Warhammer

Without eliminating Matoka, there would be no chance for the big warlords to establish a country in the border areas.

Moreover, Matoka is located right on the route that the greenskins must take to the east. The dwarf fleet controls the sea power of the Blackwater River. Even if Gao Maoliang chooses Aiur's method and intends to withdraw his troops to the badlands after looting to plan the next expedition, Matoka is still a thorn that must be removed.

Chapter 200: Second Assault on Mao Liang

So while the Black Rock Castle coalition forces were advancing triumphantly.

The attack on Haimen Pass was fruitless, and Mao Liang's army, which had broken into the border prince's territory and caused chaos, was also in their "rear". After changing direction, they repeated the previous "pig-rushing storm".

No matter what choice is made, Matoka must be taken down by Mao Liang to serve as a warning to others and to clear away the obstacles.

Therefore, after capturing Mirmiden and learning of Matoka's "rebellion" in the rear, the warlord did not hesitate at all, and the war gang barely had any rest - for the greenskins, fighting is the best stimulant.

Immediately change direction and head north towards Matoka.

It came with the victory of "destroying" Mirmidon, and sent messengers to announce to all the city-states that had succumbed to the greenskins:

The warlord's own magnanimous promises always count.

This time, we will only slaughter people in Matoka, and not spare the city!

If anyone is discovered trying to contact the Matoka or provide support, they will be considered as accomplices in the rebellion and will be killed!

It used a tough attitude to threaten those city-states that were not stable because Matoka summoned the empire's end and seemed to be ready to move.

The latter was also temporarily relieved because the Imperial Heavenly Troops were still on the way and the news of the Greenskins' victory in the Battle of Mirmidon was reported. If they wanted to rebel against the Greenskins, of course, they had to wait until the situation became clear.

At least... the Empire's army has reached Sol Fortress and Blackfire Pass, right?

It’s best when it’s not far from my doorstep.

But in short, the Matoka people kept sending envoys to try to persuade other border principalities and city-states to join them in resisting the greenskins. Their plan to instigate a border uprising failed. Their only way was to win this battle on the battlefield where the enemy had a huge disparity in strength, so as to avoid being slaughtered and burned.

We are not stupid.

When the greenskins attack you are the first to throw.

Mao Liang's successful victory over the Matoka people led by the border prince should be credited with at least three points of credit, as they made a good start.

You have "revolted" now, and when the greenskins fight back, you want your buddies standing in front of you to "resist to the end" with you. What were you doing before?

As the first city to rise up, Matoka undoubtedly attracts Gao Maoliang's attention, and the greenskins' firepower will certainly all be poured towards it. At this time, any other principality that chooses to "support" the Matoka people is not called "support", that is called being cannon fodder and meat shield for the Matoka people, standing in front of them to withstand the greenskins' output and die for them.

Even the Principality of Akendorf, the only one among the Border Princes that had not yet surrendered to the Greenskins but had not raised the flag of calling on the border to resist the Greenskins, also hid itself at this time, pretending not to see the impending battle in the west and ignoring the Matoka's request for military support.

After Emperor Justinian won a great victory in the Blackfire Pass during his southern expedition, causing the princes of the border princedoms to "give up their princely titles and abolish the duchy system", turning them into fragmented city-state "duchys". Akhendorf and Mirmidon, one in the east and one in the west, became the only two remaining border powers that can still be officially called "duchys" because of their geographical location and because they had to deal with the threat of greenskins and because they have always been the leaders of the border.

Akendorf is located south of the Blackfire Pass, close to the dwarf territory. To the southwest is the Seagate Pass, and to the east through the Mirkwood is the Silver Road. It is also not far from the Eternal Peak, so there is actually no need to worry about the greenskins attacking.

Because the dwarf neighbors will definitely help.

But to be honest, it is unwise to offend a green-skinned warlord who doesn't seem to be crazy and only wants to chop people and be chopped, especially when he is at the peak of his power.

Moreover, Akendorf was disgusted by the Matoka people's act of asking for imperial reinforcements in exchange for "surrendering land".

As mentioned earlier, the Principality of Akendorf is located south of the Blackfire Pass. It has always made its fortune through customs trade and being the first stop for immigrants heading south, and its size is not small.

The relationship with the empire is very close. Historically, the ruling princes would try to find a noble family in the empire to rely on, even if they did not have any.

But never!

Never! I have never thought of joining the Empire and becoming a member of the Sigma Empire.

Their territory is not small, but unless they take over Matoka, Bofus, Basov, Moslak and other places and unify the geographical "Eastern Border Territory", their size will definitely not be comparable to even the smallest electorate in the empire, and the Halfling Mut Territory is not included.

The empire's deeply rooted traditional electoral system will never allow newcomers to join in and share their power.

After being incorporated into the empire, there are only three possibilities:

One, become a free city like Marienburg, but Achendorf is far less financially and important than Marienburg, so this option is basically impossible.

Second, the treatment of colonies, which were governed by governors and officials appointed from the country;

3. It could be directly incorporated into the neighboring Iverland, or taken over by Reikland as an enclave and directly ruled;

Either way, Akendorf could not accept it.

The Border Princes are right on the edge of the Empire. After the Battle of Blackfire Pass, when the greenskins and monsters of the Old World declined completely due to the rise and fall of civilization, this important corridor has become very stable, with frequent traffic between the north and the south. If they wanted to annex the Empire, they would have done so long ago. Both the Savior Karl and Emperor Justinian have exerted influence on the South, and neither of them has allowed the Border Princes to ask for submission to the Empire.

Now that the Matoka people have come up with such a thing, it is very disgusting. Theoretically, it is really in Akendorf, which is on the edge of the empire.

The imperial army is coming to "protect the territory" and wants to pass through the border. Can they refuse?

Let them go, beat back the greenskins, and stay there. Then, use Matoka as an anchor to continuously increase influence on the border. Then, if this place annexs the border today and that place annexs the border tomorrow, wouldn't it be possible for us to rule the border province openly?

What's more, if Big Brother is unreasonable this time and simply leaves a "garrison" in Akendorf when the army passes through, can Mrs. Akendorf still use force to expel the imperial army?

The Matoka people acted as "guides" twice in the Greenskin Wars, the first time for the Greenskins and the second time for the Empire. In the minds of the border people, they are notorious for not wanting the Greenskins to slaughter them instead.

Naturally, Akendorff would not be nice to him, and he might even prefer that the greenskins defeat Matoka.

Even though the empire would still march south in the name of "recovering lost territory", at least... maybe there would be other opportunities?

As a result, the Matoka people offended all their neighbors. The dwarves also felt disgusted by the Matoka people's fickleness, so they knelt down to recruit people whenever they encountered problems, and they also had to support Black Rock Castle at that time.

So the dwarves didn't help much. At most they sent a batch of equipment over, but they had to fight the greenskins alone.

201: Battle of Matoka

Before the greenskin vanguard approached Matoka, the expeditionary forces led by Rhine and Celestine tried their best to strengthen the city's defense by all means, and also sent a message to the country:

If things are impossible, can we temporarily retreat to avoid the enemy's attack?

However, the domestic credit guarantee that was transferred through Haimen Pass required the expeditionary force to use parchment engraved with the emblems of the Senate and the Imperial Council:

"Your Majesty Justinian's unfinished work must not be lost. Show the strong willpower of the Divine Emperor's believers!"

At the same time, it was announced that the Sol expeditionary force led by the Empire's chief of war, Augustin Usnov, had been fully prepared, and the army was already stationed in the Sol Fortress. When the letter was sent, the vanguard had already set out south and entered the border area, requiring the expeditionary force to hold out for at least one month until the chief of war's expeditionary corps arrived.

This order gave Rhine the confidence, or hope, to hold on.

Unless it is absolutely necessary...even...he does not want to give up Matoka and leave, because doing so would mean that the empire's hard-earned opportunity to legitimately expand its influence to the border prince's territory would be wasted.

Not only would it take a lot of effort to rebuild a Matoka that was razed to the ground by the greenskins, but they couldn't even defend their own homes. Is it possible that the city-states in the border territories that did not want to be subservient to the empire would unite and "expel the Matoka from the border", denying the legitimacy of the Matoka's surrender of the city, or their ownership of the land of "Matoka"?

You said that Matoka surrendered and handed over its territory to the empire?

Where? Where? Why didn't I see it? How could a group of wanderers who had lost their homes hand over the territory of "others"?

This situation is not impossible... For example, if the dwarves don't want their sometimes unreliable allies to come and annex their relatively harmonious neighbors, they can send troops to "recapture" Matoka before the arrival of the Imperial Legion. In this way, the Empire's say on the border will be smaller.

If the dwarves took this place for themselves, which was unlikely, or handed it over to other border cities, it would be a problem if they united and tried to resist the advance of the Empire.

After all, the world has been at peace for a long time, and this emperor still wants to be a wise ruler who is famous in all countries and respected by both the inside and the outside. If he insists on expansion for the sake of expansion, and even starts a war on the border of the human race, which is also a force of order, it will not only be embarrassing, but the huge waste of military supplies is also a problem.

......

With the news of reinforcements, Rhine felt confident in what he did and said. He first used various means to forcibly replace three people from Matoka's so-called "Ten Generals" committee. Two of the positions were replaced by reliable commanders in the expeditionary force and a dwarf representative of the Haimen Pass Observation Group.

Then, a nationwide mobilization was carried out in Matoca, in an effort to replicate the Second Battle of Bilbali, and to resist in Matoca until reinforcements arrived, which would be a repeat of the Estalia Southern War.

Mao Liang will fail again because of a city that resists to the end.

But unfortunately, Rhine misjudged one point:

The Matoka people’s will to resist.

During the period from the time when people learned of the fall of Mirmiden to the time when they were preparing for war, people in Matoka chose to flee the city every day, fleeing eastwards and northwards to become war refugees.

After the dwarves helped evacuate some of the elderly, the weak, women and children, the city of Matoka and its surrounding areas once had nearly 200,000 residents. Based on the previous ratio of seven households to one person, there were more than 28,000 households.

The border situation is rather special, with a large area and a small population, so land conflicts are very light and almost non-existent. Matoka is close to the Blackwater Bay and has a certain amount of marine output and trade income, so they generally do not separate families, or separate households but not families. Like the empire, the heirs will divide the family property when they reach adulthood. Except for the one who inherits the main property (usually the eldest son), the rest of the people have to go out and make a living.

The smallest unit of a "family" in the border area has an average of seven to ten people. As long as they are physically able, a couple will have at least five children. Although not all of them can live to grow up and have children, it is generally normal to have three adult children.

The area is vast, and wild monsters and bandits are not as clean as those in the Empire, but they are still a threat on par with natural disasters, so they need to stick together. They may be separated in terms of household registration and property, but they are often gathered together by blood ties. If they continue to develop in this way, there will be a trend of evolving into a family culture like the Tyrells in the future.

In the countryside, they would live together in the family estate, and one of the adult children would usually be sent to the city to "see the world" to avoid being completely in the dark and without anyone to rely on when needed in the future.

Taking an average value, with eight adults in each household and four adult males, the Matoka people had more than 30,000 households and nearly 300,000 people at their peak. When women and children were handed over, there were more than 200,000 people in the city. Theoretically, they could mobilize a militia of nearly 100,000 people.

If it can really reach this scale, then relying on the city walls and the artillery support of the dwarf fleet, it should not be a big problem to defend the city.

But as the situation became increasingly severe, all this could not develop as Rhine had expected.

After the women, children, the elderly and the weak who were held hostage by the greenskins were rescued basically intact by the Matoka people and the expeditionary force, the only moral and emotional constraints that restricted their large-scale escape were gone.

For them, since it has happened twice:

In order to save the city, they opened the city gates and handed over hostages, setting a precedent for surrendering the greenskins.

Seeing the greenskins attacking their subordinates in Mirmidon for a long time, in order to avoid being blamed and being sieged and liquidated by the surrounding areas in the future, they decided to take a risk and surrender the city to the Empire, thus bringing down Big Brother.

They ignored other things in order to preserve themselves. Now the greenskins can't threaten Matoka for the time being, and the expeditionary force lacks manpower and prestige to control the entire city - so why keep them?

The dwarves are only willing to carry away women and children, and will not allow men who can bear weapons to seek refuge on the ship. So let them do it.

It’s not like I have no legs and can’t walk on my own.

It is such a short distance that you can just walk to the east and seek refuge in Basov, Moslak, or the slightly farther but safer Akendorf.

Besides, if they really ran to Haimen Pass and said they were refugees from other places, could the dwarves still turn them away?

As the situation became more serious, a wave of escape soon occurred, with the shadow of war weighing on everyone's heart.

First, they fled as small families, and then several families banded together to embark on the road to "safety". Rather than seeing all the men take up swords and go to the battlefield, dying without a complete body, they would rather temporarily abandon the bottles and jars in the city.

Later, it even developed into a situation where the armed militia who were conscripted and equipped with weapons were connected in groups to agree on a time to escape Matoka with their families. They asked the women, the elderly and the children to claim that they were going to live with relatives, and set out to settle somewhere outside the city during the day. At night, they would gather in a team during the shift change or patrol, taking advantage of the familiarity of most citizens, or simply leave the team and run away, and their friends would not stop them. After all, they might have to leave the next day or the day after, so they would just leave the city to meet up with their families and then head east, taking away the weapons and equipment sent by the dwarves.

Chapter 222: United as one?

This situation greatly weakened the city's defenses in Matoka. According to incomplete statistics, when the situation of militia fleeing to avoid war was the worst, thousands of people fled eastward in one day. There was even an entire defense zone that was emptied out because of a group effect started by someone.

Especially the wealthy class in Matoka, who once chose to support the resolution to surrender to the greenskins because they were reluctant to give up their property in the city, and temporarily avoided the war. Later, they encouraged people to donate land and join the Empire to fight against the greenskins, but the greenskins came faster than they expected, and the Imperial reinforcements left slower than they expected.

So they began to use various means to ensure their own safety and transfer their property. What better way than hiding in Haimen Pass and seeking shelter under the protection of the dwarves?

Compared to ordinary civilians, who could only rely on walking to seek refuge, the noble senators and representatives in the "Senate" could even dispatch ships to transport themselves, their families and some property to the east during this tense time. They could reach Haimen Pass in less than two days, and the dwarves would also take in these "refugees".

Rhine had previously complained to Celestine that Matoka's councillors were unwilling to cooperate with the expeditionary force in reorganizing military affairs and were unwilling to hand over military power to the expeditionary force representing the official empire, but now this problem has been "solved".

Three of the remaining five members of the "Ten Generals" council, who were responsible for commanding the city's military affairs and reporting to the Matoka Senate, had run away. At this time, holding military power meant staying behind to stand guard, and the risk was too great. No one was willing to take the risk.

The positions left by these people were naturally filled by representatives sent by the expeditionary force - in fact, it was no longer meaningful.

The purpose of the Matoka people's system was to ensure that military power remained in their own hands. However, as the idea of ​​avoiding war spread among the people, most of the powerful people began to retreat eastward to Haimen Pass. Those who had the courage to stay would not be stupid enough to think about competing for power with the expeditionary force at this time. As a result, military power was quickly transferred to the expeditionary force headed by Celestine and Rhine.

The deserter problem made Rhine angry and annoyed. The Matoka people's will to defend their homeland was not as strong as that of the guest troops who came from afar.

In order to deal with the problem of deserters, he ordered to follow Mirmidon's example and request the dwarves to mobilize ships to transport the elderly, the weak, women and children in the city to take refuge at the Sea Gate. He also sent a large number of cavalry to patrol the escape route. Because the greenskins came from the west, only the east was definitely safe, so it was easy to block them.

Because Matoca had already made preparations for universal military service, basically all men who could hold weapons were issued license plates and organized into reserve forces and quasi-militia. This was a resolution passed by the Matoca Senate at the time, so it was reasonable to "arrest deserters" according to military law.

The rangers captured all the adult males among the refugees, and then made an example of them by severely executing a group of militiamen who not only abandoned the patrol duties they were performing but also took away weapons and equipment when they escaped. Eleven people were executed, and the charges of "cowards" and "cowards" were announced to the whole city in order to deter the morale of the army.

The morale and fighting spirit of the Matoka people were severely weakened by their previous disgraceful surrender to the greenskins, and they also suffered heavy casualties in the three-day fierce attack by Gao Maoliang. Although it cannot be said that "the warriors died in the three-day siege, and those who survived are cowards", there is indeed such a negative buff.

National Spirit:

"Memories of the Three Days' War" -- The number of greenskins seemed endless. Their fearless and fierce attacks caused us great losses. Many brave soldiers died in that war. Our army had no confidence in resisting the greenskins.

[Reduce manpower, reduce troop attack and defense, organization, and increase troop training time]

"Shadow of shame" - We have already failed once... Surrendering to barbarism has wiped out our honor as a nation, the contempt of our neighbors, the gossip of our people, all of which has left us divided, confused, and difficult to unite;

[Lower the surrender limit, reduce stability, and reduce random manpower every day]

Probably so.

Since we have already surrendered to the greenskins once and paid a huge price to save our lives, why should we confront the barbaric disaster that is doomed to destruction head-on?

Anyway...hasn't the Empire already sent troops? The dwarves won't sit idly by and watch the greenskins...

"Those well-dressed congressmen and wealthy people loaded their ships with their wealth and families! They even left a place for their servants and sailed to the safe fortress, but left us here to die. How can this be justified!?"

This was the angry accusation made by the deserter sentenced to hanging before his death. In his opinion, he and his companions had only made a reasonable choice, but they were judged, blamed and hanged, while those powerful people who actually dominated everything in Matoka could avoid the war with their families and servants and stay behind the high walls built by the dwarves with peace of mind.

They fought to the death, and Matoka fell. After the imperial army came to recapture the place, these people could swagger back and continue to be the masters of the city. How unfair!

Rhine was unable to refute this accusation. As commanders, he and Celestine did have theoretically the highest authority in the wartime front, but that did not mean they could do whatever they wanted to the masters of the old Matoka.

He could only ask Celestine to summon him. After Matoka surrendered, the nobles in the city, no matter what they believed in before, now at least had the identity of "believers of the Emperor of God". Therefore, Celestine, as the chosen one of Sigmar, had a dual identity and had a great influence on them.