Warlords of the witcher world

Chapter 104 War on the Western Front
Temeria, it is traditionally one of the four northern powers.

The first ruler of this country was King Dismode. This legendary monarch was one of the first three kings who landed on human beings, so this country has a long history.

After a long period of centuries, Temeria became the most important country on this continent, and no northern monarch could ignore the will of the King of Temeria.

This country is located on the west side of the mainland, south of the Ponta River, across the river is the declining but still powerful Redania.

The south and east are the home of the dwarves, the Mahakam Mountains, the kingdom of the dwarves and goblins, and the home of the last non-human race.

To the south is the Yaruga River, across the river is Sintra, and to the southwest is Brokleon, the forest domain of the dryads.

It can be said that Temeria's geographical location is in the center of the northern realm, which gives the kingdom many opportunities to show its influence.

Especially in the generation of King Foltest, Temeria's monarch easily brought neighboring countries into his jurisdiction, expanding Temeria's sphere of influence by a full third.

This caused King Vizmir of Redania to react, and then there was a trade embargo on Temeria.

But for the current Temeria, this is very far away. The Vizmir king has died at the hands of Scoia'tael assassins, and the north is united against the army in black.

Looking back on those things now, it just feels like a lifetime away.

However, if the war ends, as the main contradiction called the army in black recedes, the secondary contradictions of the northern countries will also become the main contradiction.

At that time, people will remember these things again under the publicity, and feel as if it happened yesterday.

The capital of Temeria is Vizima, located on the shores of Lake Vizima.

A city at the crossroads of important trade routes, the capital of the Kingdom of Temeria sits picturesquely on the banks of Lake Vizima in the valley of the Ismina River, a tributary of Pontal.

The city is divided into densely populated districts, housing thousands of residents and travelers from all corners of the world.

Royal courts and castles, shopping malls, temples, iron shops, merchants' stalls, banks, workshops, inns, and brothels can also be found in Vizima.

The city of Vizima is divided into three main areas, the poorest is the temple area, where the San Lebioda Hospital is located, the trade area is the home of the richest and most important residents, the city government and the main market are located here , a modern (witcher world) brick town.

The oldest part of the city, Old Vizima, was planned to be converted into a non-human settlement, but it was put on hold due to the war.

The low, smashed huts here are reminiscent of ancient times, when even the capitals of the most powerful states in the North looked like improvised wooden thatched huts, and the streets were full of prowling hens and dirty Dirty kid.

But now, there are many more tents outside Vizima City, which are the residences of soldiers, and there are also many warehouses, which are used to store a large amount of war materials.

"Retire! Retreat! The Nilfgaardian really retreated!"

Riders in fleur-de-lis smocks, shouting the good news ahead, galloped through the streets.

People gave way to the riders one after another, and at the same time, joy appeared on their faces involuntarily.

For them, there is no better news than the retreat of the men in black, which means that the burden of war on everyone can finally be reduced.

There were still many patrolling soldiers on the street, and they also joined the cheering team.

Some citizens pulled out ribbons from their homes and hung them on windows and roofs to express their joy.

This is a common way to express joy throughout the north. After all, the northern humans all originated from the three ships when they were exiled and landed.

Soon, joy swept through Vizima, because everyone knew that with the retreat of the Nilfgaardian army, the next war would not be fierce until next spring, and everyone could breathe a sigh of relief.

But when the news reached King Foltest, the king was not happy,

"Menno Cuhorn's sensitivity is much stronger than I expected. If he withdraws from Maribor a few days later, the Redanians and Kaedwenians can complete their siege, It's a pity to leave the tens of thousands of Nilfgaardians behind the city, and now Kaedwen's Brown Banner Battalion has wiped out thousands of Nilfgaardian reserve troops. I also quite imagine that Herme Bott Dan came to win a big victory against the men in black, it seems that I really don't have that luck."

After speaking, Foltest pushed the pieces on the chessboard in front of him.

"Your Majesty, you don't have to underestimate yourself. Victory will come sooner or later, just like war will come sooner or later. Temeria will face a lot of pressure."

On the opposite side of King Foltest is one of the current regents of Redania, Sigismund Dijkstra.

The fat secret agent is playing chess with the king of Temeria.

The reason why Dijkstra came to Temeria is very simple. Redania almost poured out the country, and as one of the regents, he must accompany the army to supervise.

However, the secret agent never participated in specific military affairs. He knew that he didn't understand those things, so he handed them over to the generals below.

Dijkstra knows that professional people should do professional things, rather than foolishly holding everything in their hands, which is what a modern (witcher world) country should look like.

Dijkstra pushed the pieces, blocking the Temerian king's advances on the board.

"Yes, the pressure will not be small, and I must win, otherwise I will not be able to account for my subjects, let alone those who starved to death under my expropriation."

When speaking of these words, Foltest's tone was heavy, he knew very well how many deaths his orders would cause.

The number of people starving to death now seems to be relatively small, but after so many conquests, many people are just lingering.

It is difficult for them to survive until the next harvest. Even if the war can end this spring, many people will die before autumn comes. If the war is longer, the dead will be even more, so he knows his back How much burden does it bear.

"Of course, Your Majesty, you will definitely win..."

Just when Dijkstra was about to repeat some scenes, he was directly interrupted by the king in front of him,
"Okay, Dijkstra, say what you really want to say. You don't have to be so cautious in front of me. We're talking about war now, and war won't be changed by some euphemisms, honestly. Well, what do you think of the prospect of the war, do we have a good chance of winning?"

"If you want me to say, half and half, Nilfgaard has assembled all the troops, so why not we are. In terms of military strength, the two armies are not inferior. What happens in the end depends on how this strategic decisive battle ends. And this is the field of discussion for people who are proficient in war, such as you, Your Majesty the King, and I, a secret agent, have absolutely no idea about this, so I can only try my best to find out the news of Nilfgaard and provide some negligible help for the victory."

The secret agent pushed the pawn again, and this time he took the initiative to launch an offensive.

"Strategic decisive battle, I don't like that word very much, it's gambling, putting the fate of the whole country on the roulette wheel, but I have to do it. And Dijkstra, you are honest, more than most people Honest, but too modest, how could the information you provided be insignificant, if not for your information, the Kaedwenians would not even be able to encircle and wipe out the thousands of Nilfgaardian defenders."

Foltest picked up a pawn and began to observe it, then he placed the pawn on the board and swallowed Dijkstra's pawn.

"Your Majesty, this is what I should do."

Dijkstra still had the same attitude before, and said neither humble nor overbearing,

"Speaking of which, the current battle situation is much better than I expected. I was prepared for the fall of the entire Livia and Aarden, but I didn't expect a Herme to appear suddenly. Oh, we should call He, Lord Protector of Aedirn, saved the situation and defeated the Nilfgaard Eastern Army. Without his victory, and Mi Wei's subsequent attack on Nilfgaard, I guess this winter I would have to win Put a lot of energy into how to boost morale, "

"Herme... This person's rise was very sudden, but it was his appearance that completely reversed the situation in Aden, and changed the entire situation of the war. This is also the luck of the north. But then again, it is also As a result of his actions, many of the remnants of the Eastern Army went to the Central Army, and the pressure on our Western Front has actually increased."

Speaking of Herme, Dijkstra couldn't help but think of what the Lord Protector of Aedirn had told him about the possible conspiracy behind the king's death.

Although Dijkstra believed that Herme was trying to sow discord, he still ordered to investigate the half-elf assassin's body out of the instinct of a secret agent.

And this investigation found traces of magic control on the brain of the corpse.

Although it is impossible to say that this was done by Philippa, maybe it was written by the people of Nilfgaard, but Dijkstra felt deep suspicion when thinking of Philippa's current power in the court of Tritogor.

However, after investigating here, he stopped all subsequent research. No matter whether Philippa did those things or not, continuing to investigate such things before the end of the war would be too damaging to unity.

The court of Tretorgo needed Philippa, and the court of Redania needed Philippa, and now was not the time to do such things.

"...It doesn't matter if we increase our troops. We have more troops. Speaking of which, I'm wondering when that legalized illegitimate son of Demavi will die. I guess it may be at the end of the war."

Just now, Dijkstra's attention was diverted from the jewel (Philippa) of Tretogo's court, so he didn't hear Foltest's words clearly.

Then, until now, hearing these words made him subconsciously nervous.

Because Redania's situation is very similar to Adenia's.

If it weren't for knowing the character of the king in front of him, Dijkstra would even suspect that Foltest was acting strange.

"No, I don't think it will be that early. Based on my collection of Herme's information, the Lord Protector is not a heartless person. He is more like a person who got into this position by chance. warlord."

Recalling all the information he had seen about Herme, Dijkstra made such an evaluation.

But in his heart, he was a little unclear, whether he really thought so, or because Hemei thought of his own situation, so he just defended the Lord Protector.

"As expected of Dijkstra, who leads the Redanian intelligence agency that even Emhyr can't compare to, he got the information so fast. It seems that since you have said so, it is almost the same. .”

Foltest had an expression on his face that he had heard something interesting, obviously very little interested.

Dijkstra didn't respond to the information he had received from being heard by the king of Temeria. It didn't matter much, the king would know sooner or later.

"That Herme is really powerful. He even made something like a cannon. I've seen that thing. It's really ingenious. It's a pity that Natalis (Temeria Marshal) and the others didn't Let me manipulate this thing. I have already asked my artisans, let them do it, it will take several years, it seems that the people of Ardian can make a fortune selling this thing."

The king of Temeria followed the beginning of the conversation and mentioned the artillery.

As a monarch who is also known as the Siege King, Foltest has great emotions towards this weapon.

"I heard that Herme also has a giant cannon named 'War Dog'. I really want to see it. I have always been interested in these things that can smash city walls. When the war is over, I will definitely If we want to set up the artillery workshop in Temeria, we will also build such cannons at that time, and also make absolutely safe ones, I must personally come and do a few cannons."

King Foltest had obviously become a fan of artillery, and he was very fanatical when it was mentioned, and he was full of regrets for not getting more artillery.

Foltest always felt a frenzy whenever he saw the artillery fire, which was better than watching other siege machines in action.

Dijkstra sympathized with Foltest's point of view.

Although he was not as fanatical about artillery as King Temeria, he also saw the value of artillery as a weapon on the battlefield.

But he also knew that in this war, there was no need to get artillery. He could only buy the three melons and two dates leaked by Aden, which were extremely expensive, but they had to be bought.

The more realistic thing right now is to engage in musketry.

Four years ago, when Sazarburg produced the fire door gun, this weapon had attracted the attention of the northern countries. At that time, what they cared about was the frightening ability of this thing on the battlefield.

But in the end, they still regarded these things as chicken ribs, and they could deploy some in the army, that's all.

However, several small workshops for muskets were built, and some craftsmen saw the value of this new type of weapon.

After the Yadian people used their muskets to show their prowess on the battlefield, these musket practitioners from all over the world who were struggling to survive suddenly found that they had become the favorites of the government.

It was a large order and state subsidies, which made them happy.

But after the joy blossoms, it is high-intensity work.

Such a big order was rushed so urgently, so I had to work overtime.

Right now, the Redanian army already has a matchlock team of 300 people-as long as the matchlock gun understands the mechanism of the bolt, it is very simple to manufacture.

This unit is now fighting on the front line of Maribau, but because they are not familiar with the new equipment, these people's performance is not very good, and they also reported that the quality of the matchlock guns produced by Redania is generally not as good as the matchlock guns of Adenia.

Dijkstra was not in a hurry, and waited for the frontline troops to run in and let the officers study it. Judging from the victory won by the Ardian people, assembling matchlock guns is definitely the direction of future war development.

As for the quality of muskets, this can only be done slowly.

And what Dijkstra thought and executed, so did King Foltest.

"Right now we can only play with muskets, but I found a lot of interesting ways to play, such as tying a lot of gun barrels to a trolley, and then explosively tilting firepower on the battlefield. I gave the Maribau defenders a few A small car like this, and then I read the battle report, they can help a lot in defending the city."

As the "King of Siege", although Foltest didn't know about some of the fancy games that Herme had come up with, he figured out some things on his own.

"Your Majesty, there are not many kings in the North who can compare with your experience in war."

Dijkstra complimented, and this was from the heart. When it comes to war equipment, there are really few people in the north who can compare with this king.

"General."

Suddenly, Foltest said, and Dijkstra realized that, at some point, the King of Temeria's pawn had entered the best attack position, and then his king was captured.

"His majesty's chess skills, I am ashamed of myself."

Dijkstra said at once, admitting defeat.

"It's not how good I am, but you, Dijkstra, think too much about things. Don't think about too many things when you play chess, otherwise you won't even know that my chess pieces have reached the fatal position. Look, how much I won this time?" easy."

Foltest educated Dijkstra, he knew that the secret agent was absent-minded the whole time, thinking about other things all the time, so he must fail in front of himself.

"Yes, I understand His Majesty's instruction."

With this sentence, Dijkstra ended the chess game, but the conversation between the king and the spy was not over yet, and there was still a lot to talk about between the two of them.

Anyway, now that the battle on the front line has come to an end, there is no need to be as busy as before, and there is a lot of time.

(End of this chapter)