Although it is late autumn now, the mountains and wilderness outside the city are still green, and there is a hint of coolness in the mist in the mountains.
This is the southernmost side of Crancia, and it was also the border of the West Wind. It was named because of the tall and tall pine trees that abound in the surrounding area. This kind of pine has a hard texture and an upright shape like a sword, so the locals named it sword pine.
In the passing west wind, this place is not an important place. The only thing that people can remember is the Black Pine River next to the city. Follow this river south to go to Verga.
People who have never been to the local area may think that this place should be a trading center, but in fact, because this is the upper reaches of the Black Pine River, the river is shallow and it is difficult to carry large boats, and it is surrounded by mountains. There has always been trade between West Wind and Verga.
More are reached via the spacious overland route to Hopeland.
But with the changes of the times, the split of Verga, the establishment of Clancia, the Black Pine River was allocated to Frost Rose, and now it has become the bridgehead for Clancia to face the alliance of Frost Rose.
After receiving the news of Frost Rose's troop deployment, Crancia also urgently mobilized 80,000 troops from surrounding areas to guard this place.
Because of the mountainous surroundings and sparsely populated areas, the original permanent population in the city was only about 50,000. With so many people suddenly added, food became a big problem, and the mountain roads were difficult to walk, so supplies were difficult to come by.
, if we continue to mobilize troops, I am afraid it will be difficult to sustain.
On the iron-gray stone city wall, General Sage overlooked the tranquil river below and asked the adjutant beside him.
"When will Frost Rose's army arrive?"
The adjutant wearing a smart military uniform replied. "Sir, according to the message from the New Verga Alliance, they passed through Turbulent City three days ago. It is about 100 miles away from here, so it should be pretty quick."
"Although the golem is powerful and solid, it is extremely heavy. If they were transported by ship, they would have to get off the ship and walk at most 60 miles away from here."
"Does Frost Rose have so many ships?" Seg continued to ask. He had just come from the royal capital and was not particularly familiar with the situation in the south of Crancia.
"Not before, but they annexed half of Verga and were able to recruit a large number of merchant ships under it. In addition, it is said that they also built ironclads."
Two years later, with the assistance of the Dayas Chamber of Commerce, Frost Rose also began to launch the first batch of ironclads, and the 'Great Eastern' was the most famous experimental ship. Although some other ironclads had certain capabilities
It's not satisfactory, but it's not wasted either. Now it's just used to transport the golem.
"If the Golem Legion really comes to the city, with our current strength and means, I am afraid it will be difficult to resist." The adjutant said worriedly. He has received an intermediate military education from Crancia and understands the current strength and strengths of the legions of various countries.
"Yes, but as soldiers, it is our duty to guard this place and not let the enemy pass."
"Even if we fall in the end, we must inflict heavy damage and losses on the enemy, weakening its strength step by step." Saige's voice was as steady and firm as a rock in the mountains.
For many Cranthian soldiers, the time of peace was so short. It seemed like yesterday that they fought against the nobles of the West Wind. The bloody spirit and perseverance of the early uprising still had not dissipated. Now after receiving the order
, even though they knew that this battle would be very dangerous, no one complained or escaped, but instead followed the military orders as a matter of course and mobilized.
Although West Wind has declined, the extraordinary men in its army are often several times that of Crancia. In order to defeat such an enemy, Clancia has gone to the extreme in building its army. Its discipline and fighting will are unimaginable to outsiders.
Even when the number of troops is reduced by more than 70%, he still does not flinch and moves forward with his gun drawn until the enemy's magic power and strength are consumed, and then he surrounds and kills him on the spot.
Sacrifice has become commonplace. Death may be scary for the first time, but after seeing it too much, you will become numb and get used to it.
Faced with this situation, the senior officers of Crancia were both proud and helpless. They were proud to have such fearless warriors, but they had no other choice. In the absence of high-level transcendent beings, they could only use this method to defeat them.
enemy.
Fortunately, now that the civil war is over, we can finally put down our weapons, cultivate ourselves, and strengthen our national strength.
But there is no natural intermission in this world, and others will take advantage of your illness to kill you. Seeing that Crancia was not completely stable, Frost Rose also took the opportunity to attack, and marched north according to their plan long ago.
The reason why we did not take action a year or two ago was simply because there was no suitable means of transporting the golems at that time. Although the golem army was powerful, it was difficult to become a powerful means of attack due to its heavy body and slow advance.
Now that the time is slightly ripe, they have mobilized domestic ships and armored ships to prepare for the northern expedition to the Central Plains and enter the former hinterland of the West Wind. It is a vast plain that connects the seven Snow Flower Kingdoms and is the only way for Frost Rose to develop and grow.
Just as Seg finished inspecting the city defenses and walked down the city wall, there was a burst of intensive metal friction and collisions beside the mountains and rivers in the distance. The sound of collisions gradually sounded, and then they followed the river bank to the north and slowly approached.
There were sporadic scratches and dust on the gray-silver steel. In the early morning mist, these steel-structured war machines stepped on the gravel and soil, leaving huge footprints on the ground.
A little dew condensed on the steel shell, then slid down, taking away some of the dust, and fell into the grass. Then it was stepped into the ground by the subsequent golems. Accompanied by a sound of teeth-searing metal friction and the sound of trees falling, these golems pushed away
Shrubs and woods in the mountains open up paths for the rear troops.
On one side of the team of steel golems, a 10-meter-tall one was parked on the roadside. Its back hatch opened, and a man wearing a mage's robe stuck his head out. Soon after, a young mage flew in from behind.
Then it landed on the golem's shoulders.
"What's the situation ahead?"
"We have already seen the city wall of Jiansong City. This city is built on the mountainside. Below it is the Heisong River. It is an insurmountable and dangerous barrier in the mountains and river valleys."
"Huh, we're finally here." The mage later breathed a sigh of relief.
"These past few days can be said to be the most difficult time for me in the past ten years. In the early years of our Lurna, golems were mostly used to defend the city and form a defense line. After all, the greenery was our number one threat. We did not consider too much transportation issues during the design.
.Now when I am trekking in the mountains, I realize how inconvenient this design is. Along the way, about 20% of the golems had to be parked halfway due to malfunctions, waiting for maintenance. Now they are finally here."
"But we have reached our destination, haven't we? As long as we occupy this city and use it as a bridgehead, the Golem Legion will have a stable repair and supply point, and it will be much easier to attack the interior of Crancia from now on."
"Well, let's send the signal. The Steel Ax Legion is on standby. After a half-day of repairs, they will begin to attack the city at noon. Later, the Bronze Horn and Fire Thorn Legion will reinforce the city one after another and strive to capture the city before dark."
As the words fell, a signal arrow with a rapid sound rose up and exploded in the air. Then these gray-silver steel golems began to change formations and slowly unfolded.
On the tower in the distance, the sound of the big bell kept echoing. Soldiers were startled by the officers' hurried shouts, picked up the weapons at hand, and rushed towards the city wall.