Back in Longwind Stronghold, Maryland had just ended the communication with the mechanical manufacturing institute. The adjutant standing beside him could not help but ask, "General, are you planning to arm the recruits with a batch of fake magical equipment?"
Maryland nodded. "That's what I mean. Let them wear the fake equipment and stand on the wall. And that's far from enough."
"Far from enough?"
"The number of 'fakes' that the southern border can provide in a few days is still limited, and they can only solve the problem of individual equipment in a short time. I'm afraid these things won't scare the people of Typhon. We still have to find a way," Maryland continued. "The construction team that built the camp should be idle now. Pass my order. Start construction in the hills north of Longwind Stronghold and the Palamel Highlands. Move all the wood piled up at the shallow beach there. I'll tell you what I'm going to do …"
The garrison forces of Longwind Stronghold began to operate again. Before the next wave of Typhon's scouts arrived, several construction teams began a round of large-scale construction according to Maryland's order. From the hills north of Longwind Stronghold to the Palamel Highlands south of the stronghold, more than a dozen fortifications and firepower positions began to be built.
On the Palamel Highlands, on the No.4 'artillery position', the engineers were digging trenches and leveling the ground. The heavily armed sentries stood on the temporary lookout tower, constantly vigilantly scanning the open wasteland around them. Two soldiers equipped with engineering magical terminals were cutting wood, while a few others were dealing with bundles of tarpaulin and coiled ropes. The scene was busy, but orderly.
The commander in charge of the construction team walked past a trench that had just been dug. Looking at the progress of the soldiers, he nodded slightly and said to the soldier next to him, "At this speed, set up the frame before noon."
"Sir, is this really okay?" The soldier scratched his head. "Are we really going to scare people with these frames?"
"Execute the order." The commander glanced at the soldier and then grinned. "And I think it's doable."
He looked up and saw a few soldiers not far away nailing up the cut wood and placing it on the slope of the mound. Then, they covered it with a tarpaulin. The four corners of the tarpaulin were firmly nailed to the ground. In another pit, there was a real Magic Crystal Railgun erected. The accelerator rail was pointing in the direction of the plains, and the tarpaulin was halfway covering the body of the gun.
In fact, that was the only real railgun in the position. All the other railguns were built of wood or scrap iron.
This was a fake position. There were several similar positions nearby and even more north of the fortress, but not all of them were fake. About a quarter of the dozen positions were real. They had deployed railguns and sufficient soldiers from the Plains of the Holy Spirit. It was definitely a tough nut to crack.
This was the battlefield wisdom that the traditional noble army had never thought of. It was a cunning behavior that had nothing to do with the so-called 'integrity' and 'honesty' of the Knight. But the large and small battles that the Cecil Army had experienced all proved one thing — the era of the Knight's War was over. It was buried in the blazing embers of cannon fodder. The standard of justice of the new era was calculated by both caliber and range.
"Don't forget one thing. Those Typhon people have not been bombed by the magic cannons yet," the commander, who was promoted from a veteran, grinned and said to the soldiers next to him. "Most of them don't know what the real magic equipment looks like, especially after we have disguised it. As long as they don't recognize it in a week, the Iron Throne will come!"
…
On the wall of Changfeng Fortress, Maryland stood next to a magic crystal railgun with his sword. Not far from him, next to a real magic cannon, the soldiers were setting up steel plates and cement blocks that were originally used to reinforce the wall. A group of patrolling soldiers was walking not far behind him. Those patrolling soldiers were wearing strange light armor. They were lined up neatly and looked energetic.
At least, that was what it looked like on the surface.
"The army at the border of Typhon has not seen the magic equipment with their own eyes, but their intelligence personnel must have reported the general shape and power of these things. This is the error of the intelligence," Maryland sighed softly and said to his adjutant. "After the completion of Position 8, fire a round of artillery bombardment in the direction of the Gray Pond Mire. Release the news in advance that it is to test the second generation of new weapons. After Position 12 is completed, do the same."
"Yes, General." The adjutant bowed his head and accepted the order.
Maryland nodded and looked over the battlements of the wall, overlooking the vast wasteland in the distance.
The false deterrence was already there, but they had to be prepared in case the people of Typhon saw through it in advance or simply did not fall for it. After all, in war, one had to rely on one's strength. While building those false positions, Maryland had also been strengthening the real defense of Changfeng Fortress. Some of the mine positions at the key crossings had been set up, and the construction of the traps and trenches around the fortress had not stopped. Inside the fortress, the training of the recruits was not sloppy at all. It was always carried out in an orderly manner.
After all, in addition to the "magic equipment" that only looked good, there was also a batch of real magic weapons shipped from the rear. The biggest feature of these weapons was that they were easy to control and easy to form into combat power. Ordinary people only needed three days of training to be able to shoot correctly, and the recruits could barely stand on the wall after more than ten days of training. At this most critical moment, the safety of the Empire's border would be increased with every soldier that was trained.
He had once lost a fortress, and he did not want the same thing to happen a second time in his life.
Beside him was the young adjutant who had been with him for many years. He had been with him since the days of the Rock Fortress. He had experienced the Battle of the Rock Fortress, the reform through labor, and the Battle of God Hunter together. He was also looking at the vast defensive line. There seemed to be a complicated emotion on the young man's bronze face.
After a few minutes of silence, Maryland asked, "Payne, what are you thinking about?"
"General …" The young adjutant hesitated for a moment and finally said, "I just suddenly feel a little emotional. The last time I defended the fortress, the spirit of the Knight was my only creed."
"Defending the country is also the spirit of the Knight, and it is a higher spirit of the Knight. We defend this place, and we are protecting more people." Maryland shook his head. "As for the means to use on the battlefield … Times have changed. Payne, I have an epiphany in front of the giant cannon. You should also try it."
"… You have a point, General."
… …
The changes in Longwind Fortress and its surrounding defensive line did not escape the Typhon's scouts. The continuous stream of information was quickly gathered in the command center of Winterwolf Fortress. When Wendell received the information, he stood up in surprise. The young Wolf General did not expect Cecil to suddenly build a second defensive line.
In the face of the increasing military pressure from the Tifons, the Cecils did not adopt the strategy of shrinking their defensive line. Instead, they actively built a new batch of positions. Did this mean that … they had more reserve troops than they had initially thought?
The commander of the scouts stood in front of Andesha and reported the situation meticulously, "General, we have discovered at least six new defensive lines in the Palamel Highlands. There are also unknown numbers of troops and positions in the northern hills. According to the information from the merchants, Cecil has been frequently mobilizing troops. Many soldiers and carriages have entered Longwind Fortress from the northwest and southwest …"
Andesha thought of the information she received not long ago and the reports of the increasing number of troops in Longwind Fortress.
"Where did they get so many soldiers from …" The young Wolf General frowned, "Can you confirm the details of those soldiers and positions?"
"Those soldiers seem to be the rumored Cecil's Magician Legion. Their equipment is different from ordinary soldiers. They carry their signature battle backpacks and are very disciplined. As for those positions … the scouts did not get too close, but we did see the Cecil's people testing their weapons. The power of those weapons is as great as what the previous reports said, and they are comparable to our magicians."
Andesha left the table and went to the battle map hanging nearby. According to the reports from the scouts, she marked the positions of the defensive lines in Longwind Fortress.
"It's a complete defensive line … the scale is similar to the previous increase in troops. There are large armies gathering in the Palamel Highlands and the northern hills … They are prepared to deal with the Iron River Knight's' Army Level Spells'? "
Wendell stared at the battle map in front of him. Andesha Wendell fell into a long contemplation.
Through the relay of the magic communication tower regardless of the cost, the information from the border reached Rosetta immediately. In front of Augustus.
"Ferdinand, the Ansu have increased their troops on the defensive line again."
The Typhon Emperor looked up and said to the old Duke standing in front of him.
"They are now calling them Cecil's people, Your Majesty," Ferdinand said. Wendell said in a deep voice, "They've built a series of extended positions based on the original Changfeng Stronghold's defensive line. Combined with the previous intelligence, they should be ready to deal with the Iron River Knights."
"… The Iron River Knight's troops can create an energy storm with a range of nearly two kilometers in a single charge. They are extremely good at destroying heavy fortress shields. However, if a series of positions with long-range firepower continuously attack and interfere, the Iron River Knight's Army Level Spells will be scattered … The new commander of Longwind Fortress is an experienced person."
Duke Ferdinand nodded and said, "Andesha's scouts have already 'clashed' with the enemy a few times. Cecil's scouts are experienced and well-equipped. Although most of them are ordinary people, they are not at a disadvantage at all when facing Extraordinaries. They should indeed be elites."
Rosetta didn't say anything. He just sat quietly on the high-back chair. Ferdinand, on the other hand, paused for a moment before he continued, "The royal advisory team has evaluated the recent trade with Cecil's troops, as well as the information gathered from civilian channels. The conclusion they have reached is that it's not advisable to go to war."
"The advisory team's opinions are all based on indirect information, but Andesha's information is obtained through direct contact." Rosetta broke the silence and said, "We have to make a decision. If we want to go to war, now is our last chance. If we don't, we have to think of an explanation to the Royal Parliament now."
Ferdinand was silent for half a minute before he finally said seriously, "… My opinion is the same as the advisory team's. It's not advisable to go to war, Your Majesty."
"Why?"
"Our industry and economy are undergoing major changes. In this process, a large part of the reform pressure that has accumulated previously can be relieved. We no longer have such an urgent need for war. On the other hand, once Cecil's troops are really prepared for war, the setback we will suffer will be greater than previously expected. Not only will the internal pressure not be relieved, even the ongoing industrial construction will be interrupted."
Major changes in the industry and economy …
Rosetta frowned.
What Ferdinand said was a fact that couldn't be ignored — the Typhon Empire was at a critical point in entering a new era. The emerging magic engineering industry was destined to completely change the operating rules of society, and within a range that could be expected, the benefits generated from these changes could possibly surpass that of the previous hundreds of years.
Under such circumstances, did Typhon really need to go to war?
Rosetta got up and left the desk. He slowly paced around it.
After a full ten minutes, he finally stopped.
"Have Andesha withdraw her troops and withdraw the Iron River Knight Regiment to the east of Winterwolf Fort's defense line."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After making the decision, Rosetta seemed to have relaxed a little. He slowly exhaled and looked at Ferdinand. "I hope our decision today is the right one, Ferdinand."
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