The Emperor's urgent order caused the entire Brunswick to fall into chaos. Almost all the standing troops were mobilized. The Guards of Brunswick opened the castle gate, which was rarely seen. Teams after teams of Guards of Brunswick, including the new recruits, were all mobilized.
Every military camp was assembled under the orders of the Empire's generals and Empire's captains. Even some conscripts and veterans who had just retired for one or two years were included. The huge number of troops filled the streets and alleys, causing waves of speculation and chaos.
The Empire's Royal Wizard Academy was also disturbed by the Emperor's messengers. The Empire's wizards who were conducting various kinds of research were forced to stop their experiments or lectures. Under the Emperor's orders, they urgently packed up and prepared to go to the battlefield. Many wizard apprentices would receive their first practical lesson on the battlefield.
The Brunswick's Cathedral of Justice was not as lively. Due to the huge losses in the Battle of Martyrdom in Tarfjord, the Archbishop of Justice, Vickmar, wanted to support Karl-franz but was unable to do so. However, the Archbishop managed to take out 7500 gold marks from the Church's treasury as military funds, providing emergency support for the Emperor's military pay.
The Brunswick military factory was also fully mobilized. Other than the engineers who were necessary to maintain the production, dozens of war machines and cannons were pushed out of the factory. The warehouse was opened, and all the stored firearms and bullets were transported out by carts.
The Emperor sent out messengers for the dozens of knights in Brunswick. It was unknown how many people could arrive in time, but Karl-franz did not care so much. After about half a day of emergency preparation, the Emperor immediately announced the departure!
The capital was about a thousand kilometers away from the Black Fire Pass. Time waits for no one! If the Green Skins killed their way to the Black Fire Pass in three weeks, then the Brunswick army would have to march 50 kilometers every day to catch up!
Even if there was no need to worry about supplies, they could prepare along the way. Even if there was a relatively reliable cobblestone road or granite road from Brunswick to Ivy Hill, and Ivy Hill had cobblestone roads because of the money, it was still too difficult for the army to march 50 kilometers a day. Emperor Karl-franz could almost only hope that the three guards of the Evil Land and the army of the border princes could last a little longer and slow down the Green Skins, or that the neurotic Kurfürst, his close friend Marius Leitdorf, had a way to slow down the speed of the Green Skins.
Damn it! Why would 100,000 Green Dwarfs suddenly appear and attack the Black Fire Pass?
Was this reasonable?
Emperor Karl-franz didn't think too much about it. The gates of Brunswick were opened, and after half a day of emergency preparations, an army of thousands was ready to set out.
There weren't many, but there would be more people joining in later.
Several rows of the Brunswick Praetorian Guards wore golden helmets and silver armors, and behind them were the griffin cloaks that symbolized the Emperor's family. After that, there were three steam tanks. These steel behemoths would be deployed on the battlefield. Then there were the Brunswick Royal Honor Guards, the Franz Praetorian Guards, the Brunswick garrisons, and a large group of knights. The Sunset Knights, the Cheetah Knights, the Sable Knights, and the Burning Sun Knights in the capital were all ready to go.
Amidst the praises of Charlemagne and Ludwig the Savior, the Son of the Empire officially set off.
The Emperor raised his hammer, Gael Maraz, and gave a speech to his army and his people.
"Steel!"
Rows of knights roared the slogan of the Empire. Their spears were like a forest, and their armors were like mountains.
"Gunpowder!"
The engines of the steam tanks spewed out white smoke. All kinds of war machines were ready for battle. Rows of musketeers were ready to aim their black muzzles at the enemy.
"Faith!"
As the voice fell, the army set off. The gates of Brunswick were opened, and the army followed out of the city.
As the defender of the Empire, Emperor Karl-franz's political level was better than his diplomatic level, and his diplomatic level was better than his military level. However, it would be a mistake to underestimate his military ability because of this. The Emperor's military ability had been proven in many wars, and he was even recognized as a warrior in the old world.
However, compared to the dazzling military achievements of the Sun King, Emperor Karl-franz wasn't outstanding enough.
The army marched quickly. After leaving Brunswick, they followed the main road of the Brunswick River. Along the way, new troops continued to join them. A few days later, the Emperor and his army arrived at the famous town in the east of the Brunswick territory, Fort Glenn.
Here, the Emperor received a piece of good news and a piece of bad news.
The good news was that the Griffin Duke, Ivan, and the Griffin Count, Anton, had rushed over with more than half of the Griffin Knights. Among the nearly 400 Griffin Knights, there were 20 to 30 elite Griffin Knights, and the remaining 300 plus knights were all half-Ggriffin Knights.
The addition of this army greatly increased the Emperor's confidence in this war. The Griffin Knights were the important weapons of the Empire. At this critical moment, not only did their arrival increase the chances of victory, but it also greatly boosted the morale of the army.
April 2520 of the Empire Calendar. Rain. East of the Brunswick territory.
Fort Glenn also had the reputation of "Brunswick's Granary". There were large areas of cultivated fields and livestock manors everywhere. When the Emperor led the army to Fort Glenn, Duke Richard von Glenn had already led all the nobles to prepare basic supplies and a place to settle the army. He invited the Emperor to stay in his noble manor.
Emperor Karl-franz didn't want to stay here for long, but it was raining heavily at this time. Not only would it not benefit the Brunswick army to advance in the rain, but it would also cause fatigue and loss of transportation. Therefore, the Emperor could only order the army to be stationed near the manor while cursing the damn weather.
As usual, the Emperor's iron triangle, Marshal Helberg, was here, but the great alchemist Gelt was not. The army of the Alchemy College was still waiting on the road.
"Your Majesty, please." The servant brought fresh hot milk to Emperor Karl-franz. The Emperor thanked him softly, took the cup, and then asked the servant, "Did the army drink the hot milk?"
"We did our best." The servant lowered his head.
The hot milk that Karl-franz drank was placed on the table and never touched again.
"Your Majesty, if the rain continues to be this heavy, it's almost impossible for us to reach the Black Fire Pass in three weeks." Marshal Helberg's long and perfect mustache was also wet from the rain. Marshal Helberg's face was gloomy, and even a little unlucky. "After a few days of rapid marching, the army is a little tired."
"I know, but we have no choice. Now we can only hope that Marshal Lucien can delay the green skin for a little longer, or that Marius can think of something." Emperor Karl-franz slapped his thigh hard. "Who would have thought that the damn green skin would suddenly do this!"
"This is not the worst!" Ivan the Griffin Duke stroked his long beard. His mount, Calamity of Beasts, was taking shelter from the rain in the manor while being fed raw meat by the servants.
Yes, the good news the Emperor received was that almost all the Griffin Knights had arrived, but the bad news was that the Nur army refused to move. The reason was very simple. Most of the Nur court and Nur army were participating in the River Patrol Ceremony in Brittany!
Emmanuelle of the Empire, Marshal Erstein of Nur, and Baron Frey Derick of Nur were not in the Nur army, so the Nur army would not be under the command of the Emperor.
At this time, Nur only had a small number of generals and nobles. They refused to move after receiving the Emperor's order. The reason was very simple. If the Emperor could not stop the enemy at the Black Fire Pass, then Nur had to at least ensure that they had enough troops to defend the city, just like when Tarim Khan invaded.
After the Emperor received this news, he spent a great deal of effort to restrain himself from losing his composure in front of others. He was very clear in his heart that without the support of the Nuer army's heavy cannons, war machines, and musket regiments, facing this massive WAAAGH of the Green Dwarfs was impossible! It would be unprecedentedly difficult.
The messengers tried to communicate with the Nur city council, but the city council refused. They said that the problem was very simple. When they received the handwritten order signed by the Emmanuelle, they would move out.
The key was to send a letter to Emmanuelle, have a messenger bring her handwritten order back to Nur, and then have Nur send out troops. How long would that take? It would take at least seven to eight days for a messenger to get there. Even if they could save a lot of time by using magic, a round trip would still take five to six days!
It was no wonder that Frey Derick wanted to thank Laing for his help. The Nur army and the Dwarves of Ba Feng Mountain were both diverted away from the battlefield. Sun King, who did not participate in the battle, was simply the best!
"The Nur army can't participate in the battle. We can only rely on ourselves, Your Majesty." Anton, the Griffin Count, was already a middle-aged man in his fifties. Although he was no longer young and had grown a beard, his enthusiasm and bravery had never changed. "If that's the case, we should have about 25000 people participating in the war."
"We should have about 25000 people including Galt. Ivy has 15000 people, so we should have about 40000 people in total." Marshal Rick analyzed the situation. A huge map was spread out on the table. The old marshal pointed his marshal's scepter at the Blackfire Pass. "There are a hundred thousand Green Dwarfs. What's worse is that we have to force our way through the Blackfire Pass. I doubt the soldiers will still be able to pick up their weapons when we reach it."
"But we have to defend the Blackfire Pass!" Karl-franz slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "Otherwise, if the Green Dwarfs are WAAAGH! An entire year's harvest will be ruined if we enter the vast plains of Ivy! "
"The Empire is very weak now." Ivan's expression was also serious. The Griffin Duke asked Marshal Rick, "What about Steyr? Can Haut Anderson provide support in time? "
"It's better than nothing." Helberg shook his head. "You all know the level of Steyr's army. They can fight security battles and defend the city, and there won't be many of them. They still have to defend the Sylvania route."
Everyone chatted for a while, but there was no other way at the moment.
After a worrying dinner, the Emperor didn't even remember what he had eaten. He sat in the manor and felt more and more uncomfortable. He had no choice but to stand up and walk outside. The Emperor's flag bearer and champion, Ludwig Schwarzhammer, immediately led a team of Rick's guards to protect the Emperor.
Walking past fences and wheat fields, passing through windmills and trees, the Emperor noticed a group of Empire soldiers sitting around a fire. They sat together and put their weapons aside, cursing the terrible weather and the quartermaster at the same time.
The food was not very good. Hard bread, stewed beans, cabbage, a cup of bad beer, and a bowl of oily meat soup. The three of them shared a sausage.
"I'm so tired! I've been rushing for the past few days. My feet are blistered! "
"You only have blisters, but my boots are worn out!"
"Damn green skin, Charlemagne curses you!"
"Say, it's understandable that His Majesty wants us to rush. After all, it's the damn green skin. But can't the food be better?" A soldier complained. "That's it? Even pigs don't eat it! "
"It's definitely not His Majesty's problem. It's definitely the quartermaster's problem!" Someone shouted. "His Majesty has always been the one who protects and cares about us the most. It must be that damn quartermaster Rode! It's all because he swallowed the food! "
After hearing this, the Emperor's face turned ugly. He quickly left in the rain with his men. "Go and call Rode here!"
"Yes!"
A few minutes later, the quartermaster, General Rode, came to see the Emperor with a dirty face. "Your Majesty, you were looking for me?"
"What's wrong? Rode? " The Emperor wanted to ask directly, but when he saw the many wounds on General Rode's face, his tone softened and became concerned. "How did you get hurt? Are there enemies nearby? "
"No … something just happened." General Rode shook his head.
"Tell me the truth, my general." The Emperor's state changed in an instant. He said sternly, completely unable to see the kindness from a second ago.
"It's just that some soldiers complained that the food was too bad. For four days, it was all meat soup. Only two meals had meat, and it was stewed with cabbage and carrots. They came to the logistics department to cause trouble." General Rode shook his head helplessly. "But we've done our best, Your Majesty. It's an emergency. How can we get so much food at the last minute?"
"Didn't I ask you to send out the food collection team to collect food everywhere?" The Emperor asked doubtfully. "It's impossible that there's no food here in Rick Hill, right?"
"We sent people, but the effect was not good, Your Majesty." The quartermaster smiled bitterly and said, "Last year, Rick Hill's harvest was not good. Every family didn't have much surplus food. Your Majesty strictly ordered us not to forcibly collect. According to the local farmers, today's weather is very strange. It's especially cold, and there's often hail. There's also a lot of rain, and the seedlings are drowning. This year's harvest probably won't be too good."
These words made the Emperor frown. Since last year, the entire Old World had gone crazy. In just a few months, there were more than ten Orc tribes wreaking havoc in the Empire. Plagues spread on a large scale, crop production decreased, and the Cult of Chaos was very active.
Rick Hill had always been the province with the most homesteaders. The benefits of homesteaders were needless to say. They had their own weapons, strong combat power, low cost, and high quality. However, it was difficult to collect food from the homesteaders. They were different from the serfs and tenants. The homesteaders had to ensure that they had enough to eat before considering selling surplus food. Forcibly collecting food from the homesteaders would be a huge blow to the Emperor's prestige.
Originally, the Empire could still import large amounts of food from Brittany for military rations. However, for some reason, Sun Wang Laing suddenly changed the national policy and greatly reduced the export of food to the Empire. It was said that his Purple Phoenix in the New World had placed a large order, so the military rations could not be replenished.
The Empire was very weak now, the Emperor thought.
Strange. Why didn't Brittany have climate change, plagues, and Orc activities?
No, that's Laing's problem. It has nothing to do with me.
I can't fall. The army can't fall. The Empire can't fall.
"Rick Palace Guard!"
"Yes!"
The Emperor quickly wrote a note on the table and said, "All of you, take this and find Duke Grenburg! Ask him to open his personal storage room! "
"Yes!"
The Rick Palace Guard went out. This action would offend the nobles, but it would allow the soldiers to obtain much-needed nutrition so that they wouldn't faint during the forced march.
Oh King, may you bless your Empire and help it tide over this crisis!
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