Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 404 (402): On the Eve of the Decisive Battle (Please Subscribe)
As August of the new Divine Calendar 314 drew to a close, the war between the four strongest empires of the Old Continent was finally about to reach its climax.

……

Although the Slavic Empire was defeated, with 400,000 legionary soldiers either killed, wounded, or captured, it still managed to tie down three legions of the Habsburg Empire, totaling more than 200,000 troops.

Moreover, because of the martial spirit and expansionist desire in the blood of the Slavs, they showed no intention of backing down.

The country has already conscripted troops twice, intending to launch another war.

This also meant that the three legions stationed by the Habsburg Empire dared not be easily mobilized.

……

The Principality of Mara is an island nation near the New World. Its original inhabitants were the dark-skinned Ragu people, as well as the orc bear and tiger tribes who later migrated there.

Of course, this was still a colony of the Habsburg Empire in the New World.

Although the empire maintained the rule of the natives here, it also stationed a legion of 10,000 men.

This place has the best port and serves as a springboard for the empire's expansion into the New World. Most of the empire's products are dumped into the New World through this port.

However, after the Old World Empires declared war, the Kingdom of Sardinia found an opportunity.

They directly joined forces with the indigenous people and Slavic legions to conquer the area and orchestrated a massacre.

Thus, the decades-long efforts of the Habsburg Empire here were destroyed in an instant.

……

Merida Province, a province in the southeastern part of the Glorious Empire of the New World.

This is the ancestral land of the Aztecs, but due to the large number of people killed, they ceded most of their land.

Thus, humans, winged people, mountain dwarves, and forest elves from the Old World settled here.

However, when the Bonaparte Empire took a liking to this place and continued to infiltrate it, it turned it into a nominal Far Eastern colony of the empire.

You have to understand that everything in the Old World has an owner; if you trace back to your ancestors, you can have a story to tell.

But in the New World, anything is possible!
In the past, during the Age of Exploration and the migration of hundreds of races, countless races poured into the New World. At that time, the major empires of the Old World would not stand idly by.

This province of Mérida was a private reserve of the Bonaparte Empire.

However, when the war began, the Habsburg Empire also made many preparations here.

Similarly, by uniting with the indigenous people and launching a revolutionary war, they completely wiped out the Bonaparte Empire's presence in the area.

Thus, the Bonaparte Empire's centuries of efforts had vanished.

……

From a personal perspective, the Habsburg Empire was not keen to provoke the Kingdom of Sardinia.

This can be seen from the fact that the Empire declared war on the Slavic Empire and the Bonaparte Empire without hesitation, but notably omitted the Kingdom of Sardinia.

The reason is very simple!
Although the Imperial Ironclads were formidable, they couldn't withstand the overwhelming naval power of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which had too many ships to mobilize.

With war raging on two fronts, the Habsburg Empire is already under immense pressure, fighting against two adversaries at once.

If this were a one-against-three situation, even an empire would feel somewhat apprehensive.

However, the Sardinian royal family reacted too swiftly and without leaving any room for maneuver; Her Majesty the Queen directly declared war on the Habsburg Empire.

From the day the war was declared, the queen issued twelve mobilization orders, which were sent to all parts of the kingdom.

The chaos in the Silver Sea did indeed disrupt some of the plans of the Sardinian Kingdom.

The Imperial Ironclads certainly showed the world the power of steel warships, but their numbers were limited, and while they were good at defense, they were not good at offense.

Thus, at least two hundred large warships, day and night, picked up knights and soldiers from all over the Bonaparte Empire and transported them to the province of Alsace.

The Habsburg Empire had a well-developed railway network, which made troop transport and the transportation of logistical supplies quite smooth.

The roads in the Bonaparte Empire were in terrible condition; land transport was a disaster. People and horses ate and ate, and only half of the grain was delivered.

Only after these large warships appeared did the Bonaparte Empire's forces begin to rapidly converge, with supplies and powerful individuals arriving from all over the world in a continuous stream.

It can be said that both sides are desperately gathering troops in Alsace province.

Luo Yi did some calculations based on the information in the newspaper.

The Habsburg Empire dispatched at least five main combat legions and two newly formed mixed legions to the province of Alsace.
Considering that each legion of the empire has a size of over 100,000 people, that's a total of 800,000.

If you add in all sorts of miscellaneous groups, such as mage groups, communications groups, observation groups, naval and air forces, the total number is estimated to exceed one million.

As for the Bonaparte Empire, according to information obtained by Lloyd through Grand Duchess Afra, the country was already in complete chaos.

As the leading hegemon of the Old World, the Bonaparte Empire had remained at its peak for too long, so long that no one could see the decay and corruption beneath its strength.

This battle nearly led to the destruction of the nation and the extinction of its people, but it also brought this once-lofty feudal empire down from its pedestal.

However, it was precisely because the city of Luttia almost fell that the nobles of the empire were frightened.

They couldn't even imagine what would happen if they lost this battle! The Bonaparte Empire was a completely different system, and under the new system, their original rights, interests, and property would absolutely not be retained.

Therefore, at this moment, they acted more actively, even frantically, than anyone else.

They not only handed over their knightly orders, but also recruited soldiers as much as possible.

Their attitude wasn't even to select outstanding soldiers, but to throw people onto the battlefield, even if it meant sacrificing their lives, to fill trenches and consume bullets.

In this situation, their conscription can only be described as 'frenzied'; ship after ship of people were sent to the battlefield, many without even a spear.

However, you cannot deny that this was a total national mobilization of the Bonaparte Empire.

The combined military strength is no less than that of the Habsburg Empire.

And that doesn't even include the war legions sent by the Kingdom of Sardinia.

In other words, this was a massive battle involving more than two million soldiers.

Even if you look back over the history of the Old World, going back thousands of years, you would hardly find anything of this scale.

In late August, the battle between the two sides became increasingly fierce, with various extraordinary legions and new magical machines taking turns to appear, creating quite a spectacle.

But everyone knows that this is just a troop deployment, a prelude to the final battle, an appetizer before the decisive battle.

At this moment, the major empires were like war machines running at full speed, exerting all their strength for the final victory.

At this moment, the entire Old World fell silent. The duchies and kingdoms used almost all their strength to suppress internal contradictions and conflicts.

It's like a few masters having a showdown at their peak, and the people watching below don't even dare to breathe loudly, for fear of angering the masters and being taken down in one fell swoop.

At this moment, everyone is waiting, waiting for the final battle to begin.

Even the Magic Eye Alliance repeatedly adjusted its low-orbit Magic Eye in order to find the best shooting angle and report on the battle as comprehensively as possible.

It must be said that although their fees are high, the service they provide is top-notch.

However, just as Luo Yi was waiting for the final battle, something unexpected happened to him.
A person, an enemy, actually came knocking on our door!
……

That night,

Darkness enveloped the earth.

In what appeared to be an ordinary house, Ang squinted at the person who had come to his door on his own initiative.

This is a middle-aged man with a round belly, a kind smile, a red nose, but clear eyes.

This is the owner of a pub on the street corner, whom everyone likes to call 'Old Tony'. He serves cheap drinks and enough food to fill your stomach.

Every now and then, the owner would take on the role of a bard, playing the harp with three fingers, his hoarse and desolate voice often resonating with many people.

Therefore, the tavern is quite busy, often staying open until three or four in the morning.

Old Tony should be busy until that time before he can rest.

But at this very moment, when the shop is busiest, he appears here, at the heart of the Brotherhood, and in front of Ang.

Ang sat on top, while old Tony stood below. The somber atmosphere lasted for a long time, and the invisible pressure caused the candlelight on both sides to flicker.

Finally, Ang spoke up: "I can't figure out why you came looking for me?"

Old Tony smiled. "I don't believe you didn't discover my identity."

"We found you, but we didn't do anything to you. You should understand what we mean."

"Therefore, I cherish my current life and live it comfortably and happily."

Unfortunately, people like us are destined for a life of instability!

Ang frowned: "But that's not why you came here. Tell me, what is it?"

“Someone wants to see Lord Loy Raymond, and even if I have to identify myself, I still have to complete the mission.”

"Who has that much influence?"

"My lord, the great Duke Carlisle!"

Ang was stunned. He tilted his head slightly and asked, "Did I hear that right?"

"You heard right, it's Grand Duke Carlisle, the same Grand Duke who once visited Flower Territory."

That's right, the last time we met, things didn't go very well.

Therefore, my master hopes this meeting can be more peaceful, and that we can sit down and talk!

After a long silence, Ang finally said, "I need to ask the Earl about this."

"I'm waiting. You should know where to meet me."

"I will let you know once it's confirmed."

　Update complete, no hiccups!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)