The eastern front of the Lion State is filled with boiling flames and smoke, but the West Borneo Sea on the other side is quiet and peaceful.

Three large cargo ships were moving smoothly on the sea, and the majestic bow of the ship was smashing wave after wave.

Standing at the edge of the deck, facing the sea breeze, Henk had a look of great ambition, his cocked nose bone exactly like the bow of the ship splitting the waves.

There is no doubt that he is a pure Velante, and was born in the city of Triumph, which is blessed with supreme glory and wealth.

However, because Triumph City was too crowded, when he was still young, he went to the distant New World with his parents to expand the territory of the Willant people in a new land.

His father was a centurion, and if there were no accidents, he should have become, like his father, an honorable soldier who built up his exploits on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the tiger father is a dog, he is really not the material for war, whether it is the selection of the youth army or the assessment of reserve officers, he has failed one after another.

Especially the selection of the Youth Army.

He didn't even make it to the second round, he was screened out in the first round of physical examinations, and only swimming barely passed a number of physical fitness tests.

It turns out that not everyone is good at fighting, even if they are born to fight.

Disheartened, Henk once gave up on himself and drank heavily to numb himself all day. It wasn't until one day that a friend he made in the academy brought him a bottle of "Big Bird Turning Vodka" from the "Old World", and he woke up from the chaos.

What kind of horse urine did you drink before?

The spicy taste had a slight sweetness that made you forget all your troubles, and he had been obsessed with it since he tasted it, and he felt tasteless when he drank any other wine.

However, this thing is made in the distant Union. And even in Triumph City, it is not easy to get it, and most of the best sources of goods are monopolized by the Eastern Legion.

Although the manufacturing process of this thing is not complicated, and the ingredients are simple, the imitation produced by Triumph City Distillery always feels like something is missing.

He knew what the fakes lacked, and that was what fascinated him the most—the sometimes hallucinatory sweetness that made people forget all their troubles.

In order to be better drunk in the future, Henk temporarily came out of his depression, first made his own continuous distiller, and then made wine in his own warehouse, improving the brewing process...... As a result, I didn't expect to make some troubles, but I really restored the "slight sweetness that makes people forget all their troubles".

In fact, the secret to making people forget their troubles lies in the "methanol within the safe measurement range".

Triumph City's distillery is obsessed with improving the distillation process, seeking to make vodka in its purest form, striving for excellence in quality, but ignoring what the Willantes at the bottom really need.

They don't have time to order a special drink in a fine dining restaurant and savor the supple and rich taste. What they need is something that they can forget about all their worries, even if they have a splitting headache the next day.

It would be better if you added the cheap one, even if the happiness was not healthy.

In short, thanks to this "invention", Henk became a well-known wine merchant on the east coast of the New World in one fell swoop, turning vodka from a "foreign product" into something that even ordinary people could afford.

If nothing else, he may sell alcohol for the rest of his life, and then the business will grow bigger and bigger, and even export the "chicken vodka" he has made back to distant Dawn City, so that the group of alliance guys can also see his clever little cleverness.

However, unfortunately, the sky did not fulfill people's wishes, and the profit from selling wine was still too low. Although his "chicken vodka" has been popular for a while, it has only been for a while.

In particular, there is no threshold for this industry.

Since he can copy the Alliance's products, others will naturally be able to copy him.

And the difficulty of poaching people from his winery to Triumph City is far easier than poaching people from the Alliance, a boat ticket and a house on the outskirts of Triumph City can be done.

soon

With his career at a bottleneck, Henk had no choice but to look at other new areas that were not so volatile and had great prospects, like most self-made Wilantes.

In the Legion, only arms are the eternal trade, and the status is the highest of all traders.

And coincidentally, it was at this moment that the honorable marshal opened a window for him again.

The Southern Legion is building momentum for the war!

Although this war was nominally a war between the Xilan Empire and the rebels, the "mercenaries" of 30,000 troops were rare even in the history of human civilization.

Not surprisingly, the league also ended.

And it is foreseeable that the Corporations, the Academies, and even all the surviving forces in the Rift Valley and the East of the Old World will be involved in this war.

With the Southern Corps' own industry and transportation capacity, it was obvious that it could not support the material expenses of this war on its own, and the expansion of the Western Corps happened to be in the bottleneck of expansion, and a large number of unsalable munitions were piled up in warehouses with nowhere to go.

It was at this time that the Western Corps signed an agreement with the Southern Corps on the exemption of military goods from taxation.

Smelling the wind, Henk saw the business opportunity at a glance, and immediately pressed all his worth.

No one reacted faster than him.

Not surprisingly, he will probably become the first New World merchant to dig the first pot of gold from Borneo....... If you don't count the big guys who rushed early.

Once he became the largest private arms contractor in Westsail Harbor, he would sell his "chicken vodka" to the local Willant soldiers.

He was sure they would love the addictive feeling. And this can be regarded as a way to "save the factory with a curve".

A few white birds flew in the distance, hovering over the splint, as if trying to stop for a while.

"Ga--"

Listening to the muffled cry, Henk's mood was indescribably happy. "It's a seagull! Haha, looks like we're almost here!"

Walking up to him, the tanned-skinned captain grinned and held back his complaints.

"That's an albatross, sir...... And it seems to be a variant, so you'd better not tease it."

They are still more than 20 hours away from Borneo, and they will not be able to reach the shore until noon tomorrow at the earliest.

Looking at this guy's excited appearance, he guessed that this boss was going to sea for the first time, not to mention that this person couldn't even tell the difference between an albatross and a seagull.

Henk didn't care, just snorted and fooled the embarrassment.

"Hahaha! Whatever it is, it's my lucky bird! Go get some bread..... Remember to take the one that is about to expire." As he spoke, he pushed the secretary next to him and urged the helpless secretary back to the cabin.

The captain grinned, thinking that the boss from the New World was quite funny.

I heard that the people of the New World were like this, more sleek and more cunning than the Wilantes of the "Old World".

But he didn't really live there, and everything he knew was hearsay.

The job as a captain was introduced to him by a merchant from the Southern Legion, and he made a brief stop in the port of the New World before boarding the ship bound for the Borneo Sea.

The deck was as quiet and peaceful as the calm sea.

The wandering sailors put their hands on the railings to bask in the sun, used beer bottle caps as chips to pass the time playing chess, or planned where to have fun when they got ashore.

At this moment, no one noticed that a periscope quietly stretched out of the sea, stared at them for a while, and then quietly retracted.

The secretary who had gone to the cabin to fetch bread hadn't returned yet, and Henk was about to go to the cabin to urge the guy, but he saw a large bubble rolling out of the churning waves.

Something was rapidly approaching his cargo ship, and it wasn't small.

Henk suddenly remembered a sailor who had been bragging to him in the tavern before he got on the ship

Tell the story.

It is said that in the distant Borneo Sea and the southern seas, there is a sea monster called Laken.

It was like a dragon swimming in the depths of the sea, capable of easily overturning a cargo ship with a displacement of dry tons.

However, Henk is not worried, after all, his three cargo ships are all over 50,000 tons, and they are also equipped with sonar to repel xenos.

Looking at the "big fish" that was getting closer and closer, he even stuck his head out of the side of the boat and shouted excitedly.

"What's that?" Laken?"

The captain smiled and walked over to Henk's side.

"Laken isn't going to be interested in us, we're turning on sonar—"

In the middle of his sentence, his face suddenly changed, and he roared behind him in horror.

"Torpedo !!"

He had never encountered such a thing, and he didn't know how to deal with it, but he instinctively ripped off the life jacket hanging from the guardrail, threw one to Henk, and put it on himself.

Almost at the same time, a deafening roar came from under the feet of the two of them.

A torpedo hit the side of the cargo ship!

In the face of the terrifying destructive power that can sink warships, a mere 50,000-ton cargo ship is as fragile as a toothpick.

There was no time to care about the situation of the other two cargo ships, and Henk only felt himself flying, and the whole person flipped out and fell into the sea with a thud.

Things happened so suddenly that he didn't even have time to fear, and his consciousness was broken.....

A few minutes ago, beneath the surface of the sea.

Inside the steel bridge, more than a dozen officers in military uniforms were staring at the images projected on the holographic screen with serious expressions.

Twenty-four hours ago, Commander Li Minghui issued a battle plan codenamed "Laken."

They will act as ghosts lurking beneath the Sea of Sibervar and attack the transport ships that are carrying arms to the port of Saifan.

In the case of uncertainty about the true strength of the opposing warship, this is the safest approach.

On the one hand, it can hit the logistics of the Southern Corps and delay the offensive on the front, and on the other hand, it can force the Western Corps to come out to escort the army, thereby exposing their true combat effectiveness.

「．．．．． After the target was searched, multiple 120mm field guns were found, and the cargo carried on board was confirmed to be munitions." The observer sitting in front of the console looked back at the captain and said in an affirmative tone.

The captain nodded expressionlessly, and without hesitation, picked up the communicator and gave the order.

"Combat units at all levels are ready! Send them to Laeken!" An echo was soon heard in the communication channel.

"Roger!"

As soon as the order was given, the crew of the entire attack nuclear submarine suddenly moved like clockwork gears.

The sonar locked onto the target, and the torpedo bay began to fill with water, and then a black, thick torpedo was fired from the torpedo bay, like a potentially underwater harpoon, stabbing at the unsuspecting cargo ship.

It's a battle without suspense, and the other side doesn't even have the means to find them.

They fired a total of three torpedoes, all of which hit the target without exception. Looking at the exploding flames and the steel slowly sinking into the water, the crowd in the bridge did not celebrate.

After all, the sunken target is not a warship, and even if it wins, there is nothing to celebrate.

That doesn't mean they will have any regrets about being part of the operation, though.

No matter what form or reason, since you are involved in this war, you must be prepared to pay the corresponding price.

Just like they stand here.

They know exactly what they're up against, and what they'll do if they're targeted by the opposing warship.....

After confirming that the target was sinking, the captain immediately gave the order to dive.

With the cooperation of various units, the submarine quickly sank to the bottom of the sea, as if it had never been seen before.

At the same time, more than ten kilometers away in the sea, a full load

Cargo ships with immigrants.

Hearing the distant explosion, Yarman, who was standing on the deck, was stunned along with the crew beside him.

「..... What happened?"

Listening to the boss's inquiry, the captain standing next to Yarman frowned, and said in an uncertain tone after a moment.

"Three explosions..... I don't think it's a torpedo."

"Can you hear that?" Yarman gave him a surprised look, he didn't expect this guy to have this ability.

"Otherwise, could it still be made by a different species?" The captain made a helpless expression and shrugged his shoulders.

Seeing that the boss couldn't let go of his heart, he whispered a word of advice.

"We'd better not get involved in this...... You should know that it's not a good thing to work for those big guys."

Yarman naturally understood what he meant, but finally sighed and said. 「.... The teachings of the Silver Moon Sect can't let the people who fall into the water die without saving them, no matter what, I have to go over and see if there are any people alive. Of course, I won't ask you to accompany me on the adventure, I'll just bring a few people who want to come with me."

If anyone is still alive, they must be fished out before they are targeted by the aliens of the sea.

Guessing that the boss would say this, the captain made a helpless expression and said with a sigh.

"I'm even more worried about letting you go alone, I'll take a few people with you."

Without a long delay, several diesel-powered lifeboats were lowered from their ships and sped towards the waters where the explosion occurred.

By the time they reached their destination, the upward bow had largely sunk into the water, leaving only wreckage and junk floating at sea with sporadic burning fuel.

Yarman didn't know what was on the three sinking cargo ships, but thankfully there were no secondary explosions.

Upon spotting the survivors, he immediately beckoned the crew to drag them onto the lifeboat, and then left the dangerous waters before the fire spread.

Just like the devastated railway station and warehouse area of Xifan Harbor and the bombed tanks on the central plains of Shizhou, the three transports sunk to the bottom of the sea and the tens of millions of dinars worth of munitions were just the beginning.

At the same time that Yarman rescued his compatriots who had fallen into the water back on the boat, the five 10,000-strong teams led by Captain Ryan finally pushed to Rydpur County, just one step away from Lion City.

There are a few hills in the plain, and several tributaries of the Yongliu River system cross the area, which merge into a freshwater lake called "Sunrise Lake".

Like Surak County, this "Li County" also belongs to the territory of a nobleman with a large surname, but this Viscount Ridpur is not as good as Viscount Surak.

As early as the "Rebellion of the Heavenly Kings", he was tied up and beheaded by a group of rebellious serfs and tenants, and only a few distant men were left in the family who were killed.

Later, when Yanush died, the army of the Heavenly King changed its banner to become the Borneo Kingdom, and his family's bloodline was not broken, and some land and family property were sold, so that the farmland all over the mountains was not abandoned.

However, the good times were short-lived.

Seeing that the seedlings in the field were finally about to grow, the Southern Army came again.

In order to defend the Lion City, Yudonovan waved his hand and filled the army of 200,000 with 100,000.

These big-headed soldiers repaired fortifications and dug trenches, and filled back the crops that had not been able to emerge with great difficulty, and most of the crops in the fields were ruined.

Although it will be compensated, it is given in Borneo coins, and no one knows what this thing is for, and they don't even know how many days this Borneo country will exist.

However, the little Ridbull who inherited the title was a person who knew the overall situation, and he didn't dare to disagree at this time, and even took a group of family members to take the initiative to help these big-headed soldiers.

On the contrary, some of the freedmen who had acquired the land were quite dissatisfied in their hearts, and they just endured it with the knowledge of the times.

I heard that the Legion people compensated the Dinar, but this Absec picked and searched for his own people, and took out a few pieces of waste paper and sent them away.

However, this complaint is only a minority, and at least for the moment, the majority still agree with Absek.

Especially people in the military. That guy isn't a good guy.

Cunning, petty burgher, indecisive..... All negative descriptions can be applied to him, but there is one thing that has to be admitted, he is more like a normal person than Yanush.

That's pretty good – even rare.

There is no shortage of capable people in Borneo, but the strange thing is that there are few normal people standing on the spire.

Under this unanimous unity, the criss-crossing tunnels soon covered the mountains of Rydpur County.

There are also those holes in the ground that only have entrances and no exits.

Soldiers with weapons and rations slipped into it without hesitation, ready to fill them with their own flesh first.

At the same time, the second batch of supplies aided by the alliance also reached the front.

In addition to RPGs and recoilless guns, there are also powerful metal hydrogen explosives and mines in addition to the new equipment sent to the front line.

Especially the latter, as long as the method used correctly, is enough to pose a threat to the Legion's Conqueror 10 tank!

At least, they won't let the legion take the Lion City behind it easily. ...

Inside the Lion City.

Captain Yudonovan stared at the map on the command table, a burning cigarette on his index finger, and a sad look written between his eyebrows.

He used to be a subordinate of the Heavenly King Yanush, but when Yanush sent troops to attack the heavenly capital, he left him behind the Lion City, or left it to the legions to "vent their anger".

At that time, Yudono thought that he was dead, but he didn't expect that the legion had not had time to fight, but that Yanusz went first, and was assassinated in the main hall of the Tiandu Palace by the reformist officers.

Later, Absec joined forces with several other kings to purge the old tribe of Yanush and change the banner of the kingdom of Brahman to the king's army. And he himself also followed the general trend and took his subordinates to join the new authorities, and was also promoted.

Although this promotion seemed to him to be basically the same as sending him to death, as Yanush's old ministry, he didn't have much choice.

In the matter of trading names, the Borneo Kingdom and the Heavenly King Army are in the same line, and he also has his own name to pay, and only if he pays it can he be regarded as his own person.

At present, the task given to him by Absec is to lead the 200,000 troops stationed in Lion State to block the offensive of the Southern Army.

It's an almost impossible task.

「.... The armored forces of the Union are coming in our direction, and it is said that one of the elite units of the Alliance. But they are not very numerous, only one regiment of troops."

"In addition to that, there are two armored regiments sent by the LTTE and the Black Panthers, as well as an infantry division in the port of Golden Gallen..... They have reached the south side of Ridpur County."

Standing next to the command table, the officer, who was about in his early twenties, spoke at a rapid pace, but the good news did not make Yudno's brow fully relaxed.

Three regiments can barely make up a division.

The Alliance's armored regiments need not worry, but it is still unknown how much combat strength the Panthers and Tigers' armored regiments will have.

Those people may not be willing to give their all.

The infantry division of the Golden Gallen Port should be able to listen to the alliance, and it is estimated that he will not be able to command. After staring at the map for a long time, Yudono sighed and said.

"You can't rely on outsiders, you still have to rely on yourself in the end..... ＂

Calming down, he set his eyes on the group of officers standing at the command table.

"In any case, we have an army of 200,000 and the Willantes only 50,000...... This battle is our home field, and even if we die, we will defend it

All right!"

Although Mammoth Country's idea is good, Lion State is not a dog state after all, the millions of residents of Lion City are behind them, even if they want to retreat, there is nowhere to retreat, and this battle cannot be avoided after all.

Reading the resoluteness in the commander's eyes, the officers standing at the command table looked solemn, and they all put their right fists on their left chests.

"Yes!"