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

The entire Elf Empire is now in chaos, and the upper echelons have no time to take care of this army composed of civilians.

Finally, the officers of the Elf King came up with a vicious plan - let them stay behind to cover the rear. After all, in a large-scale retreat, someone has to stay behind to resist the pursuit of the enemy.

So the expeditionary forces naturally became cannon fodder.

In order to appease these cannon fodders, the supply team even carried out a serious condolence program and transported a large amount of supplies into the trenches, saying that it was a belated gift at this late winter festival.

In their opinion, these peasants would definitely be grateful and stay to defend the honor of the Elf Empire.

Little did they know that the soldiers of the expeditionary army were just watching the performance of the quartermasters.

What they didn't know was that the Vienna Alliance had already quietly infiltrated their rear and was preparing to snipe this unit.

Come as you please, leave as you please? Do you think our Troll Empire is a public toilet?

Just as the elf troops left, the Vienna Alliance attacked. When they entered the elf trench, they found that there was not even a soldier inside, only boxes piled up like a mountain.

They were very familiar with the appearance of these boxes. They were all aid given by the Vienna Alliance to each other before. Now they were returned by the soldiers of the expeditionary force in this way. They were filled with various dry food for the march.

The seeds that Zhu Chongba and Sangkara had jointly planted have finally paid off.

The soldiers took away the dry food left by the elves and attacked the Elf King's coalition forces without looking back.

It took only a few days for the Vienna Alliance's troops to catch up with the enemy. The enemy had no choice but to send out batches of troops to cover the rear and try to slow down the pursuit.

It must be said that these elves are indeed the elite of the Elf King. Facing endless sniping, they fought their way out. In the distance, there is the towering fortress of the men. As long as they hide in the fortress, everything will be over, and they can return to their homeland safely.

On this day, the patrolling trolls captured a group of elven spies.

Elf scouts were not uncommon, but this group of elves was very special. They seemed to have no intention of hiding at all, and even went deep into the Troll Empire, as if they were afraid that they would not be discovered by the Vienna Alliance.

When the trolls caught them, before they had time to interrogate them, the elf spoke first and said he wanted to see the commander-in-chief here, and said he had a message from the King of New Leaf and hoped to talk to the leader here.

So this team of elves was immediately sent to the command post on the front line.

"Do you have a message from King Xinye?" Zhu Chongba looked at the team of elves in front of him with some suspicion.

Now the New Leaf King had already been stripped of his title as the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary army, and the entire Southern Army had long since withdrawn from the Troll Empire and stayed away from the war. He really didn't know why the New Leaf King suddenly found him, and what kind of deal they could discuss.

"That's right." The elf messenger paused, then looked around.

Zhu Chongba cleared out the people around him, leaving only Jin Zhaka, Sankara and other senior executives.

"Tell me, what does King Xinye want to talk to us about?"

"The New Leaf King wants to make a deal with you."

"Transaction?" This made Zhu Chongba interested.

The messenger continued, "As long as you hand over King New Leaf's granddaughter, Elendil, to us... everything can be discussed. He is even willing to help you block these elven soldiers from the southern fortress."

When he heard the name Ai'alendil, Zhu Chongba's face changed instantly.

broken!

Ever since they had stuffed Elendil into the forest, they had been so busy with the war that they had completely forgotten about her. Not only him, but the other generals also changed their expressions.

However, Zhu Chongba reacted immediately. He smiled and said, "King Xinye's proposal is very good. We are willing to make a deal... But as for the bargaining chips, we still need to discuss them a little. Why don't you go to the guest tent and wait for a while?"

"it is good!"

After sending the elf messenger away, Zhu Chongba's face changed drastically: "Oh no, it's been several months! I wonder if Aalendil and the others have starved to death in the forest."

"If he doesn't die, he'll probably go crazy." Sankara put himself in the other's shoes and thought about it. If he was trapped in the mountains by the enemy, with no village in front and no shop behind, and he didn't even know whether reinforcements would come, he would definitely go crazy.

Although Aalendil was of no use at this time, she was the legitimate granddaughter of King New Leaf after all. If she really starved to death in the mountains, King New Leaf would probably rush out and fight them to the death.

Zhu Chongba immediately called Nerte and asked her to take people to check on the safety of Elendil.

The Feather Tribe was fast, and within a few days, news arrived.

The good news is that El'Arundil and the others are indeed still alive. But the bad news is that they are almost dead.

The originally elegant elves were no different from savages at this time. Nerth was afraid that they would not survive until reinforcements arrived, so he kindly gave them all the dry food he had. As a result, they ate up the dry food in no time, and even opened the bags of dry food and licked them from top to bottom several times.

After hearing this, Zhu Chongba immediately sent people to the Nameless Forest to pick up Elendil and other elven generals, so as to avoid losing such a good bargaining chip. These elves did not put up any resistance. When they saw the trolls appear in front of them, some of the elves actually had a trace of fear in their eyes...

relief?

After confirming the safety of Aalendil and others, Zhu Chongba went to find the elf messenger.

"I wonder what the general thinks?" the elf messenger asked with some concern.

"We have ordered the troops to transport Elendil to the front line, but..." Zhu Zhongba said: "We need to discuss this bargaining chip a little more."

"It seems that you are not satisfied with the bargaining chips we proposed."

"Yes." Zhu Zhongba said, "With our marching speed, we can catch up with this elf army in a few days. In our opinion, it is easy to annihilate this army. King Xinye is really lacking in sincerity to use them as bargaining chips."

The messenger frowned, and then said: "The speed of your country's penetration is indeed beyond our expectations, and it has even formed a strategic encirclement. But you must not forget that this is the territory of the Southern Legion. If we give our full support, your troops will probably be attacked from both sides, and it is not certain who will surprise whom."

After hearing this, not only Zhu Chongba, but other generals also disappeared.

"Why, what I said is not right."

"Yes, and no." Zhu Zhongba said: "I think King Xinye may have misunderstood our strategic purpose. In our view, these elf soldiers are just secondary figures. Our main goal is to cross the southern fortress."

"What did you say! You want to cross the Southern Fortress?" The messenger's face was full of shock.

"If it was a few months ago, we had no guns and no cannons, and the Southern Legion was fully capable, it would have been very difficult to capture the Southern Fortress. But now the situation is different. The first wing of the Southern Legion's three wings was completely destroyed, the second wing suffered heavy losses, and the third wing was unable to cope with the task. And now, the Southern Legion wants to leave the fortress and fight us in the vast forest. We really want it."

"Humph! Even though the Southern Army suffered heavy losses, our numbers are several times greater than yours after all."

"Even before the war, your number was already more than ten times ours. Didn't we come here at that time? Now we have more people and better equipment. Why would we be afraid of you?" Zhu Chongba asked back, "So please consider it carefully, King Xinye. If he still wants to use such sincerity to exchange for his granddaughter, then this deal is not worth discussing."

Chapter 388 Please Open the Door for Us

After hearing this, the messenger was speechless for a long time.

What Zhu Chongba said to the envoy was true. They were not afraid of the Southern Army at all.

Before the war started, not to mention the entire expeditionary force, even the number of the Southern Legion was several times that of the trolls. At that time, the trolls were equipped with jungle guns with sparse firepower, and the strength of their artillery was even weaker than that of the elves. It was clear at a glance who was stronger and who was weaker.

But with the long-term support of the entire Vienna Alliance, the power of the two sides has been completely reversed.

At this time, the Vienna Alliance had already equipped a large number of rapid-fire guns, and its firepower intensity was no longer an order of magnitude higher than before. It was also equipped with many flying thunder cannons and heavy artillery, and had already overwhelmed the opponent in terms of long-range power.

In terms of military strength, the Vienna Alliance also expanded a lot. Before the war, in addition to the reinforcements sent by Orila City and the Orc Empire, they could only mobilize more than 4,000 elite warriors from the Troll Empire, and the rest were all reserve and second-line troops.

After half a year of war, a large number of troll soldiers were baptized by battle and transformed from new recruits into veterans who were proficient in the use of firearms and mastered military formations.

The Vienna Alliance also sent a large number of reinforcements. Not only from Orila City and the Orc Empire, but also many volunteer youths from the Elf Colony. Now Zhu Chongba's troops have expanded to more than 30,000. If all are mobilized, they will even exceed the Southern Legion.

In this case, would Zhu Chongba still worry about the Southern Legion and the Elf King's reinforcements?

So the wording he used when communicating with the envoy before was that it would take some effort to take down the southern fortress, not at all costs. This shows that they didn't even take the southern fortress seriously. It was just a matter of time.

It's just that time is tight and they don't want to waste it, otherwise Zhu Chongba would have sent his troops to crush them directly.

King Xinye was naturally aware of this change in strength. Although he had left the expeditionary army, it did not mean that he did not care about the war at all. After all, the war took place at his doorstep. Once the expeditionary army was defeated, he would be the next unlucky one.

After hearing what Zhu Chongba said, the messenger wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"How is it? Do you need to go back and talk to King Xinye?" Zhu Chongba said with a smile, "Don't worry, our door to trade is always open to King Xinye. But you'd better hurry up. At least before we launch an attack on the southern fortress."

"Before that, I would like to hear what exactly you want to exchange, sir."

Zhu Zhongba said: "We don't need you to help us block the Elf King's reinforcements. We need you to open the gate of the southern fortress for us to enter and exit."

"What!" Hearing this, the envoy jumped up from his seat in shock. He pointed at Zhu Zhongba and said, "Sir! We came to trade with you with sincerity! But you made such an impolite request! If you had known this would happen, why did you leave me here for so long... There is no room for negotiation on this matter!"

Ahem, I really didn't mean to leave you here. We have to confirm whether Elendil is dead or not.

Of course, Zhu Chongba did not say this in front of the envoy.

"Is there really nothing to discuss?"

"National sovereignty is not negotiable!" The messenger said, "Letting you enter from the southern fortress? What's the difference between this and the likes of Durren! King Xinye, the Southern Legion, swear to never be a traitor."

"We don't want your sovereignty! We don't want to make King Xinye a traitor, and we don't want to be his enemy." Zhu Chongba said, "We just want to pass through King Xinye's fiefdom and head towards your country's capital."

“This is a joke!!”

"I'm not kidding!" Zhu Chongba said, "I just said it! It's not a big deal for us to capture the southern fortress. It just takes a little effort! If King Xinye can take the initiative to open the gate and let us in, we promise not to invade King Xinye's territory. Even after the war, we will

We can also form an alliance with you and trade with each other. Let the three kings of the south, who have been poor for so many years, surpass the other elven kings in one fell swoop."

"Humph! You really overestimate your own abilities. Do you really think you can break through the Southern Fortress? Foolish Aurora people, do you know how sharp a sword the Southern Fortress is?"

"Our swords are not bad either!" Zhu Chongba said, "King Xinye is also a famous general. He should have his own judgment on the firepower I fired. I think King Xinye knows best whether we are just bragging or not."

The messenger was speechless for a moment.

"Also! Even if King Xinye doesn't become a traitor, do you think that after the war, the other Elf Kings will let you go?" Zhu Chongba said as he tore open the curtain covering the map on the wall and revealed all their next strategic goals to the messenger.

"To tell you the truth, we don't even want to waste time annihilating this elven army. We will just besiege them in this mountain area, just like we besieged Elendil." Zhu Zhongba said: "I know that the life and death of this army has nothing to do with King Xinye. But the key is, will King Xinye save them or not?"

"Uh... this!"

"From a rational point of view, of course they can't be saved. Because you know very well that with the current strength of the Southern Army, they are no match for us if they leave the Southern Fortress!

At this point, Zhu Chongba looked at the messenger meaningfully: "But if we don't rescue him, what do you think the other Elf Kings will think? What do you think the Queen will think? Do you think those Elf Kings will watch King Xinye stand idly by and let his troops be trapped and die? I'm afraid the entire empire will put pressure on King Xinye."

After hearing these words, cold sweat flowed down the messenger's forehead again.

He was very clear about the current situation of the Three Southern Kings in the Elven Empire. After all, the beginning of this troll crisis came from Elendil's unauthorized attack. Then it expanded little by little until it evolved into the current Troll War! From the navy to the army, everyone had complaints about the New Leaf King.

If Queen Xinye continues to stand idly by and watch her friendly forces, what awaits her after the war is not only the entire Elf Empire will criticize the Southern Clan, they will even be labeled the sinners of this war! At least one of the Three Southern Kings' crowns will fall.

But if reinforcements come...

That means that the Southern Army, which has already suffered heavy losses, will be completely crippled. Without an army, what can they do even if they hold the crown? The three kings of the South are too poor, and they can only rely on military force. If they lose their military force, they will completely become vassals of other countries.

This! It is a choice that will lead to death.

The Vienna Alliance is really vicious.

Seeing the messenger's expression, Zhu Chongba exaggerated and said, "You have no choice! We will not only break this southern fortress, but also destroy the entire southern army! Destroy it! Let the troll soldiers occupy the entire southern system! By then, there will be no more three kings of the south! A small southern fortress...

, exchange for three crowns, which one is more important, I think King Xinye should know clearly. "

"But...if we really open the city gates, we will still not be able to gain a foothold in the empire in the future."

Zhu Chongba sneered, and then said: "So, I can give you a third choice! You can play a show with us.

"A play?"

"I want you to let us raid the Southern Fortress and let it be damaged by explosives. If we had 'severely injured' the New Leaf King and 'severely damaged' the Southern Legion, the situation would be completely different. Not only would you preserve your strength and keep your territory free from the flames of war, but you would not be accused by other Elven kings, and you would be able to send Elendil back. We would also save time. This is a win-win cooperation. Isn't it wonderful?"

The messenger wanted to argue a few more words when suddenly a troll pushed open the tent and walked in slowly.

The one who came was none other than the powerful Saint Realm expert - Jin Zaka.

Although the messenger did not know Jin Zhaka, with his appearance, a powerful aura enveloped the messenger, making him almost unable to breathe.

After this decline, the messenger swallowed back all the words he wanted to say.

yes!

The enemy not only had heavy artillery, but also the invincible spear of the Saint Domain strongman. Now that the elite troops of the Southern Legion had been completely destroyed, no one could check and balance Jinzaka.

The messenger tried to calm his voice, and then said: "This is a big matter, I have no right to decide! I must consult King Xinye first."

"Okay!" Zhu Chongba said, "But you'd better hurry up. During this period of time, our plan will continue. If we really wait until we form a siege network and approach the southern fortress, the price will be more than the current price."

"I understand! I understand!"

The messenger did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately left the tent.

Chapter 389: Whose face is torn?

The messenger returned to the southern fortress in disgrace.

But he did not achieve nothing. Zhu Chongba handed a dagger to the messenger. This dagger was Aarendil's personal equipment. Zhu Chongba only used a chicken leg to exchange for all of Aarendil's belongings, and the dagger was one of the spoils.

The day after the messenger left, the infiltration troops had arrived behind the Elf King's reinforcements and cut off their escape route in advance.

The elf troops couldn't believe this reality. The speed of the Vienna army was so fast. Overnight, panic spread rapidly among the army. They attacked the enemy without any choice, but they soon found that they couldn't break through!

More than 10,000 assault troops simply could not break through the temporary fortifications built by just over 1,000 people. Relying on the favorable terrain, this unit used engineer shovels to quickly dig tactical bunkers and bury mines, and with the help of rapid-fire guns and flying thunder cannons, it was not a replica of the trenches at all.

Although its defensive capabilities are certainly not as strong as trenches, if the elves' troops are fearless and willing to sacrifice their lives, it will be easy to break through.

But the point is, is this possible?