After formulating the plan, the Ashes Legion immediately began to make arrangements.
Forgen led 30,000 men on warships and arrived at the Vampire Coast in two groups. This was a land that had been deeply corrupted by the undead, but it was uninhabited. The lizardmen were not interested in occupying a port far away from the jungle, and Luther Haken, apart from establishing a few pirate strongholds and treasure spots here, rarely lived here for long. Other than sporadic resistance, Forgen's army did not encounter too much trouble and successfully approached the edge of the jungle on the Vampire Coast.
The army set up camp here.
Forgen divided the army into several parts. The artillery regiment on the right wing had more than 20 Empire cannons and a dozen mortar cannons, as well as a few dwarven cannons that Forgen had spent a lot of effort to get from the dwarves. He ordered the deputy commander, Fernando Pilazzo, to lead ordinary swordsmen, halberds, pikemen, archers, and crossbowmen to set up camp at the front. The left wing was composed of winged cavalry and the Arabi cavalry under Mage Jin, which also included some Arabi sailors and guards under Mage Jin.
There was no doubt that the Arabi cavalry was the best equipped cavalry in the Old World. The Arabi cavalry under Mage Jin were fully armed. Not only were they all wearing full plate armor, but they also had a mixed-blood elven warhorse. This was something that even the Brittany Knight King could not achieve. Most of the Brittany warhorses were the descendants of the pure-blood elven warhorses left behind after the elves retreated from the Old World and Brittany's native forest horses. After a few generations, the bloodline had become very thin.
Similarly, the equipment of the Arabi cavalry was the best in the Old World.
If that was the case, why was Araby's cavalry still no match for the Breton knights?
The reason was simple. The Brittany had Holy Grail Knights.
In the Red Flame Expedition, there was once a Holy Grail Knight of the Sanctuary-realm who had single-handedly killed nine Arabian champions in a row. Their heads hung on the horse's back until there were no more champions to send, and the morale of the entire army collapsed.
Forgen himself led the Phoenix Guards, the elite Great Swordsmen and Knights of the Ashes Corps, as well as a small number of Knight squires. It was worth mentioning that this elite army of several hundred people was all wearing full body armor with purple and gold colors. Regardless of whether they were wearing hats or helmets, they were all wearing very gorgeous and flamboyant five-colored feathers. Everyone was also equipped with a purple cloak with the Ashes Corps' flag pattern. Just from a distance, they were incomparably brilliant and eye-catching.
The army set up camp in the forest for repairs. Forgen ordered his subordinates to bury a large gemstone ornament prepared by the lizardmen on the beach, and then quietly waited for the vampire pirates to arrive.
At night, the camp was very lively. The soldiers of the Ashes Corps lit a bonfire, eating skewers and singing around it. Everyone, regardless of which human country they came from, seized the opportunity to relax. The halfling Habi and his companions held hands and stood on the table, dancing and singing. The soldiers laughed heartily and drank barley wine.
Even the soldiers of the Empire who had just surrendered quickly blended in.
However, Julius still felt a little uncomfortable. The expedition knight thought to himself that the war was clearly imminent. Even if the vampire pirates would not come so soon, Forgen was too relaxed.
After circling around, Julius found that except for a few soldiers who were on guard outside and on the beach, most of the soldiers were enjoying a short period of fun. The expedition knight's frown deepened.
He decided to find Forgen.
Fu Gen's large tent was located inside the camp. From the outside, it looked very luxurious. Several Phoenix guards were roasting chicken at the entrance of the tent. They smeared honey on the surface of the roasted chicken, and the chicken fat dripped into the bonfire in large droplets, splashing sparks. In addition, the pleasant sound of a zither came from inside the tent.
Fernando Pilazzo was slightly surprised to see Julius here. He reached out for a roast chicken and broke off a drumstick. "Sir Julius, would you like a drumstick?"
"…" Julius frowned slightly. "Is the Legion Commander inside?"
"Of course. What's the matter?" Pilazzo knew that Julius and Forgen were relatives, so he could not stop him.
"Yes, there's something."
"Please wait a moment." Pilazzo lifted the curtain and went in. After a few seconds, he came out. "The Legion Commander wants you in."
Julius opened the curtain and entered the tent. Thick animal skins were draped on the ground. Forgen was sitting alone on a folding stool. He was gently playing the Malinque in his hand. The rhythm of the zither went from high to low, then to high, then to impassioned sounds, and then suddenly stopped.
The moment the zither stopped, a few words appeared in Julius' mind: "standard ending" and "tobecontinue".
"Julius, what's the matter?" Forgen put down the Malinque. "Please sit."
"Nothing. I'm just not used to the outside world. I think you and your soldiers …" Julius sat down. The expedition knight's attitude changed slightly.
"Too relaxed?" The corner of Forgen's mouth curled up. He took out a wine glass and took out a wine gourd from behind him.
This wine gourd was a gift from Lord Mazda Moody. The fruit wine stored in this wine gourd could quickly restore magic and psionic power. Of course, Forgen could drink the entire wine gourd in two mouthfuls, so he could only use it twice in battle.
After pouring a glass of fruit wine and handing it to Julius, Forgen smiled and looked at Laing's brother-in-law. "In your imagination, what should war be like?"
Julius had been Forgen's groom for two weeks. He suppressed his displeasure and was about to speak, but Forgen waved his hand to stop him. "In your imagination, is war like this? The serf army is arranged neatly to resist the enemy's attack. The knights get on their horses in advance. The ancient horn is blown. You shout the name of the Lady of the Lake and rush to the battlefield. The enemy disintegrates like a pile of slag?"
"…" Julius could not answer. In his imagination, the ideal war should be like this.
"Then let me ask you. What if the situation is like this? You are ready to attack the enemy, but you find that your soldiers are not all here yet. They are from the Empire, Brittany, Estalia, Tyrell, and even Araby. You are not all here, so you have no certainty of victory. But if you don't go to war, your honor will be damaged. What will you do? "
"Some of the troops who usually lack pay and food are on the verge of mutiny. You know that you need to appease them, but without money, appeasement is useless. You can only use your kindness and power. But it seems that some of them are not familiar with you. You are very anxious!"
"Your officers are not united. Some of them are from Bordero, some are from Bastogne, and some are from the Church of the Goddess of War, Milmidian. Not only are they in conflict, but they also have their own backers!"
"Of course, you also have your trusted troops, but there are not many of them."
"Of course, there are good troops and bad ones. The most elite troops will be your personal guards. The worst will be the motley crew from the prince's territory at the border and the mercenaries from Estalia. Okay, you know that these soldiers who are the most numerous and the weakest might not be reliable, but you can't just dismiss them all, because this will cause the army to fall into an absolute disadvantage. What will you do?"
The questions came one after another, leaving Julius speechless. The expedition knight pondered for a moment, then said, "Then you will definitely prioritize the combat power and loyalty of your personal guards. The small fries won't be able to cause any trouble."
"Uh-huh, hehehe …" Fu Gen was still laughing. His laughter became more and more playful. Because he was too handsome, Julius felt that his face was a little red, and his heart was beating faster.
"War is not that simple. My army is pieced together by humans from all over the world. They are very different in terms of culture, faith, and race, so I have to let them gain a sense of identity with each other in many ways." Fu Gen finally opened his mouth to explain, "They know who they are fighting for. I unify the discipline and improve their overall quality. They can only be used by me if they have a sense of honor and unwavering faith. You need to let the soldiers acknowledge you, Julius, and not just think about controlling your own people."
"Of course, I'm glad that I have a few Brass Lungs. I can guarantee that my orders will spread throughout the battlefield," Fu Gen joked.
Brass Lungs? A few? Julius felt a little strange, but he thought that this might be a metaphor, so he felt relieved. He seized this opportunity. Fu Gen and he could barely be considered outsiders, so he took the opportunity to ask the question that had been in his heart for a long time. "Your Excellency Fu Gen, I have been on the Holy Grail Expedition for many years. My strength is not bad, even stronger than many ordinary Holy Grail Knights, but I have always been unable to gain the recognition of the Lady. Do you have any thoughts on this?"
"Thoughts?" Fu Gen sneered a few times. He picked up the wine gourd and elegantly drank the fruit wine with a goblet. "Do you really want to hear it?"
"The Lady asked me to come to you. There must be a reason for this," Julius replied.
"Then, I'll ask you a few questions." Fu Gen nodded slightly. "I'll finish asking first. You have to answer me truthfully one by one. Yes or no."
"Okay."
"Do you think Laing is an excellent knight?"
"Don't you think Ryan is a lecherous man? For example, does he have a lot of women around him? For example, does he have a special fondness for certain female clothing and accessories? "
"Do you think Laing likes to use some small tricks to bypass the knighthood and the laws of the kingdom to achieve his goals?"
"Do you think Laing is a qualified husband?" Fu Gen finished asking the questions. "Answer me first."
"Yes, yes, yes, yes," Julius answered seriously, even though he did not understand the connection.
"Very good. Next four questions."
"Do you think that the Lady of the Lake's special preference for Laing is somewhat unfair and excessive?"
"Do you think that as the descendant of the noble first generation Holy Grail Knight, 'Pure Witch' Redmond, you are destined and must be a knight, no matter how shameless, despicable, and depraved you are?"
"Did the Winford family take advantage of Laing's rise to plunder a lot of benefits for themselves, and also take the opportunity to constantly infiltrate his forces?"
"Finally, have you ever been jealous that if you were chosen to be the Lady of the Lake's chosen champion, you would definitely be better than Laing?" Fu Gen sat on the folding stool and relaxed his body. "I've finished asking. You can answer now."
Julius went through these four questions in his heart. There was no doubt that the four answers were all "yes." But when he tried to open his mouth and say these four simple words, he found that he could not say them no matter what!
The expeditionary knight was instantly covered in sweat. Big drops of sweat soaked his back and clothes. He tried hard to give a positive answer, but there was something in his body that stopped him! That was the thing called vanity, that was the thing called pride, that was the thing called greed, that was the thing called jealousy. Some violence and depravity in the depths of Julius's heart were screaming, roaring, and cursing everything in Julius's ears.
Julius's face was cloudy and uncertain. He almost instantly took out the holy statue of the Lady of the Lake from his body, trying to calm himself down.
Fu Gen, the initiator of all this, calmly had dinner and tasted wine. His elegant and noble movements made the somewhat simple tent seem spacious.
After a long time, Julius felt that the darkness in the deepest part of his heart was gradually fading away. He walked to Fu Gen and bowed gently. "I understand why I have never been able to get close to the Holy Grail. Thank you for your guidance, Commander Fu Gen."
"You trust your sword too much, Yuri." Seeing Julius like this, Forgen's eyes, which were as beautiful as the stars, revealed a trace of sadness and vicissitudes of life. "There is too much arrogance and darkness hidden in your sword. Only by defeating it can you approach the Holy Grail. Otherwise, you are doomed to die in battle or return in defeat in a long expedition."
After Julius left with relief, Fu Gen could not stop laughing.
"Hmph, Tzeentch's conspiracy."
… I am the section dividing line that my brother-in-law almost turned black …
A few days later, accompanied by a thick fog and a bone-chilling feeling on the coastline, an undead fleet gradually approached the vampire coast.
There were dozens of undead warships covered in barnacles and coral! They were all vampire pirates. Their eyes spewed out green flames, and smoke came out of their mouths. One after another, the thick fog covered their figures, making them appear from time to time.
"They're here." Fu Gen led the soldiers of the Ashes Army to hide in the forest by the beach. The King's Son geno prototype squinted and looked at the enemies gradually approaching the coast.
From within the thick fog, there was a series of coarse singing sounds.
"Ah, ah, our blood is cold to the bone."
"Our plundering will never stop."
"Ah, ah, ah, ah!"
The undead warship gradually approached the coast. A vampire lord held a shovel in one hand and an ancient holy slate in the other. He jumped off the warship crazily and rushed to the beach. "Ah, yes, yes! I can feel it, I can feel it calling me! "
"It's Luther Haken!" Mage Jin came to Fu Gen's side. "Shall we start?"
"No, wait a little longer." Fu Gen waved his hand to signal everyone to stay calm.
Luther Haken did not notice the movement in the forest at all. He was like a madman, using the ancient holy slate to sense the location. Then, he picked up the shovel and started digging on the beach. At the same time, he said to himself, "Maybe no one will believe my story, but to be honest, the beginning of this story is really bad."
"I used to be a complete person, but now we have become a lot." Luther Haken continued to talk to himself. He dug hard on the beach. "But we all believe in one principle, and that is to obtain all the treasures in this world, one piece!"
Luther Haken quickly found the lizard man's treasure buried under the ground. He was ecstatic. He picked up the lizard man's treasure with one hand and the ancient holy slate with the other. "Then, we will become one!"
After that, Luther Haken suddenly pulled out his scimitar and pointed in the direction of the forest. "Fire at those humans!"
"They will all be my recruits!"
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