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

At the same time, it also laid the foundation for the future direction of the entire Troll War

The Elf Empire was blocked on land and failed to break through on the sea. At this time, they were already at the end of their strength and had played all the cards they could.

After that, winter will come, which will make the attacking side more difficult. At the same time, the reinforcements from Ouli City are already close at hand. It is time to counterattack.

As night slowly fell, the entire free port waters returned to tranquility again.

No more gunfire, no more roaring, no more noise

However, the billowing black smoke and the countless wreckages of ships, some standing still and some tilted, all tell the world how fierce the fighting was that once took place here.

This night! Freeport is brightly lit.

Countless warriors sang and danced on the coast, drinking cold wine and blowing the sea breeze mixed with the smell of blood.

This victory was not easy for the trolls and the entire Freeport. Not only because the enemy was strong and we were weak, but also because it was the first time in hundreds of years that the Troll Empire broke the blockade of the Elf Fleet at sea.

On land, the Troll Empire may have won occasionally, but on the sea, they have never won. They have never even achieved any victory.

This victory is more meaningful than any victory on land.

At the banquet, Jinzaka was drunk and sang a song that no one had ever heard of for everyone beside the campfire. This song was in an ancient troll language, and perhaps no one else in the world could use it except him.

He was singing and dancing, and suddenly tears began to seep out of the corners of his old eyes.

The alcohol drifted his thoughts back to a moment hundreds of years ago.

At that time, he was just a fledgling troll soldier! Like everyone else, he carried a gun made of branches, wore simple animal skins, and launched attacks on their powerful enemies.

In a blink of an eye, the boy became a young man, then a middle-aged man, with white hair. His comrades-in-arms changed one after another, generation after generation. The weapons in his hands were swung at the corrupt emperor of the Troll Empire, at the vicious demons, and at the elves who burned, killed, and looted.

However, no matter how hard he tried, reality still pressed down on him like a landslide, making him and the entire Troll Empire breathless and falling into darkness.

Over countless years, he personally trained a large number of young talents, and then sent them away! All of this was just for a slim hope. He hoped that the trolls could stand proudly on the entire main plane like other races, and not be buried by the rolling dust of history.

Jinzaka worked hard for hundreds of years to achieve this goal.

But after hundreds of years, he became more and more desperate, and the pressure on him became heavier. He didn't even know how long he could hold on.

Until now, this hope finally appeared before him. It was no longer as slim as before.

Although the war was far from over, the Troll Empire seemed to no longer need him. Even if Jinzakka did nothing, they could still win on their own.

Looking at the teams of disciplined troll warriors holding muskets, looking at the troll engineers maintaining the warships in the back, and listening to the sound of young children reading in the distance, Jinzaka suddenly realized that he hadn't felt as relaxed as he did today for a long time.

He lay on a stone leisurely, his face full of intoxication, without worrying about tomorrow or thinking about the future. Because he knew that even without him, there would be other trolls to help him plan the future of the Troll Empire and lead the empire to become more powerful and glorious.

Suddenly, one familiar face after another appeared in his eyes.

They were his parents who were slaves, his sister who was hanged, his comrades who died from arrows, his general who cried and bled after being defeated, and his eldest son who was seriously injured but cried unwillingly...

Now, they can finally rest in peace. And he can finally rest in peace.

"Grandpa Jinzaka..."

A troll girl wanted to pull Jinzaka to continue dancing, but found that he was holding an empty wine barrel and fell into a dream with satisfaction.

"Shh!" Sankara quickly stopped the troll girl.

"Is Grandpa Jinzaka okay?" The troll girl said worriedly, "As a powerful person in the Holy Land, he never slept before."

"Don't worry, he's fine." Sankara smiled and said, "He's fine, he's just too tired."

Chapter 368 The Queen's Promise

In this battle, the Saint Cyrux fleet sank seven warships and captured three warships.

Among the twenty-four warships that went into battle together, only fourteen returned to their base, and among these fourteen, five were severely damaged. The entire warship was almost burned black, and the deck was beaten into a sieve. Fortunately, the ancient tree was not destroyed, so they were able to barely return.

But even if it was brought back, it would be reduced to an empty shell. Don't expect it to have much combat power before it is repaired. To repair it, a large number of divine magicians would be needed to infuse it with divine power, which would take at least several months. However, I'm afraid no one would give the elves that much time now.

In addition to these five basically paralyzed warships, the remaining nine warships also suffered varying degrees of damage and required a lot of effort to repair.

But compared to battleships, what they lacked most were experienced sailors.

Due to the sudden appearance of the Flying Thunder Cannon, a large number of elven sailors died on the deck before they could react. Those who survived were either seriously injured or mentally broken, and they could no longer be expected to fight another naval battle like this.

This means that even if they repaired all the warships in a short period of time, they would not have enough manpower to operate them.

For a time, the entire naval base was shrouded in haze.

The only good news is that Hamilton woke up.

Thanks to the divine arts bestowed by the god Shiloh, many of them are related to nature and life.

Along the way, the divine magicians poured divine power into Hamilton at all costs. In the end, he was out of danger and did not die on the way back. Otherwise, the morale, which was already precarious, would have plummeted to the freezing point.

"I... I was unconscious for a few days. How was the war going?" Hamilton was wrapped in bandages. When he opened his eyes, he asked the divine magician beside him impatiently.

"You have been in a coma for five days." The guard said hurriedly. He thought about it and decided not to tell him about the naval battle.

"Help me up!" Hamilton said, "Tell the staff officers to come to my room now and repeat the details of the battle."

After a while, a group of staff officers appeared in Hamilton's room with their heads down and told Hamilton what happened after he was seriously injured and unconscious.

When Hamilton heard that only fourteen warships returned, his eyes dimmed.

He waved his hand and said, "Now, how many usable warships do we have left?"

The staff officers looked at each other, and finally a short elven woman stood up and said tremblingly: "We only have six warships that can be deployed now. The remaining three are still being repaired in the dock and can be barely used after being patched up with wooden boards. As for the five seriously damaged ships... I'm afraid they will have to be towed back to Luna Port."

"There are six battleships, why are there only so few left?" Hamilton was surprised.

"Because..." the staff officer said, "Our transformation plan was suddenly interrupted, so many warships did not have time to equip themselves with ammunition depots. Gunpowder and shells could only be stored in warehouses that were temporarily converted from crew lounges. Under the bombing of the Feather Tribe, the ammunition depots of many warships exploded, destroying the structures of the warships!"

It’s the reform plan that’s to blame again.

Hamilton sighed deeply and could not utter a word.

If their transformation plan can be completed.

If only they had been more prepared.

If only they could fully understand each other's tactics.

But there are never ifs on the battlefield, only results.

"Commander," said the staff officer at the side, "Don't be too sad. Our heroic battle was not without results. At least Freeport suffered a lot of losses. According to our observation, more than half of their small boats were lost! We even severely damaged one of their large steamships."

"Even if they lose half of them, they still have more than ten small warships and three steamships." Hamilton said, "We only have six warships in total. Even if we can break through their defense network, we can no longer pose a threat to Freeport."

At this point, Hamilton shook his head and said, "Let's retreat. This is no longer a war of this magnitude. The main fleet of Orila City has beaten us to pieces before they even arrived. When their reinforcements arrive, we won't even be able to fight back."

"But..." Several staff officers hesitated, with unspeakable expressions on their faces.

"But what?" Hamilton frowned, feeling something was wrong.

"But the Queen asks us to continue the attack." As he spoke, one of the staff officers handed Hamilton a letter with a royal postmark.

Hamilton didn't read a few lines before he was so angry that he saw stars. Seeing this, the divine magician nearby quickly came over, continued to infuse him with divine power, and kept comforting him not to be angry.

"This... How could the Queen behave like this!" Hamilton said, "Before the war, she clearly promised me that if the first attack didn't work, she would retreat decisively to preserve the seeds for the Empire's navy! How could she go back on her word! Have you told the Queen about the situation here? The loss of our fleet! The new warships of the Freeport! The Feather Tribe! The attack from underwater..."

"We told her all of this... we even submitted a detailed combat report, hoping to let the Queen know the enemy's strength." The staff officer said, "But the Queen got the news from somewhere that Freeport's losses were also very heavy, and she felt that we still had a chance to take Freeport!"

"What chance do we have?!" Hamilton was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet. "Freeport is not completely defenseless! Even if there are no warships, they still have shore-based artillery! If our warships are powerful enough, there is still a chance... But now! How can six warships break through the opponent's firepower network... cough cough cough

Before he could finish his words, Hamilton started coughing.

"We have told the Queen all this," the staff officer said, "but the Queen has turned a deaf ear to it. She has already... staked everything on one throw."

"For her desperate gamble, will our entire navy be destroyed in vain?" Hamilton said: "No! I absolutely cannot sit idly by and watch the empire's navy be destroyed. I do not agree to go to war."

"It's too late." The staff officer said with a gloomy look: "The Queen's supervision team has arrived. If we don't go to war before the day after tomorrow, we will all be placed under house arrest for dereliction of duty. It's... too late."

After hearing this, Hamilton felt a sweet taste in his throat, and blood gushed out of his mouth instantly. Then his eyes went dark, and he fainted again.

Chapter 369 Threat

Hamilton really wanted to faint right away. At least until the war was over, he wouldn't have to face this hopeless world.

However, the dedicated divine magician finally rescued him and forced him to clean up the mess.

Not long after he woke up, a team of elven officers dressed as royal guards walked in.

"Commander Hamilton, we are the supervisory team sent by the Queen herself." The leading elf took out a golden plate from his arms and handed it to Hamilton.

Hamilton waved his hand and did not take the sign handed to him.

The royal guard said, "I believe the commander-in-chief already knows the purpose of our visit and the Queen's orders. I hope the commander-in-chief can help the Queen."

"To share the Queen's worries..." Hamilton said, "Her Majesty has really made up her mind. Even if the entire Saint Seloux fleet is destroyed, even if the local navy is cut off and the elves' maritime power is never able to recover, she will still go all out and continue to increase the stakes in a war that she knows she can't win?"

As the war supervisor and the most trusted royal guard of the Elf Queen, he obviously knew the situation and was even more aware of Hamilton's final request in the hall.

But what could he do... He sympathized with Hamilton, but who would sympathize with him?

In the end, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "I don't know the details. I am only here to carry out the Queen's orders. I hope that Mr. Hamilton, as a soldier, can also carry out the Queen's orders."

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding naval officers were immediately filled with anger.

They didn't follow the Queen's orders. They interrupted the transformation when they were told to, and went to war when they were told to! They even lost more than half of their manpower for the war. If it weren't for the inadequate intelligence work and insufficient preparation, would they have ended up like this?

What did we get in return? A team of arrogant and unreasonable supervisors?

What's more, this is not an order at all, it's clearly asking them to die!

Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was somewhat tense, the war supervisor quickly said, "Mr. Hamilton, is there really no hope at all? The enemy's warships have clearly suffered heavy losses."

"Hope?" Hamilton snorted coldly, and then said: "You have been here for so many days, and you must have a general understanding of the situation of the Saint Selux fleet. Do you think we have hope?"

The war supervisor did not speak. He said, "The Queen's Think Tank means that... we do not need to occupy the Freeport. We just need to destroy it and make it incapable of functioning."

Hamilton said, "Then Queen, do you know how many coastal defense artillery there are in Freeport? How many new firepower points have they added since the war? We are not facing a colonial port, but a port that has been repaired by the city of Orila! Even the dwarves can't break through the Orila port, and we can only rely on these few broken ships?"

"This..." The war supervisor said, "You know these situations, and Her Majesty the Queen naturally knows them too. But since she issued such an order, there must be a wise decision behind it. As a soldier, you only need to follow orders and never undermine the strategy of Her Majesty the Queen and the think tank."

"Humph! If their strategy was really so wise, why would the Empire be in such a state! And why did we suffer such heavy losses?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young and energetic officer next to him made a sarcastic remark.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, Hamilton's face changed drastically.

The war supervisor looked at the young officer with a meaningful smile on his face. He glanced at an elf soldier who was writing furiously beside him.

The soldier immediately understood what she meant, and while taking notes he shouted loudly: "An officer from the Saint Selux Fleet expressed disdain that the strategy of the Queen and the Think Tank is worthless."

"You!" the officer who had just spoken immediately said, "How can you write nonsense!"

"Written randomly? How can it be written randomly? You clearly said it just now, and so many people heard it." The war supervisor asked, "Or do you dare to say it but not admit it?"

The officer was furious and said, "Everyone has his own responsibility! I did say that, so what! But don't write about a certain officer in the fleet! I will take the blame for this crime."

"Sorry." The war supervisor smiled and said, "I'm afraid your name is not qualified to appear in our war supervision record."

If such a note were passed to the Queen, the officer would be in trouble. Other colleagues in the fleet, including Hamilton, would probably be implicated.

For a moment, the atmosphere became solemn again, and the officer who spoke out of turn looked at Hamilton helplessly.

Hamilton sighed heavily, and then said quietly: "A soldier's order is to obey his duty. Since this is the Queen's will, we must naturally execute it."

"As expected of Lord Hamilton." The supervising officer took the notebook, tore off the page he had just recorded, tore it into pieces and threw it overboard.

Hamilton said: "But I have a small request."

"You say."

"I hope your supervisory team can attack with us."

As soon as these words came out, the faces of the royal guards present changed. The leading war supervisor smiled reluctantly: "I think it's unnecessary. We don't know anything about naval warfare, and we would only cause trouble for you if we went."

"Don't worry, I have no intention of making things difficult for you. If the situation is not right, I will send someone to guard you and lead you away first!" Hamilton said, "I do this only because I hope you can faithfully record the process of the naval battle and let Her Majesty see what happened on the front line instead of relying on the random conjectures of those staff officers who never leave their houses."

The war supervisor wanted to refuse, but seeing Hamilton's sharp eyes, he had to say: "Okay! In that case, we will record everything we see and report it to the Queen."

"Thank you for your help." Hamilton said, "The attack is expected to start the day after tomorrow afternoon, at night, and arrive early tomorrow morning. Everyone, go and prepare. The supervisors have also worked hard."

After sending off the supervising officer, the elven officers immediately went into an uproar.

"Sir, you are not really planning to attack! And you want to bring these rubbish with you? We don't have many warships, and if they occupy one ship, the officer who just made the mistake immediately said indignantly.

"What do you know?" A middle-aged elf beside him pulled his sleeve and said, "This is the adults protecting you."

Hamilton said: "When the time comes, all officers under the age of 25 will be sent to the warships of the war supervisors."