Realm of Power

In March, everything returns to spring, and the earth is picturesque.

Hassen Rimbaud, who hurried back from the capital of Gaul, was not in the mood to appreciate such beautiful scenery at all. He received an urgent report from the Eastern Front. Although he had been mentally prepared for this, and for that obviously meaningless report Having a profound understanding of the armistice agreement, Hassan Rimbaud, the famous Gallic general, broke into a cold sweat.

The Falcon Army launches a new offensive in the spring!

How is that possible! It’s incredible that it turned out to be the most unlikely Eastern Front. . . . Is the other party crazy? "

Hassen Rimbaud glanced at the emergency report in his hand, muttering to himself, raising his head, with disparate eyes, full of bloodshot eyes, frantically searching for answers on the map behind him that marked the interlacing defense lines of the warring parties. He did not expect that , the war stalemate between the Gallic Empire and the Falcon Empire But the direction of the attack left him completely confused, and he even felt like he was caught off guard. The 200,000-strong Falcon Empire army, which was at a disadvantage, first launched a huge and long attack line in the eastern section of Rusty. , and the attack fell on the most unlikely Eastern Front!

On the map of the Rusty region, the eastern front is definitely an ideal defensive zone. The eastern front is where the mountains and plains of the Rusty region connect. Geographically, it is blocked by the Seine River that runs across the entire east. , the Falcon Army and the Gallic Army confronted each other along this line.

When Hassan Rimbaud first deployed his defenses, he ordered all the original bridges on the Seine to be destroyed in advance, and deployed heavy troops on the banks of the Seine to block the Falcon Army's advance.

The Seine River is one hundred and thirty meters wide. The water flow was fast and it was rainy season. The flow of the Seine River surged, and the river overflowed the river embankment and extended to both sides, with a width of more than 200 meters. Soldiers from both armies stood on the river bank and could hardly see the appearance of the enemy on the opposite side. "There is no blind spot, the troops are superior, and the terrain is superior. Even if No matter how good the Falcon Army is in fighting, there is really no possibility of launching an attack at this point! "This statement was raised by the Gallic generals at the last military meeting, and the Gallic generals also recognized it! statement

Unless the opponent is crazy, they will use this as a breakthrough point for attack! Even the experienced Hassan Rimbaud believed that this Seine River defense line, which occupies the right time and place, was the strategic dead line of the entire defense line. This means that as long as the Falcon Empire dares to launch an attack, as many as they come will die!

Compared with the eastern front where it is impossible for a war to break out, Hassan Rimbaud paid more attention to the central line area consisting of more than a dozen cities and the western front area mainly composed of plains, because the cities on the middle line are not fortresses after all. Although they were reinforced and transformed in the winter, But the Falcon army possesses the terrifying siege weapon Thor. Undoubtedly, it is easy to tear holes in these non-Fortress 1 urban areas, and then the army pours in to start brutal street battles. The powerful Falcon Central Army with as many as 80,000 people on the opposite side is also unwilling to attack by Hassen Rimbaud. Opponent to fight head-on

These central armies of the Falcon Empire are extremely well-equipped. The fighting morale is strong and the soldiers are brave and fearless. Never knowing what death and fear are, they are obviously better than the second-line Gallic army guarding the city, but the four defense lines composed of as many as seventeen cities are layered on top of each other, intertwined, and separated by rivers, like a The huge deep web weaved by giant spiders, even if it encounters a fierce attack and partially falls, other cities are enough to bring the Falcon Army, which is good at attacking fortifications, to a standstill in the offensive, and finally lose their energy.

The center line is a trap laid by Hasen Rimbaud. It looks easy, but is actually extremely tough. In the last Battle of Rusty, Fatty would rather attack the Bruges direction supported by heavy fortresses than fight the Gauls on the center line. Entanglement, just for this reason,

The 190,000 people stationed in the central city area were mainly Gaul local garrison troops. In order to reduce the conflicts between these local garrison regiments, Hassan Rimbaud could only cluster the 190,000 garrison troops into the central line area. In the city, these local garrisons were drawn from various places by the Gauls during the winter.

Because of the shortage of front-line troops and tight time, the Gaul side mobilized as many as 24 second-line garrison regiments from various places with a strength of 190,000. The equipment of these garrison regiments was different due to different economic conditions, different personnel levels, and equipment in various places. The quality is different, and the combat power can only be regarded as average.

The last 110,000 people came from the troops transferred back from fighting the Slavs in the north.

Hassen Rimbaud was also troubled by the rudimentary configuration of light infantry. The soldiers of these troops were originally residents of the northern region. They left their homes and fled to the south because of the Slavic invasion. The Gallic Ministry of Military Affairs took advantage of the opportunity to need food in winter. Collected the young adults among them and formed four new infantry regiments to fill the Rusty defense line.

As Rusty's reserve troops, they were the 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 24th Gallic Infantry Regiments.

Most of the soldiers in these four reserve corps had just undergone a short one-month training and were poorly equipped. The interior of Gaul has not experienced the baptism of war for decades, so the weapons transferred from the arsenals of various places are mostly old, rusty swords, and leather armor accumulated for many years that have become moldy. I don’t know which emperor’s period. The forged shields, the bald helmets that had been gnawed off by rats, these inconsistent equipment and the low morale of these soldiers made Hassan Rimbaud worry about the combat effectiveness of these four new infantry regiments.

"Although there are 110,000 people, the nature of cheating is too serious."

Hassen Rimbaud commented like this and transferred these troops to the second line as reserves. They were mainly deployed in the plains on the western front. The rolling mountains that continued from the eastern front began to fall back and gradually became flat. There were few cities and most of them They are all abandoned fields,

The defensive conditions on the western front are very inadequate, and Hasen Rimbaud believes that this is the only section of the entire defense line that may be broken through by the Falcon Army in a short period of time.

In order to make up for this gap, in the 50-mile area of ​​​​the Western Front, Hassen Rimbaud has used hundreds of thousands of Gaulish refugees to artificially erect thousands of bunker-like bunkers on the plains of the Western Front in the past winter. Stone towers, each with a height of more than five meters, are equipped with lookout posts.

The thick stone wall is enough to withstand the attack of ordinary trebuchets, and a small team stationed there can resist for more than two days. Hassan Rimbaud deployed his most powerful Eighth Army in the core area of ​​​​the towers, plus four new infantry regiments as reserves. There are two troops deployed here, with a total strength of 170,000, which is the top priority of the entire defense line.

During the long winter, the Gallic troops were able to maintain a certain centripetal force under the heavy pressure of the Falcon Army, but a winter of peace allowed some things that were initially suppressed to burst out.

The noble soldiers from the rich areas began to show their normal appearance, riding strong war horses. Wearing armor with his family's coat of arms, followed by more than a dozen family members, he ran past the soldiers of other troops in a mighty manner, his horse hooves shaking the soil on the ground without any scruples, completely ignoring the ragged soldiers beside him. My comrades,

The three garrison regiments in Kyoto showed off their enviable purple light hussars, numbering as many as 20,000. These cavalrymen often come out in groups, running in an overwhelming manner, rushing towards their own camp with the arrogance of Kyoto people, watching the soldiers guarding other areas in the camp running around in panic, rolling on the ground to avoid them. These nobles from Kyoto were having fun on horseback as they galloped by, and they took pride in training friendly troops to improve their resistance to enemy cavalry attacks.

Infantry regiments from remote areas often number less than 5,000 people and have no say. They can only defend some remote towns, and their equipment is only light leather armor and worn-out daggers. There were almost no cavalry. Only the regiment leader had two cavalrymen on horseback for show. The discipline of the soldiers was lazy and there was no training throughout the winter.

This war completely squeezed out the military power of Gaul. The loss of 300,000 people and the rapid replacement of 300,000 people in one winter were enough to prove the military potential of the Gallic Empire. However, the number of troops was huge. The contrast also caused conflicts among these local guards with different mentality.

The nobles in Kyoto look down on the country bumpkins from the local area, while the nobles in the local area think that the nobles in Kyoto are just young men with no bearing on being a soldier.

People in rich areas look down on homeless people in poor areas, thinking that such colleagues are simply used as cannon fodder and lose their status, which is a humiliation to the entire empire's soldiers.

People in poor areas also disdain the luxurious styles of nobles in rich areas. The gorgeous armor and the showy entourage are just like flowers in the greenhouse. No matter how beautiful they are, they cannot withstand the cold wind.

For this reason, local garrison camps often get into trouble.

Fights to get more food, a fight involving thousands of people, it is normal for more than a hundred people to die. Quarrels to occupy the best barracks location, both sides can drown people with saliva. He even launched a huge collision, with thousands of people mixed together, making it look like a real battle.

In order to seize the barracks and their own sphere of influence, private fights became common in order to visit prostitutes and pursue women.

There were three infantry regiment commanders who had not actually gone to the battlefield yet. They were seriously injured and were carried off by their attendants. They were still shouting that they would fight to the death. Little Rusty gathered half of the empire's troops in one fell swoop. Hundreds of thousands of hot-blooded males are simply more lively than a frying pan.

"It's such an incomprehensible mess!"

Over the winter, Hassan Rimbaud's head was getting big, and he was overwhelmed by all kinds of reports. In addition to accusations, there were also threatening letters, and there were even various demands submitted openly with his family name directly signed, such as requests for additional military pay. Stick to it, saying that military pay is too small to cover expenses,

It is requested to expand the barracks, preferably each officer has his own private room,

They said the food was unpalatable and asked to hire a private cook. They said it was too cold and no one warmed the bed, so they asked for a personal maid.

All kinds of bizarre requests really made Hasen Rimbaud dumbfounded. In terms of authority, although Hasen Rimbaud was the general person in charge of the defense of the Rusty area, he had to deal with local families involved in almost the entire empire, including the wealthy Kyoto families. With the highest authorization from His Majesty the Emperor, what does a small army commander mean to him!

As for the Imperial Military Affairs Department, there were also considerations that made him cry out helplessly. This was an imperial army of 400,000 men, one-half of the military strength of the Gallic Empire.

It is enough to rejuvenate the country, and it is also enough to destroy the country!

With the lessons learned from the Julius family, the betrayal of the Murphy Army, the ingratitude of the Southwest and the Northwest, even Hassan Rimbaud, a famous imperial general who worked hard at the front to resist the advance of the Falcon Army, the Imperial Military Affairs Department this time I don't dare to trust it completely.

The appointment of the real person in charge of the 400,000-strong army has been delayed. lasts until the end of winter

This time, Hassen Rimbaud returned to Kyoto to attend the meeting for this reason. At the military meeting convened by His Majesty the Emperor, Hassen Rimbaud sincerely requested the Emperor to send a general person in charge, and said frankly, "My subordinates are incompetent. I am willing to use myself as my deputy, and I just hope that the empire can make a quick decision. Otherwise, the 400,000-strong army will be in chaos. If a unified command system cannot be formed, I am worried that the empire’s army will collapse on its own before next spring!"

The emperor was furious and asked the Ministry of Military Affairs why the appointment had not yet been made. The Ministry of Military Affairs had no choice but to reluctantly appoint Hassan Rimbaud as the general manager.

But as a diversion. An emperor's envoy will also be dispatched to supervise and direct the battle.

While the Gallic Ministry of Military Affairs was still wrangling over who could take on such an important task as supervising the war, the authority of the 400,000-strong army and the fate of an empire were hurriedly lost to Hassan with the first wave of attacks from the Falcon Empire. Rimbaud, the famous Gallic general

Hassan Rimbaud on the day he received the report. He traveled day and night, and finally rushed back to Rusty after running thousands of miles in seven days. At this time, the falcon army on the other side of the Seine River, the dividing line, had begun to rumble with war drums. Trebuchets in countless numbers were deployed by the Falcon Infantry in a row along the river bank, next to the huge trebuchet levers. There were piles of stone bombs, standing like rows of giants with huge arms in the drizzle on the other side of the river. The nerves of the Gallic army on the opposite side suddenly became tense.

Everything indicates that a full-scale attack by the Falcon Empire is imminent.

Stationed on the front line of the Seine River is the Fifteenth Gallic Army, with a strength of 70,000. On the other side of the river, the Falcon is the veteran force of the Falcon Empire. It has suppressed the Northwest Army in the Dorok Mountains for more than a year. Well-equipped, sharp in combat power, and known as the best in mountain assault capabilities, the Northwest Legion is the best in the Falcon Empire.

The flood was rolling, mixed with the broken soil in the mountains, and the clear river water became turbid. The flag of the Falcon Empire made a sound of crackling in the wind.

"What's the number today?" Crowlissart asked, riding on his horse.

"March 7, my lord!" replied a general of the Northwest Army from behind.

"No. 7? Then it's today!"

Crolissart nodded solemnly, and the oncoming wind hit his face with the moist water vapor on the river. Behind him were more than a dozen generals of the Northwest Army. The river in front of him was extremely wide. , the water is rolling, a general of the Northwest Army A stone as big as a human head was thrown towards the rolling torrent of the river. Even such a heavy stone only fluttered for a moment, and immediately flew down in the turbulent currents of the flood. It disappeared after a few clicks. Everyone's eyebrows frowned slightly.

"Sir, in this situation, we simply cannot launch a cross-river operation."

The stone-throwing general of the Northwest Army behind him stood up, shook his head, and said in a worried tone, "Even though we have prepared a large number of catapults, facing such a wide river and such a fast river, even if the soldiers are wearing heavy armor, If you walk down, you will be mercilessly swept away, not to mention that the Gauls on the opposite side have already made preparations, and their number of shooters Above 10,000, the distance of 200 meters is already beyond the range of assistance of our archers. Even if our army risks huge casualties and crosses the river halfway, it will be immediately and violently blocked by the opponent. The opponent's archers can calmly attack Our soldiers were shot to death in the river. I really can't understand the meaning of this order."

"That's enough. It is His Majesty's order to cross the river this afternoon. It is our duty to execute it! Assemble your troops and be ready to fight at any time, waiting for the order."

Crolissart waved his hand to the general, interrupting his complaint, and his sharp eyes fell on the opposite side of the river bank again. The Gallic flags were fluttering in the wind and rain, and a huge gap was revealed between the military camps. wooden fence

The ridges, rows of fences, and temporary defense lines made of gray hard soil made everyone look unhappy.

After a year of silence, the entire Northwest Army was longing for the day of re-emergence, but it was not to carry out a seemingly impossible battle. His Majesty Falcon's order was so incredible that he crossed the river on March 7 and occupied Upstream of the river, cooperate with the Southern Second Army to sweep the enemy's center line!

Even Crolissart, the emperor's confidant, could not fully understand the meaning of this order

As this subordinate said, the flooded Seine River is enough to become a strategic natural hazard. There is no breakthrough at all. Almost none of his long-range troops can support the troops crossing the river, and more than half of his soldiers are They are light infantry and are not suitable for this kind of battle of forcibly crossing a river. They can run in the mountains like falcons, but in the rapid river water, their performance can only be considered mediocre.

He took a deep breath and prepared to turn around,

The northwest army behind them has been assembled. Although it has not yet entered the battle, it is in a tight formation. The black armor of the 50,000-strong army is like a black tide pressing on the river beach, giving people a feeling of suffocation.

The faces of the soldiers were not very good-looking. The wide and rolling river was a shock to everyone. Even Crolissart himself was not sure what the comeback battle of the Northwest Army would be like. The result is destruction or rebirth!

"Sir, listen, what is that sound?" Suddenly a general of the Northwest Army stopped and turned his head curiously to look upstream of the river. Soon, a vague rumbling sound began to become clear, which seemed to be Something huge is gliding

"Could it be!" Crolisat also looked at the direction where the sound came from with curiosity. He saw a dozen small black dots quickly growing larger and larger from the distance of the river. The white sails were clearly floating in the rolling flood, and everyone's eyes bulged.

"Warship! It's the Empire's warship!"

Crolisat's pupils shrank as he looked at the small black dots, his body trembled slightly, and an uncontrollable ecstasy flashed across his face. He knew that Governor Duoze of Rusty built a small dam upstream of the river in December last year to accumulate water during droughts.

But he didn't expect that the Empire actually built a dock in this dam.

It was too easy to temporarily assemble a dozen Imperial warships with accessories throughout the winter, and now, the entire Rusty is a swamp, and even heavy warships can sail in these rivers.

Who else can be such a despicable and shameless person who makes his opponent feel desperate, except His Majesty the Falcon! It seems that in December last year, His Majesty was already preparing to break the situation!