Rose Empire

It took Matt some time to remember that Apo was talking about the captured Ambratu elder Salius, who had led the Ambratu citizen militia in surrender and was thrown into a slave camp along with his men.

"What do you want to see him for?" Matt asked curiously.

"I don't just want to see him," Apo said, "In fact, I want to see all the Ambratu militia prisoners of war. I want them to fight for me."

"You are the general of Little Sassini, not the general of Ambratu." Matt has a good relationship with Apo and made a joke with a smile.

"Of course I know that," Apo said seriously without laughing, "but it would be difficult for our citizen soldiers of Little Sasini to resist the full-scale attack of Viscount Lanwan. We need more fighting power, and these Ambratu prisoners are a good fresh force. I think they will also be willing to fight to take back their homes."

"Wait..." Matt noticed Apo's choice of words and said in surprise, "You mean attack? Do you think Viscount Lanwan will take the initiative to attack? And attack with all his strength?"

"Of course," Apo nodded. "Once the troops on the northern Sokya front begin to gather, it will be difficult to conceal the news. By then, Viscount Lanwan will surely know our strategic intentions."

"But we have six city-states and several thousand troops..." Matt held up seven fingers, still finding it a little unbelievable.

Apo's idea was exactly the opposite. He smiled and said, "That's right. We only have six city-states. From near to far, the more we defeat one, the less we will have. If I were Viscount Lanwan, I can't think of any reason not to take the initiative to attack."

PS: Thank you all for your monthly tickets and blade recommendation tickets, and thank you for the reward from Helawei Watermelon, thank you very much.

PS2: Today's update is really early, Nanzi is so awesome! Haha... qun①6⑧贰①7⑦一6

Volume 117: Chapter 105 Chapter Battle of Northern Sokya (I)

"The Viscount Lanwan is at a disadvantage in terms of the number of troops. If he just passively defends, he will have to pay a heavy price regardless of winning or losing. If I were Viscount Lanwan, I would take the initiative to attack and defeat one or two of the six city-states on the northern Sokya front before they are fully assembled. This would undoubtedly be the most correct choice."

"Once the surprise attack is successful, it will severely damage the enemy's morale and narrow the gap in military strength. Even if the surprise attack is unsuccessful, Viscount Lanwan still has room to retreat and defend."

"And Viscount Lanwan's target was none other than Little Sassini and Dorukocha, who were closest to her. As Little Sassini's general..."

As he said that, Apo smiled helplessly and shrugged.

"As a general of Little Sasini, I have to admit that the Griffin Knights of the Orlan Empire give me a headache just thinking about them. I have no idea how to resist the Griffin's attack without suffering heavy casualties."

Matt also frowned as he listened. "Didn't we get the secret weapon that Dorukocha shared with us that was specifically used to deal with griffins? Isn't that thing useful?"

"It's probably useful, after all, Feidi used it to defeat the griffin troops of the Kingdom of Lesare. However, we can't rely on it completely." Apo said, "It must be that the effect is best only when it is used for the first time. Once the enemy is prepared, it will be difficult to exert its effect."

"Well, now that you've thought about it..."

Matt nodded and took Awa to find Zaryusu and the other Little Sassini prisoners.

However, Matt did not take Apo to the slave camp, but took him to the construction site in the outer city.

In addition to Salius, the captured Little Sassini prisoners included more than 400 extraordinary citizen soldiers and more than 3,000 ordinary citizen soldiers. In the difficult period of Little Sassini's reconstruction, with so many free laborers, the Little Sassini people naturally used them to death. In just over two months, more than half of the 3,000 ordinary citizen soldiers had died of exhaustion or abuse. Fortunately, the extraordinary people had good physical fitness, and even with heavy chains and high-load labor, only two or three died.

As soon as Apo entered the busy construction site, the Ambulatu militia captives cast hateful eyes at him. The sharp-eyed supervisors noticed something was wrong and immediately raised their whips to hit him.

Awa waved his hand, asking the supervisors to leave first. He walked steadily through the prisoners who were staring at him, and came to Zaryusu.

Even though he had been tortured for such a long time, Zaryusu, as an elder, had received some preferential treatment, so he just looked a little haggard, and not sick at all.

"Isn't this General Awa? Why are you here instead of taking your warriors to fight?" Zaryusu sat down on a stone and said to Zaryusu with his head raised.

It's strange to say, but when they were on the battlefield, Zaryusu, who had no experience in command, was so scared when he faced Awa. Now that he was a prisoner and his status was even lower, when he saw Awa again, Zaryusu didn't feel any fear at all.

Apo did not keep the audience in suspense and stated his purpose straight away: "Little Sasini is about to face a war. Our troops are a little insufficient. I hope that you, the former militiamen of Ambratu, can fight alongside me."

Before Zaryusu could speak, a chained Ambulatu citizen soldier behind him could not help but say, "Sir Awa, it's only been a few days and you've become so old and confused? You actually expect us, who have been destroyed by you, to fight for you?"

Salius signaled the citizen soldiers who were talking to shut up for the moment and asked, "Who is young Sasini going to fight against?"

Salius knew clearly that if it was an ordinary war, Awa would not come here to cause trouble. The Ambratu citizen militia had no good feelings towards Awa, the enemy commander who defeated them.

As expected, Apo said, "We are going to attack Ambratu."

As soon as these words came out, the whole place fell into silence.

Apo looked around at every prisoner of Ambratu and said as loudly as he could: "Everyone, it was not me who caused the destruction of your city and your family. It was your elder, Antanas. It was not me who occupied the city-state of Ambratu now. It was Viscount Lanwan. I, little Sasini, am going to attack Viscount Lanwan together with other allies to recapture Ambratu and drive the Orans out of the Sokya Peninsula. Whether you agree to join our army or not, after this battle, I will give you freedom and let you return to Ambratu."

"Really? Really?" said an unchained Ambratu captive with a slightly trembling voice.

Matt also looked at Apo in surprise. If it were any other elder, he would not make the decision to release the captives of Ambratu, because the citizens of Little Sassini would not try to understand whether releasing the captives was strategically beneficial to Little Sassini. They would only see that the enemies they had fought so hard to capture were free again.

However, Awa made this promise, without caring at all that these captives were the proof of his merits and the confidence he had in speaking in the Council of Elders, nor did he care about how much blame he would face from the citizens afterwards.

Matt didn't believe that Apo couldn't think of these problems. After all, Apo is no longer the same Apo as before.

"Yes, I guarantee it on my honor." Apo answered without hesitation.

Matt looked at Apo's gray hair but still standing with his head held high, and suddenly felt that he was wrong. Apo might still be the same Apo as before.

"But, everyone, as the people of Ambratu, do you really want to take back Ambratu completely by the hands of others?" Apo continued, "You can't defend your homeland, and you can't take back your homeland. If that's the case, how can you confidently tell foreigners that you are the masters of Ambratu in the future?"

No one answered at the scene, and many prisoners couldn't help but lower their heads with complicated expressions.

"Gentlemen, this is not only my war, nor is it only the war of the Lesser Sassenia or any other city-state. It should also be your war."

"Gentlemen, I am willing to give you time to hesitate and consider, but the enemy will not. I hope you can give me an answer before I go to war."

After saying that, Apo did not stay any longer and turned away.

Matt hurriedly followed.

"Give these prisoners some good food these two days to replenish their energy before the battle," Apo said to Matt.

In order to reduce the resistance of the Ambratu captives, the Sassiani not only fed the captives the coarsest food, but also did not allow them to eat enough for every meal. Now, all of these captives have unsteady steps and pale faces. They are definitely not able to go to the battlefield in this state.

"Okay." Matt asked Apo hesitantly, "You said that Viscount Lanwan might attack Little Sasini and Dorukocha, so should we send a messenger to alert the Dorukocha Council of Elders?"

"When Elder Pishos went to Dorukocha, I had already told him to remind the city-state of Dorukocha to be vigilant," said Apo.

"That's good. You've really thought it through," Matt nodded and said with a smile.

Sokya Peninsula, Bataan City-State.

Representatives from Dorrucocha, Little Sassini, Sudaman, Camera, and Coloro gathered in this wealthy coastal city-state to discuss the formation of the Northern Sokya Front.

Pishos is the representative of Little Sasini.

Just as Balotelli, the elder of Dorukocha, had announced before, after Little Sasini decided to join the Northern Sokya Front, the city-states that were originally hesitant also chose to join. As a result, the Northern Sokya Front was naturally completed.

However, once the North Sokya Front was established, another problem arose: who would be the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces?

The six city-states have been arguing over this issue for a whole day.

Of course, not every city-state is eligible to claim command of the coalition forces. It is mainly the two city-states of Carmela and Bataan, which are scheduled to send the largest number of troops, that are competing for command, while the other four city-states are responsible for taking sides.

After another half day of arguing, Pishos walked out of the Elders' House of Batan tiredly. Just as he was about to stretch, he suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out, "Elder Pishos."

When Pishos turned around, he saw Balotelli, the elder of Dorucocha.

"Elder Pishos, I am hosting a banquet at my manor tonight. I wonder if you could honor me with your presence?" Balotelli asked.

"This..." Pishos hesitated a little, but soon nodded, "Of course."

Pishos knew why Balotelli wanted to invite him to a banquet. In the battle for the command of the coalition forces, Balotelli stood firmly on the side of Bataan on behalf of Dorucocha, because there was a general in Bataan named Giovanni Draghi who was Balotelli's son-in-law.

Giovanni Draghi, although not like Awa, who went out to fight in his teens and made a name for himself in the Red Armor Mercenary Group in his early twenties, he was also a young man who became famous. In his thirties, he led the citizen militia out of the city to the front line of the Aiye Alliance many times, fought bravely, and made many military achievements. He was considered a famous general in Bataan.

If the city-state of Bataan took command of the coalition forces, then Giovanni Draghi would most likely be the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces.

Balotelli will naturally give his full support to his son-in-law.

Sure enough, during a break in the dinner, Balotelli took the opportunity to bring up the issue of the command of the coalition forces.

"I think Bataan not only needs to take on one-third of the army, but also supports the main force of the naval fleet. It is more suitable for taking on the command and coordination tasks of the coalition forces. What do you think?" Balotelli said.

Pishos pretended not to understand. He drank his wine and spoke vaguely, "Navy... Didn't the elders of Bataan say that many of their navy ships were requisitioned by Fidelity? How many ships can they send out this time?"

Balotelli knew that Pishos would not give up until he saw the benefit, so he clapped his hands. A maid came to Pishos with a wooden box and put it on the table.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation. Since you've come here as a guest, I wouldn't want you to go back empty-handed," Balotelli said with a smile.

Pishos opened the wooden box and took a look. It was full of golden dills.

Pishos smiled brightly. He was one of those small Sassiani who lost almost everything in the invasion of Ambratu. For some reason, the currency issued by Fidelity, the Dir, has become more and more valuable recently. Pishos was naturally delighted to receive so many Dir at once.

However, when he opened his mouth, Pishos said, "I don't know if it's appropriate for the city-state of Bataan to command the coalition forces. Of course, I don't know if it's appropriate for Carmela to command the coalition forces."

Obviously, what Pischos meant was that he would remain neutral at tomorrow's meeting, neither supporting nor opposing anyone.

Balotelli cursed Pischos in his heart as an old fox. He wanted to accept his bribe but didn't want to offend Camera. After all, Camera was also a big city-state.

However, this is enough.

With the young Sassini remaining neutral and firmly standing on his own side, the command of the coalition forces basically fell into the hands of the Bataan city-state.

Balotelli got the promise and Pishhos got the money, and both parties were quite satisfied.

More than an hour later, after having a good meal and a good drink, Pishos patted his stomach and walked out of the manor that Balotelli's son-in-law had given him, holding the cash box.

Suddenly, Pishos stopped. He remembered the reminder that Apo asked him to convey - be careful of Viscount Lanwan's surprise attack. It was actually a good opportunity to convey this to Balotelli at the dinner table just now, but he forgot.

Never mind. Don't worry. There will be plenty of opportunities to pass on the message after tomorrow's meeting...

Thinking this, Pishos took another step forward.

In fact, three days ago, when Pishos arrived at Dorukocha, he had many opportunities to pass on the message. However, on the one hand, Pishos felt that this matter was not urgent, and the Northern Sokya Front had not yet assembled its troops. In Pishos's habitual thinking, this meant that the war had not yet begun; on the other hand, being instructed by Apo to do things made Pishos feel very uncomfortable.

This is not just the feeling of Pishos, but also the feeling of many other Little Sasini elders - now, Apo's prestige among the citizens is so high that it even exceeds that of the Council of Elders.

Under the influence of these two psychological factors, Pishos subconsciously did not take Apo's instructions to heart.

Sokya Peninsula, Dorrucocha city-state.

A carrier crow fell into the simple crow cage in the courtyard, pecked at the grains in the food bowl, and began to eat them impatiently.

A man in linen caught the messenger crow, untied a small metal tube from the bird's leg, opened the tube, and pulled out a piece of paper.

The man quickly read the contents on the paper, his face suddenly changed, and he quickly ran into the house.

"Mr. Robin!"

Robin Mancini was sorting out the various intelligence about the war that he had collected in the past few days, when suddenly his men rushed in hurriedly and stuffed a note in front of him.

Robin took the note and read it while lecturing his men:

"What's the hurry? I've told you so many times that no matter what happens, don't panic... Well, Miss Charlotte is going to attack the city tomorrow, and the target is..."

Robin almost jumped up: "Dorukocha!"

PS: Thank you for your monthly tickets and blade recommendation tickets! Thank you everyone~~

PS2：谢谢咸鱼大佬的打赏，非常感谢。qun伊6巴2①7七1六

Volume 118: Chapter 106 Chapter Battle of Northern Sokya (Part )

In the letter delivered by Charlotte, she briefly explained in code her upcoming plan to attack Dorucocha, and asked Robin Mancini to be prepared to support the siege troops and lead the siege.

Robin Mancini swore that he sent the message to Viscount Lanwan just to let Miss Charlotte prepare for defense, not to inform Charlotte to attack the city quickly. However, the Viscount's will would definitely not be changed by his thoughts. Charlotte had already said that she would attack the city tomorrow, so she might be on the way now.

After careful consideration, Robin also realized that it was actually a very wise choice for the Viscount to take the initiative to attack.

The defense of Dorrucocha was weaker than Robin expected, and this was not only because of the problem of scattered troops. After more careful observation, Robin found that the prosperity of the mercenary industry was actually a double-edged sword for Dorrucocha. On the one hand, it provided Dorrucocha with experienced citizen soldiers, and on the other hand, it also gave Dorrucocha citizen soldiers a free and easy temperament.

Robin Mancini himself was a mercenary, and he knew very well what kind of morals mercenaries were. When there was business, they could remain sober, but when there was no business, they were a group of sex addicts, drunkards, and gamblers. It was harder than climbing to the sky to expect them to behave properly.

Robin and his men approached Dorucocha's military camps, arsenals, city walls, and watchtowers for reconnaissance many times, only to find that these important military facilities were often unmanned. When they asked where the citizen soldiers on duty were, the answers they got were usually that they went out to drink or to visit prostitutes.

For a city-state like this, it would be difficult to organize an effective defense as long as the attack was sudden enough.

After thinking for a moment, Robin's men said, "Harlan, go get Logan and Frank."

This subordinate named Harlan was not one of the seven gray knights recruited by Robin in Ambulatu, but an assistant that Robin asked for from Charlotte. He was originally his squire knight and half-adopted son. He has now awakened, but because he has no merits yet, he does not have the title of knight.

Soon Frank and One-Eyed Logan arrived at Robin Mancini's room.

Frank was a subordinate that Robin had just recruited locally, a Dorucocha freeman who was full of hatred for Dorucocha. Such people were common in every city-state, and the relatively good living standards of the citizens of the Sokya city-state were based on the harsh exploitation of freemen and slaves.

"Viscount Lanwan will attack Dorukocha tomorrow." Robin said.

As Robin expected, the two subordinates were both shocked. But time was running out, and Robin didn't have time to wait for them to figure out the situation. He started to arrange tasks directly: "In order to make the siege of the city smoother for His Excellency the Viscount, we need to make these preparations..."

Just as Robin expected, soon after the message was sent by raven, Charlotte had already assembled her army and was ready to go.

In order to ensure the secrecy of the military operation, Charlotte ordered the closure of the Ambratu Gate in advance, and no one was allowed to leave the city. Many merchants and residents were locked outside the city and were not allowed to enter, so they blocked the city gate and cursed.

Until it got dark, there was still no sign of the city gate reopening. The people outside the city gradually lost their patience and were thinking about finding a place to spend the night.

However, at this moment, the city gate suddenly opened, and teams of cavalry rushed out of Ambratu.

People hurriedly moved to the sides of the road.

Then a large shadow suddenly fell in the sky. The people looked up in confusion, only to see two black clouds covering the sky. They were two griffins flapping their wings.