In December of the 1438th year of the glorious calendar (527 years of the Wanshi calendar), the situation on the mainland should be said to be relatively calm. There was peace among the alliances and the major powers. But the world is like a passionate and gorgeous performance, there will always be some surprises or regrets.

Just as most people were busy for the upcoming New Year, on the southeastern border of the Principality of Jasher, an alliance of Andorran alliances, the "strong and elite and always on top of the situation" coalition forces once again fought against the Langston rebels who were "fleeing in disarray".

It was a skirmish, and it took place on the morning of the 27th of the month between the town of Stillstream and the town of Mushroomhead. The cause was that the vulture wing, which was part of the reserve regiment of the Principality of Jasher, was ambushed by the Langston rebels who had infiltrated the war zone during the march.

Although the total number of people on both sides participating in the battle was less than 1,000, the result was unusually tragic. According to preliminary statistics after the war, not only were the Vulture Wing wiped out, but even the military emblem and flag and other markers were captured, and a large amount of supplies and ordnance were pocketed by the rebels - the victorious Langston rebels continued their efforts and captured the neighboring town of Mushroom Head that night.

The capture of a town with thousands of inhabitants meant that the rebels had finally gained a foothold in Yaxiu after a long period of wandering, but that was not the end of the story, and after a short break, the Langston rebels, who had already scored twice, captured the town of Silent Stream at noon the following day.

Judging from the map, the two towns that fell were connected in a line, and with the field troops, relying on the canal and the captured ordnance and reserves, the rebels finally got rid of the duckweed-like fate and had at least the depth and staying power of the campaign. So the rebels immediately began to recruit troops for the next battle - while the other wings of the Andorran coalition were still on their way.

It was an undoubted succession of victories, and a group of "mud legs" and "exiles" slapped the Andorran coalition in the face with their dirty hands...... Three times!

The size and combat effectiveness of the Langston rebels are well known, they only raised their flags to rebel at the beginning of the year, and at their peak there were only a thousand men at most. After that, it was driven up and down by the Andorran army, and it dragged on for more than half a year, and there were more than 400 people who could go to the battlefield. This time, it was the Eastern Hiding Province that fled over the mountains and mountains to the Principality of Yaxiu, how many people could they still muster?

On the side of the Andorran coalition army, a standard wing is fully equipped with more than 500 people, and under normal circumstances, it can fight against the rebels. And in this battle, not a single officer of the vulture wing survived, and not a single communication soldier escaped, they didn't even survive for three hours, let alone the next day, even the vassals and civilians were killed!

Vulture United, are they all made of maltose?

As with many confidential events, in less than ten days, the news of the defeat of the Vulture and the fall of the two towns seemed to have grown wings, and was already spreading throughout the Andorran Union. Not only the royal officials of various countries knew, but even the people who asked for food on the street knew.

With such a defeat to such an opponent and such a record, the Andorran coalition will not be able to survive the New Year - the headquarters of the coalition forces in Durban is already solemn, and military orders are flying like snowflakes to various countries, and there is a look of righteous indignation and courage from top to bottom.

However, the Allied Theater Command in Valai, the capital of the Principality of Yashy, was calm, and the large compound, hidden in the lush vegetation, did not make an impassioned proclamation, nor did it mourn mourning, and even the New Year's decorations by the gate were not replaced. So those bright ribbons and bouquets were still trembling slightly in the cold and wet air.

Following the clean stone path, a young lieutenant walked out of the headquarters gate. He seemed to have just finished his night shift, and his emaciated face looked tired. The lieutenant was not the kind of soldier who could face his enemies head-on, holding a paper bag for breakfast in one hand and maintaining his balance in the other to avoid the mud puddles in the street, and the officer's saber with silver tassels dangling at the side of his legs, but he did not have the strength to hold it.

After walking for almost two miles, the lieutenant turned into the residential area of Xicheng, and finally walked into his long-rented hostel. He first asked himself for a cup of slightly hot tea in the lobby, and then went upstairs, entered the door, and padlocked the waiter in the complicated eyes of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Putting down the paper bag in his hand, the lieutenant began to circle around the table, his steps light and heavy. After waiting for a moment, he began to grope around the doors and windows of his room, pulling out a hair here and a nail there...... After making sure there were no anomalies, he sat down in a soft chair in the corner and waited quietly.

Half an hour later, the sound of a young man's debauchery came from the next room, and it grew louder and louder.

The lieutenant stood up, put his ear to the wall on the other side of the room and listened, then tapped his fingers lightly a few times. Hearing the response from the opposite room, he removed the frame and shoved a roll of brown paper along the crack in the wall—the person opposite brought back a note, and the lieutenant looked at it, and then tore it up and swallowed it.

Then, he hid by the curtain and watched the familiar figure walk out of the inn and out of his view. It was only then that the lieutenant seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and a shallow and sincere smile appeared on his face.

"Familiar back, huh?" In the originally empty room, a firm voice sounded behind the lieutenant without warning, and the cold meaning that permeated it directly made his hands and feet stiff: "Actually, I am also familiar. ”

Suddenly, the lieutenant's face was as dead as ashes, and his emaciated body trembled slightly in the shadow of the curtains, but he could not move. The young voice behind him, this cold and disdainful tone, was familiar to the lieutenant, because he would talk to each other at the headquarters every day.

The other party is a major, like many idle officers, he belongs to the staff of the Allied Yaxiu Theater of Operations, which doesn't sound powerful at all, but his own uncle is Viscount Sidon, that is, the current commander of the Allied Yaxiu Theater - the Sidon family is a nobleman in the principality who has only obtained titles by virtue of military merits, is born and raised, and has a long heritage, and each family member is a ruthless character with two brushes.

So to a certain extent, the major should actually be regarded as the adjutant of Viscount Sidon, in addition to staff work, he is also responsible for some special missions, such as doing some intelligence or catching an internal annihilator or something. As an acquaintance, the lieutenant knew that the major was disgruntled when he was assigned by the viscount to do these two "chores", and that he was usually nonchalant, but there was no record of a miss.

"Major Gotha, the star of the Ming Dynasty of the Yaxiu Gong [***], I am really honored that you are willing to come to the Humble House. The lieutenant searched his stomach and grossed in his heart, thinking in his heart that since Major Gotha was already in this room, he must have been exposed, and there was no chance of survival. But how exactly did they get exposed? They seem to have been in ambush for a long time!

"I told you, learn to appreciate opportunities. Major Gotha said, "Your time is running out, so say something meaningful." ”

"Meaningful?" The lieutenant finally adjusted to the invisible pressure in the room, he slowly turned to face the burly major, looked directly at his resolute face, and said in the most solemn and formal tone: "Winter, it has arrived, spring, will it be far away?"

"I don't like my words to be misinterpreted, and I don't like people like you who are stupid and blind at the same time. Major Seaton finally had a normal expression on his face, but he hated iron and steel: "Take it away." ”