Realm of Power

In mid-November in northern Gaul, the ground was frozen and snow was drifting for thousands of miles. After the cold blizzard, a period of calm weather unexpectedly appeared.

The Imperial Central Army marching north from the direction of Kyoto in Gaul and Salon's northern marching army met in Antura. The two armies had a total strength of 87,000 people, including the powerful imperial generals Salon, Hu Keqili and others. On the Lu side, with the first wave of confrontation, the 30,000 Bidan army of Duke Simon, the northern commander, was annihilated. The total military strength has dropped from the original absolute advantage of 140,000 to the current 110,000. The gap in military strength has been narrowed, making it difficult to maintain the advantage. The soldiers learned that they were facing the most elite central army of the Falcon Empire. At this time, the shake in morale is a serious wound that is difficult to heal in a short period of time.

Tielan held an emergency meeting at the small fortress in the pass. First, he pretended to express his grief for Duke Simon, the northern commander of the empire, who died in the service of his country. However, his eyes were full of indifference. He leaned forward, placed his hands heavily on the table, and looked at He glanced at the generals below who were panicking for a while and said in a deep voice.

"Everyone, we are the last strength of the empire in the north. As imperial soldiers, our first priority should be to try our best to annihilate the invading enemies. But this time, our situation is very bad. The important northern town of Antura has fallen into the hands of the hunter. In the hands of the Eagle Army, all connections with Kyoto were cut off, and the enemy's total strength also increased from 30,000 to 30,000. We had 80,000 soldiers, and the commander was changed from the mighty Saron to the Falcon Empire Emperor Vecia Falcon, who made countless Gallic generals tremble. This change was enough to defeat us with three times the number of troops we originally envisioned. The Falcon Empire's plan to advance northward cannot be implemented. Now we must make a choice, fight or evacuate further north! "

"Of course it's a battle! We have a superior force! And we are fighting on our own soil." Ruhr, the commander of the 11th Infantry Regiment of the Northern Army who had just joined Tielan, stood up. Seems a little careless"

As soon as he said these words, he heard a burst of disdain from the generals of the Kyoto Army opposite. The generals in Kyoto whispered something,

"Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Ruel had some uncertainty on his face, and he looked at Tielan who was sitting on the main seat. When I saw the face of the head of the Kyoto Army, he looked ugly, as if he had been slapped in the face.

"Although I don't want to improve the enemy and defeat myself, I still want to say this." This was a middle-aged general standing up from the Central Army general opposite. He looked directly at Ruhr, who was a little stunned across the way. He said in a condensed voice, "Sir Ruhr, your department considers that it has fought against the Falcon Army many times, so it dares to make such a judgment rashly. However, Lord Ruhr, please recognize that the people who have been fighting with your department in the past are members of the Falcon Empire." The fierce general Salon only faced a Falcon Army force of about 30,000 people. But now, we are facing the Falcon Emperor. The emperor of the country has as many as 50,000 truly elite troops of the Falcon Empire under his command. Under such circumstances, they are still shouting for battle! If they are fighting against the Vekia Falcon, if they do not have the advantage of more than 300,000 troops, , This is what people can say without thorough preparation.”

"What do you mean!"

Ruer was a little confused by what he said, and it took him a while to realize that the other person was scolding him!

He immediately stood up angrily and responded with a sharp tone, "Sir Bailu, although you are a Kyoto Army general and come from a big place like Kyoto, your jokes like this are not funny at all. Isn't he the Vekia Falcon?" It's not just human beings. The Falcon Army's combat power is strong, but we have also fought against them, even though their current strength is small. It has grown to 80,000 people, but we are 110,000! Moreover, we are well-equipped and have the local advantage. It is already mid-November. As long as it lasts for another month, the north will enter the most terrifying situation. It’s so cold, even if the Vekia Falcon is known as the invincible God of War, he will still choose to retreat due to winter supply problems!”

"Lord Ruhr, do you know what you mean by holding on for a month!" The Kyoto Army general known as Bailu had an inexplicable sadness on his face and said with twinkling eyes.

"110,000 versus 80,000, is it difficult to hold on for a month?" Ruhr took a deep breath and asked, unwilling to be outdone.

"Stupid, overestimating one's abilities"

"It really doesn't hurt to stand and talk"

The Kyoto Army general opposite was like a drop of water falling into the rolling boiling oil. The pot exploded in an instant,

A general said angrily, "In the Battle of Rusty, just as we took a local defense with superior strength, the Vecia Falcons with 300,000 troops were just a sweep. In one month, our empire's army suffered 600,000 losses in battles." , as many as six generals were captured alone Seventeen people, in the Battle of Daniel, the elite of your Northern Army led the battle. In less than a month, 170,000 elite troops were lost in this battle. Now you tell me that it only takes one month. You I know how ironic and ridiculous this sentence sounds now!

"For one month, with 110,000 troops with mixed equipment, good and bad, against the most powerful Imperial Central Army under the command of Vecia Falcon, you are looking for death!" Another Kyoto Army general said

"Multiple previous battles have shown that any solid defense and so-called military superiority are a joke in front of the most terrifying top commander on the continent, the Vekia Falcon! And our supplies may not last for less than a month!" We will collapse before the Falcon Army collapses!"

"Okay, everyone, please be quiet!"

Tie Lan waved his hand to stop the quarrel, and felt a little headache looking at the chaotic situation in front of him. The Kyoto Army was not from the north, and now it was necessary for the Kyoto Army to fight for the north against the elite Falcon Empire troops led by Vecia Falcon. , these generals will definitely not do it. The Northern Army represented by Ruhr is another matter. As the troops responsible for the northern defense of the empire, most of them are native northerners. Naturally, these Northern Army hope to stick to their hometown.

Tie Lan rubbed his eyebrows with a headache, feeling that he was in a dilemma.

The strength of the Vekia Falcon is obvious to all. The first thing his Majesty the Falcon did when he arrived in the north was to swallow the northern core Antura in one gulp, tightly grasp the active group of the northern battle, and then wave the empire with a casual wave. The Bidan Army, which Duke Simon, the Northern Commander, was proud of, was completely turned into a pile of corpses. The next step must be to eliminate the 111,000 troops under his command. Having completely brought control of the northern part of the empire into the hands of the Falcon Empire, Tie Lan felt a sense of powerless frustration at the thought of fighting against His Majesty the Falcon again.

The scene of the Imperial Army's bloody rivers at the Battle of Rusty still seemed to float before his eyes. Only those who have experienced the terror of that invincible commander know how difficult it is to make up their minds to fight against him. Just like knowing that they are destined to fail miserably before the battle begins, the commander who issues this order needs an iron will. force,

Otherwise, I would think that I would kill tens of thousands of subordinates with my own hands. Even if hundreds of thousands of his subordinates are sent to the enemy's butcher's knife, the commander himself will collapse due to guilt. In this regard, although he does not say it, the person Tielan admires the most is Hassan Rimbaud! The number one in the Gallic military will definitely be worthy of his name. His perseverance in fighting alone far surpasses that of other generals. If it weren't for the overwhelming power of the Vecchia Falcon opposite him, Hassan Rimbaud might not have had the chance to become a famous general in the Gallic Empire's renaissance.

"Actually, I personally think that His Majesty the Falcon may not want to start a fight with us right away!" In the silence, someone on the seat representing the Northern Army to Tielan's left seemed to mutter.

"What?"

Everyone's eyes immediately focused on the past

"Pat. What did you just say?"

Tie Lan also thought that he heard wrongly and asked again. The expressions of the others were the same. It was true that the commander of the 10th Infantry Regiment of the Northern Army spoke too softly just now.

Bald Pat's face hesitated, "My subordinates are saying that the Vekia Falcon is just like us and doesn't necessarily want to start fighting immediately, because from the current point of view, after eating Simon in one bite, the Falcon should immediately We chose to press us, but the other party did not immediately turn in our direction. Instead, it retreated to Antura. This shows that the other party also acted accordingly. Because of the weakness of insufficient troops, we are vacillating between fighting and not fighting! If we fight, we may not be able to defeat him. But if we adopt a defensive posture, the other side must consider that if we want to eat up 80,000 troops. We will lose at least half of our 110,000 troops, and His Majesty Falcon should also be thinking about whether it is worth it!"

"In this way, we don't have to fight against the Vekia Falcon!" The Kyoto Army generals began to commotion. "Yes, yes, the other party did not adopt pressing tactics. We can definitely..."

"That guy put up a grand posture to attack the north this time, but we accidentally made a move. He just ate a small fish like Simon's 30,000 Bidan army. He should be very angry, but now it seems that we are not completely helpless. Opportunity!" Tielan's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she tapped the armrest with her fingers.

"Don't tell me that you want to make a private peace with your enemies?"

Another figure stood up. Ruhr looked at the Kyoto Army generals opposite, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes. These guys came to the north when there were benefits, but now they have turned into a muddy pond, and they immediately thought of leaving. , these bastards in Kyoto are definitely doing such things as having sex in private,

Under his angry gaze, the Kyoto Army generals across from him subconsciously turned their gazes away. Even Master Tielan remained silent, and the room suddenly became silent. "Shameless, how could you..." Ruhr said angrily, "As imperial soldiers, your behavior is treason!"

"We are not treason, we just chose to withdraw when the war situation was unfavorable! We are not surrendering, nor are we independent, we are just retreating!" the Kyoto Army generals responded

"What's the difference between evacuating and abandoning the north!" Ruhr scolded him unceremoniously.

"Is it different if we all die in the north? We are the Kyoto Army, not the Northern Army. Do you want us to be so responsible for the corruption of the northern war situation?" the Kyoto Army generals said angrily

"Be timid before fighting, you cowards! Such a meeting is really heartbreaking! I request to leave first." Ruhr gave Tielan a military salute, pushed away the bench, and walked out of the conference room angrily. The other two northern soldiers General Pat and Ellind quickly followed them out. The three of them had just left.

The entire conference room exploded, and the generals of the Kyoto Army angrily said, "Sir, this kind of ungrateful person should be allowed to die on his own!"

"Yes, these northern troops really don't know what's important. We are not northerners, why should we die for the north!" Someone echoed, "Let's just send them to the battlefield tomorrow. Staying here will be a burden!"

"Okay, that's it for today's meeting!" Tielan stood up from his seat with a gloomy face. He glanced at the direct descendants below and said coldly, "Everyone, go back and prepare. We will evacuate in the next two days. "

"What about the Northern Army?" someone asked

"I will take care of it!" Tielan waved his hand with a stern expression.

Ruhr walked out of the conference room and stopped at the corner of the corridor outside. He heard rapid footsteps from behind and heard someone calling his name. Turning around, I saw Pat and Ellind, my colleagues in the Northern Army.

"Rule, you were too reckless just now. You must know that this is not our territory! Although we are the Northern Army, we are also under the command of Lord Tielan of the Kyoto Army." Ellinde followed from behind with a bit of complaint in his tone. Come up. Followed by the indifferent bald Pat, Adelin kept complaining that Ruel shouldn't lose his temper at the meeting, let alone offend the Kyoto Army for this matter. After all, if he really goes to Kyoto, he will still need to rely on these Kyoto Army adults

"Ellinde, will you go to Kyoto with them?"

Ruhl really couldn't listen anymore. He raised his head sharply. There was a trace of sarcasm on his angry and red face. Eyes full of blood made Ellind's complaints come to an abrupt end.

"Rule, you know, I'm from Kyoto!"

Ellind's voice paused, and he shrugged with a pale face. He said helplessly, "It is my dream to return to Kyoto, and my family also needs me! Staying here is a kind of torture for me. I can't refuse Lord Tielan's invitation. Do you know how rare this opportunity is?

"Okay, I get it!" Ruel interrupted him without politeness and looked at Pat behind Ellind.

"What about you, Pat!" Ruhl asked. He has the best relationship with Pat. If he wants someone to help him, Pat is the best candidate. He is thoughtful and brave in combat. The most important thing is that Pat has amazing decisiveness

"I will follow Master Tielan to Kyoto!"

Pat shook his head with an affirmative tone, stretched out his hand and patted Ruel on the shoulder, "Actually, since the elite northern army was transferred to the west, Lord Yard was asked to go to Kyoto, I knew that the north had been abandoned by Kyoto. Although Kyoto always They keep saying that it is the north that supports the war of resistance in Kyoto, but other In fact, Kyoto has never cared about the life and death of the north. From the fact that they transferred Yarde, who knew the value of the north, and sent Duke Simon, who only knows how to exploit, to preside over the affairs of the north, we know that Kyoto just wants someone who can provide It’s just an area for their soldiers, weapons, mines, and food.

"It's not worth it to work for such a person," Pat paused and continued, "There is only one outcome for staying in the north, death or capture, and I don't want to choose that one!"

"So, even you have given up on the north and the vows we made together!" Ruel's eyebrows were filled with anger, and he punched the wooden pillar in the corridor hard. Blood was left from the broken joints. He looked at the white earth outside the corridor, full of sorrow. As a true northerner, the earth in front of him was like a mother to him.

The companions who had sworn to guard left one by one, and even Pat chose to leave.

There was no cloud in the white sky, and an unspeakable loneliness arose in his heart.

Will the once glorious battle flag of the Northern Army completely part ways after tonight? "

I will leave tomorrow and lead the troops to Kauratha further north. Even if there is a chance, I will fight hard for the north until I die. If one day I really do. . . . I hope you can remember to put a Northern Army battle flag on my grave." Ruel turned to look at Pat, with a wry smile on his lips. His face had never been so firm, and he turned and walked to the other side.

"Old friend, it seems you have made a choice!" Pat lowered his head with a sad face. He couldn't bear to witness it. He turned his right arm and a cold light dagger appeared in his hand, looking at Ruel's defenseless back. , with lightning speed, the dagger in his hand pierced Ruer's back heart,

"Ah" Ruel made a dull sound of pain, turned his head in disbelief, and looked at Pat holding the dagger behind him.

"You!" Ruel's voice trembled with pain. He couldn't believe that he would die in the hands of his best friend. He wanted to speak, but broken internal organs and blood kept pouring out of his mouth, blocking his throat. With a bang, Pat pulled out the dagger. Ruel's body seemed to have lost its support and fell limply in his arms. Blood spattered onto the face of Ellind, who was still in a daze next to him.

"You...why!" Ellind was frightened. He looked at Pat's ferocious face and felt a chill coming from the back of his head. It was so scary. Pat, who had always been so carefree, could behave like this. expression!

"Enough people have died in the Northern Army. For something that should have been given up long ago, his persistence will only make more people die! I can guarantee that if Ruel does not die, all of us in the Northern Army will die tomorrow. Will receive the order to attack Antura?" Pat spread his hands flat and took out Ruhl's body. His body slowly flattened, and he looked at Ruer who had lost his breath. A trace of pain flashed across his face, and he said in a deep voice, "You can go and talk to Master Tielan now. Just tell Ruer, the commander of the 11th Infantry Regiment of the Empire, just now." In despair, the Northern Army will follow Master Tielan to Kyoto!"

At noon, Tielan's reply letter came into Fatty's hands. He put down the reply letter in his hand. Fatty's face did not look too relaxed.

As expected, Tielan's 110,000 troops chose to return to Kyoto. Fatty would order the troops to be placed on a road. Next to Tielan's reply was a letter he received yesterday.

The person who wrote the letter was Pat, the commander of the 10th Infantry Regiment of the Northern Army of the Gallic Empire. The Northern Army general expressed his surrender to the fat man in the letter and firmly guaranteed that Tielan's troops would definitely choose to avoid the battle. , return to Kyoto,

But as a condition,

Pat hoped that the Falcon Empire Army, which had gained control of the North, would treat the families of the more than one million Northern Army members well.

When the fat man received the letter, he knew that the once glorious Gallic Northern Army was completely finished!