III

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August 6, 1666 (MDay+127)

Jena Front, Imperial Side

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Everyone in the Imperial Narrow Legion saw the unexpected: in front of more than 10,000 men on both sides of the battlefield, the trap of the Free Army defeated the Minister of Security.

Everyone saw rainbow rays of light falling from the sky like a torrential rain, and the telescope commanders could even see the curves of Sid flying through the air.

It's hard to say how much of a blow this incident has dealt to the Imperial soldiers, but the entire front has fallen silent. Hardly anyone spoke, and no one acted.

Even the silver dragon Mara repeated in her cold voice, "Danica." We're in trouble. ”

"I know," Danica said, looking around at the troubled look, "I know. ”

Absolutely in full color.

More than a dozen guns lay flat on the ground, and more than thirty muzzles were stuck diagonally in the soil. Dozens of horses lost control of their owners and were walking aimlessly. It's nothing, there's even a guy with the rank of lieutenant who kneels on the ground and prays to God, with all his men!

"This is the most elite Overseer brigade in the Empire, and it's clearly a rout!"

The complaint swirled on Danica's lips, but she didn't say it.

Before the opponent's counter-charge can begin, she must first solve the morale problem. With this kind of force, it is impossible for her to stop the enemy brigade.

The girl in the lilac general's dress casually threw the binoculars to the side, and her chief adjutant "Fog Eagle" Major Edith Magnum hurriedly took it.

"Edith, now call the officers!"

After a long period of cooperation, an indescribable understanding has developed between the two men, and Edith "Fog Hawk" has been lurking in the South for a long time, and she understands the loneliness that Danika experiences all the time.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The officers assembled quickly. The bloodstained uniforms and armor formed a semicircle around Danica, and naturally divided into two small phalanxes according to the troops: the officer corps of the Overseer Brigade and the Seventh Brigade occupied the left and right flanks.

There's a reason why the assembly was so fast: after the last attack, the commanders of the three armies of the Royal Overseer Brigade, the Imperial Seventh Brigade and the Figota Brigade all rushed to the front line, no more than a hundred meters away from each other.

"His Excellency Sid Nasser has lost contact with us for the time being. Danika cleared her throat and said loudly in a voice that everyone could hear, "As the commander of the Figota Brigade, I will take over the command in order, and the commander of the 7th Brigade will be given the second command—"

An officer of the Overseer Brigade raised his hand: "Report to Your Highness, the commander of the Seventh Brigade has been killed. The deputy brigade commander was in command. ”

Danika bit her lip and accepted the not-so-surprising news: "-Then, Her Royal Highness Princess Olya, as the royal overseer, will be given second command in order. No opinion. ”

"His Highness Figota!"

Several Overseer Brigade officers interrupted her at the same time. The Royal Overseer Brigade is one of the few brigades in the Imperial Army that does not have a deputy position, as the Brigade is nominally commanded by His Majesty himself, and even Sid Nasser, who is only the acting Brigade Commander. The men glanced at each other, and in this eye contact quickly reached a consensus, and elected a colonel of Baron, who was of the highest rank in the brigade, to speak as the representative of the whole brigade: "The most urgent task now is to save your Excellency from the encirclement of the enemy and lead us to annihilate the enemy again!

Hearing this, Danika coughed violently, not knowing how to answer this utter wishful thinking. She knew that the Overseer Brigade was known for its ability to shed blood and fight hard, and she also knew that this unit was a death squad of the Ministry of Security, which had always only carried out two tasks: assault and supervision, and was a special force loyal only to His Majesty the Emperor and the Minister of Security-

But she didn't expect that the remaining leaders of this army would choose such extreme tactics!

"Didn't they know that it might cost them all their chips?"

This sentence only stirred in Danica's heart, and she still didn't dare to say it. Her gaze subconsciously turned to the other officers, secretly hoping that the opinion just now was only the opinion of the colonel alone.

However, the staff officers who were in a panic suddenly cheered up. Danika was surprised to see that these guys, who had seemed to be lost a moment ago, suddenly had a backbone, and began to whisper excitedly - not to discuss the implicit problems of this order, but to discuss how to carry out this order!

"Your Excellency is a high-level magician who has mastered the magic of absolute defense, and it is impossible for any magic power or foreign object to pass through the barrier of his absolute defense orb. ”

"The quickest way to get your Excellency out of the country should be. We cannot shy away from adversity, and it is better to give a direct account of the current situation. ”

Listening to these conversations, Danika gradually realized a serious problem. She had always had a vague sense that Sid had a terrifying, monstrous organization that was still functioning after the loss of its leader. And none of the members of this monster organization doubted Sid Nasser's life or death - not a single one. All the staff officers of the Ministry of Security are convinced that their commander must be alive under any circumstances;

Fortunately, the officers present belonged to more than one command, and the deputy commander of the 7th Brigade clearly did not support the Overseer's plan to advance.

"Do you really want to wage war according to this assumption? This is madness! Our task is to set up an outpost here in order to receive the follow-up troops! We should avoid the enemy's advance and retreat and regroup!"

"Are you going to back down? Our duty is to shoot every coward. "The Colonel of the Overseer Brigade showed no signs of weakness.

"But, Rasta has already failed once! we can't afford to lose a second failed forward base!"

"Will retreating avoid defeat?"

The-for-tat between the two soon turned into a full-scale confrontation between the two officer corps. The well-dressed officers scolded each other, naming each other as reckless and cowardly, trolls and goblins, slugs and slimes. Danica looked at these people in amazement: where had their demeanor gone?

"You can't tell, these guys have more than twenty titles combined. Olya smiled wryly and explained, "Danica, which tactic do you think is more advantageous?"

"I'm thinking about it," Danika replied.

Olya waited patiently for a moment. She saw that Danica's fingers were twitching slightly, her eyes blinking, and she didn't have any intention of continuing to explain, so she had to tug at Danica's sleeve again: "Don't you think you should analyze the situation to stop them?"

"It's not time yet," Danika shook her head. She could read the suspicion in the eyes of the officers on both sides. "The Overseer's Brigade advocates a desperate gamble. The enemy should have put in the last reserves, and if they can be defeated, they will have a chance to take Jena directly. Very tempting. ”

"There should be a but, right?"

"But, as the 7th Brigade said, it's not our mission. Our task was to lay a strong position and wait for the arrival of the follow-up troops. Even if the trip is delayed, as long as the main force arrives within three days, we can still win. Rasta's presences were a terrible precedent. ”

"However, the other party has chosen to make a desperate bet, don't they need to wait for the follow-up troops?"

"It is also needed. But they are enemies on their backs, and time is our friend......"

Danika stopped suddenly, and she felt the roots of her teeth tremble slightly. There seems to be something wrong with my own plan.

What is this strange feeling?

"What if...... I'm Conti Fox. I'm in the inside position. I have the same number of troops as the enemy in front of me. This is my location. But I chose to go all out on the counter-attack, not hesitating to gamble on the last reserves. ”

Location. A flash of inspiration flashed.

"Why?"

The map unfolded in her mind's eye, connecting all the locations in a line. All positions that spread south from the far north were, the Figota division - the López division - the Fox division - her Narrow Army Corps - the retarded forces of the Free Army - the main force of the Imperial Army.

The encirclement network of the Imperial Army, with the Free Army on the inner line, has the ability to independently choose opponents for a period of time.

"What if...... I'm Clad López. I'm the filler of the dessert, and I control the inside position. I fought in the north, but I knew that the enemy in the south was the biggest threat. I can't let the other person get a foothold. But I was haunted by the enemy in front of me. ”

Pester. Another flash of inspiration.

"What if...... Now that I have routed the enemy in the north, then I will order the sluggish troops in the south to attack with all their might, without giving the enemy a chance to retreat and regroup—"

Answer. Danika began to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Seeing her face turn pale, Olya shook her arm vigorously and called her back to the real world from her reasoning: "Danica, are you alright?"

"That's not going to work. Clad will appear at any time. We're going to leave a rearguard force behind, and then join the main forces, right now!"

She almost shouted this sentence. All the officers in the quarrel turned their heads and stared at Danika with a gaze that could not be said to mean anything.

"Country illegitimate daughters can also fight, ridiculous. Danica heard someone muttering quietly. The magicians have good hearing, but the man did say it to her on purpose.

Danica's true identity is a secret. In the eyes of ordinary officers, she was just a big-chested aristocratic illegitimate daughter, who was inexplicably favored by the emperor and commanded the most elite principality army in name. Not a single regular army officer was willing to take command from this country girl of unknown origin.

"I think Your Highness needs to reconsider this decision," the Overseer Brigade's colonel emphasized, word by word, "what tactics are best for our troops. ”

Danika begins to realize that this is not just a mess, it's a mess full of mistrust.

Danika doesn't know who will take her orders. Can she trust the Overseer Brigade, can she trust the Seventh Brigade, or even, can she trust her Figota Brigade?

She wanted to save these armies, but it seemed so tough. Here she is not the "general's daughter", here she is the "dubious commander". She suddenly began to miss the identity of the fake princess she had used - when she used that identity, people would be surprised by her every decisive decision, and she would be praised for her outstanding performance.

Not now. First Princess Olia stood right behind her.

"Clad will come. Her inherited strategic talent calculated, "Maximize the protection of the living forces, retreat, and rebuild the defenses." ”

"I can't do it," her subconscious said, "there's no way I'm going to get this force to carry out my orders." They didn't believe me. ”

Tremble, tremble, tremble. The body was shaking uncontrollably.

Danica knew what that sentiment was. This is the emotion that these people who are arguing and thinking wishfully are trying to hide.

This emotion is called fear.

The fear of losing control of everything. Fear of a hopeless situation. Fear made these officers paranoid and insane. No one wanted to follow in the footsteps of the Rasta tribe, this paranoia confused their judgment, and the loss of Sid completely made the army lose confidence in the victory.

If the commander of the other side saw this scene, he would have laughed out loud.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't even feel like she wanted to know what to do. She didn't know how to get out of this situation. Magical geniuses don't seem to help.

Just then, a voice came from behind them, changing the subject for Danica.

"Get out of the way! I've brought the Chief's final orders!"

Everyone, including the silver dragon, turned their heads and stared at the man who was riding their horses.

The person was a woman dressed in the red uniform of the Free Army, but wearing the black officer's cloak of the Overseer Brigade outside. Her military hat was pressed low, but it couldn't hide her green hair and seductive style.

Her right hand was still dripping with blood and looked like she had a gunshot wound. The hand is flying through the air to make a gesture that stands for "most urgent" in the Royal Department of Security code. Not every guard knew the gesture, but every officer in the Overseer Brigade did, and they let the man go at once.

"Your name, class?" Edith stepped forward, standing in front of her mistress. She didn't know that her superiors knew this man.

The green-haired woman reined in the reins, jumped off her horse, and replied without hesitation: "Kengal Agency, Secret Liaison Officer, Major Magia Verry, General Directorate of the South." ”

The officers of the Overseer Brigade had obvious suspicion in their eyes, as no one knew the man. All eyes were on Denika.

Danika suppressed her emotions and looked at the person in front of her. All of her appearances and features indicate that this woman is Magia Verri, Sid's ghost servant. She's not a major, of course, but why is she here? Isn't she supposed to be by her side?

She unconsciously turned her head, and as a matter of course, she didn't see the apparition of Magia. This finally confirms the truth: Sid did have an accident that allowed Magia, whose soul was enslaved, to be given a body and the right to move freely. The smart shadow politician runs much faster than Sid.

But there are still many details that remain unanswered. Danica temporarily suppressed the doubts in her heart, and reluctantly proved: "Magia is one of the closest magical officers to Lord Sid, she is the secret liaison officer of the Ministry of Security in the south, and I saw her when I was in Kengele. ”

The words "secret liaison" seemed to explain everything, and no one questioned it. No one believed they knew all of Sid's informants and inspectors, let alone many members of the Ministry of Security who were in direct contact with each other. Several of the Royal Security Ministry's chiefs in charge of espionage in the south were not here, and these officers were even more afraid to speak.

Seeing that her identity was recognized, the green-haired woman walked quickly to Danica: "Please forgive my faux pas, Your Highness von Figota, the situation is urgent. Due to the fierce magic attack of the other party, the minister has now used absolute defensive magic, cutting off all contact with the outside world. ”

"That's right. This fact was in line with the judgment of the officers, and they immediately accepted it.

"He sent a message to me at the end of the day. The message goes like this-"

After attracting everyone's attention with these words, Magia pursed the corners of her mouth and played Sid's iron-masked appearance to the fullest.

"I have a way to protect myself. Let the troops retreat and regroup. Conducted by Danica. ”

These few short words are indeed the style in which Sid gave orders. The officers of the Overseer Brigade looked at each other, but eventually nodded reluctantly. Magia blinked, put away the grim look, and continued to add, "Above, this is the last order of the chief. ”

I don't know if it's an illusion, but Danika thinks she seems to be winking at herself. There are many verifiable facts in Magia's words, and they do sound very true and convincing. This sentence is also in Denica's favor, her status in the chain of command is already high, and Magia's testimony adds to the weight of command......

But she just couldn't believe that Sid had time to hand over command in the final moments of the fierce battle. Just like she would never believe that Sidken would set this woman free.

This is a gesture of goodwill, and this is a deliberate political investment. Maggia's abilities are truly amazing, and she sees the dilemma that Denika is facing right away, and conceives an execution plan that will solve it. Now, even if someone blatantly disobeys Denika's orders, she can fight back head-on-

"I question! Sid doesn't know this woman's plans, we can't retreat!"

The Colonel of the Overseer Brigade tried to resist, but was already much weaker. There was a look of hesitation on the faces of the officers—

"It's now," a voice repeated in Danica's head, "it's now." ”

She doesn't feel fear anymore.

There were so many people standing behind her: the peerless politician Maggia Verri. The first princess of the Empire, Olya Hugh Corman. Edith Magnum, the best spy of the Ministry of Security. And, of course, the silver dragon Mara.

The best women on the continent gathered around her.

"If I'm a man, it's called a harem, right?"

She didn't care what motives these people had. Even if no one really trusted her, she didn't care.

This was the place she had always wanted: a place where no one else could lean on. She abandoned her relatives, friends, and childhood sweethearts, just to get such a sky that only belongs to herself.

It's like the cursed bloodline of the López family. Although I hate that father the most, my behavior is really similar to him.

"Anyway, thank you all. ”

Danica rubbed her eyes. She was no longer confused, and her eyes revealed determination.

"Tell me, according to Imperial military law, what is the crime of refusing the orders of a commander in public on the battlefield? ”

The actions of the colonel of the "Eleven-One ......" froze.

"Judge, Royal Martial Law Article 11!" Danika asked immediately, not missing the moment.

Even Danica can recite the numbers of Imperial military law entries, as it was established during the First Freedom War, by the Empire's most hated Southern separatists. It is a sacred law shared by both the warring sides of the Imperial Army and the Free Army. Her biological father once said that it was not only the military law of the Free Army, but also the real strength of the Free Army.

"Royal Military Law XI. All members of the armed forces must follow and immediately carry out the orders of their superiors, superiors, or alternate commanders...... Violators ......"

The Imperial Army faithfully inherited the design intent of this military law, and used it to smash the old feudal army and mercenary army system. The brigade commander died, and the deputy brigade commander. The deputy brigade commander died, and there was also the chief of staff. No army on this battlefield will collapse because one or two commanders lose their combat effectiveness.

All soldiers and officers are not only driven by honor, but also by strict military law.

The colonel swallowed his saliva and replied with difficulty, "...... Violators will be executed. ”

This is the new army. Although the Empire was reluctant to admit that their military establishment and chain of command were still full of old remnants, using terms such as "Knights", "Legionnaires", and "Court Guards" in an attempt to pretend that "the vassal system was still in force", in reality they were no different from the Free Army opposite. War is a cruel goddess of fate, which will eliminate all inapplicable methods of warfare and punish all incompetent people and institutions with death. The feudal military system is already a story of a hundred years ago.

"Good. ”

Without hesitation, Danica took two steps forward, raising her right hand, the muzzle of the silver revolver pressed against the chest of the Overseer Brigade leader. Before the man's face turned pale, she pulled the trigger with a flick of her hand.

The bullet slid against the colonel's shoulder. Despite his full training as an agent, the baron fell to his knees with weak legs.

"This is for the sake of Lord Nasser. Guards, take him down and leave him for His Majesty the Emperor's trial, and don't make an example!"

"You...... You ......" the colonel seemed to want to say something to turn the tide.

"I know my sentence is cruel. Danika didn't give him a chance to continue, "Because I deprived you of the honorable right to fight." I want you all to know that our retreat is not out of reckless judgment, nor out of fear, but because it is the only way to change the future of the Empire. ”

There is only one way. There's only one way to make these people believe in themselves.

"I will not retreat with the main forces. I will inherit the wishes of Sid Nasser. The flag of freedom that he failed to take down is up to me, Danica Villeen von Figota!"

Danika waved her hand, called her maid, and held out her hand.

"Give me the weapon. The one that can suppress the opponent's magic. ”

The maids looked at each other: "Weapons to suppress magic...... You mean 'that', right? Now that the Marquis of Atlas is using it, and he's probably in dire need of this sword as well. ”

Danika nodded, "But he must understand the urgency of the situation." ”

Like most large families, the Treasures of House Figota are actually a magically protected dimensional bag that can be used by anyone with the permission of the family. Of course, as an adopted daughter, Danika can also use the most famous weapon of the Figota family.

"In the name of von Figota, I expropriate humility!"

She reached into the dimensional pouch that the maid had brought her, and grabbed the "humility".

A famous sword that was once kept by the great nobles of the South and the Knights of the Medic. Created by the humble Order of Santa Damira and enchanted by bald missionaries from the Far East, the sword embodies the concept of "breaking the magic seal", and is known for its excellent magical defense and area of effect anti-magic ability. The sword's position in the realm of anti-magic weapons is equivalent to the position of "Justice" in the realm of inspiring weapons or "Arbiter of the Covenant" in the realm of transforming weapons.

The sword is light and seems to be able to be easily danced with one hand, but the blade is so long that it can be used as a two-handed sword to slash without any problem. This is a great sword, a sword that represents the achievements of modern metallurgy. This sword, which was made by combining the advantages of various swords, was contemptuously called a "mongrel sword" by traditional swordsmen who used both large and long swords. In the early days of the Freedom War, this weapon was in full swing, and in the south and in the villages of the junction, royalists and liberals duel and slash each other. Armed with mongrel swords, Protestant "duelists" ran from castle to castle in the southern realms, using their skill to assassinate royalist nobles, many of whom later became councillors of the southern government. It's a rare era of swordsman romance in history, where firearms and new forms of magic have rephased out the old heavy armor, and blades have once again trumped warhammers and spears.

Danika drew her sword from its sheath and examined its blade. The blade of the sword was still stained with fresh blood, and the sword was engraved with eight oriental square characters.

"Miss, these eight words are the initiating words, read as-"

The maid was about to explain, but Danika shook her head, indicating that she didn't need to. She read the eight words word by word.

"There is no self in all laws, and Nirvana is silent. ”

The magic is concentrated on the wrist and is constantly drawn forward. Danica's wrist flicked, and the sword flew in her hand, feeling the extent of the anti-magic area that the sword wind swept through.

"You give me the line of fire. ”

She took a step forward, the blade pointing at the Freedom Banner in the distance, and the silver pure energy flame on her left hand gathered. The magic officers couldn't help but start whispering: even in the Mage Guild, there weren't many people who could cast this level of magic. In contrast, although the opponent's organ ray network is large, the power of a single beam of rays is much weaker.

"Ultra Magic-Ascend-Extreme-Powerful-Target's Itself, Ray Rain!"

Beams of light almost as thick as her arm flew out of her left hand, disintegrating into dozens of rays of various colors in midair. The rays spun in small circles in the air, forming a beautiful set of fireworks that redirected towards herself. Taking advantage of this time, Danika grasped the hilt of the sword with both hands, gathered her stance, and slashed out before the ray flew back.

Jian Feng drew a beautiful folded line in the air, a delicate and beautiful zigzag line that covered all the space in front of her, and all the magic mass disappeared without a trace.

Seeing this effect, not to mention ordinary officers, even Princess Olya was a little excited: "If you can block the organ, Danica, you will definitely be able to block it!"

Danika carried the big sword on her shoulder, looking heroic. She scanned the audience with a deliberate, disdainful gaze.

"I need some knights! some brave and noble knights, some knights who will hold back the enemy's attack while I go to take down the enemy's flag of freedom! The enemy attack is about to begin, which troops dare to stay in this dead place to serve as defenders? Remember, your combat performance is crucial to the safe evacuation of Her Highness Olya. ”

Almost all the officers hesitated. This is different from a decisive assault, everyone knows that the rearguard troops will be at a disadvantage in all aspects, and it will be completely nine deaths. Officers who were supported by their subordinates feared for the lives of their subordinates, officers who were confident in their combat effectiveness were afraid that their troops would be damaged too heavily, and unpopular officers were afraid that their troops would temporarily turn back. A few people wanted to take a step, but saw that their colleagues did not react and stopped moving.

Only one voice agreed without hesitation.

'I'll play as a defender. With you. You are a reliable fighter. ”

The Daughter of the Silver Dragon, who was taller than all the men, stepped forward and replied coldly. Danika noticed that Olya was winking at Mara secretly.

It's like throwing a stone into a calm soup pot. Male humans can no longer be calm - not only females, but also reptiles. Volunteer officers stepped forward one after another, and the number of rearguard units grew. The commanders of the Overseer Brigade, the Seventh Brigade, the Figota Brigade, and the various units stepped forward.

Danika quietly calculated, one-tenth, one-eighth, one-sixth of the total number of troops......

The trumpet of the opposing camp sounded. She felt that the troops had enough.

Danika took a deep breath and gave the order, "That's it." Edith, you command the rearguard!Your Highness Olya, please take charge of the retreating troops!Abandon your prejudices!Fight together!I have only one order—"

I wonder what the enemy commander will say? She has her own way.

"Survive, my brave knights!"

Danica didn't expect that she would give this order over and over again for the rest of her life.

The final assault of the Free Army has begun. She ran to Mara's side and hugged her shoulders tightly. The silverhead shook her body and returned to her original shape.

"Take off with confidence, Mara. I'll take care of all the magic!"

The dragon took off.

Below the dragon's silver wings, the offensive of the Jena army was advancing.

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Sorry for the late chapter of the National Day...... Some things are busy.

P.S. In fact, the original text of this military law should be Shallsufferdeath, and it should be read with much more momentum and murderous spirit...... Originally, I thought it would be written directly as "beheading" or "death penalty immediately executed", but in the end, I felt that it was okay to destroy the atmosphere.

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