When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 912 The Eve of War
On July 10, after reorganization, the two legions that set out from Kenke Town finally arrived near Porta Manor.

This is the station of the commander of the Third Legion, Duke Nava of Eagle Foot Bay.

It is naturally impossible for so many troops to gather in a small manor for supplies, but they are dispersed in the surrounding areas.

The farthest camp was even more than ten miles away from Porta Manor.

Of course, this comfortable residence of Porta Manor must be occupied by His Majesty the King.

At this moment, many soldiers finally saw His Majesty the King, who had not been seen for several days.

Since the order to march was issued a few days ago, Jinigis has rarely appeared in public and travels in a carriage every day.

After all, I don't want to hear the complaints of the soldiers and knights.

During this march, the three legion commanders did not say much, but the vassals and knights under the legion all had complaints.

It is normal to have complaints during the march, but this time the complaints are not directed at the march.

Up to now in this battle, Leia's side's decline cannot be concealed no matter how hard they try.

The Thousand Valley War officially began in September 1448, when the noble coalition he sent and the 9 imperial companies led by Lavr arrived at the Thousand Valley.

From September to December, important fortresses such as Tiezhamen Town, Qila Fort, and Shishou Fort were all lost, and victory seemed within reach.

At that time, the great Leia army had a total force of 50,000 in the Thousand River Valley and besieged the city of Xialu.

It’s a pity that the city of Xialu blocked the entire Leia army in front of the three most important counties in the Thousand River Valley.

What followed was the Battle of Malenbo and the repeated tug-of-war and bloodshed on the Nauan River defense line, as well as the loss of manpower caused by the cold winter.

What’s infuriating is that winter didn’t cause many casualties to the Holy Alliance Army (winter clothes are included in the four-season uniforms).

All in all, the casualties amounted to nearly 20,000 people.

If Jinigis had not arrived in time, the remaining 30,000 people would have been a matter of time.

Then the 80,000 additional soldiers will be able to completely suppress the people of Qianhe Valley, right?

But it can't.

First, the Thousand River Valley's troops inexplicably increased to 40,000, and then the Border Knights were defeated and fled.

At this time, there were only about 70,000 Leia troops left, and nearly 10,000 people were killed on the Nauan River defense line.

By mid-June, Genegis had only a little over 60,000 troops left.

Then came a series of bad news. The coup on the 18th did not work, and the reinforcements from Xiong Bao were nowhere to be found.

An Iron Fist regiment of 5,000 men tied down a coalition force of nearly 20,000 nobles from Bear Castle and the Stonewalling Plain.

The mountain cavalry regiment even had enough strength to attack the Thorn Garden, once again tying down nearly 20,000 troops.

Under the premise of fighting on two fronts, Horn's side forced the Leia people to have only about 40,000 troops left.

But at this moment, Jinigis could not retreat.

His retreat was not a simple withdrawal of troops, but the entire Blue Bee Dynasty's rule in Leia was about to collapse.

Let alone anything else, the Blood Knight issue alone is enough to make the new Pope and Genegis extremely anxious.

They had to win, only win, and Horn didn't give them much time to get it.

A decisive battle, only a decisive battle!
Since the Apostolic Guard and some Knights Templar were in Chalukyamuni protecting the Pope, they were too late to arrive.

All he could mobilize were the First and Second Corps of the Kingdom Army in Kenke Town and the Third Corps that had originally attacked Haji Fort.

There is also the Fourth Legion, which is composed of some remnants of nobles, some mercenaries and peasant soldiers.

Leia's three legions and the newly formed peasant army legion totaled more than 39,000 people.

This is the last of Jinigis's troops.

The last capital!
Standing in front of the door of the manor house's hall, Jinigis did not go in immediately.

The servant did not dare to look up, but the king looked down at the back of his hand with throbbing veins: "If you win, you win everything, if you lose, you lose everything."

By this time, Jinigis began to doubt his decision.

Who can not doubt? How can we not doubt?
How much fate will be determined by the outcome of this battle?
At one point, even Jinigis himself wavered.

Perhaps the knights' complaints were valid, and perhaps they should have withdrawn instead of continuing the decisive battle.

However, as soon as this thought appeared in his mind, he dispelled it.

It has come to this point, even if others don't believe it, he has to firmly believe it.

When the door was opened, the three legion commanders were already inside.

"Your Highness!"

The three of them stood up and saluted, but Jinigis waved his hand indifferently, indicating that they should sit down.

In the hot summer, buckets filled with ice were placed beside the long table. The cool mist spread around, dispelling the fatigue brought by the heat.

Although he had been sitting in the carriage for three days, when Duke Nava, Duke Barry, Knight Boardman and Duke Alaric saw the king, they actually felt that he looked better than before.

Sitting next to the ice bucket, the thin king with a white face and no beard sat on the main throne.

Several generals and nobles were elegant in manners, with faces that were either rugged or heroic.

He was so graceful while talking and laughing, and actually looked a bit like the imperial court of the Restoration Period.

Just thinking about the current situation, the excitement is gone.

"Has the army been settled?"

Several legion commanders had discussed this issue before the king came in, so they naturally agreed: "Everything has been settled."

"Are there still many rumors in the army?"

Alaric asked tentatively: "Do you need us to kill a few people and clean up the mess?"

“No, the battlefield changes rapidly, and the strength and weakness, victory and defeat change in an instant.

There are cases where a panicked army defeated a united army, and there are also cases where a group of poor soldiers defeated a strong army. "

Coughing, King Leia looked around.

“People always think that winners are better than losers in every way and that winners are certain to win.

But the fact is that the victor will also be worried before the battle, not knowing whether he can win.

Before a battle, never assume that you will lose. Take Horn as an example.

During the Battle of Pavia, they were still in panic before the battle, but didn't they defeat the Command Company during the battle?

What can they do that we can’t do?”

Although Jinigis was thin and frail, and his breathing technique was only at the level of two stages, his speech was powerful and sonorous.

Then, he changed the subject and said in a gentle tone: "As for the Blood Knight, please believe that the day the war ends is the day the Red Knight dies.

This has been certified by the Pope. In order to resist evil, we can only take up the weapons of evil.

I firmly believe that I am pure and noble, and that I can achieve victory."

Although he said that there was no need for purge and was confident in himself, Jinigis still unconsciously began to defend the current situation.

Several legion commanders naturally nodded in agreement, but no one knew what they were thinking in their hearts.

"I called you all here urgently this time, not only to reassure you, but most importantly to announce the next battle plan."

Without further ado, Jinigis took out the map and said, “Time is not on our side, so we must hurry up.

Didn't Horn often use rapid marches and surprise attacks? That's why he always had the upper hand on the battlefield.

This time, we should not give him the opportunity to choose an advantageous battlefield. If he can do it, we can do it too. "

"You mean attack?" Alaric asked in a low voice. "When?"

"tonight."

"Tonight?" The chair under Duke Barry's butt made a harsh sliding sound.

Genegis was not as rude as Prince Condé, but explained gently: “Yes, we just arrived, they will definitely think that we will take action tomorrow.

Their camp is not far from here, we will attack them at night and block them at this Gray Robe Hill before dawn."

"Will the soldiers do that?"

"Hahaha." The golden-red sunset shone on Jinigis's slightly red face. "The Royal Order Knight and the Red Knight don't need to rest."

At this point, Jinigis no longer wanted to act. Although he didn't say it explicitly, his words and deeds revealed his identity as the Red Knight.

As for the origin of these red knights, the young king did not mention a word.

"Alaric, Barry, I am born weak and not good at military affairs. I cannot kill the enemy myself." Jinigis held their hands with both of them. "It is up to you two to lead the First Legion to the north at night and attack the camp of the Thousand River Valley people."

"Yes."

The two men took the King's hands in their own and nodded firmly and excitedly.

Releasing his sweaty hands, Jinigis snapped his fingers.

The maid walked in and served a glass of wine to everyone present.

Looking at the blue-purple wine, Alaric looked at Jinigis blankly.

"This is the last bottle of blue blood wine in stock." His Majesty the King raised the glass high, "But I believe we will be able to get a new one soon. May God bless us with victory!"

"victory!"

(End of this chapter)