"So, I'm sure that Katarina will definitely go north. Apart from her own wishes, the current situation is also extremely favorable."
Talleyrand and Laing continued to discuss everything. Unknowingly, they had arrived at a camp. There were people everywhere. Among them, the ruins of a three-story apartment had been temporarily piled up by the soldiers with canvas, wood, and bricks in a short period of time to ensure shelter from the wind and rain. And right at the entrance of the apartment, there was a large sign erected.
"Ute's Miracle Food Group! The prices are fair, the ingredients are fresh, and delicious. Welcome to taste! "
This was a temporary military restaurant opened by a group of Halflings. It was also known as the "Food Group" by the soldiers. It had always been the favorite place of officers and knights when there was no war. As everyone knew, Halflings were particularly good at cooking. As long as there were acceptable ingredients, Halflings could always cook delicious food.
François allowed this group of Halflings to enter the military camp, and they were quickly welcomed by almost all the officers and knights. Thus, the Food Group, which could also be called the Battlefield Club, began to appear. People here paid for private meals or socialized.
As soon as the door opened, there were about 30 Old Guard and 40 Old Knights in the room. When everyone saw Laing appear, almost all of them stood up. Laing stretched out his hand and smiled, "Just like you, I'm here to eat. Sit down and eat."
"Hahahaha ~" Everyone laughed and then sat down. However, everyone's eyes were still on Laing. Someone even shouted, "Your Majesty, I recommend the stewed mutton with spring vegetables here. It's very delicious!"
"Then I'll have one. Oh no, two." Laing and Talleyrand found a quiet corner and sat down. The Knight King said to the Halfling waiter who was running around excitedly barefoot, "Another staple food and your specialty sweet wine. You decide."
Then, the two continued to talk about the situation.
It was rare for Laing to personally explain to Talleyrand the advantages and disadvantages of Katarina's Northern Expedition. The High Elves really did not know much about war, but he had already concluded that Katarina would definitely choose the Northern Expedition.
"There are two advantages to Katarina's Northern Expedition. First, whether it's the Royal Family, Duma, or the refugees of Kislöw, it's very urgent to recover their homeland, so most people think that the Northern Expedition is necessary. Second, the comparison of forces. Katarina has 50,000 White Guard under her command. Currently, after we defeated Hal – the Eye of Eternity, the Army of Chaos near Kislów Castle is only 10,000 to 20,000 people, and they are all stragglers. This is a wonderful opportunity. If it were me, I would definitely seize the opportunity."
"But Katarina also has obvious disadvantages. First, as everyone knows, the lower limit of an army is training and discipline, and the upper limit is equipment and veterans. The White Guard … is terrible. Second, her own commanding ability is also very poor. After the Battle of Zedevka, Kislöw's excellent generals and marshals were all lost. Her tactical planning and commanding ability will definitely continue to decline."
After listening to Leon's analysis, Talleyrand nodded and said, "Very good, Your Majesty. You can rest assured and proceed to the final battle. Katarine will definitely lose this battle, but she won't lose too badly. For someone who has already escaped from battle once, there won't be any pressure to escape again. The only variable is the old guards. Err, I mean, how much combat power do Katarine's old guards have?"
"Are you so sure?" Laing smiled.
"I don't understand military matters, Your Majesty, but I understand politics and people's hearts." Talleyrand shook his head. "Just wait and see. Remember, don't go to the rescue. No one will appreciate your kindness. When the time comes, the blame will be placed on you. We have already gained enough from Örengrád, and it's time to stop. Also, if we guessed correctly, Emperor Karl-Franz's messenger will arrive in a few days. In name, he is here to congratulate and reward the army, but in reality, he is here to spy on the strength of our army and to test whether we plan to annex Örengrád."
"You can predict the future?" Laing's eyes flickered. He had received a secret report from MI7 that Emperor Karl-Franz's special envoy, Metternich, had arrived in Tara Beheim. But Talleyrand did not know at all.
"It's only limited to Your Majesty and the other party's leader. I can guess something." Talleyrand shook his head. "I also guessed that Tsar would come to you one day. When the time comes, I have an idea to tell you."
"Not now?" Laing blinked.
"Not yet. Once you say it, the idea will be ineffective and troublesome." Talleyrand smiled bitterly. "I hope you can understand that some things are time-sensitive and confidential."
"Your Majesty, you can't go north!" In Katarina's private residence, the logistics department head, Bagramyan, knelt in front of Tsar. He was almost in tears as he sincerely said to Tsar, "The time is not right."
"What time is not right?" Katarina had just announced the decision to go north at the Duma General Assembly and received the support of most Duma. In three days, the White Guard would head north to take back Kislów Castle and drive away the Army of Chaos there. Hearing Bagramyan's pleas, Tsar was very impatient. She thought for a moment and said in an understanding tone, "I understand what you mean, Hoff. The White Guard is indeed not well-trained and they are mostly new soldiers. But this is a rare opportunity. According to the reports of the scouts, the enemy is only about ten thousand people. It's impossible for the five of us to lose, right? Training as we fight, the battlefield is the best classroom. "
"Also, the Empire's supply to us is about to be cut off! If we wait any longer, the White Guard will have to disband! That's impossible. I have made up my mind. In three days, the army will move out! "
Bagramyan's request was rejected. This was not because Katarina was stubborn, but because almost all the Duma wanted to go north as soon as possible.
Three days later, the Kislów White Guard began to gather their troops and head north.
Katarina and Duma were not sure if the Knight King, Laing, was planning to continue "recovering" Kislów Castle and Örengrád in the north. In addition, the Empire's logistical supply was gradually decreasing. They were determined to hurry and snatch the fruits of victory.
After discussing the route of the march, they chose the fastest route, which was to start from Becrafen and head east along the river to reach the important town of Fortanharf in the east. Then, they would head north from Fortanharf and head to the city of Kislev.
The military operation was very smooth at the beginning. Just like Laing's analysis, the Army of Chaos was only left with a group of scattered soldiers. When the White Guard appeared on the battlefield, hundreds of scattered soldiers were quickly expelled and defeated. At most, Katarina would receive twelve reports of victory in a day.
This gave the female Tsar confidence in the upcoming battle. She learned from the lesson of Zedevka's defeat last time. When they encountered the champion of Tzeki, Za-Zanaik and his Raven Guard Legion at the Upper Tarabek River, Katarina was cautious and did not forcefully surround and chase after them.
This gave Zainaik the opportunity to escape.
The White Guard wanted to continue their pursuit, but at this time, the weather suddenly changed. It was already spring in April in Ostmark, and the Upper Tarabek River began to thaw. Just as Zainaik and his people escaped the frozen river, the temperature suddenly rose. The ice and snow melted, and the river became a rapid current with floating ice.
The White Guard could not force their way across the rapid and wide Upper Tarabek River, and the two sides began to confront each other along the river.
The 50,000 White Guard built a large number of rafts and boats under the orders of Marshal Dunnykin Kislów, and prepared to build a pontoon bridge.
On the other side of the river, the champion of Tzeki, Za-Zanaik, tried his best to gather an Army of Chaos of less than 10,000 people. The champion of Tzeki knew that he was facing an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, and because of the failure of the Battle of Becafen, the number of elites was severely insufficient. Most of them were disorganized, and their fighting strength was low, and their morale was low.
However, there was nothing more exciting for Zainaik than this.
Because he would use an epic victory to prove that he, Zainaik, was still the ruler of the battlefield and the trustworthy champion of the Devil Bird God!
Right at this moment, the addition of an army changed the situation.
A cavalry of less than 2,000 people, under the leadership of Kurgan Khan, chased the Wild Wolf, Rieman-Rus, from the Far East. The two sides met near the Shadow Forest of the Upper Tarabek River, and after negotiations, Kurgan Khan joined Zainaik's army, and the two sides announced an alliance.
His name was known throughout the Far East, and he had killed his way into the hinterland of the Aurora Empire several times, and received the attention and love of the Four Gods of Chaos. At his deepest, he had killed his way to the capital of the Aurora Empire, Wei City, and forced the Dragon Emperor to personally lead three battalions and 26 guards to fight, and finally drove them back to the north of the Great Wall.
His name was Subutai Blue Wolf!
Old World, mid-to-late April, the border between Kislöw and the Empire, the Shadow Forest.
Tzeki's Chosen Champion, Za-Zanaik, felt a lingering fear when he recalled his previous encounter.
Two days ago, when he and his army were surrounded by the White Guard, Zainaik was only left with about a hundred Raven Guard Legion's Chosen Warriors, and he was almost surrounded by 50,000 people! If he was not careful, he would have died in the Empire!
This made Zainaik break out in a cold sweat, and he was still afraid.
Ever since Becafen's defeat, the number of troops around Zainaik was not as good as before. The Tzeki Legion that he led had suffered heavy losses, and their strength was greatly reduced. Especially after the news of the defeat of Motekin's main force of Chaos, the Tzeki Legion also faced a serious problem of desertion and loss of members. The opinions of the various Chieftains and Champions were seriously divided. Some escaped, some wanted to escape, some wanted to continue looting before leaving, and some even wanted to continue heading south.
Zainaik had spent a lot of effort to gather this group of defeated soldiers, and the most troublesome thing was that the Nurgle Legion's Chosen Champion, Plague Doctor Festus, had received a clear order from the Nurgle Legion to retreat. During the retreat, the two sides were constantly fighting each other, and in the end, Zainaik was left with only about a hundred people, and he was almost killed by the White Guard.
If it were not for the addition of Kurgan Khagan, Subutai Blue Wolf, Zainaik would have definitely escaped. However, even with the addition of Subutai Khan, Zainaik was still not optimistic about the current battle situation. After trying to gather all the defeated soldiers, he only had about 9,000 people under his command, and with the addition of Subutai's cavalry, he only had about 10,000 people.
With an absolute disadvantage in strength, low morale, and strong pressure, the Chosen Champion knew that he must have a bold plan, or he would not be able to resist the attack of the White Guard.
Now, on the north bank of the Upper Tarabek River, in the middle of the woodland on the right side of the Shadow Forest, the Chosen Champion, Zaina-Zanaik, and Kurgan Khagan, Subutai Blue Wolf, were discussing how to carry out the war. They must fight a very beautiful retreat, and quickly defeat the White Guard and retreat before Laing's army in the west could react and encircle them.
"The enemy may break through the defense line, and the cowardly Southerners will suppress us by relying on numbers." A Chaos Warlock stood in front of the map and explained the situation to Zainaik and Subutai. "In the south, they have set up several camps and supply depots on the south bank of the Upper Tarabek River, and are building pontoon bridges and rafts to cross the river."
"The stronghold of Rachhof on the north bank is still in our hands, but it is already in ruins. To the west of Rachhof is the Shadow Forest, and to the east is the Witwer Mountains. We have only 500 people in Rachhof, and their morale is low, so it is impossible for the defenders to hold there. However, if we give up on Rachhof and retreat, once the White Guard crosses the river, we will be at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, and I am afraid it will be difficult to win." Zainaik said to Subutai Khan. "The problem now is how to ensure that we can concentrate our forces and quickly defeat the enemy's vanguard."
"You have too few people, Zainaik." Subutai Khan had a long black beard. He was wearing a felt hat and a white wolf fur cloak. Inside, he was wearing a black Chaos armor. "Are there any more reinforcements? Somewhere else? "
"There is an army that may be able to help us." Zainaik pointed to the north. "If Sigwald can support us from the rear, everything will be fine."
As soon as he said this, the Chaos Warlocks and Chaos Warlocks under Zaina-Zanaik looked at each other and opened their mouths.
"Honorable Lord Chosen One."
"Prince Sigwald, he …"
"Prince Sigwald and his Perverted Army were defeated by the Brittany Knights and Winged Cavalry to the west of Grovard Forest. He and his army have fled to the mountain pass, together with another Perverted Champion, Stika."
"What?" Zainaik roared angrily. "He ignored our agreement! I told him to stop, this is an order! This is an order! "
"There is no point in saying this now." Subutai Khan remained calm and continued to observe the map. After thinking for a while, Subutai said seriously, "Then, if we want to win, we have to take some risks."
"You mean …" Zainaik also looked at the map. "Attack halfway?"
"That's not enough." Subutai pointed to the map. "Rachhof, we have to experience defeat here and seek victory from defeat."
"Seek victory from defeat? You mean, we have to lure the main force of the White Guard here? "
"Honorable Falcon Champion, have you heard of a famous tactic in the Far East to lure the enemy? We have to lose first, and only then will the Russians be lured here. "
"Wait … you mean?"
"Fishing in the wild!"
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