Imperial Crown.

Chapter 318 The advantage is mine
Count Duduo was very familiar with these six enchanted bed crossbows.

On the square plate-like base, even the emblem of the Principality of Eivor has not been completely polished.

They were taken down from the Wall of Sighs!
Du Duo had never imagined that this bulky, huge crossbow, which was almost only used in defending the city, would actually be used by Raven in field battles.

Holding the dice tightly in his hand, Du Duo shouted an order:
"Attack on all fronts, start the assault!!"

War drums rumbled, flags sounded, and the 3-strong army slowly accelerated. The smoke and dust they raised made the already gloomy world even darker.

The entire Eagle Army stopped where they were, like a tiger waiting for its prey.

The crossbow of the enchanted bed crossbow slowly turned and aimed at Du Duo's left wing.

A soldier raised a wooden hammer and smashed it hard on the iron pillar standing high on the crossbow!

嘭

Even though the wheels were held down by a thousand-pound boulder, the entire ballista still jumped on the spot due to the recoil.

A layer of blue magic patterns lit up on the crossbow arrow as thick as a roof beam, and flames burst out from the patterns. It crossed a distance of 400 meters like a daytime meteor and arrived at Du Duo's left wing army.

A faint chanting sound could be heard; it was the mages in Duduo's army casting spells.

A vague light curtain blocked the crossbow arrow's path.

Then it shattered with a bang, unable to even deflect the trajectory of the crossbow arrow.

In front of this crossbow accelerated to its limit, even plate armor would be as brittle as sugar shells, let alone these infantrymen wearing only leather armor?
The crossbow arrows blasted bodies one after another, and the flesh and blood seemed nothing in front of it.

The sounds of leather armor being torn, flesh being crushed, and bones being broken all erupted in an instant and merged into one.

hum-

With one arrow, it flew 16 meters into the battle formation, crushing 11 Du Duo soldiers on the spot.

Then, the flames suddenly erupted, creating a ball of blazing fire that shot up into the sky, engulfing more of Du Duo's troops.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!"

Seeing their comrade-in-arms, who was chatting and laughing not long ago, turned into a charred corpse, the surrounding soldiers howled, some stood still, and some turned around and ran!
And there is not just one bed crossbow, but 6 of them!
Another 5 stimulations in a row.

The left wing of Duduo's army seemed to be plowed by the devil's claws, leaving six bloody grooves and a deep pit burning with flames at the end.

As the flames burned fiercely, the disgusting burnt smell filled the entire battlefield!
At this moment, behind the Eagle Army, Raven, riding on a warhorse, clearly saw the reaction of Duduo's army and frowned slightly.

Although there was a certain degree of panic on Du Duo's left wing, it did not collapse and continued to advance as a whole.

This quality is much stronger than the regular army of the Nord Province.

"Reload and continue attacking the enemy's left wing." Raven ordered:

"At the same time, send a message to the heavy cavalry brigade to put pressure on Du Duo's left wing!"

At the same time, Du Duo also issued an order: "The reserve team must mobilize 2000 people to keep an eye on that heavy cavalry, no matter the cost!"

"Tell the leader that if this heavy cavalry encounters my army formation, he won't have to come back!"

"Order the left wing, there is no support, hold the formation!"

Du Duo has already seen through Raven's tactical intentions.

Raven focused his attack on his left wing in order to use it as a breakthrough point.

Once the left wing troops were defeated, they could form a double-sided pincer attack on his central army.

A round of volleys from the crossbows caused about 200 casualties, which was nothing for an army of 8000 people, but it was a huge blow to morale.

If there are two or three more rounds, I’m afraid they will collapse before they can even reach the Eagle Army!
"A bunch of rookies who have never seen blood." Du Duo spat on the ground, recalling the time when he was young and participated in the "Battle of Glory" with his father.

This was the war that the Nords called the "Frontier Battle".

If the veteran was still there, why would he worry about the casualties of only 200 people?
Thinking of this, Du Duo couldn't help but feel hatred towards Wanda.

It was because of Wanda’s failure that the enchanted crossbow that was supposed to protect the Wall of Sighs appeared on Eivor’s own land.

Launch an attack on Eivor's army and reap the lives of Eivor people!
However, due to the limited time, Du Duo did not even have any means of counterattack!

The battle line was getting closer and closer, and when it was less than 200 meters away, the crossbow completed another round of reloading.

Although the left wing of Du Duo's army adopted a looser formation this time, nearly 100 people were still killed by crossbows.

180 meters, 160 meters, 140 meters...

At this moment, Raven and Du Duo stared at the battlefield at the same time, counting down the same time:
"3..."

"2..."

"1."

In the dim weather, the front-row soldiers of both sides raised their shields and stopped almost at the same time.

swish swish

Amid the sound of breaking through the air, arrows flew like rain.

The rain of arrows was like shadows condensed into substance, falling on shields, heavy armor, the knees and shoulders of the hapless soldiers with a dense flapping sound, splashing blood among the Eagle Army.

The wounded soldier knelt on the spot with his spear raised, saying nothing, waiting for the auxiliary soldiers to carry him to the rear.

Colleagues behind him began to fill in automatically.

However, the 2000 crossbowmen on Raven's side all aimed at the left wing of Duduo's army. While the front troops knelt down to defend, they all pulled the trigger of the crossbows.

The enchanted crossbow arrows pierced into the left wing of Duduo's army like locusts, penetrated the iron kite shields in their hands, and the splashing blood dyed the ground red!

The left wing of Du Duo's army fell down in unison like wheat!
After a round of exchange of fire, the Eagle Army suffered few casualties, but the Duduo Army lost at least 300 lives.

But at this time, the Eagle Army took the initiative to launch a charge!
Count Tudor's advantage lies in the long-range firepower of his 6000-man army. If the Eagle Army does not charge forward, it can only passively take the beating.

And Raven didn't intend to exchange casualties with the other party like this.

Aggression is like fire, immovable like a mountain.

The performance of the Eagle Army is synonymous with these eight words.

Earl Tudor didn't understand this, but that didn't stop him from expressing similar sentiments.

He was surprised that after just experiencing a terrifying rain of arrows, Raven's army did not show any sign of wavering, and could even maintain its formation during the charge!
Just as he was about to order another round of arrow rain, the messenger reported:

"Sir, the flying monster has sent a message that the enemy's Wind King troops are attacking from the southeast! They will arrive at the battlefield in another 3 minutes."

Tudor lowered his raised hand:

"Crossbowmen, stand by. Archers, fire two more rounds of arrows."

"Tell those magicians that it's time to take action!!"

What Tuduo is referring to here are the three mages transferred back from the Bolan Gold Mine.

The Eagle Army launched a charge under a sky full of arrows.

A soft chanting sound was heard among Du Duo's army.

Three wizards, one red, one white, and one green, stood in a triangle, with a small but quite complicated magic circle under their feet.

They held magic wands in their hands and chanted spells at the same time. Magic power flowed from their bodies, turning into azure blue currents like water snakes, which then gathered together and slowly filled the entire magic circle.

The leading red-robed magician suddenly waved his staff, and all the magic power in the magic circle was drawn to the top of his staff, transforming and blooming into a cluster of thick green light:
"Sea of ​​Thorns!"

The deep green light spread out, like the leisurely breeze in summer, or the silent spring rain that moistens everything.

Click...

The invisible tip of the brush was dipped in thick green ink, and a wide ink mark was drawn across the open space between the two armies!
The ink marks were made up of clusters of dark green thorns with thick branches covered with sharp dark red thorns that pulsated and twitched like blood vessels.

The arrows remaining in the center of the battlefield were lifted up and wrapped by thorns, the wooden arrow shafts were easily broken, and the hard steel armor-piercing arrowheads were ground into pieces.

This is true for steel, let alone flesh and blood.

I wonder how many lives will be lost to fill this gully.

"What are you going to do about this, Raven?"

The dice circled between Du Duo's fingers, and a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Just like the Wind King's troops that appeared on the Wall of Sighs, this Sea of ​​Thorns was the appetizer that Duduo prepared for Raven.

The Eagle Army is now in a dilemma.

If we stop where we are, we will have to continue to endure the rain of arrows. Although the casualties will be limited, there is no battle in the world that can be won by passively taking a beating!
If they choose to take a detour, it would mean wasting a huge amount of time and energy, and they would also have to endure long-range harassment from Du Duo's army during this period.

Of course, Du Duo also knew that Raven was a magician, but what could he do? Set fire to the Sea of ​​Thorns?

That would just create a sea of ​​fire!
Du Duo sneered: "You are not the only one who can use magic, Raven!"

This thorn curtain wall was indeed beyond Raven's expectations.

But he showed no intention of stopping the attack.

Behind him, Margaret, dressed as a soldier, was quietly chanting a spell, holding two bottles of Corrupted Soul Essence in her arms.

The black aura representing the power of the curse flowed out from her body, and after being contaminated by the essence of the corrupted souls, it turned into a black-red color like dead blood and seeped into the earth.

Root-like black and red veins grew in the earth.

Wherever it passed, an inexplicable sense of grayness spread.

Snakes, insects, rats and ants emerged from the soil regardless of the noises on the ground, and were then crushed into meat paste by the iron boots.

It is clearly midsummer, but the grass and trees are beginning to wither!
The vines that stretched across the battlefield became sluggish before they could fully stretch out.

As the black and red auras swirled upwards, the vines changed from dark green to withered yellow, and from withered yellow to dead white, before finally turning into pools of shapeless mud.

click -

In Duduo's army, three wizards could no longer maintain the ritual magic.

The magic circle under his feet suddenly burst into bright light, and then disintegrated with a sound like crystal shattering.

The surging magic power overflowed from the mouths, noses, and eyes of the three mages and turned into silver flames.

"How is this going!?"

"What did Raven do!?"

"Retreat, retreat first!"

The three mages panicked and retreated back in an effort to suppress the runaway magic power. If they didn't adjust now, their magic level would likely drop.

On the other side, Margaret also restrained the black energy on her body, and the two bottles of Corrupted Soul Essence in her arms were emptied.

There was a hint of excitement in the tired eyes!

Strictly speaking, she didn't cast any spell just now, she just used the power of her own blood to curse the land.

With the help of the essence of corrupted souls, this land will become a desperate place for all living things in the next dozens or hundreds of years, and no plants will be able to survive here!

What's more, are they fake thorns constructed by magic?
"Waste!" Du Duo's eyes twitched violently twice, but he also knew that this was an innocent crime.

If those three mages hadn't distracted Raven's attention, God knows what kind of damage this third-level spellcaster would have caused.

Du Duo shouted, "Charge!"

The trumpet sounded loudly.

At this time, the two sides were less than 80 meters apart, and Du Duo's army launched a counterattack against the Eagle Army, which had rushed the fastest.

At this moment, the earth was rumbling and shaking due to the trampling of tens of thousands of people!
The sound of shouting and killing filled the entire battlefield!

The Eagle Army in black armor and the Duduo Army in blue uniforms were like two floods rushing against each other.

They collided without any fancy moves!
boom--

The earth-shattering collision caused not splashes of water, but weapons, broken limbs, and thick blood!

Some people were hung on the spears under the huge impact force; some people blocked the attack, but were pushed back and fell to the ground, and were trampled into meat paste by their own people; some people huddled together, but managed to survive in the jungle of swords and guns!

The brave may not survive, and the cowardly may not die.

War tests every soldier equally.

To survive, you need equipment, training, and willpower...

And a little bit of luck!

This is the cruelty of the battlefield, but also the fairness of the battlefield!
A shadow covered the sky, and the Wind King's troops arrived as expected.

Du Duo looked at the shadow looming in the sky and intuitively felt the pressure that Wanda had faced at that time.

With its majestic physique and neat formation, it is worthy of the title of "King".

Seeing the Wind King's troops getting closer, Du Duo clenched his fists:

"preparation--"

"put!!!"

The first rain of arrows whizzed up.

In the sky, the commander of the Wind King's troops, Hojaz, also shouted:

"Teach them a lesson!"

"Storm Vortex!"

In the sky, more than a hundred wind kings flapped their wings together, and a green storm swept out like a curtain!

Thousands of arrows lost their power at the same time, and were blown back by the strong wind!

In Du Duo's army, the soldiers' leather helmets flew up and down, and they could hardly open their eyes!

The dust was blown away, revealing the bumpy ground.

Even though they had been stacked together and weighed down with rocks, the crates were still overturned one by one, and the straw fillings were shaken apart, along with the arrows, weapons and armor inside.

However, just as the Wind King was about to dive, the second wave of arrows arrived!
The Wind Kings who had just cast a storm vortex had no time to gather magic power in a short period of time and could only urgently pull up!
The Wind Kings fly swiftly, but even so, four of them were hit by arrows.

Drops of blood fell from the air.

This time, Hoyaz did not immediately order to continue the attack, because the third group of archers had already aimed at the sky again.

Moreover, Hoyaz also discovered that the Duduo army, which was the first to shoot bows and crossbows at this time, had basically completed the reloading.

What they will face is an endless stream of arrows!
This was the first time Hoyaz felt so powerless.

He looked around, trying to make a difference elsewhere.

However, on the front line of the battlefield, the Eagle Army and the Du Duo Army collided with each other and were almost indistinguishable from each other. Whether it was spear throwing or pulse electric surge, it would cause accidental injuries to friendly forces.

All the baggage carrying the enemy troops in the rear were within the coverage range of the arrows.

"Haha, war can't be won by just one or two tricks."

Looking at the Wind King wandering aimlessly in the sky, Du Duo felt great satisfaction in his heart.

At the same time, there is also a little regret.

Du Duo originally thought that after the Wind King encountered disadvantage on the front battlefield, he would attack his camp in order to destroy his food supplies.

To guard against this, he even prepared some "surprises" for Raven in the camp.

But that's how war is. Things change like the wind, so it's normal that the planned measures cannot be used.

And the current situation is enough to satisfy Du Duo.

6000 ranged soldiers against 100 Wind Kings may seem like a disadvantage, but now the two armies are mixed together. Rather than continuing to shoot and risking accidental injuries, it is better to use this to block Raven's strongest method.

As for Raven's other trump card...

Du Duo's eyes swept across the left side of the battlefield, where his 2000 reserve troops were circling with Raven's heavy cavalry.

Anyway, he still has 3000 reserve troops. If the enemy heavy cavalry chooses to force their way in, then he will put all the reserve forces in to crush Raven as a last resort.

The situation on the front battlefield is relatively monotonous.

Du Duo could only see his own central army and Raven's central army pressed together, the battle line was in a tug of war, Bonta and the opponent's main general Eric were deadlocked in the formation, steel and void merged and collided, and it was impossible to tell the winner.

But he couldn't see the left and right wings clearly.

In fact, even at the two ends of the central army, it is difficult to distinguish the specific situation.

Sitting high in the city, calmly commanding an army of hundreds of thousands or even millions, and being able to easily see through the battlefield situation and win by deploying troops and battle formations, this is a plot that only appears in third-rate novels.

The reality on the battlefield is that once the hand-to-hand combat begins, smoke and dust rise and the two sides are intertwined. As the commander, it is difficult to see the situation clearly and can only roughly grasp the situation through the constant reports from the messengers.

This is also the difficulty of large-scale military operations.

The more troops there are, the more complicated the battle situation will be, and the messages sent by messengers will always be delayed and distorted to a considerable extent.

How to distinguish, command and handle the situation depends on the ability of the commander.

But Tudor wasn't worried.

"3 vs. 1, the advantage is on me!"

Without the surprise of the air force, can Raven still perform any tricks?

"——Sir!" A messenger ran up to Du Duo breathlessly:
"The situation on the right wing is difficult, requesting support!"

Tu Duo was furious: "Didn't I say that the left wing doesn't have..."

"Wait, right wing!?"

……

(End of this chapter)