On the edge of the battlefield of the attack and defense of the Michischwagen Fortress, the provisional headquarters of Valstadi**.

Field Marshal Lanfield, commander of the Imperial Guard, circled around the map table, with his hands behind his back, and stomped his feet with sighs and sighs from time to time, looking extremely uneasy.

A panting division commander ran into the tent and said to the marshal:

"Lord Lanfield, we are about to lose our hold, more than half of my infantry division has suffered casualties, only more than a thousand grenadiers on the city walls are left in the fortress, and the battle outside the fortress is also one-sided, or in a few hours, the enemy will attack again, and then it will be our end."

Field Marshal Lanfield slapped the table heavily, and the wargames on the sandbox fell a few times:

"Damn! We have fulfilled our promises, but where are the good reinforcements? ”

At this time, a hussar scout burst into the tent and shouted:

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is an army on the ridge to the southwest that is marching towards here, and they are flying the flag of the Night Owl, which is sure to be a friendly force that has come to the rescue!"

"Great!" Lanfield excitedly hugged the hussar and lifted him up:

"What about our Imperial Majesty?"

"Your Majesty himself and the generals are in front of the main force of reinforcements, and our regiment commander has already brought someone to escort us, and it will be time to our camp in a while."

After about ten minutes, only the trumpeters outside the tent could be heard playing a stirring rhythm, the drummers also beating the drums intensively, and the captain of the guard of honor shouted:

"Salute with guns! His Majesty the Emperor has arrived! ”

The guards on either side of the entrance to the headquarters stood straight, rifles clenched in both hands, shiny bayonets pressed against the bridge of their noses, and the attendants lifted the curtains of the tents.

Emperor Salantos Midknight wore a very modest felt coat, which was taken off to reveal a marshal's gown in black and red, and his long leather boots were stained with mud and crushed ice.

She walked vigorously to the center of the tent like a gust of wind, followed by a large group of high-ranking generals.

Everyone in the tent paid tribute to this legendary monarch, and they had no right to dare to act sloppy and rude.

Emperor Salantos smiled and said:

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but allow me to excuse myself, I was delayed in the process of gathering reinforcements, and the gas was so bad, we had some trouble on the road, the artillery and baggage had not crossed the ridge, but fortunately most of the infantry and cavalry were in place.

By the way, how's the battle going in the fortress? ”

Field Marshal Lanfield sighed: "Hey...... It's hard to put into words, Your Majesty, please let my staff officer report to you in detail! ”

After listening to the staff officer's concise battle report, the right half of the emperor's face, which was not covered by the visor, began to twitch, obviously very shocked:

"It seems that the Voodoo and the Solan Kingdom are completely colluded together, these bastards are really embarrassed, I have to, the Voodoo Cult does have some means, and it actually brought the dragon to the battlefield, and it is four heads at once, this is very difficult."

The staff officer added: "It's three, Your Majesty, the defenders of the fortress have killed the largest of them. ”

"There's a dragon slayer? Who is so powerful? Wait a minute...... Where is my daughter's Guards Heavy Cavalry Brigade? Also welcome... What about my adopted son, Baron Victor? ”

The Emperor's silver-gray one-eyed eyes made the young staff officer fearful, and the bird-like gaze seemed to invade his soul, and the young man was suddenly a little dazed, not knowing what to do.

The commander of an infantry division with a medal on his chest relieved the young man:

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry, but the Heavy Cavalry Brigade of the Guards Army was the first unit to enter the fortress to assist in the defense, and they are afraid that they have been completely wiped out in the poisonous fog, and the same is true of Baron Victor's unit.

According to the latest news from the front, except for those grenadiers on the city walls, no one from inside the fortress came out alive.

Lord Baron Victor and Her Majesty Princess Edgar are probably ...... Already...... Hey......"

The division commander was speechless in frustration, and the atmosphere in the tent suddenly became mournful, and everyone sighed for the death of the baron and the princess.

Field Marshal Langfield carefully observed the Emperor's actions, and although this hard-hearted monarch had an iron will, he also had a tender side to his mother, and it was inevitable that he would weep bitterly because of the loss of his child, which was human nature, and no one was exempt from it.

However, to all expectations, the mournful look on the emperor's face only lasted for a short two seconds, no more tears, even her eyebrows did not wrinkle more, her countenance immediately returned to its usual coldness and fortitude, but her voice became a little low and hoarse:

"My dear Victor and Edgar...... They all sacrificed...... Really? ”

The atmosphere in the command was suffocatingly cold, and no one could bear to share this cruel reality with a mother.

The Count Baptiste, the chief of staff, who was over eighty years old, said in a loud voice:

"Your Majesty, you should be proud of them, these children have fulfilled the promise they made when they first joined the army - to die honorably under the banner of our night owls!"

The old chief of staff's deep voice was sonorous and powerful, and all the generals nodded their heads in approval.

The Emperor pursed his thin lips and was silent for a few seconds before continuing:

"Yours, Uncle Baptiste, I should be proud of them...... What a good boy! Worthy of my adopted son and daughter! ”

On the surface, she is not alarmed, but the storm is raging in her heart, she wants to cry a lot, but she can't do that, as the king of a country, she must set an example in front of the ministers at this time of crisis,

Empress Salantos gritted her teeth and did not shed a single tear, much to the admiration of everyone present.

A military commander entered the headquarters and said:

"Your Majesty, my Fourteenth Army is still five hundred meters away from the front line, waiting for your order."

The Emperor closed his eyes and calmed down a little, then looked down at the map on the table:

"Let's slow down the attack, first stabilize the front, and then let the Fourteenth Army replace the two infantry divisions of the Guards, they will not be able to hold on."

Field Marshal Lanfield bowed gratefully: "On behalf of all the officers and men of the Guards, I salute you for your kindness, Your Majesty. ”

"I should thank you, Lanfield, it is not easy for you to hold on until now, and now that I am in charge of the whole situation, it is imperative to strengthen the defenses around the fortress."

The emperor seems to have come out of the grief of losing his children and completely entered a state of selfless work:

"General Anglo, move your 95th Mountain Division quickly to the high ground on the south side of the fort, and let the sappers dig trenches to prevent the enemy from making a detour."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"General Segur, advance a thousand meters with your 67th Grenadier Division, and if you have the chance, get close to the fortress, I will send a dragoon brigade to support you!"

……

In this way, for the next half hour, Emperor Valstad methodically issued one order after another, and the heralds shuttled back and forth between the front line and the headquarters.