Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords.

Chapter 394 War begins

This time when gathering in the East Territory, Levi did not bring all the warriors of High Cliff Castle. He only brought the Blood Boiling Beasts Regiment, the East Wind Archer Griffin Regiment, the Black Slave Squadron, the Thousand-Man Servant Regiment and Volebear's Immortal Thunder Squadron, and the rest all stayed behind in the base camp.

Putting aside the non-staff Magic Corps, the number of regular warriors is around 5,300. Add in the miscellaneous cooks and auxiliary soldiers, and the number has jumped to tens of thousands. It is a medium-sized legion among all the countries and has the ability to conduct a battle alone.

Therefore, it was appointed by the Governor-General as a combat unit and was able to have independent autonomy in the true sense.

Although it is already June, the weather is still cold. Except for the barbarians in Gaoya Fort who are as strong as iron towers and have bare arms, the rest of the cooks and auxiliary soldiers have to compromise by wearing warm woolen sweaters and sheepskin hats.

As we left the core area of ​​the North, we passed some villages on the road. The farmers had sunken eyes and were skinny. Some women even stood on the roadside, openly soliciting customers. The only expression on their faces was the most instinctive desire to survive.

Occasionally, you can see corpses being eaten by crows on the sides of the road.

"Master, please give us something to eat, just a piece of bread, and you can do whatever you want." The women did not dare to confront the marching army and could only pray at the edge of the camp after they were stationed.

The disciplined soldiers of Gaoyabao just glanced at it coldly and paid no more attention.

Only the old civilian auxiliary soldiers felt a little bit sorry and wanted to help these women who were trying to survive, but when they met the cold eyes of the bear sentinels, they instantly gave up the idea.

"This horrible weather has destroyed so many crops and caused so many civilians to starve to death." Sikai lamented.

You have to know that this is the northern border, which was thriving under the management of Duke Florina. However, due to the continuous heavy snow in recent years, it is almost impossible to grow crops in the fields. Many farmers have sold their children and even sent their wives to brothels just to get something to eat.

After leaving Gaoya Castle, he suddenly realized that there were very few places as prosperous as Gaoya Castle.

There were no people starving or freezing to death in High Cliff Castle, not even prostitutes. The only slaves were the enemies who once intended to destroy High Cliff Castle.

"If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world." Levi patted the knight's shoulder and said a Far Eastern proverb that Sikai could barely understand.

At present, the lord is only capable of managing his own little piece of land, and does not have much ability to take care of other things.

Faced with these refugees begging for survival, they could only ask them to help build the camp and then give them a certain amount of food as a reward. Of course, it was also necessary to publicize the kindness of the Lord of High Cliff Castle.

This method of using work for relief greatly impressed the earth elf staff. It not only avoided some unnecessary troubles, but also promoted the reputation of Highcliff Castle.

"Even if this war is fought with blood flowing and bones strewn all over the ground, the number of deaths is probably not as many as the number of people who starved to death in this strange natural disaster."

The Lord gave his closing remarks.

In fact, many scholars have studied this sudden white disaster that covered the entire Derby and even affected neighboring countries, but none of them could give a qualitative definition and could only define it as a cyclical disaster like the ebb and flow of the tide.

……

The boring journey finally came to an end.

Only twenty miles away from Stormwind, the main city of the East, this castle built on the coast is surrounded by bare plains. Therefore, this wasteland naturally became a huge camp. Armies from all over the country gathered here, waiting for the order to attack.

If the number of people exceeds 10,000, it would feel boundless, not to mention that the number of people here has reached 200,000!
Arriving at the outskirts of the huge camp, there was a wide road underfoot that was wide enough for three carriages to run side by side. Countless carriages carrying baggage were running on it. Looking beyond these carriages, at the end were rows of white tents, arranged in an orderly manner.

I don't know how many soldiers and officers were moving around inside, but everything seemed to be in good order.

From this we can see that the commander is definitely an experienced veteran, otherwise just arranging food, accommodation and transportation for these 200,000 people would be a mess.

"I must find this commander to have a talk when I get a chance." The earth spirit said with deep feeling. As a military aide, he knew very well that it was quite difficult to manage different legions in such an orderly manner.

"I would be happy to communicate with Lord Leighton."

A laugh drew the attention of everyone in Highcliff Castle to the main gate of the camp. A dozen dignified officers and nobles were striding out. Leading the way was none other than Governor Bernard, who had visited Highcliff Castle in person last time.

"I have long heard of your wisdom. It is a rare gain for me to be able to communicate with such a wise man." Governor Bernard came in front of the few people, as if he were an old friend who had not seen each other for many days, without any polite words.

Bernard had great respect for this aide of Highcliff Castle and the chief of staff of the Burning Legion, because being able to become the aide of the lord of Highcliff Castle was already a testament to his own talent.

Even a three-year-old knows that dragons only travel with dragons.

"You don't have to be so polite, Governor. Compared to you, I am just a child who has just learned to speak." The earth elf was extremely humble.

"Lord Levi, I have prepared the camp for you. My servants will lead the way for you brave warriors." Bernard smiled slightly and said nothing more. He turned his gaze to the lord next to him.

This person is the real boss, and the reason why this group of senior officers personally went out of the camp to greet him.

The legendary warrior, the Dragon Knight... this proud son of the northern province, the rising star that suddenly emerged in Debe, the military of any country can be said to be salivating over him, and Bernard is no exception. You know, just by standing there, the morale of the ordinary soldiers can be raised to an unprecedented high.

I'm afraid no wise general would refuse such a stabilizing force.

The arrival of the other party has attracted the attention of some soldiers. Even some patrolling cavalry stopped and stared at their idol intently.

The lord was always extremely lenient and generous towards his admirers, and he never hesitated to show them a kind smile, which made the knights hold their heads high, fearing that they would leave a bad impression.

"Lord Levi has traveled a long way. We have prepared a banquet for you. Please follow me." Bernard waved his white-gloved hand. Four tall fighting knights walked out from behind him. The team from High Cliff Castle followed them to their own base. They headed to the big tent in the center.

As soon as I entered the tent, before I had time to see the furnishings clearly, a warm air flow hit me in the face, and the collision with the cold air outside was not eliminated until the heavy door curtain was lowered.

As the tents used by high-ranking military officers and nobles who commanded 200,000 people for ordinary meetings or banquets, even if they were temporary residences, they were extremely luxurious.

The floor is covered with goose down carpets embroidered with exquisite patterns. Walking on it is so soft that it feels like walking in the clouds. Inside, there are mahogany tables carved with clouds and patterns, and golden plates and jade pots are placed on them. The murals used as decoration are also very expensive.

What really surprised the lord was that even when they were marching and fighting, there were quite a few maids in the tents. All of them had graceful figures and beautiful faces, and they were standing beside each table acting as wine waiters.

The nobles immediately placed several tables side by side in the main seats and enthusiastically surrounded the lord.

"Lord Levi, please wait a moment. There is another distinguished guest who has not arrived yet..." As soon as Bernard finished speaking, a beautiful figure walked in from outside the door with the cold wind.

It was Leah, the Duke of the Southern Territory, whom I had met in Cologne a month ago.

"Now everyone is finally here, let's begin the banquet." Governor Bernard clapped his hands and a smile appeared on his face.

Leah naturally walked to the side of the Lord, sat down with her round buttocks, patted the back of the Lord's hand with her small hand, and whispered: "Levi, I thought it would take a few days for me to see you."

The Duke of the Southern Territory was dressed in a neat suit of breeches and leather armor, and his beautiful face made the maids envious.

"In fact, if I hadn't been delayed on the way, I would have arrived earlier than now." Levi smiled.

"This gentleman is Lord Levi, Lord of High Cliff Castle. He is well-known and I believe you all know him. I will not introduce him in detail." Governor Bernard began to introduce the personnel. He quickly glanced at the famous lord and set his sights on Leah: "This is the new Duke of the South, Miss Leah..."

"This is General Mandela, this is the General of the West, this is the General of the North, this is the General of the East..."

Bernard introduced the generals of the other three provinces' participating legions to the nobles and officers present one by one.

The old Duke of the West did not lead his troops in person because he was too old to endure the long journey, so he sent his son to serve as the leading general.

Florina couldn't come because she was busy with work, so she only sent one of her trusted confidants.

As for the Duke of the East, he is probably currently busy with the attack on Stitch Port.

"Lord Bernard, I don't know how the kingdom arranges its battle plan. Port Sterch is now under attack. What is the specific situation? How is the plan arranged?"

Leah looked at the Governor calmly and asked the core question directly.

"The specific plan that His Majesty and his staff gave me is this: Miss Leah and Lord Levi need to lead troops to support Port Sterchi and help Lord Duke of Rhine defend the port, while Lord Tofi and Lord Dilu..." Bernard pointed to the generals of the participating legions in the West and North respectively: "...the two lords will lead soldiers to seize the islands next to Port Sterchi, thereby clamping down on the Persian Gulf Empire fleet."

Everyone nodded, this was a relatively conventional arrangement.

"As for the situation..." Bernard hung a huge parchment map on the wall behind him, "Please take a look..."

Bernard pointed at the location of Sterch Port and their current station with the tip of a round eagle-head stick, and then moved to the only small island in the vast ocean in front of Sterch Port:
"After the scouts have been investigating day and night for the past few days, we have received news from the front line."

"The Persian Gulf Empire's fleet captured this military island six days ago and deployed nearly 10,000 troops on it, threatening our fleet around Debe. We are unable to cross the island's defense line and go around the rear of their main fleet."

"The situation in Port Stitch is very bad. The enemy's naval guns are extremely powerful. The Duke of Rhine cannot stop the enemy on the sea. He has now retreated to the castle. The two sides are engaged in a fierce battle to defend the city. The fight is fierce."

The lord took a careful look at the terrain. Sterch Port was located on a beach, the real castle was ten miles behind it, and there was an island on the sea in front of Sterch Port. Normally, it was the bridgehead of Sterch Port. It not only served as a lighthouse to guide merchant ships, but also as an outpost to resist pirates. However, this important position was now occupied by the enemy.

"Then Governor, what is the composition of the enemy's military force?" After all, Leah had followed the lord south before, and she was an educated noble lady. She must know the most basic military knowledge, and asked the question that everyone wanted to know most.

"The enemy has three Mamluk battleships equipped with magic cannons, eighteen iron-hulled cruisers, and about 120,000 people, composed of Unsullied warriors and blood warriors. In particular, they also have..." Governor Bernard became serious when he said this: "...Medusa priests, these snake priestesses are born with a spell that can petrify people. Many of our brave fighting knights were turned into hard stone statues because they underestimated the enemy."

He sighed. It was because of these snake priestesses that the front line suffered repeated defeats.

"Will you turn into a stone statue just by looking at them?" the lord asked curiously.

After all, Medusa is a frequent character in knight novels. She possesses the ability to petrify even gods. The ending is usually that she is moved by the protagonist and eventually repays the protagonist with her body and soul.

"That's not so unreasonable. They also need magic to cast spells and chant. It's just that the powerful Medusa priests can cast spells silently, so that people think they will be petrified if they look at them." Bernard waved his hand: "But His Majesty has sent court mages to assist us. They will deal with this group of Medusas."

"Since we are so well prepared, I believe we can open the champagne in advance." The Lord smiled slightly, "Then why are we still sitting here? When are we going to set off? My dear Governor."

Every extra second spent here means one less experience pack on the front line, which is something the lord cannot tolerate at all.

You know, for Gaoyabao, the biggest benefit of fighting a war is always that it allows soldiers to upgrade and become stronger. On the contrary, the prestige and money brought by the war are ranked second.

Because my neighbors store grain, I store troops there; my neighbors are my granary.

(End of this chapter)