(XV)

January 27, 1667, late rainy season

Yellow Turban Taiping Daoguo, Fuxi Province

Guozhou state, anti-Dipborough

One hundred and twenty-eight years ago, that is, after the Guozhou Mansion was ceded to the people of Shengsen and the Senate "for the supply and trade of elven ships", the leaders of the Qingniu Mansion decided to build a new Guozhou Governor's Office dozens of miles away to rule the remaining counties of Guozhou.

At first, the Taiping-Dao chief altar priests, who were in charge of the affairs of the province in the western part of the province, planned to give the city a cheesy name like "Xinguozhou", but eventually, on the advice of some well-educated people, they decided to name the new city "Fangdi Fort".

Translated into Western terms, the name means "fortress against the barbarians of the West". Calicut Alvarez, the elven general known as Lei Lituo by the Daoists, almost swept away the Yellow Turban Army in the western part of Fuxi, leaving a deep humiliating memory for the Taiping Dao Kingdom.

Like all cities that believe in Taiping Dao, the Yellow Tai Chi flag of Taiping Dao flutters over Fangdi Fort. Known as the "Tai Chi Fish" in Western countries, this flag is a beautiful circle formed by black and white patterns, and is a common symbol of all religions and sects that follow the supreme path and pursue the only right path.

For many years, one-half of the standing forces of the entire province of the province were stationed under this banner, ready to resist the invasion of more elven legions.

Finally, the elven legion they had been waiting for arrived, but with a white flag as a symbol of peace.

At this moment, the leader of this elven army, Jiawen Alvarez, was in the side room of the official office of the Castle of Defense, leaning on a boxwood carved celestial chair in a very ladylike sitting position, holding a tea cup in his hand, calmly waiting for the summons of the master of this place.

A few decades ago, this relatively new style of oriental furniture was still very uncommon in the Taiping Taoist world, and the Taoists still preferred to sit on the ground, but after the clever Sheng Sen and Oriental merchants changed the name of this imported chair originally called "Taishi Chair" to "Tianshi Chair", it swept the officialdom of the Taiping Dao countries.

She brought four elf and quasi-elf nobles to serve as guards, all of them murderous and brave. She wanted the other party to know that she didn't come with a defeated army to surrender.

Although the truth is not far from this. Just three days ago, the fleet of the Free Army, which had been running across the entire Hidden Dragon Sea, landed at Gawen Feigena and swept away the Elven Colony Legion stationed in the colony, along with its captain and the Governor of the colony. Jiawen used the authority of the tribune to take out several honorary citizen titles of the Holy Forest, and it was only then to reorganize the defeated soldiers and refugees into a colony legion detachment that was outwardly reasonable and had a unicorn battle flag.

"This chair is finally a little more comfortable than the last time I was here. ”

The elven female tribune took a sip of tea, recalling the memories of dealing with these Taoists decades ago, and didn't want to make any big etiquette mistakes. In recent years, it was the officials of the Daomin who took the initiative to go to Jiawen Feig's to visit the representatives of Shengsen.

"Guozhou Taishou, General Fang Di, Deputy Governor of Fuxi, Lord Zhu Duzhi summoned Shengsen to make Lei Jiawen!"

The guard at the door stretched his throat and shouted loudly.

"This gentleman's name means 'decisive man'. ”

A would-be elf who had previously worked as a translator and had spent many years in the Eastern Empire stood up and explained to Jiawen, who didn't know much about Eastern languages. Several other elves and half-elves followed him to their feet.

Seeing this, the Yellow Turban guard hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Your Excellency has only summoned the envoy and his interpreter, please wait here." ”

"It's a real deal. ”

A sneer hung on the corner of Jiawen's mouth. The attitude of those Taiping officials before was not like this.

Trade with Sheng Sen brought great benefits to all three provinces on the Taiping Peninsula, and was the biggest source of profit for the governor and vice-governor of Guozhou, who made a windfall in the checkpoint tax and the seizure of contraband.

"This is too much deception, Lord Protector!"

"It doesn't matter. And they performed. ”

Every genie knows that interests and politics are two different things. In the days when Hunrinasti still ruled the continent, the old immortals of the elven capital began to play politics - until they lost the entire elven empire, and they were still playing the power games that only clever and wise politicians play.

Jiawen understood that the other party's statement was conveying a message: the other party already knew the news of Jiawen Feigena's fall, and planned to use it for profit.

She waved her guard to stay in the room, got up and followed the guard out the door with the interpreter.

The entire official office of Fort Fendi is heavily guarded, which reflects the true character of this place as a military fortress. It's just that those Yellow Turban soldiers who barely put on a majestic posture don't look like battle-hardened heroic warriors, but like officials who barely put on their military uniforms—just like the "guard" who led the way in front of her.

After passing through the wide square with drums, rattan plaques, coats of arms, stone lions and other decorations, you will find the official hall of Fangdi Castle. In front of the main hall, two Yellow Turban warriors armed with halberds blocked the way.

"Unleash your weapons, Sidi!"

Their halberds intersected, making a crisp metal crashing sound, and it turned out to be an all-iron spear.

"They ask you to hand over your weapons......"

Hearing the euphemistic translation of the would-be elf who was fluent in oriental characters, Jiawen sighed softly and untied the protective dagger from her waist.

"I'm afraid there is no such word at all, right?"

Before the people around her could show a smug smile, she threw her short sword with her scabbard in the middle of the two Yellow Turban soldiers' crossed halberds! This throw was so ingenious that the faces of the two strong men changed greatly, and the halberd in one person's hand swung away, and the other's halberd simply fell to the ground.

The elf smiled, and her sensitive ears heard whispers like "Didn't you say she came to ask for reinforcements, master?"

She shook her head and deliberately raised her voice: "If I want to assassinate your Taishou, even if I don't have a weapon, can anyone stop me in this courtyard?!"

Being able to become one of the ten tribunes of the Holy Forest as a woman, Jiawen Alvarez is extremely confident in her abilities. She knew from the beginning that the reinforcements of the Taiping Dao Kingdom could not be obtained by whispering!

She was answered with a thump of hardwood. Jiawen had heard the impact, which the people of the Eastern Empire seemed to call "Shocking Wood", which was a bit like a bell in a church.

"Bring in the messenger of Nasidi!"

There was a slightly angry voice from inside.

"They asked you to come in and talk—"

"It doesn't have to be translated that way. While waiting, I found an inaccurate listening spell from the magic web, and I'm going to use it. I don't think there's a need for a very accurate translation today. ”

Jiawen completely ignored the three Yellow Turban soldiers around her, and after speaking as if no one was around, she stepped over the high threshold and walked into the main hall of the official office.

The owner of the place, Vice Governor Zhu Duzhi, was sitting behind the table at the end of the main hall, and his table and seat were all markedly elevated in order to provide an advantage over the people below.

Like most of the Taoists of the Taiping Daoist Kingdom, Zhu Duzhi, the general of Fangdi, had a brown face, a beard, and rough skin like the hot sand of the archipelago, and did not look much like the yellow people of the Eastern Empire. However, these people all boast of themselves as "true messengers of the righteous path" and talk about "we must recover the giant deer". This kind of inconsistent and high-sounding style is very much like the style of the Eastern bureaucratic empire that governs the country with morality.

Now, the most powerful man in the southern part of Fuxi Province was staring at Jiawen's beautiful statue-like face, and secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. One of his wives and concubines, a sub-elf with a quarter of elven blood, was already very satisfying to him, but in front of this 100 percent pure-blood elf, the half-blood elf could only be overshadowed.

He could see that this woman who led the elven army and held a high position was polite and courteous, cautious and arrogant, and obviously came from a large family—similar to the very few big families in the Taiping Dao Kingdom that stretched for hundreds of thousands of years, and the county could be traced back to Middle-earth. The woman of such a big family would not dare to think of a martial artist like Zhu Jiezhi.

Just when he was in a daze for the other party's beauty and temperament, Jiawen spoke.

"I am the Elven People and the Senate-authorized Tribune, the eldest daughter of Calicut Alvarez, Gawen Alvarez. ”

The quasi-elf translated word by word: "This civil protector is Lei Jiawen, the daughter of Lei Lituo. ”

Hearing the unforgettable name of "Lei Lituo" for the Taiping Dao Kingdom, Zhu Duzhi came back to his senses.

"Oh, Ben Zhu Duzhi. May I ask the Protector what is the intention of the army to come?"

General Fang Di left a step for the other party. According to his and his master's speculation, the elf's rout this time was unprecedented, and it was a good opportunity for him to expand his power and compete for power. If the elf was going to beg his reinforcements to reclaim Gozhou, he didn't care about biting off a chunk of flesh from those pointy ears...... It would be better if there was a chance to take a bite on the lady in front of you.

"I have come this time to bring with me the kindness and counsel of the Senate and Gawen Figner. A powerful Free Army of Intern had captured Gawen Figna a few days earlier and defeated our garrison there. With the strength of this army, it is entirely possible that they will continue to attack Defundaku. Therefore, I have come with my army, hoping to help you, General Zhu, defend the city until we bring in more fleets and reinforcements to defeat the enemy. I hope that the general will not act on your own, this army of the Nankoman people is not a militia, but a strong army that has experienced bloody battles on the mainland, and it is by no means an opponent that the general's troops can defeat. ”

"There is a Hongyi army, attacking the city, sharp, invincible ......"

Due to the language barrier, Zhu Jieyi listened to the translator relay Jiawen's meaning with a smile at first, but when he listened to it, he felt that something was not right. Even if it is embellished by translation, this is not well-intentioned advice at all, but a kind of humiliation in person.

General Fang Di's life for more than 40 years is also a career of Rong Ma, he has led the new army under Luo Ruide, and has also participated in the holy war against the eastern soil, and has achieved brilliant results over the years, this kind of hot and hot face slapping speech is really unbearable for him.

"What do you mean by this girl, not only can't we defeat that Hongyi army, but we can't even defend this fort?"

"Exactly. That's why I'm kind enough to come here to provide the general with an elven reinforcement. As long as the General provides proper pay and supplies for our men, we will bring the incoming Intern Army to the brink of blood. To your peace of mind, General, we will not ask for more rights for our service, and even if a new governor comes to Gawen Feigena, it will have nothing to do with our service. ”

The would-be elf in charge of the translation trembled slightly, but he still translated the words according to Jiawen's meaning.

As he expected, only halfway through what he heard, Zhu Jiezhi grabbed the tea cup on the table with his tense hands.

"Enough. Drop-off. ”

In the officialdom customs of the Eastern Empire, once the host holds the tea cup, it means to signal the guests to leave.

"I am a general and a governor of the Taiping Dao Kingdom, and the Lei Protector can take your army to sell your body for money. But in my defense of Dipor, I don't need your army to help defend it. ”

Jiawen sighed lightly and said with a light smile: "I really mean ......"

"Then the interpreter, tell her the meaning of the word "send-off!"

Serving tea to send off guests was particularly hateful, and General Zhu threw it hard and smashed the tea cup to the ground.

Seeing this, Jiawen pressed her hand to her chest, bowed slightly, and still calmly exited the door.

When the two elves disappeared outside the door, the master on the side frowned, coughed twice, and stepped forward to remind the master: "My lord, although this girl is arrogant, there is no need to be familiar with her, right? ”

"Of course I know. Zhu Jiezhi sat back in his chair and said in a deep voice, without a trace of anger on his face, "This woman is bent on provoking us to fight against the newcomers in Guozhou, and her intention is too obvious. How could I fall for such a childish plan? The Sidi people have pointed ears and long eyebrows, and their minds are shallow, like beasts, and sure enough. ”

"Then why don't you make a false accusation, but tear your face with him in public?" asked the master cautiously.

"Hahaha, although this woman is excited, but what she said leaked her hole cards. It is true that the Hongyi army is brave and good at fighting, and it is also true that her army is desperate, so she came up with this method of selling herself as a mercenary. She kept saying that local reinforcements would come, which shows that they actually have no foreign aid in the short term. ”

Zhu Jiezhi was in a very good mood, and gently tapped the table with the startling wood in his hand.

She insisted that the Hongyi people would go north, but she could see that the Hongyi actually had no intention of plotting against me. Labor expeditions, lonely hanging, newly captured land, the Hongyi army must be cautious now. Why don't we seize this opportunity and sign a new peace treaty directly with this brave and warlike Red Yi Army, wouldn't it be much better than entangled with these Sidi?"

"Conquer the raze with raze, the lord really sees it!" the master was convinced, "No wonder you want to drive these Sidi people out." ”

"If you use them, the negotiation with Hongyi will definitely be hindered by them, and if you can't say it, you will have to make a night attack on Dingyuan Marquis, what a bother. Zhu Jiezhi was happy, and he also fell into his bookbag like a literati, "It's just a pity that this beauty doesn't have a chance to kiss Fangze." ”

The master laughed cooperatively, and the other soldiers in the hall also laughed with their general.

At this time, Gawen Alvarez was walking towards the door with a few listless guards.

The guards all heard the summons sent by Zhu Duzhi, and knew that their troops would no longer be able to stay in the city, and their mood was very low, and the lively bazaar of Fangdi Castle could not arouse the slightest interest of everyone.

However, Jiawen herself seems to be in a good mood, and she often stops by the market to buy some interesting trinkets or Taipingdao-style magic items.

She didn't lead a real Saint Forest Legion, and the people didn't have the obedience of a real soldier. Finally, after the group left the bazaar and shook off the stalkers of Taiping Road, someone couldn't help but ask, "Your Excellency the Protector." We're going to be forced out of here, and they haven't promised us any reinforcements, so is that okay?"

The Guardian replied lightly, "No reinforcements?" ”

"But I don't think this General Zhu is a risk-taking person. Even the would-be elves, who acted as translators, objected.

"This General Zhu will lead the troops. Jiawen smiled, "This general will never pay attention to our warnings and threats, but he will not lead his troops to attack Jiawen Feigena. He would only take the army on the road to protect himself, while showing it to the new owner there, trying to negotiate some bargains to get back. A very safe plan that can make the most profits. I'm afraid he's laughing at me right now. ”

Several of the guards couldn't help but nod. Zhu Jiezhi's judgment is indeed very reasonable and prudent, and it is the worst plan for Shengsen.

"What's the problem, Your Excellency the Tribune?"

"The problem is that the new owner there won't necessarily make the same judgment as him. Jiawen bowed her head and replaced her bracelet again, "And we won't give them a chance to think so." Alone in the sea, there is no fleet in the harbor, and the outside of the city is full of enemy troops...... Will they be patient enough to negotiate with the army outside the city?"

She clenched the bracelet she had replaced, the communication magic contained in the bracelet glowing slightly. The magic of communication connected another famous tribune, who now commanded a powerful detachment.

"Even if there is patience, it will not be long. At that point, it's our chance. I hope you will work hard. ”

"But what if the Interley Army wins?"

This question didn't even cause Jiawen a moment's hesitation, she already had the answer.

"Of course it's better. If they can defeat the anti-Di army in Fuxi, then there will be only one army in the Taiping Dao Kingdom that can defeat them. ”

The people fell silent.

It could only be the Yellow Turban Army of Qingniu Mansion led by his heir Zhang Futu, who had been trained by Klad López and claimed to be the main force of the 660,000-strong Guardian Army.

"Now let's prepare to go north to Qingniu Mansion. ”

January 30 winter

WestDragonSea is near the Yellow Turban Taiping Road and the ocean of the Westbound Province

Five days after Jiawen Feigena changed hands, an unexpected naval battle was underway in the West Qianlong Sea.

No one expected that on this southerly wind-blown sea, two hostile fleets with crosswinds facing each other would suddenly encounter. They thought their actions were unpredictable, but the direction of the wind and the currents always liked to play pranks.

One of them, the 5th and 7th Mixed Fleets of the Free Navy, which had rushed to reinforce the main fleet after the surprise attack, sailed from east to west, planning to cross the headland of the Schenketi Peninsula and enter the East Intre Sea in six days.

The other team received an urgent report from Gawen Alvarez and decisively decided to break away from the main fleet of the Two Seas Fleet and rush back to the Saint-Sen Guard Fleet to regain lost territory.

A full eight hours have passed since the two strikers spotted each other. Since ancient times, the timeline for large-scale naval battles has been unusually long, long enough to drive the average person crazy.

This is especially true when the commanders on both sides are well-known and experienced admirals. The sailors had to control the ship for hours on end, the gunners had to fill the chambers with shells and gunpowder round after round, and the mages and priests on board the ship were exhausted. If one has the leisure to observe the structure of the magic net in the West Hidden Dragon Sea, they can see huge thread-like nodes near the battlefield, all the magic power has overflowed, and the aura of magic cannons, wind direction control techniques, and magic items are intertwined to form colorful silk thread clumps.

"The Left Advance Detachment has disengaged from the enemy fleet! Please give instructions, Your Excellency the Fleet Commander!"

"The main forces of the enemy fleet have broken through with all their might, and the right flank detachment has requested pursuit!"

Countless orders were smashed into the web through direct communication magic, and passed on to the flagship of the Fifth Fleet Commander, the half-elf Leonard Kekawi. Every mage on board was busy copying and conveying orders, many of which were too late to complete all formalities.

In addition to these operational orders, only one order is repeated over and over again through the liaison network.

“...... The ships of the Seventh Fleet returned to their normal course after the attack. To repeat, the ships of the Seventh Fleet shall be resolutely attacked in accordance with the Free Navy Regulations if the enemy ships are engaged in a dogfight, and if the enemy ships attempt to break away, they shall return to their normal course after the attack is over......"

That was an order issued not so long ago by the commander of the Seventh Fleet Detachment of Kazan Fisher. It was this order that brought the entire fleet to a stalemate.

"Haven't you contacted His Excellency Wei Taiping's flagship yet?"

The regrouped commander of the Fifth Fleet, the half-elf Kakawi, did not join the chaos. He was fidgetily walking back and forth in the fleet's command module, waiting for a report from the mage on duty in charge of ultra-long-range communications.

For him, this liaison is far more important than the naval battle that is currently underway.

"It's been three days. No response was received from the Seventh Fleet's detachments responsible for contacting the ship's mages and priests, and it should have been a unified silent blockade. The detailed connection of the magic net could not be located, and the known large amount of magic items on the fleet had been sealed, and the high-ranking spellcasters had not moved. ”

"Always silent. ”

This combat doctrine was also invented by Wei Taiping and was first put into use in naval warfare in the Far East. Use all the precious magical power of the ship to reserve combat magic, refill magic weapons, make scrolls, strengthen the hull and magic cannon, and of course, do not allow the opponent to detect the direction of the main force of the fleet.

Unlike land warfare, naval warfare is a contest of absolute hard power. An army can collapse overnight for a variety of reasons, but fleets and fleets compete only in endurance and training. A naval battle can easily be fought for days and nights, chased and fought by hundreds of ships within hundreds of nautical miles, and even the commander of the fleet may die at any time, regardless of victory or defeat, regardless of status. In order to maximize the combat effectiveness of a fleet in such a war, there was a general silent order.

"In that case...... Then we don't have to contact him anymore. Contact Vice Commander Darrow Salami's ship, and inform all capital ship commanders at the rank of colonel or above, everyone is ready to wait for orders. ”

Leonard's fingers were in his hair, combing hard, as if to sort out everything that had happened in the past few days.

He still has one last hour to make a decision. After this time, even if his fleet all turned around and chased wildly, he would not be able to catch up with the elven fleet that was full of sails and galloping with the wind.

In retrospect, the decision to return immediately four days ago, although unanimously agreed by everyone and had been planned in advance, was an out-and-out gamble.

The half-elf remembers saying goodbye to Resa Helmont on the docks.

At that time, the volunteers who arrived in small Yellow Turban galleons had just landed. Hearing the news that Zhang Shiyi, the suzerain of the Hengqu Sect and the commander of the Zhang clan in Haidong, had once again erected the banner of the Hengqu Sect, the volunteers who believed in the Hengqu Sect crossed the sea from all over Haidong Province to Guozhou and gathered under the battle flag of the Zhang clan.

In the middle of the chaotic Hengqu Volunteers, Leonard found Resa Helmont, still dressed in a pure gold dress. The "Alchemist of Pure Gold" was tempted by the conditions promised by the eldest lady of the Zhang family, and was examining those strange magic props that represented the ancient and modern alchemy achievements of the Taiping Dao Kingdoms.

"Vice Admiral Kazan Fischer and I have decided to lead the fleet to support Marshal Wei Taiping. I'm about to set sail, so I'd like to say goodbye to you. ”

"I'm going to sail again. Take care all the way, and if you see any strange magic materials, remember to buy them for me, Mr. Captain. ”

In retrospect, it seems that every time I met Rysa, the alchemist lady was a little out of place. But perhaps the top alchemists are like that.

"After we set sail, there may not be any more of our ships in this port for a few weeks. If an enemy fleet does attack, or if an enemy army is besieging the city, you must take care. ”

"Ahh I'm using the Golden Golem's technology to improve the reload speed of the new cannon, and if your fleet wants to install it next time, you can come to me and I'll quote you a good price. Don't look for the tent rooms hired by Bonnie, that girl is too shrewd to deal with. ”

Because he didn't want to say something unlucky, Leonard didn't say what he thought in his heart.

At that time, he really didn't think that Jiawen Feigna would be threatened. The elven legion has been defeated, the remnants of the army have fled far away, and the army of the Hengqu Sect that has arrived from the Taiping Dao countries is growing stronger day by day. It was common sense that "Interreus" would never allow another fleet to return and retake the port on the eve of the decisive battle......

But this has become a reality.

"How can the other side make a decision to divide the troops at such a time? Even we knew that we were going to rush to help before the battle, and they actually decided to divide the troops?"

Such thoughts recurred in my mind. The half-elf shook his head, straining the thought out of his mind. Now there is no point in complaining that the enemy is desperate or does not play according to common sense. Perhaps because he felt that the Elven Two Seas Fleet had entered a dead land, the commander of the rearguard fleet might want to escape with his tail cut off......

This meant that Lessa, as well as all the surprise forces in Gawen Figner, were in danger.

Leonard really wanted to pick up his dozens of ships and chase the tail of the opposing fleet to Gawen Feig's. If this powerful elven fleet is allowed to pass, the surprise troops there are likely to repeat the mistakes of the previous Shengsen Army.

But he couldn't have acted on his own. Without the assistance of the ships of Kazan Fisher's Seventh Fleet, even if he caught up, he would not be able to annihilate the huge elven fleet, but might have been defeated by the other party.

"Your Excellency, Commander Major-General Daro Salami's flagship is connected. ”

The voice of the garrison mage interrupted Leonard's recollection. He nodded, and walked briskly over to the Communication Crystal, where another magician, about three or so, was trying to maintain the connection between the Communication Crystal and the other Communication Crystal. These high-grade magic items are so expensive and impractical that they are only available on general-level ships.

"Commander Kakawi. The face of the deputy commander of the Fifth Fleet was not clear in the crystal, "Is it about Vice Admiral Fischer's orders?"

"Do you think there's anything we can do to get him to take this order back, General Salami?"

Leonard didn't ask Darrow how he guessed his intentions - because it was all too obvious. The flagship of the Fifth Fleet has been dragging its feet and has not forwarded the notice of the Seventh Fleet downward.

Darrow in the crystal ball looks a little fatter, looking more like a maritime merchant than an admiral than before. His hesitant expression could be seen clearly through the crystal.

"Although it is not very appropriate for me to say this...... But it's not me that you should ask, it's that part of your heart as an admiral. The only way to convince another admiral is to use the admiral's way. ”

While Darrow Salami is known for his mildness and manipulativeness, that doesn't mean he's an incompetent admiral. These words extinguished the flame of impatience in the half-elf's heart.

"To convince an admiral, do you have to use the way of an admiral......

"You're a much better admiral than I am, and you should be better at it. ”

Leonard Kakawi took a deep breath. He understood that his lieutenant was implicitly admonishing him.

As an admiral, Leonard knew exactly what Marshal Wil's silent order meant. Concentrating forces is the first lesson every naval commander learns. If the Seventh Fleet loses in the Grand Fleet Battle, Gawen Feigna will also fall.

Perhaps he could defeat this elven fleet trying to break through with his outstanding command ability, but if the Grand Fleet failed in a decisive battle, what was the point?

"I see. I'm sorry. Thanks a lot. The order was given, and the ships of the Fifth Fleet were to pay attention to the fact that if the enemy ship was dogged, it would be resolutely attacked in accordance with the Free Navy Regulations, and if the enemy ship tried to break away, it would return to its normal course after the attack was over. ”

Sorry, Raisa. I trust you to hold on to that city.

The half-elf said so in his heart.

Then he called back the ship-accompanying mage who was in charge of long-range magical communications.

"Stop contacting Marshal Wei Taiping. Contact Major General Dubre Goho and Governor Naimen Soleton of Gavin Figner. By the fourth of February, a fleet of nearly two hundred ships will approach ......"

Leonard paused, hesitating.

"Is there anything else, Your Excellency?"

“...... Sorry for the powerlessness to stop it. I hope you will work hard. Come to an end. ”

The half-elf shook his head, uttered the last word, and turned to walk onto the deck.

His flagship also began to lose its sails in the wind, and no longer pursued the distant enemy fleet. After a long time, the sound of cannon fire on the sea gradually faded away.

February 1 deep rainy season

Yellow Turban Taiping Daoguo, Fuxi Province, Guozhou Mansion (formerly Jiawen Feigna Concession)

Temporary Staff of the Joint Operations Forces of the Free Army

"All senior officers should know this news, and the mid-level officers may not have been officially notified, so I will read it again. ”

Naymen Soleton stood in the middle of the staff and slapped the news on the table.

"Briefing by Vice Admiral Leonard Kekawi. His fleet had broken away from the enemy fleet. ”

"The size of the enemy fleet is about more than 100 warships of all kinds, and the commander is the famous great conqueror Kotuz, who paid the price of about 20 warships to force a breakthrough. It is expected that this elven fleet will arrive in front of us in three days. ”

"The choice of our fleet is to abandon the pursuit and join the naval battle that is presumed to have broken out. ”

"The conclusion is that we will be under constant shelling by an elven fleet before the fourth of February. And now outside our city, there is a Taiping Dao army of up to 25,000 men, probably hostile. ”

All the middle and senior officers silently looked at the commander of the independent gendarmerie. Namen Soleton isn't the highest-ranking of them all, but he's the only senior officer of all who has access to all coalition forces.

Since most of the Interres forces were newly built and there were not many reliable troops, it took a long time for Naimon and the two new division commanders to form this unusually large and complex joint surprise force.

In addition to the Independent Military Police, the 14th "Zhuhai Division" and the Ninth National "Dragon Lance Division" each sent an elite regimental unit of more than 1,000 people, Zhang Shiyi devoted all his resources to organize 2,000 Hengqu private soldiers and fleets, and Bonnie Sefir also transferred an extremely elite magic reinforcement battalion from the 13th "Miracle Division" to join this speculative surprise attack. Including Zhang Shiyi and Major Tai Lei of the 13th Division, there were five commanders with independent command rights present, and there were as many as 20 middle-level commanders.

These troops are certainly not unelite, but commanding them is a big problem. After the capture of Guozhou, Zhang Shiyi's troops expanded rapidly, and various units of the Free Army also used the property obtained by plundering the elves to recruit local auxiliary troops and liberate the combat troops, which made the command problem even worse.

The entire staff was silent in the low pressure, and the air seemed to freeze.

"We're in a worse situation than the elven army guarding here. We don't have much time left, so we have to come up with a plan of battle today. Naimon snapped the silence again, "I don't think you need me to repeat the demands of the army outside the city.

The highest-ranking officer was of course Major General Dubre Gojo, but the veteran general did not have the confidence to command such a large and disorganized army, so he hurriedly cleared himself out: "I suggest that the young Governor should take the initiative." Relying only on my Zhuhai Division, I can't defeat the huge Taiping army outside. It is better to use negotiation to force them away. ”

Colonel Cliff went on to speak, but more responsible: "I don't think I have much choice. Three days will definitely not solve the negotiation problem with them, and there will be no need to negotiate as soon as the elven fleet arrives in three days. At first, people called me 'Rabie' Cliff...... Although it has become a 'severed finger rabid dog' now, it should be no problem to charge into battle. ”

There were two division commanders in the lead, and the rest of the people also expressed their opinions. In the face of such a huge and unexpected threat, people have put forward everything from launching a sneak attack, holding on to reinforcements, and renting a ship to evacuate, but Zhang Shiyi and her officers have remained silent.

Naimon noticed this. After another Free Army officer finished speaking his opinion, he interjected: "So, what about your opinion, Zhang Qushuai?"

Today, Zhang Shiyi dyed a red cloak with the same color as the military uniform of the Interlite Army, and wore an oriental-style close-fitting nail armor under the cloak, with a few shiny pieces of metal armor embedded on it, and a yellow hairband was also tied very formally. The officers around her were dressed in a variety of ways according to their ranks, such as the Musket Corps officers who wore unarmored uniforms like the Free Army, spear and volunteer officers who wore armor and capes like the Eastern Army, and those who wore a few pieces of armor and handguards over their uniforms and those who wore wide-sleeved robes and Taoist uniforms were obviously magic war officers.

"When I hear it now, I think that everyone has basically unified the intelligence and plan, right?"

Hearing Zhang Shiyi's summary, Naimon nodded slightly and asked rhetorically, "Unified?"

"Yes. First of all, we have no reinforcements. Then, there were enemies on both sides of the sea route. There are only three options we can choose, escape, avoid battle, and face the battle. You can choose to escape by land or sea, you can choose to negotiate, buy, negotiate peace, or surrender to avoid war, and you can choose to attack or fight openly, right?"

Although the female Qu Shuai of the Hengqu Zhang clan is young, Ke Man speaks very well and speaks very well, summarizing the opinions of everyone before. The generals of the Hengqu Army who followed her nodded secretly, glad that there was a successor to the Hengqu Sect.

Naimon followed up on the topic in a timely manner: "Actually, after the discussion just now, everyone thinks that the only feasible solutions are negotiation, bribery, sneak attack and frontal battle. The question now is which option to decide in the end. ”

"Now we don't have a unified commander. Like you, I have lived in the Free Nation for many years, and I love it. What I like most about this country is that it has been able to function without the 'humility' and have defeated one powerful enemy after another. Isn't the situation we are facing now very similar to that faced by the free nations, and why can't we solve it in the same way?"

Naimon understood what Zhang Shiyi wanted to say: "You mean voting? But traditionally, the free army votes are only used within the general staff, and we don't use voting among our free divisions to solve problems......

"Our coalition army is basically a free army unit without a superior command. At least my army and I have no objection to a vote. Just vote according to the number of people here. ”

"Then we, the miracle masters, also agree to vote. "There is only one captain of the 13th Division here, and the order she received is to advance and retreat with Naimon and Zhang Shiyi.

"If you all agree, so do you. Commander Cliff said on behalf of his dragon lancer.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Major General Gao Huo, who had the largest regular army. The major general frowned: "Our officers are the most, there is no reason to oppose it." ”

Naimon nodded: "Then I'll preside over it, we're running out of time." For the first time in the joint operations of our Free Army and the Hengqu Army—"

Zhang Shiyi interjected: "It's too long." How about calling it the 'Combine'?"

"Okay. The first vote of the Coalition Staff Staff. Raise your hand if you agree to meet you, and don't raise your hand if you agree to negotiate......"

Since most of them had served as staff officers, the vote on tactics was quick and efficient. Although this is the first time that this method has been used in a situation where there is no superior command, it has gone well.

“...... Well, that's our plan. We will confront the provocative anti-Di forces head-on before the enemy fleet strikes, and defeat them with dignity to deter more potential enemies. ”

Naimon counted the final decision.

"In this way, it doesn't matter if you don't have a fleet. I hope you will work hard. ”

His gaze swept across the room. Some people's eyes are filled with earnestness, some people's eyes are calm and silent, and some people's eyes are filled with a slight fear. Zhang Shiyi and his gaze collided in mid-air, and for some reason, what Naimon saw in those beautiful eyes seemed to be ...... Looking forward to the future?

The girl in command of the Hengqu Army smiled at him, and suddenly gave a free army-style military salute with her right hand, then took off the yellow turban and threw it into the air.

"Combined, win!"

The enthusiasm was contagious to everyone, and more military caps and helmets smashed to the ceiling, and cheers even alarmed the guards outside the door.

"Combined, win!"

This was the eighth day after the free army raided and captured the capital of Guozhou.

The most decisive battles in the history of the world are often not the result of a deliberate design, but a series of contingencies that seem to lead to wise and rational decisions, and of course, all the participants are still in the dark about their future.

P.S. Happy Jihad Day!

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