What's wrong with building a steel torrent in a dungeon?

As a result, after receiving the gifts, two more elves became so angry that they vomited blood and fainted.

In this war of public opinion, not only did the elves suffer a crushing defeat, but newspapers also appeared in the main plane's field of vision. Other forces sent their men to the Bieson District to buy newspapers and learn newspaper operation skills.

Unfortunately, due to technological limitations, newspapers seem to be popular only in the Biesund area. After all, this is the intersection of various races in the world. Everyone generates countless new information every day and has an extremely strong desire for new news. Those who come here to do business basically have some cultural literacy. Even if they are illiterate, they have literate subordinates.

But in other places, not to mention the public literacy rate or printing capacity, just producing so much content is a difficult task.

Moreover, the most important thing about newspapers is timeliness! The Bieson District is not large in area and has convenient transportation, so it can collect information and send it to various places. But in other areas, it may take several days just to send newspapers to other places. In addition to sales and distribution, I am afraid that timeliness will have long passed. In this way, the significance of newspapers is greatly reduced.

Fran also wanted to promote the newspaper to every corner of the Holy Rohr Empire, but due to the limitations of transportation and technology, she could only ask the editor to take the freshly printed newspaper to New Vienna by train overnight, which could barely ensure the synchronization of information on both sides. For places farther away, such as the Feruman District, she could not help. If the people in these places wanted to see new things, they could only read the monthly and weekly reports and other information summaries.

At this moment, Fran really wished she could immediately point out the telegraph technology. But with their current capabilities, it seemed that it was still a long way off.

Is there any way to conveniently and effectively transmit messages over long distances?

For a moment, Fran fell into deep thought.

The failure of the elven public opinion did not affect the internal part of their empire. After all, as a cultural highland, they have always disdained to understand what is happening in the outside world. In addition, in order to resist the dumping of industrial products, the elves have implemented a closed-door policy in the past two years. Except for a few ports that trade goods with the outside world, the elves in other places basically have no contact with the outside world.

This makes it difficult for news from the outside world to flow into the Elf Empire. Even if it does, it will be screened by the elven nobles, and only the most beneficial news will be allowed in.

The failure of public opinion and the anger of intellectuals were enough to make Fran know with her breasts that it was impossible for the elves to spread this to the country.

At the same time as the war of public opinion began, an expeditionary force had been formed under the call of the Queen and was marching towards the south in a mighty manner.

Each of the nine Elf Kings sent out a wing group, and the Northern, Eastern, and Green Sea Legions each sent out a wing group. A total of twelve legions, a total of 60,000 people, plus countless supplies, marched towards the Troll Empire.

They will be reorganized into an expeditionary corps in the south, with the New Leaf King Ainsdil as the corps commander.

Sixty thousand people!

Such a scale shocked the entire Troll Empire at once.

On the other hand, the Troll Empire only had 20,000 regular troops. Many of these 20,000 troops were soldiers who farmed in their spare time and trained in their busy time. They were even more proficient in hoes than weapons! Letting them rush into the battlefield would be tantamount to sending themselves to death.

For a moment, a huge haze shrouded the head of the Troll Empire.

The mobilization of 60,000 troops at once also shocked other forces in the main plane. The colonies under the Elf Empire were originally ready to move, but after hearing the news, they temporarily stopped.

Although they have made a fool of themselves in the war of public opinion and despite the numerous domestic conflicts, the elves are, after all, an old empire with immeasurable foundation.

Strategically, Fran can despise the opponent, but tactically, she must take it seriously.

In terms of population and size, the Elf Empire is several times larger than the City of Orila.

The elves seemed to sense the panic in the Troll Empire, so they wrote an open letter to Fran, telling her that as long as Fran agreed to their two demands, the Elf Empire would be willing to withdraw its troops and guarantee that it would not invade the Troll Empire again in the next ten years.

First, all Vienna alliance forces, including the city of Aurora, must withdraw from the Elf Continent! And stop any form of aid. Not even a grain of rice or a brick can be transported into the Troll Empire.

Second, the Vienna Alliance must drive out the Troll Empire and swear not to expand its influence into the Elven Continent.

Otherwise, the Elf Empire will sweep through the Troll Empire with thundering force, and regard all the races of the Vienna Alliance they find as enemies, and fight to the death.

Very arrogant, something an elf would say.

Unfortunately, since defeating the Yellow Four Wolves, only Fran can threaten others, and no one else can threaten Fran!

Now that things have come to this, don't blame the city of Orila.

Chapter 333: The right time and place, but the wrong people

After Fran decided to join the war in full force, a few days later an important figure came to Grom City. He was the great elder of the Troll Empire and the oldest powerful sanctuary in the main plane - Jinzaka.

"Mr. Jinzaka!"

Zhu Chongba, Kagraz, Gustav and others all bowed respectfully to him, as a token of the highest respect for the warrior.

Jinzaka started out as an unknown troll slave. He first fought against the tyranny of the troll emperor, then led his people to fight against the demons, and finally resisted the invasion of the elves. His whole life was to resist powerful enemies and defend his people. It is no exaggeration to say that he is a great warrior.

Like the Beast King, Jinzaka did not have too many fancy decorations on his body. Instead, he was dressed simply. If he was placed in a group of trolls, it would be impossible to recognize that he was a powerful sanctuary master.

Jinzaka looked at the generals present, smiled with satisfaction, and then said: "The main plane has produced many talented people recently. We have so many young talents, so there is no need to worry about not being able to defeat the Elf Empire."

"It is our honor to fight alongside you." Zhu Zhongba said

"Lord Fran, has she really made up her mind to help us fight the elves?" Jin Zaka looked at Zhu Chongba.

"Of course." Zhu Zhongba said, "Lord Fran is preparing an expeditionary force! The fleet will arrive soon! And not just us, the entire Vienna Alliance will help the Troll Empire."

"Please forgive me for having such doubts." Jinzaka shook his head helplessly, and then said: "I am really afraid of falling down. In the past few hundred years, many forces have expressed their willingness to fight alongside us, but in the end they all retreated due to the power of the elves."

"Don't worry. We are not those forces." Zhu Chongba said: "What's more, the elves are not the same as they were back then. So as long as Lord Jinzaka and the Troll Empire are willing to resist the elves! We will definitely spare no effort. But..."

"But what?"

"Lord Fran also gave us special instructions in the letter." Zhu Chongba said, "The Troll Empire is not a vassal of Orila City. Whether to fight or make peace depends on the Troll Empire's intention. We are willing to help! But we will not force you to join the war! The decision on whether to go to war still lies with the Troll Empire."

"Okay! Just based on this sentence, I believe that the Lord of Giant Flan City is not one of those treacherous forces." Jin Zaka laughed loudly, and the sound waves made the surrounding leaves rustle.

He said, "But to be honest, I did want to make peace at first. After all, if the elves are so shocked that they are willing not to attack the trolls for ten years, we will have a long time to recuperate and recover. But as Lord Fran said before -

"Peace is not negotiated, but fought. Peace gained by compromise will eventually be lost. If we really gain peace in this way, when the ten-year period is up, the attacks of the Elf Empire will only become more fierce. By then, I'm afraid there will be no allies to help us."

"In that case, I will write back to inform City Lord Fran." Zhu Zhongba said, "Then the entire Vienna Alliance will fight alongside you."

Jinzaka glanced at the sand table and said, "Sixty thousand elves are indeed not a small number. Even if they are not elite, they will put a lot of pressure on us if we really fight. I wonder what countermeasures Lord Fran has?"

Zhu Zhongba said: "This is also our topic today. War is inevitable. The key now is when and where to start the war."

"What is Lord Fran's suggestion?"

"The city lord suggested that we launch the action in a week." Zhu Zhongba said.

“One week??!!”

When these words were spoken, not only Jinzaka, but also generals such as Sankara and Kagraz expressed surprise.

Zhu Zhongba said: "We just received information from the port of Bieson. In recent times, the purchase volume of raw materials such as saltpeter and sulfur in the port has increased dramatically. This is important news."

"Uh...what does this have to do with our war? Could it be that the elves are buying in bulk?"

"It wasn't the elves who bought it." Zhu Zhongba said, "It was the dwarves."

"dwarf?"

"After the dwarves purchased the relevant raw materials, they sent them to the eastern part of the Holy Roll Empire, which is the city of New Vienna." Zhu Zhongba said: "They have several firearms factories there. Such a huge demand for gunpowder cannot be prepared for the Holy Roll Empire troops they recruited. It can only be the elves, and our spies inside the Elf Empire have also confirmed this."

"The dwarves are making ammunition for the elves." Jinzaka said, "This is not good news. The Elf Empire is already difficult to deal with, and if the dwarves are added..."

"But we believe that the dwarves will not directly join the battle." Zhu Chongba said, "At least before the battle situation becomes clear, they will definitely not easily leave the battlefield. They will only seek benefits from the sidelines. For example, they will let the elves spend a lot of money to help them make firearms."

"Dwarves are notoriously cautious. They only help the victors." Ka'graz snorted. As old neighbors of the dwarves, Ka'graz and other orcs knew them very well.

"But the fact that the elves have deployed firearms on a large scale is a message in itself." Zhu Zhongba said, "You all know the elves much better than we do. Even the third-line or even fourth-line elf troops, their archery skills cannot be underestimated. To be frank, in the jungle, the threat of an elf archer is definitely greater than that of an elf musketeer. What's more, the elves have never deployed firearms on a large scale before, and their training and tactics are seriously insufficient."

"But they still plan to replace their firearms."

"The only possibility is..." Zhu Zhongba said, "Many of the 60,000 elves recruited have not received any military training."

"No military training? Could they be newly recruited civilians? Since the Elf Empire is determined to invade, why don't they send their most elite troops, but instead recruit some civilians?" Jinzaka was a little confused.

"Because the Elf Empire is not a monolithic entity." Zhu Zhongba said, "Especially when the power of the Twelve Elf Kings conflicts with the imperial power."

The generals present were all powerful in their respective countries and naturally knew something about the power struggle within the elves. When these words were spoken, everyone understood instantly.

The Elf Kings were unwilling to use their armies to help the Queen gain prestige, and the Queen could only control the Green Sea and Northern Legions. On the one hand, she was reluctant to give up the only force she had, and on the other hand, the two legions had their own tasks, so naturally she hoped to consume the troops of the Twelve Elf Kings.

Although their overall strength is far inferior to that of the Elf Empire, at least they fight side by side and work together here, unlike the elves who fight each other and scheme against each other.

This is their advantage, and it is also what Fran wants to take advantage of.

Chapter 334 We Need Time

"The problem now is on both sides of us. We both need time."

Zhu Chongba pointed to the back of the elves' wall on the sand table, and then said: "The expeditionary force of the Elf Empire needs to go to the Southern Legion's garrison for reorganization, and then undergo simple training on the spot before entering the Troll Empire to fight. We cannot estimate how long this process will take, but it will take at least two months just to complete the reorganization, not to mention the subsequent training to form combat effectiveness."

"Here in Orila City." Zhu Chongba said, "Lord Fran has ordered the troops to board the warships and head to the Freeport! But Orila City is too far away from here, and we have to be wary of the fleets of the Northern Alliance and the Chinese Alliance on this ocean voyage. It is conservatively estimated that it will take three months."

"Three months? It takes that long?" A troll general asked curiously, "Didn't it take you more than a month to get here?"

"It's different." Gustave said, "There are only more than 200 of us here. In order to ensure the speed, we have a lot of coal ships along the way, and we don't need a lot of food and fresh water supplies, so we can rush here non-stop. But if we transport a whole army at once, it may not be so easy.

Generals like Sankara and Kagraz had all experienced long-term sea travel, so they knew the importance of sea supplies. The more people they transported, the more supplies they carried.

Even the city of Aurora could not carry all the food and fuel needed for the ocean voyage. The journey from Bieson Harbor across the Endless Ocean and then south to the Sea of ​​Saint Selux was very long, and they had to constantly replenish fuel, fresh water and food, and clean the ship along the way. Otherwise, if they were not careful, the entire ship's soldiers would be wiped out.

Fortunately, Fran had thought about the day when there would be a war in the ocean, and she had made arrangements in every corner of the main plane in advance, so the pressure was much less. But this was the first large-scale ocean transport of troops in Orila City, and the pressure was imaginable. It was not too cautious. Three months was the shortest time the Navy could guarantee.

"Even if we reach the Troll Empire on time in three months," Zhu Chongba said, "the army of Orila City cannot go into battle immediately! The soldiers have come a long way, so they must rest and adapt to the jungle environment. This time... conservatively estimated to take a month.

"Three months plus one month, that's four months." Sankara said, "That means we have to defend alone for two months without any reinforcements from Orila City."

"At least two months." Zhu Zhongba said.

As a landlubber, Zhu Chongba knew very well how uncomfortable it was to come to the Troll Empire on this bumpy journey. The day he stepped on solid land, he just wanted to lie quietly in bed for a few days. At present, the source of soldiers for the Orila City Corps mainly came from various tribes in the underground city and the surrounding areas of Vienna.

The former has barely seen a lake in the past few hundred years, let alone the sea.

Although the latter lived on the ground, Vienna was located in the heart of the Holy Rahl Empire, and most people would never see the ocean in their lifetime.

In other words, the troops of Orila City are basically all landlubbers. After arriving at the Troll Empire, they were able to recover their strength and adapt to the environment within a month. They were already all iron men! Zhu Chongba could only smile bitterly at this.

"Don't be so depressed. I have good news." Kagraz said, "Our Orc Empire will send out another 3,000 warriors this time! The first batch of warriors will be about 1,000 people and are expected to arrive in half a month. After that, there will be about 1,000 reinforcements every month."

This is indeed good news.

But the news of a thousand reinforcements half a month later doesn't sound like a quench to my thirst.

Jinzaka said: "The Troll Empire has also begun a nationwide mobilization. Four thousand tactical soldiers have just completed the most basic training and learned how to throw grenades and the most basic infantry tactics. However, they are still far from qualified, and their firearms accuracy is also very poor."

At this point, he counted on his fingers and said, "We still have 10,000 reservists. They have just started to learn how to use firearms and have not received much training on weekdays. If the situation becomes serious, we can still mobilize 30,000 soldiers... If we really count on them, I'm afraid we will be almost done for."

Compared to the Elf Empire that occupied nine-tenths of the continent, the trolls huddled in a narrow and long terrain were too small. The last 30,000 warriors probably included the elderly, teenagers, women and children.

For a moment, everyone fell into silence.

Finally, Sankara said, "It sounds like we need more time than the elves. As long as we can hold out in the initial attack and wait for the arrival of the reinforcements from Aurora City and the Orc Empire, we can counterattack. So we should be fully prepared and fight to the death with the reorganized elves' troops until the reinforcements arrive.

Sankara looked at Zhu Chongba and asked in confusion: "Why does Lord Fulan think we should launch an attack now?"

"Because..." Zhu Chongba said, "The expeditionary army is not all the elves have. Even if we win them in the end, the entire Troll Empire will be seriously injured. Do you think the Elf Kings, or even the Elf Queens, will not attack at such a great opportunity? By then, we will not be facing these 60,000 newly recruited Elf soldiers.

Instead, they have a large number of elite divine magicians and sharpshooters."

"So!" Zhu Chongba took a deep breath and said, "Lord Fulan believes that we must hurt these 60,000 elves from the beginning and drive them away, so that the Elf Kings know that they will have to pay a huge price if they want to take down the Troll Empire! Only in this way will the Elf Empire, which is divided, be afraid to act rashly."

"But what does this have to do with our early attack?" asked Sankara.

Zhu Zhongba said: "Although our forces are obviously behind the enemy two months later, it is not the case at present. The Southern Legion has three corps in total. The Third Corps is stationed in the camp for a long time and will not be deployed until the critical moment, and its combat effectiveness is mediocre. The elite of the First Corps were defeated, and Ai Arundir became a trapped beast. Only the 10,000 troops of the Second Corps are still viable, but their mobilization also takes time."

"On our side, the orc-troll coalition currently has 3,000 people, and there are 4,000 reserves that can be deployed..."

"But these reservists are not even proficient in using muskets, they can only throw grenades," Sankara added.

"It's enough to know how to throw grenades." Zhu Zhongba said, "In half a month, a thousand orc warriors will arrive at the battlefield! In terms of local combat power, we are obviously superior to the enemy! And taking advantage of this period of time, we have also formed a semi-encirclement of Elendil."

"Destroy El'Arendil with the force of thunder?"

"No..." Zhu Chongba said, "We must force the Elf Empire to enter a state of war ahead of time and not give these 60,000 soldiers any time to reorganize! Our goal is to destroy the enemy's manpower! When these 60,000 Elf soldiers grow up and learn to use muskets and artillery, we will become very difficult to deal with."

As he spoke, Zhu Chongba placed the battle plan in front of the generals.

After everyone finished browsing, a burning light appeared in everyone's eyes, and the haze caused by the huge disparity in military strength was instantly swept away.

"This is a big gamble!" Jinzaka slammed the table and said, "But we, the Troll Empire, don't have many chips to begin with! It's the same if we lose, but we can make a comeback if we win!! Okay, let's do as City Lord Fran wishes! The overall command of this battle is of great importance, so let's hand it over to the experienced Legion Commander Zhu Chongba!"

For a moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on Zhu Chongba, and Zhu Chongba did not refuse and accepted the appointment as commander-in-chief.

Seeing Zhu Chongba accept the order, Jin Zhaka welcomed Zhu Chongba to the main seat and said, "From today until the end of the war, I will be under your command. Wherever you fight, I will fight there! Even if you ask me to lead a surprise attack on the elves' capital Green Sea, I will not hesitate."

At this point, Jinzaka cracked his fingers and squeezed the bones until they crackled like beans. "I haven't used my hands for decades! Let me see how much progress the elves have made over the years."

Chapter 335: Counterattack Prologue

It has been a long time since El'Arendil attacked the city of Grom. The so-called strategic goal of taking over Grom in half a month with lightning speed has now become a joke.

But this time, El Arundil must thank Fran. If it hadn't been revealed that Fran had sent a "large number" of reinforcements to the Troll Empire, successfully diverting the public's attention, El Arundil's reputation would have been ruined long ago.

During this period, both sides temporarily stopped fighting. The Troll Empire was "shocked" by the elves' reaction and seemed to have no further action for the time being, quietly waiting for the dust to settle in international relations. And Elendil had no intention of retreating.

After King New Leaf reached a cooperation with McMahon, he immediately informed El Arundil. Since they were going to fight a full-scale war, El Arundil naturally had no reason to retreat at this time.