"Boom ......"

The roar of the magic crystal cannon still rang non-stop. The unified salvo turned into a five-team bombardment in turn, forming an uninterrupted range of firepower coverage.

The continuous artillery attacks completely cut off the mind of the giant-footed centipede's high-level counterattack. There are magic crystal cannons for ranged strikes, and magic crossbows for close-range attacks.

This narrow area is almost completely covered by enemy firepower, and no number of centipedes are enough to fill it.

In the perception of many centipede officers, it is no longer a war, but a one-sided slaughter.

Although he was very unwilling in his heart, the instinct of his body was very honest and chose to stay away.

Run faster, run faster!

Reason tells them that as long as they are out of range of the enemy's magic crystal cannon, they will be fine.

Other issues, when the crisis of life and death is out of the equation, it is not too late to think about it slowly.

There is only one thing that needs to be done at the moment, get away from the battlefield as soon as possible.

Defeat is like a mountain!

From the moment the first centipede soldier chose to flee, the rout began. The departure of the Centipede King pushed the escape to a climax.

Everyone was running for their lives, and the Warlords were running faster than the soldiers.

An hour ago, there were still 300,000 troops in the camp, and in the blink of an eye, only a group of wounded soldiers were left wailing.

"Cavalry attack, chase and kill the remnants of the enemy!"

With Hudson's order, the cavalry units that had been prepared for a long time poured out like a tide and started the harvest journey.

There was no mercy on the racial battlefield, a centipede soldier broke his leg and foot, and kept wailing on the ground, waiting for him not sympathy, but a cold spear that pierced his body.

As far as the eye can see, the surviving centipede soldiers are all enemies.

"Stop shelling!"

A large number of enemies were out of range of the magic crystal cannon, and the centipede soldiers who were sporadically resisting were no longer in the climate, and Hudson hurriedly called a halt.

The family is big and the business is big, and we must also learn to be diligent and thrifty. A short period of fire coverage consumed more than two months of output from the mine.

As far as Hudson knew, the Magic Crystal Mine in the Southeastern Province was a super bonanza, and its output was almost half of the total output of the Magic Crystal Mine under the Royal Government.

This means that the production of magic crystals in the kingdom for a month is only enough for these gold-devouring behemoths to consume for an hour and a half.

War doesn't break out every day, and every ten or eight years, the reserves of magic crystals are enough.

However, this is only ideal.

In addition to being used in war, a country's magic crystals must also ensure the daily supply of magicians, arcanists, priests and other extraordinary professions.

The magic crystals that can really be stored are only one-twelfth of the daily production at most. If it weren't for that, the price of magic crystals wouldn't have remained high.

A large part of the Alpha Kingdom's financial deficit is caused by the import of magic crystals.

It's not because of the low production capacity of magic crystals in the country, it's mainly that the frequency of wars in the kingdom is too high.

The magic crystal cannon is a big consumer of crystals, and the magic crossbow used in front of it is also heavily dependent on magic crystals.

If it weren't for the fact that there was a mine at home, Hudson would not have dared to play with fire coverage. Relying on the annual allocation of the royal government alone, it is difficult to support the consumption of crossbow arrows.

It's worth the effort!

The shelling just now annihilated at least tens of thousands of centipede soldiers. Especially the unlucky ones who set up the camp in the passage of the center of the earth, I don't know how many were buried alive.

Compared to these achievements, the main thing is a strategic victory.

With the defeat of the Giant Foot Centipede, the Hundred Mile Corridor fell into the hands of the kingdom, and their connection with the Inner World was also severed.

It seems that the Centipede King still has hundreds of thousands of troops in his hands, but the morale of the army has been broken, and the combat effectiveness has been directly broken.

The chase and escape war continues, and under the stimulation of life and death, countless centipede soldiers have broken through their own limits.

It's a pity that this world is not more legs, but it must be fast. No matter how much the infantry surpasses itself, they can't outrun the cavalry.

The centipede soldier who was left behind only heard the sound of the earth trembling, and his body had already been pierced by the knight's spear.

The most eye-catching thing is the Warcraft cavalry rushing to the front, which is purely savage trampling.

The centipede soldiers who blocked the front were either directly knocked into the air, or trampled into pulp, and some of them were stabbed through the body by the knight above and thrown out.

As the commander, Hudson looked down on the battlefield from the sky, and by the way, he watched the enemy powerhouses of the Sanctuary.

Maybe his name was too loud, or maybe he killed him too hard last time, and when the strong man of the centipede clan saw him, he was like a mouse meeting a cat.

When the enemy saw him, he ran, and Hudson had no intention of chasing him. As the winner of the war, he still has this kind of bearing.

The chase continued until late in the evening, when Hudson ordered his troops to be withdrawn and returned to camp.

The night belongs to the geocentric race, and it is not possible to attack the enemy with its own shortcomings.

At the end of the battle, the battle was counted, and the whole camp was filled with laughter.

After holding back for so long, it was a hearty victory as soon as he made a move, and this kind of earth-shattering turn can mobilize people's emotions the most.

"Marshal, this is the result of the statistics, and it is preliminarily estimated that at least 80,000 enemy troops were annihilated in today's battle!

You are right, the history of the continental war after this war will be changed because of this!

The concentrated use of magic crystal cannons and magic crossbows is enough to change the outcome of a war, and their role will become more and more important in future wars. ”

Personal experience is the most powerful way to change a person's perception.

Before that, whoever was going to tell him that the magic crystal cannon would decide the outcome of the war, Pierce would definitely smile disdainfully.

Bringing that kind of bulky guy to war can make a big tooth laugh off. The enemy is not a fool, how can he stand still and wait for them to bombard?

It's different after today!

It is true that the enemy does not stand still and be beaten, but many times there is a reason to hold on.

For example, the giant-footed centipedes who have just been defeated, even if they are re-elected, they still have to stick to the entrance to the center of the earth.

"The magic crystal cannon and magic crossbow are still too bulky, and if they can be reduced in size and weight, they are the real weapons of war.

Especially the magic crystal cannon, any one of them is several tons, and it is very inconvenient to move.

If we want to use it on a large scale in the field, we will also have to transform a batch of magic carriages to pull the magic crystal cannon! ”

Hudson said without reservation.

The technical update of the magic crystal cannon is a systematic project, from the barrel to the base, from the hardware to the software, all need to be changed, and it can only be carried out with the power of the kingdom.

A single big aristocracy does not have enough talent reserves.

Even in the kingdom as a whole, there are extremely limited numbers of people who have studied in this area.

However, compared to the alien race, the human race as a whole is still dominant. The leading level of civilization has laid the advantage of the human race in this round of competition.

The only people who can compete with the Terrans in this regard are the elves and dwarves.

Both of them have enough technical reserves, and are even at the forefront of the continent in some aspects, but Hudson is still confident that the Terrans will win.

The benefits of having more countries are reflected here. When countries roll up magic technology together, it is equivalent to multiple research groups working together.

Limited by manpower, material and financial resources, this kind of multi-line construction game is not something that dwarves and elves can emulate.

Stretching the time period, it is almost inevitable that the Terrans will win.

Compared to the innovation of magic technology, the transportation of magic crystal cannons is not a big problem.

The magic carriage was introduced to the kingdom ten years ago and played an important role in previous foreign wars.

It is used to pull the magic crystal cannon, and the load capacity is enough, and what needs to be changed is nothing more than the shape and structure of the carriage.

Throw money at a few more attempts, and you can get it out, and there are no technical barriers.

"Marshal, the problem of technological innovation is easy to handle, and with the example of this great war, the royal government will definitely increase investment.

Now that we have routed the enemy army and occupied the Hundred Mile Corridor, should we continue to send troops to the Kingdom of Hesse? ”

Governor Pierce said calmly.

He can rest assured of the Royal Government's investment in the military field. As long as it proves to be strategically valuable, the Alpha Kingdom will spend its money.

Even if the king's annuity and the salaries of government officials are not in arrears, there will be no shortage of military investment.

"Let's rest for two days and see how the Kingdom of Hesse reacts!

Thinking that they should be very confused by now, we have all done the agreed work, and their reconquest work has just begun to be put into action. ”

Hudson smiled slightly.

The hundred-mile corridor is the lifeblood of the giantfoot centipedes.

Theoretically, once the coalition of nobles in the southeastern provinces launched a fierce attack, the centipedes would have to draw a large number of troops from the front line.

When the pressure reaches a certain level, the Giantfoot Centipedes will inevitably adopt a strategic contraction and give up the land they now occupy.

According to the pre-prediction, the Hessian army should complete the recovery of the lost territory before the alliance of the nobles of the southeastern provinces occupies the Baili corridor, and then participate in the siege and annihilation of the centipede clan together.

Based on this inference, the Hesse people's previous request for help was only in the hope that the southeastern province could send troops to the hundred-mile corridor to threaten the lifeblood of the Giantfoot Centipede clan.

Now the situation has changed, the aristocratic alliance of the southeastern province fought too fast, and drove them out of the hundred-mile corridor without waiting for the centipede clan to carry out strategic contraction.

That's all, the Hesse people can also accept it, the key is that the defeated centipede army has all entered the territory of the Hessian Kingdom.

Typical lying gun!

But they can't say anything yet, the reinforcements were called by themselves, and they quickly defeated the enemy, which was their ability.

Stopping now is also following international practice.

Even though we are allies, territorial sovereignty remains inviolable.

Leading a large army into the territory of a neighboring country without the invitation of others is an invasion that violates territorial sovereignty.

As the marshal of the Terran race, Hudson, who cherished his feathers, would not make such a principled mistake.

Even if the Hessians send an invitation, it will have to go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Government first, and the procedures will be completed before he will consider sending troops.

……

After a collapse for dozens of miles, looking at the remnants of the defeated soldiers gathered around him, the centipede king's tears couldn't help but flow down.

The king does not shed tears, but it is not time to be sad.

At noon, he was still the king of a clan with a large army in his hands, strategizing and deciding the fate of countless people, and in the afternoon he became a lost dog.

The turn came so quickly that it felt like a dream.

"Your Majesty, cheer up!

The defeat is only temporary, our main force is still there, and we can regroup and fight back!

The enemy is nothing more than relying on the benefits of the magic crystal cannon and the edge of the magic crossbow, aside from these magical equipment, the elite of the clan is not weaker than the enemy......"

Venerable Golan tried his best to persuade him.

It's just that I don't know why, the more he talks about the back, the less confident he becomes.

"Throw away the magic equipment", that must also be able to throw away.

The enemy doesn't agree, they want to fight back, they can't avoid these things.

"Rest assured, Venerable, I can hold on.

Half a life, experienced in a hundred battles, I have never encountered any kind of war.

Until the last minute, there is no point in discussing winning or losing. A momentary defeat can only be regarded as a ......"

The Centipede King said calmly.

Today's defeat hit him very hard, but as a king of the clan, he can't afford to retreat now.

No matter how difficult the road ahead is, he must go on.

There is still hope for hard work, if you choose to be rotten, then you can really only exterminate the race.

At least the Centipede King couldn't find a reason for the Terrans to let them go!

"Your Majesty, if the hundred-mile corridor falls into the hands of the enemy, the geocentric passage will inevitably be seriously damaged.

Now, even if it is recaptured, the repair will not be completed in a while, and the repair cycle will be a few years, more than ten years, or even longer.

Judging from the information coming from all over the world, the entrance to the inner world of the Aslant continent is not just one or two.

In the territory of the Hesse Kingdom alone, there are several entrances to the center of the earth that have been discovered.

Now that the passage here has been devastated, let's change our target.

Our old neighbor, the Demon Crocodile Clan, is eight hundred miles away, and is busy fighting the Terrans at this time.

In the past, there was indeed a lot of friction between our two races, but now that we have the common enemy of the human race, everything is different.

If they are willing to share the geocentric passage with us, then join forces with them to make a fortune in the surface world! ”

As soon as Captain Maas's proposal was finished, the eyes of the high-level giant-footed centipedes lit up, and it was obvious that everyone was tempted.

It didn't matter at all whether the aristocratic coalition of the southeastern provinces continued to destroy the geocentric passage, anyway, they didn't want to go back and be beaten now.

In the eyes of many of the higher-ups of the Giantfoot Centipede, the Noble Alliance of the Southeast Province that occupied the Hundred Miles Corridor was no longer just bones, it was simply stronger than the scales of the dragon.

Instead of fighting to the death with such a strong enemy, it is better to find an opportunity to fight out and find a soft persimmon to bully.

"Your Majesty, Captain Maas's proposal is feasible!

Even if the Demon Crocodile Clan is unwilling to share the passage with us, there are other Inner Earth races, and there will always be those who are willing to join forces with us.

Let's write down today's accounts first, and after we have established ourselves in the surface world, we will slowly settle accounts with Hudson! ”

Venerable Sayam was the first to speak and echoed.

He has already learned the demeanor of the mainland's No. 1 general, and he really doesn't want to encounter it again.

Although revenge is important, the continuation of the race comes first.

They can't even gnaw on a southeastern province, if they face the entire Alpha Kingdom, then they can pay back!

If they continue to fight to the death, they may not be able to do anything to the enemy, and they themselves will definitely be finished.

Glancing at the courtiers, the Centipede King read the answer from everyone's fearful eyes.

"Let's put this on hold in advance, let's gather the rout first, and after we meet with Howell, we will decide what to do next!"

It can be seen that deep down, the Centipede King is inclined to run away.

It's just that the enemy hasn't chased and killed him, so he fled in disgrace, which is too embarrassing for the king.

At the very least, you should be reserved, wait for the middle and high-level of the clan to unify their positions, and then run away with the army.

……

Royal Palace of Hesse.

Alexander V read the battle report in his hand over and over again, always feeling that he was reading a legendary myth.

How powerful the Giantfoot Centipede clan is, the Hessian nobles who are struggling on the front line have the most right to speak.

However, such a strong enemy turned into paper paste in Hudson's hands, and it could be broken with a casual stab.

The disparity in strength between the Kingdom of Hesse and the Kingdom of Alpha has become so great?

Or is the gold content of the mainland's No. 1 general so high?

No one can explain this complicated issue clearly, anyway, the content of the battle report is true, and the Giant Foot Centipede was indeed driven out of the hundred-mile corridor.

How exactly it was fought, the battle report forwarded by the Alpha Kingdom did not say. This is someone's internal military secret, and as an outsider, he doesn't want to ask too much.

"Why are they all dumb?

A few days ago, you said that the centipede clan is extremely powerful, and it is a strong clan in the inner world, and it must invest more troops to encircle and suppress it, but now you are all stunned!

It's really time for our generals to take a look at the achievements of our allies and learn how others fight!

……”

In the face of King Alexander V's complaints, the ministers were speechless one by one. The strength of the Giantfoot Citede is really strong, at least compared to the other invading geocentric races, they are considered strong.

As for the achievements of the allies, everyone did not take it to heart. Hudson's record against the sky is too much, and it is normal to defeat the giantfoot centipede, and it would be strange to lose it.

Now it's nothing more than a little faster to win, so "100 million" lost, the record data is slightly better, "100 million" lost, and the rest are routine operations.

Just think about learning how to fight. If you could really learn, everyone would have gone to learn a long time ago.

The reality is that the main generals of the Hessian Kingdom, and even the main generals of the whole continent, have a copy of the Hudson campaign command information in their hands.

Perhaps the content of the record is not so detailed, but there are still some command ideas and strategies for using troops.

After reading it, I was very touched by everyone. It's a pity that this harvest is only for the eyes, and it is wasted when it is used specifically.

It's not that everyone doesn't work hard, it's really hard to have two battles in the world that are exactly the same. Forcibly copying and showing operations will only make the battle situation worse.

"Your Majesty, now is not the time to hold accountable. The allies defeated the Giantfoot Centipede as well as a challenge.

Judging from the information gathered, although Marshal Hudson defeated the enemy army, nearly 200,000 centipede soldiers still entered the kingdom.

The Centipede King is gathering the rout, and once they are assembled, they will definitely join up with the Centipede Legion on the front line.

Taken together, the two armies would have more than six hundred thousand centipede soldiers within the kingdom, and possibly even more than six hundred and fifty thousand.

If there were no reinforcements, the pressure would have been too great for the defenders on the front line.

The coalition of nobles in the southeastern provinces led by Field Marshal Hudson had already stopped in the Hundred Mile Corridor.

We sent people to communicate, and the answer they gave was: we have not received an order to send troops, and we cannot infringe on the sovereignty of the kingdom.

If we want them to send troops to help, we must first convince the government of the Alpha Kingdom, and then negotiate terms with the nobles of the southeastern provinces! ”

The Prime Minister, Duke Milton, said with a slight embarrassment.

The soldiers on the battlefield are very fast, and they can't relax for a moment when they beat the water dogs. When he encounters such an ally who pays attention to the rules, he would rather let go of the enemy than cross the line, which makes him very unaccustomed.

Immediately followed by a headache, reason told him that since the allies chose to follow the rules, it was definitely the rules that would bring them more benefits.

Otherwise, the alliance of nobles in the southeastern province really led troops into the kingdom on the pretext of chasing and killing the enemy army, and they couldn't say anything!

"Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this matter will be left to you. Strive to get the government of the Alpha Kingdom in the shortest possible time, and at the same time figure out what the nobles in the southeastern province want.

If it's just the ownership of the 100-mile corridor, then there's no need to waste time entanglement. The territory has been eaten into their stomachs, and we don't have the ability to make people spit it out, so just agree! ”

Alexander V said with a casual wave.

If before, he still had a trace of thoughts about the Hundred Mile Corridor, then since he received the battle report, he has completely given up.

The territory is won by others, and if you fantasize about grabbing food, then the allies can't do it.

What's more, now it is necessary to use the power of others to quell the rebellion of the geocentric race as soon as possible. Otherwise, if it continues like this, the Kingdom of Hesse will not be able to withstand the toss.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured!

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in contact with the government of the Alpha Kingdom and is negotiating on the issue of sending troops, and I think that good news will be received soon. ”

The Marquis of Krasner immediately assured.

……

Emerald Palace.

"What do you think of Marshal Hudson and Governor Pierce proposing that the Kingdom and the Kingdom of Hesse sign a treaty of friendship and commerce to create a common economy with zero tariffs?"

Faced with Caesar IV's questioning, everyone was very embarrassed.

None of them are playing with finance, and the zero-tariff common economy is a new term, and if you don't read the following notes, you may not be able to figure out what this thing is.

Whether the benefits of such an economy for the kingdom outweigh the disadvantages, or whether the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, is not clear for a while.

If you don't understand the pros and cons, you can let them make decisions, which is obviously embarrassing people.

"Your Majesty, what a zero-tariff common economy looks like, none of us have seen. Even the abolition of customs duties within the kingdom was very difficult for the government to promote.

If the two countries develop each other's markets, what we can gain and what we need to pay will require someone to conduct systematic statistics to be able to fully weigh the pros and cons.

Of course, since Marshal Hudson and Governor Pierce mentioned it, they must have some understanding, so it is better to send someone to communicate with them.

At present, the kingdom has promoted the process of unifying tariffs, except for some provinces in the Near East and northern Xinjiang, and the southeastern provinces are advancing the fastest.

Up to now, more than 95 percent of the nobles in the southeastern provinces have expressed their willingness to give up the tariff revenues in their territories.

And they, like the nobles of the Near East and Northern Xinjiang, made a request: after the royal government gets this income, it can only be used for military expenses! ”

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Count Francis, did not say much, but they contained a very large amount of information.

It is not surprising that the provinces of the Near East and Northern Xinjiang were the base of the reformers, and that their territories themselves had no tariffs, so they supported the reforms of the royal government.

As a gathering area of old aristocrats, it is somewhat surprising that the nobles of the southeastern provinces also supported the reform in this way.

There is only one explanation for this situation: after the Coslows, the Daltons also chose to support the reformers.

The positions of the two big families are the same, and it is not surprising that the small and medium-sized nobles below choose to follow suit and support it.

What's more, it seems that these nobles have paid a lot of benefits without asking for anything in return, but in fact, the last demand is a vague request for compensation.

The financial revenue of the Alpha Kingdom is insufficient all year round, and it is also a norm for the local nobles to share part of the military expenses.

By earmarking tariff revenues for military spending, you are actually reducing your own amortization costs.

The only problem is that the kingdom must ensure that after the uniform tariff is imposed, the government will receive more money, which can greatly reduce the amortization of military expenditures.

It would be nice to be able to waive amortization expenses.

If it can't be done, things will go back and forth in the future. It is not impossible to tear down and start over and return to the era of the package tax system again.

However, these hidden dangers, which are the problems that need to be faced after the failure of future changes, can not be managed so much now.

Compared to this proposal, everyone's thoughts have shifted to the political statements of the Dalton family.

The establishment of a zero-tariff economic community is based on the premise that the government of the Alpha Kingdom has unified domestic tax revenues.

Otherwise, as it is now, the tax power is in the hands of the local noble lords, the government says that it will not collect customs duties, and the local nobles run to collect it themselves, and the treaty becomes a piece of waste paper.

"Your Majesty, neither Field Marshal Hudson nor Governor Pierce are unpurposeful men, and since they have made a joint proposal, they must have a reason to do so.

If the general direction is beneficial to the kingdom, then first sign a three-year zero-tariff free trade economic community treaty with the Hesses and observe the concrete results! ”

The Prime Minister, Marquis Delgado, made an almost explicit statement, and everyone immediately reacted.

Regardless of whether the Falton family genuinely supported the Reformers, or whether they were fooled into joining the Reformers by Hudson, they all had to be brought in.

A foreign economic treaty that reverses the passivity of the reformers in the politics of the kingdom is a bloody gain no matter how you look at it.

As for the impact of the treaty, it was directly ignored by everyone.

What are the specific benefits, I have not personally experienced it, and we are not sure for the time being, but the disadvantages are predictable.

The Alpha Kingdom is a self-sufficient feudal aristocratic fiefdom economy, with few free people and very little dependence on the outside world.

No matter how many goods the Hesses ship in, they can't find a buyer. The risk of a massive outflow of gold coins was directly stifled in the cradle.

The volume of imports is small, and the amount of tariffs is naturally not large. The most serious consequence was nothing more than a reduction in the fiscal tax of tens of thousands of gold coins, and the impact on the royal government was minimal.