Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 478-476: The War Begins (Bonus Chapter 16)

Time flies, and by mid-September of the New Divine Calendar 315, the struggle for supremacy among the four great empires had taken a slight turn.

First came the Gallipoli landings, during which the Kingdom of Sardinia organized several large-scale landings.

At its most intense, even dozens of fourth-tier Heavenly Calamity experts were dispatched to search for landing points along the long coastline.

Relying on their overwhelming military strength and superior troops, they held the advantage and even nearly broke through the defenses and approached the holy city of Istanbul on several occasions.

Unfortunately, the Ottoman Empire displayed unimaginable resilience and determination.

The current king of the Ottoman Empire, having already arranged for a successor, personally went to the battlefield.

Although he lacked real strength and might even attract assassins, there was no doubt that this greatly boosted morale!

If the king was not afraid of death, how much less would his men be? The soldiers of the Ottoman Kingdom displayed a desperate spirit, launching an incredibly fierce counterattack.

Even the powerful warriors supported by the kingdom launched counterattacks one after another, displaying a madness that seemed to say, "If I die, I'll take someone down with me."

One side is the Allied Forces, which are passive and expect the other to charge forward, while the other side is fearless of death. The result is obvious.

Of course, all of this was inseparable from the support of the Habsburg Empire.

In particular, the Empire provided a great deal of field artillery support on land, and often a barrage of artillery fire before a counterattack could greatly reduce the pressure on the Kingdom's field armies.

In the Aegean Sea, the Empire's magical submarines are known for their unpredictable and elusive nature.

Everyone knows there's a huge creature underwater, and they even send out strong individuals to observe it beforehand, but it's no use!
No, it's useless!
Often, if two warships are destroyed here today, another warship will be blown up to the sky a hundred miles away tomorrow.

The rumors were so numerous and confusing that the Sardinian naval minister was completely unable to make a judgment.

Finally, one of the staff officers offered a simple, yet even more frustrating, guess: there were not one, but two magic submarines.

Otherwise, you cannot explain its unimaginable speed; it's simply impossible.

In any case, with the combined efforts of the Empire and the Ottoman Kingdom, Sardinia's battle for proof was fought rather poorly.

If it weren't for the fact that Her Majesty the Empress was still unwilling to give up, it would probably have ended long ago.

As for the Habsburg Empire, although they defeated the Slavs, killed 200,000 people, and captured countless prisoners.

They directly occupied Galicia province, and the Caucasus region was about to fall under their control, but they couldn't continue fighting.

The Slavic Empire was known for its vast territory, sparse population, and harsh environment. Now that it has won a large amount of territory, what does it matter?

If we advance any further, we will be penetrating deep into the interior of the Slavic Empire. This would lengthen the battle lines, make supplies difficult to keep up, require more troops, and consume a great deal of energy.

If things go wrong and it drags on into winter, the extreme cold alone will give the empire a headache.

Imperial soldiers could wear more clothes to keep warm, but the cold wind from the far north could freeze even steel into ice shards, rendering magical weapons unusable.

The Eastern Front was like a chicken rib – tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away.

This is also why the Tsar was so calm; they had enough depth and geographical advantage, so they weren't really afraid.

On the Empire's side, after occupying Galicia province, they consciously slowed down their attacks and switched to a defensive phase.

More troops were drawn to the western front, with the aim of organizing a larger-scale campaign to annihilate the main force of the Bonaparte Empire.

In fact, from a tactical perspective, the Empire won a major victory on the Eastern Front, with frequent reports of triumphs.

Strategically speaking, however, it still hasn't escaped the quagmire of fighting on two fronts, east and west.

It is worth mentioning that the Ottoman Kingdom set a precedent, and now more kingdoms and duchies are taking the initiative to restore diplomatic relations with the Empire.

They didn't mention matters of faith either; the struggle between the seven gods and the sun god for believers had nothing to do with secular royal power.

They only cared about receiving industrial and mechanical support from the empire.

They don't need to go through the flower-giving process; they can do more with less money, so why not?

The Empire was pleased and willing to share some of its technology, and even reach support programs and trade agreements.

The empire's territory is only so big, and its resources are limited. It's already stretched thin, so it's happy to provide support with machinery and technology in exchange for the minerals, magical materials, and so on it.

More importantly, the Empire could use this method to dismantle the alliance of the coalition forces and cause them to lose trust in each other.

In a short period of time, five or six more kingdoms and more than a dozen duchies restored diplomatic relations with the empire. The empire was no longer the reckless brute that had fought alone against the world.

Even so, the Allied high command and the Vatican still couldn't come up with any effective solutions!
In the past, a single order from the Vatican would have been enough to make them back down.

But now that faith and magical machinery are separated, so what's wrong with me establishing diplomatic relations and learning the technology?
What the three great empires can do, we can't do?

These factors alone left the Papacy speechless, while the three great empires sensed an impending crisis.

The skills they could learn were passed down from the flower-loving leader, who himself was caught in the vortex of war.

Meanwhile, other kingdoms and duchies have the time and energy to develop their industries. What will happen when one gains and the other loses?
The king has lost his throne, and now all the heroes are vying for it?!
This is definitely not something they want to see.

At this point, taking complete control of Flower Territory and acquiring those magical machinery and industrial talents would be even more valuable and imperative.

In an instant, everyone's attention fell on this proxy war!
……

September 16, 315 of the New Divine Calendar
Moonlight Castle, to the north.

On the vast plains, the two armies were already locked in a fierce confrontation.

To the north, the camp was neatly arranged, heavily fortified, and had dug trenches that were winding and of unknown length and depth.

Even when facing the three marquises, the necessary preparations still needed to be made. Luo Yi did not underestimate the enemy, nor did her subordinates.

In the center of the camp, the lion banner fluttered high in the wind, seemingly representing the boundless fighting spirit of the Imperial Guard. Even though there were only six thousand men here!
Okay, there are tens of thousands of Imperial Guards, but Flower Territory is also very large, and Luo Yi cannot transfer all of his troops here.

Whether it's Siren Harbor, Frostmoon Canyon, or even Brussels, a sufficient number of troops and strong warriors must be stationed there.

Therefore, in the end, only six thousand soldiers were transferred here.

On the opposite side, to the south, several miles away,
Against the backdrop of Moonlight Castle, there are endless camps, colorful flags fluttering in the wind, countless nobles gathered, and knights as numerous as the forest, their numbers extremely exaggerated.

In fact, the three marquises truly did not hold back in their efforts for this battle.

Each of them had gathered more than 20,000 troops, and even conducted the most basic screening before they came.

Those who were clearly farmers and had not undergone full militia training were all dismissed and sent back.

The rest are all considered elites.

All three factions had a combined force of over 60,000 troops, claiming to be a hundred thousand strong, which was truly ten times the strength of the Flower Territory.

This may also be why they dared to launch a decisive battle.

Of course, the most eye-catching people in this camp are the knights, or the knightly orders.

Especially those of earldom and above, who are quite powerful, will more or less maintain a knightly order of varying sizes.

Under the command of the three marquises, there are more than ten earls. If you count carefully, there are more than ten knightly orders gathered together, which is a force to be reckoned with.

Among them was an acquaintance of Roy's, the Wild Boar Knights, and Viscount Zoe Evans of the Wild Boars.

This one is no weakling; his knights ride wild boars and are quite powerful.

Of course, there are many more monster mounts besides wild boars.

Big-footed sheep, elk, and six-legged horses are among the most common, but there are also powerful magical beasts such as wyverns, eagles, and griffins.

There were just too few of them, and they were too disorganized, making it feel like a zoo.

At dawn, the three marquises began to deploy their troops. Although the number of troops was considerable, they were scattered and their efficiency was somewhat slow.

Then, after it had taken shape, another messenger was sent to the front lines to deliver a message.

"Earl Raymond, the three marquesses invite you to a meeting before the battle!"

"Earl Raymond, the three marquesses invite you to a meeting before the battle!"

A knight stood there, shouting in a voice brimming with fighting spirit. How could Roy not hear him?!

He was a little curious and didn't know why these three people wanted to see him, but after a little thought, he agreed.

This choice was made based on his own formidable strength; even if all three marquises were tied together, they wouldn't be enough for him to defeat with one hand.

Roy spurred his horse forward, not allowing anyone to follow, and leisurely made his way to the center of the battlefield.

Upon seeing this, the knight immediately turned his horse around and galloped back to his own camp.

Once he entered the position, three riders soon emerged from the crowd and slowly approached.

And so, in the center of the battlefield, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the four powerful nobles of the Duchy of Normandy met.

Perched atop their horses, the four men gazed at each other in silence. Luo Yi's expression remained indifferent, as if the war had no effect on him whatsoever.

The three marquises, however, looked much more haggard, clearly having not slept well for a long time.

Luo Yi asked, "Why do you want to see me?"

The challenge has already been issued, I don't think we have anything else to say!

Marquis Theron Carlisle said, "Count Roy, would you believe me if I said this battle was not what we wanted?"

"Believe!"

Luo Yi nodded without hesitation: "But what good is it if I believe you? We'll still end up on the battlefield."

I won't hold back in the slightest just because I believe you!

Marquis McKinley chimed in, "If you believe me, that's good. If you believe me, at least it doesn't mean we've completely broken off relations."

Marquis Castro also said, "This is the most unprofitable deal I've ever made, but I dare not refuse to do it."

"You can also choose not to listen to them?"

"That would only lead to a worse death. At least we can preserve some of our strength now."

Marquis Seron gave a wry smile and said, "If a fight breaks out later, I hope Your Excellency will show mercy and not kill too many people!"

"Heh heh heh, you're already giving up before even fighting. How can you face the knights and soldiers below?"

"If I could, I wouldn't want to bring them here."

"But you still came."

After a few words, Luo Yi lost interest in the conversation and said directly, "Since you're here, let's have a fight and settle things once and for all. That way, your master will finally give up!"

After saying this, he rode back, leaving the three marquises with helpless, bitter smiles.

Moments later, the sounds of drums and horns resounded throughout the land, while artillery fire and shouts of battle filled the air.

The war has finally begun.

(End of this chapter)