Blood tax

Chapter 472 Griffith and Xia Boyang ([-])

The hastily assembled Griffith battle group had no joint training, the temporarily appointed commander was not familiar with the troops, and the combat effectiveness and characteristics of each department were unknown.

Such an army, even if it is armed with the latest equipment and tactics, can only hold its ground at best, and it is impossible to defeat the main force of the rebel army that can rival the legion in a face-to-face field battle.

Griffith circled a range on the map:
"This is the area controlled by the rebels, rushing deeper will only repeat the mistakes of Macdonald.

"Berthier and Lana are responsible for the organization and coordination of the army. During this period, I will find the weaknesses of the rebels and choose the battlefield.

"As for MacDonald, that's only for him to ask for."

The attendees listened in silence.

"But, will it be so smooth?" Warren Haydn who was present asked.

The rebels in Verona came and went like ghosts, and the regular army chasing them wasted their strength, morale and supplies in vain but could not find a chance for a decisive battle. In a hostile area, reconnaissance became extremely dangerous.It is often the case that a sound strategy has been formulated, but there are no conditions for its implementation.

Griffith understands everyone's concerns.

"Ophelia, please tell me."

Ophelia, who was still injured, left her seat.She still looked shaky, but her mind was still clear and sharp, and she immediately began to report:
"The rebels in Verona have strong mobility and come from the support of the local people. They help transport supplies, take care of the wounded, and spy on our army's intelligence. This is something we don't have.

"However, these alone are not enough to constitute the combat power to defeat the Legion.

"According to the information we have collected during this period, the rebel army has two stronger forces besides the army composed of spears and muskets.

"One is the Gulam who fought against us, a mixed-breed experimental body army that was abandoned by the government. After the end of the war in the East, they were helpless and gradually transformed into a mercenary army that relied on brotherhood. regiment, serving Iseus and the rebels.

"They paid a huge price for their strength. Their bodies and Extraordinary characteristics are very unstable. Even if they are left alone, they will collapse a little bit. Such a group of miserable people have simple sympathy and attraction for the local civilians, but after all, they are not the same."

Having said that, Ophelia paused slightly.Berthier added: "Ordinary fighters of the rebel army and the hybrid experimental subjects must have different demands, and we can find the differences between the two. Once they are differentiated, the rebel army will lose important mysterious combat power. Otherwise, we will Be prepared to deal with high-level mythical creatures."

For example, a dragon... Everyone present couldn't help talking about it.

"Order," Griffith tapped on the table, "Ophelia, please continue."

Ophelia continued:

"The second force comes from the professional army composed of mercenaries, bandits, and descendants.

"The strength of the rebel army is growing rapidly. The recruits alone cannot train high-level troops such as cavalry and two-handed swordsmen in a short period of time. During the war last year, many legion veterans joined them and became the core of the team.

"According to the information we have collected, many troops fighting in the rebel camp are dissatisfied with Xia Boyang's strict discipline. They are eager to rob and attack large towns, and they are very resistant to fighting against regular legions.

"In summary, even if the rebel army has many loyal and brave fighters like Loper, we can still find gaps..."

Ophelia was making a report when suddenly a messenger knocked on the door and came in, delivering an urgent report to Berthier.

The venue fell silent for a moment, and everyone stared at Berthier who opened the letter.The new chief of staff glanced quickly, raised his eyes, and said calmly:

"The Fourth Army has collapsed, and the rest are approaching the No.12 Army. The Senate ordered Verona to concentrate all its forces."

A bolt from the blue struck the venue, leaving everyone speechless.Berthier passed the letter to Griffith as if nothing happened, saying that the urgent report indicated that it would be handed over to him.

In addition to the first sentence read by Berthier, there was another message in the urgent newspaper——

"Xia Boyang will hold a meeting of all the columns tomorrow. All the senior commanders will be present. See the attachment for the address. The materials for the meeting are at Viscount Syndra's."

A simple map shows a small town not far from the camp General MacDonald had previously held.Sender and issue address unknown.

Griffith closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

The amount of information in this urgent report is a bit large.

Some well-informed person wanted to invite me to a meeting of the rebels.How can I, an officer of Bayeran, attend the meeting of the senior commanders of the rebel army?It seems that for some things, in addition to relying on self-struggle, the process of history must also be considered!

This Viscount Syndra, who was defeated by Lansenis in the battle last year, lost all his army and territory, and the materials for the meeting are with him. What is he trying to express...

"We, need a new plan?" Seeing Griffith pondering, Ophelia asked inquiringly.

"No, no need for now," Griffith stood up. "Everyone will continue with their respective missions. I will be away for some time. During this period, Berthier and Lana will act as commanding powers."

……

Second Age August 1445, 4.

The Verona rebels, who almost wiped out the Fourth Army of Bayeran and its auxiliary army, set up their headquarters in a small town in a valley.Since the early morning, there have been continuous horse teams coming from all over the place, passing through the camp of tens of thousands of troops, and going to the inner camp.

Viscount Syndra was among them.

Since his defeat last year, he fled to the side of the rebels with some troops in order to avoid punishment.In name, he was the commander of a brigade of the rebel army; in fact, he and some other nobles and surrendered troops who surrendered were doing the business of grabbing territory from their former neighbors.

However, he was out of luck.After joining the rebels, his unit was sent to stop Bayeran's 12th Army and suffered heavy losses.

Most of the viscount's army was wiped out.With only two guards with him, he was thinking about what to say later.

Suddenly, a black-robed knight came riding from a nearby forest and shouted loudly.

"who?"

The guards immediately drew out their sabers and stood in front of the Viscount.I saw the galloping knight riding a strong black horse, and the outline of the heavy armor under the black robe was clearly visible.

Is this a guard sentinel?Such a ferocious and dark atmosphere must not be ordinary people.Syndra pressed his hand on the scabbard vigilantly, and responded to the knight:
"Syndra, the leader of the Fifth Column and Second Brigade."

Xia Boyang's army had set up police posts along the way, and the Viscount had already passed four or five floors of rangers and sentry inspections along the way, and there were patrolling horse teams nearby.The Viscount raised his whip and pointed:
"We are going to pay a visit to Generalissimo Xia Boyang.

"How far is it from their headquarters?"

"I do not know either."

The black knight let out a hoarse, unhuman moan.

The viscount only felt as if a rusty saw was tearing at his ear.Before he could draw his sword, a pale bone scythe flew out from the dense forest beside the road, pierced through the neck of a guard and got off his horse; before the other guard had time to shout, a black shadow flashed behind him And pass.

In the blink of an eye, the two guards of Viscount Syndra were killed before they could even snort.The viscount was so startled that he wanted to cry out, but his throat was suddenly strangled.

what happened?Me, out of breath, the Viscount frantically scratched his throat, trying to remove the noose-like suffocation.However, the invisible power, anxiety and fear seemed to grow out of his body, and had already eroded his whole body.

The black knight came to the viscount, approached him like an old friend and patted his face with his hand.

The viscount's heart suddenly tightened.Under the pitch-black hood, there seemed to be no human face.Only a black ink-like liquid was flowing.

"Who are you?!"

Just as the viscount was about to shout, he felt a sharp pain in his waist.A dagger pierced his unarmored waist, and the excruciating pain tightened his heart.

The pain blurred consciousness.In the white trance, Viscount Syndra couldn't cry out, and couldn't break free.The inhuman liquid under the black hood is wriggling and forming.

The Viscount saw his own face in the shadows.Pale, weak, with a face full of disgust for the world.

"Uh, uh..." The Viscount wanted to question, but couldn't speak.He could feel himself like a caught bug, the internal organs and flesh were melting, and then sucked little by little.

A few minutes later, Griffith, who had become exactly like the Viscount, patted his cloak and moved his hands and feet.The appearance, voice and demeanor are all reproduced on Griffith through potions.However, it cannot master the memory of the other party, and can only do limited imitation.

At his feet lay a mass of twisted, shriveled corpses, and the human form could not be seen clearly.

Minos ate the essence of the corpses of Viscount Syndra and the guard, leaving behind a residue like chewed sugarcane.Griffith took a bottle of dark blue potion from the saddle, and poured it carefully on the wreckage.The highly corrosive agent immediately charred the remaining flesh and dissipated in the air as soon as the wind blows.

"Viscount" packed up the rest of the items, flipped through the documents, led the horse away, and moved on.The inner camp of the rebels is just ahead, and there is no obstacle along the way.

This place is not like an army headquarters, but rather a lively market.Passing by an ornate tent, Griffith heard shouting and cursing.

A group of people are gathering inside for a meeting.

"After all," someone shouted in a hoarse voice, "after all, our ten thousand heroes are not sheep at the mercy of the shepherd!"

"Yeah, he's a fart without us?" a voice echoed loudly. "He's just a normal guy...a librarian. He was still in Oldtown when we followed King Lightning to sweep Verona. Have a good time!"

"I and my heroes did not join the Rebel Army to hide in the mountains of Sophia, I swear to the great storm god!...I swear, we will never go!"

Griffith walked into the camp and found that many rebel officers had gathered here.

Standing in the center, calling out is Don Joseph, commander of the five columns of the rebel army, a distorted and corrupt spellcaster.

Another clergyman named Anthony Green fully supported Joseph's opinion.He himself was commander of a new column, commander of three thousand recruits who were being trained nearby:
"Master Kloseel's opinion, if you want me to say, is completely correct, is he there... Hey, who did I see, isn't this Lord Syndra? It's great to see you, we all thought you had already Misfortune with one's own army."

"I don't have any troops anymore," Griffith said in a viscount's voice, frustrated, "either they were wiped out by the river by the 12th Bayerland Army, or they were driven into the river and drowned."

The news of the tragedy drew sympathy.

"Poor friend! You are the victim of Xia Boyang's escape route and rebellion. Now we fully understand," Don Joseph said with a sad face.His expressions are so spot on that an Oldtown comedian can't fault him.

Griffith accepted their offer with an awkward smile.

Strangely enough, most of the rebel commanders here were once enemies of Viscount Syndra, and many have plundered his lands.The other part is the local nobles who once fought against the previous group of people with the Viscount.

The expressions of most people were astonishingly consistent, expressing condolences one after another, as if nothing happened in the past.

"My lords, I speak in the name of liberty and equality!" shouted a strong commander in a thunderous voice. "Is Xia Boyang really a traitor? Hey, this is too much, too much!"

The voice was so loud that Griffith immediately looked away.

Among a group of strong and sturdy warriors, he saw a commander named Hart Orwell.

This person is well equipped, with a two-handed giant sword and a longbow on his back, and a firm face, clearly a regular knight.When Griffith looked away, Hart Orwell's eyes also fell on the false viscount.

Before the knight who defected to the rebel army could finish speaking, another woman with wheat-colored skin shouted in the crowd:
"I have received word that Byelan is mobilizing troops! It is absolutely true, and I, Parari Rabindra, on my honor as a witcher, that Byelan will regroup as soon as we enter the mountains Occupy this place and send more knights to be the lords here."

"This must not be allowed!" A large group of commanders shouted together, "We will never give up our land."

"That's right, comrades," the fallen wizard Joseph raised his hands and shouted in a very contagious voice, "Xia Boyang is going to take us to the mountains. What is there except stones? There are no chunks of farmland How much. Once there, not to mention equipment and weapons, even food is a problem.

"Bayeran's army is waiting for us to go there. They only need to seal the valley with one-tenth of the army, and we will be trapped inside!"

"traitor!"

The tent was boiling like a pot.The voices of Hart Orwell and a few were completely drowned out.

"We're going east, to fight Old Town, to fight Byjelan!"

Joseph said with satisfaction: "Yes, it is a traitor, and his accomplices are all farmers and sheep herders. They fabricated lies, and they described Bai Yelan, who was already vulnerable, as an unshakable giant. Betrayed to the Senate of Bayeran."

"They are all traitors, all those who want to lead us to the Sophia Mountains to the west are traitors!"

"Hit Byelan! We must go to Byelan!"

More than a dozen people shouted in unison:
"Shoot to Byeran! . . . to Byeran! . . . "

(End of this chapter)