artillery, nor is it breech-loading guns – although the actual number of casualties caused by these weapons can be unusually large. Even if one day we invented a weapon that could wipe a city or even a country off the map, it wouldn't be the most lethal — no one would dare to use it at will, when it was so lethal.

There is only one answer, and that is "mobilization".

What is mobilization? Mobilization is the organizational technique of arming civilians and paramilitants into war.

Historians generally believe that mobilization developed gradually in the midst of brutal warfare. In ancient times, the art of combat became the only thing that could be mastered by the wealthy or professionals, and war was a contest for the wielders of violence. It's hard for the winner to get everything, and the loser doesn't lose everything. In the legends of almost all civilizations, poets have preached such antiquity.

But gradually, the winners gain more and more, and the losers lose more and more. The defeated were plundered, slaughtered, and humiliated, and their wives and children were either slaughtered or reduced to miserable slavery. The patterns of slaughter and enslavement are constantly being reinvented and become more brutal, and even those who did not participate in the war have to face these consequences. Some barbarian peoples, in order to avoid becoming defeated, turned all their people into warriors, relying on the invasion of others to gain wealth: more civilized peoples could not do this, and they could only fight against the barbarian tribes that were constantly emerging.

Eventually, civilians of civilized nations took up arms. The lords prepare weapons that are easy to learn, show them how to use them, and let them build a long city with flesh and blood to stop the bloodthirsty monsters of the barbarians. In the face of "mobilization", every civilian will become a soldier, tooth for tooth, blood for blood.

They sometimes succeeded, sometimes they failed, but in the end they defeated the bloodthirsty and established an era of civilized peoples.

Then civilized nations turned their invention at each other: it was the beginning of modern history.

—From Chapter 1 of The Railway, Civil Rights, and the General War, translated by the Autonomous Province of Xixinzhou, 1861

April 2, 1666 MDay+1 Hokuriku Kokomi Twin Towns

The fleet of three Iron Horn icebreakers puffed up their sails and sailed north in crosswinds.

The top of the masts of the icebreakers were topped with blue and green flags of the Holy Forest, declaring the elves' ownership of the waterway. Dressed in blue navigator robes, sea mages come out with seagulls and falcons, observing the ice floes around the channel through the eyes of these animals. The ice floes are still there, but they are not connected. The sea has become so wide that it has long been able to accommodate the passage of the fleet.

"Tell Shuangzhen that the cold winter is over!"

The chief pilot shouted, raised his right hand, and a red light flew into the sky. Moments later, the northernmost port on the mainland, the Elves' lighthouse in Twintown, the last stronghold on the shores of the Luxin Sea, lit up.

The waterway from Luxinhai to the Endless Ocean is finally navigable again. The flame of this lighthouse is the clarion call for the huge merchant fleet in Luxinhai to set sail.

Since a week ago, merchant ships flying elven flags have been concentrating on the twin towns from the important towns of the Luxin Sea, such as Golden Harbor, Diza, and Fort Cannae, and have almost all the supplies in this elven harbor town. The northern part of Lu Xinhai would be frozen for three to four months a year, and the empire's ocean-going shipping would only be able to resume work at this time. The more than 90 sailing ships set sail one after another, and it took nearly two hours for all of them to sail out of the port. Although it is not as imposing as the Elven Far Sea Fleet or the "Big Red Fleet", it is already an unprecedented spectacle for the people of the Twin Towns who live in the northernmost part of the civilized world.

Some port handymen with southern accents noticed that many of the merchant ships in the fleet had more guns than normal. Other half-elves who run small shops here noticed that the entire town was depleted of alcohol during the week, and that all the "special girls" were working at least twice a night.

Maritime merchants would not be so extravagant, only those nobles who temporarily lived on the sea would be so extravagant. On the masts of those ships, there should have been an iron-gray diagonal cross flag.

"The Royal Navy has set sail. ”

Mysterious messengers and invisible messages flew out of the twin towns and soared south along the shores of the Luxin Sea and the Endless Ocean, delivering to every corner of the civilized world.

It's not just the fleet that's taking action. The ununiformed Volunteers, the gray Noble Army, the Black Imperial Army, and the Silver Royal Guards swapped each other, and the General Headquarters magically squeezed the strongest elite out of all corners of the Empire, and the mobilization table was executed to the hour. Countless legions crossed the border, and the coats of arms of all the families shone brightly on the banners of the army. The Free Army on the border fought to the death, while the Directory Army mostly joined the ranks of Imperial soldiers with weapons.

Everything is so rhythmic, so precise, like a grand overture to a well-choreographed symphony.

Eventually, both Honrinaristi and Lenny realized that this time they were not facing a crisis, much less deterrence or blackmail. After the mobilization machine was set in motion, the action within a month was already doomed. The Emperor and his subjects believed that the chaos in the south would allow him to reclaim the land he had lost in the previous war.

No one can pretend that this is a joke, that it is destined to be a total war.

April 12, 1666 MDay+11 Julok North-West Gistov

In just over a week, the vanguard of the Soma Army, which was in charge of the battlefield on the Western Front and had been marching all the way, had already joined up with the last remnants of the Directory army in Gistov, a major town northwest of Julok.

Of course, the two armies, who met each other late, held a grand celebration of the meeting. The most important part of the celebration was, of course, the speech of the Supreme Commander of the Directory: it was also a declaration of the formal merger of the Directory with the Imperial Army. Now, the presentation is nearing its end.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the darkest hour is over. The days when we were trampled on, insulted, and damaged by the Free Army and its cold-blooded generals are over! From this day forward, the Directory is no longer a national army fighting only for the interests of the Julok people, but a just army fighting for freedom and equality. Together with our allies from Corman, we will defeat Lenny's hypocritical oligarchy and parliament, and rebuild a new government that is free, equal, just, and incorruptible with the help of His Majesty the Emperor!"

The old man who spoke stopped here and looked around. From his tone, it was completely indiscernible that he was actually reciting the speech. Soon, there was a tsunami of applause from the audience.

The applause from the six gray and black squares was neat and enthusiastic, and the applause from the three blue squares was somewhat weak. As the Directory army died and fled after months of hard fighting, the 4th, 6th, 10th, and 4th National Divisions, which should have had 60,000 troops, were reduced to less than 30,000 men. Today's meeting was also held to encourage the morale of the remaining officers and men.

"From this day forward, all four divisions of our Directory Army, together with the Volunteers from Koman, will form the Metbysi Army and join Army Group West. We have only one goal, and that is Lenny! May the glory be with the Metbysie Legion!"

Marshal Govar took a deep breath and waved his hand at the crowd, ending his speech and his last appearance as commander of the Directory forces. He glanced one last time at the army that had belonged to him with a hint of nostalgia, then turned his head and stepped off the podium.

Behind him, the former commander of the 4th Division, who had taken the position of the new commander of the army of Metbysie, continued to speak excitedly, and he had no interest in listening. The people were busy welcoming the new commander, and few were willing to look at the marshal who had lost a series of battles. Everyone knew that after so many defeats, there was no doubt that the power of this army would fall into the hands of the Reich General Command, and whoever would command it would be the same. If it did not fight alongside the Empire's Soma army, this army would not have been able to hold even Gistov. The Cormen made no secret of their contempt for this often defeated army: the Soma army sent only one colonel, Baron, to serve as the deputy commander of the coalition army.

The old man walked lonely to the exit of the training ground. In the short journey, he remembered many, many things, but in the end it came down strangely to one word.

“...... Damn it. ”

At the exit, a black carriage was waiting for His Excellency the former Marshal. In front of the carriage was also hung the gray cross flag on a blue background of the "Metbysi Army", and the symbols of empire and republic, imperial power and freedom coexisted harmoniously on one flag. Next to the car, a smiling female major was waiting for her arrival.

"You've worked hard for the Overseer's affairs this time. It's not easy to be a 'cunning traitor' and 'the axis of all evil'. Would you like to go for a drink?"

Edith patted Govar on the back, making some inappropriate jokes. The marshal did not get angry, but shrugged his shoulders and got into the carriage with his head down.

"Yes, but if you have to pay for it, it should be regarded as a benefit at the end of the mission. Govar's voice suddenly became crisp and pleasant, "I still can't believe it, is it really over like this?"

"Yes, that's the end of it, it's the final decision. We don't need Govar anymore. ”

Edith jumped into the driver's position and tore off the Legion and Officer flags and hid them in her arms. She flicked her whip and the car ran out of everyone's view. In the eyes of others, this is a low-key exit of a veteran marshal, and few people know the real purpose of her behavior.

In the car, the marshal was busy fiddling with his epaulettes, cufflinks and belts. "He" sinked his towering shoulders, and his short gray hair was erased by his slender hands. The Empire's special spy uniforms changed color and shape fluidly, the gilded tassels disappeared, and the stars on the epaulettes became individual crosses.

By the time the car arrived at the central square of Gistov, no one could see the identity she had used before: Marshal Govar had completely turned into an intelligence lieutenant of Danica Villen.

Most cities in the south followed Lenny's practice of arranging a wide central square in the center of the city, which was completely different from the habit of building cities around palaces, castles, and churches in the north. In general, the area around the square is not a government office, but the busiest commercial street. The scene was familiar to the two Lennies, who easily found a hotel that was open even in the early mornings of the morning. It was said to be open, but in fact there were only two or three customers inside. Hearing the sound of military boots stomping on the ground, the boss hurriedly shifted the sign on the bar to the side of "temporarily closed", and when he saw the color of their uniforms, he breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to greet them.

"May I ask the two officers what do you want?"

The two of them each reported their choices. "Iced tea. "Pure Julok. ”

Hearing the two quiet-looking women in front of him announce the names of these two high-grade wines, the shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, and muttered to himself, "worthy of being a soldier" and turned away. Not only was he surprised, but the two ladies were also surprised by each other's choice.

"You know what makes iced tea, Danica? Edith worriedly reminded the newly grown girl in front of her.

Danika shook her finger, "Of course." It looks like tea, but it's actually a blend of seven spirits. It's still worse than the pure Julok you ordered, though. ”

"I don't know when I'll come back to Rulock, but of course I have to hurry up and order the most distinctive local wine. Maybe in a few months you won't be able to drink it anymore. Edith picked up the ice water and rinsed her mouth, "Until today, we didn't have time to sit down and have a drink together. ”

"yes. I really didn't expect to be able to withdraw from Govar's identity. I thought I'd have to keep this identity going. Danika grabbed her hair and casually tied her excessively long hair into a short ponytail, "I've been under a false façade for more than three months, and I don't have time to cut my hair. ”

"To be honest, none of us, including Xiulan and Rasta, had the guts to make this decision. This is the decision of the Minister of Security. ”

The title made Danika ponder for a moment. "The elusive guy with the severed hand? Sid Nasser, right? I've seen him a few times......

Halfway through speaking, Edith suddenly reached out and covered her mouth. "Don't pronounce that full name!

Danika was stunned for a moment, and smiled and pulled her hand away: "It's too sensitive, isn't it? No matter how perverted a magician is, it's impossible to detect everyone who pronounces his name." ”

"You......" Edith clasped her head in her hands, "these kinds of people are very careful, they are afraid that others will curse themselves by pronouncing their names. To make matters worse, today he was nearby......"

"Wait, is he back in the city?"

"All I can say is, yes. He is the chief official in the history of the Royal Security Department who has the least associated with the word 'bureaucrat'. ”

Just as the two of them were tasting the wine that had been brought to them with great difficulty, the door opened. Dense military boots stepped down the wooden staircase outside the hotel, and a whole squad of silver uniforms rushed into the store. At the head was a non-commissioned officer of the first class, with the coat of arms of a knight's squire embroidered on his chest.

"Clear the field! All shops with a view of the central square will be closed! We will set up a detection magic circle here! All those present, register their occupations and names, and leave with us!"

He looked at the boss and a few stunned drinkers, and ordered loudly. Before he could speak, the boss had flipped the "Closed" sign on the bar.

Edith looked at this scene, a little crying and laughing, and said to herself: "This Xiulan, does he want the whole world to know about this?"

Denika, who was looking for the Secretary of State for Security in the crowd, noticed the remark. She frowned and whispered in Edith's ear, "What's the matter? It's not just about drinking today, is it?"

The female major smiled awkwardly: "That...... I was going to tell you about that later. Today is ......"

"Don't talk to each other! Are you Rulok? from which unit?" the non-commissioned officer approached them, banging the bar, his tone with unconcealed contempt.

Edith turned to him, pointed to her epaulettes, and said, "Go to your Supreme Commander and tell him that I am Major Magnum." What is Xiulan doing!"

The non-commissioned officer grimaced and gave a military salute. "You mean Your Excellency Dimatel? That's right, it's his order, because the Air Force needs a landing field, and the military band needs to prepare ......."

"Even the military band was brought along?!was it earlier than scheduled?" Edith frowned, "Could it be the idea of the Minister of Security......

"Hey, what the hell is going on?" Denica still asked, but Edith had already pulled her up and walked towards the plaza outside the door.

*** ***

It had only been twenty minutes since they left the carriage, and the square had been surrounded by silver-clad royal guards, and not a single civilian could be seen. At some point, countless flags were unfurled in the wind, and the coats of arms of the nobles of the western and southern empires obscured the sky. Danika looked up at the nearby clock tower: it had only been twenty-five minutes since they had entered the bar.

"How is this possible...... The square was almost empty when we came. When did these people finish arranging them? There is no way that my troops can be so efficient......"

"Your troops?"

"Ah, I mean Govar's troops, the Metbysian Army. Danika smiled sheepishly.

"Then change it. You need to hurry into another identity now. Edith lowered her voice, "That nobleman, you know. Looking at this posture, she knew that her brother was about to arrive. ”

"Her brother?" Denica reacted in the blink of an eye three times, "Emperor?!, why didn't you say it earlier......

"I thought there was still time, but ......"

The music of the marching band plays. The music is "The Flying Koman", the military song of the Koman Royal Guard and the Air Force. When they looked up, they saw a group of black dots coming out of the clouds.

At first, people thought they were seeing birds, but soon they became behemoths.

A huge silver wingspan glides past the bell tower, followed by much smaller green and black wingspans. The silver dragon led by it flew straight down, slowed down directly above the square, and landed vertically with the power of magic. The other silver dragon that followed it was slightly smaller, and the rider on it controlled it to land close to the flank of the first silver dragon. The seven bipeds that followed behind the silver dragons had no ability to land vertically, and they all glided down.

The wings of these wyverns fill almost the entire square, and the eye-catching cross-feathers and the "RAFK" identification coat of arms float above the dragon's wings. Mages twice as many as the landing dragons approached the dragons and used their magic to build invisible platforms that would allow the dragon knights to return to solid ground.

In the early days of human domestication of flying beasts, most dragon riders often died not because of fighting the enemy, but because they fell from the dragon's back as they were about to return to the ground—many of them ended their aerial careers by falling off the saddle of three meters or even higher after unhooking the safety line. Elves who are naturally dexterous don't have this problem. Eventually, the Royal Air Force stopped recruiting muscular men and instead recruited spellcasters from Arcane and Seminary: at least they could use "floating platforms" or "featherfalls" to keep them safe when landing. In the air, where long-range weapons are used predominantly, muscles are of little use.

Most of the platforms are intangible, only the two tallest ones are tangible. The two mages in charge of the construction created a staircase that shimmered with silver light, complementing the silver dragon.

The knight on the dragon's back, dressed in pale gold cuirass and silver guard uniforms, was not strong, his waist was adorned not with a spear or a sword, but with a rather long scepter, and the crown on his head was not made of tacky gold, but of stainless steel. Together, they symbolize the power base of the Second Empire: steel and magic. He stepped onto the platform, and it began to slide slowly down the stairs - most people knew that this was to disguise the emperor's lameness.

All the subjects of the empire fell to one knee with their hands on their chests, bowed their heads and saluted in silence. The whole square can only be heard playing by the military band, and the loud voice of the chief guard knight. There was a peculiar solemnity to the Emperor's long title when it was pronounced in a fixed order and rhythm.

"On behalf of all the vassals of the Duchy of Soma and the Duchy of Knor, and all the servants west of the holy city of Taranto, I hereby greet the Patron of the Magical Arbitration Society and the Orthodox Ecumenical Church, the Supreme Adjudicator of the Civilized World, Lu Xinhai and the co-lord of the Nine Duchies, the Emperor of all the Komans, His Majesty Emperor Gustav Hugh Corman I, and the Commander-in-Chief of his Royal Army, Duke Loren von Figota, Minister of War. ”

Danika had no intention of studying the order and meaning of the titles, but only looked at the slightly thin young man in the distance, holding her breath nervously, forgetting to salute. The majestic and solemn scene around her made her feel a sense of awe from the bottom of her heart. All this belongs to the country with a small group of enthusiastic young aristocratic elites leading a huge efficient machine.

Holy Koman Empire. She is now "allegiance" – or rather the object of exploitation.

She had always believed that her home country's system was the best in the world, but now she felt shaken. Not even Govar or even Fox could train such an army in her home country. Lennie's parliamentary election has no sense of sanctity, only a messy exchange of interests. It wasn't until Edith, who was saluting, kicked her lightly that she reacted and turned into the bar to find a secluded place where she could change her identity.

The entire bar is full of probing enchantments. She didn't dare to use detection magic, so she could only read the words on the magic array to determine its range of effect. In the few short minutes she had been out to see the Imperial Air Force, the Guards squad had already used magic scrolls to transfer probing magic arrays to every room in the hotel.

If the first floor doesn't work, she runs to the second floor, and if the second floor doesn't work, she runs to the underground cellar, but everywhere you can see the familiar pattern of "detection". As soon as the magic is triggered, some strange monitoring unit will be notified and a heavily armed combat force will arrive within three minutes. Everything was impossible for the Free Army, which she had "commanded", to do.

"Damn. It is worthy of the Imperial Army, and even the magic circle is set up without leakage. ”

The search took longer than she expected. Gradually, the march from outside could no longer be heard. Eventually, Danika realized that there was a place where there should be no detection circle. All officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guard have only one gender, that is......

She rushed into the women's bathroom. Sure enough, the guards of noble origin ignored such an inconspicuous place. She quickly projected the figure of "Rev Namlock", changing her figure, accent, face, and hairstyle as she would do on a daily basis. Since there were no female guards, Danika turned the epaulettes of the magic military uniform and chose a set of imperial military dresses with silver threads on a black background as the princess's formal attire. After everything was ready to stop, the girl took two deep breaths, took out the small mirror she had brought with her, and looked at "herself".

"There's really no way to get into the details...... Leave it to fate. The princess who can freely travel around the world for two years without returning to the palace is probably not very cordial with the emperor, right? As long as she doesn't do anything inconsistent with her identity, she should be fine. ”

Thinking about the question "what should the princess do?", Danika smashed the lock of the toilet window with the handle of her pistol, and quickly climbed out of the window, flying over the fence with the help of jumping magic, and running all the way to the square. When she arrived, she happened to see Gustav boarding the departing carriage. Behind the Emperor, the Imperial Air Force has requisitioned the square with incredible efficiency, and the mages of the engineering corps have begun to erect cover. Since she had seen too many unbelievable inefficiency of the Imperial Army, she only gave a soft "um" to this scene.

"The Emperor is leaving, what should I do now?Do you want to go back and wait for the next opportunity?Edith didn't tell me what to do in this situation......"

Danika stopped and looked around the corner at the motorload of flags and coats of arms. The knights of the Guards crowded the Emperor's open-top carriage, followed by the frame of the elderly Commander-in-Chief Loren, followed by the carriages of the nobles and army commanders. If it was in Deland, there would have been tens of thousands of onlookers in such a lineup, but this is Julok, so she is the only one watching from the sidelines. She smiled wryly, waved at Xiulan, who was at the front of the line, and turned to go back to the bar, wondering how to explain the reason for being late to her friends.

Just as she turned around, all the cars stopped. Although it is not stopped at the same time, it does not take more than ten seconds in total. The neatness and the silence that followed sounded even terrifying.

"Is it Olya? long time no see, get in the car. ”

The low baritone, with a haughty and majestic undertone, but mixed with some tender feelings, is not unpleasant - this is her first impression of Emperor Gustav.

Immediately after, her sanity reacted. At that moment just now, all she showed was a back, and she was wearing a military uniform! At this distance, how could the emperor recognize his sister who had been separated for two years at a glance? Unless, ...... The relationship between the siblings is not as distant as others think.

Thinking of this, Danica's face turned pale. She had only three seconds to think: she couldn't imagine what would happen to her if she was suspicious of the Emperor's guards. What to do?

She spun around a little nervously, smiling and nodding in response to the crowd's gaze.

Everyone was stunned, just staring at the princess of the empire who suddenly appeared, thinking back to what happened two years ago. In the first few months, there was a lively discussion in Deresa's social circles about the notoriety, effeminate and effeminate young lady's decision to travel the world, and a bet that she would return in disgrace after a few months, but like all social topics, the topic lasted only nine months and was never brought up again. Seeing her sneaking up in a corner here doesn't go against what people know about her: even in Deresa, Princess Olya has always been very careful to avoid court activities, and only reluctantly makes a low-key appearance when she really has to be present. Some have even begun to speculate maliciously whether the princess has encountered some "trouble" in the depraved and chaotic South to return to court life.

The princess's next action was beyond the expectations of these people. When Shuran came up with several guards to greet her respectfully, Danica fended off his hand, ignoring the chief knight's hints, and drew the decorative command staff from the belt of her military dress.

"It's been a long time. It's been two years, right?"

The girl replied in a loud voice, chanting the incantation softly, and the staff in her right hand pointed at the carriage. The red carpet behind the coachman suddenly flew up and spread out on its own with her hands, on an invisible slope that stretched from the carriage to her feet. Seeing her use a spell, several guards seemed to reflexively want to make a move, and immediately suppressed their magic power when they thought of the identity of the woman in front of them.

Danika brushed her long black hair, took a deep breath, and began to run along the carpet. Her toes clicked only three times on the red carpet, and she jumped into the carriage like a black delphinium and stopped gently beside the emperor.

Rather than pretending to be another character all the time, she prefers to interpret the character as she understands it. As long as everyone thinks that the princess has changed a lot, no one will be suspicious of her little flaws. The name "Olia Hugh Kirman" seems destined to be at the heart of the tea party topic again.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really like people serving me right now. Danica put away her staff, took off her hat, and sat down beside the Emperor. "I'm back, Your Majesty. ”

"You've changed a lot. Gustav also looked a little stunned, and couldn't think of what to say for a moment, "Is the journey going well?"

"It's going well. It's also interesting to live in this country......" Danica replied casually, tilting her head on the back of the carriage with her legs on her feet. Thirty seconds later, she woke up and sat back on her legs.

Gustav smiled at this, shook his shoulders, and signaled that she didn't have to: "Since you've come back from your trip, let those people in your social circle see how you've changed." There's no need to keep a low profile anymore. ”

The Emperor's voice was low, but it made Danika break out in a cold sweat. It seems that Olya's estranged relationship with her brother is most likely faked......

"If you think the time is right......" she coped cautiously.

Fortunately, Xiu Lan noticed that the situation was not good here, so she came over at the right time to divert the topic. "Your Majesty, do you still want to go to the General Headquarters as originally planned?"

"Of course ......not," Gustav paused and glanced at his sister's military uniform, "No, let's go." Olya shouldn't mind now. ”

Seeing that the emperor did not suspect at all, Xiulan and Danika had the urge to wipe the cold sweat from their heads at the same time. As long as this is the most difficult first level, it should be easy to do...... Should.

*** ***

The headquarters of the General Headquarters of Army Group West was located in the Civic Chamber in Gistov, which was also the most suitable building of the size they could requisition. Judging by the size of the council chamber, the preference for building huge buildings is the same whether it is under aristocracy or republicanism. The name of the city was engraved above the gate, but now a letter has been removed: the sudden incident caused a small storm.

Gistov and Gustav are only one letter apart.

"Nonsense. The emperor, who got out of the carriage, suddenly stopped in front of the door, and the "power" in his hand knocked heavily on the ground, "Who came up with such a flattering idea?"

The smiles on the faces of the generals gathered in front of the command suddenly became embarrassed, and they looked at each other, looking like a group of young students ready to shirk their responsibilities. Danika mentally counted the sum of the shining stars on their shoulders: about three digits, more than twice the total number of generals of the entire Free Army. There were generals in all kinds of uniforms, and some of them had epaulettes interspersed with the insignia of the Arbitration Society or the Holy See. Most of them were young aristocrats, a few were stunned to be old, and there were very few middle-aged generals—in stark contrast to the "uncle command system" of the Free Army.

"I'm sorry, it's me, Your Majesty. "I decided, is there a problem with that?"

Just as the generals were in a panic, two voices came forward at the same time to take responsibility. One voice came from behind the Emperor, and the other from in front of the command.

Neither humble nor arrogant was the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army, Duke Loren von Figota, and a little reckless was the Supreme Commander of Army Group West, Duke Ferdinand Hugh Soma. This was supposed to be the chivalric behavior of the high-ranking nobles, but it was a nightmare for the two knights to come together: it was tantamount to telling the Emperor that his highest-ranking vassals were busy carrying the responsibilities of their subordinates!

Gustav was speechless for a moment, and the scene cooled. It is not surprising that Duke Soma, who had been an ordinary missionary in the New World half a year ago, had done something out of the ordinary, and that the old Duke of Figota was a strict father to him. No matter who of these two people speaks, he will let go of face, but when two people speak at the same time, it makes it difficult for him to deal with it. Although not intentionally, it was indeed about the supreme authority of the Emperor.

For Lenny-born "Princess" Danica, it takes time to understand the intricate unspoken rules of the aristocracy. It took half a minute for her to vaguely understand why those three sentences would stop everyone. She glanced nervously at Xiulan, hoping to find some hints from him on what to do, but she didn't get anything.

I can only rely on myself. Danica licked her lips and spoke boldly as a princess.

"The name was changed to confuse the rebels, and every general of Lennie would be furious to hear that we had changed their city to His Majesty's name. It is likely that the other side will develop plans with the goal of recapturing the city of Gustav and the Northwest Territories. In this way, we will make our corresponding plan, and victory will be within reach. It is worthy of the strategy of His Excellency Figota. ”

Everyone looked at Olya in amazement, and the impression of the previous princess as low-key, introverted, and ignorant was instantly shattered. The old Duke Loren was the most surprised, and he walked forward quickly, looking at the black-haired girl in front of him.

"I've heard a long time ago that you and Xiu Lan have returned, but I haven't seen them until today. You have become more intelligent and beautiful after two years of not seeing, Your Highness Olya. ”

The military minister took her by the hand in a rare way and helped her dismount. Danica was flattered and hurriedly returned the salute after dismounting.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Uncle Figota. Let's all not be stunned at the door, let's all go in?"

Her voice sounded exceptionally pleasant. Gustav smiled, turned over and dismounted, and the crowd dismounted as if it were a general amnesty, and each of them lined up to enter the council chamber. In the midst of this chaos, the Emperor whispered softly in his sister's ear, "You are doing well. ”

"Thank you. It was only then that Danika was truly relieved. She knew that no one with enough status would dare to doubt her identity. Now she is the sister of the Emperor, the closest woman in the world to the core of power. A subtle smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and her steps became brisk, following the crowd into the headquarters.

In the center of the hall stands a high-scale map of the Julok Republic, made using the latest contour projection cartography. The Emperor and his generals quickly gathered around the map. The Duke of Figota laid out five or six feasible plans, laying out his plans for the next three months. Although there were dozens of generals and several times the number of staff officers, nobles, mages, priests, there was only one voice that spoke.

"After the Fourth Army routed the enemy 12th division of Abera, the main force of the enemy in front of us was reduced to three forces. Fox's Central Army, rookie General López's Western Army, and Pickett's stupid Republic Division. Our Western Army has an absolute superiority in strength over the enemy's central army in front of us, and the best plan is to directly defeat Fox, completely destroy the liaison of the Free Army, and take the ...... of Lenny."

Loren's Kerman with a northern accent was difficult for Danica, and it was impossible for her to use translation magic on the occasion, so she had to analyze the strategic map in front of her in boredom. As an imposter marshal for a few days, she had only the most superficial understanding of strategy, such as "forces should be concentrated until logistics permitted", "the control zone should be as contiguous as possible", "it is advantageous to arrange the inside of the zigzag front than the outside", but it is enough to analyze this diagram.

Contrary to what had been seen at the Directory headquarters, the map showed the entire northwestern part of Julok painted in imperial gray, with a glaring diagonal line separating the north and south. With one color missing, the strengths and weaknesses of the two layouts are immediately apparent, unlike the Directory's tricolor map. The battle line was an uneven diagonal line from northeast to southwest. The Phaeths broke through into the Duchy of Figota in the southeast of the Empire, and the battle lines of the two armies were leveled near the central mountain range, and the northwest foot of the mountain range had been occupied by the Imperial army's advance, with only one place to cut off the entire front.

"In the middle of the battle line, what's that huge protrusion that gets in the way?"

Hearing the princess's question, all the staff officers, generals, knights, and even the emperor himself who were being discussed fell silent at once. The gray representing the empire was evenly splashed into the territory of the republic, and the sleeves of the last soldier on the Western Front were already brushing the beaches of Emerald Bay, and only the large blue spike of Danica's finger was particularly eye-catching. In the end, it was Gustav himself who opened his mouth to explain to her.

"That's Fort Still, where my father was buried. A huge fortress that neither our army nor the enemy army wants to approach. There is only one chance to conquer it, and it is not us who have that opportunity. ”

Hearing the name of the emperor, there was silence in the entire headquarters. In the midst of the silence, the Emperor's tone changed abruptly.

"But you don't necessarily need that place to get the South. What we have to do is not to engage in a war of attrition with them under Fort Still, but to take the other side's capital!"

The generals and staff officers cheered, and the shouts of "Long live my emperor" resounded throughout the headquarters. Only a few of them had a sad look on their faces, and they echoed the occasion with a forced smile. Experienced veterans and young geniuses with keen instincts sensed the danger that lay within, but no one dared to raise it.

If anyone in the Free Army anticipated their plans...... The road to Lenny will become a muddy and bloody road.

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

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