Looking at the hot air balloon floating in mid-air, Captain Jack felt his thoughts swirling in his heart.
As he had expected before, the Idar people had far more weapons and equipment than the magic crystal bombs provided to them.
As his understanding of the Idar Territory deepened, he became more and more grateful for the choice he had made!
If I had refused Lord Bruno's solicitation... it would have been a disaster...
The hot air balloon is a unique strategic weapon of the Idar Air Force, providing the Idar people with unparalleled air superiority.
The hot air balloons of the Idar Air Force are not only responsible for the task of reconnaissance of the enemy, but also become a message transmission channel for information communication between the Idar troops in two places.
Through the telescope, Captain Jack can easily identify the signal sent by the Idar soldiers on the hot air balloon towards him - the ground troops led by Sam Layton have arrived at Dale Hills on time!
"Boys! Let's get to work!"
When Captain Jack issued the order to his "pirates", these pirates who had been incorporated into the Idar Whaling Company immediately took action.
They did not procrastinate, nor did they hide their secrets. They were completely different from the sneaky people they used to be when they were pirates.
The thrilling experience of hunting whales made the former pirates know what unity is and the changes that unity and cooperation can bring about.
Therefore, when the order was issued, ships originally anchored offshore began to dock one by one, and employees of the whale hunting company also began to transfer countless supplies to the land.
The Idar Whaling Company will not directly participate in the battle, but their existence provides the Idar army with a more efficient and convenient supply solution - sea transportation.
With the strong escort of the three-masted warship led by Mal Cullen, it is impossible for any force to destroy the maritime supply line of the Idar Territory.
Besides...
The stuff being transported by Idar Whale Hunting Company was none other than tons of bags of cement!
In this upcoming war, the most feared opponent of Idar's army is undoubtedly the Odin cavalry that the Odin people are proud of.
You know, even though all members of Idar's army have been equipped with "Persuader I" magic submachine guns, but... this does not mean the demise and end of the cavalry era.
In the last life, many people have been debating a question - will it be the gradual installation of machine guns or the gradual formation of organized mechanized infantry that will end the era of cavalry?
Although the Idar Territory possesses magic rifles, the powerful mobility of the cavalry can still pose a great threat to the Idar army!
Especially when the numbers are at a disadvantage, once Odin's cavalry launches a desperate attack on Idar's army, even if it has a magical rifle, the Idar territory will definitely suffer extremely heavy losses!
Because the disadvantage in numbers is there after all!
Speaking of cavalry... don't forget that even during World War II on Earth, the Soviet Red Army's cavalry divisions posed an extremely serious threat to the enemy with their powerful cross-country mobility!
Whether it is Yingjiang's ace unit, the 1st Cavalry Division, or Mao Xiong's 1st Cavalry Division, these divisions that have achieved countless victories in the long history have all relied on the unique maneuverability of the cavalry.
Played an important role on the battlefield.
At least……
With Idar's army at a numerical disadvantage and the "Persuader I" submachine guns still unable to form a tight crossfire network, Odin's cavalry would still pose a considerable threat to Idar's army.
Once Odin's cavalry is allowed to break through the defense line built by Idar's army and encircle Idar's army, the consequences will be unpredictable!
Not only will the Idar army led by Sam Layton be completely passive in this war, but even Old Ford will have difficulty reorganizing and restoring social order in the area south of Dale Hills.
If Odin's army is reckless enough, they may even go all the way south regardless of the cost, causing the Idar Territory, which was originally unable to launch a full-scale war due to the number of soldiers, to be forced to face the dilemma of a suddenly stretched front.
Under the natural barrier of the fast-flowing Solon River and the guard of Idar's local reserve soldiers, this will indeed not pose a threat to the Idar territory itself.
However, this will definitely greatly affect Bruno's arrangement, causing Idar to face a food shortage in the next year!
Therefore...in order to avoid as much as possible the threat posed by Odin's Iron Cavalry to the Idar army and affect Bruno's plan to encroach on the eastern part of the empire, under Bruno's order, the Idar people prepared two secret weapons for this purpose.
And the cement in front of us is one of them!
Through cement, the Idar people were able to build a solid fortress or a low stone wall poured with cement in the shortest possible time.
Fortresses, trenches, low walls...the above are undoubtedly the nemesis of Odin's cavalry!
No matter how good Odin's cavalry is at fighting, they will probably be unable to move forward when facing these defense facilities that can be called cavalry's nemesis.
According to the previously formulated war plan, the fortress and sentry tower made of cement will become the fulcrum of firepower of the Idar artillery force.
The hot air balloons wandering in the sky will also observe the movements of Odin's cavalry at any time. Through the cooperation between the semaphore and the telescope, the Idar Cavalry and the Griffin Knights who are always on standby in the rear can completely fill their positions in time, and will
Odin's cavalry blocks north of Dale Hills!
It is precisely because of these that the Idar people have the confidence to defeat the Odin Empire!
Of course, the consequences of fighting a country like the Odin Empire, which is composed entirely of barbarian tribes, are highly uncontrollable, because it is really difficult for you to judge what is going on in their heads.
Therefore, when the war officially begins, Sam Layton still needs to adapt to the actual situation.
"Hurry! Be quick!"
Although the two sides did not belong to each other, it didn't take long for the Idar army, which had taken a short rest, to join the ships of the Idar Whaling Company under the leadership of Sam Layton.
Thousands of soldiers, together with the volunteers from the Idar production team who arrived with the ship, will build a temporary defense fortification from the Dell Hills in the shortest possible time!
At that time, Idar's army will use these temporary defenses on the Dell Hills as the core, step by step to compress the pace of the Odin's attack, and then...
hey-hey!
Why did the Idar choose the battlefield in the Dale Hills instead of the plains near the Eide River or somewhere else?
Allowing Idar's army more time to build defense facilities is only part of the reason, and the other most important influencing factor is Bruno's ambition for this war!
Or in other words...what strategic goals are to be achieved.
War is not a simple sandbox deduction, nor is it a simple turn-based game. The required number of grain, money, and soldiers is not just a number that jumps in front of a computer screen, so...
How to fight this battle and to what extent it should be fought are all Bruno needs to weigh.
The goal Bruno set for himself is to inflict pain on the Odin people at all costs and make them realize that Idar is not a weakling, but a transcendent existence!
Only in this way can the prestige of the Idar Territory be completely established, thereby winning a more lasting peace for the Idar Territory.
The strength revealed by the Idarland in this war will not only be a mark of whipping on the Odin people, but will also become a sharp edge shown to everyone.
It can prevent the Norman Empire and the Kingdom of Basel from making the slightest move, so that the changes taking place in the Idar Territory can be smoothly implemented under Bruno's pressure!
…
The fortifications on the Dale Hills are under construction in full swing, and new forts will appear on the Dale Hills with cement being poured almost every day.
Every day, the ships of the Idar Whale Hunting Company depart from the harbor in the Merlin District with full loads, and then dock at the temporary port on the shore of the Dale Hills to unload their cargo.
Through the close combination of sea and land transportation, a large amount of cement and building materials were transported to the front line of the war, and those solid fortresses also filled the hearts of the soldiers of Idar Territory with confidence.
Carrying a large number of heavy artillery at the same time, Idar's artillery unit finally arrived belatedly one day later and successfully arrived at Dale Hills.
And as artillery pieces were sent into the fortress and watchtowers, the Idar people's construction on Dell Hills was finally coming to an end...
one day……
Two days...
When the time came to the third day, those menacing Odin men, under the eager expectation of the Idar soldiers, slowly crossed the gentle Aide River and appeared in the sight of the Idar army.
among.
On a hot air balloon.
The air force scouts used telescopes to observe the lineup of Odin's army from a distance, and then passed the information they observed to the Idar army on the ground through semaphores.
This is an army with a total number of more than 10,000 people, led by the former Odin Marshal Portia Mariano, with more than 9,000 Odin infantry and a total of more than 4,000 Odin soldiers.
Iron cavalry!
The number of soldiers alone is more than four times that of Idar's army!
and……
In addition to the commander of this army, the former Odin Marshal Portia Mariano, this army is a collection of famous generals! The lineup is luxurious!
Edson O'Sullivan, the second cousin of the Odin monarch Alio O'Sullivan, and Mimoun Mariano, the nephew of the former Odin Marshal Portia Mariano, claim to be a disciple of the Odin royal family.
Mansa McGill, the former Norman nobleman who was a lackey...
Even if you pick any one of these people, he is a brave man who can stand up to a hundred people, let alone all of them gathered together at this moment!
"Marshal, something is very wrong here!"
Next to former Odin Marshal Portia Mariano, deputy Edson O'Sullivan said in a deep voice.
Although Alio O'Sullivan had previously removed Portia's title of marshal, this was to confuse the Norman nobles so that Portia could launch a sneak attack through the Forest of Warcraft.
Therefore, most of the time, the generals of Odin's empire still refer to him as marshal.
After all... Portia Mariano is a famous general with decades of experience in commanding the army. He has survived three Odin emperors and has always been the royal family of the Odin Empire.
His important supporters have a strong say in the Odin Empire!
As for Edson O'Sullivan... As a member of the royal family of the Odin Empire, he and Raymond O'Sullivan, who previously "died mysteriously" in the eastern part of the empire, can be said to be brothers and sisters, so he took the initiative to serve as this time.
The deputy general wants to come here to avenge his cousin.
only……
Ever since we crossed the Eide River, the place in front of us has become full of evil.
Although he couldn't tell what the situation was, he always felt like someone was watching him from a distance, but... whenever he sent out sentries to search for traces, he always found nothing.
And now, when he felt the feeling of being watched again, he finally made a discovery!
But...what the hell is that thing floating in the sky?!
That’s right!
Just like Raymond O'Sullivan back then, all the Odin generals present noticed the sphere floating in mid-air.
"There's someone up there!"
Portia Mariano nodded, agreeing with Edson O'Sullivan's words.
As a veteran who has experienced hundreds of battles, his intuition is much sharper than Edsson. Therefore, this battle-hardened marshal is almost certain that there is someone on that ball!
So...the movements of the Odin people have always been under the enemy's nose...
Thinking of the Odin Cavalry led by his brother Raymond O'Sullivan disappearing into the east of the empire out of thin air, Edson O'Sullivan's heart was suddenly filled with nervousness, and he asked cautiously:
"Marshal, do we still want to move forward?"
"You want to retreat without even seeing the shadow of the enemy. Edson, you must have been scared out of your courage by those fat and big-eared nobles of the Norman Empire!" A general next to him said strangely.
mocked.
This person is Monletto Namigara, and he is also an Odin general, but he and Edson have always looked down upon each other.
"Hahaha!"
Although most of the generals still looked serious, there were still a few generals who couldn't help but laugh.
Most of these people are members of the major tribes in the Odin Empire. Although they are also considered vassals of the O'Sullivan tribe, their power is also quite powerful, almost equivalent to a king with a different surname...
Previously, they were limited by the power of Alio O'Sullivan and dared not speak out, but now... the frustration the royal family suffered while picking peaches made them jump up and down again.
"alright!"
The moment Portia Mariano spoke, everyone present fell silent almost instantly.
"There are indeed some problems in the eastern part of the empire, but...there are more than 13,000 Odin warriors behind us. Show your determination and will! We will use the blood of the enemy to wash away the previous shame!"
"Ouch!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch—"
Although Marshal Portia's words were not very passionate, he, who had been leading the army for decades, almost immediately caught the sensitive nerve in General Odin's heart!
For a time, Odin's soldiers were filled with fighting spirit!
only……
Although Marshal Portia always maintained a signature confident smile on his face, but... his heart was full of worries.
Let’s ignore the big ball floating in the sky for now.
So far unknown,
He can't even determine the enemy's true identity yet!
To be honest, this is the first time he has faced such an outrageous situation since taking command of the army!