"These Maro people seem to be planning to hold on. On Zeppelin One, he used a telescope to look at Glock below. There are very few pedestrians in the city now, and before the Lightning Legion arrives, the whole city has been declared on alert, and all residents are only allowed to enter and exit.

In order not to be drawn into the war, most of the inhabitants of the cities chose to take refuge in the countryside or other places. With the exception of a few craftsmen who repaired weapons and armor who were forced to stay, the population of the entire city had now dropped by fifty percent. This is the most direct manifestation of Marlowe's insistence, which can greatly reduce the consumption of food in the entire city.

"If we were Carthaginian's army, they probably wouldn't have done this. Hearing Glock's words, Refra said, "The civilians in the city are good hostages, so the Carthaginians will not dare to use particularly powerful magic, and they will not dare to use trebuchets after destroying the city's shields, and they can only take the city by force." ”

"It's a big obstacle, but there's another side to it. Glock nodded and said, "The whole city is full of Carthaginians, so the occupiers have to face not only the enemy outside, but also the possible destruction inside." If a resistance force had been organized in the city, the whole battle might have been easier. ”

"You've grown a lot after being in the army for so long. Refra touched his beard, nodded with a smile and said with relief: "Being able to look at the problem from such an angle shows that you already have the qualities of a legion commander, and you will definitely be a good legion commander in the future." ”

"These are all seen from the pamphlets distributed by the lord of the city, and although there are not many of them, they all make sense. Glock scratched his finger and smiled a little coyly and said, "Now that we've attacked the first big city like this, it's time for our secret weapon to show up, right?" ”

"Let the captain go home. Refra walked back to his seat and said, "When we assemble the siege equipment that has been brought in, it will be time for us to attack." I've been keeping an eye on the neighborhood lately, the Scouts' task is not easy, and I don't want anything else unexpected. ”

"Never let go of a fly. Glock's footsteps were loud.

However, it was clear that the Carthaginians' all-out counterattack had prevented the Maroes from drawing too many men to stop the reinforcements at Thunder Bluff. Until the Lightning Legion was ready, no other legions appeared in the scout's field of vision. The 7,000 men in the city were already at the limit of their draw, and the fierce attack of Carthage made all the Maro legions feel a lot of pressure, and there was no one to be transferred to this flank.

But this is not a bad thing for the Maroes, and if they really want to march into such a slow interior, it will take some years to completely occupy Carthage. As long as the Maro can hold this general attack of the Carthaginians, then Carthage, which has mobilized most of the country's forces, can be considered lost.

But this is not to say that Carthage's wealth has been depleted, but that there are no more soldiers to refuel. In a country that has been a merchant for generations, no one is willing to pay for this war anymore, and the precious lives that can earn money are not used on the battlefield. They will not obey even the orders of the royal family, and they will try to reconcile with the Maro people by some other means.

The power of the Carthaginian kingship is not very strong today, the power of capital makes the whole of Carthage strong, but it is also these capitals that give those merchants a lot of power in this rich country. If they feel that the losses from the war will exceed the income from the victory, they will not hesitate to sell the royal family for a good price.

"It's a big gamble. In his study, the Grand Duke of Carthage looked at Baron Pock, who had come to visit with some reluctance, and said: "The defeat on the battlefield has made the young princess desperate, but although she has done a good job in handling government affairs and battles, her grasp of the hearts of the people is still too weak. ”

Baron Polk didn't understand what Archduke Obas meant, now the whole of Carthage is like a rope, all contributing money and effort to this largest counteroffensive, and the soldiers on the front line have never been as abundant as they are now, how can Obas say that the princess regent doesn't understand people's hearts.

"Hehe, you're still too young. Obas looked at the somewhat confused Pok and said with a smile: "Maybe you can go back and ask your father Rick, he should explain to you why I said this, now Her Royal Highness the princess has hung on the spider silk, once the counterattack fails, waiting for her will be doomed." ”

It would have been dangerous to launch a counteroffensive of this magnitude with the distraction of a slave corps deep behind enemy lines, but Carthage was not completely without a chance of winning. Now that poisonous worm hidden in their abdomen has already made Marlo's Caesar anxious, the defense of the front line is weak, and now is not the best time to attack, but it is definitely not a bad time.

"Forget it, my relationship with him is no different from yours. Polke's expression was a little complicated and said: "Looking at his stinky face when I go back, I might as well ask you directly here." At least we're on top of each other, and he's ......," Polk sighed helplessly, the taste of which could not be explained in a few words.

"He asked you to come to visit me just to show an attitude. Orbas smiled and finally decided to explain to Pock: "Haven't you ever wondered why we represent different forces and often oppose each other in politics, why would he let you come to me?"

"I can guess a little, but I still don't understand much. Poke picked up the gorgeous porcelain cup on the desk, took a sip of the black tea poured by the maid and said, "After all, I heard that you were a pair of friends at the beginning, and why it developed into such a relationship that you couldn't even see each other is not something I can guess. ”

"There's a lot going on. Obas shook his head with some nostalgia, looked at Pock, who was eight points similar to Rick, and said, "That's more complicated than what happened between you and your father, we shouldn't have been friends in the beginning, after all, our family represents two different forces. But it's all about what we're going to say, and since you've come to me, I'm going to tell you about the situation. ”

Carthage has never been a united nation, and this is not a new thing for a kingdom, and the ruling classes of all countries are mostly in this way, and there will be intrigue wherever there are human beings. All this time there was a struggle between the whole kingdom, between the king and the nobility, and between the nobility and the nobility.

The situation in Carthage was particularly serious, because it was a very commercially developed country. The most primitive structure of the factory has appeared throughout the country, and the artisanal workshops of the primitive machinery have appeared on a large scale. Carthage as a whole was a slave state, with traditional slave plantations and new handicraft workshops, forming a kind of antagonistic class.

Although when Arthur was still in power, he was able to reconcile the relationship between the two classes. But with his death, this balance, which was originally stable, is now more and more out of harmony. But the young princess regent put all her thoughts on how to recover the lost land.

Didn't notice the undercurrent surging in the dark, now it seems that the whole kingdom is working in one direction, but if it fails, all the dissatisfaction will erupt. This is not something that people at the top can control, and the conflicts that erupt from people at the bottom can only make them choose to support themselves.

Maro's invasion is something that must be resolved, otherwise Carthage will lose more than just land and sovereignty, which is something that the upper echelons of both classes understand, and they must quickly resolve the issue of war with Maro before a fight breaks out below. And betraying the royal family would be nothing more than a good choice, the failed Carthaginian princess has reached the age of marriage, and the Caesar, who swore not to marry until he conquers Carthage, also has no wife.

Let the entire Carthaginian nobility retain their titles, and the merchants were able to protect most of their possessions as a vassal kingdom of the self-governing Maro, and then give their princess to the man who was already in his thirties. Not only did they solve the ongoing war, but they also freed up their hands to fight each other.

"This is a traitor!" Polk stood up excitedly, his whole face flushed, and he roared loudly at Obas, "Not only are we going to bow down to the Maro, but we are also going to give our princess to the man who killed our king?"

"So...... You're still too young. Not the slightest surprise to the angry Pock, Obas smiled and took the tobacco on which he lit his pipe and said: "There are some things that you cannot understand at your age, and that is why your father let you come without telling you anything." Although you are in the idea a lot now, you still have no way to really understand it. ”

"I'll never understand the traitor's thoughts!" said Pork, striding outside, "Again, no matter what conflict breaks out between us, the royal family of this country must be preserved!

"Kids. Obas looked at the departing Pock and said, "If you look down on us old guys who have lived for so long, there will be a lot of suffering, this is the best way to reduce losses." We'll get a good enough price, but it's not a bad thing, and once the princess gives birth to a prince who can inherit the throne, then Maro will also be the world of our Carthaginians. ”

(To be continued)