March 5, the founding day of the Nord Kingdom,

Countless military flags sparkled on the roof of the square on the streets of Nord Kyoto, and the huge wide flat in front of the square was densely packed with troops who were about to be reviewed.

Rows of handsome tall war horses, thousands of young soldiers holding various glorious military flags, their faces flushed with ice were full of excitement, and behind them, there were brown Nord armies as far as the eye could see, numbering 30,000 people, some of these soldiers were from the regiments with outstanding achievements, and some from the four regiments that had been temporarily formed in recent months.

At the front of the queue is an elite team of veterans composed of guards wearing gold-trimmed uniforms, their figures are generally a head taller than the soldiers of ordinary troops, and most of the armor on their bodies is relatively heavy and tight.

Today is the founding day of the Nord Kingdom, and it is also designated as the national day of the Nord people. Light snow was falling in the sky, and outside the city guard cordon with square shields, more than 100,000 people in festive costumes stood in the snow, braving the snow to watch the biggest military parade in a decade.

The number of people participating in the parade in Kyoto reached 35,000, all of them the most elite units of the Nord army, and looking at the huge military appearance passing in front of them, the citizens sighed softly one by one: "Oh my God!"

During this military parade, it was customary for His Majesty King Yagrolk to review Nord's army on this day. In previous years, it was just a matter of drawing a legion from the garrison in the city to come over and walk around the square.

This year's parade, however, was particularly grand, as troops were drawn back from the northern border and southwestern defense lines, not only from the Guards and the Main Battle Corps in Kyoto.

The reason for this is obvious, in the face of the recent defeat of the kingdom and the growing strength of the Falcon Empire of the North, in the words of His Majesty Yagrolc, "this is an opportunity to demonstrate the great strength of my Nords, to restore the confidence of the people in the army, and incidentally to warn those foreign enemies who covet my kingdom!"

Of course, not all of them see it this way, "just like a sick person who wants to emphasize that he is full of muscles, and his futile appearance can only scare away the ignorant"

Soldton, who had deliberately rushed back from the Suruo area, was unimpressed by this military parade that cost money and food, and cost him his life and money

"Relying on reviews and awards to restore the people's confidence in the army? The army has lost its dignity on the battlefield, but wants to redeem it on the review field? Only those self-righteous martial arts families can think of it.

The strength is fought, and for the Falcon Dynasty in the north, we have made a grand announcement here, but it is just an additional row of explanations for the analysis of the strength of the intelligence. ”

In order to deal with the approaching threat from the Falcon Dynasty in the north, the war atmosphere of the Nord Kingdom is becoming more and more intense, the Nords are a martial people, stubborn, tenacious, and full of resistance, otherwise the anti-slavery war against the Ikadiva Dynasty started 500 years ago would not have first broken out among the Nord slaves who were only about 200,000 people at that time, the greater the pressure, the greater the resistance of this nation

But looking at the black and oppressive heads of people below, looking at the crowd's wide open mouths in admiration, and their eyes full of amazement, Salton suddenly found that sometimes, this stupid method still works very well,

After all, there are still many more stupid people than smart people in the world. It's just that I don't know if the "foreign enemies" of the Nord Kingdom, such as the Vekia Falcon, will be intimidated by this "warning", it's hard to say. ...,

As the most elite Guards Regiment appeared, the crowd below resounded with cheers "Hurrah! Hurrah!", this time it was the Eighth Guards Regiment that was reviewed, the entire Legion had a full strength of 35,000 people, and 3,000 people participated in the review, and its military appearance was at its peak, ranking second among the ten Nord Legions, second only to the First Guards Regiment directly under the royal family, which did not participate in the review

They were lined up in twenty phalanxes, as if they had been cut with knives, and the movements of the soldiers were uniform, the polished Nord round shields in their hands and the sharp spears in their hands were arranged in a shocking array of guns, and the momentum was sharp enough to penetrate any enemy who stood in front of them, and people could not help but think that if such an army went into battle, the enemy would definitely collapse without a fight

As this Guards Regiment entered the field of vision of the citizens, the atmosphere of the scene quickly boiled, and the sound of footsteps rumbled, echoing throughout the square like thunder. Under the neat and heavy pace of the Eighth Legion, the earth seemed to be sinking.

"It's the Eighth Guards Legion!"

"Oh my God, haven't they been in charge of the defense of the northern border?

Some citizens on the periphery recognized the 12 elm leaf emblems with silver trim on this legion, and in the middle of the twelve elm leaves in a circle, two short hand axes intersecting with each other, marked the brilliant achievements of this Guards Legion, and only a legion that had single-handedly defeated twice as many enemies as itself was entitled to embroider such a mark on its own flag

When they reached the front of the middle review stand, the leading officer shouted loudly, "Nord will win!"

"Nord will win!

The three thousand soldiers of the Eighth Legion put their hands on their chests in unison, their heads neatly turned to the middle, and the gold trim on the cuffs of the guards uniforms brushed the ground in a straight line, and their steps were not disordered at all, and their movements were neat and pleasing to the eye. Once again, the crowd erupted in warm applause.

"God bless Nord!"

King Yagrolk raised his throne sword and shouted to the marching army below,

All the senior generals on the high platform stood up and saluted in unison, and even Salton, who was not wearing uniform, had to stand up and salute.

When the team had passed, everyone sat down again. Looking at the admiring faces of the crowd, Salton looked a little helpless and desolate, when would the Nord soldiers, who had always been disdainful of the conformist combat skills of the Ruierdians, be amazed by this kind of empty phalanx drilling.

No matter how hard Salton racked his brains, he couldn't imagine the use of such a neat phalanx on the battlefield. If there was any commander who would have lined up his ranks and charged with straight steps, then Soldton thought, "unless he has an army of steel like the Ryordians, but even if he is that kind of army, he will not be defeated by the Falcon Dynasty in the north, or even the state of annihilation"

The former military undersecretary Lonzagme, who was sitting next to him, turned around and happened to see the gloomy look on Sù Sù's face. The corners of his mouth smirked and he leaned over

"Sir Shalton, do you think it's funny what is the purpose of this kind of queue in actual combat? They worked so hard and did everything in their power to do something that no one would benefit anyone. ”

Soldton smiled, "Don't take it seriously, necessary rituals are always needed." Did you read yesterday's military report?"

"Which one are you talking about?"

"I forgot what the title was, it was written by a madman named Anvitra, saying that our defeat in Perguerra was not only a mistake, but more strategically advantageous, and that after such a defeat we could requisition more troops in the name of preparing for war, and we could extract more taxes, and we could ...... Anyway, in a word, the top of the Nord Kingdom should be grateful for this defeat, what kind of nonsense is this, even if you shoot the sycophants of those traditional martial artists, you can't mess around like this!"...,

"This ......" Lonzagome smiled awkwardly, "Actually, I instructed my subordinates to write it" Looking at Salton's surprised expression, he smiled and said, "You also know that the defeat of the Battle of Pergra was entirely due to the pride and complacency of the traditional samurai, and before the war, it was already full of arrogance, and after the battle, he did not obey the command, changed the battle plan without authorization, and finally made the defeat back the two of us,

But if you really want to say this, those traditional martial artists will definitely attack it in groups, it is better to say it in the opposite direction, and it may be able to wake up some people!

Of course, it would be nice if I could get the attention of some of the bigwigs, and don't forget, I'm still idle in the Intelligence Department, and those guys see me as an outdated person, which is really hateful."

"You, it's still the same, if it weren't for the fact that you insisted on disagreeing with the promotion report of Noras, the most promising of the younger generation of traditional martial artists, at the pre-war meeting, you might not be so hated" Salton shook his head with a wry smile on the corner of his mouth,

"Hehe, I mean really, that Horas isn't that good. If he is promoted to the rank of Legion, it will kill a lot of people......"

"Shh

Lonzagome suddenly stopped talking, and His Majesty the King of Yagrolc swept his dissatisfied gaze towards the two who were whispering, and the two quickly stopped chatting, and waited until His Majesty Yagrolk's gaze was removed.

"This ceremony is long enough, do you have time for the evening?" you know I'm going to be in Kyoto for a while, if you don't mind......

"It's an honor!" Lonsagome hurriedly answered, "With you, the big man in the Suruo region, I don't have to go to my old father-in-law's house to eat, that old man is about to hate me to death!"

"You're still so straightforward......"

When night falls, Salton sits in a tavern on the side of the road in warm Kyoto, watching the snowflakes drift on the empty street through the glass window.

Lonzagme walked in from the door of the tavern in civilian clothes

"Why is it so late, and working overtime doesn't look like your style!" Salton held up a glass of ale full of white foam

Handing the trench coat in his hand to the waiter at the door, Lonza Geme sat down with a bit of sternness on his face, and judged the conversation and laughter of the morning, as if the cold wind outside the window had run to his face

"You're not the same, don't think I don't know, you came back from Suru this time because of the recent trend of asking for war in Kyoto, so that you, the guy who advocates defense and counterattack, can't stay!"

Lonzagme unceremoniously picked up the ale beer on the table, took a sip of it, and then said with some indignation

"Do you know, now in Kyoto, how many Nord soldiers want your head, if it weren't for your insistence on opposing it, the winter battle plan submitted by the traditional samurai faction would not have been ruthlessly rejected by His Majesty, the 4 newly built corps commanders have not yet been clearly selected, everyone is staring at it with all their might, you don't know how many people you offended this time!", "

"Now is not the time for a decisive battle with the Falcon army!" Salton looked at the long snow-capped street outside the glass window, and sighed a little, "The Falcon Dynasty is in the limelight in the north, not only the Dorok people who fought lost their armor, but even the Dongting people were captured by Motu, and hundreds of thousands of Dongting tribes were collected, and now is the time when their morale is at their highest,

The decisive battle in winter is not an advantage for us, but if we can wait until next spring, the main forces of the Falcon army are scattered all over the place to rest,

At that time, we can rely on the superiority of our troops, unite with the Dorok, and attack on the southwest mountainous area and the northern border, and the central mountainous area at the same time, so that the main force of the Falcon army will be difficult to take care of, or there will be a chance to win!"

"The idea is good, but unfortunately it doesn't mean that everyone thinks like this!" Hearing Salton's analysis, Lonzagme shook his head with regret on his face, and said, "You know, I just learned something from an intelligence from the Admiralty, and it's really speechless to say!"

"What makes you so angry, haven't you always been unconcerned about the navy?" Salton looked at the depressed Lonzagome, and smiled indifferently at the corner of his mouth, "I remember that you once forced the Admiralty Marquis Felta to duel you because of the cost of building the Navy's capital ship Storm Sea Serpent."

Although the Lonsageme family is not a traditional samurai, it has extraordinary financial skills, so it has served as the head of the logistics of the Nord army all the year round, and even has a pivotal position in the Ministry of Military Affairs.

However, because of the Battle of Pergra, some generals pointed out that because the logistics and materials of Lonzagme could not keep up, the 100,000 Nord army did not organize a counterattack against the Falcon army in time, and finally completely broke and fled.

So this Lonzagme is also unfortunate to become an unlucky guy like Salton, because there are too many people who offend on weekdays, and he has fallen from an important minister like the deputy minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs to an idle position in the Ministry of Intelligence, but his family background still has the strength that people dare not look down on.

"Fart, I have nothing to do, to care about the affairs of the Navy, I'm just curious, what does the Admiralty want to do with such a big move this time?"

"Big move?" Soldton's face froze.

Lonzagome grinned with some disdain, "You know? Just three days ago, the main force of the Admiralty with a total of 210 warships raided the Falcon Navy's Ferrand Island Chain, and in the encounter, the Falcon Navy Detachment in charge of defense was defeated and fled, and the Faran Island Chain has once again returned to the Navy's control."

"Isn't that great?I remember you once said that the cost of a storm sea serpent can build 4 warships of the same level, such a high cost, if you don't have a little achievement, isn't you too sorry for the 1.2 million gold coins!"

"What do you know!" "It stands to reason that with such a brilliant record, those Admiralty guys have long been called away, but until now, you, the Governor of Su Ruo, who is on the powerful side, have you ever heard a little rumor?

"No, are you sure you're not mistaken? Are you sure the Admiralty didn't announce it?" said Toldton's hand holding the glass, stunned

"100% sure! I don't think even the Minister of War knows about this!" Lonzagome put down his glass with an affirmative expression, and scolded in his mouth, "This group of bastards of the navy, the main fleet is attacking the Ferrand island chain at the moment, but it has not informed the army of this situation, isn't this harmful? They have earned war merits, but what about the army?" The Falcon army has just defeated the Dongting people, and the main force of 100,000 has returned south, such a big event, don't they know any news at all, now it's okay, the Falcon Dynasty doesn't even need to assemble time, and can directly wave the army south, and the unsuspecting border army will not be beaten into a sieve by the Vekia Falcon, which is known for its swiftness......"

"No, I must meet His Majesty immediately, otherwise it will be too late! If I am not wrong in my prediction, the Falcon Army must already be on its way" As if thinking of something, Salton suddenly got up from his seat, hurried to the door to take the cloak, turned around and said, "I'm invited this time, if you don't mind, how about going back to Suruo with me?" Anyway, those guys from the Intelligence Department will also be happy to see you, a disgusting guy, disappear from front of them!"

With that, Salton strode open the door of the tavern, flew into a carriage waiting outside the door, and disappeared into the snowy street in the distance, turning into a small black dot

"Is it necessary to be so nervous?Anyway, those guys in the army also see you as a thorn in their side!Wouldn't it be better to be beaten by the Vecchia Falcon!" Looking at Salton's disappearing back, Lonzagme picked up his wine glass, took a few sips of himself, and swept away the delicious dishes on the table, before he got up from his seat with some interest and prepared to leave...,

The waiter who was waiting next to him walked over, bent down and said, "A total of thirty gold coins, honorable sir!" Although Lonza Geme is a little depressed now, he is still wearing very expensive materials, so although the waiter thinks that this guy is suspected of eating the overlord's meal, he is still very polite, but several strong waiters also surround him at the right time

"That guy didn't settle the bill?30 gold coins?" Longsageme's drunken face was stunned for a moment, his eyes looked at the messy scraps on the table, and said angrily, "You guys just grabbed the money, or when I am a hillbilly from out of town, call your boss quickly, I want to take a look, are these all made of gold?"

Soon, the tavern owner came, and at first the boss seemed a little apologetic, but after the waiter whispered a few times in his ear, his face became a little ugly, and he looked at Lonzagome like a homeless man eating an overlord's meal,

"Boss, what do you mean, these dishes are not worth 30 gold coins!" Lonzagome shook his hand angrily and scolded

"That's right, as long as it's a friend of this person, the price will be calculated according to ten times!This Excellency, although I don't know who you are, but this is an order from above, and we can't do anything about it!" The boss grinned at Lonzagme with a cold face, and pointed to the pillar at the door of the wine cabinet, on which was a portrait, which was like Salton's appearance

"This guy is definitely deliberate......" Ryosagome suddenly realized, he had long heard that all the families in Kyoto had issued a ban order to Salton, but he didn't expect that even he didn't harm the pond fish

#c