Rod Dirk gasped and said: "If this battle is fought like this, then it will be a big trouble!" The Uruk army will attack first and then defend, advancing the battle line to the most favorable terrain and then shrinking. As long as they can hold it, it is equivalent to opening up a territory, and the entire Syrian Desert is under their control. ”

Amon nodded: "From the city-state of Uruk to the city-state of the headland, the eastern and western ends of the Syasia Desert are under the control of the Kingdom of Baron, whether it is advancing to the north or attacking the Duk Plain from the Kish city-state on the east side, there will be no worries. This move is very ruthless, even if they can't occupy a corner of the Strait City-State forever in the future, they can also take the opportunity to control the Duk Plain to achieve the greatest strategic benefits. ”

Rod Dick opened his mouth wide and said, "If all these plans can be realized, the Kingdom of Barron will replace the Eju Empire as the most powerful nation on the continent, and there is no doubt that Gilgamesh will also become the greatest hero of all time, and his prestige will even surpass that of the gods."

Amon shook his head and said, "It's just a grand wish, a dream in their hearts. In order to realize this distant dream, the first step is to complete the goal of seizing the city-state of the headland, which is exactly what we want to stop today. ”

George frowned and sighed: "This battle can't be fought, the Pharaoh ordered us to block the Uruk legions on the border line, they came from afar, and we relied on the position to defend, we should have the advantage." But now our forces and combat effectiveness are far inferior to the other side, and there are no fortresses on the borders of the headland city-states to use. Lord Dick, haven't you thought of these things in all the years you've been ruling the Cape City-State?"

Rod Dick smiled bitterly: "How could I not have thought of it? My father took it into account when he was in office, but if you look at the terrain, the long border line is in a scattered arc, it is an endless Gobi Plain, there is no danger to defend at all, and it can be easily broken through from any point." Building fortifications on the edge of the Gobi for such a long period of time would not only cost the people and money, but would also be of little significance.

Besides, with the Syasia Desert in the way, which has been peaceful for hundreds of years, what reason do I have to exhaust the manpower, material, and financial resources of the city-state and build meaningless fortifications on a large scale? I have also made a lot of preparations over the years, and built the most important fortress in the town of Red Headland, which is also the place where I have stockpiled supplies for the expeditionary army, in the middle of the line drawn by the commander-in-chief of Amun. ”

After discussing for a long time, everyone came to the conclusion that the first battle would be lost, and the attack of the Uruk army could not be stopped at all on the border. When he was at a loss, Amon saw that Aristotle had been silent, and asked deliberately: "Sir, you have also heard everyone's analysis, this battle will be lost, what are your suggestions?"

Aristotle finally spoke: "I am only an outsider, so I would like to share the opinion of a bystander." It was a tough battle, and the Eju army was at a disadvantage. Frontal resistance on the national border is bound to be defeated, so why bother with the gains and losses of one time and one place knowing this? It is better to take the initiative to retreat to the town of Red Headland, so as to gain strategic and defensive superiority.

Rod Dick was taken aback and asked rhetorically, "Do you mean to give away a large part of the city-state's territory?"

Aristotle spread his hands: "Although I don't understand military affairs, but the adults have analyzed the results, and this land will be occupied by the Uruk army no matter what." There are only two possibilities, either to defeat you and move forward, or you can retreat and establish a more solid line of defense and let them in temporarily. I think the latter outcome is much better. ”

Amon also asked, "Pharaoh's order is for us to defend ourselves against the enemy on the border, and taking the initiative to retreat is not in accordance with the order. ”

Aristotle shook his head and said: "Grand Warrior Amun, you are the commander-in-chief of the battlefield, and you have the right and obligation to mobilize the army and make corresponding deployments according to the actual situation. You can report the results of today's discussion and analysis to the Pharaoh, and then fulfill your duties as commander-in-chief of the battlefield. If you can't do that, ask Pharaoh to change the commander-in-chief of the battlefield, and why should you accept this unworthy position?"

Amon thought for a while, and finally nodded, "Thank you, sir, for your kind words, I understand what you mean." However, retreating is not an escape, it is necessary to arrange several defensive lines alternately fighting and retreating, as far as possible to slow down the advance of the opponent's vanguard, and the top priority is to withdraw the inhabitants of this territory and cattle and sheep to the west of the Red Cape defense line to avoid being plundered by the Uruk army. I will immediately report this battle plan to His Majesty Pharaoh, and Lord Dick will immediately organize the transfer of the inhabitants and the cattle and sheep. ”

Rod Dick looked at the sand table a little distracted, and didn't answer for a long time. Medanzo poked him with his elbow and said, "Lord of the City, what are you thinking?"

Rod Dick's expression was a little strange, and he said in a regretful tone, "My large private territory is also in this area. Servants and cattle and sheep can be taken away, but the grange and many things are left to the enemy. ”

Aristotle asked with a smirk, "Lord of the city, do you want to mobilize your legions to defend your territory?"

Rod Dick raised his head and said: "Of course not, and if you can't defend it, you can't hold it, even if you can hold it, you have to focus on the overall situation, and the commander-in-chief has already made a plan to retreat." Give up my grange and territory for the time being, and if Eju wins, they will be mine after all. ”

In his position, in his own affairs, and in his power, Amon made the decision to retreat strategically, and ordered the Horus and Isis legions in the rear to rush to the area of Red Point Town to set up a defensive line to meet the retreat of Allah's legions and Seth's legions. However, he took the initiative to give up the strategic depth of nearly two hundred miles from the border to the town of Red Headland, and it was not clear whether Pharaoh was satisfied with Amun's decision, but Pharaoh did not change the commander-in-chief of the battlefield, and the battle was still important at this juncture.

Amon laid out several lines of defense along the way, and did not require the soldiers on the line to defend to the death, and could retreat after engagement. The rear line of defense is responsible for covering the retreating front army, and in this way, it retreats layer by layer as if peeling, so as to slow down the advance of the opponent's vanguard and cover the transfer of personnel and materials to the rear. Amon himself took the lead and rushed to Red Headlands to direct the real main line of defense.

...... The vanguard of the Uruk Legion broke through the border passes of the city-state of the headland like a bamboo, and drove straight in. Naturally, the Armies of Allah were responsible for the attack, and although Amon did not require them to hold on, the soldiers who had been fortified were still valiant, and the elite divisions that had been honed on the battlefield suffered heavy losses.

Amon set up three lines of defense east of the town of Red Headland, and retreated one after another after blocking the enemy, paying the price of nearly a thousand casualties, and even John, who commanded the blockade, was seriously wounded. However, they succeeded in slowing down the advance of the Uruk corps, covering the movement of personnel and supplies in the rear, and only a small part of the inhabitants who could not retreat fell in time.

Advancing nearly 200 miles in depth and occupying a large area of land along the way, the Uruk Corps was restrained by the unstoppable impact after continuous penetration, and when it reached the front of the Red Cape defense line, it had already turned into a positional combat situation of the two armies.

By this time, the reorganized Horus and Isis Legions had arrived at Cape Redland, while the Seth Legion had moved a large amount of supplies and population from the front. Amun led the retreating army of An-La to join the army and hold the defensive line.

Located at the narrowest point of land between the two oceans in the city-state of the headland, the town of Red Headland is the throat into the hinterland of Eiju, with a small mountain range running through the north and south, and the hills are overgrown with trees and strange rocks, like a natural intermittent barrier. Located at the mouth of a relatively gentle mountain, the town of Red Headland is a must for caravans, and many years ago it was spontaneously formed as a large market town.

Later, Rod Dick built a fortress here, and built the walls like a small city-state. When the Pharaoh's armies went on expeditions, the fortress served as a logistics base for stockpiling supplies. On the north and south sides of the town, fortifications were built along the small mountain range to extract local materials and stones, and rough wooden fences were erected in the open terrain.

As soon as Amon arrives at Red Headland, he realizes that this is a battleground for soldiers. Further back, the terrain became open and flat again, and less than a hundred miles away was the main city of the city-state of the headland.

The mountains here are not very high, with a relatively steep side towards the headland city-state and a relatively gentle side towards the border. If Cape Red and this line of defense were captured by the Uruk Legion, the enemy would have a great advantage against a counterattack from the direction of the hinterland of Eju, so this line of defense must not be lost.

But it was not easy to defend it, and it could not only be beaten passively behind the castle and fortifications, and once the mountains on the left and right flanks were breached, the town of Red Headland would be surrounded by a large army. It's just a town, and the walls aren't too high, making it difficult to resist a continuous attack. Although a large army can be stationed in the town, it is too crowded to be trapped in it, and if you don't set up a battle formation, you will lose the advantage of a large army in battle.

Therefore, the battle plan formulated by Amon is to set up a military formation outside the town, relying on and covering the castle and fortifications behind him, and retreat calmly if the battle is unfavorable, and then attack again after a solid defense and rest, and it is a difficult offensive and defensive tug-of-war.

Amon unexpectedly meets Gabriel in the town of Red Headland, the great warrior who has been sent to replace the commander of the Isis Legion, who has returned to the rear to recuperate from his wounds. When the Pharaoh's army fought against the Hatti, many of the army's masters were killed and wounded, such as the great sorcerer Cézanne and the great warrior Vega, who delivered a message to Allah's legion, were seriously wounded and could no longer fight. The Holy Maiden sent Gabriel to the front line, which shows that she attaches great importance to this place.

Amon said to Gabriel, "You have come just in time, my forward commander John has been seriously wounded in the blockade and is no longer able to play, and the lineup of Isis's army is not complete at the moment. I want to organize the elites of the three legions into a forward formation, and you will be the front commander. This is a very dangerous task, would you like to accept it?"

Gabriel pressed his hand to the hilt of his sword and bowed: "You are the commander-in-chief of the battlefield, since it is a military order, why do you have to ask me if you accept it? This is my honor, thank you for the trust of the commander-in-chief!"

Amun, of course, trusted Gabriel, and he knew the great warrior's loyalty and bravery. Thinking that Mary recommended Gabriel to be the commander of the front line of the An-La legion, Amon did not accept it but chose John, on the one hand, because he did not want to take away the most important arm of the Holy Maiden, and on the other hand, because of his position, he had to have absolute authority to command his subordinates, John was obviously more suitable.

But at this time and then, he is now the commander-in-chief of the battlefield, and in the position that is crucial to the front-line war, of course, it is necessary to appoint someone who understands and trusts, and since Gabriel is on the front, it is her! This task is also very dangerous, because it is very likely to face Enqidu, the first samurai on the mainland.

No sooner had Gabriel received his latest appointment than the Uruk Legion was already in the city. Gilgamesh also saw the situation clearly, and did not wave his army to attack the town of Red Cape, but set up a large camp dozens of miles away, and sent an envoy to deliver a message. Of course, a large army expedition must be famous, and it must issue a proclamation declaring why it wants to fight and what is the purpose of the war? This is not only to occupy the moral height, but also to boost the morale of the own side. The text of this inscription is as follows: Marduk, the great, solemn, and merciful deity, will obey your will in heaven and earth, and will never forget the contributions of posterity.

The gods have blessed the harvest of the land to fill the granary, and please accept the eternal feast of the people.

I hear your call and look to the glory that will shine upon our armies and advance to the gates of the earth and the sea.

The land of the legendary Malduk, which will return in glory, will be bathed in the glory of the gods again.

Your people will punish Eju, whose pharaohs have insulted the gods, oppressed the Gentiles, and were greedy and cruel...... At the end of the inscription is a long list of sumptuous titles, fifty of which are devoted to Marduk, a long enough name for the deity.

When Amon saw this text, he realized that there was also an oracle of Malduk in the kingdom of Barun, which was the same as in the case of Hatti and Eju. Gilgamesh sent troops in the name of an oracle, which was intended to punish Pharaoh Ejuus for being disrespectful, greedy and cruel to the gods, and daring to covet the legendary land of Malduk, and more importantly, to guide his people to restore the glory of the land of Malduk.

The implication is that the Kingdom of Baron will also intervene in the battle for the Duk Plain, and it has great ambitions to control the entire Syrian Desert and the Duk Plain. As Amon and other generals analyzed before the war, if these goals were indeed achieved, Barron would become the most powerful of the surrounding countries, and Gilgamesh would become an unparalleled hero on the continent.

Amun had seen ancient documents in the archives of the Temple of Isis, which recorded the battle of the ancient gods that took place in the vicinity of the town of Duk, but a break broke between Enriel and Malduk, both of whom were victorious, and the gods of Anunnaqi split into two groups. The land of Malduk, which made Malduk's first battle famous, is still in the realm of Enriel, so the "return of glory" mentioned in the text should refer to the Barron's army finally recaptured the plains of Duk and built a temple for Malduk.

As Goret once said to Amun, "It is foreseeable that the strife there will also be a strife of the gods, and the people will drive their own ** in the name of the gods!" But both Goret and Amun have been involved in this involuntary war of nations.

The purpose of the Uruk legion is also very clear in the text, they are to occupy the territory of Eju east of the Red Cape line, and the "gate of the earth and the sea" mentioned in the text refers to the location of the town of Red Cape.

Due to Amon's strategic retreat, the territory that the Uruk legion wanted had been captured, but the last two things were still missing. Militarily, it was necessary to capture the town of Red Headlands and the fortifications on the mountains on both sides to hold the place. Politically, it was necessary to force the Eju Empire to cede land and sue for peace, and officially recognize the cession of this territory. This is impossible for Pharaoh Eju to agree, so it will take a great battle to give an answer.

Amun sent a letter to Pharaoh in the rear, and returned a letter of war. He didn't talk nonsense about gods and spirits, although he was proficient in various languages on the mainland, Amon himself was not very good at writing hymns and other styles, and his reply was very simple, that is, he agreed to see him on the battlefield in three days.

...... Three days later, on the plain east of Red Headland, the armies of the two countries set up a battle formation. Under the fierce voice, the reflection of armor and weapons was dazzling, and the soldiers clenched their swords and guns, and their knuckles were a little white in the face of the mighty and majestic enemy formation, but everyone stood straight, and they forgot to wipe it with sweat.

The Uruk Legion had always won by strength, and the military formation was very formal, with the double-wheeled chariot at the front, with a royal hand, a single samurai with a long shield and a pike, and an archer wearing leather armor and a long sword. The heavy cavalry was flanked by the forward, and behind it was the infantry phalanx.

Amon saw Gilgamesh again. The young and handsome lord of the city was still so arrogant, and he sat in a large chariot with a large purple umbrella attached to it, right in the middle of the battle array. There were no guards on the car, not even a personal guard on either side, so he sat generously like an outing, between the battlefields of ten thousand armies.

It was almost the same as the last time Amon saw him, except that Gilgamesh was holding a parchment scroll instead of a wine glass. Next to the seat were bows and arrows, weapons, and a staff, and the hero wore a gorgeous cape, not even armor.

Gilgamesh sat at the front of the battle formation, seemingly undisguised, but no one dared to take it lightly. In front of his chariot sat a handsome, a giant-like man, with a huge shield and heavy broadsword on the wheel, the weapon with which Enkidu had slain Humbaba.

Enqidu, the number one warrior in the continent, was sitting with his head held high at this moment, he was not wearing a helmet and was wearing a bronze strange scale armor. Amon could detect it from a long distance, and the powerful aura emanating from the armor was very familiar, it should be made of Hongbaba's snake scales, and it must have a powerful divine defense effect.

**

(To be continued)