The white snowfield had long lost its cleanliness. Broken walls and broken walls could be seen everywhere. Villages and villages that had yet to be burnt to ashes could be seen. Corpses that had turned ashen and blood stains could be seen everywhere. Occasionally, a few choked cries could be heard in the cold wind. They were filled with despair and sorrow. The once rich and peaceful Mana Hill Plain was once again invaded by its northern neighbor, and the whole plain was dyed red with blood.
Among the seven cities in the Mana Hill Plains, Morent City was one of the biggest pearls. The other six cities were fortresses that protected this pearl. Last year, King Ognesero the First of the Andinac Kingdom, who was enraged by the conspiracy of the Commerce Union, led an army to make a comeback. Not only did he recover the provinces of Armenia and Marivia, which belonged to the Commerce Union, but he also almost wiped out the main force that the Commerce Union relied on the most. Nearly 300,000 soldiers were annihilated.
This was the heaviest blow to the Commerce Union, and also a slap in the face to the self-proclaimed largest country on the Galint Continent. It made everyone in the Commerce Union understand a very simple truth: without a strong military force, no matter how much gold coins or how much territory one had, one could not become a big country. On the contrary, in the eyes of the enemy, it was just a fat piece of meat.
Last year, the army of the Andinac Kingdom invaded the Mana Hill Plain and conquered the three cities of Brovik, Liet, and Credo. At the same time, the Norton Family's armed Hunter Corps and Flying Tiger Corps also plundered the two provinces of Giedlinke and Maweifulin, causing a huge loss of population and resources to the Commerce Union. Since the second half of last year, the Hunting Cavalry Corps and the Flying Tiger Corps had once again plundered five provinces around the Mana Hill Plain, looting a large amount of provisions and military supplies. This had greatly delayed the Commerce Federation's plan to mobilize troops to reinforce the Mana Hill Plain.
However, the evil deeds of the Andinac Kingdom's army in the Mana Hill Plain and the surrounding provinces enraged the people of the Commerce Union. The president of the Double-headed Dragon Chamber of Commerce, one of the six giants of the Commerce Union, Combert, made a public declaration in Moronte City, vowing to never let the Andinac Kingdom go. He said that for two hundred years, the wolf from the north had been drooling over the Mana Hill Plain, intending to swallow the rich Mana Hill Plain in one bite. However, the hardworking and brave people of the Commercial Federation were not willing to be slaves. They longed for freedom and equality, and paid a huge price to expel the wolf from the north from the Farichiu Plain, protecting their homeland.
Forty years of peace was exchanged with the blood and lives of the ancestors of the Commerce Union. But now, the wolf from the north had rejuvenated and came to invade the Mana Hill Plain again. I believe that the brave people of the Commercial Union will not be afraid of the sharp claws of the wolf. No matter how much blood we shed, no matter what price we have to pay, we will still take up our bows and spears, and fight to the death against the wolf. But this time, we will not forgive this wolf from the north with a forgiving heart. We will turn defeat into victory and attack the wolf's lair. We will not rest until we kill this wolf!
President Combert's declaration won the cheers and response of the people of Moronte City. Countless people signed up to join the self-defense force and the three newly formed garrison corps of the Commerce Union. Soon, the Commerce Union had nearly a hundred thousand troops again. They were sent to Thomas City, Gipsies City, and Robertvia City, which had yet to fall, to resist the attack of the Andinac Kingdom's army and maintain the Commerce Union's defensive line on the Mana Hill Plain.
"Does the Commerce Union think it's still more than a hundred years ago? Is such an old-fashioned stronghold defensive tactic still useful? Bah! " His Royal Highness watched as more than ten catapults smashed the walls of a small stronghold built by the river. The White Lion Legion, dressed in grayish-white winter clothes, roared and charged in. Soon, the small stronghold was filled with the screams of death and the sounds of fighting …
The richness of the Mana Hill Plain was inseparable from the irrigation facilities and the large and small artificial canals that crisscrossed the entire plain. In times of peace, these artificial canals were the guarantee of a good harvest for irrigating the fields and the main water transportation route for goods and commodities. But when the chaos of war came, these artificial canals became a natural moat that the enemy could not cross. Coupled with the temporary fortress barriers, the entire Mana Hill Plain became a deep and wide defensive network.
"Your Majesty, even if the Commerce Union knows that we can launch a surprise attack in the cold winter season, they can't come up with any effective defensive measures. They can only watch as we cross the artificial canals and ditches and use catapults to smash the strongholds that they think are strong! " The one who said this was His Royal Highness' trusted aide, the Gold Knight Lippred. He was the commander of the White Lion Legion that was currently attacking.
The Second Prince had tasted the sweetness of the surprise attack on the Northwest region two years ago. At the same time, because of the bountiful harvest, he had ordered the magical beast pelts worth a million gold coins that he had bought from Laurist at a discount to be made into one-piece winter clothing for the First White Lion Legion. His purpose was to launch a surprise attack on the defense network on the Mana Hill Plain during the cold winter season. He wanted to capture the remaining three fortress cities on the Mana Hill Plain in one fell swoop and reach Morent City.
Although the Commerce Union had made some preparations to prevent the Van Andenak Kingdom's army from launching a surprise attack in the winter, they did not expect the crisscrossing artificial canals on the Mana Hill Plain to be frozen solid in winter. The natural moat of the past became a smooth road, and the isolated strongholds on the snowy plains were smashed into ruins by the catapults one after another. The garrison soldiers defending these small strongholds had nowhere to run. They either fought to the death or obediently laid down their weapons and surrendered. It only took ten days for the White Lion Legion of the Van Andenak Kingdom to break through the first defensive line formed by more than a hundred strongholds and reach Robertvia City.
Carritoc stood on the city wall of Robertvia City and looked at the stronghold that had been smashed into ruins in the distance, as well as the soldiers of the White Lion Legion who were preparing to gather and rest. Carritoc's face was gloomy and very heavy. The city wall was filled with tension. Every garrison soldier knew that the hateful Van Andenak Kingdom soldiers would launch an attack on the city under their feet in the afternoon. When that time came, no one could say for sure that they would be able to survive the battle unscathed.
He was once a member of the opposing army, a general under the legendary King of the Van Andenak Kingdom, Ogesero I. But now, he was standing opposite him, and he had become his enemy. In the eyes of the noble king, he was just a deserter. Carritoc recalled the past bitterly.
Seventeen or eighteen years ago, Carritoc was still a very young student of the Dawn Academy. Because he worshiped the legendary Black Iron Locke, he joined the Swordsmanship Club with Lollister as its leader. He quickly became an elite member and an apprentice swordsmanship instructor of the Dawn Academy. At that time, he thought that he would soon become the next legend of the academy. He was in high spirits and had a bright future in front of him.
It was Lollister's journey to the north that changed his life. It was Fatty Shi's deception that made him give up his bright future in the Dawn Academy and willingly follow Lollister north. He was prepared to use his talent and passion to create a good life for his ordinary family, so that he could become a member of the extraordinary noble family in the eyes of his parents.
The journey to the north was full of hardships, but he was like a longsword that had been sharpened and became dazzling. Among the thirty-six students of the Dawn Academy who followed Lollister north, he had already become a member of the ten-man council that could decide the route of the convoy. He even had quite a bit of influence in the convoy's armed forces, and many would respond to his call.
Later, the convoy arrived at the Andinac Kingdom. At that time, the king of the Andinac Kingdom was only known as the second prince. He valued him so much that he tried to persuade him to switch allegiance to him. At that time, he was really moved, or perhaps he was dazzled by the dazzling title of a royal knight, but he unexpectedly agreed and became one of the seven students of the Dawn Academy who switched allegiance to the second prince.
He remembered how Fatty Shi, Terman, Dolles, and Rummond, his old friends from the academy, had looked at him with disdain and disdain when they had left the camp of the northbound convoy. His pride had taken a heavy blow, and he had flown into a rage out of humiliation. He thought they were fools. Even if Lollister returned to his family's territory to inherit the title, he would still become a knight under a small lord. On the other hand, he would serve the future king, and he would be a noble royal knight.
His imagination was so beautiful, but the reality was so cruel. After becoming a royal knight, he discovered that he was not valued by the second prince. On the contrary, the twenty-six knights from the Norton Family's north convoy who had switched allegiance to the second prince became the second prince's pawns. In the battle to break through the Madras Duchy's border siege and defend against the Guardian Legion's breakout, two of the students who had been with the second prince for less than a month had died in battle.
Then there was the great victory at Liushuichuan, the attack on the two southwestern provinces, Cambona Province, until the troops arrived at the capital of Ferrija and forced the eldest prince to cede the two southwestern provinces, establishing the great reputation of the new God of War in the Galinthea Continent for the Second Prince. However, he wanted to cry, but no tears came out, because out of the seven students who joined the Second Prince, only he and Sende were left.
Later, Lollister came to the capital and presented the captured second prince, the king of the Iberian Kingdom, who had rebelled against the empire. They had met, and they had even attended Princess Kerry's party together. He told Lollister about his failure under the second prince, and Lollister persuaded him to come back, saying that he would take responsibility for everything. But when he thought of the disdainful eyes of Fatty Shi and the others when they parted, he hesitated.
In the end, Send did not escape death on the battlefield. He was frostbitten when the Second Prince crossed the Broken Cloud Mountain Range and the Great Snow Mountain to launch a surprise attack on the capital of Philadelphia. Then, with his injuries, he was killed by the longbows of the palace guards when he tried to seize the palace. He was finally disheartened and left the second prince without saying goodbye, returning to Moronte City.
When he returned to Moronte City, he found that not only him, but the entire trade union had changed. They implemented the nobility system, conferred a large number of nobles, destroyed the surrounding kingdoms, and seized their land. He originally wanted to come back to be a freelance mercenary, but he did not expect that the mercenary industry in Moronte City had already declined. He wanted to go back to the academies in the academy district to find a teaching position, but he found that the academies could not recruit students. Not only had many academies been closed, but the remaining academies were also reducing their teaching staff in order to last longer.
What was wrong with this world? It was changing so fast that it was hard for him to adapt. Carritoc felt very lost at that time. He stayed at home for nearly a year and became a complete otaku. If it was not for the fact that Carritoc's parents were very philistine residents of Moronte City, and his brother was afraid that his younger brother would come home to rob the property his parents would leave in the future, Carritoc might have stayed at home until he grew old with the gold coins he had earned over the years.
When Carritoc's parents found out that their second son had become a Gold Knight, they were overjoyed. Then, they threatened to kill themselves in front of Carritoc. In the end, they finally forced Carritoc to become a Gold Guard of the third-rate chamber of commerce that his father worked for. His father also got what he wanted and became a steward of the chamber of commerce.
The world changed, things remained the same, but people changed. In the end, he still had to face the second prince. Carritoc smiled bitterly as he looked at the White Lion Legion's flag fluttering in the cold wind. He then looked at the seven pale faces beside him. These were the eight chiliarchs of Robertvia City, including himself. The other seven were hired thugs or guards of second-rate and third-rate chambers of commerce who had never been on the battlefield. Their Combat Aura cultivation was at least at the Silver Rank, but they had never experienced a big battle.
Carritok was now the 11th Regiment Commander of the 2nd Garrison Legion, which was newly formed by the Commerce Alliance. He had eight thousand soldiers under him. Apart from himself, who was also the First Regiment Commander, these eight thousand soldiers were made up of the hot-blooded citizens of Moronte City and the guards of the various Merchant Associations. Their mission was to defend Robertvia City. Their lives depended on the city, and their lives depended on it.
"There's nothing to be nervous about. Our walls are much stronger than those small fortresses. Those catapults won't be able to destroy our walls so easily. I've also calculated that the catapults can only fire 200 to 300 meters away, which is within the firing range of our ballistae. If the enemy attacks, we can use a few ballistae to deal with a single catapult. As long as we destroy those catapults, the enemy won't be able to reach our walls … "Karitok purposefully said this in order to ease his subordinates' worries.
"I'm not lying to you." Carritoc encouraged them loudly, "There's nothing to be afraid of about the catapults. Do you know why I told you to fill the walls with sandbags? It's to defend against the attacks of the catapults. As long as we hide behind these sandbags, the catapults won't be able to hit our heads. You don't believe that your luck is that bad, do you? "
"B-But the catapults will destroy our walls and create a hole for the enemy to charge in … …" A chiliarch said with a pale face.
"I've already predicted that. If there's a hole in the wall, we can throw these sandbags down to fill the hole, "Karitok replied calmly.
"I-I'm dead. Let's just run … …" A fellow was on the verge of collapse.
"Bastard! Where do you think you're going? How are you going to escape in this world of ice and snow? Also, can you outrun the two wooden sticks under the enemy's feet? If you continue to spout nonsense that will affect our morale, I'll cut you down with my sword! " Carritoc was furious and wanted to slap that fellow to wake him up. In this situation, he had no other choice but to defend with all his might. He didn't expect a thin layer of ice to form on the ground, and he almost slipped and fell.
"Who the hell splashed tea on the ground?!" Carritoc was furious. Then, his mind flashed as he suddenly remembered Lollister's experience of watering an ice fortress to defend against magic beasts.
Carritoc's anger turned into joy, "I've got it. I have a way to stop the catapults from breaking our walls!"
… …
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