Chapter 498 Go West! Battle of Boulder City! (Continued)
Central Great Plains, outside Boulder City.
The winter of 540 in the New Calendar seemed to be extremely cold. Even though it was blocked by mountains, the temperature in the central plains was still extremely cold.
Although such weather was nothing to the neat-looking Idar army, what the soldiers saw and heard after they stepped out of the Moore River Valley had completely changed their appearance.
Compared with the stability and prosperity of the Idar Empire, the land west of the Moor River Province has still not healed the devastation caused by the war.
The barren farmland is covered with withered and yellow weeds, and the dry and cracked land seems to be telling the Idar army passing by the past hesitation.
Under the rule of the Church of Light, the civilians living in this land are still in poverty, and the large number of civilians fleeing eastward has also made the Church's reconstruction work in this land slow.
Along the way, the soldiers from the Idar Empire saw countless long-abandoned village and town markets and stiff corpses lying on the roadside.
Those corpses not only had bruised faces and stiff limbs, but the clothes on many of the corpses had already been stripped away by the hungry and cold refugees. Their skinny corpses were frozen together with the surrounding snow and ice, and the misery in them was almost impossible to describe with thin sheets of paper.
words to describe.
It was precisely the tragic scenes presented in front of the Idar soldiers that strengthened their innermost beliefs and aroused the persistence in their hearts.
If there were no Stuart family, if there was no Emperor Bruno Stuart, the eastern part of the continent at this time... would probably be like this due to the ravages of war, right?
The long-term peace of the Idar Empire has caused many Idar people to subconsciously ignore the suffering they have suffered and bury that painful experience deep in their hearts.
But……
The scene in front of them once again touched the softest part of the Idar soldiers' hearts, making them clearly aware of the responsibilities and missions they shouldered.
Standing behind them is His Majesty Emperor Idar who led them out of the quagmire of war, their families and friends, and the millions of Idar people who are united!
Without Bruno's leadership and the popularization of magic industrialization, the eastern part of the continent would have become a hell on earth as early as when Odin's cavalry went south.
Therefore, what they want to defend is not only the glory of the Idar Empire, but also the aspirations and hopes of countless Idar people and their future!
A few kilometers away from the Stone City, Lieutenant General Sam Layton, commander of the Idar Army and commander-in-chief of the central battlefield, was holding a telescope and looking solemnly at the fortified city not far away.
The order from Idar City has been transmitted to this battle-hardened general through remote communication devices.
And this time,
Looking at the flags fluttering in the Stone City and the Crusade soldiers standing solemnly at the top of the city one after another, Sam Layton was filled with emotion.
Bruno has fought many battles for Idar since he took power.
From the Battle of the Grand Highlands to the friction with the Odin Empire, from the Basel Conquest War to today's Battle of Stone City, this veteran can be seen in almost every war since the founding of Idar.
figure.
But for him, every war brings great changes.
The changes here are not changes in the enemy's strength, but changes in the weaponry, equipment, and strategies and tactics of Idar's army.
During this period of time, the changes that have taken place in the Idar Empire are too fast and too many, especially the changes that have occurred in the Idar army!
From the dagger at the beginning, to the steel swords with cold light and sharp edges; from the Idar cavalry galloping in the Glen Highlands, to the steel-covered, magic-driven armored chariots.
The tactics of Idar's army are changing at a speed that is difficult for ordinary people to understand. To be honest, even Sam Layton, who has witnessed it, is stunned by this.
There was only one explanation he could find, and that was that the person he was loyal to, Bruno Stuart, the Emperor of Idar, was the destined son of this era and the creator of history and the future!
Only in this way can Sam Layton explain the changes that have occurred in the Idar Empire in this short period of time.
In Sam Layton's view, since His Majesty the Emperor to whom he is loyal has led the way in the times, his followers, including himself, must also accept the changes of the times with a new attitude.
In those days and nights before the war broke out,
Not only Army Lieutenant General Sam Layton, but also generals at all levels in Idar's army were studying tactics and tactics in the Idar Military Academy.
They worked tirelessly to train new recruits and tried to use new weapons and equipment to conduct military exercises again and again, striving to create a more combat-effective Idar army.
The Idar First Armored Division that has now arrived outside Boulder City and the Idar Royal Guards led by Sam Layton himself are the undoubted leaders of the Idar army!
From the "Explorer" A-type light armored infantry vehicle to the "Sword of Dawn" main battle tank with sufficient firepower, almost all members of this Idar army, personally commanded by Sam Layton, have switched to the Idar Empire's
The latest model weapons and equipment.
so……
Conquer the Rock City!
For Sam Layton, this is not only an order given by Bruno himself, but also an answer sheet that he and the Idar soldiers he leads must hand over to all the Idar people!
"Report!"
As a powerful shout reached Sam Layton's ears, Major General Grant Doyle, the commander of the Idar Royal Guards, jogged all the way to Sam Layton's side.
Although this young general also has a high military rank, it is obvious that at this moment, Lieutenant General Sam Layton is the highest military commander in charge of the central battlefield.
"."
"Lieutenant General, in order to coordinate and command the frontline war, Deputy Director Baumiril Braun of the Idar CIA has transferred to us all the contact coordinates of the Idar agents deployed in Boulder City. At the beginning of the war, Afterwards, the agents will directly deliver messages from the city to us, and you can also directly command the Idar agents located in the city."
Hearing this, Sam Layton nodded solemnly.
He himself knew only too well the importance of this war to the Idar Empire and to the hearts of all Idar people.
"Lieutenant General Rolf Hawthorne of the Air Force has allocated a total of two hot-air balloon formations for us, and the magic crystal bombs used for bombing have also been loaded, but..." Major General Grant Doyle hesitated for a moment, and then Shen Sheng replied: "...But our army's siege methods are no longer a secret. Especially after the air attack on Bethlehem, the Crusaders have long been prepared for this and have also built many temporary defenses in the city. "
"Defense? Then let's see whether the walls of the Crusaders are stronger, or the artillery of the Idars is more lethal! I'll give you twenty minutes, and I want you to place all the self-propelled artillery and magic cannon at the designated positions!"
While doing so, Sam Layton raised his wrist, and a military watch with exquisite workmanship and wrapped with special materials suddenly appeared in front of him.
It is true that the magic industry of the Idar people cannot yet be precise to the millisecond difference, but as long as it is debugged, at least within a week, there will be no big error in the rotation of the pointer.
"Understood!" Major General Grant Doyle replied seriously.
…
Boulder City.
As the "war hero" who captured the imperial capital of St. Lawrence and burned down the Norman palace, the outstanding Crusaders commander Calavi Wendell was placed in high hopes by the Church of Light, and naturally shouldered the heavy responsibility of defending the Stone City.
only……
At this moment, deep inside Callaway Wendell's heart, he was no longer as calm as he looked.
The Idar Empire has the Idar CIA as its eyes deep behind enemy lines, and the Church of Light, which has been rooted in the mainland for many years, cannot be blind or deaf.
Especially as the territory of the Idar Empire expanded and its population increased, the number of caravans traveling within the empire continued to grow. It was almost impossible to ensure that there were no spies from the Church of the Light within the territory.
Therefore, Calavi Wendell, the distinguished leader of the Crusaders, had naturally heard about the weapons and equipment of the Idar people.
Especially after the holy city of Bethlehem suffered an air attack, he immediately ordered to gather the Holy Army soldiers who were originally scattered in the Moore Valley and requested military support from the holy city of Bethlehem.
But even so, the speed of action of Idar's army has completely exceeded Karawi Wendel's expectations. Almost as soon as the letter requesting support was sent away, the highly disciplined First Armored Brigade of Idar had already arrived at the Giant Rock.
The outskirts of the city.
Then……
The legion commander was a little dumbfounded.
Callaway Wendel has indeed experienced several wars, and personally commanded the siege of the imperial capital of St. Lawrence, and has considerable experience in siege and defense.
But the problem is... those are all sieges and defenses in conventional warfare!
But what about the Idar troops outside the city?
In addition to armored infantry vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and heavy tanks, these ground weapons that Callaway Wendell didn't know what to call were even seen. He even saw hot air balloons rising slowly in the sky...
The hard armored steel plate reflected a daunting cold light, and the black holes of the gun barrels made people want to leave the city wall.
For Karawi Wendel, all his previous experiences and strategies seemed to have come to naught when facing the Idar people.
Because he was really unsure of the siege methods that the Idar people would use. Anyway, conventional siege weapons such as arrows, ladders, and trebuchets were probably unlikely to be used by the Idar people.
The only thing that Karawi Wendel can be sure of is... that he and the Crusader soldiers he leads will inevitably face the artillery bombardment from the Idars for the first time.
And because he had never experienced the feeling of being bombarded by artillery before, even Callaway Wendell himself was not sure whether the fortifications constructed under his orders and according to his own ideas would be able to defend the defenses.
How useful it was when it was a city.
…
The cold wind in the early morning seemed to be mixed with scattered ice particles, causing a slight sting to the exposed faces of the Crusaders guarding the city.
Their hands and feet were slightly cold, and their fingers and cheeks were also red from the cold.
The sun flag symbolizing the Church of Light was buzzing. The sound from the flag seemed to cover up the noise of Idar's army outside the city, and only faint rumbles could be heard that they had never heard before.
"For the God of Light..."
A Crusader stared at the Idar army that was approaching the city wall at an extremely slow speed, clenched the weapon in his hand, and murmured softly with his slightly chapped lips.
"What are those things? They are probably evil creations like the devil."
The soldiers on the city wall watched the Idar artillery arrayed in a line outside the city wall, with their dark muzzles connected together, but all they could do was to chat in a low voice while exhaling the heat.
For no other reason than the position of Idar's army was just beyond the range of the arrows.
"Whatever! I can definitely withstand it. Even Saint Lawrence has been reduced to scorched earth. The Crusaders are naturally invincible! And... aren't there also the Apostles Legion from the Holy City!"
Hearing those discussions as subtle as the humming of mosquitoes, a devout Crusader soldier said with a smile on his neck.
Hearing this, the surrounding soldiers closed their mouths.
only……
Anyone could hear that there seemed to be a trace of imperceptible uneasiness and anxiety hidden in that man's stubborn and firm words.
Legion of Apostles,
This is the name that ordinary Crusader soldiers privately give to the legion that covers them all in white robes.
According to reports, those people are a legion led by His Majesty the Pope himself, an immortal legion whose members have all been blessed and baptized by the God of Light!
Ordinary Crusaders don't know whether they will die or not, but what they know is that before the arrival of Idar's army, the leader of this legion stood on the top of the city and proposed to launch an attack on the possible arrival of Idar's army.
, giving the Idar people a head-on blow.
But……
When the weird-looking weapons and equipment in Idar's army, as well as the huge monsters that could walk on their own, arrived outside the city, this army seemed to have forgotten their previous proposal, and even hid their own figures in the Stone City.
deepest.
…
The rumbling sound of the artillery penetrated the mist and cold wind, like thunder blasting in the ears of the Crusaders.
When the artillery far away on the outskirts of the city emitted a sound that was very familiar to the Idar people, the Holy Soldiers stationed in the Stone City finally received the first round of artillery fire on this day.
"Bend and crawl! Head to the fortifications!"
Amidst the panicked shouts...
On January 20, 540 in the New Calendar, the rumbling artillery fire of the Idar people started the war.