The mage arrives

Gordon chatted with Chuck for a while, and the female druid finally rode up to catch up.

"My lord, I am really sorry for Alva's attitude. After the war is over, I will definitely ask him to apologize to you in person. He is just a little younger and more energetic, and we Aikan people are still loyal to you .” The female druid bowed to Gordon immediately and said.

Gordon nodded and said, "Of course I understand that. The entire group of Aikan people is huge, and naturally there will be all kinds of people, and they will have various thoughts in their hearts about the matter of joining me."

This little episode brought by Alva is now over.But because of this incident, Gordon could still feel that the matriarch seemed to have a little estrangement from him.Perhaps it was Gordon's appearance of the lord's authority just now, which subverted her consistent impression of him in her mind.

But that doesn't matter anymore.Although Gordon's personal impression of Vinya is not bad, but because of their identities, when the two of them deal with each other, they will always be political.

The Aikan are a large tribe.If the Aikan people pledge their allegiance to Gordon, then his strength will definitely be greatly enhanced.But the question that followed was, what should he do with the distribution of power within the Haiwen lord?

Today, those tribes that have successively expressed their allegiance to Gordon have begun to implement an integration policy.They moved away from their original place of residence and settled in a unified place near the newly built city.Moreover, the original social structure was completely broken up, the original tribal life was abandoned, and it became a family with immediate relatives as a small group.Supplemented by means of faith, Gordon believes that it will take time.These people can really integrate together.

But the Aichans are different.They can be regarded as a relatively wealthy and highly civilized tribe on the peninsula, and they are already a farming society that is no different from Freyton.Vinia was not so much the matriarch of an Aboriginal tribe.Rather, she is a female noble lord with a vast land and a large number of subjects.

For Gordon, how to smoothly digest the great power of the Aikan people is a very troublesome thing.First of all, since they are already loyal to themselves, there should be no need for a matriarch with high prestige.The Aican people should not be united under one strong leader.They should disintegrate and disintegrate, and gradually change their concepts, putting the identity of "Freton people" above the identity of "Aikan people".

so.For Gordon, it would be best for Vinia not to be the matriarch, but to be a "senior agricultural advisor" or something under his command.is the most ideal.

When he was in Qingmai Town, Gordon had established a relationship with the elders of the Aikan people through the former patriarch Pensa.These old guys who are highly respected in the tribe and have their own thoughts.It will be of great use in the future.

Viniya didn't know that this black-bellied lord had already started to make up her mind.The attitude is still enthusiastic.As the army got closer and closer to the junction of the plain and the swamp, she also took the initiative to use the druid's ability to contact many animal companions to help detect the enemy's situation.

This did help Gordon a lot.Because part of the entire Blackwater Great Swamp area is a water network wetland, and the other part is a swamp forest with dense vegetation.And the vicinity of the Pebble River where the Salo allied forces camped now happened to be such a headache terrain as the swamp forest.

If Gordon releases his familiar crow to investigate.Flying high, the line of sight is blocked by the dense tree canopy.Can't see anything.If it flies low, it is easy to spot again.After all, Quack is a creature like a gemstone crow, which is extremely rare and extremely conspicuous.If it was shot by an arrow before it could dodge, even Gordon himself would be injured.

But Venia can directly command all kinds of animals living in the swamp to help sniff out information, which is much more secretive.

The Salo people are now stationed by the Pebble River, and the entire army has about 3000 people.The reason why they are standing still is simple.Because the Salo people are continuing to build up their forces, let the small groups of troops that were previously dispersed to attack the settlements of the Aikan people come back.

They must have spotted Gordon's army as well, so they're building up their strength before they fight to the death.

This was just what Gordon liked.It would be troublesome if these hostile tribes would disperse as birds and beasts when they encountered themselves, and then hide in the depths of the swamp to fight guerrillas, and come out from time to time to burn, kill and loot.

It couldn't be better to win or lose in one battle.

Because although the coalition army of the Salo people has only 3000 people, when these semi-civilized tribes fight, the whole tribe often travels together.So on the other side of the Pebble River, there are actually [-] enemies in total.

Of course, if these enemies are willing to change their beliefs and submit to Gordon, the lord of Haiwen, after the defeat, he is also very happy.

After all, killing 2 people at once is not only unrealistic, but also a bit wasteful.

The Haiwen Peninsula is vast and sparsely populated. Even after the Aikan people are attached, the population under Gordon's rule is only 10, which is only about the same as the population under the rule of Earl Julian, the lord of Clear Water.

As the distance from the Pebble River got closer, more and more corpses were killed in the burned fields and farmhouses on both sides of the road.Seeing the tragic situation of her own people, Vinya couldn't help but turn grim.

The smell of war became stronger and stronger, and the small battles between scouts along the way became more frequent.Since the scouts in Gordon's army were all Redstone Guards who had experienced many battles, almost all of these small battles ended in victory.But the trouble is that many of the weapons used by the enemy contain all kinds of weird toxins, so although there are few deaths, the loss of combat personnel is a bit severe.

Fortunately, there is Vinia, who is familiar with the Blackwater Great Swamp and is proficient in herbal medicine and medical knowledge, so the influence is not too great.

At last Gordon reached the banks of the Pebble River.

This river is a tributary of the White River, which rises from the Vesula Mountains, as it flows through the Blackwater Everglades.The width of the river is about 30 meters, the speed of the river is extremely slow, and the depth of the water is no more than the waist of an adult human at most.But the trouble is that the bottom of this river is silt with strong adsorption capacity, and those who don't know it will sink almost [-]% when crossing the river.Then tragically died in the river.

Gordon looked up at the sun and saw that it was about eleven o'clock in the morning.

"Chuck, let the soldiers rest and eat. Prepare to attack in the afternoon," Gordon said.

Vinya was a little puzzled: "My lord, so fast?"

"Otherwise? When I set off from Qingmai Town, I only let the soldiers carry rations for three days. Is it possible to fight a protracted war here?" Gordon asked rhetorically.

"No... I just read those war novels before. When the generals in the stories faced a strong enemy, they always..."

"Always strategize, act cautiously, and come up with one after another to defeat the enemy. By the way, let's have a lingering love story?" Gordon laughed.

The Aikan people are not good at fighting, and the matriarch, Vinya, had a great change in her family.He was only 17 years old when he escaped into the Blackwater Swamp.It is impossible for such an aristocratic girl to have access to any real military knowledge and impression of war during her growth.It all comes from books—and it's still a very unreliable novel.

It seems that it is necessary for Gordon to let Vinia see it.What a real war.

"This..." Looking at Gordon's smiling face, Vinya didn't know what to say for a while.Even if all of her knowledge about the war came from novels, Gordon's actions now are a bit too childish.

Ready to attack after lunch?What kind of battle plan is this?

Seeing the puzzled look of the female druid, Gordon could only slowly explain: "Thanks to the help of your animal companions, Vinia, I have fully grasped the distribution of the enemy's forces on the other side of the river. There are many forces, so the enemy will stretch the front line very long. If I am facing a well-trained army, then I need to worry. Will my flanks be surrounded by the enemy with superior forces? But today my The enemies are just a group of aborigines who gathered temporarily because they hated you Aikan people."

He pointed to the shadowy figure in the opposite forest.Said: "The place I chose to attack happened to be the camp of the Salo people. Even across the Pebble River, I can still see those black and ugly faces on the opposite side and smell the smell of their poisonous snakes. The Salo people are this The core of an army is the glue that unites other tribes. As long as we defeat the Salo people, we can achieve the greatest victory with the least cost."

"But my lord, the number of enemies is several times that of ours. Did you attack without any preparation?"

"Preparation? As early as when I led the army to leave Sea Cliff Fort, I was fully prepared." Gordon waved his hand confidently.

Vinya glanced at the black river, which seemed to be able to swallow everything, and felt that no matter how confident the young lord was, he should at least order a batch of small boats to be used to cross the river.

However, a sudden news interrupted the conversation between the two.

A scout came to report that an army had appeared about two kilometers away on the left flank, and was cutting wood to make a boat, and seemed to be preparing to attack the enemy on the other side of the river.

There were about 300 people in that army, and the banner they played was the Aikan people.

"Alva, you idiot!" Venia gritted her silver teeth in anger, with a look of resentment.Gordon ordered Alva to return to Qingmai Town.He ignored orders, and led that force along the banks of the Cobblestone River.

Disrespect comes first, disobedience comes second, Vinia doesn't know how to explain to Gordon.

"It's okay." Gordon said lightly, "Since we're here, it just happens to cover our flanks and share a little pressure."

In fact, Gordon knew about this amateur army that followed him all the way to the bank of the Pebble River, far behind, from his scouts.

Gordon knew that Alva was probably not convinced, and wanted to slap him in the face with a big victory, telling himself this outsider that the Aican people could defend their homeland with their own strength without the help of others.

If this is the case, Gordon may give Alva a high look.But in terms of the opponent's ability, not to mention defeating the enemy, it would be a great thing to survive the bloodthirsty natives who believed in evil gods.

Gordon was looking forward to Alva's defeat.Because this proud young man also represents a trend of thought among the Aikan people.They are unwilling to accept their own rule in exchange for security.They believe that their own strength is enough to protect the safety of the tribe.And Alva's failure can make these people see the cruel reality clearly.

Maybe for Vinia.Alva and she are like siblings.But for Gordon, that arrogant young man didn't even have the qualifications to be a "pig teammate". He was just an annoying npc.

Gordon's army was a busy scene.The enemies hidden in the woods and grass on the other side of the river naturally also mobilized.These natives' understanding of war is still at a very primitive stage, and the tribes that can list formations during combat, rather than rushing forward in a swarm, are already among the best.

Salo is clearly one of the best.After they saw Gordon's army appear, they quickly formed a dense formation on the river bank, which looked quite impressive.These Salo warriors carry short spears in one hand.Holding a leather shield in one hand.And on each shield, there is a skull hanging - this is the trophy of the Salo people showing their bravery and glory in the past.

In addition to the spear warriors in frontal formation, there are also light warriors with slings, javelins, wooden bows, blow arrows, and even slingshots.

Among Freyton's regular legions.There are both heavily armed soldiers and lightly armed auxiliary soldiers.The Salo people in front of them, apart from having no cavalry, actually have a decent appearance, quite a bit of the temperament of a regular army.

And in Gordon's eyes.These light fighters with a variety of long-range weapons in their hands.Tougher than the spearmen behind them.Because the evil god Zehir worshiped by the Salois is the god of murder and poison.His followers will definitely smear all kinds of poisons on their weapons.And each of these Salois has a bag pinned to his waist.Gordon was sure that there were venomous snakes domesticated by the Salo people.

It's not a good thing to suddenly get bitten on the foot by these nasty and deadly reptiles while fighting.

But Gordon remained confident.Because he has already studied the characteristics of the Salo people who are good at poison-drugs and driving poisonous snakes.

"Vinya, accompany me to the river. Since the Pebble River is a tributary of the White River, the river water should also contain the magical energy that can corrode the land and reduce food production. I want to investigate it on the spot."

"Now?" Vinia felt that Gordon's invitation was a bit inappropriate.With the width of the Pebble River, if the two of them stood by the river, they would definitely be attacked by the enemies on the other side.

"It's okay." After Gordon finished speaking, he blessed himself and Vinia with a "protective arrow".

That being the case, the female druid could only follow Gordon to the river.

As she expected, as soon as the two of them entered the range, the Salois on the other side immediately began to use various long-range weapons in their hands to attack Gordon.

But it's a pity that neither the poisoned flying arrows nor the sharpened catapults could break through Gordon's magic protection.

In the midst of long-range attacks like a storm, Gordon was as leisurely as walking by the river.

At this time, cheers erupted from the army.I don't know who started it. At this time, the voice of "Long live the lord" almost resounded through the entire river bank.

"My lord, you did this on purpose to boost morale." Viniya asked.

"You are very smart, you can see it so quickly." Gordon said, "A considerable part of my army is recruits. The first battle is about to start, and they will inevitably be nervous. If these recruits know, there is a powerful mage Supporting them behind them, presumably the tension will disappear a lot.”

Viniya nodded, and secretly said: "Although he looks down on the enemy in his mouth, this lord did not underestimate the enemy at all in actual actions."

At this time, Gordon had already put his hand into the river.

Ordinary people may not be able to detect any anomalies in the water, but as a mage with keen perception, and with the assistance of the eye of truth and warning, Gordon soon discovered that there was indeed an anomaly in the Pebble River.

With his hand submerged in the river, he felt a strange arcane energy.And with the help of the Eye of Truth and Warning, the entire Pebble River also took on an unusual faint dark red color.

Gordon searched for all kinds of knowledge in his mind, and soon discovered that the anomaly of the Pebble River was somewhat similar to the red mist he had encountered in the Danzig ruins.

"Could it be that there is a Miser energy core in Mount Weisula? And the pollution of the White River is also caused by the leakage of the arcane energy in the Miser energy core?" Gordon's eyes lit up.

If there are gold and silver treasures or some magical weapons stored in Vesula Mountain, he may not be very interested.But if there is a Miser core, that is another matter.

Just when he was excited about this new discovery, Gordon suddenly realized that danger was coming.

A white arcane light shot from the opposite bank.

Of course Gordon recognized it, it was the effect of dispelling the magic.

"There are warlocks among the people of Salo!"

This conclusion was immediately drawn in Gordon's mind.The reason why they are warlocks and not mages is that with the level of civilization of the Salois, at most warlocks who rely on blood talent to cast spells can be born-this is nothing unusual, even goblins or kobold races can also give birth to warlocks.

But cultivating a mage requires excellent intelligence, a sound knowledge system, and a good level of education.This is obviously not a condition that the uncivilized Salo people have.

However, regardless of whether it was a warlock or a spellcaster of another profession, this sudden attack was far beyond Gordon's expectations.

The white light that dispelled the magic hit Gordon almost instantly, eliminating the protective arrow shield on him.

Immediately afterwards, another fireball roared across the Pebble River.

However, if it is compared to the casting speed, Gordon, who now masters the fast casting skills of Arkhosia, definitely surpasses all mages of the same level, or even one or two levels higher.

He didn't even use the spell instant casting feat, and just before the fireball flew over, he blessed himself with a flame energy shield and another arrow protection spell. (To be continued..)