Alien world

Chapter 1859, Section 492: No War in the North

"The empire's loyal heirs, the empire's sharpest blade!"

His voice wasn't bright, but it carried a strange rhythm that was clearly imprinted on the depths of every soul in the square.

"Look, the North!"

Archbishop Hermon abruptly raised an arm, pointing towards the somber northern horizon.

"That forgotten land! Demons have built their blasphemous dens there, and scum gnaw at the foundations of the world in the shadows! They defile our land, mock our strength, and attempt to drown the glory of the empire with their filth!"

Archbishop Hermon's voice gradually rose, carrying a chilling coldness and burning anger.

"Do they think that by using trickery and intrigue to harm our soldiers, and by creating chaos and destruction within the Empire through the evil power and sheer numbers of Chaos, they can make us back down?"

They are wrong!

The sound, like a thunderclap, resounded across the square. Archbishop Hermon stepped forward, his dark red robes fluttering in the wind.

The falling raindrops dampened the ground in circles, and wisps of white mist gradually emerged from the soldiers' face shields.

"Today, those of you standing here are the answer! You are the empire's strongest shield and its sharpest sword. You will become the destructive storm unleashed by the Emperor, crushing their filthy bones and burning their detestable souls to ashes!"

"No mercy! No hesitation! No way out!"

Archbishop Hermon's voice reached a climax, filled with an unquestionable and absolute will.

"Blood Sacrifice—The Human King!"

"Skull sacrifice—throne!"

……

Annan suddenly stood up: "What did you say?!"

"The National Religion Army, leading the three legions of Old Val, has become an arrowhead, thrusting straight into the northern border!"

Annan pulled out a map to check the Imperial army's route—if there were no detours, their target was... the Ratman's capital!
Beyond the shock, there was also a sense of awe. This truly was... an act utterly characteristic of an imperial court.

The Tathun Empire has never changed; it is still the same barbarian, rampaging across the battlefield and delivering the most direct blows to the enemy!

"This is insane..."

In the strategy room, Annan looked at the arrows that had appeared on the map and murmured to himself.

"Crazy? This is genius."

Olmedo shook his head: "I've been going through all the major battles related to the Skaven these past few days, and you know what I found?"

"If you know, just say so. Don't keep me in suspense."

"All enemies who lost to the ratmen eventually succumbed to the swarming rats, becoming increasingly entangled and ultimately falling. They are like pythons, slowly and inching their way inward..."

Annan couldn't help but think of Biros's powerful snake tail; if only he could be entangled by it...

"The ratmen are masters of attrition warfare. They can have dozens of offspring in one litter, which start growing as soon as they land on the ground. Within a week, they can carry branches and stones to the battlefield. They eat everything—enemy corpses, their own corpses—and then reproduce in droves... Your elite forces dwindle with each battle, your city walls become increasingly dilapidated, and your granaries grow ever smaller, while you watch in despair as the enemy shows no sign of decreasing."

Olmedo continued enthusiastically, "So the best way to deal with ratmen is to kill them instantly and destroy their brains!"

"Without a high priest, without gray rats, the ratmen are just a bunch of rats."

The best approach would actually be to feign weakness first, then launch a surprise attack. But the Empire had been standing still for too long and couldn't bring itself to back down, so it could only come up with the terrible idea of ​​letting the Chaos Cult cause a ruckus in Montreal Hills first.

"so……"

Annan looked at the sand table, at the empty old town of Val and the weak northern defenses of the empire.

"Is this why the Empire ordered us to guard the Central Plains?"...

As news of the Empire's offensive spread, more and more attention turned to the North.

The factions were caught off guard by the Empire's sudden all-out attack without any warning, yet they also felt it was reasonable.

This is a land of barbarians; nothing they do is surprising.

Because it doesn't concern them personally, the lord can stand on high ground and watch, but as an ally of the empire, Annam must take action.

The Empire took the initiative to strike, and the first place to bear the brunt was the empty town of Old Val after the withdrawal of the three legions.

The good news is that the area wasn't sealed off by fel magic, allowing soldiers from both sides to airdrop there and continue to hold Old Vale in place of the Empire.

The bad news is that the town is surrounded by ratmen, and if they want to retake Old Val, they'll have to fight their way in, and they might even have to attack the ratmen's city from the opposite direction.

Annan understood the logic: if even allies were caught off guard, the enemy would be even more caught off guard. But the Empire's strategy of leaving no way out and launching a full-scale attack, abandoning everything, was just... too Imperial!
"Summon all officers to the council chamber."

……

Hellfire Camp.

The Hellfire soldiers, who had retreated after the Empire's warning, were resting, while the officers headed to the Great House to learn from the experience shared by the Frankish commissar.

"Blindly and superficially carrying out the superior's instructions without any objection is not truly carrying out the superior's instructions; it is the best way to oppose the superior's instructions or to slack off on the superior's instructions."

Frank, holding his pointer, said slowly and deliberately, "Battlefield situations are constantly changing. You are a commander, not a machine that executes orders. Your head is your weapon—"

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and a messenger rushed into the classroom, announcing that Lord Olmedo had summoned all the officers.

"Lordalon, notify Legion Commander Fermi and Lieutenant Commander Kirian to go to the council chamber," Frank said to his adjutant, then looked around at the others: "The rest of you, disperse and go back to prepare."

A centurion stood up and asked, "Commissar, is war coming?"

Frank shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

……

Liberty City University, Military Academy.

Invited to lecture the students, Musketeer Legion Commander Jack spoke eloquently: "War is the ultimate test of any nation, any organization, any race, and any faction—"

knock --

An untimely knock sounded at the door. Jack turned his head and saw the messenger outside.

"Commander, please come out for a moment."

"Everyone, please study on your own first, and then we can discuss what I said."

Jack walked out of the noisy classroom. The young students watched as the legion commander said something outside the door and hurriedly left, and immediately began to whisper among themselves.

Ten minutes later, all the military officials, including the corps commanders, deputy corps commanders, and political commissars, as well as the construction department officials, gathered in the council hall.

An hour later, they left the city lord's mansion one after another and returned to their respective military camps to summon all the soldiers of the seven legions who were on leave or in other places.

The soldiers' letters were sent home like snowflakes, and messengers on horseback shuttled back and forth between the teleportation plaza and the city lord's mansion.

One after another, black reconnaissance airships took off, stretching into the sky as a dotted line, drifting northward.

The atmosphere in Liberty City was like the calm before a storm; even the children seemed to know that war was coming.

(End of this chapter)