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

However, the people did not know Lucy Antiriel's considerations and excuses. They only thought that their queen was full of cowardice and was completely outshined by Fran.

For a while, more rumors spread. Last time, everyone thought that the queen might be Fran's slave, and everything was the master's task. This time, everyone speculated that Lucy Antiriel was actually Mrs. Fran. The entire Elf Empire was Lucy Antiriel's dowry.

This speculation once again made Lucie Antiriel furious.

If I can't deal with the Orila people, can I deal with you?

So the Dark Side of the Moon set out again and arrested a large number of people who spread rumors and made political jokes. For a time, the entire Green Miracle prison was overcrowded.

But it is useless to just arrest people. She can cover it up for a while, but not forever! In the end, he still has to prove his bravery with practical actions.

Chapter 392: Thousand Miles Away

The battle finally began with the elves taking the initiative to attack. After all, the city of Aurora could wait forever, but the elves' army could not wait any longer.

The final ripple of the Elf Empire, the army claiming to have an army of 100,000 was divided into five groups and launched an attack on the troops of Orila City.

An army of one hundred thousand sounds very intimidating.

However, after investigation by the Elf Guild, it was found that among the 100,000 troops, only 20,000 could be called regular troops, and the rest were all retainers, menial servants, and even a large number of newly recruited soldiers. In terms of elite strength, this army was much worse than the Southern Legion and the Elf King's private army.

The reason for this is that the two major armies, the Northern Legion and the Eastern Legion, have no garrison pressure at all. Their daily tasks are to arrest bandits, eliminate monsters, and maintain local law and order.

No dangerous missions meant that they would not be allocated a lot of military pay. As a result, the best soldiers were all taken away by the Elf King, and they could only eat leftovers, which also exacerbated the corruption of the upper echelons.

We are not needed to do anything anyway, so why bother ourselves? Wouldn't it be nice for everyone to make money happily and lie back happily?

Later, in order to make extra money, the officers of the two legions even cooperated with some chambers of commerce to help them transport some shady things, and even became the behind-the-scenes bosses of the chambers of commerce. The army has a large number of laborers, and running chambers of commerce and taking orders is equivalent to having countless free manpower, which makes a lot of money in a short time.

However, the result was that the two legions degenerated at an alarming rate, with the upper echelons only thinking about making money and the lower-level soldiers reduced to coolies. Training was neglected and they simply did not have much combat effectiveness. Being able to gather so many regular troops at once was already an above-average performance.

As for the Green Sea Legion, as a force guarding the capital, the soldiers in it are naturally quite excellent, and most of the officers are from the royalist faction. Compared with the officers of other legions, they can be said to have ideals and beliefs.

Unfortunately, however, the Green Sea Legion had previously sent a large number of troops to reinforce the Troll Empire. Later, in order to snipe the troops of Aurora City and slow down the enemy's attack speed, some of them were sacrificed in vain on the banks of the Luna River. Now the Green Sea Legion does not have much combat effectiveness left.

Catherine's final conclusion to Fran was that this group of elves was just a bunch of rabble and not worth mentioning.

In this case, the city of Orila did not use any tactics such as pulling the strings, but simply used a sledgehammer to kill a fly and defeated them with the most thunderous means.

The facts are just as they judged.

The city of Orila only launched a round of charge and directly defeated the enemy's vanguard troops. The flanks were blown up by the assault troops led by Catherine herself. Without the protection of the flanks, a large number of troops from the city of Orila inserted into the enemy's front line full of gaps, dividing the 100,000-strong army.

As early as when Fran and El Arundir first met, they defeated the other side with a size ratio of 1 to 10. Now the strength of both sides is even less than 1 to 5. Fran felt that she had never fought such a rich battle. The 20,000 Aurora troops instantly surrounded the enemy's mere 100,000 people.

As the military becomes more and more professional, the accumulation of numbers will become increasingly ineffective.

In the end, the 100,000-strong army was reduced to dust in an instant. They fled in all directions in panic. The promise they had made to Lucy Antiriel to hold out for two months for the Green Miracle and wait for the return of the overseas troops had only lasted for two weeks before their entire line collapsed.

After hearing the news, Lucy Antiriel widened her eyes, not daring to believe the battle report she heard.

No matter how weak the Elf Empire's army is, it can't be to this extent, right? It's simply vulnerable.

The Western Fleet was a long way from the Elven Continent, and it would take at least several months for them to return. This also meant that Lucy Antiriel had no bargaining chips in the next few months. The only two thousand guards she could command were left.

However, at this time, another piece of important news came from the elf spies.

The 20,000 Aurora soldiers stationed in the Elf Empire were not all Fran's strength. There were already 10,000 troops gathered in the east of Calradia and were preparing to cross the sea. Not only that, they also had about 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers in their homeland. As long as Fran was willing, they could be deployed to the battlefield at any time.

And in the Inya continent and on various islands, a large number of aspiring young people are rushing towards the elves, ready to add a cup of soil to the grave of the empire.

In such a desperate situation, even if all the elves' officers were New Leaf Kings, it would be of no avail.

The strength gap between the two sides is really too big.

After easily defeating the '100,000' army, the troops of Orila City marched straight in, as if they were entering an unmanned area. Catherine personally led the vanguard troops to the border of the Green Miracle at the fastest speed and fired a fierce shot at the Green Miracle.

This shot not only destroyed a sculpture in the city, but also did not hurt any elves.

But the impact it brings is huge.

The sound of the cannon awakened the fear deep in the hearts of every elf in the capital. At one time, a large number of nobles fled, and citizens with connections also found a way to retreat in advance.

The entire Green Miracle was in a state of panic, with all kinds of rumors spreading like wildfire. Some said the enemy had already arrived at the city gates and had raised the bloody flag of slaughter. Some said the enemy's spies had quietly sneaked in, waiting for an internal and external attack. Some even said Lucy Antiriel was already lying in Fran's tent.

Because there were too many rumors, the Dark Side of the Moon was unable to catch anyone and had to give up.

But at this time, Lucy Antiriel no longer had the heart to think about these things. She had more important things to do - tactical transition.

The Green Miracle is no longer safe. Even though everyone has firm confidence in the city's defense, she, as the head of a country, cannot stay in this troubled place any longer and must find a safe place to stay.

McMahon also knew that even if Lucy Antiriel personally guarded the national border, it would be meaningless. Now all they could do was to grit their teeth and hold on, waiting for the overseas troops to come back for reinforcements. So he helped the Queen choose the retreat route with amazing efficiency.

The Queen chose the easternmost part of the Green Miracle as the place for her retreat. If she went a little further east, she would reach the sea, which shows how fearful Lucy Antiriel was.

It must be said that Lucy Antiriel's escape skills were still very impressive. Just a few days later, she was surrounded by more than 2,000 guards and left the Green Miracle under the cover of night. The elf citizens who woke up early in the morning didn't even know that the queen had left.

As the Queen's tactics changed, other nobles also fled. The huge green miracle became much quieter overnight. At this time, the large army of Orila City was at the gates of the city.

Chapter 393: Beat You Until It Hurts

In terms of defense alone, the Green Miracle can look down upon the entire main plane. After all, it is the century-old capital of the elves. Even the demons, who were once at their peak, eventually fell under the Green Miracle. It was the tenacious resistance of the Elf Empire at that time that pinned the main force of the demons firmly to the Green Miracle. Otherwise, the trolls would have swept the entire main plane long ago.

However, this time and that time.

The elves shared a common hatred for the enemy. The queen defended the country and the king died for the country. She not only went to the battlefield in person, but also led the troops to charge. The twelve elven kings under her command performed their duties conscientiously and were full of martial virtue. The soldiers and divine magicians of the elven empire also fought one after another, risking their lives.

However, now, the conflict between the people and nobles of the Elven Empire is fierce, and the Elven kings are scattered and fighting each other. As the queen, Lucy Antiriel has lost her former demeanor. Not to mention going to the front line, she can't even defend the country's borders. She ran away before the battle began.

On the other hand, the weapons possessed by the 'invaders' this time far exceed those of the demons back then.

The fortifications of the Green Miracle are mostly made up of ancient trees. It can even be said that the city walls are made up of ancient trees.

However, no matter how powerful a weapon is, it still needs people to operate it. Now a large number of divine magicians have fled, and most of those who remain are abandoned without any foundation. With the current number of divine magicians, they can't even fill the existing fortifications, let alone rotate and rest.

The siege lasted only more than ten days, and the ancient tree of the green miracle was basically silenced, and the defense shield could not be raised again. The divine magicians in the city had obviously tried their best, but the firepower of the city of Orila was too great, which directly drained their divine power.

A day later, the west gate of the Green Miracle was blasted to pieces by artillery fire, and this century-old ancient city was easily conquered.

However, the elf soldiers in the city did not give up. They relied on the streets in the city to continue to resist the troops of Orila City. Looking at the huge city and the extremely complicated streets, Fran, as the commander, was also a little troubled.

The elves who could live in the capital had a natural sense of belonging to the Elven Empire. Their lives were not bad, and they basically all had a decent job. The previous method of beating the rich and dividing the land did not work much in the wealthy capital.

Many of the officers and soldiers guarding here were born in poverty. They were about to achieve class advancement through their own efforts, but were interrupted by Fran. The reason they stayed this time was to gain recognition from the nobles, to make contributions, and to contribute to their future promotion.

For these officers who dream of joining the upper class, they have a kind of convert enthusiasm that other elves do not have! Naturally, they also have an inexplicable hatred for the Aurora soldiers.

Of course, if Fran is a little more ruthless and is really determined to fight them in a street fight, the final victory will definitely belong to Orila City.

The power of rapid-fire guns is not only reflected in trenches, but also plays a huge role in street fighting. However, since they cannot distinguish between soldiers and civilians, coupled with the shortage of food in the city, a large number of innocent people will inevitably be injured after the battle begins. The soldiers of Orila City who are unfamiliar with the place will also suffer considerable losses.

Of course, Fran could choose to besiege the city and starve all the residents to death.

But doing so would most likely have the opposite effect, forcing the Elf Queen, who originally wanted to surrender, to fight a bloody battle with the City of Orila.

You know, the Elf Empire is not their final enemy, nor even their only enemy at the moment. Fran must consider how to take over this most prosperous and influential city in the main plane in the shortest time, with the least cost and in the most decent way.

However, although the effect of beating the landlords and dividing the land was not great! But it was effective. She opened all the warehouses of the nobles and distributed supplies to the residents, avoiding famine. At the same time, she converted the houses into hospitals and shelters for the homeless people to live in.

Later, she also established the simplest autonomous organization with the help of the Elf Guild. These organizations certainly would not help Fran catch the elven soldiers who were resisting stubbornly, but it would be no problem for them to maintain law and order and crack down on the evildoers who took advantage of the situation to rob.

Fran was not very interested in completely controlling the Green Wonder. Occupying it now was just to increase the bargaining chips for the subsequent treaty. So in the end, only a small number of troops were sent in, and no looting was carried out, and no military control was even implemented.

It was one thing to defeat the Elf Empire on the battlefield, but it was another to completely annex the occupied land. Given the current size of Orila City, it would probably take decades to digest the Elf Empire!

Eat your food one bite at a time. If you eat too fast, it will easily hurt your teeth.

After occupying the Green Miracle, there were no more valuable targets on the entire Luna River. Fran did some calculations and ordered the troops of Orila City to temporarily withdraw and concentrate on managing the occupied areas.

They were able to advance their troops so quickly because of the sea transportation on the Luna River. If they left the river, all transportation would have to rely on heavy teams. There were no railways and not so many horse-drawn carriages, which meant they had to split up a large number of troops and use manpower to transport them.

If it was all food and ammunition, it would be fine. The key is that the equipment of Orila City includes a large number of heavy artillery. It is the existence of these big iron lumps that allows them to capture the city so smoothly. In many cases, it is the infantry that assists, waiting and escorting the artillery to arrive before launching an attack.

Without sea transportation, the transportation of these iron lumps is also a huge problem.

It's not that the subsequent battles cannot be fought at all, but it's no longer possible to fight at the same speed as before. Continuing to fight is really not worth the cost.

After thinking about this, Fran wrote a third letter to Lucy Antiriel.

This time, Lucy Antiriel did not tear up the letter directly, but threw it to her subordinates, asking them to think about the possibility of peace talks.

Faced with the Queen's surrender, most of the nobles breathed a sigh of relief.

At this point in the war, anyone with a discerning eye knew that there was no point in continuing to resist. The disparity between the enemy and us was too great. If we continued, it would only consume the manpower of the Elf Empire in vain. Only by keeping them would we have a chance to turn the tables.

However, there were also a small group of iron-blooded nobles who expressed opposition! They believed that the integrity of the elves could not be lost in their generation. In the past, the demons occupied most of the elven empire, and they also held on. But now they have only lost one-sixth of the land, and most of the territory is still in the hands of the demons. How can they easily admit defeat?

After hearing this, Lucy Antiriel cursed these nobles as idiots!

Can the demons be the same as they are now?

The demons were weak at sea, so even though the elves had lost more than half of their land at that time, they could still rely on the sea for a steady supply of supplies, and eventually they were able to resist the demons' attacks.

Although only one sixth of the land was occupied this time, these are the essence of the empire and the core area! Without this one sixth, the entire Elf Empire will become an island isolated in the main plane.

However, these passionate nobles obviously would not listen to Lucy Antiriel's words, but instead took it as an excuse for the Queen's weakness.

However, Lucy Antiriel was not interested in attacking these nobles at this time. Because a few days later, the troops led by Zhu Chongba continued to move north, and were about to break through the elves' defense line and approach Lucy Antiriel's new foothold. Lucy Antiriel directly appointed them to resist Zhu Chongba, and now all the nobles shut up.

Zhu Chongba's surprise attack completely crushed the pride of the Elf Empire, tore off their last bit of face, and forced the Elf Empire to bow its head.

Peace talks!

Let's talk!

In the end, all the forces in the Elf Empire, whether they were the royalists, the nobles, or the twelve Elf Kings, acquiesced to the option of peace talks. After receiving the handwritten letter from Lucy Antiriel, the messenger rushed to the Green Miracle without looking back and delivered the letter of peace to Fran.

At this point, the war finally hit the pause button.

Of course, it is just a pause. Whether the war will continue depends on the subsequent negotiations.

As a sign of sincerity, Lucy Antiriel ordered the remaining troops of Green Miracle to withdraw from the capital, and Zhu Chongba also suspended the attack, retreated dozens of miles, and gave up two occupied defensive heights.

Afterwards, the elf messengers represented by McMahon returned to the Green Miracle after obtaining Fran's approval, and then proceeded to the next step of peace talks.

All the elves are looking forward to the green miracle, hoping that McMahon can bring good news and completely end this damn war.

Chapter 394 Peace!

A few days later, Green Miracle finally welcomed a rare good weather. The sun in the sky barely dispelled some of the winter chill, and bestowed a ray of light on the shivering elves and citizens of Green Miracle.

Taking advantage of this sunny day, the envoys of both sides made contact.

The person sent by Orila City was Foreign Minister Catalina.

Although there is a big age gap between Catalina and McMahon, McMahon dare not underestimate her in the slightest, as he is well aware of the skills of this rising political star.

What's more, they were the defeated party. With their strength on their side, they would not neglect even if Fran sent out a succubus.

"Dear elf messengers who have come from afar, please."

Catalina ordered her men to pour tea for the elves, acting like a master. But this is clearly the capital of the elves! This made the elf messengers feel uncomfortable.

After taking his seat, McMahon did not show any arrogance at all, but instead appeared extremely humble.

He slowly took out a letter from his side and said, "This is a request for a ceasefire written by our queen herself. I hope that Lord Fran can have mercy on the people and save lives from suffering. For this, the elves are willing to bear the military losses of Orila City."

However, facing the humble McMahon, Catalina did not reach out to take the so-called ceasefire request letter, but said in fear and trepidation: "Mr. McMahon, if you say so, our small city of Orila can't afford it. If we fight, you hit me and I hit you... It takes two hands to clap on a two-sided matter."

"Miss Katrina is joking," McMahon said.

"I'm not kidding. Now that the Elf Empire has been defeated, it's acting like a victim, but it was the Elf Empire that clearly started the war." Katarina didn't fall for McMahon's trick and directly pointed out the root cause: "If the Elf Empire hadn't attacked our troll allies first, there wouldn't have been a war. Why is it that now, it seems like the Elf Empire is being bullied?"

"Miss Margaret, you can't say that. In the battle of Luna Harbor, your country defeated 30,000 of our troops. In the battle of Xinye City, 100,000 elven warriors were defeated. In the battle of the Southern Fortress, another 60,000 of our soldiers were captured. Nearly 200,000 elven soldiers were defeated, and the battlefield was full of blood and corpses. In this case, is it my Elf Empire bullying your country?"

"Lord McMahon!" Margaret continued without showing any weakness, "If you want to settle old scores, I will accompany you to the end. The land of the three kings in the southern part of the Elf Empire was originally the territory of the Troll Empire. A hundred years ago, your country seized it with thunder and lightning. In the past hundred years, the Elf Empire has repeatedly invaded the Trolls, burning, killing and looting on the territory of the Troll Empire. How many Troll civilians have you killed?"

The elves present did not speak, and each of them lowered their heads.

Katarina continued, "Now, the Elf Empire is coveting the territory of the Troll Empire, which resulted in the defeat of its own soldiers and their sacrifices. Who can be blamed for this? It can only be blamed on the Elf Queen for being too arrogant! Too greedy! Too ambitious!!"

These words silenced all the eloquent elf diplomats present.

McMahon originally wanted to show weakness first, and then use justice and peace as a foothold to try to gain some benefits for the elves. Unfortunately, his thoughts were easily seen through by Katarina.

Finally, McMahon sighed, and then slowly said: "These are all things of the past... This time we came here with the sincere desire for peace. For this reason, the Elf Empire is not only willing to pay compensation... but also willing to contribute four colonies on the Inya continent to the city of Orila. I only hope that your country can show some mercy. We are ready to be treated unequally."

In other words, the Elven Empire is willing to accept an unequal treaty, as long as it is not too extreme.

Katarina said, "Don't worry, Mr. McMahon. We are not the Elf Empire, let alone the Dwarf Empire. Lord Fran made his fortune through business, and a Chamber of Commerce emphasizes fairness and justice. Therefore, we will never sign an unequal treaty with you. If we have to sign, we will sign an equal treaty."

After these words were spoken, all the elves looked at each other in bewilderment.