Section 140 March

Ashrufat stretched out his hand and took the little girl's hand. At this moment, both men were wearing armor and had iron gloves on their hands. It was obviously separated by steel, but the little girl could clearly feel the calmness and composure of the other party's hand.

The tension in the body slowly dissipated with this feeling. Her throat was no longer stiff. Only that inexplicable uneasiness continues to grow.

Can I really command an army in battle?" she asked in her mind the seemingly simple question. And the answer to this question is equally clear.

Ashrufat took her hand and walked a short way. This is the main shrine of Eagle Falcon City, which was borrowed for the queen to dress and change clothes for the time being. The square outside the temple is where the swearing-in ceremony takes place. At this moment, thousands of soldiers are already on standby in the square.

"I ......" Just as they were about to reach the exit, the little girl suddenly hugged Ashrufat from behind.

"Ashrufat...... "It's not okay to tell her true feelings in front of her subordinates, whether it's Eshurufat, Rhodia or Jana all emphasize this to her. But for the little girl, Ashrufat is an exception. "I ...... I feel scared. ”

"Scared?" Ashrufat slowly removed her hand, half-crouching down. In this way, the eyes of the two people are on the same level. The little girl looked at the black eyes of the man in front of her. It had been a long time since Ashrufat had looked at her like this, too long to remember. An instinctive shyness made her want to stagger her gaze, but another reserved kept her in her current position, motionless.

"Actually, it's not just you, I'm scared too. Ashrufat said.

"You're scared too?"

"I look calm, but I really ...... There is uneasiness in my heart. Ashrufat said. "I'm just pretending to be nothing. ”

He suddenly reached out and wrapped his hands around the little girl's arms and held her in his arms. Although the little girl was surprised, she did not resist. The armor of the two men was glued together.

"Courage does not mean the absence of fear. There may be such people, but they must be so rare that they cannot be found. Everyone is scared and upset. But even if you are uneasy, even if you are afraid, you will never flinch to face it, that is courage!" said Ashrufat, leaning into the little girl's ear. "Go out like a queen and review your army. ”

He let go of his hand, and the little girl raised her head and smiled forward.

At a distance from them, two men dressed in the attire of the priesthood of the Church were looking to the side. Although the church robe was loose, it was still clear that it was a man and a woman.

"High Priest, what do you think...... How's this Ashrufat? You must have met him for the first time. The female priest asked.

That man's abilities aside, but in the depths of his eyes, there was indeed a shuddering demonic nature. The priest replied in a low voice. "I suddenly felt that it was the right thing for us to be neutral for the time being. ”

"Well, Byron's proposal ......"

"Ignore it. The high priest replied. "Say something like that...... In my opinion, it's just a rhetoric. ”

"Byron is said to have an army of 100,000. ”

"At most, it's only fifty or sixty thousand horses. In Byron's case, this is the limit. Tell people everywhere that we cannot participate in this war, and no one is allowed to participate in it in a private name. The high priest replied. "The rest can only pray. ”

"Pray?"

"Pray that the gods will bring this strife to a swift settle. Don't give barbarians and their evil gods a chance to invade. ”

......

The little girl rides a young mare. As queen and commander-in-chief, she could not ride in a chariot as she used to, but had to ride with the army. The horse was carefully selected to be not only energetic and shining, but also gentle and suitable for those who are not skilled in equestrianism.

In fact, even ordinary soldiers were surprised that the little girl was able to march on horseback in armor. At first, some people thought that the little queen might be wearing a fake, but the clanging of steel against the armor showed that he had guessed it wrong. Rumors have been circulating in the army, whether civilians, nobles, or mercenaries, all whispering about this incredible thing. Many people have already bet that the little queen will not march on horseback in armor for more than a day.

For ordinary knights, in order to facilitate their advance, they usually did not wear armor when marching. The same goes for junior officers. However, high-ranking officers usually marched in armor. This is not so much an objective necessity as it is a boastful aristocratic mentality. Now, of course, it has become a ceremonial necessity.

The march was long and boring, so the little queen was constantly discussing the situation surrounded by her senior officers. Except for the outposts, guards, and other people who are in charge of their duties and cannot leave, everyone else is centered on the little queen and discusses military affairs together.

Speaking of which, as a girl who is only twelve years old, it is surprising that she can take the initiative to lead the army, even for these professional soldiers. Not only that, from the moment he set out, he was determined not to bring any attendants of maids, not to ride in a car, but to march on horseback like an ordinary general and eat military rations...... This kind of arrangement makes it impossible to see her as an ordinary girl. Not to mention a twelve-year-old girl, even those who have long been an adult, the Queen Regent and the like, can't compare to it. Is this really just a little girl? There is an iron soul in that seemingly weak body.

"Do you mean, Byron, who must have known that we were coming?" asked the little girl.

"There is no doubt about it. Barranca replied. His horse and the little girl's mount were close to each other, so it was most convenient for him to speak. "Byron must have left a lot of spies behind. The departure of the army cannot be concealed...... It only takes a very ordinary person to observe the movements of the army. As long as he had a teleportation scroll in his hand, he would be able to inform Byron of the departure of our army. Still," he smiled. "I'm sure Byron must have been prepared for the news that we're going to send troops against him anyway...... It's no secret in Eagle Falcon City. Our Admiral Ashrufat didn't keep this a secret. ”

As he spoke, Barranca glanced at Ishrufat, who was a little further away. He had expected Ashrufat to find a way to get closer to the queen in order to increase communication, but in fact it seemed that this was not the case at all. Could it be ...... Is it true that the rumors on the streets that Ashrufat have fallen out of favor in front of the queen?

However, whether it is true or not, at least it gives Barranca a chance to show off his knowledge in front of the queen. At least he spoke much more than his colleagues. In addition, he was much more prepared for this kind of scene than others, at least the others would not hide the map in their arms and take it out on horseback.

“...... You see, that's where we are now. Barranca took control of his mount and moved closer to the little mare and showed the little girl the map in his hand. "We have two routes, one is this way, starting from Eagle City, and after three days, we will arrive at the river bay. After crossing the river, there is a flat river in front of you, and you can go all the way to the city of Fornoros, Byron's lair. But here, you see, there are two castles of Byron...... Fortified military fortresses. And according to intelligence, Byron greatly strengthened the fortifications of the castle and increased the garrison. It is believed that either Byron will be waiting for us here, or he will use the castle to consume the strength of our army before seeking a decisive battle...... And here, it's a different way. ”

"Through the mountains?" the little girl looked at the drawn route.

"Yes, but tragically, the road has fallen into disrepair – as is the case with most roads in the mountains. If there were heavy rains, the flood would be mixed with mud and stones, and it would be easy to wash away the roads – and the army would not be able to pass. ”

"Can't you force your way through?"

"Absolutely. Barranca replied. "But we have to leave all the vehicles behind...... In addition to this, the loss of people and horses on such dangerous sections of the road is also taken into account. Especially horses. In my opinion, if we take this road, we will suffer huge losses, and it is not impossible that the combat strength of the entire army will be reduced by half. To make matters worse, the road means logistical difficulties...... We need to divide our forces to get supplies. ”

The little girl's eyes looked at the others. It must be said that although everyone was very unimpressed with what Barranca deliberately played in front of the little queen, at least they agreed with Baraka's judgment. In any case, this "rebellion" war is a Gruni civil war, and a civil war usually means that both sides have a better understanding of the overall situation of the war.

"So, you have to give up this path completely?"

"It's not appropriate to give up altogether. In the opinion of the minister, "Barranca." "It is possible to send a lightly armed detachment to harass the enemy's rear on small roads. That is, splitting the attack. ”

"Is this a good idea?" asked the little girl. "Like...... Isn't it even worse if we divide our own forces, if we divide them?"

Speaking of which, after deciding to go out in person, the little girl found time to make up a lot of military textbooks. Of course, she didn't think that she had mastered the skills of commanding the army at once, but at least she knew some ideas and principles.

"Your Majesty, it's a disadvantage to concentrate troops anyway, so it doesn't matter if you divide your troops. Barranca replied with a smile.

"Do you really think so?"

"This ...... I'm just making one comment. Barranca glanced at Ashrufat, who was further away. "It's better for you to decide. ”

"I decided not to divide the troops. The little girl said.

"Of course, obey your orders. Barranca smiled, and there was obvious mockery in his smile, but he didn't know if he was laughing at himself or others.