Entering the dawn calendar year 3260, the situation in the Grant Kingdom has become dizzying.
First came the news that Marshal Brenner was poisoned by the Warda family, and then King Charles launched a palace coup, killing Queen Mrs. Duran, her son Prince Chris, and even his daughter-in-law Mrs. Jonathan were not involved in the palace coup.
Spared.
Marshal Brenner is the pillar of the Grant Kingdom. Even the top brass of the Orc Empire are very afraid of this old marshal and are unwilling to break out a full-scale war with the Grant Kingdom. They only carry out harassing raids southward every year.
Before everyone could recover from the news that Count Warda had murdered Duke Brenner, King Charles actually launched a palace coup, which was bloody, and took the initiative to provoke a civil war in the Kingdom of Grant.
After more than ten days, almost all the great nobles took action. The five Dukes, Jonathan, York, Roger, Duran, and Nolan, all raised armies to overthrow the rule of King Charles and elect Prince Roger to take over the throne.
The situation changed so quickly that it soon went beyond the control of the Venus family.
The Venus family secretly exchanged the portion of the water of life that Count Warda gave to Duke Brenner. They planned to get rid of Brenner, cut off the arms of the Grant royal family, and get rid of Earl Warda in the south at the same time.
Unexpectedly, King Charles launched a palace coup very decisively after Brener's death, and a civil war immediately broke out in the Grant family.
Seeing that the Lakh Province is in a fight, a war is about to break out in the Gedda Province.
Gascoigne Province, however, seemed as if it had not received the news and was as stable as a rock.
The three members of the Venus family, Charlemagne, the leader of the Wild Lion Legion, Baron Harden, and Viscount Anthony, held a dinner party to start secret negotiations.
"The situation has exceeded our expectations. Although the war broke out, there is a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves. According to our deduction, once the Duke of York leads troops to attack Nolan, the Royal Guards will immediately rebel, and the Kingdom of Charles will not be able to support it for too long.
time."
"What should we do now? Should we use the banner of the Venus family to capture several provinces?"
"No, once Roger is firmly on the throne, there will be a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and us. Even if we separate ourselves, we will have no chance of winning."
Charlemagne knocked on the table and said: "There is also a very important point. If we openly display the banner of the Venus family, the Mad Lion Army may not be willing to fight with the Venus family.
Although I have high prestige in the Wild Lion Army, it is still not as influential as the Grant family has been for hundreds of years. I am afraid that the soldiers and officers of the Wild Lion Army are not willing to follow us and fight against the Grant royal family. According to my wishes, we must maintain
The balance of power between the two sides, whichever side is weak, will join that side. Only when the situation is chaotic can we fish in troubled waters and achieve better development."
Viscount Anthony nodded and said: "Charlemagne is right, we must mobilize openly to support King Charles. The Mad Lions, the coalition of nobles in Gascoigne Province, will soon go south to lead troops to quell the rebellion."
Several members of the Venus family have great influence in the Gascoigne province.
Once they made a decision, the Gascoigne Province immediately mobilized, and the Mad Lions led the coalition of Gascoigne nobles and went south to support King Charles in his battle.
King Charles was in dire straits and had already planned to escape, but unexpectedly the Gascoigne Province sent reinforcements.
Even the earls in the south began to mobilize. The three earls of Warda, Cloverford, and Meslin joined forces with 30,000 troops to also reinforce the royal capital.
The two earls of Cloverford and Merlins are already secretly controlled by the Venus family. Although Earl Warda is loyal to the Grant royal family, he could only join King Charles' side because he poisoned Duke Brenner.
Anyone with a discerning eye can now see that King Charles has been suppressed by Duke Brenner for decades and hates Duke Brenner to the core. However, the situation requires that King Charles must respect the old Duke. Only in this way can he command the Royal Guards.
the backbone of.
With reinforcements on the two southern fronts, the Kingdom of Charles suddenly became more confident and felt that it had a chance of winning. He decided to give a speech to the Praetorian Guards in person to boost their morale and stabilize their morale.
"There are rumors outside that I launched the military coup! This is undoubtedly a lie and a frame-up!
It was Chris and Melissa Duran who launched the military coup. It was they who poisoned Duke Brenner, murdered our respected old Duke Brenner, and fabricated rumors about the Duke's will.
Chris, a rebellious son, and Melissa, a lustful woman, actually wanted to murder me, a respectable king.
I had no choice but to execute them, and Chris, Melissa's remnant, openly rebelled.
We are the royal guards, and our six-hundred-year tradition is to support the king in battle. You are the king's strongest shield and sharpest sword. In this rebellion, we must be the victors.
We are the Royal Guards, with more than 60,000 people. We are the most powerful regiment in the Kingdom of Grant. Moreover, we are not alone in the royal capital. The Grizzly Bear Legion in Lach Province is fighting for us, and the Mad Lion Legion is about to go south to support us.
, there are also three counts in the south who have sent 30,000 troops to cooperate with us in the battle.
I will open the treasury and give money to the members of the Praetorian Guard. After the war, I will give the rebels' territory, money, and women to everyone. As long as they can achieve military merit, I will not be stingy with rewards. The next baron,
Counts and dukes will be chosen among you."
King Charles' mobilization still achieved a certain effect. After distributing a sum of gold coins to the soldiers, the morale of the Praetorian Guards recovered somewhat.
After all, Charles had been king for thirty years. Although he had a big mountain above his head and was often bullied and even beaten by Duke Brener, the accumulation of thirty years also promoted many capable officials.
He still has a group of supporters gathered around him, and these people are also a huge interest group.
Relying on this interest group, coupled with King Charles's propaganda and rewards, some soldiers were also able to deceive some soldiers into fighting for him.
The Royal Guards mobilized, began to stock up on food and weapons, built some city fortifications, and conducted pre-war mobilization.
Just when the Duke of York led the army and was about to approach Nolan, Roger, who commanded 40,000 coalition troops in the main tent of the Central Army under the castle of Grizzly Bear, frowned.
The situation has been changing during this period. Sometimes there is good news, sometimes there is bad news, and now all the big shots in the Grant Kingdom have made their stance clear.
As the situation developed, Roger gradually felt the pressure.
The Duke of York's soldiers are getting closer and closer to the royal capital. Once the Duke of York captures Nolan, the situation in the Grant Kingdom will change dramatically.
Who will take over the throne then?
If the Duke of York balances all the forces, gets the support of the Royal Guards, and the recognition of the Grant Mages Association, he will be able to take the lead in this country.
Now the Duke of York supports Roger as king because Roger is more advanced in succession and has greater influence in the royal guard.
But the situation has changed. Will the Duke of York regret it?
It is uncertain whether the soldiers below will stage a mutiny and support the Duke of York as king.
A general in the Dawn Plane, as long as he is strong enough, will also stage an alien version of the Chen Qiaoyi Mutiny.
The most important and core right of every lord is the right to command the army.
If the situation really develops like this, Duke Roger will have to admit defeat and can only return to his territory to become his own hereditary earl.
So he must appear in Nolan with his army as soon as possible.
But if Grizzly Bear Castle is left alone, Grizzly Bear Castle will cut off his food routes and supply lines.
Without supplies, Duke Roger could only choose to plunder.
After carefully analyzing the pros and cons, Duke Roger decided to take a military risk. He commanded his soldiers to plunder a batch of food near Grizzly Bear Fort, gave up attacking Grizzly Bear Fort, and immediately led the army south.
Seeing Roger leading the coalition forces south, Waldo Jeff, the commander of the Grizzly Legion, immediately decided to lead his troops to pursue him.
As a result, they were ambushed and raided by the Warcraft Cavalry Regiment commanded by Roger, resulting in the loss of 1,300 soldiers.
The loss of a large group of combat effectiveness is not a huge blow to the Grizzlies.
When fighting the orcs, even if they suffered more than half of the casualties, the Grizzly Bear Legion's combat effectiveness was still impressive.
But the current situation is not a battle with the orcs, but a civil war between the Grant family.
The soldiers of the main army are not ignorant farmers. They are generally experienced, smart and capable, and have a certain understanding of the country's political situation.
After the relatively serious casualties occurred, Waldo Jeff's prestige immediately dropped a bit, and his order also suffered a backlash.
Not only did the Warcraft Cavalry express their objections, but the soldiers of the six infantry brigades were also unwilling to participate in the battle.
Seeing that the morale of the army was so high, Vardodev did not dare to force the soldiers to go south to join the war.
If you forcibly order the soldiers, it may cause the officers and soldiers to rebel. At that time, Waldo will be torn to pieces by the angry officers and soldiers, and the Grizzly Bear Legion will also join Roger's side, who has a greater chance of winning.
Entering February, various armies have gathered in Nolan.
At this moment, the palace of Grant Kingdom was already gloomy and gloomy.
The streets of Nolan became very depressed, and the citizens of the royal capital did not dare to go out at all, hiding in their homes like frightened quails.
I hope to rely on the blessing of the Goddess of Dawn to escape this military chaos.
The residence of the Duke of Brenner.
It has been a month since the old Duke died, and the funeral has not been completed yet.
After King Charles launched a palace coup, the Duke of York immediately returned to his territory and raised an army to rebel.
Those left in the mansion are all distant relatives of Duke Brenner.
Duke Brenner is now one hundred and sixty years old. His eldest son died of illness a hundred years ago, and his youngest daughter is only four or five years old. Because he lived too long, the Duke has many descendants, and the hierarchy is somewhat confusing.
Many of his grandchildren and great-grandsons were unknown to Duke Brenner, and the family relationship seemed a bit distant.
The royal capital has been in chaos in the past month, and no one has taken care of Duke Brener's funeral.
His coffin was placed in the mourning hall, and the huge Duke's mansion was already very deserted.
The beautiful maid has been carried away by the rebels, the Duke's mansion has been robbed several times, and the servants have long since dispersed.
It was late at night, and a thin, middle-aged man walked to Duke Brener's coffin.
His hands shone slightly, and he released a nine-ring magic to release the confinement. A faint blue light bloomed on the coffin. The coffin lid opened automatically, and Duke Brenner sat up slowly.
"Pansy, how's the situation?"
"It's so bad that Charles is really a loser. He has been king for thirty years and can't control the situation. He is only proficient in political struggles and palace intrigues. If there are no external enemies, he can barely hold on to his position.
But now we have many external threats, the Orc Empire, the Kingdom of Rhine, cultists, and the secretly hidden members of the Venus family.
We need a lion to lead us in order to survive in the jungle.
Charlie is not a lion, he can only be regarded as a wild dog, but he has the mind of a fox. He only competes for power and has no overall vision."
"But he is my son."
"Uncle Brenner, the situation has developed to this point, and it's time to make a decision. Back then, I agreed with your opinion and supported Charles' succession to the throne, giving up the more capable Philip and Roger.
But Charlie is clearly a piece of shit and I'm rooting for Roger this time.
There is also good news recently. Roger has been promoted to the ninth level epic knight. According to his age, he has the potential to advance to legend. Uncle Brener, you should put aside your selfishness now and plan for the Grant family. Your descendants are not only Charlie.
, think about little York, think about Isabel. They are also your children, and you should also think about them."
Although Brenner is a powerful third-level legendary knight, his private life is quite chaotic. He once had an affair with the former queen and gave birth to an illegitimate son, Charlie, which made the former king very angry.
Because it was a royal scandal, Charlie didn't know anything about it.
The only ones who truly understand this are Pansy and Philip. Pansy has a very special status. She has mastered the magical power of the Grant family and is Brener's nephew. Philip, the eldest prince at that time, was forced by Brener to enter the Church of the Dawn.
monastery.
After hearing the good news, Duke Brenner sat up with difficulty and said with some annoyance on his face: "I am too selfish. If I had supported Philip to take over as king at that time, wouldn't it be as difficult for the Grant family as it is today?
Counting Roger, we already have four ninth-level professionals in our family. If you can unite together after my death, we should be able to stabilize the situation. But be careful of Duke Jonathan, he is the biggest threat to us.
Doesn’t Duke Jonathan want to fight back to the Grand Duchy of Stanik? Agree to his request. If the Jonathan family regains the lost throne, we can take back half of the land of Duke Jonathan."
"Without the strength of the Jonathan family, how can we stabilize the defense line in northern Xinjiang?"
"To support new nobles, I think the Harland family, the Roman family, and the Raphael family in northern Xinjiang are all very capable. If they can establish their positions, promote them to earls as soon as possible."
Pansy Grant smiled and said: "The Harland family has a grudge against the Holland family, so they had to get involved in the war. The Roman family and the Raphael family were very clever and did not get involved in this civil strife."
"What's Archbishop Senna's opinion?"
"The Church of the Dawn generally does not participate in struggles between nobles, but the Venus family colluded with the evil believers back then. This time the Venus family exposed its flaws. Archbishop Senna promised to make it convenient for us."
With the support of the Church of Dawn, Duke Brenner breathed a sigh of relief.
The Church of Dawn is very powerful in the Kingdom of Grant. The number of priests, pastors, and church knights from all over the country combined exceeds 3,000. If the power of the church is concentrated, it will be stronger than the Dukedom of Jonathan.
It's just that the professionals of the Church of the Dawn are located in different areas of the Grant Kingdom, making it difficult to gather them together.
However, the influence of the Morningside Church among the middle and lower classes is undoubtedly far greater than that of the Grant family.
With the endorsement of the Church of Dawn, this time the Venus family had no chance of winning, either through mental calculation or not.
After Pansy awakened Duke Brenner, he immediately began to secretly summon senior officers of the Royal Guard.
There are many members of the Grant family in the Royal Guards, and many of these people are descendants of Duke Brener. Duke Brener's influence on the Royal Guards far exceeds that of King Charles.
Even though King Charles hated Duke Brenner very much, he still wanted to use his trick to win people's hearts.
As Duke Brenner began to meet with senior officers of the Guards, military morale suddenly came to Duke Brenner's side.
But King Charles was kept in the dark and became a tragic victim.
On the ninth day of February, Duke Roger and the Duke of York met.
The two Dukes of the Grant family commanded more than 100,000 soldiers combined.
When a hundred thousand troops fight, the range is very large. Duke Roger's scouts usually go out two hundred miles away.
Because the Duke of York's army arrived near Nolan first, they occupied a favorable situation. The towns near Nolan were basically controlled by the Duke of York.
The terrain advantage was also held by the Duke of York.
In order to lift the siege, the reinforcements from Gascoigne Province need to first break through the defense line deployed by the Duke of York in the mountains north of Nolan.
This line of defense is more than 200 kilometers long and dozens of kilometers wide.
Fortresses were built on the four main mountain roads. Thousands of troops were stationed in the fortresses, and there were also a large number of fresh troops and grain garrison points in the rear.
After discussion, the Duke of York and Duke Roger decided that the Duke of York should deal with the Gascoigne Army from the north, and the Duke of Roger should deal with the coalition of the three Earls from the south.
The north of Nolan is protected by mountains, which is a natural line of defense, but the south is flat.
This flat terrain is very suitable for cavalry operations, and Roger is a famous cavalry commander in the Kingdom of Grant.
The blue sky is spotlessly clean in the early spring season.
The crystal clear clouds cover the sky with a thin layer of sand. On the beautiful and clear Oram River, the water is sparkling, and occasionally some merchant ships can be seen.
Several military ships cut through the rapids of the river, like three agile fish swimming in the rolling white waves, approaching the river unscrupulously.
There are many swamps in the south of Grant Kingdom, and the nobles are good at water warfare.
The ships were equipped with strong bows and crossbows. Naturally, Duke Roger would not let the Warcraft cavalry shoot at the warships. This would be asking for trouble for him.
If the three earls in the south want to rescue Nolan, they must cross the Oram River and defeat Duke Roger's army.
Therefore, Duke Roger naturally would not take the initiative to fight with the southern army by the river. By holding key strongholds, he could wait for the three counts' coalition to attack and fight a defensive battle.