"This is simply... divine punishment." Iron Axe sighed. "We can't even see the shadow of the enemy and can only passively take a beating. If it were an ordinary enemy, it would be impossible for them to finish this section of the mountain road under the artillery fire. [0↑ 9 △ small ↓ say △ net]. "
The commander-in-chief of the First Army had seen the power of the howitzers, so he naturally knew how amazing the effect would be when it fell on a dense marching army. It was five kilometers from the first shell to the front of the position. The enemy would either run all the way and exhaust all their strength before the battle, or continue to march forward regardless of the consequences, dragging an incomplete army to attack the position. Of course, the most likely situation was that they would scatter and flee in disorder.
"It's a pity that the enemies we have to deal with are not ordinary." Roland smiled. "And the number of shells is very limited. Otherwise, the two Longsong Cannons alone would be enough to wipe out the enemy."
The Longsong Cannons were fired with a full load of ammunition, and the firing rate was as high as eight rounds per minute. Its firepower delivery efficiency was absolutely insane in this era. Since the alchemist from King's City moved to Neverwinter with a large number of apprentices, the production of double-base propellants had been steadily increasing, and the number of shells had become the biggest limitation. The trigger fuse could only be produced by Anna by hand, and the extremely sophisticated mechanical structure limited the production of the howitzers.
"Your Majesty, all 20 rounds of calibration cannons have been fired," Battalion Commander Van'er reported after shooting several times. "We got a total of six effective target data, which are generally distributed in the second half of the mountain road."
"Very good. Let's call it a day." Roland nodded.
After all, the test shells also needed to be specially made. Although they used solid warheads, their shape and counterweight were no different from the grenades with a fuse. Only Anna could do such a delicate job. Every day, she would take time to make a certain number of test warheads for the Artillery Battalion to shoot.
"Do you need to go to other places?" Iron Axe asked.
"No." Roland thought for a moment and then shook his head. "I'll go back to the camp first. You continue to arrange the training of the soldiers."
"Yes, Your Majesty." He stood at attention and saluted.
After returning to the camp, Roland leaned on the recliner and let out a long sigh. He realized that there was not much left for him to do, or rather, he had already done what he needed to do, and the rest was up to fate.
Five days ago, the Church finally responded. According to Maggie's report, the gates of the Holy City were wide open, and countless people poured out of the city, marching towards Coldwind Ridge in a neat and long line. The armors of the warriors flickered with silver light. Looking down from the sky, it looked like a sparkling river flowing through the Impassable Mountain Range.
At the same time, the spies planted in the old Holy City and the Hermes Highlands also sent back a secret letter, saying that the scale of the Church's operation was unprecedented, and even the number of people active in the city had decreased a lot.
It was obvious that the enemy had come out in full force.
Upon receiving the news, Roland immediately rushed to the frontline. His arrival also raised the morale of the First Army to the peak. A decisive battle that would determine the future of both sides was about to begin.
More than 4,000 elite soldiers, a Reserve Knight Team provided by the Duke of the Northern Region, a preliminary investigation team composed of Lightning and Maggie, Sylvie's firepower guidance, and the combat witches scattered around the camp. Such preparations were perfect. Even the Church's actions were carried out step by step according to the battle plan formulated by the General Staff. In addition, all the residents of Coldwind Ridge had been evacuated. Even if the enemy wanted to use the Berserk Pill, they could only consume the believers in the Holy City or forcibly recruit residents from other kingdoms.
This opening could be said to be perfect enough.
However, Roland still had a trace of worry in his heart.
That was the Pure Witches.
It was unknown what kind of form they would appear in and what kind of ability they would use to interfere in the final battle.
In order to avoid casualties caused by the enemy's sneak attack, the witches who stayed at the frontline these days all slept in their clothes and all gathered in a large hall. Sylvie and Nightingale were divided into two groups and took turns to keep watch. As long as there was a magic reaction, the entire camp would be awakened by the echo of the alarm.
As a result, until today, the Church did not take any action other than sending troops to occupy Coldwind Ridge. Roland did not even see the shadow of the Pure Witches.
He did not know whether the enemy was planning an earth-shattering conspiracy, or simply disdained to disturb him and intended to directly crush him on the battlefield.
Whatever the case, the only thing he could do now was to continue to wait.
...
After dinner, Roland lay in bed early, but he could not fall asleep until the bright moonlight shone on the bed through the window. He put on his clothes and walked out of the bedroom. Nightingale, who was waiting outside the room, immediately flashed over.
"What's wrong, can't sleep?"
"A little, probably because there are too many wheat straws under the bed." Roland rubbed his neck and took out a wheat leaf from his collar. "I always feel something prickling my back when I lie down."
"I think so too," Andrea, who was also in the first half of the night group, echoed. "Not to mention a big bed, at least two more layers of silk mattresses. The Duke of the Northern Region is too stingy."
"We're fighting a war, not on an outing, ladies and gentlemen," Ashes said grumpily. "It's good enough to have a house to shelter you from the wind and rain. Why are you asking for so much?"
"Of course, for people with rough skin and flesh, there's really no difference."
"That's still better than being too weak."
"I think we need to have a rematch to see who's really too weak to stand up to the wind."
"You'll naturally understand after we deal with the Church."
"Wait... can I bet?" Shavi raised her hand.
Nightingale pulled him aside and said, "Don't worry about them. This is a routine every night."
Roland smiled and shook his head. "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have put them together." Since Nightingale's detection range was far smaller than Sylvie's, the battle of the first half of the night group was handed over to the three card players. Together with Nightingale, this was already the witches' strongest attack combination. The second half of the night group was mainly for defense. The members were Agatha, Breeze, and Iffy. They were unparalleled in controlling and blocking the enemy. "How are the others? Are they getting used to it?"
"The sisters of the Witch Cooperation Association aren't as particular as you are." Nightingale blinked. "They've experienced the days of fleeing and sleeping in the open. In this situation, they can close their eyes and fall asleep."
"Well, it seems that I'm the most impatient one..." Roland sat on the steps and looked up at the stars. He was silent for a long time. "When all this is over, what will happen to us?"
Nightingale sat down beside him. "You're nervous, aren't you?"
"I'm just a little emotional." He touched his nose guiltily. "If we can't defeat the Church..." Will Neverwinter continue with the current order? Will the kingdom be completely swallowed by the Church or will it return to the old path of the aristocratic separatist rule? And Anna and the other witches... Will they really be able to escape to Sleeping Island safely?
Unconsciously, he had developed a deep affection for this land and the people who had built it with his blood and sweat.
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