Imperial Crown.

Chapter 332: The Church of Light Enters
The continuous heavy rain finally passed.

The sky cleared up, the sun scorched the ground, and the cicadas, which had been silent for a long time, began to chirp again.

"The war is about to begin."

Raven stood on the high platform, overlooking the Eivor camp in the distance.

The heavy rains have passed, and in 3 days at most, the Eivor will attack.

Initially, Raven's goal was to quickly break through the blockade and return to the Wall of Sighs.

But as his understanding of the battlefield deepened, especially after seeing the enemy's camp layout with his own eyes, Raven completely gave up this idea.

The location of the opponent's camp was chosen very cleverly.

The 20 camps were connected in an oval, completely blocking the path leading to the Wall of Sighs. At the same time, they also grasped the essence of the battle formation. No matter which camp was attacked, the other camps could quickly provide support.

The only way to win now is to confront them head-on.

"Are you all ready?" Raven asked in a low voice.

"Yes, my lord." Hu Xia stood up straight. "Everything has been arranged according to your instructions. Now our camp is in no way inferior to the Sigh Wall!"

This statement is of course exaggerated, but Raven's camp today can indeed be said to be built like a tortoise shell.

The outer perimeter is lined with wooden barricades, 30 meters thick, which were placed during heavy rains. Now most of them have sunk into the mud, and it would not be easy to move them away or break them up.

The camp wall is 4 meters high, and there are 8-meter-high shooting towers inside. Crossbowmen can strike the attacking enemies from a high position without having to worry about the enemy's counterattack.

The crossbowmen chosen this time were auxiliary troops accompanying the army, namely the legions from the counties of Hippocrates and Essex.

"My lord, are you really not going to set up another camp, or let the heavy cavalry go out and set up a camp alone?" Hu Xia asked.

"That's not necessary." Raven shook his head. "You can't expect the same tactics to always work."

"Just like the Wind King, just like the anvil hammer tactics last time, after using it once, you must assume that the opponent has a way to crack it, and then use this as a basis to arrange tactics."

There was a gleam in Hu Xia's eyes.

He followed Raven all day long just to hear these words and enrich the content of his book.

If he hadn't considered Raven, he would have even wanted to take out a pen and paper and start taking notes on the spot.

"Then, my Lord, what tactics do you want to use this time?"

Raven glanced at him and said, "There is no strategy. This battle can only be a head-on confrontation."

After saying that, Raven turned and walked towards the big tent.

Hu Xia bowed respectfully, and after watching Lei Wen's back disappear, he impatiently took out a charcoal pencil and a notebook, and began to write quickly with his left hand, which was wearing four gold rings.

"Before the war began, my Lord once again asked me how to win this war.

It seems that even heroes can get confused.

This makes me feel honored, but also a little troubled.

After all, even a genius like me who is favored by the God of Wisdom cannot come up with brilliant ideas every time.

The tactics from the previous two times are no longer applicable.

This is the consensus reached between me, who possesses an excellent mind, and my Lord, who possesses a keen instinct for war.

'You are all I have, Hu Xia.'

The black-haired man looked at me with sincere admiration in his eyes:
"I know this is unfair to you, but you are the only one among my men who has the wisdom to see through the battle situation."

I need to emphasize again that I am not vain.

It was just Baron Raven's sincere attitude and his unparalleled charm that touched me.

If not, how could a man like me, who possesses incredible wisdom, be willing to serve him?
'My Lord, you have perfected your plans and strategies.'

"Now, you have 1 troops against 20. Any tactics will be useless."

'The only thing I need is...

courage!'

I saw a hint of trance in the man's eyes.

'courage?'

he asked.

"Yes, courage." I nodded, held his somewhat cold hand, and said in a deep voice:
'Draw your sword, my Lord, and cut off all obstacles in your way!'

'With courage in your heart, you will be invincible!'

There were no words of gratitude, no words of encouragement, but at this moment, through those deep eyes, I knew.

I have ignited the fire of war in him!"

Having written this, Hu Xia was satisfied and finished his writing. He read it again twice and felt even more satisfied.

Once this book is released, his name will spread across the entire continent!
"A sage with star-like wisdom, Baron Raven's first think tank, and the smartest person in the empire, Mr. Hu Xia!"

But now, there is still one problem left to be solved.

Hu Xia's gaze fell on the camp of Eivor's army and he suddenly shuddered.

Will I really win this time?
"He will win!" In the central tent of Eivor's camp, Earl Palmer said firmly: "Raven has no chance of winning."

"But the premise is that we two must work together and not give Raven any chance!"

Marquis Faraday said with a gloomy face: "Of course, do you think I would still hide something at this time?"

Military merit is of course the most important thing, but if you can’t win, what’s the point of military merit?
He had clearly experienced Raven's "little tricks".

Although they were on the land of Eivor, Faraday now felt like he was waging a war in a foreign country.

"Correct your attitude, Lord Faraday," Palmer said. "I know you are very angry now, and the same goes for me."

"During this period, I have lost nearly 5000 logistics troops, not to mention the Wolf-Faced Legion."

"It's not that I'm taking advantage of my age, but if we don't keep a calm mindset, we'll probably fall into Raven's trap."

Faraday never liked being preached to, especially when he knew that although Palmer looked old, he was actually only a dozen years older than him.

But facing the current situation, he still suppressed his dissatisfaction.

Nodding, Faraday motioned for Palmer to continue.

"1000 heavy cavalry are Raven's trump card." Earl Palmer pursed his lips and said, "To be frank, both my Wolf-Faced Legion and your Volcano Legion will need to exert their utmost energy to fight against them."

"This time, Raven has decided to adopt a defensive strategy. Facing his long-range attack from a high position, we will definitely suffer considerable losses."

Lord Faraday could understand this.

Raven's fortifications are tight, and those built shooting towers will provide considerable range advantages.

On the other hand, it has just been a rainstorm, and although the storage is relatively tight, the belt of the catapult is still seriously damp, and its elasticity and toughness are far less than before. It will take at least ten days or half a month for it to no longer function.

Adding the two together, even if they have more long-range forces, they will still suffer considerable losses if they want to suppress Raven's long-range forces.

"Raven knows that we are both leading our own armies. If I were him, I would definitely choose one of our two armies to focus on in order to divide us."

"I'm not an idiot, I can think of that too." Faraday frowned.

"Thinking about it is one thing, but whether you can realize it at that time and whether you can control your anger after realizing it is another thing. You should understand what I am saying, right?" Palmer said.

Faraday took a deep breath and wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

He knew what Palmer was hinting at.

These words are both an admonition and a threat.

After the death of the previous Grand Duke, Faraday was also qualified to inherit the throne of Grand Duke, but unfortunately his bloodline was inferior to that of Eivor VIII, and he ultimately failed to be crowned.

In fact, long before that, Faraday knew that it was unlikely that he would inherit the throne of Grand Duke, but this did not prevent him from killing dozens of servants in one breath to vent his anger after learning that he had lost the election.

If he fails to win this battle, Palmer still has a chance to escape unscathed.

As a former candidate for Grand Duke and a thorn in the side of Eivor VIII, Faraday will definitely be used as a scapegoat by Eivor VIII.

This damn old fox!
Cursing inwardly, Marquis Faraday's fat lips trembled twice:

"I understand. I will fully cooperate with you in this war."

"No matter how much the loss is!"

Count Palmer nodded, not intending to push Faraday too hard: "Thank you, Lord Marquis, for considering the overall situation." "Don't worry, I will work with you this time and transfer all the main forces to Raven's side."

"It is enough to leave a legion to watch over the Sighing Wall."

"And once you win, the credit will still be yours."

……

In the blink of an eye, 5 days passed.

The muddy ground finally became dry under the scorching sun.

A long horn pierced the sky, the gates of Eivor's camp opened, and the soldiers poured out and formed up like a swarm of insects.

Even after the losses from the siege, the number of this army still reached 70000.

The blue battle robes were connected into one piece, and it was like a lake appeared out of thin air on the earth.

Quantitative change can always bring about qualitative change.

70000 people, a total of 13 legions, of which the number of long-range troops alone is at least four legions, with a total size of 2 people!
This number is not something that can be contained by just 100 Wind Kings.

Even the firepower composed of these 20000 long-range troops is enough to destroy most legions!
What's more, ahead of them, there were a full 8000 heavily armored soldiers.

There are still more than 3000 members of the Wolf-Faced Legion, and their features are difficult to distinguish at this distance; but the Volcano Legion around them is enough to distinguish the two.

It's not just because the soldiers of the Volcano Legion wear deep red armor like molten lava under their blue uniforms, but also because of the exaggerated weapons in their hands.

Hammers, axes, sickle spears, hook halberds, each one is specially prepared to break through heavy armor.

With the sound of dense drum beats, an army of 70000 men began to move forward.

The footsteps of 70000 people seemed to shake the earth!

Click click click…

On the wall of the village, Hu Xia's teeth chattered against each other and his whole body was trembling.

This was not the first time he had witnessed war. He had also seen the previous battle with Du Duo clearly in the camp.

7 people, only twice as many as Du Duo's army, but the momentum is completely incomparable.

It's simply going to flood and fill up the wilderness!
For a moment, there was only blue in Hu Xia's eyes.

The enemy was getting closer and closer, changing their formation midway, tightly surrounding the entire camp from all directions, and then began to squeeze inwards!
When the battle line approached 100 meters from the village wall, the crossbowmen on the shooting tower began to shoot crossbow arrows.

It was the first time that Hu Xia heard the sound of tens of thousands of crossbows firing at such a close distance.

The dense sounds of crossbow strings snapping together almost burst his eardrums, and then came the crossbow arrows that almost covered the sky.

Some were blocked by the shields, some passed through the gaps in the shields, and some directly shot the shields into pieces.

Blood bloomed on the ground and bodies fell, but the enemy's advance did not stop.

Especially the soldiers of the Wolf-Faced Legion, their heavy armor could withstand the crossbow arrows at a long distance, so they rushed the fastest.

Even when they were close, with feather arrows all over their bodies, they still rushed to the outskirts of the camp at the same speed.

The chevaux de frise had been doused with water beforehand and could not be ignited for a while, so they began to destroy it using the most primitive means.

Hu Xia suddenly realized that his side might not be the protagonist.

At least the other party is not like the villain in the story, who collapses at the first touch.

A low incantation was chanted.

Hu Xia looked back and saw Raven took out the Tree of Life Staff and muttered something.

A burning sensation spread out, and Hu Xia quickly took two steps to the side.

Thick fire elements gathered on Raven's staff.

After chanting the last syllable, Raven raised his staff high, and a streak of pale blue fire rushed into the sky.

If Hu Xia understood Elvish, he would know that the last syllable meant:
"Meteor blast!"

A shadow appeared on the battlefield, and it was getting bigger and bigger!
It was a meteorite that fell from the sky and was as big as a house.

It fell rapidly with a rumbling sound, wrapped in terrifying blue flames, and the tail of flame created layers of fire circles in the air!

That was like a sign of the end of the world!
At this moment, a barrier shining with golden light suddenly appeared above the landing point.

boom--

The meteorite hit the barrier and immediately shattered into pieces, turning into even smaller pieces of flaming stones that scattered around. However, the moment they hit the barrier, they were extinguished one by one, leaving only wisps of green smoke.

"Glorious Guardian, a third-level divine spell." Raven's eyes were somewhat deep:
"It seems that the Church of Light has finally intervened!"

This is not surprising. After all, Thomas is only the Cardinal of the Nord Diocese and the Archbishop of the Eivor Diocese. He probably has his own interests.

"So be it."

Raven leaned his staff against his side but stopped casting spells.

The crowd was too dense, and even though Raven used the Eye of Truth, he was unable to lock onto the divine magician's position.

He had to guard against the methods of the other divine magician.

Aivor's ranged troops finally got within range, and a rain of arrows began to pour into the camp.

"Go down." Lei Wen said to Hu Xia, "I can't protect you in this environment."

Hu Xia originally wanted to play the hero, but when a crossbow arrow brushed past his ear, he immediately shrank back under the village wall.

The auxiliary soldiers on the shooting tower were distracted by the enemy's ranged troops, and the Aivor army began to clear the outer fortifications in an organized manner.

From day till dusk.

Raven did not take action, and the opponent's divine magician never showed up.

When the horn sounded, Eivor's army retreated in an orderly manner, with enough energy to carry away the bodies of their own people.

During that day, even with the shooting tower, more than 700 crossbowmen, who served as auxiliary troops, were killed.

That night, nearly 30 crossbow arrows were collected from the camp and the walls.

Day 2, Day 3…

The Eivor offensive continued, repeating the tactical moves of the first day every day.

And Raven had been standing on the city wall, reaching some kind of wonderful balance with the opponent's divine magician.

Until the 4rd day.

The outer fortifications had been completely destroyed.

But Raven did not intend to confine himself to a certain area.

After three days of attack and defense, the enemy had lost about 3 men.

And Raven has also figured out the combat qualities of the opposing army.

The sun jumped into the horizon and the first rays of morning light fell on the earth.

The four gates of Raven's camp were wide open, and the army poured out and formed a battle formation with their backs to the camp.

In the center is the 4000st Legion of the Eagle Army, consisting of 1 soldiers wearing plate armor.

On the left wing is the 5000-strong 2nd Eagle Army Corps.

On the right wing is the 3000-strong 1st Independent Corps of the Eagle Army.

The eagle battle flag fluttered on the top of the city.

"Raven is inviting a fight." Marquis Faraday said coldly, with a hint of sarcasm in his words:
"He has a better chance of winning if he holds on to the camp."

"This little guy seems to really like poker. The previous two times he played, the winners were all decided in one fight. This time, does he think he can replicate his previous success?"

"This blind self-confidence is exactly the same as that of Du Duo."

"No wonder Duduo's son joined his army."

Lord Palmer put on his helmet:
"If he wants a decisive battle, then let him have a decisive battle."

"Pass my order, the whole army will attack!"

……

(End of this chapter)