Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 481, page 479: The Intervention of Three Great Empires (Bonus Chapter 17)

Deep within Moonlight Fortress.

A magic mirror stood before them, its image frozen in time: Luo Yi holding the sacred flame high, while a host of natural disasters fled in panic.

Beneath the sea of ​​clouds, one can still see the brutality of the battlefield, with severed limbs and piles of corpses.

And countless Imperial Guards cleaned up the battlefield, escorted prisoners, and searched for survivors.

The angle of this scene was just right, like a world-famous painting, making the three marquises look embarrassed and bitter.

After a long silence, Lord McKinley said, "We...we've lost!"

His voice was filled with resentment!

Marquis Carlisle forced a smile: "That's how it should be, isn't it?"

"What does 'it should be this way' mean? Why should it be this way? What is there to 'it should be this way'?"

Marquis Castro jumped up, his voice growing louder and louder: "Just a little bit more, just a tiny bit more, and we could have turned defeat into victory and gained even more."

"Did we sacrifice so much just to fail like this?"

"I refuse to accept this! I refuse to accept this! Has my Castro family never made such a losing deal?!"

"So what are you going to do? Charge out and fight that bastard? Are you sure the three of us tied together can beat him with just one hand?"

"Of course, even if you wanted to go, I wouldn't want to. I don't want to lose my life here."

Normally, the Marquis of Carlisle would be the most extreme and impulsive, but today, he displayed the most calm and rationality among the three.

"In the end, we are just a pretext to legitimize the coalition leadership's follow-up plans."

We only fought so hard because we were unwilling to accept defeat. Now that we've lost, it's time to get everything back on track.

Lord McKinley finally spoke up: "Is there really no way at all?"

Marquis Carlisle remained silent for a long time before saying, "I once asked the Grand Duke above me about this issue, and his answer was—this is no longer something a Grand Duke can control!"

"Today, I'll also say this to you: this is no longer something we have the right to control."

If you can be a good pawn, you can still live, and your family can continue its lineage.

Otherwise, despite the Allied forces' repeated defeats in the war against the Empire, they could easily defeat us with the flick of a finger!

Upon hearing this, the two marquises seemed to have been completely drained of their energy, collapsing into their chairs with expressions of utter despair.

After a long silence, Marquis Castro said, "Then send a message, imploring Her Majesty the Great Queen to intervene and win this war of nobles for us!"

"I must pledge my loyalty to His Majesty the Tsar."

"Hahaha, don't I benefit the most? All I have to do is return to my clan?"

A moment later, the established communication magic circle activated, and the three letters requesting assistance were sent to their intended destinations.

……

the other side,
Outside Moonlight Castle, the war is over.

The soldiers of the Imperial Guard were also exhausted and hungry after intense fighting and a forced march.

The chefs are preparing food: freshly baked bread, rich broth, various roasted meats, and steamed dishes, all exuding an enticing aroma from the spices.

Countless people had already started lining up, drooling, waiting for the distribution.

Another bustling place was the medical station.

War always results in casualties, and wounded soldiers will receive proper medical treatment here.

Apothecaries, potion makers, and even priests are all here, and from time to time, holy light falls to soothe the pain.

It is worth mentioning that, in addition to the soldiers of the Flower Territory, a number of wounded members of the three major marquis families were also treated.

Those with minor injuries, who could recover with simple bandaging and some herbal medicine, were all admitted.

As the saying goes, the living are always more valuable than the dead.

Thanks to the rapid development of the Flower Territory, many industries have experienced labor shortages. Although magical machinery requires magic to operate, there are still some handling and loading/unloading jobs that ordinary people can do.

As a result, for the residents of Flower Territory, finding a job to support themselves and even their families is not difficult.
Moreover, the corresponding benefits and salaries are gradually increasing.

Those jobs that are tiring and arduous are naturally disliked.

For example, railway construction workers and mine excavators are in short supply.

Loy had no intention of releasing the prisoners; instead, he threw them all into the mines and the railroad company.

It's worth mentioning that Flower Collar has actually done this quite often, but the management isn't strict, and there aren't many people who run away.

The reason is simple: although life is tough, Loy promised them freedom after ten years.

In addition, they also receive a wage for their regular work.

Although it's only a third of the salary of a regular employee, it's still a salary, plus three meals a day with plenty of food, so there aren't many people willing to run away.

Although it promotes the magic energy industry and encourages the birth and expansion of capitalists, Loy doesn't indulge them.

He was relatively ahead of his time in implementing various rules and regulations, such as basic salary regulations, and even environmental protection.

He wants entrepreneurs who can grow alongside the flower industry, not big capitalists who would sell everything for profit.

The Imperial Guard soldiers began to rest, but the battlefield never stopped. The transport convoy's magic-powered heavy trucks brought in a large number of personnel and supplies from the rear.

Organized and arranged by Hoover's steward, some began to clean up the battlefield, collect the corpses, dig graves, and then invite priests to hold a ritual of salvation.

Only corpses that have been baptized by holy light can avoid being exploited by certain liches or necromancers.

Otherwise, such a large mass grave would inevitably become their training ground, causing disaster.

Another group began rebuilding the camp, with fences, gates, tents, and banners all needing to be erected again.

The three marquises have already lost most of their troops, and there is no chance of a counterattack, so there is no need to dig this trench.

However, artillery positions still need to be set up.

Moonlight Castle is just a small town with not particularly strong walls and no geographical advantage. At most, it would only take a few rounds of artillery fire to breach the walls.

At that time, heavy machine guns will provide suppression, and the soldiers will complete their charge, breaking into the city and then engaging in street fighting in small squads to clear out the enemy.

The Imperial Guard has conducted numerous simulations of all of the above. Although this is their first real-world exercise, the results are sure to be quite good.

Of course, this is contingent on the three marquises having a strong determination to resist.

Otherwise, if they just run away after a few rounds of shelling, then the soldiers won't have a chance to prove themselves.

However, in any case, that will have to wait until tomorrow.

In their first real battle, the Imperial Guard soldiers were somewhat unaccustomed to their surroundings, and instances of overexertion were commonplace.
They need time to rest, recover, reflect, and then undergo a complete transformation.

Once they complete their transformation, they will be qualified veterans, sufficient to form the foundation for the Raymond family's rule.

In any case, thanks to thorough preparation, the post-war work proceeded smoothly and without any worries for Loy.

Meanwhile, Luo Yi, inside the newly erected tent, led a group of people in a post-battle debriefing.

A huge sand table was placed in the center of the camp, depicting the terrain and landforms centered around Moonlight Castle.

To the north is the Flower Ridge, adorned with many red flags, representing their side.

Further south, including Moonlight Castle, blue flags were planted everywhere, representing the enemy.

The sand table was surrounded by a large group of people, each one exuding a sharp and capable aura; they were all commanders of various ranks from the Imperial Guard.

Further out, in one corner of the camp, a group of fourth-tier Heavenly Calamity experts were gathered.

Some of them were very interested and turned their attention here, most of them being combatants.

Others, such as Lady Palacios and several other magicians, were not interested in war.

They either read books or close their eyes and drift into a shallow meditation.

The one who spoke at this moment was not Lloyd, but Alfonso Zeke, the former Grand Knight Commander who specialized in warfare.

He stood in front of the sand table, his voice booming: "In this battle, we won a great victory, but a small part of the credit goes to the soldiers' desperate fighting, while the majority is due to the Earl's wise command."

"Don't be unconvinced. If you analyze it carefully, those three marquises really did make thorough preparations."

"The power of magical weapons is well-known in the Old World, but it would be a grave mistake to think that equipping them would allow one to look down on enemies."

"Those three legendary spells almost completely destroyed all our previous preparations."

In other words, the Earl issued a timely order to retreat, avoiding their sharp edge, and there was also a second line of defense that had been built up earlier.

Otherwise, a direct confrontation with the seismic waves would result in heavy casualties, and facing the Knights' charge would mean the loss of tens of thousands of soldiers, whom they had painstakingly trained.

"Therefore, I must tell you that war is not child's play. Just because you have the best magical weapons does not mean you are invincible."

The power of magic should not be underestimated, and the power of the strong is even more terrifying.

Times are changing, but power is power, and we must approach it with reverence.

These words caused the surrounding commanders to lower their heads. But it was the truth; they were too proud to care about the traditional knightly order.

In Luo Yi's view, this pride is necessary, as it is a guarantee of morale, but when doing specific tasks, one must humble oneself and remain vigilant.

These words were spoken by Loy through Alfonso!

Just then, a communications soldier rushed into the tent, his steps hurried, and he walked anxiously to Luo Yi, handing her the latest intelligence.

"Your Excellency, this is from Lion Manor. Lord Ang requested that it be delivered to you as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, the camp fell silent, and everyone, whether from natural disasters or extraordinary beings, turned their gazes toward it.

Luo Yi slowly took it, unfolded it, her expression shifting slightly, and examined it carefully for a very long time.

Finally, Otto, the Flame Sword Saint, could no longer contain himself and asked, "My Lord, what has happened?"

"The Castro family pledged allegiance to the Queen of Sardinia, while the McKinley family groveled at the feet of His Majesty the Tsar."

The Carlisle family also announced their return to their ancestral home within the Bonaparte Empire.

"Then, each of the three families sought help from their respective superior nobles, requesting their intervention in this noble war."

"And the three royal families have already agreed."

"Heh, what was bound to happen has finally happened."

(End of this chapter)