"Lord! The battle information has been put together! Last night, in addition to attacking the Black Flame Pass and Fort Courage, the Clan of Claw also sent seventeen scouts to raid the outpost we had set up near the pass at the same time.

Nine of the seventeen outposts sensed the danger in advance and retreated, and the remaining eight had lost contact with us.

All of the outlying outposts have been cleared so far that we have lost our perception of the outside area, and our eyes are currently plucked out except for the scouts sent out by the elves. ”

As Lord Heather prepares to retake the pass's first line of defense herself, one of her tall human knight heirs brings her unexpectedly bad news.

Judging by the situation of the Splitclaw Clan's gnolls attacking position last night, the Splittal Clan had no intention of giving the defenders time to adapt, and they were clearly preparing to seize the Black Flame Pass, the only path to Translasia, in a doomed and brutal raid.

Lord Heather nodded.

On the large sand table behind her, the commanders of the Blood Alliance Clan immediately removed the flag representing the frontline guard on the beach according to the news, and replaced it with a small green flag representing the Splitting Claw Clan.

In this way, the situation near the battlefield immediately becomes clear at a glance.

The little green flags linked together to outline a line that separated the Blackflame Pass from the rest of the Dark Mountains, which was the direction of the Splitclaw Clan's march.

These bastards relied on their numbers, advancing towards the Black Flame Pass almost simultaneously from three directions.

Especially in the direction of the mountain pass to Hungry Mountain, where the passage was completely cut off, which meant that the land connection between the Black Flame Pass and the Blood Alliance Knights Headquarters and the Brass Fortress was completely blocked last night, and the worst thing was that the three teams combined had more than 10,000 Gnoll Pioneers alone, from which it can be inferred that the number of Claw Splitter's army was at least more than 150,000.

"It's covering"

Lord Heather pushed her helmet, and looking at the situation in the sand table, she said angrily:

"The Claw Clan has cut off our exploration of the outside world, and there is no doubt that it is covering the big moves of other clans, and since the Black Plague has been fully activated, then it is definitely not just the Claw Clan that is moving.

It seems that this time the Black Plague is as expected by Lord Pa Ying, and the jackals have put the direction of their main attack on the Brass Fortress.

The battlefield there is wide enough for the gnolls to exert their absolute numerical superiority.

But I'm curious.

How could they, with barely decent firepower, break through the brass fortress's impregnable walls? The defeat of the Third Black Plague had already taught the Gnolls that meteorite tactics would not work against Brass Fortress.

They are simply consuming precious people for nothing. ”

"The population of the gnolls is not precious."

At the other end of the large sand table in the war room, Dams Golden Leaf, the high-ranking ranger captain who led the local elven ranger unit, shook his head in an indifferent tone and said:

"Even if they were half dead in Brass Fortress, it would only take ten years for them to gather into a herd again, and we don't have the means to get rid of the gnolls once and for all."

This elf, who was blind in one eye and wore a delicate black holy leaf blindfold, spoke very directly, and almost said the word slaughter directly.

The male ranger also lacked concern about the course of the war, and although he was on the battlefield himself, he acted like a bystander.

This is actually quite normal.

The elves' kingdom is far away on the peninsula on the edge of the continent, and even if the gnolls break through the Brass Fortress and Transnesia at the same time and wreak havoc on the continent, they will definitely be the last to be attacked.

In fact, if it weren't for the Fourth Black Plague, when the Lord of Biting Bones went too far and allowed his subordinates to burn down the verdant forests of the Antani region, the elves of the Kingdom of Castile would not have participated in the battle against the gnolls.

Just as the other races on the continent have come to the conclusion that they have harshly evaluated the elves, these long-eared sissies lack empathy for the other races, and are a group of cold bastards!

Heather Leader has a fair explanation for this, these vicious evaluations of elves are not harsh.

Because that's what they are!

Tracey had warned her about the same when Lumina was first chasing the legend of the elves, and it was clear that the Scarlet Witch didn't like the elves with delicate faces but were rather selfish and conservative.

Compared to the elves, the dwarves have terrible faces, and their temperaments are irritable and rude, but the reputation of the dwarves on the continent is much better than that of the elves, and this alone can give a glimpse of how unpleasant the elves' style of behavior is.

"Actually, there is a way."

Cader Cannon Flame, a brass dwarf artillery colonel sitting beside the big sand table holding a flask, snorted, glanced at the elven ranger captain, who wore orb rings on his ten fingers and looked like a ring dealer and said maliciously:

"If we can convince the Songhai people to send out all their solar ships and bomb the gnolls' camp indiscriminately, it may only take a month for us to solve the problems caused by the gnolls forever.

But guess what?

We were about to convince the Pharaoh during the last Black Plague, but some pointy-eared bastards held their own identities and had to dwell on the past, and the angry Songhai people withdrew from the war at the final stage. ”

"What are you hinting at? You might as well make it clearer! Dwarf! ”

High-level rangers are not accustomed to the dwarves of yin and yang.

Captain Dames, who was also one of the front-line commanders in the Fourth Black Plague, personally participated in the conversation with the Pharaoh, so he naturally knew the inside story.

He scolded:

"The Pharaoh never intended to get too involved in the situation on the mainland, and your so-called persuasion is nothing more than wishful thinking, I admit that we elves don't care much about the spread of the Plague, but we are already very gentle compared to the Songhai people who watch you step into hell with a cold eye.

Dwarf!

Recovering your hostility, King Quirion has already sent his sister, the great and ruthless Ranger General and Prince of the Forest, Lady Firosir Emmagir, to lead the Ranger Legion in the Fifth Black Plague, and we have proven our attitude.

Where are the Songhai reinforcements that you so-called can solve the trouble once and for all? ”

Brass dwarves are upset.

He took a sip of his wine, intending to have a good argument with this damn tall man, and seeing that the two bastards were about to pinch again, Lord Heather suddenly slammed his head on the beach.

"You two, you have to fight out!

Two big men, don't fight with their mouths, do you want me to invite the Trancian over and give you two a gladiatorial match?

I've heard they're pretty good at it, and if you both end up together, I'll save two of them at once, and even make some money from it.

Bastard!

We are now talking about war!

Whether the Songhai people come or not can't change the reality that the Black Plague has broken out, the Claw Splitting Clan has launched an attack on us, and we must give a resolute response! ”

The lord exclaimed:

"Captain Dams!

I ask that you immediately take your rangers out of position and into the Dark Mountains for the largest killing campaign possible, slowing down the Gnolls to strike again.

Colonel Cadell!

I ask your brass artillery and iron-hearted soldiers to be ready, and in two hours I will personally lead the troops to launch a recapture battle against the first position, and if you are responsible for pulling your hips, I will engage you in military law! ”

"Yes!"

The elves and dwarves didn't like each other, but the two of them didn't say anything about their military qualities, and Lord Heather ordered them to prepare to carry it out immediately.

But before Colonel Cadell left, he leaned over to Heather and whispered:

"Little Heather, why do you have to take someone to retake the first position yourself? Wouldn't it be better to let the Transancians fight? They are not afraid of death and are eager to fight. They're fighting to defend their country, and their morale is much better than your army of servants who have nothing else to do with revenge.

It's not a good deal at all. ”

"Kader! It's not a question of whether it's worth it or not! ”

Heather frowned and said:

"You brass dwarves are enough! I remember when I was a child, you weren't like this when you opened your mouth and closed your mouths were all business, we dwarves don't think about things purely for profit when doing big things, and you!

You're acting like everything is a deal now.

Are you still Gaia's heirs?

It seems that the silver from the sale of the white flowers brought by the burning gold has indeed corrupted you, making you richer and stupider at the same time.

You're a 300-year-old veteran!

Damn it!

Why can't you even see such a problem?

I can't let the Transancians fight all the battles, you bastard, their defenses are in the Valley of the Shadows and the Filthy Swamps!

The Black Flame Pass is my defense area, this is my territory, and the Lord has given me not only a power, but also a heavy duty by handing it over here. If I don't win another battle, the soldiers will have to make Governor Murphy their commander! ”

"Hey, if I were you"

Colonel Cadell didn't care, he grinned and whispered in a very mercenary voice:

"I'm going to be generous enough to hand over the commander to Murphy, and let that showy vampire lord put his own man on top, you know what I mean? The Black Plague is not a battle in which one or two battles can determine the outcome, it is a long war calculated in years.

You have to learn to preserve your living power.

The Transans don't care if you use them as cannon fodder, they only have profit in their eyes, and as long as you pay them enough, they are happy to be cannon fodder.

They did not even hide this themselves.

You say we brass dwarves are cunning and philistine, but compared to the Transansians, we are as pure as the White Lotus. ”

"Really?"

Lord Heather was noncommittal.

She glanced at Colonel Cadell and whispered:

"Then you can explain to me the reason why you sent a dwarven patrol to the mountain pass two hundred kilometers to the southeast half a month ago, without my permission? They came back yesterday, and they came back with some things.

Kadr, I'm not just a dwarf, I'm a vampire!

My perception is very keen, and my grasp of the Black Flame Pass position is much more refined than you think, could you please tell me, what did your patrol bring back? ”

The dwarven artillery colonel's face changed slightly.

He chuckled dryly, rolling his eyes to explain.

But Lord Heather had no intention of listening to his quibbles.

She scolded in a deep voice:

"Don't try to lie to me, I know you've been prospecting for your family mineral company in private, and I know that you've been gathering information about nearby gold-burning mines during the five years you've been stationed here.

I warn you, Kadeer!

Before, I could turn a blind eye, after all, the shield dwarves can also get a certain amount of compensation from the gold trade, but now that the war is coming, you'd better separate the public and the private for me!

Take back all the prospectors you sent out in the name of the patrol!

I need those warriors to get back to arms, not to willingly become gold-burning dealers who only have money in their eyes.

Scald!

How many dwarves have become iron-hearted warriors who have no faith in the past hundred years of the Brass Fortress, and only think about killing, indulging and destroying? And how many brave soldiers have been corrupted by the money you have earned with burning gold and run to you as foremen?

Lord Hadran is simply insane!

He let you do such nonsense! That's the army! You bastards, if the Brass Fortress is gone, you're going to make more money! Do you keep it for yourself as a coffin?

I now feel more and more that old Bach sold us all the secrets of the burning gold with bad intentions, and the halflings knew that this business was more profitable, but they never intervened in the development and excavation of the burning gold, and we were deeply trapped in it and could not extricate ourselves.

It's true!

I used to be like you, Kadeer.

I don't think there's a conflict between making money, surviving, and fighting, but it wasn't until Lord Pa Ying turned me into a vampire that I was able to seriously think about what we were going to do, and if the brass dwarves continued on this road of no return, we were really finished. ”

Lord Heather gasped, apparently holding back his anger, and the light in the room seemed to dim as a result.

She said to the silent artillery colonel:

"Remember, I'm only giving you a week! I'm going to see the brass warriors full of men appear on my ground! ”

Colonel Kadr hesitated, and then he whispered:

"Is it okay for half a month?

My nephew has just discovered a very large deposit three hundred kilometers away from the position, and in a few days he will be able to explore the gold reserves below, and if you are accommodating, I can give Hoffman a fifth of it."

"Bang"

Lord Heather knocked Colonel Cadell flying with a single punch, causing the latter to crash over the wall and slide like mud as he slid over the entire battle.

The Golden One's wrathful blow was so terrifying that the Silver Dwarf Colonel was powerless to resist.

"Seven days! I'll only give you seven days! ”

Heather's posture at this time was not at all like a dwarf, but more like an enraged vampire, and she said coldly:

"This is a military order! There is no room for bargaining! If you're really that into business, get back to Brass Fortress and give me a veteran who is willing to fight, you dog! ”

——

"The brass dwarf is hopeless."

Lord Heather's conversation with Colonel Cadell was clearly heard by Murphy, who was hiding in the shadows outside during the battle and pretending to rest, compared to Lord Heather's anger, Murphy's heart was quite calm at this time.

On the one hand, he had heard of the changes made by the Brass Dwarves since they monopolized the gold trade.

On the other hand, even the main god of the dwarves, the mother earth goddess Gaia, is completely disappointed in the brass dwarves, which shows how big the problem of this race is.

You see, three hundred years of veterans actually dared to bargain with the commander on the issue of military orders, which has fully demonstrated that there is no need to describe a certain "corrosion" within the heroic race that has been extremely brave and defeated the gnolls four times.

According to Master Ilyich, the number of earth priests born to the Brass Dwarves has been rapidly decreasing over the years, and it seems that they have chosen between the belief in Mother Earth and the more worldly profits.

But Murphy is now unsure if the deep corrosion of the brass dwarves is simply related to the burning of gold, whether it is the burning of gold that contains some kind of evil power that can tempt people's hearts?

Or is it a series of profits derived from burning gold that turns into a seductive devil?

This is important.

Because some of the industries after Translancia are also related to gold, and there is a gold mine under the Crimson Keep.

Murphy didn't want his realm to follow in the footsteps of the brass dwarves.

However, to reach an accurate conclusion, Murphy needed more evidence, and when he saw Colonel Caddell staggering away with his mouth wiped the blood, he quietly opened his eyes.

He knocked on the door, entered the war room, and said to Lord Heather, who had his back to him and was preparing to go to battle:

"Your compatriot is resenting you, I can hear him, Lord Heather, the Brass Dwarves are really big problems, and if I were you, I wouldn't involve them in any decisions related to the defense of the position in the future.

One hateful man of his own can wreak more terrible damage than a hundred thousand enemies. ”

"I know, Murphy, that the shield dwarves are a subspecies and vassals of the brass dwarves, and I know their problems better than you do."

Lord Heather said in a tired tone:

"But we need their firepower, and most of the low-level dwarven warriors are still credible."

"The question of firepower, we Transansians can also provide, it's just a matter of time."

Murphy whispered:

"Of course, I'm just offering you a suggestion, it's up to you to decide whether to adopt it or not, I'm here to say goodbye, Lord Pa Ying has made progress in the big things he is advancing, and I have to go to the depths of the Dark Mountains myself.

The warriors I have left behind are under your command, and Triss is based in Transncia and ready to support the front.

I believe that they can be the trump cards in your hands at any time, but please remember that my warriors are realistic, and you need them to take on their responsibilities, so you have to be ready to pay them. ”

He handed Lord Heather a three-and-a-half-generation orb and said:

"Life is the currency that must be used properly, my warriors are copper coins, small in denomination but very painful to beat, put them in a bag at the critical moment, and then pick them up to beat your enemies.

Please use them properly, Your Excellency.

But if you fail them, then you will lose their kindness forever. ”

(End of chapter)