(Add more for the "Huo Zhen is good" brother 12/20)

The Valley of the Shadows is a true battleground.

Stuck right in the way from the Black Flame Pass through the Barren Mountains to the Bafon Canyon, it's so high and treacherous that it doesn't even need to form a position with other strongholds to block the only road to Translasia.

If the gnolls enter the area and do not send men to capture the Shadow Valley, then their march will definitely be exposed to the attack of the defenders for a long time.

But if they send people for a while and a half, they can't hold out for too long, although they can't hold out for too long because the mountain grain production is not abundant, but there is such a nail in it, it is enough to ensure that the jackals will not be easy and comfortable no matter how they choose.

Strategy and tactics are as simple as that, the arrangement of letting the enemy on his back is definitely a good tactic, the tactic of making the enemy scold his mother loudly is bound to be excellent, and the tactic of making the enemy want to hold a soil bomb and send you to the sky is perfect.

The harder the enemy scolds you, the more it means that you have done something right.

It can only be said that Adele's mother definitely worked hard when she chose the camp with the gladiators who escaped from Mejewa City, and this in turn cheapened the Transansians who were ready to fight in the Black Plague decades later.

"What a great place!"

In the evening, Maxim, suspended in the air, condescendingly observed the terrain near the Valley of the Shadows, and the vampire general who was leading the army for the first time couldn't help but sigh.

Kudel, the tribune who accompanied him, also nodded repeatedly.

Rubbing his beard, which he had grown at the suggestion of his granddaughter, he said:

"We didn't find such a good place back then, maybe because of the urgency of time, or maybe because the first stage of the battlefield was in the Dark Mountains at that time, and during the Fourth Black Plague, the expeditionary forces sent by humans were all fighting with vampires in the Dark Mountains.

Our large army was also blocked at the Black Flame Pass, and we set up a twelve-layer defense line as much as possible, but we didn't even hold it for half a month before the King of Biting Bones used meteorite tactics to completely destroy it, and that battle even directly changed the terrain of the Black Flame Pass.

I was also brought back to Transsia by Sarokdal after the attack and defense, and perhaps the guy brought me back from the pile of dead people that had fallen from the meteorite.

Alas, if we had set up a second camp here at that time, perhaps we would have been able to resist it for a while after the Black Flame Pass was breached. ”

"After all, it's the King of Biting Bone, Lord Kuder, the only absolute leader in the history of the Gnolls, and the defeat in front of it is nothing, and that doesn't prove that you are not a warrior."

Maxim whispered:

"The good news is that we don't need to face the Lord of the Biting Bone this time, and the bad news is that there won't be any human expeditionary force this time. Our plan to defend ourselves against the enemy outside our borders was not approved by the Wolf Maiden and King Louis, and the two countries were unwilling to take risks with us, preferring to adopt traditional methods of warfare.

They intend to sacrifice Transencia once again to slow down the gnolls, and they want to fight a siege on our land, as they have done four times before. ”

The vampire general, nicknamed "The Monster", looked back and saw that behind the marching column of the Cadman People's Army, which had completed its redress, the artillerymen of the Pioneer Legion's Plantagenet Vanguard were also watching around.

The 500-strong artillery was the only regiment of any other nation other than the Transans to have crossed the filthy swamp, and was commanded by Colonel Fraser and Major Ron.

Despite being friendly and having participated in the assault on Wolfsburg during the Battle of the Marshes, Maxim's eyes were anything but friendly at this time.

This sentiment was captured by Kudel, who shook his head and said:

"They still came, and they knew that the noble boy didn't have to come, and no one could accuse him of being cowardly. That alone means you shouldn't reveal your true thoughts to them.

Mark, you're a general now!

It's your job to win, and in this case unite these brave people who can be united, and the firepower they have placed in the outer passes can also be of great help. ”

"I understand, Lord Kuder."

Maxim nodded, and he continued to look around, saying:

"I will stick to this as my master wills, I will fight every gnolls that come my sight, and I will continue to fight until we win. Then while I fight far from the border, the Maginot Line will be handed over to you.

You and I both know that our fight here is just an appetizer, and the real decisive battle will definitely be fought there. ”

Kudell did not answer.

As the supreme commander of the Maginot Line appointed by Murphy, Kudell knew the strategic advice that Happy Stick gave to Murphy, and he had even seen the map of the final formation of the line that had not yet been released.

It represented a terrible strategy, and he hadn't yet been able to make a decision in his mind.

Kuder is not a traditional vampire, and even after more than a hundred years in the night, the small part of humanity that belongs to humanity still stubbornly demands that he not make such a "dangerous" choice.

But Kudell knew that once the tide of the game got to that point, he had to make a trade-off between Transnicia and Cato.

The Happy Bar had repaired the Maginot Line to what it is today, and the cunning and warlike Gentile must have had the idea of "bringing disaster to the east" in the first place, blaming himself for not being sharp enough to discover the secrets hidden in the drawings.

This also fully proves that the military wisdom of the Gentiles should not be underestimated.

"Let's go down."

Kuder stretched his wings and said to Maxim beside him:

"Master Murphy is waiting for us below, according to his schedule, tomorrow you will be with him to visit Lady Heather, the second lord of the Knights of the Blood Alliance, you need to be ready, Mark. For some time to come, the supposedly difficult dwarven vampire will be the only comrade you can rely on. ”

"Well, Leonia introduced Lord Heather to me."

As he landed on the ground, Maxim said:

She said that if Lord Pa Ying was the sharpest spearhead of the Blood Alliance, then the Paliano Knight was the ornate gilt handle of the spear, the Third Lord Yvette was the blood-stained flowing tassel, and the Lady Heather was the stone that polished the spear.

Both firm and stubborn. ”

"Well, nice description."

Kudell nodded, but then changed his tone and said:

"But are you on good terms with Reinia? She would even tell you something like that? ”

"Well, it's just a colleague, Leania helps me train the musketeers."

Maxim was embarrassed for a moment, he waved his hand and said:

"Please don't spread these words, there are already too many gossips that make people tired."

"Well, I don't think it's me who should be worried, you actually know who has been gossiping about you, right?"

The tribune whispered:

"Look, that pesky creature is up ahead, Mark, pull out your Skullcrusher hammer and smash his handsome face to pieces, trust me, a lot of people will cheer you on."

“.”

Maxim grimaced and did not answer.

He landed on the ground, and Murphy, who was holding a telescope in front of him to observe the marching column of the Kadman People's Army, exclaimed:

"Your Excellency the Governor! Maksim, the commander of the Kadman People's Army, came to report with 3,000 soldiers under his command! Please instruct. ”

"I'm not a commander, I'm just a nominal leader, Mark."

Murphy pouted and said:

"When it comes to military theoretical knowledge, my two hands together don't know as much as you, but no matter how much you know, it's just experience, and the next thing is practice.

I've found you the best position I can find, I've got you a group of rangers with elven apprentices, and our ancient compatriots have returned to the continent, and a shipment of artillery procured from halflings and dwarves will be handed over to these pirates to use, and they will be at your command in this battle.

The vampire's best scouts are now roaming the Dark Mountains to gather information for you, and the strongest warriors in the dark night are fighting with you.

Lo and behold, I've done the best of what I need to do, and I've set the stage for you and your soldiers.

Now it's your turn to perform. ”

He lowered his binoculars and looked back at Maxim and Kudel.

The two commanders of the Blood Vulture Clan wore the newly made commander's military uniforms today, which were the new military uniforms jointly made by the master tailor Lady Water and the master leather maker, which looked crisp and neat and had a rather uplifting masculinity.

This military uniform is an imitation of the Third Reich's amazing aesthetic design, with a slim-fitting military uniform with a cowhide armed belt, and black military pants on the lower body and high hunting boots to form a great look.

This military uniform is so good that Maxim's otherwise slightly weird white hair has become a rather complementary embellishment.

Of course, the swasker is a waste that needs to be thrown into the trash at any time, and just because the squid is a bastard doesn't mean that those things can wash away the stench, and diode thinking is unacceptable.

The Water Lady clearly admired simplicity, so there was not much decoration on the black straight military uniform, only the Blood Eagle emblem of the Blood Vulture Clan and the ancient knightly of the sword of Translancia to identify themselves, and the epaulettes to represent the rank.

With a command knife at his waist and the legendary Skullcrusher hammer behind his back, Maxim looked so imposing that Murphy even thought he would get a consolation prize or something for sending him to a model show.

However, he is still young in the end, and his momentum is insufficient.

Compared with the Honorable Kudel, who was dressed in the same style but had experienced the ups and downs of the world, this guy was almost like a chief of guard, and although Kuder stood next to Maxim as an adjutant, compared to the two, this tribun looked like His Excellency the Marshal who came down to the grassroots level.

Kudel, in particular, also grew a beard, which made his majesty even more heavy.

"New clothes are nice, aren't they?"

Murphy asked teasingly.

Maxim and Kuder looked at each other, and both nodded at the same time, and Kuder said:

"I have to evaluate from the bottom of my heart, although the soldiers' uniforms are much simpler, but the slim design still makes them look energetic and uplifted, if our soldiers are only second-rate, then this new uniform can also make their momentum promoted to the first-class.

Appearance is combat effectiveness, this sentence is really true. ”

"I'd better save that for after the battle."

Murphy waved his hand and said:

"A black plague is a testament to their and ours, and the future of Translancia will soon be seen. You two come with me, I have something to tell you. ”

The Governor took his two commanders to a makeshift command post in the Valley of the Shadows, took out a document and handed it to them, Maxim's expression changed dramatically when he glanced at the contents of the document, and Kudel exclaimed in surprise:

"You're going to turn all of these soldiers into vampires? Murphy! This will not work! ”

"You're going to make a comment after reading it, Lord Kudel."

Murphy whispered helplessly:

"There's a premise for that, I mean, to give them a chance to choose whether or not to continue fighting when they're dying and about to go to the world of death. These are two very different concepts from my forcing them to become vampires. ”

"You ask them to choose between 'dying' and 'becoming a vampire', it's not called giving them a choice!"

Kudell scolded:

"And there are so many members of the Blood Vulture Clan, it's not enough for everyone to come and have a first hug, you're just whimsical."

"This brings us to the last hole card I have in my hand."

It's all this time, and Murphy doesn't pretend anymore.

With a flick of his fingers, a jar of blood jumped into his palm, and the liquid refracted a strange light in the glassware under the light of the gas lamp overhead.

"The original vampires were created by the Grand Dukes of the Old Ones with diluted source blood, and I don't have much source blood in my hands, but Tris has calculated that after a large amount of dilution, it is still enough to complete the midnight hug for thousands of people.

In fact, before the appearance of the evil form of blood pact, it was our oldest tradition to embrace new members with pure and noble source blood. ”

Murphy put the jar of source blood on the table and said to the two commanders in front of him:

"Do you really think I'll believe that 3,000 recruits can stop the vanguard of the Black Plague here?

They are human beings, human beings have limits, the power that a strong will can burst out is always limited, in this not gentle world, they have to be conscious if they want to protect their hometown!

Kudell, I know that you have irretrievable goodness in your heart, but just as I can't decide their fate, you can't make choices for them.

I want you to send this document to every soldier to make sure they understand what it means, and when they sign their names, they will have a second life.

This is no longer a large-scale initial embrace for the evil purpose of the Bloodline's expansion, this time in the name of defending and guarding!

I believe that the Bloodlines transformed in such wars are more deserving of the blessings of the Midnight Mother's power than the peacetime Corrupts, and they are the ones who will give Tracey and me the confidence to rebuild the Bloodvulture Clan.

The Grand Duke of the Vulture has agreed to this plan, and you just need to carry it out. ”

The atmosphere in the command post fell silent, and Maxim felt that this was not a bad idea, in fact he had similar ideas before, and Maxim was a pragmatist.

He didn't see anything wrong with giving a soldier a second life.

But Kudell was clearly not so easy to convince.

The tribune stared at Murphy with a frown, and after a dozen seconds of thought, he said:

"What if the soldiers don't want to? Will you kill them and force the first embrace? ”

"Nope! I'm not such a cruel chieftain, so I'll give them this! ”

Murphy took another document from the table and slapped it on the table, and Kudell glanced at it, and the document was greatly titled "A Detailed Explanation of War Insurance in Translancia: Second Revised Edition"

The tribune, who had been involved in the establishment of the field hospital and the recruitment of apprentices, knew what it was, and he was laughed at angrily.

He patted the table and said:

"So, after our soldiers have given their lives for their homeland in human bodies, they will either become vampires and fight for it again, or they will be transformed by those quacks and re-enter the battlefield with machines instead of bodies?

Don't they even have a chance to choose to rest in peace?

Midnight Mother above, Murphy, I never seem to have known you, I thought you were different, but you seem to be no different from other vampires. ”

"What you're really trying to say is that I'm no different from Sarokdal who turned you into a vampire."

Murphy glanced at Kudel, and said in a gentle tone:

"I understand your pain, Kudell, so I don't blame you for making a personal attack on me, but I won't allow the gnolls to step into my Transnesia!

If necessary, for the sake of victory, I will turn everyone I have worked so hard to raise who can fight into a vampire! I will turn Transencia into a hell for gnolls and all those who are hostile to us!

As I said, my warriors and I are the embodiment of the will of the land of Translasia.

It does not want to go through the pain of being trampled on, plundered, and destroyed again, so in this war, I can give everything for victory.

If you feel that this is against your morality, then maybe you"

"Say no more, two!"

Maxim, who had been silent, interrupted Murphy for the first time at this moment, and he said in a deep voice:

"If I continue to talk about it, I will destroy unity, and this matter itself should not be brought up by Master Murphy, I am the commander of this army, and it is up to me to decide the future of my army, which is a duty that I cannot evade."

He reached out and picked up Murphy's two papers, and said in a deep voice:

"Your Excellency the Governor, I assure you that the Valley of the Shadows will be the graveyard of the enemies of Transansia, and that it will be the most glorious burial place for all the brave and brave in this Black Plague! But the Eternal Protectors will rise again from the graveyard.

We will walk in the dark night, both in life and afterlife, we are willing to give everything to our hometown and the purpose we believe in, as you said, such an initial embrace may be the true rebirth of the Blood Vulture Clan from a long period of decay! ”

With that, Maxim gave Murphy a military salute, then straightened his waist and strode away.

Murphy and Kudell were left in the command post, and the atmosphere was heavy, until Murphy took the initiative to speak, he stood up, and said:

"Maybe in your mind, I am no different from Salokdal, but I still have to defend myself, I will not hide in a dark castle and use the lives of loyalists as bargaining chips, I am the lord of Transnesia.

Lords are supposed to protect their realms and people.

I am also a warrior in this battle, and no one will be able to set foot in that land until I fall, just as I will do before I ask my soldiers to stake everything for victory.

I don't need your understanding, Kudel, I only have one request, fulfill your duty to Transnesia!

You know what I'm talking about. ”

(End of chapter)