Realm of Power

On the fourth day of the army's march north, the 50,000-strong Imperial Central Army arrived outside the important northern town of Antura. The war horses came to an emergency stop in the endless snowy field. The fat man's eyes scanned the darkening clouds in the sky, the fields and the wind-protecting elm trees. Everything was frozen by the cold air, and the sound of dead branches breaking under the horses' hooves was heard,

The fat man raised his right hand wrapped in a thick animal leather glove, facing the setting sun shining in the distance, and ordered to the army behind him, "Stop the entire army, camp on the spot to rest, and the scouts will block off the ten-mile radius!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the captain of the cavalry behind him shouted in response,

"Stand where you are!" Teams of cavalry shouted and flew past the head and tail of the horse-drawn sleigh queue.

"Boom, boom, boom" snow and dust were flying. In the vast snow, thousands of horse-drawn sleighs began to stop like three huge black dragons. Countless soldiers jumped down from them and lined up. Their spears were like a forest of cold light rising from the plains. , like a white line in the setting sun

"Scout, blockade for ten miles!" The scout cavalry galloped on both sides of the 30,000 main infantry, spreading out like two fans towards the two wings, and quickly disappeared at the end of the snowfield.

"Hurry up, hurry up, move!"

The soldiers unloaded supplies from multiple horse-drawn sleighs with high morale. Although they marched for four days on horse-drawn sleighs, the mood of the soldiers was not greatly affected. The infantry captains loudly yelled at the soldiers for moving the simple tents. The wooden frame was taken off the sled and sent out in an orderly manner. The wooden team leaned towards the forest next to it. In front of them was an amazing real forest. Even in the winter when everything was dead, there were huge tree trunks that required several people to surround them, and they were buried deeply under the snow-white earth. , countless tall trees still cover the sky like a crown of flowers,

"Pop" sawdust flew everywhere. The sharp ax kept hitting the tree trunk, getting deeper and deeper. The tree trunk made an overwhelming sound, and the tall crown of the tree fell heavily to one side. Snap! With heavy "shen yin", huge trees were cut into several sections and dragged back. When the sky was completely dark, the camp had used wood to light a fire. The countless fire spots in front of the camp were like stars on a white canvas. , the soldiers are cooking. The dried meat brought for barbecue was steaming hot here under the cold silver sky.

In the tent with a warm bonfire, the fat man sat on an animal skin armchair, turning over the map of northern Gaul given by the Slavs back and forth in his hand. The Slavs stayed in northern Gaul for more than a year and almost occupied the entire north, so this map is very detailed.

The fat man's gaze fell on a concave U-shaped place on the map. It was a low valley formed by a mountain range, with the city mark, Antura, on one end. , and on another convex point of this U-shape, it is marked as a small town called Grosso,

"His Majesty!"

The camp door opened, and Hu Keqili walked in carrying a dinner plate. Inside the plate was a roasted golden hare leg, and two castrated tench fish he got from an unknown source. He placed the plate respectfully. In front of the fat man, Hu Keqili backed up and prepared to leave

"What about the attrition situation of each army that I asked you to check? Is it serious?" The fat man raised his head and looked at him sharply.

"No. Except for a small amount of frostbite, the 50,000-strong army marched for four days in winter, and only more than 100 soldiers suffered frostbite, which is already very ideal!" Hu Keqili said with an excited face, "His Majesty's winter military uniforms are still effective, 11 The weather in northern Gaul during the month is close to extremely cold. The temperature is about minus five degrees during the day, but at night when there is no light and no heat, the temperature is also very cold. It can suddenly drop to minus 15 degrees. Such weather is almost as good as when we fought in the cold northern areas. I still remember that time vividly. On average, in a flag regiment of 10,000 people, one hundred soldiers had their legs amputated due to frostbite. Many people, nearly 500 people, quit the battle early because of the cold. Compared with the enemy's sharp swords, the cold and harsh weather has a more serious impact on the morale of the soldiers! "

Hu Keqili paused, took a deep breath, and continued with shining eyes, "But this year, since the beginning of the cold winter, the attrition has been significantly curbed. For the first time, everyone knows that it can be done in the armor." The method of wearing cotton-padded clothes inside is actually that most of the combat armors of our army are much larger than the wearer's actual body. This is to facilitate the elite soldiers who have the conditions to add more layers to the inner layer of the armor. A layer of mail is added to enhance the protection. Now, everyone has become accustomed to replacing the mail with cotton-padded clothes and putting on armor outside. Although it looks a bit bulky, it is still useful to fight on the snow where the snow layer does not reach the ankles or even the calves. For soldiers, there is not much difference between lightness and bulkiness. What they care most about is being able to avoid being frozen unconscious in the cold night and not shivering in the cold during long battles! "

"Okay, I get it, as long as you can see the effect!" The fat man nodded, picked up the roasted hare legs on the plate, took a bite, and said, "This year, I have forced all the winter cotton uniforms of the frontline combat troops to be put in place. Able to withstand the standard of minus 20 degrees, because this is a war different from the past. This time I We have two enemies, one is the Gauls, and the other is the severe winter cold in Gaul. The battlefield situation is ever-changing. The limit of the application of tactics is actually the physical limit that the soldiers can withstand. Who can control the impact of the natural climate on their troops? Whoever has the adverse effects minimized will take the initiative on the battlefield!

"The essence of war is actually to burn money. Whoever burns money more will have stronger soldiers." The fat man sighed and said with a bit of pain. "I spent a lot of money on this year's winter military uniforms. Most people just..." see us in this winter The Gallic army was overwhelmed by the inferior force. In particular, Salon's 30,000 northern troops created brilliant achievements in defeating nearly 100,000 northern troops in Gaul several times, but rarely. Some people will think that wearing thick cotton clothes What the armored imperial army faced was actually rows of enemies wearing linen clothes shivering in the cold winter. They were all piles of money. I heard that there were several so-called great battles, and Salon marched north. The troops just lined up and waited for an hour Finally, the Gauls on the opposite side either retreated coldly or rushed over to die in complete chaos! Otherwise, how could that bastard reach Antura so easily? The bastard still said in the report how bloody he fought. Look. I almost vomited! "

"I have also heard about this. I should have known it was so easy. I should have been allowed to go north in the first place!" Hu Keqili looked unwilling. This month, Salon has been in trouble in the north, and But he was pressed into the palm-sized area of ​​Biyan Castle. It was like the sky was on the ground.

"You go? The fat man chuckled. No, even if you know you can do it like this, you are not as shameless as that guy, and you are still extremely determined to be shameless! So some tactics vary from person to person." The fat man comforted this confidant again Said, "Actually, the real contribution to creating such a situation is your frontal pressure."

"Oh? Does it have anything to do with me being positive?" Hu Keqili was stunned for a moment.

"It's very relevant!" The fat man explained with an affirmative tone. "Without your frontal pressure, how could the capital of Gaul put all its manpower, material and financial resources on the frontal front? All its poor financial resources were used to buy iron. Mines, recruiting soldiers, and providing military salaries, where can there be money to solve the problem of soldiers suffering from cold winter? The Gauls thought that they were already recuperating in this area. It has been going on for hundreds of years. Every winter has been like this. Even if you don’t have winter cotton clothes, it’s no big deal. In the past, the cold winter in Gaul was the biggest obstacle to the invaders and the biggest reliance of the local people in Gaul. But this year, everything is different. Everything has been reversed. This cold winter will soon drain away the last limited strength of the Gallic army! "

"Actually, I even considered using horse-drawn sleds to carry your troops around the side of the Gallic defense line and cut off the connection between Kyoto and other places from the other side of the Gallic capital." The fat man paused, his eyes flickering. Said, "But the intelligence I received indicates that there is another direction in Gaul and Kyoto, which is comparable to what we are facing." It is even more difficult to conquer, because for a long time, the strongest defense line in Gaul Kyoto was not the western front that we mainly attacked, but the eastern front that needed to face the eastern princes and the Central Asian Empire at any time, so in Gaul The east side of Lu Jingdu has a complete defense line. If you advance without authorization, you will be in a dilemma.

"But if we occupy northern Gaul, that's another matter. It's not impossible to encircle the capital of Gaul on three sides! Tatu. Find all the generals!" The fat man ate up the last bit of meat from the roasted hare leg. , wiped the grease on his hands, and said to a guard captain standing guard outside the tent.

"The army has been marching northward for four consecutive days. Going forward is the real northern Gaul! Before the war, the army needs necessary rest and recuperation." The fat man waved to Hu Keqili. Tonight we will plan the northern battle!

"Your Majesty!" Soon, four commanders of the central military flag regiment walked into the military tent,

"You all come here!" The fat man turned to look at the four commanders of the Central Army Flag Regiment who walked in, pointed at the map spread out on Table Mountain, and said, "You must have thought of it. This time our target is northern Gaul. Further ahead is the Antura area, an important town in the north, which means that further ahead we may encounter Gaul's northern army at any time. The Gauls have about 80,000 troops. Our goal is Using these Gallic troops as bait to force the Gallic Kyoto side to mobilize reinforcements again may take a few days or a few weeks. I hope everyone can be mentally prepared!" The fat man raised his head and said to Hu Keqili! "You immediately send someone to contact Salon and tell him that I will approach Antura from the direction of Grosso. Before that, I hope to see the main force of the Gauls leave Antura!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In Kyoto, Gaul, the heavy hoofs of horseshoes stepped on the icy streets, raising a burst of white snow. "Gaul messengers galloped through the streets on their war horses, with red feathers on their helmets representing their status." It was blown by the wind, like a faint red line Moving at high speed, I saw the cavalrymen who were responsible for delivering battle reports. The patrols on the street gave way one after another. The cavalrymen reined in their horses in front of the steps of the Gallic Ministry of Military Affairs, and skillfully jumped off their horses. In the confusion of everyone, He ran up the steps quickly with his eyes in his eyes,"

"What's the matter?" At the end of the steps, a Guards officer in blue uniform stretched out his hand to stop him. "The adults are holding an emergency military meeting. If you have anything, just leave it to me."

The messenger hesitated for a moment, handed over the battle report in his hand, and said breathlessly, "Please immediately report to Lord Drake the scout report in the direction of Biyan Castle. There is definite evidence that the number of Falcon Army defenders in Biyan Fort is insufficient. Three thousand people! And there is no sign of backup! "

"What, there are less than three thousand defenders in Biyan Castle!" After hearing such news, the Guards officer asked again with an expression of disbelief, are you sure you are not mistaken?

"The scouts have been observing for two days! The messenger cavalry replied definitely

The Guards officer holding the report hesitated for a moment. There is a meeting going on above. If the intelligence turns out to be just a false alarm, I will be in trouble. I will believe such nonsense, but that is the Wall Castle, known as the gateway to Kyoto! For the entire college entrance examination in Kyoto. It is definitely a strategic direction of great significance.

"Please send it to Lord Drake immediately. The frontline scouts are not sure how long this situation will last." Seeing that the Imperial Guards had not moved, the messenger looked up anxiously at the sun that had begun to set to the west. He took out another certificate from his arms and said, "Sir, please Look, this is a certificate from General Bolas, who was in charge of the front line. He also went to confirm it once before sending a small horse to send back the report. General Bolas believed that this was the final victory of our army in taking down the Biyan Fortress. A great opportunity. Every second of delay may lead to changes!”

"Lord Bolas's certificate!" The Guards officer hurriedly took the document from the orderer, glanced at it, his face changed slightly, and said angrily, "Why didn't you take it out earlier? You wasted so much time!" The officer did not dare to delay even a moment. He took the battle report directly and went to the fourth floor of the Military Affairs Ministry. The door of the conference room on the fourth floor of the Military Affairs Department was pushed open from the outside. This military meeting gathered the officers and deputy commanders of the entire Kyoto Front Infantry Regiment. It was a big meeting when Drake served as the general person in charge of the Kyoto Front. There were more than thirty people sitting in the conference room.

"Our army will definitely thwart the ambitions of the Falcon Army..." Drake was giving an excited speech, as if he could drown the above-mentioned enemies with his saliva. The door of the conference room was pushed open, and the generals He almost turned his eyes away looking impatient. Everyone wants to see who is so bold. How dare you break into the first important meeting of the Kyoto Line chief executive?

"What's up?"

Drake looked very dissatisfied. His hand was still in front of the large military map on the wall. He turned around with some displeasure and marked several arrows on the map behind him. The long and wide arrows , an arrow that is as red as blood. Although he has never actually been on the battlefield, as a veteran who has been around for many years, he is still very disciplined in making battle plans.

"Sir, urgent information!" Under Drake's hateful gaze, the Guards officer stepped forward nervously and handed the information in his hand to Drake respectfully, and whispered, "Sir, It’s about the situation at Wall Rock Castle. Lord Bolas made a special statement!”

"Boras gave proof?" Draco's face was stunned for a moment. He took the information and looked at the unfolded information carefully. His eyes suddenly lit up like light bulbs, and even his voice seemed a little trembling. "Is it true?" "

"It's hard to say, but Lord Bolas has fifteen years of combat experience, and his character has always been trustworthy in the imperial military circles!" the Guards officer replied seriously, "without further delay, please make a decision immediately!" Opportunities don’t come every time

"What happened?" The other generals were confused when they saw it.

"It seems to be about Biyan Castle..." A general with sharper ears whispered.

"Could it be that the Falcon Army is attacking from the front?"

"I don't know, what a puzzling meeting!" The meeting room suddenly seemed messy.

"Everyone, I just made a decision!" Drake finally made up his mind. No matter what, he always has to give this opportunity a try. He raised his hand and held the information in his palm. This is an important thing. How could he do it? Let others see it!

He coughed dryly, and was very proud of the attention of everyone, and began to say loudly, "I decided to immediately launch a counterattack on the Rock Castle at the gateway to Kyoto. This will be our Gallic Empire's fatal blow to the evil Falcon Empire. We must let them Know that our Gallic soldiers are powerful enough to defeat him!"

Just as he was expressing his excitement, the generals below all looked at him as if they were a fool. Counterattacking the wall rock fortress? Who do you think you are, Hassan Rimbaud or Alder? You are just a general who has never been on the battlefield. You can talk about the map, but when you go to the battlefield, you are a blind idiot! Everyone comes to this meeting just for the sake of the face of those behind you. As for the face of your puppet, do you need to care about it?

"Did you hear that? This is the most interesting statement I have heard in the past few years." A rough-looking Gallic general whispered to his companion next to him. "I bet the first-class manor three cities outside that this guy will The first person to wet his pants under the Falcon Army's Thunder God!"

"Don't talk nonsense, how is this possible!" The companion next to him said dissatisfiedly, "That guy probably wet his pants just by seeing the Falcon Army battle flag on the Rock Fort!"

"Ha ha!"

"Okay, it's decided!" While the generals were teasing in low voices, Drake said with a firm tone, "In the evening, our army will secretly drive towards Biyan Castle, and in the early morning of tomorrow, we will give it to the guards' hunters. A big surprise for the Eagles!”