only god

Chapter 503 Buried in the flames of war (plus two in one)

By the time Maxwell learned that the dwarven armies had begun to reach the kingdom's borders, the first line of defense in the Heron Mountains had already been stormed.

The old earl got on his horse, with bursts of cold sweat on his neck.

"Damn it, how did those dwarves come so fast!"

Beside them, the eldest son and the second son wore armor belts on their horses, shouting angrily. It was obvious that the speed of the dwarf's march was beyond everyone's imagination, including Maxwell.

"Be prepared to deal with it. May the gods bless you. Let's go to the Ron area immediately, which is the second line of defense."

As Maxwell said, he rode his horse and galloped wildly. Behind him were his two sons, and soldiers marching in a long snake. As early as a month ago, the old earl who heard that the dwarves had signs of mobilizing troops issued an announcement The summoning order ordered the nobles and gentry in the territory to join the war. However, the speed of mobilization of the dwarves was too fast, and the nobles and gentry were almost unprepared for the war. Until today, only 1 people were summoned, which only accounted for the total half of.

"Father, don't we go to the first line of defense?"

The second son asked suspiciously,
"The dwarves might still be on the frontier!"

Maxwell turned his head and cursed angrily:
"Fool! Just obey orders, and the gods want you to do the same!"

The second son immediately lowered his head. His thoughts were not unreasonable. Given the dwarves' natural short stature, a slightly taller city wall is a sharp weapon for defense. Therefore, according to common sense, even if the dwarves are already attacking the first line of defense, It is more than enough to stick to it.

But Maxwell is not optimistic about this, the speed of the dwarves has already shocked him, who knows how much shock the dwarves will bring to them next, so Maxwell does not have any chances.

In the afternoon of that day, Maxwell first led a cavalry team of several hundred people to the second line of defense. In the evening, the remaining 1 people also arrived at various strongholds and forts on the line of defense.

On the next day, Maxwell received the news that the first line of defense had been breached, and the soldiers who broke up brought more information.

"That kind of machine! A smoking battering ram, those dwarves sent coal inside, and it smashed through the city gate a few times!"

"There is also a bed crossbow. I have never seen such a huge bed crossbow. It is simply made by Herries!"

"Almost every dwarf has armor! Can anyone tell me how they have so much armor!"

Each of the accounts of the scattered soldiers became more serious than the last, and the details made even Maxwell shudder.

"Smoking battering rams, huge bed crossbows, every dwarf has armor on his body... There are also steam trains that can travel farther than horses, heavy-duty steamboats... What did those steam technologies bring to them?"

Maxwell couldn't help murmuring, even though the dwarves didn't have many new weapons, all they used were spears, knives, and arrows, but he still felt the huge productivity gap brought about by steam technology, and the dwarves in front of him were no longer It is no longer a dwarf who can be repeatedly repelled by orcs, but a real master of tigers and wolves.

Even so, Maxwell still tried his best to strengthen the second line of defense. On the one hand, he laid traps on the road leading to the important pass and dug through the road. On the other hand, he arranged ambushes in hidden places, All these preparations are expected to take five days.

However, on the third day, the dwarves arrived under the walls of Ron Castle, and Maxwell finally saw Callond's soldiers with his own eyes.

With the sound of the earth-shattering bronze drums, the dwarves began to shout battle cries one after another. The tall armored giants pushed the battering ram, and the blazing white air was like the scythe of death. Facing the relatively scattered formation, they moved forward against the arrow rain of the Golans, and they began to press towards the shortest city wall.

Maxwell commanded the defenders to fight hard. They fired arrows, threw oil bottles and fire bottles, and poured muddy water into the trenches, but none of this could stop the dwarves from advancing. All dwarves were wearing armor, and they were all Karl. The elite and veterans of Lund guard the giant who drives the battering ram.

When the battering ram, which was emitting white gas, arrived at the city wall, it suddenly sounded like thunder, and the huge battering ram slammed into the city wall fiercely. The soldiers on the wall wanted to shoot arrows and throw stones, but they were caught by the aftermath of the battering ram. They were overturned to the ground, and when they got up, their faces were full of horror.

"Gods... It's like the sky is falling!"

Fear was set off in an instant, and the soldiers began to panic like elephants who had never seen fire. The dwarves became more and more courageous, and the huge battering ram shattered a corner of the city wall after only five strokes. On this battlefield full of gunpowder.

Maxwell was equally terrified. Years of military experience told him that defensive battles are always the easiest battles, while siege battles are the opposite. As long as there is a fortress with a wall of four or five meters high, even the best siege battle in the world If you hit the gate with a hammer and hit the gate for 30 days, you can't do anything to the side that defends the city. This is Maxwell's proud and practical view of war.

However, now the battering ram, which was smoking white, shattered Maxwell's view of war, and collapsed together with the walls of the fortress in the smoke. This unprecedented war machine and the dwarves' magnificent Steam technology will not only completely change warfare, but also change the entire era!
Maxwell suppressed the panic and observed the situation on the battlefield. The dwarves passed through the shattered city wall and had already engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the defenders in the fortress. Dozens of corpses fell to the ground, blood was sprayed on the battlefield, and the city wall was lost. It was only a matter of time before the asylum of the fortress fell.

If the human soldiers in the entire fort are elephants who have never seen fire, then Maxwell is the calmest old elephant. He made a decisive decision and mobilized the remaining soldiers in the fort to retreat in an orderly manner. At the end, the retreating soldiers were cut off to stabilize the morale of the army.

Under Maxwell's command, the defenders slowly withdrew from the fortress. The whole battle lasted less than half a day, and the dwarves won as they wished. They retain most of their vital strength.

For an entire line of defense, the fall of one point means the collapse of the entire line of defense, not to mention the steam machinery brought by the Karlund dwarves far beyond the imagination of the Golans. After just five days, the first Several fortresses on the second line of defense have changed hands, and the dwarves have already controlled half of the Helong Mountain Range.

Maxwell sat slumped in the conference room of the castle, surrounded by pale-faced nobles and gentry. Not long ago, they had sworn that the dwarves would never attack, but the reality twitched their faces.

"It seems that praying to the god of merchants, Lorest, has no effect."

Maxwell scanned the crowd and said coldly.

Everyone on the field was silent for a while, and no one dared to speak.

At this time, Maxwell's eldest son asked:

"The dwarves will be here soon! Where are the messengers sent?"

Maxwell took a deep breath and said:
"Those envoys met the dwarf king Kraft. You know what he said. He asked us to withdraw from the Helong Mountains immediately and pay an indemnity for reconstruction and compensation, and the money for the captives is not included."

Everyone present gasped. Even though Maxwell didn't say the specific amount, they knew that it must be an astronomical sum.

"Father, what should I do now?"

asked the second son in a panic.

Maxwell was silent for a while, the situation in front of him, even he who had experienced many battles, didn't know what to do.

The offensive of the dwarves was beyond his imagination, and the king, Kraft, had no intention of peace talks. They were bound to win the Helong Mountains, but the letter he sent to the king had not been answered, and reinforcements were nowhere in sight. Even if everyone in the Helong Mountains held on bravely, they wouldn't last long.

"Damn... Get out of here!"

Maxwell slammed on the table and said in a deep voice.

The actions of the old earl surprised everyone present, and the content of his words made them even more frightened.

"Get out of here? Lord Earl, I have three mines here!"

"How is this possible? The gods will not allow us to do this."

"There are trading centers everywhere, how can we withdraw?"

"My family is still here, my village is still here."

The complexions of the nobles and gentry turned pale. The Helong Mountains are too important to them. This is not only their home for nearly 100 years, but more importantly, it contains rich mineral deposits and prosperous commerce. Can hand them over.

"We have to get out of here, if we don't get out, those dwarves will tear me to pieces."

Maxwell said angrily,

"Withdraw here, and we can take it back later. As long as we get reinforcements, we can drive those dwarves away at any time!"

The eyes of the people hesitated and whispered to each other.

Seeing this, Maxwell suddenly got up and roared:
"Do you want Golan to be enslaved again?!"

The roar seemed to shake the entire conference room, and the angry old earl finally shocked everyone, and there was a silence in the conference room. Even though there were still people who were dissatisfied, no one dared to question Maxwell's decision.

The old earl acted quickly. After making a decision, he immediately gathered the remaining troops on the defense line and prepared to withdraw from the Helong Mountains. By the third day, the army had completed its preparations and began to march to the hinterland of Golan in an orderly manner. .

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"As I expected, the dwarf king has moved."

Dream God Laren said with a smile to the other gods,
"They are about to capture Helong."

The storm god Utus asked aloud at this time:

"What should we do now? Give Kraft VI the inspiration to move on?
If Karl Londo stops, we'll fall short. "

Dream God Laren shook his head and said:

"No, no, no, such a conspicuous move will definitely alarm Herris.

If we are against him, we will be in great trouble. "

Several other gods nodded one after another. Since the birth of Herris, the god of mountains and craftsmen, he has forged all kinds of magical weapons for every god in the celestial kingdom, so no one wants to fight against him.

"In that case, what are we going to do?"

Utus asked.

"No need to do anything."

Dream God Laren paused,
"People are always greedy. The king took the Helong Mountains so easily and paid almost no price. Then, he will not stop here."

Several gods present nodded their heads one after another. The dream god Laren is very good at penetrating people's hearts because of his deep understanding of dreams.

"Let Kraft go on, let him go on.

He will not be satisfied with Helong, even if he conquers the entire Golan, he will not stop there.

Let the war go on, let him not wake up until... until the destruction is imminent.

But by then it was too late,

The entire kingdom has been dragged into the abyss of war, Belvan and his research on the path of divine creation will be buried in the flames of war. "

(End of this chapter)