Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 504: Two Battlefields

“I get it, I get it, it's just confidentiality...” The mayor of West Wood Town, Zuk, bowed down his head and crossed his hands in his sleeve to the town hall. Just after the rainy season, the ground was wet and a little slippery, and Old Zuk really didn't want to go out, if he could, just like he didn't want to be mayor of this town.

But there was no way, the Grand Duke sent someone to understand the situation, and he could only appear as mayor. Hosting these dignified messengers for a delicious and delicious meal, explaining the movement of the strange light cavalry unit that passed West Wood Town the previous two days, reporting on the collection of food and horse food by that light cavalry unit in the town, and presenting the list of collections and receipts given to him by the troops, which are proof documents that can compensate West Wood Town for paying taxes.

The envoys thought it was supposed to be a light cavalry unit carrying out clandestine movements, so they bypassed the Grand Duke's Fort Ivana and did not go into town to disturb the Grand Duke. This is also where the Grand Duke is unhappy. As a member of the Eastern Regional National Alliance, the movement of troops in the Alliance not only notifies him, but does not even visit him through his castle. It is rude and very offensive to the Grand Duke, making it clear that the commander of this force did not see the Grand Duke in his eyes...

The messengers, however, received good news from Old Zuk that the commander of the light cavalry unit who had passed the previous two days had said that they were the first troops and that in a few days a large group of men had arrived. I am confident that the commander of this successor force will visit the Grand Duke at that time to please him. Perhaps the commander will tell the Grand Duke what their purpose and number was for this military transfer and that it should be old Zuk's identity too low to reveal it now, in the interest of confidentiality.

So when the messengers had eaten and drank enough, they did it themselves, and grabbed a dozen chickens in West Wood Town and went back. Now that the whole of the Principality of Siddins is desperately poor, it is simply impossible not to expect Old Zuk to supply the messengers. If Old Zuk hadn't had a farm in West Wood Town, got some produce to sell in Fort Ivana, could afford to pay taxes collected by the Grand Duke and barely survive, he wouldn't be the mayor of this town...

Every time the Grand Duke's envoys came, they swept the town, and Old Zuk believed that they would go back to the town hall, and the townspeople who had been taken away from their homes were waiting for him to make amends. Those bastard ambassadors didn't understand that the eggs they grabbed from a chicken goose were often the source of a lunar salt and needle thread in a townspeople's home. And for them, it's just a random tooth festival in the countryside...

Fortunately, he had already warned the townsfolk not to do anything while the envoys were hunting the goose, and watched coldly that he would compensate for sending the envoys back. Otherwise, if the townsfolk go to guard their chickens, then waiting for them could be the end of a broken family. Old Zuk has traveled to Fort Ivanos many times, and he has seen these Grand Duke's entourage fly unscrupulous on the streets of the castle, and a handful of people who cannot escape have been bruised and whipped. These messengers are of the Grand Duke's faith, and their consequences will be tragic.

He was reminded of the fact that the envoys had left without disclosing anything about the light cavalry unit that had passed the previous two days. Old Zick thought it was ridiculous. Isn't it military mobility that needs to be kept confidential? He's not a child. Naturally, he knows that, and he has no interest in where this light cavalry unit is going. Although this light cavalry unit is a bit odd and behaved differently, Old Zuk didn't say anything to the Grand Duke's messengers...

Sometimes Old Zuk feels comfortable without the Principality of Siddins. Back then, in the Eastern War, Grand Duke Siddins ran away, the Principality was destroyed, and then classified as a new occupation, and all the inhabitants of the Principality became citizens of the Kingdom of Ovilas. Old Zuk had no feelings about the change in his identity, and he believed that no matter who ruled West Wood Town, residents needed to pay taxes to serve.

In fact, he guessed correctly that there was a noble-appointed official in Ximu Town who was responsible for taxing the residents of Ximu Town, and the tax rate was not high at all, 30 per cent, for the residents of the town. Old Zuk's farm also relied on the good sights of those years to save some of its bottom. And a year later, nearly a thousand labourers arrived in town to rebuild the avenue to Avenasburg, but those labourers seemed to be having a rough time...

Then, for some reason, there was another war, and a team of soldiers came into town, shot the officer in front of the town hall, and then took away the property stored in the town hall. After they left, West Wood was left alone, and the townspeople elected Old Zuk as mayor of the mayor. So three years later, the Grand Duke of Siddins came back, and the Duchy of Siddins came back, and the tax rate in West Wood City doubled, from 30 percent to 60 percent, and a lot of labor was distributed.

Since the previous year, the Grand Duke of Siddins had said he wanted revenge, so he added another war tax. The youth of the town were conscripted in the first half of last year, again in the second half, and both the 16-year-old and the 40-year-old middle-aged were forcibly taken away. Westwood township is now full of old and weak women and children, unable to see young and strong men. So sometimes Old Zuk wonders how good it would be if Grand Duke Siddins hadn't come back, the tax rate would be light and no one would force the town's youth to go to war...

Life had to go on, and two days later, Old Zuk got up early in the morning, put on two cow trucks on the farm, filled them with early morning wives and hired farmers who had just picked out cabbage with dewy water and were ready to send it to Fort Avenas for sale. He and his helper, Leggy Mark, drove a cow truck to Fort Avenas alone and found the road blocked by an army. This unit should be what the light cavalry unit that passed West Wood the other day called the follow-up battalion, as they were all wearing the same brown and grey uniform.

One officer brought two soldiers towards Old Zuk and Mark, who were not afraid. The previous days they had been in contact with the army's leading troops, mysterious but disciplined, who had camped outside the town for a rest and sent only a few officers to take a team of soldiers into the town to collect grass and horse food. During this period, he also went out to buy several gooseberries, all paid in cash. The poultry and livestock kept by the townspeople were not offended in the autumn, nor did he break into the townspeople's homes.

The officer just came to check what was in the wagons of Old Zuk and Mark, found it to be cabbage and tore a leaf into his mouth to taste it, thought it was very fresh and sweet, this cabbage was of good quality. Old Zuk was pleased and decided to send some cabbage to the officer. The officer resigned. Old Zuk said he had just had an affair the other day. You're welcome.

The officer was stunned, and Old Zuk said that your advance troops had just passed by our town the other day, or that I had helped them collect the grass they were collecting. So the officer asked Old Zuk what was going on. When Old Zuk finished, the officer laughed. Since he was an old acquaintance, I did you a favor. You didn't have to send the stuff into the city to sell it. We wrapped the cabbage.

Soon the soldier sent by this officer brought a fat veteran who was satisfied with the cabbage and gave Old Zuk a good price or a cash deal. Old Zuk asked the fat veteran if he needed cabbage, and they had five or six cow trucks like this on their farm. The fat veteran was happy to say that they wanted everything, and that this cabbage was enough for their kitchen for a day, as much as they wanted to send.

So the farm in Old Zuk lived a morning, called a lot of the town residents to help, then moved all the cabbage to the cow truck, sent it to the military camp to find the fat veteran, and soon settled all the dishes. After sending Crippled Mark and the township helpers back to the farm, Old Zuk decided to come into town and buy some fine linen for his little girl and make her a new dress. For two years, this little girl of her own has been wearing the old clothes her sister left behind before she got married. Sold all the cabbage in the farm today, just in time to buy something.

The left side of the road to Avenasburg was covered with military tents, all brown and grey, as was the uniform worn by the army soldier. There was no fenced trench between the tent and the road, but the soldiers on the other side of the tent did not come to the road, and occasionally the horses screamed and the herds of horses ran behind the tent, restrained by the soldiers from running to the road to field. It's just that there aren't many pedestrians and horses on the road, and people who come out of the city are scared and can't help but flee the ordinary.

When I got to the castle gate, Old Zuk realized why people were so panicked out of town. Hundreds of bodies hanging from the walls, dressed in gorgeous clothes, many of which seem to look familiar. Old Zuk walked up close and gazed carefully at the bodies hanging from the walls of the city, surprisingly discovering acquaintances. The ambassadors who questioned him in Nishimucho the other day hung on top and none of them ran away...

Looking at the gates, Old Zuk found that the guards were also soldiers in brown and grey uniforms. He walked to the gate of the city and gave a note in his hand to a soldier who came towards him. The fat veteran gave it to him. I heard he was going to Avenasburg to buy something. The fat veteran told him to wait. He came back later and gave it to Old Zuk.

The soldier looked at the road strip and gave it back to Old Zuk with a rare smile. He waved a few shouts at the back, to the effect that it was our friend and could be let go. Old Zuk asked him why the Grand Duke's family were hanging on the walls. The soldier replied with a smile that there would be no more Grand Duke Siddins here, that we had recovered Fort Avenas, and that in the future this would be the new occupation of the Kingdom of Ovieras...

......

The three months were painful and joyful for the Temporary King of the White Deer City kingdom of Ovilas. First, Ambrizeshire's defensive front was set up, and all forces deployed by the Kingdom on the second defensive front withdrew to the perimeter of White Deer City, beginning the rare restructuring and respite that followed the outbreak of the war. At first, there was some nervousness, but the Ambrizeshire Line of Defense kept on coming and on, finally letting everyone in the kingdom go of that restless heart.

Nobody expected the Rock Corps to be so fierce, it was almost an enemy of seven. Following the discovery of the full withdrawal of the Royal Auvellas forces on the second line of defence, the forces of the Association of Eastern States seized the second line of defence, forcing Ambrizeshire. When it was discovered that another defensive front had been set up in Ambrizeshire and that only one regiment was on guard, the seven legions of the Eastern Regional National Union were overjoyed, no longer waiting for reinforcements to arrive, and launched a fierce attack directly on the Rock Regiment, hitting hard stones with their own heads...

The first attack was a coalition of the Principality of Siddins and the Principality of Rimodra that, unexpectedly, fell back from the front line in less than half an hour due to more than 10 per cent of casualties. The senior officers of the Eastern Association of Nations could only shake their heads and sigh. The friendly army was so weak that the waves launched by 56,000 people seemed to be of little use, and the location of the heavy thrower distribution at enemy positions could not be tested. The guns fired from the defensive position were heard in one piece, and then a piece fell in front of the attacking soldier, turning around and fleeing, it seemed better to let them do some chores.

The aristocratic officers of the Principality of Siddins and the Principality of Rimodra, who were watching the war, turned around in shame, assembled their own protagonists to the departure position where the regiment was located, captured the typical of nearly 100 so-called deserters from the defeated soldiers, imposed brutal beheading penalties directly on the ground and gave morale-inspiring speeches. It is unfortunate, however, that these noble officers could not spark the courage of these defeated returning soldiers, more of whom watched them numbly and were indifferent to their speeches and encouragement, completely frustrating the idea of organizing another attack by noble officers.

Immediately thereafter, a standing army of the Kingdom of Nasri and a light cavalry regiment of the Principality of Kanas joined forces and, in accordance with their usual cooperation, this standing army of the Kingdom of Nasri launched an attack to attract all the attention of the enemy on the front defensive front. The Kanas Light Cavalry Corps, on the other hand, ambushed behind them, protruding in the fiercest war of offensive defense, rushing from its flanks to its defensive position, leaving defenders to lose sight of each other.

The Standing Army Corps of the Kingdom of Nasri, on the other hand, took the opportunity to launch a general offensive, regardless of the impact defense positions of casualties. It is easy to break through the enemy's defensive front by clamping both sides. By occupying a position on the enemy's defensive line and firmly adhering to the defensive defenseman's rebellion, reinforcement and replenishment with the advantage of the force, this defensive position is used to deplete the enemy's strength, eventually causing the entire enemy's defensive line to collapse...

The first attack by that cannon ash regiment was destroyed 150 metres away from the defensive position of the Rock Regiment, and this joint attack by the Kingdom of Nasri and the Principality of Kanas was a little offensive. The standing army of the Kingdom of Nasri rushed a hundred metres in front of the defensive front, as more than half of the casualties had to collapse. The light cavalry regiment in the Principality of Kanas went one step further, falling more than fifty metres in front of the defensive position, the bodies of the horses piled together in dense numbness, and a light cavalry regiment of more than 4,000 people ran back to only a few hundred rides.

The impression and lesson left by the attack to senior officers of the Association of Eastern States was only that the enemy's defensive fire was too fierce, firstly by throwing bombs, which should be heavy throwers capable of throwing bombs over 400 metres. The standing army of the Kingdom of Nasri attacked almost with drops of bullets falling from the sky, but when it attacked the first two hundred meters of the position, it came under heavy fire from guns, and the soldiers in front of it swept to the ground one by one. The area between one hundred and two hundred meters in front of the defensive position was covered with the bodies of Nasri soldiers, and blood streamed into a stream.

This scene made a high-ranking officer of the Kingdom of Nasseri who watched the war behind him cry: "This is a massacre, not a war! ”

The Light Cavalry Regiment of the Principality of Kanas, on the other hand, stepped within a hundred metres of the defensive position and, together with countless thrown light projectiles, turned the position of the Light Cavalry Regiment into a place of shrapnel death. That is, the last hundred light cavalry strangled the reins, forcing the horses to turn and flee before saving their lives...

The failure of the two attacks finally brought to the forefront of the rock regiment the attention of senior officers of the Association of Eastern States. It was soon known that this was a reinforcement sent back by the overseas autonomous leaders. So everyone looked at the high-ranking officers sent to the Kingdom of Hicks, their old opponent, the winner of the colonial war.

Only the senior officers of the Hicks kingdom collapsed, knowing the names of the Rock Regiment, like the Thunder Regiment, were rivals of the Hicks kingdom in the colonial war. The problem was, however, that they had not participated in colonial wars and had served in bonded labour abroad under self-government. So they don't understand the characteristics of these two enemy regiments, but the Rock regiment is strong enough for them to see for themselves.

So the third attack was handed over to the army of the Kingdom of Hicks, this time ready to send two regiments to battle, behind which was a light cavalry division of the Principality of Kanas. And the troops of the Kingdom of the Hicks rank first in the Eastern League of Nations for their own reasons, because they were able to defeat the first defensive front of the Kingdom of Auvellas with giant single-arm leveraged throwers up to five hundred and sixty meters in throw, and these giant throwers of the Kingdom of the Hicks did a great job.

The Standing Army of the Kingdom of Nasri prepared nearly a hundred wooden and shielded vehicles during the offensive to cover the positions of soldiers striking at the enemy. Unfortunately, these wooden platoons and shield cars became futile under the explosion of the projectiles and instead became the targets of intensive bombing, resulting in heavy casualties among the soldiers hiding behind them.

Now that the two Standing Legions of the Kingdom of Hicks are about to attack, it also took three days to prepare hundreds of wooden platoons and shields. However, they did not use these wooden platoons and shields to cover the soldiers' attacks, but rather to protect their giant throwers from artillery fire at defensive positions. Anyway, their throwers throw bombs the furthest away, so long as they can resist the enemy's artillery, they are basically in a position where they can throw bombs and the enemy can't throw them. Throw it away for a few days and the enemy will either be unable to bear the bombardment coming from the position or retreat with a breakdown in morale.

It can be said that the Kingdom of Hicks has dotted all their tech trees on throwers and projectiles...