Blood tax

After preliminary counting, the Confederate army suffered more than 4000 casualties in the morning battle, and some battalions and squadrons were even completely annihilated.

The loss of weapons was also very serious. A large number of rifles were damaged, ammunition was severely consumed, and more than 20 artillery pieces were damaged.

The troops sent to fight the first battle with the Senate were all the best troops, and the losses in one morning were already so great that it made people breathless.

"The 40,000 people sent by Sebasto will arrive tomorrow." Roland encouraged everyone loudly in the headquarters. The Confederacy mobilized its troops as best they could. The longer we can rely on the bastion, the more favorable the situation will be.

A rebel army from Canaan had just arrived, bringing valuable Beyonder combat power to Roland.

The headquarters transferred reserve troops to replace those units that suffered heavy losses, and distributed high-calorie dry food and water to the soldiers. A new attack by the Senate would come soon, and the battle in the afternoon was likely to be very fierce and last for a long time. very long.

Harandil led people to clean the battlefield and brought the trophies handed over by the troops. Some vials were found on many of the legionnaires who were killed and captured.

Roland took it and sniffed it.

"Diazine?"

The terazine mixture can effectively relieve pain and symptoms of various diseases, improve the spirit, and long-term use has a very small chance of creating an extraordinary person. However, it has serious addictive properties. Users who take it will have hallucinations and gradually damage their body and will. It is a controlled narcotic drug.

"This thing is very popular in Canaan," Harandil nodded. "The potions taken by legionnaires are more powerful and can bring a strong sense of mission and concentration. The things for officers are better..."

Harandil took out a small silver box containing a slender crystal vial containing a ground and liquefied mixture.

The potion is filled with a strange magical aura, as unfathomable as the endless night. Roland felt a little familiar. He had come into contact with it somewhere... He dipped a little on it and carefully applied it to his lips. Ah, by the way, in Canaan, the fog rising from the sewers has a bit of this smell.

"Tsk, the Senate and the Arcane Council are having a lot of fun~" Roland glanced at Harandil and picked up another trophy - a few light blue crystal fragments captured from the battlefield.

A small group of Confederate commandos ambushed the retreating Legionnaires and destroyed a large crystal. Although most of the crystal shards were taken away by Legionnaires who arrived later, the Confederate commandos were able to obtain a few pieces.

A strong magical aura remains on the crystal fragments. This is a relay point of energy that can also be traced back to the Canaanite spirits.

It can be speculated that it was these potions and magic facilities that transformed the regular legion into a psychic legion, almost making it impossible for the new Confederate army to defend the bastion.

However, Canaan has been careful not to let the Senate have access to these technologies and equipment. In this critical period, has the cooperation between the two parties become closer?
Roland asked: "Are there any prisoners? I want to see them."

"There are one or two who can still speak," Harandil replied. "If they don't surrender, even if they are injured and unable to move, they will kill themselves with any weapons they can find. It took a lot of effort for the commandos to find some who were alive and able to speak. .

"You want to interrogate him personally? But be careful, these lunatics can break their necks with their bare hands."

……

Roland came to a captured soldier. The prisoner was imprisoned in a heavily fortified stockade and was seriously injured, and doctors said he would not live much longer. Judging from the clothing and badges, he was a veteran who had served in the Eastern Province and also participated in the battle of Verona.

There were wounds all over his body, but he seemed to feel no pain. He curled up with a body that should have lost the ability to move long ago, squatting in the corner like a sculpture, with his head lowered. The troops reported that these legionnaires were incredibly brave, but this time they were surprisingly honest.

There was only a slight sound of scraping stones in the prison.

"It's not as crazy as you said." Roland came closer, and a large group of curious officers and staff stood nearby looking at him.

"Soldier," Roland called, "what's your name?"

The legionnaire turned his head and grinned. His facial muscles could no longer be controlled, condensing into a twisted and hair-raising smile.

"Hank, sir, I am Hank," the legionnaire raised his hand and touched his head, wanting to take off his hat and salute the general in front of him, "Excuse me for being rude, sir, I can't find my hat."

Isn't this a very common soldier? Maybe the madness during the battle was exhausted... Roland took two steps forward and got a little closer to the fence:
"How are you feeling?"

"Excellent, my lord, it's never been better," said Legionnaire Hank, twitching like a cockroach with its head pulled out. He scratched his head and pulled off a bunch of bloody hair and skin.

Roland took out a bottle of terazine solvent and shook it: "Who gave you this thing?"

"Oh, my little beauty, gadget, hey, forgive me for being rude, sir, she is our centurion. We have a dose every day, and there is an extra quota when there is a battle," Hank stared intently. Holding the small bottle, "Can you give me some? Oh, my old injury is starting to hurt again. The damn orc chopped a knife on my arm. My whole body hurts now, please, give it to me, give it I...some. Please."

The seriously injured legionnaire crawled over nimbly, stretched out his hand through the fence in front of him, and grabbed the medicine bottle in Roland's hand.

Roland nodded and turned to express his views to the members of the headquarters.

The situation is clear. The terazine mixture provided by the Senate to their soldiers was a central-stimulating drug. After taking it, soldiers can get rid of fear and pain, ignore their injuries, and remain excited and focused. Other ingredients mixed into the terrazine modified the soldiers' bodies to a degree that allowed them to temporarily receive magical energy.

Orc berserkers also take similar things. Potions of ground herbs and minerals can madden their will and greatly enhance their strength. But it's still far behind compared to Diazine mixture.

["Give it to me, quickly, I need..." The soldier buzzed from the side. 】 "Crooked approach," Werner, who was watching on the sidelines, criticized. "When the anesthetic is first used, the energy is a hundred times stronger. Once it is disconnected, it will become sluggish and extremely harmful. If the army of the Senate can only rely on this thing to maintain the offensive, it means Because they have lost the belief in victory and the goal of fighting!

"Victory will not be affected by mere drugs!"

["Give it to me, hiss..."]

Everyone in the headquarters nodded and loudly agreed. The soldiers of the Confederate Army came from workers, miners, yeoman farmers and rebels, and were willing to resist the oppression of the Bayerland Senate, nobles and wizards. Political education and faith have taken root in this army.

"This is part of the reason why Xia Long cannot conduct a roundabout campaign," Roland added. "The superhuman fighting power and fighting will possessed by his army are based on the effects of potions and crystals. These facilities reduce the mobility of his army. "

["Give that thing to...! Hiss..."]

Roland clarified his thoughts and had a clearer understanding of the battle situation and the situation of the Senate Legion:

“The Senate’s army did not bypass the Confederate flanks. There were several main considerations—

"They need to fight me decisively here. If our army maintains its strength and withdraws from the battlefield, it will not be able to stop the legion's advance. However, the Battle of Verona has proved that even the rebels with weak equipment and training can threaten their supply lines and look for opportunities to annihilate the isolated army. The brigade even threatens the legion; potions and crystals further increase their logistical pressure and eliminate the independence of the small unit!
"In order to protect the supply lines and ensure that the troops are not weakened due to dispersion, the Senate needs to recruit more new troops. According to reliable information from Confederate intelligence agents, the Senate is discussing a proposal to form a Grand Republican Army with new troops..."

Roland became more and more excited as he talked. He felt he had found the key to victory. What was a little strange was that there was a commotion among the members of the headquarters in front of them, and several people stared at Roland in disbelief.

["What you said makes sense, Roland."]

There was a strange, familiar aura that seemed to have come into contact a long time ago. Roland was in the mood to speak and didn't pay attention: "But... the Grand Republican Army is still a threat to the Senate. The political power that needs to be transferred to form the Grand Republican Army makes the war against the Confederacy meaningless. How could the Senate accept it? Woolen cloth?"

Xia Long, my old friend, you will lose if you don't capture this fortress. If you outflank and scare us away, you will lose. If you form a Grand Republican Army and kill us all, you will still lose... Very good, this way I can target Adjust the strategy... A series of thoughts quickly flashed through Roland's mind. He thought of a wonderful conclusion and told everyone:

"Political failure inevitably leads to military defeat..."

"Commander in Chief!" Harandil, Xia Boyang, Werner, and the guards present all rushed towards this side.

Roland felt himself fly out and hit the opposite wall with a thud.

There was a loud noise, and the seriously injured legionnaire smashed the fence and rushed out. He turned into a weird monster like a giant peanut. He first hit Roland's shield and flew away, then he broke the neck of the guard who rushed to arrest him, and then rushed straight at Roland again.

Roland felt like a mountain was coming towards him in a trance. Wherever he went, officers of all sizes were flying everywhere like overturned billiard balls. The whole world was turned upside down in the chaotic flashes and buzzes. There was something there. He suddenly strangled his neck, his bones creaked, and he couldn't breathe. He squinted his eyes and could barely see a huge object strangling him from behind.

"Protect the Commander-in-Chief!"

"Get out of the way, you idiots!"

The well-informed Harandil threw a grenade over. This thing couldn't kill Roland at once, but it knocked both the strange thing and Roland to the ground. The Guardsmen rushed forward and dragged Roland out, who was strangled to death.

……

Roland was unconscious for a short time, and when he woke up again, he could hear the earth shaking in his ears. He was lying on the cot at the headquarters. The roof was shaking, and dust and gravel were falling.

The staff members were running around in a hurry.

"You're awake!" Harandil ran over and helped Roland up. "Hurry, the Legion is coming!"

"How long have I been in a coma?"

"It didn't take long, but we can't hold it anymore!" Harandil shouted at the top of his lungs, "Xia Boyang has gone to the front line, come and see the situation."

A group of people protected the commander-in-chief and came to the observation post near the headquarters.

The strong smell of blood, sweat and gunpowder smoke hung over the battlefield, making it nauseating. Guns fired, gunpowder smoke filled the air, and the dark troops fought together on the edge of the bastion.

A huge bolt of ball lightning broke over the parapet of the rampart, blazing arcs of lightning waving through the crowd. The heavily armored Paladin, surrounded by golden light, followed closely behind.

The cavalry artillerymen who came to block the attack fired dozens of shotgun shells at the Paladin's body, but only a ripple of light and shadow exploded. Seven or eight Beyelan soldiers holding bright double blades jumped out from the gap between the Paladin and the ball lightning, and rushed into the battle infantry defense line like a cyclonic starburst.

"!"

Roland immediately realized that the situation was critical, and the Senate had already invested high-level extraordinary people. He had just hatched a strategic and tactical plan, and now it was too late to execute it.

This attack must be repelled resolutely before there is a chance to adjust tactics.

Roland gave the order to Harandil and asked him to use the reserve team at the bottom of the box:
"Drive the enemy back at all costs!" (End of Chapter)