Section 95 Defense

"Ah...... It's still a bit of a hassle......"

"Ha, I'm just talking about the ideal scenario. There's always a difference between what's real and what's on paper. Bayral laughed. In short, the so-called famous general must have this kind of opportunity to overcome all kinds of hardships that will cause harm to mankind. Physical damage is secondary, mental damage...... If you are hurt in that way before your mind matures, you basically lose the opportunity to grow into a good general. Even if he can command the army, he is just a mediocre general. ”

"After gaining experience, is he a good general?"

"Almost, the next step is to accumulate further experience. It's best to be able to face one difficult challenge after another...... With such experience, as long as there are three or five times, as long as the person is not particularly stupid, he basically grasps the laws of war, and a new famous general is born. Bayrell said. "Well, it's hard, isn't it, Robin?"

"General...... But for the time being, how did Ashrufat achieve so many of the conditions you mentioned? Didn't you say that he didn't lose to you in this regard? But before he commanded the army, he didn't seem to have as much experience as you say. I remember that he was a mercenary before, and at most he only did the first three things that the Shogun said. Talented, educated, and in the middle ranks of the military. He had never had the opportunity to personally command a big battle, and he had accumulated experience in many small battles or anything......"

"This ...... Ha ha...... I'm just referring to an ideal scenario. What I just said is just referring to the process of growing up of an ordinary person with relatively ordinary talents. Let's say Robin, you're this type. Lack of experience, talent to make up for it, Ashrufat is probably this kind. Born calmer, braver, more indifferent, easy to calm down and think...... Wait, Robin, don't use that expression, I'm not saying you can't, I mean you're more talented......"

Robin looked at Beller, and his expression was so frustrated that the usually smug Beller felt that he had said the wrong thing.

"Besides, Robin, you don't have to be my type of general. As I said before, you can be a different type of general...... As long as you have three times as many troops, you will never lose!"

"That means mediocre, isn't it?" Beller was not comforted, but the comfort made Robin's feelings even more depressed.

"No, it's not very mediocre, being able to gather three times as many troops as the other side means strategic ...... Alright, alright, Robin, I was wrong. Actually, that's still a good chance......"

It took a while for Robin's love to calm down a little.

"By the way, speaking of Ashrufat...... Shogun, the ...... ...... over there," Robin asked. He asked this question perhaps to change the subject, or perhaps subconsciously. Because he knew that General Bayral had recently sent a number of men to the southern district. Bayral has always attached great importance to spies and spies—and for Robin, this is no secret. In fact, Bayrell was the one he had ever met who valued espionage work the most, and at least half of his previous income was used to buy off all kinds of spies. So far, Robin has not heard of a second person like Bayor.

But as soon as this sentence came out, Robin realized that he had asked the wrong question. Because Bayor's eyes quickly dimmed.

"It's bad. Bayral said softly. "It was worse than I expected. ”

"Oops?" Robin was slightly taken aback. Although the general's expression was different, he also knew that the vampire who called himself the Scarlet Duke had been dormant in Sivania and had not come out. How so...... The vampire was a potential threat, but at least for now.

According to human habits, there are three obvious indicators to measure the strength of a power: the size of the territory, the amount of financial resources, and the strength of the army. In fact, the third party is the key, and the first two determine the third party. Judging from these three indicators, vampires are really not too much of a problem. On the one hand, people today have acknowledged the fact that the vampires are on one side, but that is not to say that the vampires are too powerful to fight, but because of the unexpected defeat of the Ryan people, there is a civil strife within the country, and there is really no room to take care of the vampires. Although the Scarlet Duke is currently divided, the rabbit's tail can't grow. By the time Ryan, the Church, and the rest of the nations regain their strength and get a respite from the mire of civil strife, the vampire's fall will be a matter of time.

As of now, this is also the mainstream view of the entire Central Seven countries. After all, Kalean, who once had countless vampires entrenched, was also conquered by human power, and what could a vampire do with what was left?

"Something...... It's hard to describe. Bayral sighed. "Robin, you've probably heard of Ryan South Central appearing...... Famine and pestilence?"

It is a self-evident truth that war can easily bring famine and pestilence.

"General, what do you mean......" Robin thought for a moment. "Where did the vampire awaken a large number of dead people to strengthen his army?"

"I didn't say that. I really hope that the vampires will do this, because if they do, the Ryan people will definitely ask for help out of fear. When the time comes, it will be possible to organize a coalition army to break it. Bayrell said. "No, it's not what you say. Vampires did not use black magic to turn those who died in civil wars into their own undead legions. He took a different approach. ”

"Another way?"

"Yes, much more secretive way. War leads to unrest and destruction...... Unrest and destruction bring poverty and death. Vampires use supplies and money to win the hearts of the people there. There is evidence that more than one place has been secretly loyal to vampires. Those who survived the war were either forced or voluntarily turned to the vampires. Because only vampires can keep them alive. ”

"Well, what about their lords, as long as the rulers of the places can ......."

"They can't. Vampires are equally adept at conspiracies. Whoever disobeys, kills. Besides, the ruler who dares to disagree with the corrupt in that situation will not last at all. ”

"How is that possible? No one ...... Isn't anyone aware of this kind of thing? Shogun, are you like this...... We should tell the nations at once. ”

"The evidence is insufficient. Even I can only deduce this from some limited evidence, and there is no way to convince others with this kind of Cheng dù. Besides, every country has something to do right now...... Even the archbishop of the Church is not trying to destroy the vampires, but to find a way to raise money to rebuild the holy city that has been destroyed by the Greenskins, which is now half-built and cannot be stopped. What can I do? Can I convince our majesty to send troops to destroy the vampires with the power of a nation? Bayral sighed again. "I can't do anything right now. Hey, in retrospect, maybe I was too lucky to go on the expedition to Callean. ”

"Your Excellency, General. Bayral's sigh made Robin feel a little uneasy. For Beller had always been proud of his conquest of the Callean and the destruction of the vampires—though he sometimes refused to admit it. Robin and Bayrell have been together long enough to know this well.

"The reason we were able to win, and now that I think about it, the main willingness was that the vampires were unprepared. Bayrell said. "They hide in the depths of the desert, using the special terrain of the desert as their tortoise shell, thinking that it is an unbreakable set of armor. They were negligent and did not think at all from the beginning about the consequences of once the desert could not stop the footsteps of our troops. He shook his head. "Remember, Robin, there are many natural terrains in the world, either natural mountains, rivers, deserts, swamps, or man-made fortified cities. These things are all very advantageous terrain and are able to stop the enemy's large armies. However, having these natural defenses does not equate to absolute security. In fact, maybe it's better not to have any of these things. ”

"Why?" Beller's exclamation made Robin wonder a little.

"Vigilance. Relying too much on the natural defensive capabilities of the terrain guide will paralyze the vigilance of the defenders. Bayrell said. Moreover, to tell the truth, in this kind of raid, because the attackers have been planning for a long time, the elite is drawn, and the defenders are paralyzed, so on the surface it seems that the defenders have favorable terrain, but in the actual battle, it is the attackers who take all kinds of advantages. ”

Deep in the gloomy swamps, there are terrains that are very different from most of the Chaos Realm. Here, there are luxuriant broad-leaved plants, but these widely spaced greenery have a canopy that shades the sky like a giant umbrella, and even the summer sun is unable to penetrate it.

On the ground, dirty puddles and mud ponds are everywhere. The dark green water covered with duckweed emits a foul stench that has accumulated for centuries. If it were southerners, I am afraid that there would be no need to fight, and the smell alone would make people lose their combat effectiveness.

But even for Chaos cultists with better physique and adaptability, this swamp has never been a comfortable haven. Although these quagmire puddles may look exactly the same, some of them can be easily waded through, and some of them can directly destroy those who walk by. In fact, not to mention different places, even if it is the same mud pond, there are such differences in different locations. If you are not familiar with the swamp topography, you will probably never regret it again, and you will be swallowed up by the swamp.

However, this is only the smallest of the dangers lurking in the swamp. Here, strange poisonous insects are everywhere, and perhaps a completely unfelt intimate contact of a sesame-sized bug can make a sturdy man have a high fever for several days, or even die directly. A single drop of inconspicuous sap dripping from an arbor can cause inflammation and festering of human skin, which will not heal for a lifetime. In addition to this, there is a variety of mist rising from the depths of the swamp and being everywhere. Legend has it that the fog brings not only the danger of getting lost, but also a deadly disease. Under the daily pollution of this fog, there is no water or food that ordinary people can drink or eat in the entire swamp.

Only the followers of the Father of the Plague are an exception. With the blessing of the Father of the Plague, they were able to eat food that ordinary people could not eat, drink water that ordinary people could not drink, and they were also not afraid of the fog of plague and the threat of poisonous insects. In fact, there are far more inhabitants in the swamp than outsiders think. It was once estimated that there were about 10,000 inhabitants living in the swamp, but this speculation turned out to greatly underestimate the strength of the swamp. Over the past two decades, Chaos Lord Jax, known as the "Immortal Master", has gathered more than 20,000 troops from the swamp at once. Moreover, even if he has fought a lot of defeats, he can quickly replenish his soldiers and restore his strength every time.

Now, judging by the strength shown in the war, people from the outside are inclined to believe another version: that there are at least fifty or sixty thousand people, and maybe even a hundred thousand, living in the swamp.

This may sound a bit incredible, but when you think about it, it's not impossible. Because first of all, this swamp is really big enough.