"Knock, knock, knock!knock!" "In the wilderness, the sparse woods have been cut down. The already vast wilderness looked more and more bleak and solemn.

The earth-shattering drums rang out loud and immediately spread far away.

Twenty drums lined up, each in front of which is covered with cooked cowhide, with a high shelf to stand one person high, and next to each drum there are two naked strong men, holding a giant hammer in the wind and struggling to strike!

The black-pressed military formation has already set up a closely connected array. The black iron armor spread on the ground like a dark cloud, and from a distance, the cold light was shining!

At the back of the array, a high platform made of giant wood was ten meters long, with huge rollers under the base, and more than two hundred strong men in leather armor were pushing the platform slowly forward with the military formation.

The sky was overcast, the dark clouds seemed to be lower, and the governor of Hughes on the high platform looked as if he was standing among the clouds.

Hughes, dressed in gold armor, looked in high spirits, under the golden helmet, with a horsewhip in his hand, standing on a high platform, holding the railing, and staring into the distance"

Right ahead. A long river is like a strip of water, the majestic and continuous city wall opposite, as well as the towering triumphant tower, the flag flutters, but under the dark clouds, it looks a little down.

Hughes stood on top of the tower. Suddenly waved the horsewhip and exhaled and smiled: "That is the royal capital of my future kingdom!"

Behind him, there were several ironclad guards on the high platform, and among the guards, Adeline and Daphany stood there with miserable expressions.

"This is the first precious gift I will give you!" Hughes turned his head, the glint in his eyes swept over Daphne's face. Cai smiled reservedly: "I will be the new king here, and you, my future queen, this city will also prostrate at your feet." ”

Once the army formation of tens of thousands of ironclad lions spreads out in this wilderness, it will really cover the sky and the sun! And the Armenian military district has always been known for its excellent armor, and the armor of this army under Hughes spared no expense, especially an ironclad infantry corps at the rear of the army formation. Almost every soldier was armed to the teeth by high-quality armor produced in the Armenian region, thick iron armor, covered **, iron shields like walls, spears like forests!

After the drums sounded for a while, the sound of a rapid military trumpet was immediately heard from the distant city wall of Osgilia, and the soldiers on the city tower were seen moving like ants in the distance, and the battle flag was quickly raised.

The fluttering Imperial Eagle Banner stood above the tower, and Hughes looked at the majestic wall, but only smiled.

At this moment, several horsemen in the distance galloped from both sides along the front of the military formation.

The army immediately divided into an aisle, and the horses came under Hughes's high platform.

"Your Excellency Governor, the First Banner Regiment has conquered the Southern Acropolis, annihilated four hundred enemies, and the Southern Acropolis has fallen into my hands!"

"Your Excellency Governor, the Second Banner Regiment has conquered the Western Acropolis! Six hundred enemies have been annihilated, and the Western Acropolis has entered us

"Your Excellency the Governor, the Third Banner Regiment has conquered the Northern Acropolis, and the enemy has burned the tower, and it is in ruins!"

"Your Excellency, Fourth Banner Regiment

One by one, several horsemen shouted back under the high platform, and Hughes above listened, raised his eyebrows, and then laughed a few times. He shouted, "All the nails around have been removed! This Osgilia has become an isolated city!"

He then smiled and said slowly: "Pass my order! Conquer Oskilia and plant my royal banner on the city! The first city breaker, regardless of his status, will have a bounty of 100,000 coins and be promoted to three."

On top of the tower of the triumphal city of Osgilia, the general of the royal city guard, Span, was as heavy as water, his eyes were bloodshot, his beard had not been trimmed for many days, and there were even some minor wounds on his body that had not healed from the battle to exterminate the remnants of the rebels in the red zone of the city.

General Spann hadn't closed his eyes for two days, and although he wasn't a famous imperial general, he was a half-life general. He is also very aware of the current situation!

Trapped in the Lonely City!

Ever since he had allowed Salvador to escape from Osgiglia that day, Spann knew that the curtain had begun on the civil war!

Although he was furious by the thunderous wrath of Emperor Kantos, he was loyal to the royal family and knew very well that he had no way out and no choice!

Within two days of El Salvador's escape, the Armenian military districts closest to the imperial capital were the first to raise the flag of rebellion! Immediately within the empire, at least a dozen or so military governors immediately responded with troops! And the rest, even if there was no news yet, must have been ready to move.

At this time, in fact, it doesn't matter whether the guy in El Salvador escaped or not, the outbreak of this civil war is no longer a situation that can be changed by one person's life or death.

Or "On the very day that Cavishir was assassinated, the curtain of this war was opened!"

The Armenian Military District is well fed. General Span, who had been in the military all his life, knew very well the elite of the army under the command of the Armenian governor, and heard that these Armenian rebels were so well equipped that even the Imperial Palace Imperial Guards might not be able to match them!

Just three days ago, an announcement had spread throughout the empire, and the announcement had been passed through the magic arrays of the magic unions in various parts of the empire. It has been changed to: Except for the goo, please board!

This is a war letter drafted by the Armenian Governor Hughes.

In this war letter, Hughes denounced the Emperor Contos the Great in a questioning tone for being a traitor and turning his back on the military. For the government, he made great achievements, and repeatedly suppressed the military, causing the imperial generals to feel chilled in the hearts of the emperor. In the war letter, Hughes demanded that Cantos the Great abdicate immediately, abolish the royal dominance of the Klenma family, restore the Senate system to the antique system, and re-elect the Senate Council. Co-ruling the Empire.

"The existence of the country for thousands of years, the pendulum and redundancy, has reached the time when it cannot be changed! At this time, for the fortune of the empire, for the glory of the soldiers, should stand up, although nine deaths and broken bones without regrets! Hughes, the former governor of the Armenian Military District of the empire, wept blood in the letter, and the heroes and heroes of the world begged for the emperor to return the former glory of our empire!"

Spann remembered the last two sentences of the announcement and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Good one" former Governor of the Armenian Military District of the Reich Hughes. The beauty of this sentence lies in the word "original". This Hughes has made up his mind completely, and even the official position of the empire has been abandoned.

Let's talk about the Emperor of the Faint Together. Abolish the rule of the Krenma royal family and establish a senate? Even if there is really some senate, the senators in the new senate in the future. I'm afraid that they will all be swept away, and all of them will be replaced by the governors of these military regions.

This announcement has made a complete political break with the imperial family. The dominance of the Imperial Family is no longer recognized, and the official positions of the Imperial Imperial Family are no longer recognized. And even "no longer recognize the existence of the Byzantine Empire!"

Governor Hughes's army immediately aroused the response of the warlords, and at this moment, the rebel flags were erected in various military regions in the empire, especially in the north, and half of the territory in the north of the empire had changed flags.

The Armenian Military Region was the closest to the imperial capital, and Hughes was the first to raise troops to invade Osgilia, and his strength was originally like the top three among the military districts of the Empire, plus the benefits of the military armor and years of operation, even if he raised 100,000 troops, it was not surprising. I heard that Hughes had reached an agreement with the other military governors this time. That Salvador played a major role in this, and Hughes immediately rushed out, and two regiments of hoplites and a mixed army of infantry and cavalry, a total of 60,000 troops, marched into Osgillia at once.

In this case, as the commander of the garrison of Osgilia, General Spann had to resort to the tactics of retreating.

Originally, Osgillia was the imperial capital of the empire, and there were four acropolises around it, which was about the same size as an ordinary small city in the empire, and together with the surrounding villages and towns, it formed a large area directly under the imperial capital.

The advance of the Armenian rebels. Span's response was to abandon the periphery and retreat to Osji.

Although this strategy was debated at court meetings, especially when the civilian clique disparaged the strategy of retreating before fighting, Spann stubbornly stood by his opinion.

In his heart, he was very disdainful of the remarks of those civil servants.

Fortunately, the old emperor Kantos the Great was also from the military after all, and firmly supported Spann at this time.

Span's reason was simple: Osgilia was underarmed.

Originally, the defenders of Osgilia only had 20,000 Imperial Guards, plus only about 8,000 Imperial Forest Army. Even if you add up all the guards and so on in the city, the number on paper is only 30,000.

What's more, because of the recent war with the Odin, two of the central standing corps of the empire were directly disabled, and in order to rebuild, and in order to ensure the control of the royal family over the rebuilding troops, at least 8,000 people were successively transferred from the imperial capital's guard corps to enrich the new army. The vacancies in the Wangcheng Guards were filled by the second-tier local garrisons.

Originally, the combat effectiveness of the guards in the imperial capital may not be very strong, although there is no doubt about the loyalty of the guards to the royal family, and the equipment and military salaries have always been preferential treatment by the royal family. But this army was stationed in the imperial capital all year round, and most of the soldiers did not even experience much fighting. Such an army, even in the eyes of several other central standing regiments that also belonged to the royal camp, was somewhat disdainful.

It is common to hear people from the Sixth and Thirteenth Corps mocking the guards of the imperial capital as "old soldiers and baby soldiers." ”

But now even this "old soldier plus baby soldier" has been transferred by half, and the second-line local garrison army that has been supplemented is even more unbearable, and its combat effectiveness has been reduced by 30%.

As for the Imperial Forest Army, "If the Imperial Capital Guards are fancy troops, then the Imperial Forest Army, these guys should be honor guards, and they are fighting, it's faster to shake their heads."

Except for the mysterious "Night Forest"!

But no matter how strong the Night Royal Forest is, it is only a few hundred people. How much can a few hundred people play in the battle of the large corps?

The strength of 30,000 men does not sound like a small amount. But the city of Osgilia was so big! It would be much weaker to defend such a huge city, with 30,000 men sprinkled on that long wall.

And if you still have to divide your troops to garrison the four acropolis on the periphery?

That's just looking for death!

There was a lack of cavalry in the city, and although the Imperial Guards had quite a few cavalry, the fighting power of those guys could not be trusted.

The rebels outside the city have the upper hand. Once you attack, you will definitely pull out the nails around you first. And if the troops are stationed separately, it is like a fist is released, allowing the other party to cut off their fingers one by one.

It's better to close your fists and defend Osgilia with all your might.

The city of Osgilia is majestic. It's natural risk again. Coupled with the perennial prosperity, the city is full of materials, not to mention anything else, just food. Self-sufficiency for three months is no problem.

And there are also sea transportation lines! The rebels have just arrived, and they may not have the ability to blockade the sea. Let's talk to the rebels for a while.

And," Spann still had some hope in his heart.

General Adric had already gone to the southeast to mobilize the local garrison. will definitely come with reinforcements, as well as several other central standing corps of the loyal empire" Not to mention anything else, the Rhodelian cavalry corps of the Ruhr, if it can be rushed, then there is one more hope of victory in this war!

But although Si Qi always thinks like this, he also understands that there is really little hope.

Several central standing corps were scattered in various places, and there were rebels everywhere, and if each corps wanted to rush to the aid of the imperial capital, they had to first cross the enemy-occupied area.

And even if you really risk death to arrive, how much combat power can you have?

Moreover, as Hughes's army invaded, other rebellious warlords would also raise their troops, and I heard that several other governors in the north had already raised troops to rush to the imperial capital.

In Span's view, the royal family really had no hope of victory in this war. The empire has been eroded for a hundred years, and the system of the Tema Military Region has fattened these wolves for several generations. These military regions have long become a country within a country, recruiting troops and hoarding military funds, even in peacetime, the comparison of military strength between the two sides is a disadvantage for the royal family. Not to mention after the battle with Odin. Several central standing corps loyal to the royal family were even weakened.

Knowing that it was a certain defeat, the people in the city of Osgilia were panicking these days. And from time to time, there are all kinds of rumors.

As the general of the city's defenders, Spann was also tempted by the rebels.

These rebels have been in operation in the empire for generations, and the latent force does not know how many. Even if the city has been under martial law for several days. Just last night, someone actually asked to see Spann in the middle of the night, indicating that he had come to persuade Spann to surrender on behalf of the rebels outside the city.

I really don't know the tight city defenses, what secret channels these guys sneaked in!

The other party is clear. As long as Spanken arrives, change course. If you open the gates of the city in the middle of the battle and let the rebels enter the city,"

"Lord Hughes has said that the future post of Minister of War of the Kingdom of Armenia will be reserved for you! Count of Armenia, and reward you with 100,000 gold coins! And I have heard that you have a nephew, Nigul, and you will treat it as your own. Lord Hughes said that he would like to marry his daughter to Nigul as his wife!

This price is really not low!

The future king's minister, the title of earl, the reward of 100,000 gold coins, and the marriage of children with the new king",

Eppen's prestige in the city guards for many years naturally has a group of loyal people who are loyal to him, and it may not be too difficult to open the city gates in the middle of the battle.

Spann was well aware. As long as you are willing to nod your head and sacrifice the city gate, then you can be prosperous and rich for a lifetime in the future. to the worst. It can also save the survival of the family and its own life.

And if you refuse, once you are defeated and the city is broken, your entire clan will be wiped out!

And now it seems. There really is no visible hope for our side.

"I'm very tempted. It's really exciting. ”

At that time, Span looked at the messenger sent by the other party, and sighed very calmly: "I serve the royal family loyally, I am forty years old this year, and I am just a commander-in-chief. Your Majesty's closest and most trusted people may not have me in the top twenty.

Even before the war, His Majesty condemned me for El Salvador's escape, and it was only now that I was employed in the Great War that I was able to continue to lead the Guard.

And I'm Span. I know my own skills, when it comes to talent, I am just a Chinese talent, there are many famous generals in the empire, whether it is Adric or General Ruhr, the talent is ten times better than me, even the mad dog Green in the past, is ten times better than me!

With my talents, even in another fifty years, I will not be able to sit in the position of Minister of War. So, in contrast, the conditions of Lord Hughes. It's already full of sincerity.

So, if I'm not tempted, it's a lie." It has been changed to: Muscle Heart, please log in!

The messenger hears this. Suddenly, his face moved: "Your Excellency agreed?"

Spann continued to sigh: "I would love to promise you, but alas, "I can't!"

He stood up. Slowly walked around the table, looked at his own saber hanging on the wall, and suddenly smiled lightly. He turned his head slowly, and at this moment, Span's tone was light, but extremely serious:

"Man lives a lifetime. In addition to glory and wealth, there is always something else. ”

After saying that, the sharp qi in his hand flashed, and the blade of the sword had already pierced into the throat of the messenger!

The messenger's eyes widened, clutching his throat, and he made a gratified sound. Blood slowly flowed from between his fingers!

"In the history of the empire, the founding marshal of the country, Duke Tulip, once said: If the country is destroyed, loyal ministers should perish! Today, though. I also have a saying,"

Span slowly wiped the blood on the blade of the sword, and his mouth was as calm as water: "If the empire is destroyed, I, Span, should die!"

, I've always thought. The saddest thing in these realms is the courage to do what you know you can't do. So, write this chapter.

There is a saying: those who are good at fighting have no great achievements.

What I want to say is this: there is no boasting of the faithful.

A phrase of "deserve to die" is enough."