Warlords of the witcher world

Chapter 63 Nilfgaard Blitz

Herme's integration went very smoothly. Soon, he assembled a large amount of troops and supplies from Wenger Castle and its surrounding areas, and pulled out another [-] soldiers from Wenger Castle. They were all fully armed and experienced fighters. .

Given the war potential of the Wengerburg area, it shouldn't be possible to pull out so many people, but after all, the king had mobilized for a while before.

Rather, it is already a manifestation of the war potential and wealth of this land that so many people can be pulled out.

And this was done in a short period of time. If it took longer, it would not be a problem to pull five or six thousand, but it would be fine if Herme didn't have that time.

However, during the mobilization process, Herme also encountered a lot of troubles. After all, some people escaped from the previous purge of the rebel nobles.

After all, the nobles cleaned up by Herme had been operating in Wenger Castle for a long time, and things like secret passages had not been repaired for a long time, so it was easy to escape.

These guys occupied their manor outside Wenger Castle, calling the people in the territory to make trouble, and Herme had to attack and clean them up.

Fortunately, these manors entrenched near Wengerburg are also quite easy to fight. After all, the elite and main force of these families are often gone in the coup battle of Wengerburg.

As for running farther and the territory is far away, Herme can't do anything.

Most of these guys have gone to seek refuge with the Nilfgaardians, and they probably want to follow the Nilfgaardians to play "I'm back again".

While Heme was reorganizing his army and pulling in as many people as possible, the main force of Aedirn's army was in defeat.

Most of Aedirn's army was finished, and the soldiers wandered in the mountains and wilderness in teams of dozens to hundreds, and were driven away by the Nilfgaardians.

Most of the people either dropped their weapons and went back to being civilians, or became robbers since then, and the unlucky ones were caught by the Nilfgaardians and then captured as slaves.

The most unlucky ones were attacked by monsters and became their food.

War is the easiest way to breed monsters. This sentence is very correct. The corpses that can be seen everywhere make the monsters even more arrogant.

They left their lairs, moved openly on the road, and even took the initiative to attack the army and the people. Not only the Adenians, but even the Nilfgaardians were attacked by such monsters.

However, in such a bleak situation, there is still an Adian army advancing, they still maintain their organization, and their numbers are not small at all.

The black, yellow and red mountain-shaped coat of arms of the Kingdom of Aedirn hangs listlessly on the flagpole, like the morale of the Aedirn army is generally low.

The people of Aedian gathered by the river. They lit a bonfire and roasted some food on their bodies to relieve the fatigue caused by the long-term escape.

Many people are drawing water from the river, filling their canteens.

The soldiers were covered in dirt and had obviously not changed their clothes for a long time.

Their faces were full of exhaustion, as if they were about to collapse to the ground in the next moment.

Some of the soldiers were unarmed and without armor, carrying only a roadside club or a captured weapon.

But despite the embarrassment, many Aedian soldiers remained vigilant.

They also helped each other not to look too embarrassed, and maintained a soldier's posture, which shows that they still have combat effectiveness.

The situation of the people who fled with the army was even worse.

In the flight they lost everything they had on them, and they are still starving.

Although the army will distribute as much food as possible, it can only be said that the people will not starve to death.

However, these people did not appear to be very chaotic, they still maintained a lot of discipline, obviously they were the "elites" after a lot of "tempering".

And even if the escape would fall into such a bad predicament, there was still an endless stream of people joining.

Every day someone dies, every day someone joins.

Because Nilfgaard used blood and fire to tell people how bad the people who stayed would face, everyone dared not stay where they were.

The Nilfgaardians scoured the land of Aedirn with fire and sword, and they did all sorts of horrible deeds.

In the cities, they will destroy everything related to production, and then kill or capture all the artisans. In the countryside, they will turn the wheat waves of Aden into a sea of ​​fire, destroying the prosperity.

As for the Adian people, they were either slaughtered or captured as slaves, and then they were treated worse than pigs and dogs.

This is the rule of war that Nilfgaard has followed for decades, and it was in this form that Nilfgaard conquered the south.

Now, they brought these to Aedirn.

The news of blood and fire came, and those who saw the survivors who had escaped from all kinds of hardships and the flames in the distance, those who no longer wanted to believe these could only admit the facts.

Then panic broke out, which really scared the people, so those who could still run, all ran away, and all left their hometowns.

Only some very old people are left to die.

Anyway, for them, they didn't have much time to live. If they died, they would die. It would be fine if they died in their hometown. Nilfgaard would not take the old man as a slave, because they regarded it as a money-losing item.

And some old people who refused to accept the old plan to stay and fight against the Nilfgaardian invaders.

Anyway, this old life is about to disappear, so it is natural to kill one to get back the money, and kill two to make money.

In previous wars in the north, such large-scale killings were rare. The army might loot, but such exaggerated killings?It still won't, so everyone is really scared.

Because of this, among the people, the nature of this war has gradually changed. Various news and the influence of Nilfgaard's atrocities in the past four years have worked together at this moment, and a terrifying force has begun to gather.

But right now, it's still only in the making.

The fate of the refugees going north is also very difficult. The road to escape is full of hardships and hardships. They are either ambushed by Scoia'tael, chased by Nilfgaardian rangers, and monsters that may appear on the roadside at any time.

Basically, when something like this happens, it means a tragedy.

Of course, at most, the above two led the Nilfgaardian army to capture slaves and kill them. The fleeing refugees were the kind of fat sheep that the Nilfgaardian army liked most.

Only the people retreating with the army of Aedirn can obtain a certain degree of safety, at least the army can protect them.

But the problem is that the retreating army is also the focus of the Nilfgaardian army's pursuit.

But this is already the best choice.

Looking at the team full of exhaustion and embarrassment, Selchik, the white knight of Aden, felt extremely heartbroken.

Compared to his usual glory, the current White Knight looked less respectable. His whole body was disheveled, and the clothes and armor on his body also showed signs of repair.

But his aura of majesty is even stronger, and in the present war, such an aura is even more reassuring.

Selchik held a piece of black bread in his hand, and he felt that he couldn't eat it at all, as if something was choked in his mouth, which was very uncomfortable.

And the encounters of these days have been constantly replaying in his mind.

The Nilfgaardians are really too fast, and their war mode is indeed something I have never seen before.

This is his biggest feeling.

From the very beginning of this war, the people of Aedirn were absolutely passive.

First of all, what they didn't expect was that Leiria and the United Kingdom of Livia surrendered directly.

This country is very important in the strategic arrangement of Aden. In the strategic arrangement of Aden, it should be Livia who becomes the battlefield.

They had great confidence in Queen Mivi, thinking that she could stop the Nilfgaardian army, and then the Aedirn army would go to Livia to provide assistance.

But the change of things is unexpected after all. The tough Queen Mi Wei was exiled after a coup.

Then Livia directly opened the gate to the Nilfgaardians, and the Nilfgaardian army was able to pass through the kingdom in a very short period of time, came to the border of Aden, and appeared in front of the Adian people.

What the Adenians didn't expect was that the Nilfgaardians attacked so quickly.

While the Aedirn army was still gathering, the Nilfgaardian cavalry, led by the Scoia'tael and the Rangers, had entered the country of Aedirn.

In contrast, the Aden army didn't react at all, and they were passively beaten throughout the whole process. This was the first time they encountered such an attack.

The Nilfgaardian cavalry groups cut up the Aedirn army one by one, and then the Nilfgaardian infantry will crush the divided Aedirn army.

Selchik remembers those hellish days, with news of the attack and then the defeat shortly thereafter.

A lot of news rushed towards him, making everyone else feel numb.

There are also various news of being attacked by friendly forces. Many Nilfgaardian contingents disguised themselves as the Aedirn army and operated in the Aedirn army defense zone.

The men in these troops even knew the Common Tongue with an Ardian accent, so they tricked a lot of people.

And the deceived will often die under the daggers of these "friendly troops" in the next moment.

This caused a lot of panic, and with the background of the Nilfgaardian march, it can be imagined that the situation was terrible.

In some places, even friendly forces fought each other, killing a bloody dog, and finally figured out that everyone was friendly.

This greatly affected the cooperation between the various troops, and when everyone was still coordinating, the Nilfgaardians came over, and the men in black came over.

Let's not talk about integration now, after a chaotic battle (for the Aedirians), everyone is retreating.

As for the border fortresses that the kingdom relied on, they were also quickly conquered. These fortresses were supposed to serve as Aedirn's border guards, but they were either destroyed by Nilfgaardian spies, or captured by the rapid attack of the imperial army.

In short, apart from failure, it was still failure, and the entire border was shrouded in failure.

Even Edsberg, the headquarters of the king, was captured.

His Majesty the King might even have died there if Queen Meeve hadn't led her exiled army to help the Aedirians hold back the Nilfgaardian army.

But even if the men in black were dealt a head-on blow, the northerners could only flee after this battle. The empire's military strength was endless, but the northerners were getting weaker and weaker.

The blood of the Adian army has flowed all over the southern border. Whether you want to admit it or not, the fact is that the [-] Adian army assembled on the southern border has already collapsed.

King Demavi originally wanted his army to fight Nilfgaard fiercely, and use the victory to improve the political status of the Kingdom of Aedirn in the north, but in the end, he drank the bitter wine of defeat.

The past month has been an incomparable hell for the Aden army, and it has been extremely bad. The army, which was full of fighting spirit and confidence, has now encountered such a failure.

Under such a bad environment, Selchik looked at the 8000 people in his hands and the imperial army approaching from all directions, and he made a move to survive.

He took the initiative to launch an attack on the Nilfgaardian army in front of him. The [-] miles and [-] in his hand were the standing army of Aedirn. This powerful combat force successfully defeated the Nilfgaardian army that was caught off guard.

As a veteran who has fought a lot on the battlefield, one of Selchik's war principles is that he must never act in accordance with the enemy's logic and dare to break the rules.

So he took the initiative to attack the Nilfgaardian army in front of him, which turned out to be successful.

This obviously disrupted the strategic deployment of the Nilfgaardians, and there was a big coordination problem in the entire army.

Next, Selchik seized the loopholes of the Nilfgaardians and led the army to retreat. Many defeated soldiers from neighboring troops joined the only victorious army.

However, with the defeated soldiers, there were still a large number of people, and the refugees who fled also followed them. Selchik finally accepted them out of his noble character.

Nilfgaard also bit it like a wild dog smelling blood. The Nilfgaardian cavalry continued to harass the retreating Aedirn army and people, creating a lot of difficulties for Selchik. Downsizing is also getting worse.

The original army of 8000 people directly became 6000 people.

Many have advised the White Knight to abandon the people, but his character does not permit him to do so.

Fortunately, Nilfgaard did not plan to defeat Selchik's army at once. They just kept grinding Selchik's army, hoping to let the army disintegrate automatically.

The strategy of the Nilfgaardians is undoubtedly correct. Such continuous attrition can indeed make the general army collapse, and they have used this method more than once.

But this time, they met Selchik, the White Knight of the Kingdom of Aedirn.

In the battle, he took the lead, reversed the situation of many battles, and boosted morale.

Moreover, his act of accepting the people has infected many soldiers and inspired their inner responsibilities.

The men among the refugees also took up farming tools and joined the army to fight against the Nilfgaardians.

Under Selchik's efforts and Nilfgaard's atrocities, everyone understands that they are a huge community. If the army is finished, they will not end well.

The atrocities and offensives in Nilfgaard were brutal and created countless horrors, but these fears also united people.

Under Selchik's superb organizational ability and noble character, fear did not make this army torn apart, but they became stronger and stronger.

So stumbling, the team persisted all the way to not far from Wengerburg.

For them, this road is a road of blood. It looks like an inconspicuous road on weekdays, but now they have to pay such a high price in order to move forward.

The soldiers and people below were naturally happy. It seemed that the suffering had finally come to an end. When they arrived at Wengerburg, they would definitely be able to regroup and fight back against the army in black from the south.

But Selchik was not happy because he knew that the Nilfgaardians would definitely use a thunderbolt to completely eliminate them.

Nilfgaard certainly does not want the capital's defenders to increase, so this is a necessity.

And there is another point, what is the situation of Wengerburg is still unclear. According to the situation of traitors in many key positions in the south, there will definitely be no shortage of Wengerburg.

Few of the envoys he sent back made him believe this even more.

The white knight is really confused. He doesn't know what the future of the kingdom is. The situation in the capital is unknown, and the life and death of the king are unknown. Everything looks so hopeless.

Just as Selchik was troubled by the future, a scout covered in blood rushed past the White Knight's guards and came to him.

Seeing this man, Selchik knew that the Nilfgaardians were coming.

"How many have you come?"

He just asked plainly.

"Niflgaard's main force is out, we have seen the flags of several Nilfgaardian troops, Lord Selchik, just as you think, they are probably planning to deal with us directly this time, and there are about three hours left will get here."

"Tell everyone, let's move on and go to the preset battlefield."

Even though the faces of his subordinates changed dramatically, Selchik remained as usual.

The reason is also very simple, he has long been prepared for this moment, and found a battlefield that is beneficial to them, just near Wenger Castle.

Even if he died, he would bring a few more dogs in black to be buried with him.

However, shortly after making such a decision, when the army began to move, a messenger from Wengerburg arrived, bringing the long-awaited message from the capital.

The news brought by the messenger surprised him.

This emissary is a royal emissary, and his badge and identification prove his authority.

The news came from Heme, who said that he is now leading his army southward and intends to join him to deal with the Nilfgaardians together.

Selchik was very surprised by Herme's sudden appearance. His impression of Herme still remained at the time when he led four to five thousand people to destroy Scoia'tael.

So it was even more surprising that he had more than [-] troops in his hands, and he subconsciously didn't believe it.

But Herme didn't have any need to lie, that is to say, what he said could only be true.

Selchik's heart, which had been begging for death, cheered up. After the two armies converged, they could just fight a battle, and they might win.

So he immediately delivered a new message to the messenger, and agreed with Herme on the assembly point, which was the battlefield he had chosen. According to the information provided by the messenger, it would not take long for Herme's troops to arrive there.

Seeing the envoy leave in a hurry, Selchik's always bad mood was finally relieved.

.

When the black army advanced on the ground, the entire land seemed to be covered in black, which looked spectacular.

The war horses trampled on the crops in the farmland mercilessly, and the village not far away had been ruled by gunpowder, and the peasants inside were being dragged out by the Nilfgaardians and thrown into the slave cart amidst screams.

The slave cart was full of captured Ardians. The newcomers still had the energy to howl, while those who had already been captured were completely numb. They sat there like corpses, without saying a word.

Other Nilfgaardian soldiers, under the command of the quartermaster, counted the supplies found in the village in an orderly manner, and then threw them into the carriage as military supplies for the imperial army.

Then, according to the order, destroy all this with flames.

These officers and soldiers did not forget to put property in their pockets while looting. The quartermasters turned a blind eye to this, because they did not take less.

The other Nilfgaardian soldiers looked at all this indifferently. This was originally an integral part of the imperial war, and everyone has long been used to it.

Moreover, they actually enjoyed it and hoped to join in the looting, but it was a pity that those who looted first were often related troops, and they could only pick up the leftovers of others.

Looking from the sky, you will find such flames everywhere behind the army in black, and they are destroying this land.

"Give war to the castle and peace to the village", many officers and soldiers have known this principle in military training, but the actual implementation is another matter, the principle has always been "leaving no one alive, not leaving a grass Kazuki."

The Eastern Group Army under the command of Duke Adar Aip Darcy is now practicing this. Now that the Aedirn army has been defeated, it seems that it is only a matter of time before this task is completed.

However, there is still an Aden army that makes this prospect a bit of an eyesore, and that is Selchik's army.

Therefore, Adal Aip Dasi ordered Baraka Division, Winniberg Division and Wind Tower Brigade, that is, the Central Route Army, to deal with Selchik.

The Eastern Group Army was divided into three groups and attacked Aedirn from three routes. The Western Route Army was responsible for guarding against the possible intervention of the Mahakam dwarves and protecting the flanks of the army. A piece of land, the Central Route Army is responsible for defeating the Aden army.

At the beginning of the offensive, the three armies cooperated with each other, and it was under their joint strangulation that the Aedirn army fell apart.

The Central Army has a full [-] regular infantry and [-] cavalry, as well as [-] skirmishers composed of Scoia'tael, Rangers, defectors, and mercenaries.

These two Nilfgaardian divisions each have more than [-] soldiers. This is because the Nilfgaardian Eastern Army has temporarily equipped these two divisions with many battalion-level and regiment-level troops, greatly expanding their strength.

After all, the direction they are in charge of is the main force of the Adian army. If they don't give more troops, how can they attack the Adian people.

"Duke Adal doesn't need to be in such a hurry. The current situation is under our control. It is only a matter of time before the end of the Ardian people. With such an eager pursuit, I am afraid that these northern barbarians will jump over the wall in a hurry."

Beneath the banner of the golden sun, said Baraka division commander Stribert, he was wearing the classic Nilfgaardian officer's plate armor, which complimented his strong body very much.

There is a sun emblem on the chest plate, and a stag symbolizing the commander on the chest. The white stag runs on the black field.

The most eye-catching thing is his flying wing helmet, because the flying wing decoration on it is golden and very magnificent.

"Since the Duke has given the order, we can execute it. In comparison, I care more about how the investigation is done."

In this regard, Marcosh, the commander of the Winniberg division beside him, said that this is an unsmiling officer, and the naked armor shows his character.

The key's division insignia gleamed in the sun, and this general fit the stereotype of a Nilfgaardian.

He is also the commander-in-chief of the Central Route Army appointed by Duke Adal.

The two Nilfgaardian commanders were surrounded by staff officers and guards, and farther away were infantry battalions and cavalry teams. This is the classic Nilfgaardian general's travel posture.

"Ha, why are you still talking about this? Let me say, just launch a fierce attack and take down that white knight from the beginning, then there is no such problem at all."

A slightly frivolous voice sounded, it belonged to a young general, a handsome young man with blond hair.

Instead of plate armor, he wore a piece of chain mail under his sun jacket.

In the eyes of the people of Nilfgaard, this outfit is undoubtedly a typical playboy of the city of golden towers.

But in fact, this person is indeed a playboy from the City of the Golden Pagoda, and he is still very arrogant.

"Brigade Commander Gwama, your troops have been reduced due to your various brutal actions. The empire's precious cavalry units should not be used in this way. This is a waste of the empire's resources."

Makosh sternly accused, but this young man named Gwama obviously didn't take it seriously, he just shrugged indifferently.

The same young officers behind him also had the same attitude. There was a tall tower on their cloaks, which was the flag of the Wind Tower Brigade.

"On the great sun, isn't it just that there are 1000 people gone? You don't want to see how many victories such a small number of casualties have brought, and I'm telling the truth, what is this? There are not as many as this, and for the sake of the great sun, it is nothing to make such a small sacrifice."

Between the lines of words, the temperament of the dandy in the city of the golden tower is fully displayed, and there is also a kind of fanaticism belonging to young people. The two teachers have seen a lot of such fanaticism.

Those who hold such fanaticism are often unlucky, usually die early on the battlefield, and after surviving bloody battles, the fanaticism often disappears.

Both division commanders were obviously very dissatisfied, but they didn't have much to say.

But Gwama felt that this was very boring, so he ran away directly to find some fun, went to the army queue to see, and then planned to have fun with those slaves.

He hadn't gone very far, and the war was about to start, which was his favorite pleasure.

The two teachers who stayed where they were were shaking their heads. They just hoped that this young man would not be too fanatical.

Too much fanaticism is often bad. In the military rules of the empire, fanaticism can only be regarded as a neutral word at best.

Fighting for the Great Sun is all very well, but if it is too blind, it will only have the exact opposite effect.

This young man should go to the Sunlun Division, that multifunctional unit has many places for him to perform, instead of leading the ordinary heavy cavalry here.

But he still came all the time, so naturally he couldn't say anything.

(End of this chapter)