Realm of Power

White snowflakes fell on the gray-white cracked crenellations of the castle. The faint morning light outside had not yet illuminated the earth. A group of shouting black-armored cavalry arrived at the rock castle on the front line of Kyoto in Gaul with the sound of whistling horse hooves.

The fat man stopped his horse and looked at this strategic point mentioned many times in the report. It was a rock fortress made of huge gray-white rocks. The length and width of the front and back were only more than two hundred meters. However, the terrain was excellent. Built on a hundred-meter-high cliff, with only one road accessible, it is like a huge nest standing high on the top of the cliff, looking down at the world from above.

This fortress has guarded the main road leading to Kyoto for three hundred years. It is the first gate that any enemy must cross if they want to enter the Gallic Kyoto from the west. During the peak period of the Gallic Empire, troops were stationed here for three hundred years. Fifteen thousand people, the tiger's gaze shocked the entire northwest of the empire,

As the Battle of Kyoto took a turn for the worse, the Gauls, who had transferred their troops to the north, abandoned this place a month ago. It is now the base camp of the Kyoto attack line commanded by Hu Keqili.

The war between the Falcon Empire and Gaul has lasted for three years, from the northwest to the southwest, to the hinterland of Gaul, and to the capital of Gaul. Hundreds of thousands of troops fought fiercely, and millions of lives were lost. Fatty spent countless efforts, With incomparable patience, he cut off the Gauls piece by piece The war strength was exhausted, and the famous generals who had been the pillars of the Gauls fell one by one in the turbulent whirlpool of this protracted war. Now, he came to the Rock Castle, preparing to end it all this winter and give the Gauls a fatal blow. The heart that hits is extremely strong,

, Soon, this will become the base camp for the entire empire to fight against Gaul Kyoto. The imperial troops who have received orders to gather around this base camp are gathering from all directions, including the fifth and sixth main banners of the Imperial Central Army. group. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th main flag regiments of the Southern Army, the 2nd Imperial Cavalry Flag Regiment, and the second echelon troops will also arrive here at the end of October, including the 1st to 4th main forces of the Imperial Central Army that have completed their rest in the southwest area. The flag regiment, two newly formed Thor regiments, and the 15,000-strong Coldland Allied Forces that had just arrived on the northwest coast, even if we do not count the Saronian Army that marched north to contain the Gauls' forces, this amount The total number of troops mobilized by the sub-empire during the winter also exceeded 200,000.

A third of the empire's military strength. The last time so many regular troops were mobilized was during the war of annihilation against Rode. This shows how strongly Fatty wanted to see the Falcon Empire's battle flag planted on the city of Kyoto in Gaul this winter. He arrived The first thing the Wall Rock Castle did was to excitedly climb to the top of this large fortress known as the "No. 1 Gateway to Kyoto", accompanied by Hu Keqili, regardless of the cold snow swirling in the sky. watchtower,

His eyes narrowed into a thin line and he looked into the distance. He wanted to know that it was just like the rumors. If his eyesight was far enough and his vision was clear enough, he could see it from the observation deck at the top of the fortress. You can clearly see the capital of Gaul, 50 miles away.

Unfortunately, all the fat man saw was gray and white, the cold wind was howling, and the winter fog was heavy.

"It's boring!"

The fat man tightened his clothes and curled his lips slightly. He realized that he tried hard no matter what. He couldn't see anything more than ten miles away. In the end, a huge calm blue lake caught his eye. The lake lay between the gray morning mist, long, narrow and deep, surrounded by endless dark green on both sides. Taiga. Even in the winter when the land is covered with white snow, this coniferous forest maintains its evergreen color, with mostly yellow-brown and golden needles, like a huge gray-green sentinel tree towering overhead. There are also spruce, sage, and soldier pine, numerous and endless. The lower vegetation is sparse, and the ground is covered with a thick layer of white snow. The frozen lake is like a snow-white mirror in the morning mist.

"What's the name of that lake?" The fat man frowned slightly, looked away, gave up his efforts, and took a deep breath and asked.

"It's the Furnas Lake mentioned in the report! The Gauls' New 7th and 9th Infantry Regiments are there. They number about 30,000 people. They are the flanks of the Gauls' Kyoto defense line." Hukoqi next to him Li answered with a look of horror on his face. He knew that His Majesty Falcon's eyes were unusually sharp, but he didn't Thinking of being able to be so sharp, the snowy fields were all over the place, and all he could see was the gray light and shadow of the earth shaking in the distance, but what His Majesty Falcon could see was several miles away. If this was the case, maybe on a fine day, this You might be able to see Gaul and Kyoto fifty miles away at a glance.

"You mentioned in your report the defense areas of the New 7th and 9th Gallic Infantry Regiments located on the line connecting Kyoto and the north? Didn't you say that the garrison points of these two infantry regiments are fifteen miles away from here? When did the Gauls The battle line is so forward? "The fat man seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes lit up.

"Yes, these are the two infantry regiments"

Hu Keqili explained with an embarrassed expression, "This is a change that has only occurred in the past few days. Since the Saronian Army approached the important northern town of Antura, the Gauls began to fluctuate, and the two infantry regiments moved forward at the same time a day ago. After traveling for fifteen miles, we reached the Furnas Lake area."

"Suddenly moved fifteen miles forward in one day?" The fat man said with a trace of solemnity on his face. "Suddenly assuming such an aggressive posture is really not what the Gallic army, which is currently suffering due to Salon's advance north, should show." something"

"Yes, my subordinates are also confused. It should be to prevent our army's scouts from spying on the rear!" Hu Keqili took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and explained, "Behind the original defense line is Gaul As for the connection line between Kyoto and the north, it is said that the Gauls have just formed a horse-drawn sleigh team and are continuously transporting supplies between Kyoto and the north day and night. In this case, in order to block a possible raid by our army, Pushing the front forward is also explicable.”

"Explanation? Tell me your explanation." The fat man placed his hands on the battlements covered with thick layers of snow, and looked at him with a coldness in his sword-like eyes. Hu Keqili felt a chill on his back and said quickly, " I believe that the sudden approach of the opponent's defense line is to limit our army's sight. The backbone of the two Gaulish infantry regiments is three thousand Gallic Guards. They have very strong combat effectiveness, and the Gauls The Lu people spared no effort to protect this transportation line. Even though the troops were very tight, the person in charge of the Gallic-Kyoto defense line still stationed two infantry regiments five miles behind the two infantry regiments, so we faced There are four Gallic legions in two lines of defense, with a combined strength of more than 60,000, which is really beyond the current assault force of our army."

"You mean, this sudden advance of the defense line aims to make us blind!" A hint of anger appeared on the fat man's face, and he clenched his hands on the battlements.

"It is currently impossible to know what the Gauls behind the defense line are doing. Even if the Gauls are secretly reinforcing the north, we have no way of knowing. Is that what you mean? Have you ever thought about what if Salon, who was marching alone northward, suddenly found out that he was waiting in Antura? What will happen if he is attacked by several times the enemy?" The fat man's series of questions caused beads of sweat to appear on Hu Keqili's forehead. He knelt down on one knee with a look of fear. "It's because my subordinates are incompetent! I didn't expect this, but it is more than 800 miles from here to Antura. The reinforcements from the other side should not be that fast. There is now heavy snow in northern Gaul and the road is blocked." .

"With a horse-drawn sleigh, is it difficult to cross 800 miles in five days?" The fat man curled his lips in disdain and snorted with a heavy nose. "It has been delayed for one day. In other words, the time left for us is only Four days! Think about it!"

"My subordinates will immediately send people to reinforce Salon!" A trace of determination flashed across Hu Keqili's face.

"I'm afraid we won't be able to catch up with the reinforcements. One day is enough to decide everything. Immediately inform Salon as quickly as possible not to attack Antura for the time being, otherwise this guy will run into Antura and lose a layer of skin even if he doesn't die. . And you only have three flag regiments with a combined strength of only 40,000. It is no longer easy to contain the troops in front of Kyoto in Gaul. Now we have to mobilize reinforcements. I dare say that we don’t have to wait for the news from Antura. , your side will collapse first!”

The fat man waved his hand and asked Hu Keqili to stand up. He turned around and looked at the huge mirror-like lake in the distance. His eyes were profound. Even a clever woman can't make a meal without rice. Even if he is one of the most famous generals in the empire, in order to reduce the burden of rear transportation in winter, Burden, the number of troops to attack Gaul's capital was only 100,000. It was also divided into two directions: northward advance and diversion. Hu Keqili was able to suppress the nearly 200,000 troops in Kyoto with such a force. It was already commendable. The fat man tilted his head and his eyes were like lightning. He was surprised. Asking "Where are Besukaya's reindeer cavalry now?"

"According to your Majesty's wishes, in order not to expose their existence, I placed them in the Bocha Canyon ten miles away from here." Hu Keqili responded with a pale face, "I have prepared enough food inside, enough for the people of the North. In January, the combat power of the reindeer cavalry was indeed frightening in winter. They performed very well last time, but unfortunately their number was too small and they could only be used as a sharp knife, if there were more. .

Hu Keqili stopped his voice, carefully glanced at the fat man's back, and said, "There are 60,000 Gallic regular troops on the opposite side, and 3,000 reindeer cavalry can sneak up on the logistics team and so on, and invest tens of thousands." A person's frontal battlefield is like a drop of water falling into a lake. It will not have much effect! "

"Does your Majesty mean to let them join the war?" Hu Keqili raised his head blankly. There are three thousand people. What kind of evil thing is your Majesty going to do? It would be about the same if there were three thousand heavy cavalry. Unfortunately, except for the northern border guard, which has a heavy cavalry unit, the empire has no other troops. Those are the patented cavalry of the female knight Berlant Bonnie, and they are all Knights of Reedian. They are a shock A sharp blade for the prairie people.

"Three thousand reindeer cavalry are a bit short, but sometimes, this blood-letting knife can pierce the throat with one arrow!" The fat man looked back from a distance, turned around and patted Hu Keqili's hand. Shoulders “It’s time for them to come out of the valley!

With a sneer on his lips, the fat man grabbed the broken snow on the battlements and threw it into the air. The snowflakes were swept and rolled by the high-altitude wind, and flew away into the distance. Said coldly

"Since the Gauls want to block us, then we will smash his two front teeth. Even if the Gauls are not hurt to death, we will make him call back the troops sent to the north with blood in his mouth! Sixty thousand Are there many people? Believe it or not, I will kill them all if I turn my hand!"

The famous imperial general Hu Keqili lowered his head with a sad face and did not dare to raise it. He sighed in shame that His Majesty always showed off his domineering power and it was so humiliating.

On the morning of October 19th, the 11,000-strong troops of the Fifth Flag Regiment of the Central Army of the Falcon Empire marched into the Furnas Lake area and began to build fortifications, cut down trees and build sling stones to attack the Gallic army guard towers opposite. car. Feeling provoked, the New Fifth Infantry Regiment and the New Seventh Infantry Regiment of Gaul formed an attack line with three times the strength and began to counterattack from the front, preparing to kill this provocateur who did not know the heights of the sky and the earth. At noon, the defense lines of the two armies were less than 500 meters apart.

The wind and snow suddenly stopped, like forest spears shining brightly in the cold sun, the weather began to get dry and cold quickly,

"The order goes down and hold on!"

Reposti, the commander of the Fifth Banner of the Central Army, stood on a raised mound beside the frozen lake, looking at the Gallic troops lined up behind the flying snowflakes in the distance. In front of them were about 10,000 people with spears and heavy shields. Then came the main force of 20,000 infantrymen, with three troops at the front and rear, each fifty meters apart. The cluster on the front was like a ferocious long snake, interlocking with each other. It was almost difficult to find a weak point to defeat. It was obvious that they wanted to Relying on the superiority of military strength, they defeated their weak defense line frontally, and then formed a stranglehold in this dense forest area.

I struggled with the Falcon Army in Kyoto for more than a month. The Gallic commander on the opposite side already had experience. He looked at the dense phalanx of crossbowmen hidden behind the rear of the Falcon Army on the opposite side. The leader of the first line of defense, Hondubai, the new commander of the Gallic Fifth Infantry Regiment, did not Eager to overwhelm all the troops,

The Falcon Army's crossbow formation is known as a killing machine on the battlefield. The opponent wisely chose the dense forest in this lake area as the basis of the array. As long as there is an opportunity to adjust, this natural barrier will slow down the speed of its attacking troops, and then become a target for the opponent to shoot at will.

"Has there been any reply from Madam Paula?"

Hong Dubai wore a gray-blue general's armor. He raised the mask on his face and turned to ask the messenger cavalry behind him. He was waiting for reinforcements from the second line of defense. Yes, although the reinforcements have a three-fold advantage in strength, judging from the several years of fighting between the Empire and the Falcon Empire, the best way to defeat the almost abnormal defense line of the Falcon Army head-on is not to attack by force. , but chose to give it a fatal blow from the flank,

The Falcon Army is studying the tactics of the Gauls, and the Gaulish Army is also studying the tactics of the Falcon Army.

"We must have a force that can contain the opponent's flanks and cooperate with our own attacks. Only in this way can we ensure that superior forces can continue to fight. Constantly line up the fresh troops on the front line, and follow your own rhythm as you wish, extending the attack period of the entire campaign. Finally. By With continuous attacks, the exhausted Falcon Army's defense line will be completely torn apart. As long as the Falcon Army, which is good at long-range attacks, is dragged into the quagmire of chaos, there will be only one final outcome. Whichever side is at a disadvantage will lose its last bit of physical strength. Squeeze it dry and the whole army will be destroyed!"

"If the above conditions cannot be met, even if you have the advantage, you cannot adopt a frontal attack strategy!" In the combat guide issued to the commanders of the Gallic armies, the general manager Yarde specifically noted this point. It is a very tragic tactic. But this is the conclusion and experience gained by countless Gallic soldiers with blood and glory.

The atmosphere before the battle made both armies feel a little nervous. Reposti's body stood on the mound like a statue. As the commander of the entire flag regiment, even if he is a little uneasy in his heart, he must not show a hint of timidity. His body stands upright. For the soldiers below, the general is their backbone. In front of him is three times the size. Behind your own troops is a wide lake as smooth as a mirror. Once the defense line is shaken, there will be no terrain behind you that can be used for combat.

Thick winter black clouds lingered like cotton balls above the heads of the two armies, piling up higher and higher. Between the sky, the earth, and the sky, they were like a huge eye, staring at all the living beings below. There was no snow in the sky, but it was dry and cold. disturbing,

"According to the report ten minutes ago, Lady Paula is still three miles away from here!" The messenger cavalry half-knelt in front of Hondo Bai

"Three miles! Is that bastard crawling? He can't be faster!" Hong Dubai was very dissatisfied and narrowed his eyes into a line. In his eyes, the Falcon Army on the opposite side had been suppressed by him and could not move, but he was This piece of fat was too much to swallow. It had three times the strength. If it hadn't been for the death order from Alder, he might have been unable to bear it.

"Forget it, forget about this bastard!" He raised his head and glanced at the sky, and finally raised his hand, "Order the Fourth and Sixth Heavy Armored Squadron to start attacking, and the archers will cover."

"Advance!" The light cavalry conveying the order galloped past the infantry column. The attack line composed of 5,000 heavy Gallic infantry began to move forward. Behind these heavy infantry, 3,000 Gaulish light-armored archers followed closely. Then, the footsteps stepped on the ground, forming whirling white vortexes in the dusty snow. It seemed that even the white color on the ground was crushed by these too dense footsteps, wrapped in metal armor.

The sharp armor flowed and emerged in the deep mist, and they advanced closely and orderly, treading the ground very smoothly. It is as if a luminous river has been added to the earth. There were no slogans, no sounds, except for the sound of footsteps one after another, there was no other sound. It seems that there are only the rhythmic rustling footsteps in the sky and the earth.

On October 19, the Battle of Gallic Capital, known as the Empire's first winter offensive, officially kicked off at Lake Furnas. (To be continued...)