The Wells Empire, the capital, the Imperial Palace, and the underground arena.
In a circular arena with a diameter of one hundred arms, nine gladiators divided into three groups are engaged in a bloody life-and-death confrontation. They are holding the sharpest weapons but have no body parts, or they are roaring crazily, or in front of them. Holding on desperately, the whirling blade flew by, and a little bit of life-carrying blood was sprinkled on the sand, turning into stains that could be trampled on. People kept opening the fence at the edge of the field, killing ferocious and hungry animals. The extremely powerful monsters were put into the field, making this chaotic battle even more chaotic.
In the comfortable stands, hundreds of people were howling and cheering. They were dressed in fine clothes. They were all the disciples of the Crown Prince. They were also the most domineering group of people in the imperial capital. Even in the Crown Prince's palace, they were still the most favored people. When a gladiator falls, their discarded gambling tickets will be scattered all over the sky. What's more, from time to time, they will grab the weapons around them and throw them down, making the duel more exciting and bloody... But in the VIP seat, a face full of The gloomy Crown Prince was watching the fight in a daze, as if the fight in front of him and the madness of the disciples could no longer attract his attention.
There is a reason for the prince's worry, because the Wells Empire is now in a big trouble.
The battle on the front line did not end as soon as everyone expected. When everyone thought that Korn Keda had failed again, the imperial army failed to return from the battle. The envoys sent by the emperor and the military were all gone. Even the most important lines of the empire's defense, the Weida Mountains and the Boiling Pass, no information was sent back. In the end, some scraps of news were sent back from several strategic locations in the empire, saying that they were all affected by the attack. Attack of Sibia's army.
When they first received the news, everyone didn’t believe it was true. Cohen Keda’s army had invaded? An empire that had failed seven or eight times, why should he invade? Where was his ordnance? Where was his food? ? Even if Sibiya's soldiers can use paper figures to make up for their numbers, Cohen Keda still has to have time to make paper ones!
But in the following days, messengers for help arrived one after another, caravans were blocked one after another, and nobles from one family after another poured into the imperial capital to take refuge. Only then did the royal family and the military realize that something was wrong. , quickly lit a beacon to report to the alliance. But as soon as the emergency beacon spread to the mountains behind the imperial capital, it was cut off by the Sibia people, and it could no longer be as powerful as usual. The griffins of the Demon Palace rose up one after another. Sky, but did not bring back a reply, it seemed that the situation was in danger. Once, three thousand Guards troops were sent to check the situation in neighboring provinces, but they were attacked on the road, and only more than 400 people fled back in embarrassment.
The military increased its reconnaissance efforts and sent out all the people who could be used. The Crown Prince himself also sent hundreds of his retainers, disguised and went to various places to inquire. Finally, these people brought back some decent news - the interior of the empire In addition to the imperial capital and a nearby pass, eight of the fourteen strategic locations have been captured by the unknown number of Sibia troops, and the remaining four are under siege. Leading to the Bruck Empire and Trafa The road to the empire has fallen into the hands of the Sibia army. This means that the empire is now in chaos. If you want to escape, you can only flee to the Camp Empire. Now, this road is probably crowded with people fleeing.
Without knowing the detailed number of Sibia's troops, their tactics, or their specific attack targets, the royal family and the military were almost blind. Previously, the imperial army had to deal with Sibia's continuous attacks.
, have already placed their elite troops in the northern defense zone, and those remaining in the interior are all second-line troops and new troops formed by nobles from various places. According to the intelligence brought back, the ferocity of Sibia's army surpassed that of Warcraft, and the second-line troops in the interior were not completely defeated.
, that is, they surrendered in batches, and the fate of the new army formed by nobles from all over the country was even more miserable... At this time, what else can the empire do to fight against the Sibia army?
The royal family and the military now have to face the reality: A large number of Sibia's troops have indeed entered the interior of the empire. How they entered is no longer important. What is important is that the power they still have is only the imperial capital.
There are only a few provinces around, and other places have either lost contact or are completely unable to help...
The situation is very critical, but it is not completely hopeless. First of all, the city defense of the imperial capital is very reassuring, because it has an elite guard army and some available aristocratic family armed forces. Secondly, the empire and the alliance have cycles.
Sexual messenger exchanges, once the messenger is interrupted, the Alliance will soon find that something is wrong. As long as they find a way to delay it until the Alliance sends troops to rescue, all problems will be solved. In order to ease the situation, His Majesty the Emperor also sent a special envoy.
Negotiations were made with the Sibia side, but no news was received.
Combining the soldiers, people's support, financial resources, and material resources, there should be no problem in defending the imperial capital for three months. And with these three months, even if the coalition forces have to crawl, they will be able to reach the imperial capital. By that time, even if
Sibia is using all the country's troops to attack this time. In terms of scale and combat effectiveness, he can't compare with the coalition forces, right?
There is no problem in supporting Sibia's attack externally, but internally...the problem facing the royal family is here, and it may be a little troublesome: first, the assassination of Lieutenant General Glens had no results, and then Lieutenant General Glens
The general's clan members have mysteriously disappeared. If this matter is exposed, no matter what excuses the royal family uses to evade it or deny it, it will damage their reputation. There are also the unachievable untouchables in the imperial capital, and some declining nobles who are ready to make a move...
With less than 60,000 troops defending the imperial capital city, it will inevitably lead to a significant weakening of internal surveillance. Although the royal family's private armed forces have been dispatched, the manpower is still insufficient.
His Royal Highness put down the wine glass, took the hand crossbow lying on the table, casually aimed at a dominant gladiator in the field and pulled the trigger - the crossbow arrow made a weird whistle, passed through the gladiator's thigh, and directly nailed the opponent.
On the floor, a large piece of torn flesh was still hanging on the sharp barbs.
The situation in the field changed drastically. The originally dominant gladiator let out a scream. The prey he was chasing before seized the opportunity to fight back and cut him in two! But the gladiator who had just escaped was only focused on killing people and did not pay attention to the danger behind him. He was killed by another gladiator.
One man succeeded in a sneak attack. The person who opened the animal pen on the side of the field was encouraged by His Highness the Prince's actions. With a wave of his hand, more than 30 ferocious monsters in the animal pen rushed into the field and ate up the remaining gladiators...
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is so brave!" cheers surged from the stands, and the atmosphere was high. "You are brave! You are brave! You are brave!"
His Royal Highness put down his crossbow, stood up with a smile, and greeted the cheering crowd in the stands gently. Just as a group of hard laborers rushed in to clean up the aftermath and prepare for the next game, His Royal Highness's personal servants led a group of
An official entered the prince's box along the special passage. The prince showed a hint of surprise. The eager official leaned forward and whispered. His Royal Highness's face immediately changed. The glory and wealth of the crowd in the stands were closely connected with the prince himself, and the noise immediately stopped.
, everyone looked at the box.
Surprise, confusion, suspicion, these expressions appeared one by one on His Highness the Crown Prince's face, slowly intertwined and gradually merged, making everyone worried. When the Crown Prince asked the officials in a low voice, these people's hearts were already high.
They have never seen His Highness the Crown Prince show such concern and caution about a matter.
Finally, the complex expressions on His Royal Highness's face gathered together at the corners of his mouth, and finally turned into a weird smile.
In the arena where needles could be heard, and under the puzzled eyes of everyone, His Highness the Crown Prince turned around and maintained a sincere smile. That level of joy was extremely contagious, not to mention His Highness the Crown Prince's acceptance of the words.
The next move - he pushed more than ten maids in his box out of the door one after another!
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is brave! Brave! Brave!" Everyone's enthusiasm was aroused again, because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had done such a thing before. On the night when he became the Crown Prince, he let more than thirty maids enter the arena.
Let the diners witness an unprecedented "fighting show"!
"Everyone - you must have a good time tonight, and I will not accompany you all." His Royal Highness raised his wine glass, gracefully turned half a circle towards the stands, and then followed the official out of the box.
It wasn't until he quickly boarded the carriage that His Highness the Crown Prince stared at the official and asked, "What exactly happened? Can you be sure? How far are they from the imperial capital?"
"Yes, Your Highness, we received the news two hours ago and have sent five batches of envoys to inquire. The details are still being verified." The official replied, "Based on the current known situation, the approximate number of people in this army is
They are 30,000 people, coming from the northern defense zone, and the herald they came to report said that they were the troops of Lieutenant General Glenns."
"These are not important, what is important is Lieutenant General Glens." His Royal Highness the Crown Prince waved his hand, "Where is he?"
"The report said that Lieutenant General Glens led his army to fight in a decisive battle with Sibia's army at Broilang Creek in the Two Rivers Plain a few days ago, and defeated Sibia's army after a hard day's battle." The official paused, "But, Glens
The lieutenant general personally led the cavalry charge and unfortunately died for the country."
"Dead?" The prince was still surprised at the bad luck of Lieutenant General Glens, but when he heard the great news, his voice rose more than an octave, "Dead!"
"Your Highness, please express your condolences." The official nodded, "I heard that the Lieutenant General died in a fierce battle, which is very tragic. After cleaning up the battlefield, we finally found the Lieutenant General among the dead, but one hand had already been found.
It's not here, probably because the enemy cut off the hand holding the demon sword to claim credit, and several adjutants committed suicide and died... They have brought back the bodies of these generals. His Majesty and the military generals are already discussing
We have some countermeasures. Please come over, and I also want to hear His Highness’s opinions.”
This news was too shocking. His Highness the Crown Prince's mouth was half open, his eyes stopped moving, and he had forgotten what he was going to say next... It took a long time for His Highness to realize his gaffe, shook his head, and leaned against the car window.
in silence.
Next, in the emperor's study, at a meeting attended by only a few members of the royal family, the participants started a debate about this force. The reason for the controversy was that the division of labor among the members of the royal family was different, and the prince who was responsible for the defense of the imperial capital was
Said that these 30,000 troops are very important, because these people are elites who have experienced many wars. With them, the defense of the imperial capital can be said to be impenetrable. However, the emperor himself and the prince had to plan an assassination plan a few days ago, so they had to
Think deeper... The arrival of Sibia's army was bizarre, Lieutenant General Glens's death was also bizarre, and this army of 30,000 people was also bizarre.
Is there any inevitable connection between this? If they are allowed to join the city defense, will there be any trouble?
But what the prince in charge of defending the imperial capital said was right. His 30,000 troops were about to arrive as soon as he spoke, and it was Lieutenant General Glens's army. If they were not allowed to enter the city as soon as possible, what would the residents of the imperial capital think?
Wouldn't they be suspicious? Could there be someone in the nobility trying to fish in troubled waters? How would the Demon Palace explain it? How could we fight this war if the people's morale dropped?
"So, it is inappropriate not to let your own army in." Seeing that the emperor remained silent and allowed the princes and princes to argue, the thoughtful Crown Prince suggested softly: "The most urgent task is to determine whether this army is ours.
Besides, we also need to confirm whether Lieutenant General Glens is really dead. The army will arrive at noon anyway, so we still have time to make arrangements."
"What does the prince mean..." The emperor looked over and asked, "How to arrange it?"
"On this aspect, we need to widely publicize that Lieutenant General Glens's army has returned with a great victory and has entered the imperial capital to assist in the defense and boost the morale of the people." The prince thought for a while and said slowly in the eyes of everyone: "
On the other hand, we sent officials who are familiar with military affairs to confirm in the name of condolences. We have to confirm again and again. If there is no problem, let them join the defense... If there is a problem, it will not be a problem."
The emperor picked up the wine glass noncommittally and asked calmly, "What if Lieutenant General Glens is not dead?"
"If he is not dead, then there will be no problem." His Royal Highness the Crown Prince smiled shyly, "We have the most say whether it is our own army. When the people heard that Sibia's army pretended to be our army and tried to trick them into opening the city gate,
, will all be excited, right?”
"Is this what you mean?" The emperor glanced at the prince and said, "Childish."
"Yes, this is what my father taught me." The prince lowered his head.
"You need these 30,000 people, right?" The emperor asked the prince responsible for defending the imperial capital. After receiving a positive answer, the emperor nodded, "Then send someone to check. After checking clearly, these 30,000 people are you.
of."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The prince nodded and replied.
"If Glens is really dead, we will hold a grand state funeral for him. If he is not dead, we will also create conditions to hold a state funeral for him." The emperor stood up and moved his body, which was heavy from sitting for a long time.
, "After the army is integrated...the officers under Lieutenant General Glens have worked hard and accomplished a lot. Let them all take a holiday as soon as the entering ceremony is completed! Leave it to the military department to handle it. Don't miss any one."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The prince certainly knew what it meant to give these officers a holiday. "I will make arrangements now. There will be no problems and no news will be revealed."
"It's time to leave then." The emperor walked out, "The prince will lead the officials to prepare for the city entrance ceremony. I am tired and want to rest first."
"Send to Your Majesty." In response to this order, the members of the royal family did not dare to say "no". No one dared to disobey an emperor whose enemy troops were approaching the city, even if the emperor was his own relative.
After careful planning, the military headquarters sent generals who were familiar with Lieutenant General Glens and his troops to inquire about the details in the name of a condolence visit. The leading general had two main tasks. One was to understand the army clearly.
According to the nature of the matter, if the Sibia people are allowed to enter the city, then everyone should stop messing around. The second is to find out the life and death of Lieutenant General Glens. If you are alive, you will see people, and if you are dead, you will see the corpse!
After confirming the life and death of himself and Lieutenant General Glens, the secondary task is to judge the morale and existing combat effectiveness of this army, because these people are going to join the city defense, and they must have a thorough understanding of their current situation.
Under the escort of a battalion of Guards, the generals left the city. As soon as their figures disappeared into the distance, several military supervisors became anxious. Everyone simply sat at the city gate and waited for further news.
More than forty miles away from the imperial capital, a force of about 30,000 people was slowly marching towards the imperial capital. A thousand well-organized cavalry marched out one mile to clear the way, and three thousand well-equipped infantry trailed five miles behind. The huge army
The Chinese army brought more than a thousand light carriages and flew the flag of Lieutenant General Glens - commonly known as the "Youshui Army Flag" by the people.
It was already midnight when the visiting generals sent by the military arrived. The Chinese army had already camped and rested on the roadside. Military carriages were lined up on the roadside for two miles. The visiting generals passed by and heard everything they heard.
It was the low groans of the wounded soldiers, and the haggard-looking magicians were busy chanting healing spells in hoarse voices. The witch doctors in strange clothes were jumping up and down, cursing everything they could, holding in their mouths
Xiaodao's assistant dumped a bucket of bloody water on the roadside. The smell of medicine filled the air and the stench made the generals from the imperial capital dizzy. They covered their noses with handkerchiefs and hurried to the headquarters.
The situation at the Chinese Army Headquarters was not much better. The smell of medicine was also pungent. The person with the highest military rank was a major general. The bandage on his arm was still leaking blood. The generals who came to see the military headquarters’ condolences arrived. After two
With the help of Konoe, he stood up and saluted reluctantly. With just a few simple movements, the corners of his mouth twitched in pain and sweat broke out on his forehead.
"General, don't move. It's important to recuperate. It's important to recuperate." The military general walked over quickly, helped the major general sit down personally, and observed the authenticity of his injuries at a close distance. "Soldiers killed the enemy for the country and fought bloody battles. I heard that the imperial capital is in danger.
They immediately came to help. The empire and the military were very happy when they heard the news... His Majesty the Emperor was very sad when he heard about Lieutenant General Glens. He couldn't eat for several meals in succession. The general must get better as soon as possible, and it is also good to ask for help.
When His Majesty the Emperor reported the war situation, His Majesty felt comforted!"
"The two armies were fighting fiercely, and Lieutenant General Glens led the charge. This was all because of our dereliction of duty." The major general replied painfully: "If we had performed better, Lieutenant General would not have to do this..."
"The report says that the Sibia army was personally led by Cohen Keda?"
"It's this bastard!" the major general became excited. "Lieutenant General Glenns fell into this bastard's trap. The Sibyans are so despicable and shameless!"
"Lieutenant General Glens is the number one general in our empire!" the military general sighed, "How is the current situation of the army?"
"Excluding the logistics personnel at the back, the combat troops are nearly 30,000. However, I believe you have also seen that there are more than 8,000 wounded among our 30,000. We are very short of medical personnel. We also ask the military department to allocate manpower for us.
, these are warriors who have experienced hundreds of battles and are the backbone of the empire."
"This is what we should do. The imperial capital has already begun preparations. You all go down and go to the troops to understand the details." The military general nodded repeatedly and gave orders to his followers. Then he turned to the major general and said: "
There is one thing that is my main mission this time. If there is any offense, please forgive me, General."
"Your Excellency, please speak."
"The general knows that Lieutenant General Glenns is the pillar of the country. His life and death are related to the morale of the military and the people, so I must see... No, I must pay homage to Lieutenant General Glenns's body." At this point, the military general paused.
, "The royal family, the military, and the people cannot accept the fact that Lieutenant General Glenns has died for the country. This is a huge blow to us... On the other hand, because of Lieutenant General Glenns' martyrdom, many things have changed
It is very important to prepare early to prevent the enemy from taking advantage."
When I heard that someone was coming to do an autopsy, the Major General's face showed anger at first, then confusion, and finally embarrassment. After a long time, the Major General said with difficulty in a hoarse voice, "Since it is for the empire, please come with me, sir."