White Deer Fortress must be guarded, but the news returned in the past two days is not very good.
Most of Noldo Elves's troops are not near White Deer Fortress. Isildur went to the Amera Fortress area in the south. It is said that there was a forest fire there - this was obviously done deliberately by Baxian, just to transfer Noldo Elves's main force away.
And Lord Aldarian went to the grassland to find trouble for Gatu people - since he was defeated by Gatu people last time, as long as Gatu people makes any movement, Lord Aldarian will definitely kill people.
As for the other Elf King Keleborniel... that artist is a pacifist and has never fought in a war, and Li Ang and Wendy have never counted on him.
Long River Town's side is not a big problem, Lord Godric, Forster, Eric... they are all in Long River Town.
Amy took Jocelyn and Baudess to recruit new recruits, and he should be returning to Long River Town soon.
Li Ang doesn't think Kairos with two thousand cavalry can do anything to Long River Town, but Shadow Legion certainly has the ability to force Long River City's construction to temporarily stop work, and prevent Long River Town from sending reinforcements to White Deer Fortress.
In other words, White Deer Fortress will not be supported in a short period of time.
There are a total of 500 combatants left in White Deer Fortress. This is because Li Ang and Wendy brought back Noldo Guard, otherwise White Deer Fortress would be quite empty.
Of course, five hundred Noldo Elves are very powerful in combat and can face ten times the number of enemies in a city defense battle.
However, the trouble now is not whether you can hold on White Deer Fortress...
"Li Ang, they are forcing you to become the enemy of the empire... No matter who wins or loses in this battle, Bacchus Empire can only be your enemy, and there is no room for relaxation... That's why they are forcing my father to lead the army."
Alina kept frowning.
Indeed.
Li Ang cannot allow anyone to occupy White Deer Fortress, and will definitely defend it. There is no retreat from this battle.
If Bacchus Empire is too damaged in White Deer Fortress, then the good relationship between Li Ang and Bax will be completely destroyed, and Bacchus Empire and Li Ang will lose their last allies at the same time.
Enemies everywhere and suffering a lot of losses, Bacchus Empire can only rely on the Shadow Legion again when it comes to life and death. Marius can no longer think about carrying out reforms. He can only develop military equipment with all his strength and try to conquer the mainland by force - this is the result that the conservatives want.
And if White Deer Fortress is captured, the effect will be the same - Noldo Elves will definitely fight back with all its strength, Li Ang will also have to regain its base, and Bacchus Empire will still have to make the same choice in the end.
At the same time, the conservative faction used unknown means to hijack Justus, the reformist leader, and sent troops in the name of Justus. The main force was also Imperial Second Legion under Justus - if Bacchus Empire was defeated, it would be Justus's responsibility and had nothing to do with the Shadow Legion...
Since they can make Marius' condition worse, they can also deceive most uninformed Baxian...
If Bacchus Empire is defeated, they can make Justus lose his status, and there is a high possibility that Justus will be killed on the battlefield.
And if Bacchus Empire wins and really captures White Deer Fortress, they will probably kill Justus on the battlefield, and then put the blame on Li Ang and Noldo Elves.
Emperor Marius is seriously ill, Justus was 'defeated and died', something happened to the two big guys who initiated the reform, the reform will inevitably lead to the destruction of people and the government, Shadow Legion will also become the 'pillar of the country' again...
In other words, no matter what the outcome is, no matter who loses or wins this battle, the old guard can get the result they want.
War is never a purpose, but a political necessity...
In political struggles, sometimes all it takes is a big war to happen. No matter what the outcome is, no matter how many soldiers will die meaninglessly on the battlefield, it doesn't matter...
This is the bad battle Li Ang least wants to face.
In such a bad battle, no matter whether you win or lose, you will suffer huge losses.
This is also the situation Alina least wants to see.
Regardless of the outcome of the war, her father Justus is likely to die...
The biggest problem in this battle is the safety of Justus - Marius has been in poor health in the past two years, and Justus is basically equal to the prime minister, and his reputation in Bax is extremely high.
If he dies in White Deer Fortress, Bacchus Empire civilians may spontaneously organize armies to continuously attack Li Ang. At that time, the war will turn into revenge and continue unendingly.
"Emperor Marius is still too soft-hearted... He should be charged with some crimes and have those old-school bastards killed directly..."
Li Ang said through gritted teeth.
"I think so too... but His Majesty Marus... sigh..."
Alina whispered, "Actually, I have been thinking about which one is better, dictatorship or senate system..."
"There is no best system. The essence of rule is that a small number of people use various means, including force, to make the majority of people obey. As for whether the small number of people are called 'members', 'noble lords', or 'elected representatives', it is actually the same. As long as it allows the people to live and work in peace and contentment, any system is a good system..."
Li Ang answered casually.
Alina was stunned for a while, and then nodded heavily. "Li Ang, you will definitely become the emperor who rules the continent... You are indeed Child of Prophecy. Even if you are the enemy of the entire continent, I will support you."
"I'm not too worried about whether there are many enemies. There are never permanent enemies in this world... But the problem now is that this game is related to your father's life, regardless of victory or defeat..."
Li Ang looked at Alina and found that Alina was looking at him very seriously. His eyes looked very much like Amy's.
"Before the battle is over, or before the outcome of White Deer Fortress is clear, my father will definitely not die... So, just don't let this battle start too fast..."
Alina bit his lip, with a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes. "Li Ang, if Ramon's Scorpion Assassins is not here, and only the Noldo Elvess led by Wendy, can White Deer Fortress hold on? Can they hold on for half a month?"
"Half a month should be fine. You know the combat effectiveness of Noldo Elves..."
Li Ang nodded, and then realized something. "Alina, do you want me to take Scorpion Assassins directly into the territory of Bax?"
"Yes... but it's not you, it's me. I don't know what method those bastards used to coerce my father, but those shameless nobles also have wives and children, and they also have families...Scorpion Assassins may not be of much use on the battlefield, but if they appear behind the enemy's rear and let assassins fly knives in those bastards' homes..."
Alina gritted her teeth and said her plan, "I will take Scorpion Assassins out of the forest. It will only take half a month for me to find the families of those bastards. They can coerce my father, and of course I can coerce them... But this method is disgraceful, and you can't go there in person."
"Risadiran! Let's get to work!"
Li Ang nodded and turned back to summon his senior killer.
Then, he looked at Alina and shook his head seriously. "Fame cannot be used as food. If I were not here, Ramon would not listen to anyone. Besides, being an assassin... such an exciting job, of course I have to try it!"
That night.
In the forest on the side of Long River Town, a group of masked men in black were watching Bacchus Army's camp below the city.
"The ladders are all ready. It seems they will launch an attack tomorrow morning..."
Wendy does not intend to leave Li Ang's side. She is also wearing black clothes. White Deer Fortress's defense has been handed over to Vendathir.
"I hope Vendathir can control her temper, kill as few people as possible, and fight the war as slowly as possible..."
Li Ang is actually a little worried that Vendathir will do another heroic deed such as riding alone and charging into battle.
"Don't worry, Teacher Vendathir promised me that she will not be impulsive... She knows that before we come back, this battle can neither be won nor lost."
Wendy is very confident in Vendathir's character.
In fact, this kind of request is more troublesome than killing the enemy quickly. Vendathir can only be so reasonable to Wendy.
"Alina, among the leading generals outside, which ones are you more familiar with?"
Li Ang Start researching the target.
"Lord Wolwen Rimusk, Lord Amera Gollus..."
Alina quickly introduced the situation. She knew that Li Ang wanted to understand the character of the enemy general. "Rimusk is greedy for money and lustful, His Majesty Marus I have punished him; Gollus is good at gambling, but he doesn't have many bad deeds. There is another one... General Titus, he often robs villages, sometimes even the villages under his own rule."
"Titus is here too? I didn't see his flag..."
Li Ang glanced towards the camp, but indeed did not see the flag of Titus.
"He is now a member of Phoenix Knight Order and has switched to the Phoenix Flag... but Phoenix Knight Order did not come with him..."
Alina pointed to the side of the city Phoenix Flag.
"Titus actually got together with the old guard of the Shadow Legion... Let's attack him first. Let's go to Imir first."
Li Ang nodded, turned around and entered the forest.
Eagle Claw Fortress.
Baudess is here arming her new troops.
Since Baudess rescued Li Ang, Amy was very grateful to her, so he personally used his face to help Baudess recruit many recruits.
Baudess also used the shortest time to form a force of 500 people.
The composition of this force is almost evenly divided between men and women - Baudess did not follow the practice of Ficavia to form pure female soldiers, but like the Vanskery pirates, men and women were treated equally.
Of course, the skills of these recruits recruited from Lion Territory are not very good, and their training is seriously insufficient. They are definitely not as good as those Vanskery pirates who have experienced fighting and killing since childhood.
So Baudess has been training in the past few months.
Of course, the main reason is that she also undertakes the task assigned to her by Li Ang - to be a bandit.
Anyone who leaves Li Ang's territory, as long as they do not plant the Li Ang flag, will inevitably encounter bandits the moment they cross the border...
And if it is a business traveler entering the country, then Li Ang's territory will become extremely safe, ensuring that not a single gangster can be seen.
Of course, as long as you don't leave the border, nothing happens and the taxes are much lower than elsewhere.
This is what Li Ang has explained. Before the construction of the 'Long River City' project is completely completed, this policy will be implemented on all Li Ang's sites.
And Baudess's training method is to suppress bandits while playing the role of bandit yourself...
After all, the real bandits have to be killed too.
But you don't have to hand over the income from suppressing bandits. This is considered to be doing justice to God, and all the gains belong to you; only 75% of the income from playing the role of a bandit has to be handed over...
This method of training is very effective. It not only allows the troops to gain practical combat experience, but also cultivates many high-level scouts.
If the level of scouting is not good enough, it is easy for fish to slip through the net. It would be a pity if this kind of legal business with simple operation and low cost is missed...
But that day, while Baudess was training troops - that is, while doing a small business, he ran into trouble.
Just on the coast to the north of Eagle Claw Fortress, Baudess had just robbed a group of guys who were trying to ship out of the country with a large amount of dinars, and their scouts reported that they had discovered a large fleet at sea, and they should all be warships.
Based on the size of the fleet, this probably means a military strength of about 4,000 people.
The inland sea of Shihu Lake is formed by the backflow of seawater into the Pande Continent. Although the inland sea area is very large, there are only two countries' territories around it - Crow and Lion.
This is the natural dividing line between Lion Territory and Raven Territory.
This means that the warship that can come from the inner sea of Shihu must be the Raven Territory ship.
Moreover, with a scale of about four thousand people, this should be the entire fleet of the Raven Kingdom...
This is an all-out cross-sea attack!
But usually, this kind of cross-sea attack is usually directed at Cliff Bay - Cliff Bay is a peninsula protruding into the inner sea of Shihu Lake, which is closer to Raven Territory and more suitable for landing.
Besides, after Three Prophets left, Cliff Bay should be relatively empty now.
But the fleet of the Raven Kingdom came towards Northern Bay, and it did not go directly towards Lion Lake City, but docked north of Eagle Claw Fortress.
Baudess is from Filvia, which is an island country. Baudess is very familiar with naval battles and fleet landing battles.
It was precisely because of the familiarity that she was confused - if the destination of the Crow Fleet was Lion Lake City, but it was still more than a hundred miles away from Lion Lake City, there was no need to go so far in advance to land in advance, right?
Lion Lake City has a military seaport. Warships can directly attack Lion Lake City. As long as they break through the water camp, they can land directly at the military port.
Moreover, Forster is at Long River Town at this time, but not at Lion Lake City. With an army of four thousand people, Lion Lake City will definitely not be able to stop it.
Could it be that the Ravencrows are here for Eagle Claw Fortress?
But, why?
Lion Lake City is obviously much more valuable than Eagle Claw Fortress!
Is there anything worth remembering about Eagle Claw Fortress... could it be to wash away the shame of being persuaded to quit by Li Ang at Eagle Claw Fortress last time?
You can't be so petty...
Baudess doesn't understand.
But she must resist her enemies, whether out of a pledge of allegiance or a desire to restore her country.
In fact, Baudess doesn't know that Cliff Bay also has enemies.
Cliff Bay appears a lot Fieltzwe people.
Moreover, Misty Marsh Fortress has also been occupied by Fieltzwe people at this time.
After Three Prophets left, many nobles of Cliff Bay united and sent the titular lord Brennus to Mistveil City - not to enjoy happiness, but to be a prisoner.
Then, they gave Cliff Bay to King Vidis...
Speaking of which, this may be regarded as a 'feat of justice', because the people of Cliff Bay can finally get rid of the fear of being turned into Fallen One...
But what will Fieltzwe people do to them?
Will it be better than before?