Sinnach's latest order was for Faust and Samir to quietly move to the city of Enril in the Plains of Duc, while he himself remained in the occupied city-states of the Kingdom of Bablon, now the newest territory of the Kingdom of Assyr, to enjoy the achievements and pleasure of a conqueror. At this time, the Kingdom of Bablon had already surrendered to Sinnach, and the fighting in its territory had subsided. The second phase of the war between the kingdoms was almost over.
The biggest loser of this war was, of course, the Kingdom of Bablon, but the biggest winner was a god, Enril!
The main god of Assyr and Hittite was Enril, and they opened up new territories, built shrines there, and ruled in the name of the god. This also represented the expansion of the power of the priests and the shrines. The scope of Enril's divine realm was getting wider and wider, and Marduc was losing ground. This was not a direct confrontation between the two gods, but the result of a war between the mortals.
In a sense, the Kingdom of Assyr was the most important chess piece in Enril's hands. Sinnach's ambitions and Faust's strategic planning were more or less guided by this god, and many of their ideas and wishes were even directly related to Enril's oracle. For example, when Sinnach had just ascended the throne, Enril had sent down an oracle, saying that he would become the greatest king of the continent, and hinting at what he should do.
When the fierce fighting in the Kingdom of Bablon gradually subsided, the war between the kingdoms entered the third phase. Sinnach's ambitions were ignited, and his goal was set on the Plains of Duc. He had already established the strategic base of Enril, and the next step was to break through the city of Leng and block the trade route to the Charcoal Marsh.
Sinnach's conservative plan was to divide the fertile land equally with the north and south of the Hittite Kingdom, and the best plan was to completely occupy the entire Plains of Duc. If this goal was achieved, the power of the Kingdom of Assyr would reach its peak on the continent, and Sinnach would become the greatest king in history!
Sinnach sent Faust and Samir quietly to the city of Enril, and in fact, he had also received a hint from Enril. This great god predicted the future of the Plains of Duc based on the development of the battle and the comparison of the strengths of the various parties, and his own guidance became part of this prophecy.
Aesop did not know at first that his opponent had changed. The one who held the military and political power in the city of Enril was no longer the warrior Felix, but the strategist Faust. In the beginning, Faust did not reveal his strategic intentions, nor did he show his face in public. Instead, he secretly increased the power of Enril City. On the surface, he even deliberately showed weakness in a few conflicts.
Through the war against the Kingdom of Bablon, the Assyrian Kingdom captured a large number of people as slaves, and Faust took the opportunity to solve the most troublesome logistical problem. He gave these slaves a path of survival, or rather, hope. As long as they were able to transport sufficient production and strategic resources across the Syah Plateau to Enlil City, they would become citizens of Enlil City. In the future, if they were able to render meritorious service on the battlefield, they would be granted a piece of land.
The narrow path across the Syah Plateau was cold and steep, and the logistical losses in personnel and supplies were great, but with such a policy, the captured slaves were willing to risk their lives. The Giant Legion had been assembled, and an even larger reserve army had appeared in the city of Enril as civilians, hoarding supplies and forging weapons.
The news of King Sinnach's expedition to Bablon had reached the city of Enril, and many of the warriors who participated in the war had become the new nobles of the kingdom, owning large tracts of land and a large number of slaves. This also made the soldiers in Enril, who had not achieved any results so far, both envious and expectant. They were eager to break through the city of Leng and become the new nobles of the Plains of Duc.
The Kingdom of Bablon submitted to the Kingdom of Assyr. Except for not building shrines for Enril in the cities of the kingdom, other aspects were very similar to the situation when the Hittite Kingdom submitted to the Empire of Eygut, and Sinnach called himself the Great Emperor of Assyr.
Aesop and the others had also noticed that something was wrong with the situation in Enril, but at this time, there was another more important matter that attracted everyone's attention, and that was the latest changes in the situation between the Assyrian Empire, the Kingdom of Bablon, and the Hittite Kingdom. While Faust was secretly plotting in the city of Enril, the war in the Kingdom of Bablon had completely subsided. The Great Emperor of Assyr, Sinnach, sent an envoy to the capital of the Hittite King to discuss an alliance with King Asher. If Sinnach had not suddenly attacked Bablon from the northeast, the Hittite Kingdom would not have won the war on the western front, and Asher was also a direct beneficiary. The two Kings had already sent envoys to congratulate each other on the victory. Now that both Assyria and Hittite had gained something, in order to consolidate their gains, Sinnach put forward another proposal.
He first proposed to form an alliance between the two countries, strengthen trade and trade cooperation, and return fugitive slaves to each other. In addition, Sinnach also specifically mentioned the issue of the ownership of the Plains of Duc. He suggested that the north and the south divide the Plains of Duc equally, so that this thousand miles of fertile land would become the new border between the two countries.
In Sinnach's proposal, the northernmost city of Enril and the northernmost city of Tolleng would belong to the Assyrian Kingdom, while the southern city of Meso and Budamia would naturally belong to the Hittite Kingdom, and it also included a large area of uncultivated land, which was much larger than the current territory controlled by the two countries. Judging from the current practical situation, this proposal was beneficial to both sides.
But there was one problem that Sinnach deliberately did not mention. He had included the territory controlled by Tolleng into the territory of the Assyrian Kingdom, and he wanted to test the attitude of the Hittite Kingdom. On the surface, the King of Hittite, Asher, did not want to fall out with the currently powerful Assyrian Empire, and the reply he sent was very interesting. He expressed to Sinnach that he hoped that the two countries would form a friendly alliance, and at the same time, he addressed Sinnach as the Great Emperor of Assyria. But he also mentioned in his letter that he had conferred the title of Prince of Tolleng to Amon, and that the territory around Tolleng was the territory of Prince of Tolleng, which belonged to Amun! If Amun wanted Tolleng to submit to the Assyrian Empire, Hittite would not stop it. On the surface, the Hittite Kingdom did not oppose the border between the north and the south, but also stated that the ownership of Tolleng was not decided by the two countries, but by the choice of the people of Tolleng. The Hittite Kingdom had just occupied the city of Budamia and the west bank of the Euphrate River not long ago, and the newly established city of Meso was also waiting to flourish. It was a wise choice to establish a foothold in the south of the Plains of Duc before expanding, and for the time being, they did not have the strength to spare to fight against the Assyrian Kingdom. But Asher and Sinnach were probably well aware that in the future, the two countries would most likely clash on the Plains of Duc, and it would depend on whose ambition was greater and whose national power was stronger.
Currently, Leng City was a barrier and also a nail that was inserted between the territories controlled by the two countries. King Asher was also happy to see Tolleng fight to the death with the Assyrian Empire. He wanted to consolidate his operations in the south of the Plains of Duc, so he adopted a wait-and-see attitude, not directly supporting them militarily, and did not stop the civilian trade and supply of goods. The outbreak of a larger war between Tolleng and Enril was initiated by Tolleng, because George finally realized the seriousness of the situation. No matter how covert Faust was secretly accumulating his strength, it was impossible to leave no traces, and George's reconnaissance in the sky discovered two anomalies.
First, there was a significant increase in the number of people crossing the Syah Plateau. In the past, they were all regular logistics and military teams, but now there were more and more ordinary immigrants in groups. Many people froze to death or even fell to their deaths on the narrow paths of the plateau, but more people succeeded in reaching the city of Enril. Second, Enril had opened up a number of new iron mines at the foot of the plateau, and most of the new arrivals were smelting refined iron. It seemed that Tolleng had been developing rapidly in the past two years, but the strength of Enril was not as conservative as imagined. If Sinnach was free to focus on the Plains of Duc after the conquest of the Kingdom of Bablon, Tolleng would be in a very passive position. It was time for a real decisive battle. As long as Enril was completely defeated and the narrow paths of the Syah Plateau were blocked, Tolleng's position would be completely consolidated.
Idu also encountered a dangerous situation when he was flying in the sky. He was suddenly attacked by several flying projectiles over the Syah Plateau. At that time, he did not continue to fight and quickly escaped. Later, he found out that the Great Sage of the Assyr Kingdom, Faust, had arrived in Enlil City, and the situation was very bad.
While George and Aesop were discussing countermeasures, something happened again on the trade route of the Charcoal Marsh. A caravan was intercepted and a large number of supplies were destroyed in the marsh. There were only two entrances to the trade route in the Charcoal Marsh, one in the hands of Syah City and the other in the hands of Taleng City. It would be difficult for a master to pass through the marsh and ambush in the trade route. What was going on?
El Mar, the "Goddess of the Marsh", was ordered to investigate and found that it was the work of Enril. Someone disguised themselves as a caravan and entered the trade route with combat supplies. Tolleng currently needed combat supplies, so they also bought weapons from the outside world, and Syah's pass was completely open. But after these people entered the Charcoal Marsh, they found a suitable place to leave the trade route halfway and hid.
They did not attack the official logistical supplies transported by the Hittite Kingdom, but a civilian caravan that was trading with Tolleng, and then sneaked into the depths of the marsh to hide. El Mar found these people in the marsh and captured them all for interrogation. Only then did she find out that they were spies sent by Enril, and their purpose was to attack the logistical supply line of Tolleng.
At present, the Hittite Kingdom had occupied the city of Budamia and opened a sea route on the northern banks of the inland Hunan. The trade route in the Charcoal Marsh was no longer as important to the expeditionary army as it used to be, but it was a necessary route for the evacuation of Tolleng. Thus, El Mar was ordered to station in the Charcoal Marsh and strengthen the military forces of the relay stations on the trade route.
The accident on the trade route made Aesop realize that he could no longer wait passively. Since there was still no news of Amun, he could only retreat to Tolleng and decide how to solve the predicament himself. Just then, another small-scale conflict broke out between the two cities. John led the rangers to defeat a small unit of the Giant Legion who tried to provoke a dispute.
George took advantage of the situation to expand the scale of the battle and led the Leng Legion to launch an attack. Today's Leng was far stronger than it was in the past, and an integrated legion of 5,000 soldiers and dozens of priests had been formed. Usually, they were engaged in farming and took turns to drill, and in the event of war, they could all be assembled to the front line.
George's strategy was simple and practical. The first step was to take advantage of the arrival of winter to attack the fields outside Enril, so that the enemy could not get food supplies in place. The second step was to bypass the fortified city and cut off the path from the Syah Plateau to the Plains of Duc, cutting off the reinforcements of Enril. The third step was to outflank the foot of the plateau, attack the mines, and uproot the peripheral strongholds. The fourth step was to besiege the isolated city of Enril, not by force, but by besieging it!
The narrow path of the Syah Plateau was cut off, and the fields and mines outside the city could not be farmed and mined normally. There was no need for a war, and Enril would surrender sooner or later. George wanted to attack the city by force, but the price would be high. The Giant Legion had powerful offensive and defensive equipment, and if the Giant Legion could be lured out of the city to fight, it was also a result that George wanted to see.
In the first wave of attack, Leng won, and the residents of Enril who were farming outside the city saw the Leng Legion and killed them.
When they arrived, they all fled into the city. George himself set up a line of defense between the two fortresses, and ordered John to lead the vanguard to bypass the city and attack the passage at the foot of the Syah Plateau, and Enril finally met the enemy.
The Giant Legion sent the vanguard commander Jufei to lead the chariots and John's cavalry to engage in a chaotic battle at the foot of the plateau. John won and occupied the exit of the narrow path, and ordered people to dig down boulders to temporarily block the road. However, at this moment, Faust suddenly led the main force of the Giant Legion out of the city and went straight for George's formation.
Faust did not expect Jufei to win, and he did not send many troops, with the purpose of temporarily restraining John. On the other side, John had just won and blocked the road to the plateau, and Faust sent the main force, which had been preparing for a long time, to the frontal battlefield. George was already prepared, but the strength of Enril exceeded his expectations.
As soon as Faust set up the formation, he launched a fierce attack, and the Felix Legion commander jumped off the chariot and rushed to the front with his giant sword. The Giant Legion also placed the heavy crossbows and catapults that were originally used to defend the city into the battle formation, and launched a round of long-range bombardment before the charge, and the Leng Legion could not resist for a while.
Fortunately, there were two battle fortresses to rely on, and George commanded the army to retreat until they retreated to the back of the two fortresses, forming a triangular defensive posture. On the one hand, Faust consolidated the front line, and on the other hand, concentrated the siege troops to attack one of the fortresses.
At this time, Raphael had been recruited by the Hittite Kingdom into the Legion of Anu, Link was still training in the Garden of Eden, and El Mar was sent to garrison the Charcoal Marsh. The two fortresses were guarded by Medanzo and Gabriel, and seeing that the army formation on the plains was about to collapse, and that the fortress's magic formation would not last long, George urgently ordered Gabriel to break out of the encirclement and converge with the Leng Legion.
One of the fortresses was finally captured, and the magic formation was also destroyed. The casualties of both armies were not small, but the Leng Legion's losses were obviously greater. More importantly, the connection between the vanguard troops led by John and the main force of the legion was cut off. When John realized this, he immediately led the cavalry back in an attempt to attack the Giant Legion from the front and back.
At this time, Faust changed tactics again. He placed the siege troops behind the infantry battle formation, and used catapults and ballistae to stabilize the line of defense. He ordered all forces to resist George's counterattack, and to gather the main force of the chariots to return to meet John's attack. This battle was very tragic.
This battle was very tragic. Hardedef led the cavalry and tried to rush back, but they were surrounded. He might have been able to fly and escape at the beginning, but he couldn't abandon his troops because of his duty. When the battle started, he couldn't escape anymore.
George also launched a counterattack in an attempt to help John break out of the encirclement, but was blocked by the Giant Legion's defensive battle formation.
The battle was finally disrupted, and George knew that the counterattack to rescue John might not be worth the loss, but he could not give up. Later, the battle formation was tangled together, and Themis led a cavalry to rush out of a bloody path to the battlefield where John was surrounded. She did not have to do this, and this cavalry might have been futile. She only hoped to attract the attention of the besiegers and create an opportunity for John to break out.
John saw Themis rush over, her red battle robe like a cloud of fire, and then her horse fell to the ground after being hit by an arrow. She held a sword and fell into a heavy encirclement. Her comrades around her were killed, and a spear pierced through her chest. John let out the last roar of his life, waving his giant sword and rushing over like a madman. Jufei, who chased him all the way and fought with him again, was killed by the berserk John, and John finally fell less than ten feet away from Themis.
The intercepted vanguard troops were completely annihilated, and the Giant Legion's fighting power after three years was far beyond George's expectations. It was meaningless for George to continue to counterattack to rescue, but the two armies were in a stalemate, and it was impossible to retreat at this time.
After Faust eliminated John, he organized the chariots to return to the battlefield from both sides of the formation, and George even pushed the last reserve troops into the battlefield. Medanzo, who was guarding the other fortress, led the defending troops to attack from the flank, smashing the chariots on the left flank. Both sides fought until the sky turned dark, and the Cold Legion suffered heavy casualties. This battle was a complete defeat.
If the sky had turned dark a little later, and if Metatro had not given up on the unbesieged Stronghold in time to lead the last of his troops to reinforce the flank, the retreating Legion of Leng would have been buried here. After collecting the remaining soldiers, both sides had a short rest. One stronghold had been destroyed, but the other stronghold was not lost. George still arranged the battle formation here, and the whole army was shrouded in a solemn and stirring mood.
The final battle that decided the fate of the Cold Legion arrived. Mourin sent down an oracle, and Aesop led the people in the rear to hold a grand sacrificial ceremony. The officers and soldiers in the front also prayed and called out to Amun on the battlefield. Amun's towering figure appeared in the sky, flashing with golden light. The Cold Legion instantly felt an indescribable encouragement from despair!
But then everyone let out a cry of surprise, because the Giant Legion's battle formation dispersed, and a stone platform appeared. In front of the stone platform stood Faust, who was holding his staff high, and in the middle of the stone platform, a woman shot an earth-shattering arrow.
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