As the Confederate forces poured into the plains on the other side along the narrow road, Horn's worries grew. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 Although he buried his fear under a mask of composure and calmness, it was undeniably present and growing with every inch of land they crossed. He was anxious during the day, tossing and turning at night, and every crow flying high above his head made him grit his teeth.

He feared for his father and was puzzled by his desperate gamble. At the same time, he also felt fear for everyone in the southern expedition, and secretly prayed that fate would not repeat itself. However, there was nothing he could do about each of them, so he forced himself to put these thoughts behind him. At least they won't lose the battle of Shotoku, although they are about to face an unknown enemy, although many people will die in this battle. Horn Dalton, now you have to be as strong and resolute as your father, and you have to be a true Dalton family, like your father, like your grandfather, even though you may not be a Dalton at all.

Kenny rode at the front of the line, the dark blue flag of the Confederates flying above him. Every day, he would consult with other lords about the strategic deployment of Shotoku City, and carefully listened to everyone's advice, even his former personal soldier Camille, who did not show any personal likes and dislikes, and seemed to have forgotten all about the inner ghost.

"I can't be wrong with my message. When Horn got the news, he couldn't help but mutter. After the team entered the plain, Mike carefully selected a hundred Angolan cavalry and a hundred good horses, and went to the front to cover the whereabouts of the army and carry out reconnaissance missions. The result was basically the same as what he had brought: Ryan had deployed one-third of the continent's forces in Shotoku City, with archers in the majority, and seemed to be ready for a war of attrition.

"Thirty thousand?" Kenny repeated, a little annoyed and a little confused, "the commander defending the city doesn't know who, how many archers don't know, they don't know anything, what else is fighting?"

"The black dog is long dead," Mike turns, walking alongside Kenny. The vanguard scattered and followed them, moving slowly like a forest of flags, spears, and spears. "Now Shotok Castle is different from what it used to be, the walls have been widened and thickened by nearly half, and the moat has been dug and widened a lot. Now that the gates were completely closed, they had become a bucket of stones, and no one could get in, and even if they did, it would be impossible to get the word out. The walls are full of archers, working day and night, not to mention crows, not even flies to fly out. ”

"I bet if old Gary was here, he would have been able to find out what was going on with the enemy, would you believe it?"

"If he were still here, he would be seventy years old by now, and I am afraid he would not even be able to ride a horse, and he would have to be supported to pee. Mike said in a heavy tone.

That night, they camped fifty miles from the northern boundary of the castle, just within sight of the outermost outposts. Mike returns around midnight with new information. "Lord Kane wants me to tell you that he had an encounter with Ryan's army sixty miles west of the border, of course, just a group of scouts, and hundreds of them probably won't go back to report to Ryan, but some of them have slipped away. He frowned and said, "The leader of the group was caught, his name is Mar, a knight, and after severe torture, he told the disposition of the forces of the city of Sinthoku: the archers were the majority, 20,000 men, and the remaining 10,000 were infantry, and there were no cavalry. ”

"Twenty thousand archers?" Kenny said sharply, "I would like to know what they will defend when the city is broken." He looked up at Alan at the end of the long table, "Man, do you want to say something?"

Hold still, wait and see, do not know the state of affairs, and never take action. This is what is said in "War Leader", and it is also the typical combat style of the Union Army. "I wonder who the commander of the enemy army is, that's all. Horn said softly.

"I advocate a strong attack, and now the enemy has assumed the posture of a war of attrition, and the longer it drags on, the more unfavorable it will be to our military morale. Jaime said, "Now that we are divided into three routes, the Icemen should have reached the Eastern Border, and there has been no news so far, indicating that they are well hidden. The main force is ours, plus the 30,000 men in Nikko City, and we have 60,000 elite soldiers in our hands. Lord Kane and Elidu's men are on the southern border, and their tracks have been revealed, but if we don't send any more troops, if the enemy takes them with their swords, we will not be able to come to our rescue. ”

"The cost of assault will be enormous. Horn sighed.

"After this war, we will recuperate in Shotok Castle. Jaime replied with a confident smile, "Lord Alan Dalton, how can there be no sacrifice in the war? Besides, now that the enemy is divided into three places, it is a good time for us. ”

Horn wasn't so optimistic. "Lord Duke, food, horses, baggage, and armaments can all be replenished by time, but the lives of those soldiers who sacrificed will never come back. ”

Kenny turned to look at Mike. "Is there any other news coming back?

Mike shook his head. "Nope. But no news is good news, as Lord Jaime said, it means that they are well hidden, at least not by the enemy scouts, and if you really take Lord James's advice, the Icebornes will be the most important surprise soldier in this battle, and whoever the commander of the city of Saints will be able to catch them off guard. ”

"Your Majesty, the Great War is coming, won't you say something?" Jaime turned to Mira Kelline beside him.

"Me?" Mira rolled her eyes, "I will build barns, buy grain at a low price when the crop is harvested, and sell it to other territories at a high price when there is a shortage of food." I also buy sheep fur from the ice fields, sackcloth from your, lace from daylight, store it, dye it, and sell it all to the Eridus who like to dress up......" She couldn't help but smile, her dark blue eyes turned into a crescent moon, and she turned to look at Kenny at the top of the long table, "I will only make money and lead the Assyrians to a good life of abundant food and clothing, as for war, that's your man's business." ”

Kenny looked at her, then at Jaime Sr., then at Allen at the end of the table. He tried to find answers, but in vain. For a moment, he became somewhat indecisive, as if it were a shadow of Karta's defeat eighteen years earlier. "Why don't we write to Kane and Camille and have a vote?" he said eventually.

Horn looked at the crowd and nodded with a heavy face.