Sword of Dawn

The exposure of the Iron Throne was an accident, and the battlefield itself is a place that never lacks surprises. However, according to General Philip, the exposure of the Iron Throne may be related to the cautious and targeted investigation by Typhon’s commanders—this Maryland couldn't help but think of the situation where her carefully planned "deception tactic" was seen through.

He smiled lightly and shook his head: "That 'little wolf'...has lived up to his reputation."

"General," Adjutant Payne came to the city wall and came to Maryland's side. "The Iron Throne has sent a message that they have stopped shelling. It is preliminarily judged that the Typhon army is not left behind."

"...This time, fate has favored the Typhon people," Maryland said calmly after a moment of silence, "Send the information summary to His Majesty, and how the situation develops after that... is not what we should care about."

"Yes, General."

The rain stopped unknowingly, and with the refreshing but cold autumn wind blowing across the city wall, the dark clouds in the sky quietly dispersed. This play that lasted from afternoon to night ended with the wind and rain, and the starlight spilled from the gaps in the clouds to the city. The earth is cold and cold.

"What a fine rain..." whispered Maryland. "It came just right and stopped just right."

……

The information from the eastern frontier was transmitted to San Sunil immediately, and in the study of Silver Castle, Gawain summoned his three chief consuls.

"Our border is safe, at least to the east," Gawain said straight to the point, "The Iron Throne has arrived at the border, and after a dramatic contest, the Typhons have retreated to their lines of defense."

"This is detailed information." Amber's figure emerged from Gao Wen's side. She held several copied documents in her hand, and distributed them to the three grand consuls one by one.

After Victoria took the information, she first scanned it hastily. Although the language used in the information was very concise, it was enough to explain what happened. After a rough scan, the Ice Duke couldn't help but sigh softly: "Opportunity and Everyone passed by."

"That's fair," Baldwin Franklin put down the printing paper in his hand, "Anyway, the Typhons have realized that the defense line of Longwind Fortress has been re-established, and they should be quiet."

Gawain shook his head and reminded: "It's a temporary silence - the empire that has entered the industrial age does not have the character of 'moderation and restraint', but now at least it is no longer up to them to decide whether to fight or not. Hetty , what do you want to say?"

Hetty, who has been silent since just now, raised her head and looked at Gao Wen: "Ancestor, Minister Norris has led an expert group from the Ministry of Agriculture into the polluted area of ​​the Holy Spirit Plain to evaluate the agricultural reconstruction plan there——From a long-term perspective, We really need to recuperate."

Facing Hetty's serious and slightly serious eyes, Gawain nodded: "That's right, we really need to recuperate...especially the reconstruction of agriculture."

The situation seems to be going well, the empire has been established, the coronation ceremony has greatly boosted the morale of all walks of life, the order of the king's capital has been restored, nobles from all over the country have signed to support the reform, and the powerful Cecil war machine stopped Typhon on the border People's conspiracy, even once in the upper hand - all this seems to be deceptive, and a radical optimist may even think that the Cecil Empire is already a powerful giant, ready to sweep the world, but this time As anyone in the room knows, this "smoothness" is just a facade.

It is the successive victories that inspire people, and the temporary redistribution of interests conceals the emptiness inside. The fact under the surface is that half of the grain-producing areas of the Holy Spirit Plain have been destroyed, a large number of refugees need to be resettled, and the post-war cities and villages need to be rebuilt... …

If the previous wars were to revive this ancient and fallen kingdom and cut off the carrion, then what the current Cecil Empire needs is not to sweep the world, but to let the places where the carrion was cut off grow new flesh.

Among them, food is the most important thing—according to the emergency statistics just completed, the current Cecil Empire is basically short of food everywhere except the southern and western borders. Even if the national food reserves are mobilized, they can barely last until the next During the harvest season, in order to prevent a large-scale famine, the Duke of Baldwin has already started to approach the Ogure tribal country in the west to discuss the purchase of grain. In this situation, the empire must recuperate.

"I also agree with the opinion of Grand Consul Hetty, but the crux of the problem is how Typhon will react." Duke Baldwin first affirmed Hetty, and then frowned, "What happened on the Changfeng defense line?" The 'battle' is very close to the start of the battle, but it didn't really turn into a legion melee, everyone walked around the edge of the cliff... this circle, but you can explain it any way you want."

"They are the ones who take the initiative to approach the military defense zone. In a sense, the Typhon people do not have an advantage, while our disadvantage lies in the fact that we failed to leave that army behind. We don't have enough evidence at hand. This is the immediate situation, and for the two As far as China is concerned, as long as the evidence is not sufficient, everything can be dismissed," Gao Wen said, "On the other hand, judging from the willingness to go to war, Typhon should be more willing to sit down and have a good talk with us after today... Today’s Typhon, the situation is different from the past.”

Hetty frowned: "Is it because of their industrial and economic transformation?"

Gawain glanced at Heidi with a slight approval in his eyes: "That's right, they have a new piece of 'cake', and now those small and medium nobles who have been damaged by the restructuring are busy redistributing their interests, the biggest pressure within Typhon One of them has temporarily eased. Before they encounter the next bottleneck, Rosetta Augustus does not need to continue to persistently promote the war. His current focus should be to control the process of industrial and economic transformation and prevent his empire from Losing control in the process..."

"Then..." Baldwin Franklin pinched his temples, "Your Majesty, we should give Typhon a signal."

"Of course," Gawain laughed, looking at Hetty, "immediately notify Padraic and place a new order for Typhon. Then... we just wait patiently for Rosetta Augustus's response." .”

Chapter 0696 Enemies

A cold wind blew into the Obsidian Palace, and the tall Grand Duke Ferdinand Wendell walked through the long corridor like the wind. The attendants stood back in awe, bowed and watched the chief minister of the empire walk towards the emperor's study, and secretly said: Guessing the reason why this "Duke of Wolf" was urgently summoned to the court.

Without any delay, Ferdinand went straight to the room where the emperor was. After the attendant opened the door, he saw that the ruler of the empire was already sitting behind the desk waiting for him.

"Your Majesty," Pei Dinan walked into the study and bowed before the desk, "I'm here."

"This is an urgent message from Andersa." Rosetta Augustus's face was as calm as a stone sculpture, and no emotion could be seen in his deep eyes. He passed a report transcribed by the communications officer. Pushing on the desk, his tone was flat, "We took a wrong step."

The news from Winter Wolf Fort was sent to Obsidian Palace through the domestic communication tower relay.

Pei Dinan was faintly aware of the content of the information. He took two steps forward, picked up the report and read it from beginning to end, his face darkened a little as his eyes moved.

A few minutes later, the Wolf Duke raised his head and frowned: "Your Majesty..."

"The Cecils are very cunning, and they arranged for a very difficult and excellent commander to sit in the Changfeng Fortress. Their tricks have deceived everyone, including me-now, we have missed the opportunity, according to Andersa According to the report, a powerful mobile fortress driven by magic technology has arrived in the Paramel area, and Changfeng Fortress is supporting each other, and a large number of troops have arrived at the border with that fortress," Rosetta said calmly, "In the first contest, the Cecils showed strength beyond our expectations."

"I should bear some responsibility," Duke Ferdinand said in a deep voice, "I misjudged the situation..."

"You just fulfilled your responsibilities, and you are not the only one who misjudged the situation," Rosetta interrupted Duke Ferdinand, "Now is not the time to pursue responsibility, we should think about the future."

"...The Cecilians also missed an opportunity to hit us hard in this incident, and on the other hand, they should not want a war now," Ferdinand said thoughtfully, "After a civil war And a natural disaster, plus the new royal family and the national system have just been established, what they need most now should be a peaceful recuperation."

Rosetta nodded slightly, approving Ferdinand's judgment, but he frowned again, and said seriously: "Letting them recuperate is also a serious danger."

"Yes," Ferdinand said in a deep tone, "the Cecils...they have demonstrated a strong ability to develop, whether it is their army, or their economy and society, the new order created by Gawain Cecil They all show extremely terrifying potential. If they really get the chance to recuperate, the Cecil Empire may soon become an uncontrollable behemoth..."

The old duke's tone was full of exclamation. He studied Ansu for most of his life, and finally watched Ansu fall apart under the erosion of internal and external difficulties and numerous conspiracy. However, no one thought that Ansu would stand up again on the ruins. Cecil, this new empire is more troublesome and dangerous than the decaying kingdom before it. The flame that was going to burn the kingdom turned out to be a festival for the giant to be reborn from the ashes—but at this juncture, the Feng lost his only chance to kill the nascent nation.

But whether it was Rosetta or Ferdinand, they just sighed about this, without too much annoyance and complaints.

When the times are changing, it's just a waste of time to complain about what has happened. Cecil's empire is indeed developing, but Typhon...is not standing still.

After missing a good opportunity for war, instead of counting on the opponent to stop, it is better to let yourself go faster, so as to prepare for another conflict in the future.

"If I'm right, Gawain Cecil should soon send a signal to us through his 'commercial diplomacy'. He has a high probability of choosing peace, and I can only accept it—and be happy to accept it," A few minutes later, Rosetta broke the silence and said, "We need to prepare for a new confrontation."

One side needs to recuperate, and the other side is in a critical period of change. The two empires have turned around on the edge of the cliff. Whether it is fate or deliberate guidance, they have just entered the stage of needing "peace". For a period of time, it may be difficult for Cecil and Typhon to fight again, and a "confrontation" different from war may become the norm between the two countries in the future.

Rosetta has foreseen the general shape of this confrontation and intends to make some preparations for the future.

After thinking for a while, he looked at Ferdinand: "Duke Seven's economic policy can be fully implemented, let the funds flow further, and let the little nobles and merchants promote the factories. Our magic industry is already behind the Cecils. One step, can't continue to fall behind;

"The scale of the Imperial Manufacturing Association needs to be expanded. For technical talents, we must do everything possible to recruit and support them. I plan to add the title of 'Superior Lord' and several types of medals. Those exceptionally outstanding scholars and craftsmen, even They are born in poverty, and they will also have the opportunity to be knighted and awarded;

"The Parliament has been arguing for several months over whether commoners can read the same textbooks as noble children, and now these disputes must stop immediately...

"Our commercial activities with the southern part of the mainland... We have been discussing for so long, and it is time to continue to promote it. Refer to the current trade model established with the Cecils, the Gaoling Kingdom, and the elves, and start business. This matter Leave it to Earl Hallmark, who understands the situation in the southern part of the mainland."

Ferdinand raised his eyebrows: "The trade with the southern part of the mainland...wasn't it put on hold before?"

"The elves are very dissatisfied with our deforestation in the southern part of the mainland, which has affected our relationship with the Gaoling Kingdom, but now... we must open the southern trade route," Rosetta said without a doubt, "Magic Industry The development of the country is relieving the pressure caused by the previous New Deal, but the things produced by the factory must be sold to become profitable, otherwise the nobles and businessmen who invested in the factory will inevitably become unstable again-except for the business route with the Cecil Empire Besides, we have to find more markets."

"I see." Ferdinand nodded, "Then how much concession do you want Earl Hallmark to make?"

"Typhon can stop all logging operations in the disputed forest area in the southern part of the mainland, and can stop the advance of pioneering in the Blue Rock Hills..." Rosetta obviously thought about this long before today, "Even, we can recognize the Gaoling Kingdom Canonized 'Earl of Blue Rock', but the premise of all this is that they must open the trading city, and they must open the three roads from the Blue Rock area to the ancestral forest."

Ferdinand was stunned for a moment after hearing Rosetta's concession, but after only two or three seconds of pondering, the old duke lowered his head: "I understand."

"In addition, let Andersa go back to Aldernan in the near future. She is currently the only person who has had a direct and close contact with Cecil's Magical Legion. There are many things, and I hope to talk to her face to face. .The question of defense on the frontier is up to you to arrange.

"Order the Winter Wolf Legion to build additional fortresses on the defense line of Winter Wolf Castle. The 'border rotation' and 'recruitment of new soldiers' proposals you have proposed are very good. Now I will use them--the empire's newly formed regiment and trained recruits every three years Rotation, assisting the Winter Wolves to garrison the northwest line of defense, I don't ask them to break into Longwind Fortress, but they must put enough pressure on the Cecils."

Ferdinand immediately understood the intention behind the Typhon ruler's arrangement—

The Cecils cannot be allowed to quietly bury their heads in development, and they cannot be freed from Changfeng Fortress.

Compared with Cecil after the catastrophe, the Typhon Empire has much more reserve soldiers and construction materials. This time, the Cecils built 28 false positions and fake bunkers on the border, and Typhon, who can On the border, [-] reals were repaired in one go.

Whether it is the defenders of Changfeng Fortress or the war machine that was built somehow, they must be firmly dragged on the border, and even the large number of reserve soldiers in Cecil's country must be dragged on that long road. on the borderline.

After making these arrangements, Rosetta Augustus took a long breath.

Duke Ferdinand looked up, and he saw the expression of the ruler of Typhon—after losing such an embarrassing opportunity and ushering in such a vigilant enemy, on the face of the ruler of Typhon, What he saw was a pair of exceptionally bright eyes, full of fighting spirit and joy.

This expression surprised Ferdinand. He hadn't seen a similar expression on Rosetta Augustus's face for many years. He vaguely remembered that the last time he saw her look like this was when she was crowned Not long after that, when it was decided to reorganize the noble council.

"Cecile is really a formidable enemy, isn't it, Sir Ferdinand?" Rosetta said happily, "Just like Prince Malik back then, and Duke Fabro and Duke Coleman Rooney... perhaps more powerful than them. Is it stronger?"

"It's stronger than them." After a short moment of astonishment, Pei Dinan finally smiled. "After all, the 'three-person chaos' just wanted your life."

Rosetta was slightly taken aback, and then laughed happily: "Hahahaha..."

……

A loud whistle rang through the pier. On the port of Saint-Sunil City, the magical battleship "Pioneer" preparing to head south was slowly leaving the river bank. The powerful sound of the magic engine and the deep roar of the water pressure device Gradually high-pitched, the magic energy wings like mechanical wings on both sides of the battleship opened little by little under the action of gears and levers, looking majestic and majestic, with a strange sense of beauty.

The citizens and soldiers gathered by the river bank cheered, curious children yelled on the high roofs and river embankments, and on the pier square, Victoria and Birdwin, who came to see off in full costumes, Accompanied by his attendants, the Duke stood quietly, watching the direction in which the magic warship was leaving, without looking away for a long time.

The magic warship began to accelerate slowly, and the escorting ships also entered the scheduled escort position. The majestic city wall of Saint-Sunil shrank a little bit in sight, and was finally covered by the rolling hills and woods on the plain. After he couldn't see it, Gao Wen looked away from the porthole.

"I'm finally going back," Amber stretched her waist beside Gao Wen, and said in an exaggerated tone, "I almost forgot what the southern border looks like!"

"You've only been away for less than half a year, don't say it as if you've been away for half your life," Gawain glanced sideways at the half-elf, "And speaking of contact with the southern border, you, the Chief of Military Intelligence, are probably more frequent than anyone else, right? "

Amber curled her lips, and turned to look at the black-haired maid next to her: "You have to be careful, Miss Maggie, our emperor is a character who can squeeze water out of stones, and if he is not careful, he will be arranged in a pile An errand, and no salary increase..."

Maggie stood on this cutting-edge mechanical battleship, and was looking at the receding river bank through the crystal glass-covered porthole at the moment. The "advanced magic technology" described by Becca aroused a glimmer of anticipation. She was so absorbed that she didn't hear what Amber was saying at all, and her reaction was half a beat too late: "Ah? Sorry, I didn't hear clearly... ..."

"You don't need to pay attention to her, she is just too excited, most of what she said at this time is nonsense," Gao Wen waved his hand, and then took a serious look at the black dragon maid in front of him, "But I really didn't expect that Rebecca would succeed. 'Borrowed' you from Victoria, and when she told me about it I thought she was in trouble again."

Maggie couldn't help but think of Rebecca's reckless sentence "Show me another one", she smiled slightly: "Her Highness Rebecca's sincerity and the incredible knowledge she possessed moved me. , as for the hostess... in most cases, she will respect my opinion."

"It seems that there are still many secrets about the relationship between you and Victoria, but don't worry, I won't inquire about it," Gao Wen said with a smile, "In the next period of time, I hope you can enjoy life in the southern border."

Maggie slowly showed a sincere smile: "Yes, I am very much looking forward to it."

Chapter 0697 After Burning

The refreshing wind blows across the vast wilderness, rolling dry sand and dry fallen leaves. On the deserted land, the ditches that were once used for irrigation have dried up due to the interruption of the upstream, and a collapsed wall has fallen into the soil. , covered mostly by yellow weeds.

An old abandoned mill stands alone on the side of the road. The huge windmill blades that fell off from the mill are like some kind of stumps and broken arms, and they are placed on a half-collapsed red brick wall. Burning and explosions can be seen everywhere around the mill. A scorched road sign stood crookedly at the crossroads in front of the mill, the traces after the attack by the monsters, and the blurred writing on the road sign was faintly visible:

"Longtail Woodlands - Cabre Township"

A gnarled, bony hand brushed over the sign, wiping off a layer of charred ash.

Norris looked at the black ashes stained on his hands, then rubbed his fingers, and looked at the old abandoned mill not far away.

A gust of autumn wind blew, and the cold air carried by the wind poured into Norris's lungs, which were no longer healthy. He couldn't help bending down and coughing continuously.

Several young people who accompanied him immediately stepped forward, and someone supported the slightly shaking Minister of Agriculture: "Minister, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, I'm old, the wind in this season is not very friendly to me," Norris waved his hand, rejecting the support of his subordinates and apprentices, and slowly looked away from the direction of the mill, "I've heard of this place... It is said that the long The most fertile land around Tailwood is here..."

"It's all deserted," a young official said with a sigh. "When the troops arrived here, the entire Longtail Woodland had been occupied by the Crystal Cluster Legion, and there were less than a hundred survivors gathered. The bombing was followed by burning of the entire town, including settlements around the town."

"Desolation...Desolation is not terrible, and the desolate land can still be saved," Norris said slowly, looking at the weed-covered farmland not far away, "I am afraid that there will be residual pollution. Let's go there Take a look."

The accompanying young officials turned their heads and ordered a few magical vehicles to stop by the side of the road to stand by, and then followed Norris' pace.

The once fertile fields have been abandoned, and after the weeds grew, they were bombed and burned again. After the burning, new weeds grew with several wind and rains. Today, the old farmland is almost completely invisible from a distance. Norris squatted down beside a barely distinguishable ditch, reached out to grab a handful of soil, and rubbed it slightly with his fingertips.

The black soil mixed with plant ash has a wet and sticky texture, and it falls to the ground with fingers rubbing.

"What a beautiful soil..." Norris stretched out his hand, letting the entourage look at the soil left in his hand, "How can there be such a good land in the south?"

After sighing, he clapped his hands and began to order the sampling personnel to collect local soil samples. An accompanying clerk took out the folder he carried with him and found the corresponding report: "This place and the surrounding fields are 'Velvet Sedge Manor' A part of it belongs to the private property of the Viscount Cabret, but it is difficult to calculate the exact population of the entire town of Cabret, and it can only be roughly estimated at about [-] households—excluding the more remote villages and a mine."

A young technician wearing field overalls and wearing an imperial-style rattan ring druid badge on his chest said while inspecting the soil: "The soil here still looks healthy and fertile. Compared with the two polluted areas found before It looks much better..."

"Let's mark it green for the time being." Norris propped up his knees and stood up slowly. "Before the next planting season, we must collect as much land data as possible for recultivation, and we must not forget to mark the heavily polluted areas... ..."

"Yes, Minister. Wait a minute, shall we..."

An accompanying official from the Ministry of Agriculture responded, but just halfway through his words, the guard standing on guard on the side ridge suddenly shouted not far away: "Who is it? Come out!!"

A few pairs of eyes immediately turned to the direction where the guards were yelling at. Norris raised his eyelids, and saw that there seemed to be figures shaking in the abandoned mill not far away. After the guards shouted for the second time, the two were hiding in the mill. The figure finally came out from the abandoned building.

It was a man and a woman, they couldn't tell how old they were, they were wearing gray clothes, their hair and face were dirty, they bent over carefully and walked towards this side, with humility and fear, as if I am afraid that if I make a wrong step, I will be arrested by the "big shots" in front of me.

The expression on Norris's face trembled subconsciously after seeing the man and woman. He recalled himself a few years ago...that humble and shrinking posture had been engraved in his bones for decades, and he was really too familiar with it. up.

"Survivors? There are survivors in this area?" A young clerk whispered in surprise.

Norris frowned, and asked after the two men approached, "Why are you here? You've been hiding here?"

"Master, we are... we came back from the town in the south... We hid before and fought a war, and we came back after the fight here."

The hunchbacked man spoke cautiously, and kept pulling the thread on his clothes with his hands as he spoke. His words were confused, but Norris quickly understood the meaning of the words—the two were not Those who have been hiding in the mill, they should have escaped with everyone when the accident happened before, and then they were lucky to escape from this hell alive. Most of them wandered in Pompeii or Scotland for the past six months Fleeing from the famine, now he probably ran back after hearing the news of the safety of the north.

Similar situations are not uncommon in this vast area-although there are few survivors in that disaster, there are always people who can escape.

Some of these people were taken in and protected by the team sent by the southern border, some may have found a long-term home in the south, and some... It is difficult for them to give up the land that has been cultivated for generations, it is difficult to give up the only hometown they are familiar with, or They couldn't find a way to live in the south, so they ran back and wandered in this land that had become a wasteland of war.

If left alone, most of these people will die of hunger, disease, or the mouth of wild beasts sooner or later, and the rest may become bandits and bandits in the eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain, and this deserted land will become a A lawless zone of astonishing scale.

But the empire will not leave it alone. Norris and his working group, as well as several other teams heading in different directions, are tasked with rebuilding this "empire granary."

"I'm not a lord. My name is Norris. I'm here to rebuild this place by His Majesty's order." Shaking his head and shaking his complicated thoughts out of his mind, Norris said to the men and women in front of him, "It's not suitable for you now. Settle down, you can go to the resettlement area in the southeast first..."

The woman with dirty hair didn't seem to understand the words behind Norris, but her eyes widened: "Your Majesty? Which Majesty? Isn't His Majesty Francis gone?"

Norris was stunned.

Among the fleeing poor in the central region, the news is so lagging behind. Not only do they not know the establishment of the empire, they may not even know whether the civil war is really over. When did they start fleeing?How long have you been separated from the civilized world?

After living in the advanced and prosperous Cecil City for several years, Norris once again saw the familiar poverty and backwardness, so that he forgot to speak for a moment, but the druid technician standing next to him couldn't help but say : "It's His Majesty Gawain Cecil, he is already the emperor."

The man and woman were stunned for a long time before finally exclaiming again and again.

"You go to the resettlement area in the southeast first," Norris said to them again, "We have a car, we can take you there, and some refugees who escaped from the escape are temporarily settling down there. It's too dangerous for you to stay here , there is no way to live here now."