Sword of Dawn

"What about the new Cecil Empire?"

"Insufficient data, unable to evaluate at the moment, Andal."

"What was the highest evaluation value of the Gondor Empire?"

"Query historical data... [-]%."

Andal expressed his thanks, and after Omega's data connection went back to standby, the ancient dragon raised his eyes and looked around.

"It's still too early to discuss the final assessment. Friends, whether it's the Silver Empire or the Cecil Empire, if they want to become 'variables', they must at least survive first."

While Andal was talking, the recent changes in the situation of the countries in the Loren Continent came to mind from the agents at all levels.

A nascent Cecil Empire that urgently needs to recuperate, and a Typhon Empire that is developing to a critical stage and urgently needs to break through the bottleneck.

The world outside of Tarrond is constantly changing. In the land dominated by humans, dynasties and countries change. In this fierce and turbulent era, can the new country survive?Or... it will become the nourishment of another huge empire...

……

On the border of the Cecil Empire, the Fortress of Longwind, Commander Maryland led his most trusted lieutenants to the barracks area on the south side of the castle area.

Several teams of recruits are training in formation in the open space outside the castle. These farmers recruited from the fields were summoned to an open space by the instructors, and they carried out some of the most basic orders from morning till night—arranging neatly, walking in line, stopping, Look left or right, turn around, walk in formation again... for hours, days on end.

They were trained by the instructors of the Cecil Legion from the southern border. These instructors had experienced the most severe battlefield test on the Holy Spirit Plain, but what they had to face here was another kind of test: poorly disciplined and illiterate conscripts from the eastern border Slower than stones, they can't even distinguish between left and right feet, let alone understand the instructor's order. It is a test for everyone to let them march in line-everyone here includes soldiers receiving training, as well as executives. The training instructors even included veterans and other company commanders who watched the process.

But the instructors still have full patience and various effective means: In this era of extreme poverty among the bottom farmers, the reward of an egg or a bowl of meat porridge is enough to make those conscripts bury their heads in training for a whole day. Simplified instructions and the stupid method of memorizing instructions can allow those illiterate soldiers to understand the commander's intentions in the fastest time. When Maryland walked through the training ground, he saw a group of soldiers standing in a narrow On the dirt slope, the instructor held a long bamboo pole and shouted the left and right passwords——

When shouting left, the bamboo pole will knock from the left side of the soil slope, and when shouting right, the bamboo pole will knock on the other side. If you lift your leg according to the order, you can avoid the beating. All day, the next day will know about.

If beating for one day doesn't work, then beat for two days, if two days doesn't work, then three days.

The method is stupid, but effective. Under the premise that most soldiers are illiterate, it can almost be said to be the most effective method.

And those soldiers who have been trained for about a week are obviously much better than the conscripts who just came here. They can at least keep walking in a straight line for one or two laps, and when they stop and line up Hardly bumped into a ball -- this simple and poor standard may be ridiculous to a Cecil veteran, but Maryland knows what these conscripts look like when they first come, and knows how to make a group of illiterate soldiers figure it out How difficult are the two commands of "start and walk" and "stand still", in his opinion, those recruits who can walk in a straight line are already a miracle.

He saw the instructors walking around the edge of the playground with trainee recruits who could line up neatly, leading them with their heads held high in front of those conscripts who were still training "left" and "right". All the teams held their heads high, because they had already put on neat cloth training uniforms, and the neat uniforms seemed to bring some incredible sense of pride to these recruits.

The initial sense of honor was built in uniforms and appearances on the training ground.

Those uniform, neat and handsome dark blue cloth training uniforms were issued recently. Ordinary cloth cannot bring any battlefield protection like enchanted metal, but the imperial emblem on the training uniforms and the "sense of unity" of a large number of uniforms "It is enough to bring some encouragement to the soldiers on the training ground. Even apart from these two points, for conscripts, mostly from poor peasant households, joining the army to get a strong and beautiful new clothes is already a thing in itself. It is a great thing to know that under normal circumstances, a poor peasant household would have no new clothes for a whole year.

Maryland heard from Philip that the cost of these uniforms is quite low. Some of the fabrics used to make them come from the textile mills in the south, and the other comes from Typhon. Driven by industrial production, the once expensive cloth and its products have long since become cheap. , within two years, more textile factories and garment factories will open all over the east (because there are large cotton fields in the east), cheap ready-made clothes will soon be something that everyone in this land can have, just As has already happened in the South.

"At least, these recruits already have a 'frame'," Maryland said to the people around him after walking through the training ground, "so that they look like individual soldiers standing on the wall instead of a group of fresh grass." The farmer who traded his fork for a knife."

"The new training code can indeed allow recruits to master the basic discipline in the shortest possible time, but airs are airs after all, and I don't know if it can scare the Typhon people," the adjutant said next to him, "The previous 'increasing troops' operation It has indeed produced certain effects, but it may also arouse the suspicion of the Typhon people. Recently, they have frequently sent spies to move around the fortress, as if they want to inquire further."

"It's okay, our plan has more than one ring..."

Maryland shook his head with a smile, left the training ground with his cronies, and returned to the private room in the castle. After screening out the irrelevant personnel except the adjutant, he opened his dedicated magic terminal...

……

Cecil City, Machinery Manufacturing Plant, on the central platform dubbed the "Mechanical Throne", the chubby Nicholas Dan is floating in the center of his domain, manipulating a lot of parts floating around, happily assembling a All kinds of structures required by the blueprints, and the sound of various machine tools and magic devices in operation surround him. This sound is almost noise to the ears of ordinary people, but it sounds like some kind of rhythmic music to his ears. , making the ball feel comfortable.

The mechanics bachelors and magic technicians in the factory have been talking about the establishment of the empire and the impressive coronation ceremony the most recently. Passers-by in the city are also discussing the recent market changes and the news on the radio. However, Mr. Nicholas is obviously not as interested in these things as he is in machines and metals. He is more fascinated by the new blueprints about flying machines that Minister Rebecca sent to him recently, and the second armored train "Iron Throne" - For him, there is nothing more interesting than working with metals and machines for the construction plan of "Monster Python".

But an unexpected communication interrupted his pleasant work plan today—a mechanic bachelor in work uniform hurried to the Mechanic Throne and shouted loudly: "Director! Your magic network communication! From Changfeng Fortress!!"

Nicholas Dan always muttered a little depressed, and the metal parts floating around slowly fell to the ground. As he floated down the round platform, he confessed to the assistant beside him: "Don't move things here, I'll come back and continue .”

Leaving the busy workshop, Mr. Nicholas Egg came to the quiet communication room. The magic net terminal was flickering in the center of the room, and the figure of Maryland, the commander of Changfeng Fortress, was emerging on the holographic projection.

Seeing the commander who had been looking for him to remind him before, the Iron Ball Starman took the initiative to say hello: "Oh, Maryland—the Iron Throne has been repaired, but it will not be able to drive to you until the railway is paved."

"I know, I'm not here to press the Iron Throne," the fortress commander in the holographic projection said with a smile, "I'm here to ask you to place a new order."

"Order?" The huge metal ball floated in the air, "What order?"

"Order a batch of magic armor and combat backpack, as well as matching melting swords and magic terminals, and deliver them within five days."

"Oh, it doesn't sound like a big problem, how much do you want?"

"Seven to eight thousand sets, if possible, [-] to [-] sets would be fine..."

Nicholas Dan Zong trembled and almost fell to the ground on the spot: "Oh my god, this ball hits your head with a vertical take-off and landing, okay!! You are bored with the Typhon people staring and staring at you, come and have fun with the ball?!"

"I haven't finished yet," Maryland interrupted hastily, "I want 'special'."

"Special? What kind of special law?"

"As far as I know, the most complicated and time-consuming process of making magic armor and matching magic weapons should be the link of engraving runes and inlaying crystals, right?"

"Well... that's about it," Nicholas Dan calmed down from the horrified state just now, and after realizing that the fortress commander on the opposite side was not joking, he also began to think seriously, "In addition, there is an adjustment test for the calibration structure, As for the magic terminal, the assembly of the internal movable mechanical structure is also a time-consuming link, and this part of the process is still completed manually."

"Then what if we only make a set of shells? No runes, no inlaid crystals, no internal mechanical structures..."

"That's equivalent to a stamped metal plate!"

With a smile on her face, Maryland nodded vigorously: "It can even be simpler. It can be formed with iron sheets at one time, and it can also be processed with defective products that are ready to be returned to the furnace. Even if the quality is so poor that it can only be fixed with iron wire, I Both."

"...What are you going to do?" Nicholas looked blank (although his superficial face was still funny), "Wait a minute, did your order superior agree?"

"I have already submitted an application to my superiors, and you should have received the news before this evening. As for what I want to do..." Maryland smiled slightly, "I plan to occupy the top pass with thousands of troops..."

Chapter 0691

Longwind Fortress, Maryland ended the communication with the Machinery Manufacturing Institute, and the adjutant standing next to him couldn't help but say: "General, you plan to use a batch of fake magical equipment to arm those conscripts who have just been recruited. soldiers?"

Maryland nodded: "That's what it means - let them wear fake equipment and stand on the city wall, and this is far from enough."

"not enough?"

"The number of 'fakes' that can be supplied in the southern border is still limited within a few days, and in a short period of time, only the equipment of individual soldiers can be solved. These things may not be able to scare the Typhon people. We have to find a way by ourselves," Maryland continued. Said, "The engineering team that built the camp before now should have been idle—I ordered to build civil engineering in the hills on the north side of the Changfeng Fortress and the Paramel Highlands, and transport all the timber piled up on the other side of the shoal. Tell you what I'm going to do..."

The garrison of Longwind Fortress began to operate again. Before the next wave of reconnaissance from the Typhons arrived, several engineering teams started a round of large-scale civil construction according to Maryland's order—from the north side of Longwind Fortress From the hills to the Paramel Heights on the south side of the fortress, more than a dozen fortifications or fire positions began to be built.

On the Paramer Heights, on the No. [-] "artillery position", the engineers are stepping up to dig trenches and level the ground. The heavily armed sentries are standing on the temporary watchtower, constantly scanning the surrounding open wilderness vigilantly. Two soldiers equipped with engineering magic terminals were cutting wood, and several others were dealing with large bundles of thatch and coiled ropes. The scene was busy, but orderly.

The commander in charge of commanding the engineering team walked through a trench that had just been dug, looked at the work progress of the soldiers, nodded slightly, and said to the soldiers next to him: "Just go at this speed - erect the shelf before noon .”

"Sir, is this really okay?" The soldier scratched his hair, "Using these flowery displays to scare people?"

"Execute the order," the commander glanced at the soldier, then grinned, "and I think it's feasible."

He raised his head and saw a few soldiers not far away nailing up the cut wood, putting it on the slope of the mound, and covering it with a sheet of tarpaulin. The four corners of the sheet of tarpaulin were firmly nailed to the ground. In another pit, a real magic crystal rail gun was erected, with the acceleration rail pointing in the direction of the plain, and the cannon was half covered with thatch.

In fact, it was the only real gun on the field; all the other railguns were built from wood or scrap iron.

This is a false position, false ones, there are several similar positions nearby, and even more north of the fortress, but not all positions are false—about a quarter of the dozen or so positions One is true, the deployment of rail guns and sufficient soldiers urgently dispatched from the Holy Spirit Plain is definitely a tough nut to crack.

This is a battlefield wisdom that the traditional aristocratic army has never thought of. It is a cunning behavior that has nothing to do with the so-called "integrity and honesty" and other chivalry. However, the battlefields of the Cecil Legion have all proved it. One thing - the age of knightly warfare is past, buried in the glowing embers of cannon-ash, the new age of justice, accounted for by both caliber and range.

"Don't forget one thing, those Typhons haven't been bombed by magic cannons yet," the commander who was promoted from a veteran grinned, and said to the soldiers beside him, "Most of them are not Know what real magic equipment looks like, especially after we have disguised it—as long as they don't recognize it within a week, the Iron Throne will come!"

……

On the city wall of Changfeng Fortress, Maryland stood with a sword next to a magic crystal rail gun. Not far from him, next to a real magic gun emplacement, the soldiers were using it to reinforce the rail gun. The steel plates and concrete blocks of the city wall were erected, and a group of patrol soldiers were walking not far behind him. Those patrol soldiers were wearing strange light armor, neatly lined up and full of energy.

At least that's what it looks like on the surface.

"The army on the border of Typhon has never seen magic equipment with their own eyes, but their intelligence personnel must have reported the general shape and power of these things. This is the intelligence deviation," Maryland said to the adjutant with a soft breath, "In the After the No. 12 position is completed, a round of artillery fire coverage will be carried out in the direction of the Huitan Mire - the news will be released in advance, saying that it is to test the second-generation new weapons, and the same will be done after the No. [-] position is completed."

"Yes, General." The adjutant bowed his head and accepted the order.

Maryland nodded, looking beyond the walls of the city wall, looking down at the vast expanse of wasteland in the distance.

The false deterrence already exists, but we must be prepared in case the Typhon people see through it in advance or are not fooled at all. After all, wars must rely on hard power to speak—while building those false positions, Maryland has also been In order to strengthen the real defense force of Changfeng Fortress, mine positions at some key crossings have been laid, and the traps and trenches around the fortress are being built all day long. Inside the fortress, the training of recruits is not sloppy at all, and it is always going on in an orderly manner.

After all, in addition to those empty "magic equipment", a batch of real magic weapons were shipped from the rear, and the biggest feature of these equipment is that it is easy to control and easy to form combat power - ordinary people only need to train for three It takes only one day to shoot correctly, and the recruits can barely stand on the city wall after more than ten days of training. At this most critical moment, every time one more soldier is trained, the security of the empire's border will be more guaranteed.

He once lost a fort, and he didn't want the same thing to happen again in his lifetime.

Beside him, the young adjutant who has been with him for many years and has been with him since the period of the Panshi Fortress, and has experienced the Panshi Battle, Labor Reform, and Hunting God Battle, is also looking at this vast defense line. There seems to be something on the young man's bronze face mixed emotions.

After a few minutes of silence, Maryland asked, "Payne, what are you thinking?"

"General..." The young adjutant hesitated for a while, and finally said, "I just suddenly felt a little emotional. When I was guarding the fort last time, chivalry was still my only creed."

"Defending the country is also chivalry, and it is a higher level of chivalry - we are protecting more people by defending here," Maryland shook her head, "As for the methods used on the battlefield... Times have changed, Pei Well, I got an epiphany in front of the giant cannon, you should try it too."

"...You are right, General."

……

The changes in the Changfeng Fortress and its surrounding defense lines did not deceive the scouts of the Typhons, and the continuous information was quickly collected in the command post of Winter Wolf Castle. After receiving the information, Andersa Wendell Sometimes he even stood up in surprise—the young wolf general never expected that the Cecilians would suddenly build a second line of defense.

Faced with the increasing military pressure from the Typhons, instead of adopting the strategy of shrinking the defense line, the Cecils actively built a new batch of positions. Does this mean...their reserve forces are bigger than they initially imagined? want more?

The commander of the reconnaissance force who came to report stood in front of Andesa and reported the situation meticulously: "General, we have found at least six newly built positions in the Paramel Heights area, all of which are stationed by a large number of soldiers. An unknown number of troops and positions were also found in the hilly area, and according to the intelligence of the businessmen, the Cecils have been frequently mobilizing troops during this period, and many soldiers and convoys entered Changfeng Fortress from the northwest and southwest..."

Andersa thought of the information she had received not long ago, and thought of the report that the Changfeng Fortress continued to increase its troops.

"Where did they come from so many soldiers..." The young General Wolf frowned, "Can you confirm the details of those soldiers and positions?"

"Those soldiers seem to be the rumored Cecil Magical Legion. Their equipment is very different from ordinary soldiers. They carry the iconic combat backpack and are very disciplined. As for those positions... the scouts are not too close, But we did observe the sight of those Cecils testing their weapons, and the power is as great as the previous intelligence said, completely comparable to our magician group."

Andersa left the table, went to the battle map hanging nearby, and made marks one by one on the defense line of Changfeng Fortress according to the report sent back by the scouts.

"It's a complete line of defense..." "The scale is consistent with the previous increase in troops." "A large army has assembled on the Paramer Heights and the hills to the north..." "They are already ready to deal with the Iron River Knights' Legion-level spells' preparations?"

Staring at the combat map in front of her, Andersa Wendell fell into long-term thinking.

Through the relay of the magic communication tower regardless of the cost, the intelligence from the border arrived in front of Rosetta Augustus immediately.

"Pei Dinanqing, the Ansu people have once again increased their troops on the defense line."

The Emperor Typhon raised his head, looked at the old duke standing in front of him and said.

"Now they are called the Cecilians, Your Majesty," Ferdinand Wendell said in a deep voice, "Based on the original defense line of Changfeng Fortress, they have built a series of extended positions. Combined with the information obtained before, they It should be ready to deal with the Knights of the Iron River."

"...The Iron River Knights can create an energy storm with a range of nearly two kilometers in one charge, and are extremely good at destroying heavy fortress shields. However, if there are a series of positions with long-range firepower for continuous attacks and interference, the Iron River Knights The legion-level spells will be scattered... The new commander of Longfeng Fortress is an experienced person."

Duke Ferdinand nodded: "Andersa's reconnaissance troops have 'contested' with the opponent several times. The Cecil scouts are experienced and well-equipped. When it comes to time, it doesn't fall behind at all, it should be indeed an elite."

Rosetta didn't make a sound, just sat quietly on the high-backed chair, and Ferdinand, who was facing him, continued after a short pause: "The Royal Advisory Group has evaluated the recent trade with the Cecilians and obtained information from private channels. From the intelligence gathered, it was concluded that it was not advisable to go to war."

"The opinions of the advisory group are all based on indirect intelligence, but Andersa's intelligence was obtained through direct contact," Rosetta broke the silence, "We have to make a decision. If we want to fight, now is the last chance. If we don't fight, We must also think about what to say to the noble council now."

Ferdinand was silent for half a minute, before finally speaking seriously: "...My opinion is the same as that of the advisory group, and it is not appropriate to go to war, Your Majesty."

"The reason?"

"Our industry and economy are undergoing major changes. In the process, a large part of the reform pressure accumulated before can be relieved. We no longer have such an urgent need for war. On the other hand, once Cecil If people are really ready for the battle, then we will suffer greater setbacks than previously expected, not only will the internal pressure not be relieved, but even the ongoing industrial construction will be interrupted.”

Great changes in industry and economy...

Rosetta frowned.

What Ferdinand said is a fact that cannot be ignored-the Typhon Empire is entering a key point in a new era, and the emerging magic industry is destined to completely change the rules of society's operation, and within the expected range, the benefits generated by these changes Possibly more than hundreds of years before.

Under such circumstances, does Typhon really need a war?

Rosetta got up and left the desk, and walked slowly around the desk.

After more than ten minutes, he stopped.

"Let Andersa shrink its troops and withdraw the Iron River Knights to the east of the defense line of Winter Wolf Castle."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After making the decision, Rosetta seemed to be a little more relaxed. He let out a breath slowly and looked at Ferdinand: "I hope our decision today is correct, Sir Ferdinand."

Chapter 0692 The Turning Point

The sky was cloudy, and the wind with a smell of damp soil was blowing from the direction of the mountains on the north side. The yellow fallen leaves and grass in autumn were blown up by the wind, whirling and slapping on the clean windows of the train. Philip stood In the tactical command post of the Iron Throne, he watched the wilderness and woods receding outside the car window with calm eyes.

Time will make a person mature, especially when the time is spent on the battlefield. No matter how young a person is, he will become a calm warrior. The once young and vigorous Knight Cecil has now become the highest soldier in the Imperial Army. Commander, the stable and reliable temperament has become the young man's greatest achievement now. He stood there quietly. Compared with four years ago, he looked much more reserved.

The technicians were busy in front of the console of the Iron Throne. While controlling the operation of this huge war machine, they kept in constant contact with the front line and the rear. A technical sergeant transcribed from a nearby device Some data came to Philip's side: "General, there is a report from the leading engineering train. The track has been closed, the temporary stop is ready, and the Iron Throne can move forward at full speed."

Philip nodded: "Full speed ahead—is there anything new about Changfeng Fortress?"

"The Typhons have no additional actions, and General Maryland continues to be on guard."

Philip hummed and said nothing more.

He never imagined that the old-fashioned Maryland knights, who used to uphold the traditional chivalry to charge the magic warships in the Rock Fortress, would use a series of unexpected tricks to frighten the Typhons on the border. The stone-like old-school knight has finally learned to be cunning and cunning in the face of the earth-shaking era-although he has not yet mastered the details of the series of operations in the Changfeng Fortress, it is not difficult for him to guess the information from the current information. What did the first Maryland general do.

But after all, such means cannot keep the border for a long time. If you really want to stop the Typhon people, you still have to rely on a "mobile fortress" like the Iron Throne.

As the supreme commander of the army, Philip is currently ordered to personally lead a team to take the newly restored Iron Throne to Longfeng Fortress, and now the journey has passed halfway.

With the speed of this train, coupled with the current smooth railway line, it will not take long to reach the destination.