"I understand, I understand everything, isn't it just to keep it a secret..." The mayor of Ximu Town, Zike, lowered his head and half-bowed, crossed his hands in his sleeves and walked towards the town office. The rainy season has just ended,
The ground was very wet and a bit slippery. If possible, Lao Zike really didn't want to go out, just like he didn't want to be the mayor of the town.
But there was no other way. The Grand Duke sent someone to understand the situation. As the mayor of the town, he could only come forward. Treat these arrogant envoys to a good meal and explain clearly the strange light cavalry unit that passed through Westwood Town two days ago.
He made a report on the collection of grain and horse feed by the light cavalry unit in the town, and showed the list and receipt of the collection of materials given to him by the army. This was a document that could offset the taxes paid in Ximu Town.
The envoys thought that this should be a light cavalry unit performing a secret mobilization mission, so they bypassed the Archduke's Fort Afina and did not enter the city to disturb the Archduke. This was also what the Archduke was unhappy about. As a member of the Eastern Region,
He was a member of the National Alliance. Not only did he not be notified of the deployment of troops in the alliance, he did not even come to visit his castle after passing by him. This was very rude and made the Grand Duke angry. It showed that the commander of this army did not treat the Grand Duke.
Take it into consideration...
However, the envoys got good news from Lao Zike, that is, the commander of the light cavalry unit that passed two days ago said that they were the vanguard and that a large group of people would arrive in a few days. I believe that this follow-up will be done by then.
The commander of the army will visit the Grand Duke to make him happy. Perhaps the commander will tell the Grand Duke the purpose of their military mobilization and what their numbers are. If they don’t reveal it now, it should be because Old Zik’s status is too low.
Confidentiality.
So after the envoys had eaten and drank enough, they took matters into their own hands, caught more than a dozen chickens and geese in Ximu Town, and then returned. The entire Principality of Xidings is extremely poor now, so don't expect Lao Zike to provide sacrifices to the envoys.
Impossible. If Lao Zike didn't have a farm in Westwood Town, where he could buy some agricultural products and sell them in Fort Afina, so he could pay the taxes levied by the Grand Duke and barely survive, then he wouldn't be a member of this town.
long......
Every time these Archduke's envoys came over, they would sweep up the town. Old Zike believed that when he returned to the town hall, the townspeople whose chickens and geese were taken away from their homes were already waiting for him to come back and compensate them. Those bastard Archduke's envoys
They don't understand that the eggs laid by a chicken and goose they catch are often the source of salt and needlework for a villager's family for a month. But to them, it is just a meal they grab when they go to the countryside.
....
Fortunately, he had already warned the townspeople not to do anything when the messengers were catching chickens and geese. He looked on coldly and said that he would compensate the messengers after they returned. Otherwise, if the townspeople went to protect their own chickens and geese, they would be waiting for them.
It might be the end of the family being ruined. Old Zike has been to Afena Castle many times, and he once saw these followers of the Grand Duke galloping unscrupulously on the streets of the castle, and people who couldn't dodge were hit.
There were many who were injured and whipped. These messengers were all close associates of the Grand Duke, and the consequences of offending them would be disastrous.
Remembering that the envoys had told him to shut up before leaving and not disclose any information about the light cavalry unit that passed by two days ago. Lao Zike felt that it was ridiculous. Isn't it just that military deployments need to be kept secret? He is not a child.
Naturally, he knew this, and he had no interest in where this light cavalry unit was going or what it was going to do. Although this light cavalry unit was a little weird and behaved a little abnormally, Old Zik said nothing to the Archduke's envoys.
.....
Sometimes Lao Zike felt that life would be more comfortable without the Principality of Sidings. During the war in the eastern region, Archduke Sidings ran away, the principality perished, and was then classified as a new occupied territory. All the people of the principality became Austrians.
A commoner of the Kingdom of Vilas, Lao Zike did not feel much about the change in his status. He believed that no matter who ruled Westwood Town, they would need residents who paid taxes and served.
In fact, he guessed correctly. An official appointed by some nobles came to Westwood Town and was responsible for taxing the residents of Westwood Town. The tax rate was not high at all for the residents of the town, 30%.
Gram's farm also relied on the good times of those few years to save some money. Moreover, a year later, a team of nearly a thousand workers came to the town to rebuild the road leading to Fort Afina, but those workers saw that
Getting up and having a miserable time...
Then for some reason, there was another war. A group of soldiers came from the town and shot the official in front of the town hall. Then they took away the property stored in the town hall. After they left, no one was in charge of Ximu Town. The townspeople elected the old man
Zike became the temporary mayor. Three years later, Archduke Sidings came back and the Duchy of Sittings was restored. So the tax rate in Westwood Town doubled from 30% to 30%.
Sixty percent, and a lot of labor is assigned.
Since the year before last, Archduke Siddings has said that he wants revenge, so he has added a war tax. In the first half of last year, all the young people in the town were conscripted, and in the second half of the year, they were conscripted again. Sixteen-year-olds and forty-year-olds
The middle-aged people were also forcibly taken away. Now Ximu Town is full of old and weak women and children, and there are no young and strong men. So sometimes old Zik thinks, what would it be like if Archduke Sidings had not come back?
, the tax rate is very light and no one will force the young people in the town to serve as soldiers and fight...
Life has to go on. Two days later, Lao Zike got up early and hitched up two oxcarts on the farm. The carts were piled with dew-laden fruits that had just been picked by his wife and hired peasant women in the early morning.
The cabbage was going to be sent to Afinasburg for sale. He and his helper Mark, who was lame, drove an ox cart and approached Afinasburg when they found that the road was blocked by a troop. This troop should
It was what the light cavalry unit that passed through Westwood Town a few days ago called the follow-up group, because they all wore the same brown-gray military uniforms.
An officer led two soldiers and walked towards Old Zeke and Mark. Old Zeke and Mark were not afraid. They had come into contact with the vanguard of this army a few days ago. Although they were mysterious, they were well-disciplined. They were in the town.
He set up camp outside to rest, and only sent a few officers and a team of soldiers to the town to collect grain, grass and horse feed from him. During this period, he also went out to buy a few pigs, sheep, chickens and geese. They paid in cash. For the poultry and livestock raised by the townspeople,
Qiu committed no crime and did not break into the townspeople's homes without permission.
This officer just came to check what was loaded on the two carriages of Old Zike and Mark. After discovering that it was cabbage, he tore off a leaf and put it into his mouth and tasted it. He thought it was very fragrant and sweet, and the cabbage was of good quality. Old
Zike was very happy and decided to give some cabbages to the officer. The officer refused. Old Zike said that he had just dealt with them two days ago, so you're welcome.
The officer was stunned, and Lao Zike said that your vanguard had just passed by our town a few days ago, and I helped them collect the food and grass to be collected. So the officer asked Lao Zike what was going on, and waited for Lao Zike
After saying that, the officer laughed and said, since we are old acquaintances, let me do you a favor. You don't have to send your things to the city to sell them. We have packed these two carts of cabbage.
Soon the soldier sent by the officer brought a chubby veteran over. The veteran looked at the cabbage and was very satisfied. He directly gave Lao Zike a very good price, or a cash transaction. Lao Zike asked the fat veteran if he wanted more.
There was no need for cabbage, and there were still five or six oxcarts on their farm. The fat veteran was very happy and said he wanted them all. This little cabbage was enough for their kitchen for a day, and they would send as much as they had.
So Lao Zike's farm was busy all morning and called many residents of the town to come over for help before moving all the cabbages onto the oxcart. After sending them to the military camp to find the fat veteran, they quickly settled all the cabbages.
After letting lame Mark and the town helpers take the oxcart back to the farm first, Old Zike decided to go to the city to buy some fine linen fabrics for his precious little girl and let her make new clothes. In the past two years,
, my precious little girl has been wearing the old clothes left by her sister before she got married. Today, I sold all the cabbage in the farm, so I just have money to buy things.
The left side of the road to Fort Afena is dotted with military tents, the color of which is the same as the uniforms worn by the soldiers of this army, all brown and gray. There are no fences or trenches between the tents and the road, but neither do the soldiers on the other side of the tents.
When we got to the road, we could hear the occasional braying of war horses and the horses running past. They were behind the tents and were restrained by soldiers from running wild on the road. But there were not many pedestrians, cars and horses on the road, and there were not many people coming out of the city.
They all looked frightened, as if they wanted to run away.
When he arrived at the gate of the castle, Lao Zike discovered why the people coming out of the city were so panicked. It was because there were hundreds of corpses hanging on the walls, all dressed in gorgeous clothes. Many of them seemed familiar. Lao Zike
He walked closer and squinted his eyes to look carefully at the corpses hanging on the city wall. He was surprised to see an acquaintance. The group of Archduke's envoys who came to Ximu Town to question him a few days ago were all hanging on them, and none of them ran away.
Lose......
Looking at the city gate, Lao Zike found that the gatekeepers were also soldiers wearing brown and gray military uniforms. He walked to the city gate and handed a road note in his hand to a soldier walking towards him. This road
The note was given to him by the chubby veteran. Hearing that he was going to Fort Afena to buy some things, the fat veteran asked him to wait. After a while, he came back and gave the note to Lao Zike.
The soldier looked at the road sign, showed a rare smile, handed the road sign back to Lao Zike, waved and shouted a few times behind him, to the effect that this was our friend and he could be let go. Then Lao Zike asked
Why are all the Archduke's cronies hanging on the city wall? The soldier smiled and replied, "There will no longer be any Archduke Sidings here. We have recaptured Fort Afina, and from now on this will all be Orveras."
The kingdom's new territories...
...
For the temporary royal court of the Ovelas Kingdom in White Deer City, these three months have been painful and happy. First, the defensive front of Ambriz County was set up, and all the troops deployed by the kingdom on the second defensive front retreated to White Deer City.
Around Lucheng, the rare reorganization and rest after the war began. There was still some fear at the beginning, but the continuous good news coming from the Ambriz County defense line finally made everyone in the kingdom let go of their uneasy heart.
No one expected that the fighting power of the Rock Legion would be so powerful. It was almost one against seven. After the troops of the Eastern Region National Alliance evacuated all the troops of the Kingdom of Olvilas on the second line of defense, they occupied
The second line of defense advanced towards Ambriz County. When another defensive front was set up in Ambriz County and only one legion was on guard, the seven legions of the Eastern Region National Alliance were overjoyed and no longer waited for the arrival of reinforcements, directly attacking the Rock Legion.
He launched a ferocious attack and banged his head against the hard stone...
The first attack was a cannon fodder corps jointly formed by the Principality of Sidings and the Principality of Rimodra. As expected, within half an hour, the casualties exceeded 10% and their morale collapsed and they retreated from the front line.
The senior officers of the National Alliance in the Eastern Region could only shake their heads and sigh. This friendly force is too weak. The wave-like attack of 50,000 to 60,000 people is of no use at all. Even the heavy throwers on the enemy's positions are not distributed at the same location.
After trying nothing, I heard the sound of musket fire on the defensive position. Then the attacking soldiers fell down one by one, and those behind turned around and fled. It seemed better to let them do some chores.
The noble officers of the Principality of Sidings and the Principality of Rimodra who were watching the battle turned around and left in shame. They gathered their own soldiers and rushed to the army's departure position, and captured nearly a hundred so-called soldiers from the defeated soldiers.
A typical deserter, they were brutally punished by beheading directly on the battlefield and gave a morale-boosting speech. It is a pity that no matter how hard these noble officers tried, they could not inspire the courage of these soldiers who returned from defeat. More soldiers were
Looking at them numbly and indifferent to their speeches and encouragements, the noble officers' idea of organizing another attack was completely frustrated.
Immediately afterwards, a standing legion of the Kingdom of Nasseri and a light cavalry regiment of the Principality of Karnas attacked hand in hand. According to their accustomed cooperation, it was the standing legion of the Kingdom of Nasseri that attacked first, attracting all the enemies on the frontal defense front.
Attention. The Karrnath Light Cavalry Regiment was lying in ambush behind. During the fiercest offensive and defensive battle, the unexpected troops stood out and rushed into the defensive position from the flanks, causing the defenders to focus on one thing and miss the other.
The standing army of the Kingdom of Nasseri took the opportunity to launch a general attack, attacking the defensive positions regardless of casualties. Under attack from two sides, it was easy to break through the enemy's defensive line. As long as they occupied a position on the enemy's defense line and firmly held on to resist the defenders
Counterattack, and then use the advantage of military strength to carry out reinforcements and supplements. Use this defensive position to consume the enemy's troops, which will eventually cause the enemy's entire defense line to collapse...
The first attack of the Cannon Fodder Legion was defeated without even getting close to the 150 meters away from the Rock Legion's defensive position. This time the joint attack of the Nasseri Kingdom and the Principality of Karnas was a little more successful. The Nasseri Kingdom's
The standing army rushed to about a hundred meters in front of the defensive line, but had to retreat due to more than half of the casualties. The light cavalry regiment of the Principality of Karnas went a step further. They fell more than fifty meters in front of the defensive line.
In this place, the corpses of men and horses were piled up densely. A light cavalry regiment of more than 4,000 people only managed to return a few hundred riders.
The impression and lesson this attack left on the senior officers of the National Alliance in the Eastern Region was that the enemy's defensive firepower was too fierce. It started with grenades, which should be heavy throwers that can throw grenades to more than 400 meters. Nasser
The standing legion of the Kingdom of Li almost braved the bombs that kept falling from the sky to attack. However, when they reached two hundred meters in front of the position, they encountered fierce musket fire. The soldiers charging at the front pounced one by one.
On the ground, the area 100 to 200 meters in front of the defensive position was covered with the corpses of Nasseri soldiers, and the blood flowed into small streams.
This scene made a senior officer of the Nasseri Kingdom who was watching the battle behind him cry out: "This is a massacre, not a war!"
The light cavalry regiment of the Principality of Karnas rushed to the minefield within a hundred meters of the defensive position. Coupled with countless light grenades thrown in, the light cavalry regiment's charging position became a mine formation.
It was a place of death where shrapnel flew everywhere. That is to say, the last few hundred light cavalry saved their lives by reining in their horses and forcing their horses to turn around and flee...
The failure of the two attacks finally made the senior officers of the National Alliance in the Eastern Region pay attention to the rock army in front. Soon they learned that this was the reinforcement sent by the overseas autonomous territories. So everyone looked at the army sent by the Hicks Kingdom.
Senior officers, this is their old rival, the winner of the colonial war.
It’s just that these senior officers of the Kingdom of Hicks were also devastated. They knew the name of the Rock Legion. Like the Thunder Legion, they were the opponents of the Kingdom of Hicks in the colonial war. But the problem was that they had not participated in the colonial war.
Those who participated were all serving in the overseas autonomous territories. Therefore, they did not understand the characteristics of these two enemy legions, but they had seen with their own eyes the strength of the Rock Legion.
So the third attack was handed over to the army of the Kingdom of Hicks. This time they planned to send two legions into battle, and prepare a light cavalry division from the Principality of Karnas behind them. The army of the Kingdom of Hicks was in the eastern countries.
There is a reason why they rank first in combat power in the alliance, because they can use a giant single-arm lever thrower with a throwing distance of up to 560 meters to break through the first line of defense of the Kingdom of Orvelas, hoping that
These giant throwers in the Kingdom of Kes have made great achievements.
The standing army of the Kingdom of Nasseri prepared nearly a hundred wooden carts and shield carts during the attack to cover the soldiers' attack on the enemy's position. Unfortunately, under the explosion of the grenades, these wooden carts and shield carts were rendered useless.
, instead became the target of concentrated bombing, causing heavy casualties to the soldiers hiding behind.
Now that the two standing legions of the Hicks Kingdom were about to attack, they also spent three days preparing hundreds of wooden platoon vehicles and shield vehicles. However, they did not use these wooden platoon vehicles and shield vehicles to cover the soldiers for the attack.
It is used to protect their giant throwers from being attacked by artillery on the defensive position. Anyway, their throwers can throw grenades the furthest distance. As long as they can withstand the enemy's artillery, they are basically in the same position as their own grenades.
You can throw it to the enemy, but the enemy cannot throw it to your own situation. If you throw it like this for a few days, the enemy will either be unable to bear the bombing and attack from their position, or their morale will collapse and they will retreat.
It can be said that the Kingdom of Hicks has focused all their technology trees on throwers and grenades...