Elrens and others led the combined fleet across the Adriatic Sea again and returned to the Illyrian mountains. The road was calm, the Western Roman floating fleet, which had the ability to block in this area, had already been defeated in the previous battle, and the main force of the naval fleet was still far away near the base in Naples, and it was impossible to intercept it at all. As a result, on the way back, the Illyrian coalition encountered only occasional small enemy ships, which knew that they were no match and immediately turned around.

The Illyrian coalition did not waste time in pursuing these small groups of enemy forces, and they returned at full speed, finally arriving at the port of Mia in Illyria late that day. Then everyone got busy, moving a large number of looted supplies to the prepared warehouse, in addition to escorting 8,000 Western Roman prisoners to the military camp in Black Dragon Town to be guarded separately.

Although it was very busy, and there was a lot of chaos during the period, the victorious people were in full swing. It wasn't until a few days had passed that all the harvest was finally ready, and they were indescribably excited in the face of the piles of goods that filled the warehouse!

At the same time, in the space of a few days, the port of Pescara on the Apennine continent was attacked and the news of the heavy losses of Western Rome spread throughout the country. Although the scale of the battle was not large this time, it quickly caused a lot of sensation during this critical period!

The first to bear the brunt was the Western Roman Kingdom, and the Holy See, headed by Gregory VI, was greatly shaken by the re-battle, not only with heavy casualties and huge losses of wealth, but also at the cost of one cardinal killed and two captured! Such a fiasco took place in close proximity to Rome, the city of light, the center of the Holy See!

This time, the enemy did not take advantage of the victory to pursue, but it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no next time! If the enemy invades again after being more well prepared, the Holy See will not be able to withstand such a blow! Take a step back. Even if the enemy did not intend to march into Rome at all, such a fiasco in the territory of the God of Light would be a blow to the prestige of the Holy See, and it must not happen a second time!

Therefore, after deliberations, Gregory VI decided to concentrate part of his elite troops in Naples and prepare for the expedition to the south of the Balkan continent. A total of 100,000 troops were stationed around the city of Rome, which was on guard every day. Tragedy must not be allowed to happen again. However, the number of troops stationed in Naples was greatly reduced, and the expedition to the southern Balkans had to be halted. The day of the official sortie became far away.

The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick and the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian were both very unhappy, and in their plans, it was a critical time to continue their southward attack on the Olympian League, but the terrain of Thermopae Pass, which held the north-south passage, was dangerous and impregnable. Plus there are heavy troops stationed. If you want to attack, you will definitely have to pay a heavy price. They need Western Rome to send a large army to open a second battlefield in the south, and attract the forces of the Olympian Alliance from Thermopylae Pass as much as possible, only in this way can they have the certainty of taking Thermopylae!

However, if Western Rome had changed its decision to enter the war because of this attack, the whole battle plan would have been unfulfilled, and Holy Rome and Eastern Rome would face an unacceptable bitter battle, and might even be defeated at Thermopylae, and even the results they had previously won would not be preserved! Frederick and Justinian could not accept such an outcome, and they immediately sent envoys to Rome to meet Gregory VI. It was hoped that the negotiation would make him change his mind and continue to participate in the war with all his strength and send troops to attack the southern Balkans......

Fast forward and more than half a month passed. During this time, Illyria's strength continued to grow rapidly.

Members of the Knights Templar from all over the world learned that Nomia and Deputy Master Paros were in Illyria, and came to their aid. However, Ellens and others relied on the looted property, spent a lot of money, purchased a large number of strategic materials from all over the country, accelerated the expansion of ports and towns, built fortresses in peripheral locations, and used the purchased weapons and armor to equip more soldiers. In addition, with the assistance of the great alchemist Anteya, they have also set up a number of factories, which can already produce weapons and simple maintenance of warships and puppets on their own.

At the same time, the situation in the northern Balkans is further tense. Although the entry of the Western Romans into the war was hindered, this did not change the pace of the Holy Rome and the Eastern Roman armies moving south. The Thermopylae Pass is like a thorn in the side of the enemy, as long as it is not eradicated for a day, they will feel like a man is at peace, and it is impossible to give up the south for the hesitation of Western Rome.

After several months of reorganization, the anti-Olympia coalition began to move again, starting with a small number of infiltration forces that attacked the perimeter of Thermopylae, destroying defenses everywhere. The Olympian army also sent small teams to intercept the enemy's infiltration. The continuous skirmishes herald the imminent start of a real war.

The Illyrian Mountains, located on the left flank of Thermopylae, were also the target of harassment by small enemy forces, and the Holy Roman army in charge of this area sent troops to attack here many times, but they were all repulsed by the allied Orc forces who were familiar with the terrain, and the enemy not only did not gain gains, but suffered a lot of losses.

In August 2047, the Holy Roman and Eastern Roman armies of 200,000 began to march towards Thermopalea under the command of the famous Eastern Roman general Belisarius, and in order to ensure the flank of military operations in the direction of Thermopylae, Holy Roman Field Marshal Betty also led an elite army of 50,000 men into the Illyrian Mountains.

Betty's army proceeded fairly smoothly at first, and soon cleared some of the Illyrian outposts. However, as the army deepened, they were constantly harassed by orc guerrillas who were familiar with the terrain, and it became difficult to resupply, coupled with the unusually bad humid and hot weather of the rainforest, the Holy Roman warriors were very unaccustomed to such an environment, and their shape gradually began to change.

"This place is drenched! it's wet everywhere, and my magic scroll hasn't stopped getting moldy since I entered here!"

In a dense mountain forest, outside the tent of the Holy Roman army, several generals and high-ranking magicians complained around a campfire, and the humidity, the sweltering heat, the continuous torrential rain, flash floods, and even the pervasive poisonous insects and miasma were terrible!

(To be continued......)