Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 461 Hunting Goddess

   The rays of the sun are shining, and the battle flag is flying.

   Major Sander, the garrison officer of Vigne County, rubbed his eyes vigorously.

  The garrison troops of each county either carried the red flag on a white background or the four-pointed flag on a blue background. The army using the dark blue flag was only the rebel army of Tiefeng County in the new reclamation land, and there was no semicolon.

  The door was slammed open.

   Sandel lunged at the saber hanging on the hanger.

   But the person who broke into the bedroom did not shout "surrender and don't kill", but reported in a crying voice: "Not good! Major! The rebels are here! The rebels are on the city wall!"

   Sander threw away the saber when he heard the sound, picked up his trousers with his backhand, and raised his legs to drill in.

   "I saw it!" The major replied in a deep voice, and then sternly scolded the visitor: "Deportment! Lieutenant Ma Jiya!"

   The lieutenant who was named shuddered a little, then stood up in a hurry, and gave a crooked salute.

  During the previous campaign to suppress Iron Peak, the entire Vugnie County garrison was wiped out, and the original officer corps was swept away.

  Thanks to the rebels, when the headquarters of the New Reclamation Corps rebuilt the garrison in Vigne, it had to hire a large number of commissioned officers to fill the command layer - incidentally to raise military expenses.

  Matiya Pal was "lucky" to become an officer in this military expansion, because he donated a lot of money and was even directly appointed as a lieutenant.

   Sandel doesn't know much about this subordinate's resume.

   But the major knows better about Lieutenant Majiya's abilities.

   So Major Sander didn't want to waste his saliva with a guy who bought officials with money, and asked the latter directly: "Where is Captain Qiu Ke?"

  Ma Jiya shook her head desperately: "No...I don't know."

   Sander burst into flames. Qiu Ke was the only official officer in the city other than himself, and was the major's deputy. Not being able to contact Captain Qiu Ke means that the chain of command is half paralyzed.

   "Who's on duty tonight?" the major asked again.

  Ma Tiya was stunned, swallowed her saliva, and lowered her head to answer: "No...I don't know."

   An angry growl came from Sandel's throat, and he meticulously buttoned the last few buttons, tightened his belt, and picked up the saber from the bed.

   "Go!" The major waved his hand without even looking at the lieutenant, and strode out of the bedroom.

   Outside the house, the garrison camp was already in chaos.

The   alarm bell was ringing like a warning, and the sharp whistle sounded again and again.

  The disheveled soldiers stumbled out of the barracks and poured into the playground in a chaotic manner.

  It was already bright, but there were still people clamoring to light the fire. The Ordnance Sergeant wanted to release the ammunition, but he didn't know where the arsenal key was.

   In the distance, the drums of war were rolling like thunder.

   Outside the gate, the defeated soldiers who had escaped from the city wall were crying and slamming the camp gate.

  The tumultuous noise and the shattering scene all hit Major Sander as he stepped out of the barracks.

   Major Shandel suddenly had a severe headache: "How come the rebels are in Artemis? They are not fighting Maple Leaf Fort? What do the guards eat?! What does Skull eat?!"

   "I don't know, Major." A weak voice floated from behind. Ma Tiya took the major's words as a question to himself. With tears in his eyes, he answered tremblingly, "I don't know."

   Seeing the miserable appearance of the lieutenant, Sandel felt a little unbearable.

   "Deportment." He said coldly: "Lieutenant."

  Ma Tiya quickly wiped away her tears.

Major    Sandel led the lieutenant in three steps and two steps up the barracks wall.

   Looking at the navy blue military flag on the top of the city, and at the sun again, the major suddenly woke up.

   "Fuck." The major, who repeatedly emphasized his manners, couldn't help but scolded: "God **** rebels, they came from Gervodin!"

  …

   Major Sander's judgment was not wrong, just incomplete.

   Because not all of the "rebels" who appeared outside Artemis were from Gervodin, at least not the ones on horseback.

  When the soldiers from Gervoudan filled the trenches with baskets filled with earth and stones, and pushed the ladders to the city wall, there were also a large number of cavalry from Maplestone City waiting eagerly outside the city.

   On a hill less than a mile behind the Iron Peaks cavalry, Winters Montagne was also waiting.

The    war had an immediate effect on the new land.

   In the past, only a small number of old colonies older than the newly reclaimed provinces still had the city walls built to guard against the harassment of the Hurds.

   Now, in the face of the looming threat of war, almost all towns and cities have urgently built defense facilities in a panic.

   Even settlements with only a dozen families are surrounded by wooden walls.

   "Artemis" is a typical example.

   She was born in the new era, grew up in peace, never experienced war, and naturally would not be prepared for the disaster of the sword.

   Artemis thus had no clear boundaries, with buildings of stone and wood extending outward from the beginning of the city, transitioning naturally to farms in the suburbs.

   But now, a high wall suddenly divides Artemis into two parts, the inner part and the outer part.

The    city wall is about four meters high and two meters thick, built by filling the two layers of wooden walls with hay and clay and then compacting them. There are wooden feet on the inside of the wall to increase the width of the city head.

  The farmhouses and barns near the city walls were ruthlessly demolished to avoid being used by the siegeists.

  The builders also cleverly lifted the water of the Anya River into the higher-lying moat, and upgraded the dry moat into a moat.

   The original military barracks in the city were also transformed and reinforced to make them defensive and form the structure of an “inner and outer city” with the city walls.

   In this way, it not only increases the depth of defense, and avoids the situation where the city wall is broken at one point and then the whole line is defeated; it can also deter some residents of the city who are ill-intentioned.

   However, all the efforts of the builders, in Winters' view, only turned "very bad" into "bad".

  The builders hardly considered the situation of the siege party carrying artillery, and the designs were all designed to deal with the attack of light infantry.

   Even judging from the actual combat performance, Artemis' city defense facilities could not cope with the surprise attack of light infantry.

   Looking at the city wall where the gunfire was flashing, the most famous spellcaster in the Alliance tapped on the hilt of his sword, and looked down at the Nurem Bell in his hand from time to time.

   Beneath him, Chang Feng seemed to be infected by his master's emotions, looking around restlessly, trying to bite something.

   However, whether it is humans or horses in the entourage, they all know that the blood wolf's horse is a very bad-tempered and aggressive guy, so they all hide away.

   Only Hodl didn't know the danger of Changfeng, and he stepped forward with a light stroke of his gray mare.

   "Your Excellency." Holder asked alertly: "Do you want to... come to the front line again?"

   Winters glanced at Holder, who shuddered involuntarily.

  Changfeng also snorted, causing the poor gray mare to back away.

  Holder desperately wanted to find a seam to hide in, but it was his duty to protect the blood wolf, so he had to bite the bullet and continue to delay the time.

"Your Excellency, before departure, Mason Tribunal told us." Holder did not dare to dissuade him directly, so he adopted roundabout tactics and launched moral kidnapping, and said pitifully: "He can't do anything about you, but he has a way to deal with us. ."

  Changfeng "Suo Lulu" exhaled a breath of heat, although it was aggressive, it was not enough to bully a little mare.

  Winters was so angry that he laughed. He put away the Nurem Clock, looked at Hödel, and asked in the bottom line, "Then tell me, why can't I play in person?"

  Holder wanted to answer without hesitation: "Of course, because I'm afraid that something should go wrong with you!"

   But before he could say the words, he realized that something was wrong—how could the invincible blood wolf fail?

  Since the blood wolf is invincible, the reason for preventing the Montagne tribune from going into battle is untenable;

  If the Montagne tribune might die in battle like an ordinary soldier, then he is not the invincible blood wolf that the Iron Peak soldiers believed.

  Holder couldn't make up his mind for a while, and simply put all the reasons aside.

   He lowered his head and said in a low voice, "You don't know, just that time in Hegu Village, I felt like the sky was falling down."

   "Which time?" Winters hadn't reacted at first, but the pain in his ribs reminded him: "Oh, that time...it won't happen."

"Isn't it? It's! It's too much!" Houder retorted eagerly: "You don't know how scared I was! I had a thought in my mind at that time, 'It's over, it's all over'. The other brothers too, what's with that word? That being said—oh, yes! All hope is lost!"

Winters laughed dumbly, and he explained patiently to the preparatory students: "The army has a very perfect system, and it will not collapse because of the loss of a commander. Even if I do die, the command can be deferred downward, Mason protects the people. Officers and Cellini tribunes can take my place in command of the battle."

   "Your Excellency! Don't mention that word!" Holder covered his ears, his expression became distorted and painful, as if he was trying his best to erase the word "death in battle" from his memory.

   "It's not the same." Holder shook his head desperately: "It's not the same."

   Winters watched Holder—he hadn't had such a conversation with his men in a long time.

   Without being reminded, Winters could feel that his position in the army was becoming more delicate.

   He is not like Andre, the soldiers fear Andre, and want to please Andre;

   He is also not like Mason, the warriors are not afraid of Mason at all, but they love Mason.

   In his heart, Winters faintly envied his companion, because the gaze he felt was different from what Mason, Andre, and everyone else felt.

   He has no doubts that his warriors will not hesitate to carry out his orders, going forward and backward without turning their heels;

   But he also clearly realized that everyone would never get along with him as intimately as with Andre and with Mason.

   casts his eyes on him not only with respect, but also with expectations.

  People hope that the "blood wolf" in their eyes is exactly what they look like in their hearts.

   He can't be lively and happy, he must be deep and solemn, preferably with a beard and a little bald, as if he was born with dignity.

   Therefore, it has been a long time since Winters had a conversation with his subordinates with equal personalities.

   Winters didn’t want to ruin a rare opportunity to communicate. So he asked Holder playfully, "Are you implying that the Mason Tribunal and the Cellini Tribunal are incompetent?"

   "I... When did I say that?" Holder was anxious.

   "Then you'd better make it clear." Winters moved his already stiff back and said with a smile, "What's the difference?"

Houdel fell into silence, he lowered his head and thought for a long time before replying in a low voice: "In the battle at River Valley Village, before the battle, Battalion Commander Tamas told us, 'If you don't know why you are fighting, tell yourself to fight for blood. Wolf fight'. He didn't say fight for Mason Tribunal, he didn't say fight for Cellini Tribunal, he said 'fight for blood wolf'."

Holder paused, and continued with a choked sobs: "I was ignorant at the time, but I didn't understand it until later. Battalion Commander Tamas actually said, 'The battlefield is ahead, and you can be gone in the blink of an eye. A place for a little life. But it doesn't matter, even if we die, what we die has value. We died for the blood wolf, not for nothing'."

   Winters never thought that the preparatory student in front of him would give such an answer, and he fell silent.

"Some people say that they fight for land allocation, and some people say that they fight for promotion. But no matter how much land is allocated, and no matter how big an official is, what's the use of losing one's life? Fight Vigne County, say a thousand words and ten thousand, we are fighting for you. So, I want to ask clearly." Houdel gathered his courage, looked straight into the eyes of the blood wolf, and asked word by word: "What are you fighting for?"

  The hill was silent, Chang Feng lowered his head and lowered his ears.

"I want to give you the answer, but I feel like the answer I'm going to give you is too general and too hypocritical," Winters whispered, muttering to himself, "Is there any real altruism? Or am I just contentment? Your own vanity?"

  He was speechless for a while, then raised his head to look at Holder, and pleaded, "Give me a little more time and I'll find out."

  Holder wiped his tears and nodded blankly.

Ahead of   , as the flag of the New Reclamation Corps on the gatehouse was pulled, the suspension bridge at the south gate of Artemis City crashed to the ground.

   The long-awaited Iron Peak cavalry burst into cheers resounding through the sky.

   Before the cheers dissipated, the cavalry units of Tiefeng County had entered the city in batches in an orderly manner under the guidance of the military flag.

   Winters took out the Nurem Clock and glanced at it—it took longer than expected, but still within the scope of the plan.

   "Can you still ride?" Winters asked Holder.

  Holder was stunned for a moment, then he sucked in his nose and swallowed the sadness and tears in his stomach, and answered decisively: "Yes!"

   But then he complained with a bitter face: "But, Your Excellency, I really think my eggs are broken."

   Winters couldn't help but smile: "I told you, don't 'sit on the saddle', but 'squat on the stirrup'. Learn to lift with the horse's back, and then fall naturally..."

  Holder nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Forget it, you'll understand after riding for a while. If you can't do it, go stand for two days." Winters took out the small notebook and graphite strips that he carried with him, wrote a few lines in a hurry, and then tore off the whole page. Give it to Hodel, and put another saddlebag in Hodel's hand: "Now I have more important things for you - go to the city, find Lannis, and give him this warrant and this saddlebag."

  Holder raised his hand in salute, and followed the last cavalry into Artemis.

  The city is full of chaos.

   Iron Peak County cavalry rampaged in the streets, catching prisoners everywhere. The Vugnies who retreated from the city walls fled to the barracks.

  Holder caught and asked who, and finally found the commander of the fifth battalion, Lannis, at the north gate, who was leading the prisoners down the tower.

   He went straight forward, saluted, and handed the blood wolf's warrant and saddlebag to the fifth battalion commander.

  When the fraternal troops went to participate in the battle to decide the ownership of the new land, the five battalions silently stayed behind in Revodan.

  Although the responsibility of guarding the home is heavy and relatively safe, when the good news was sent back to Tiefeng County, the commanders and combatants of the 5th Battalion could not help feeling abandoned and forgotten.

   So this time, in the fight against Vigne County, the fifth battalion was full of energy.

   Seeing Lannis frowning after receiving the warrant, a company commander couldn't hold back and asked worriedly, "Are the tribunes worried that we will suffer and let us gather our troops and wait for reinforcements?"

   The other company commanders heard disappointment and helplessness in their eyes.

   A battalion is still too small for a city.

  According to the original plan, as long as the fifth battalion can take the city gate by surprise, it will be the first credit, and the tough battle against the army camp in the city will be handed over to the follow-up troops.

   "No." Lannis took a deep breath, solemnly opened the saddlebag, and unfolded the brocade inside.

   The three company commanders of the fifth battalion, as well as Houdel, all held their breath subconsciously.

  Because Lannis was holding a flag in her hand, a flag that was originally blue but was dyed dark red with blood. Her edge was curled because of the fire, and her surface was damaged by the battle. Every red spot on it represents a **** battle, and every bullet hole means a victory.

   This is the banner of the blood wolf, the sacred relic of the new army of Tiefeng County.

   "The blood wolf saves us from having to wait for reinforcements." Lannis's arms trembled slightly, and he turned his gaze to the military camp in the center of the city, with fire burning in his eyes: "In one go, take all Artemis!"

  …

  When the new army of Tiefeng County invaded the last stronghold of the Vigne County troops, the Leiqun County military camp on the border of Maplestone City also broke into an uninvited guest.

   "Don't let me in?" Major Seb Carrington widened his eyes, crossed the shoulder of the lieutenant on duty, and shouted directly at the central barracks: "Then call Skul Meckron out!"

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   (end of this chapter)