Throne Steps

At the end of February, the severe winter is fading away, and spring is about to start.

The Southwest Garrison sent 30 troops to Suoyang. It doesn't sound like much, but for a small city with a permanent population of only [-], it is already crushing enough.

The young soldiers formed a standard formation and rushed towards Soyan.With the rolling of wheels and the sound of horseshoes, the young people in the queue raised their heads, and everywhere they saw were companions.The faces of the soldiers showed tension, exhaustion, and excitement, but little fear and sorrow.They are going to fight a long-lost war, a war that must be won, and they are the righteous teachers who defend their home and country!They are looking forward to fighting the enemy bravely, looking forward to a bloody battle, and then they will take down the traitors in one fell swoop and return to their hometown!

"Flanking, enemy attack!"

When a troop passed by a certain mountain col, the unique signal flares in the army suddenly rose into the air, and the sound of scouts came not far away.News of the enemy's surprise attack rushed through the ranks, inevitably causing a commotion, but a major in the regiment calmly shouted: "Defense!"

Because they had to pass through such a place that is easy to attack and difficult to defend, the army had already made a plan and warned the soldiers in advance.Fortunately, although it is a mountain col here, it is not dangerous.The soldiers heard the command and trained to move quickly to form a defensive formation.As soon as the shields were set up one by one, a wave of fierce rockets flew out from the top of the mountain, and they seemed to be covering the top in an instant!

The ordinary soldiers hiding under the shield couldn't help but shrink their necks and close their eyes tightly.

Just at this moment, a few circles of light popped up from the army, and it seemed like a mask was unfolded in an instant.The rockets collided with these masks, and they shattered like iron trees blooming, sparks flying!When a whole wave of rockets hit, it seemed that countless fireworks bloomed at the same time outside the mask, which was very conspicuous even in daylight.

The mask oscillated, and when the rocket attack faded, the shimmer also gradually disappeared.

"It's magic." A young man standing in the formation got off his horse, gripped his staff, and trotted away as he watched the rocket come and go, "The No. 13 talent team will come with me!"

Several soldiers jumped out, carrying weapons wrapped in fighting spirit, and ran towards the mountain.The magicians who followed kept waving their wands non-stop, smashing the falling magic attacks one by one, and then returned along the way, with countless wind blades and ice cones.The magician was surrounded by soldiers holding swords and shields. They had no talent, but were very physically fit, surrounding and escorting the magicians up the mountain.The sparks fell on the trees, the grass, and their armor, burning small black holes or fire marks.

The troops under the col marched again, but still maintained a defensive formation, and their pace was faster.It was difficult for the attack from the top of the mountain to fall into the valley, and even if there was, it was quickly resolved by the magicians in the formation.

The attack gradually weakened, and the troops quickly passed through the col, and the No.13 talented team also turned back shortly after.

The young man who led the people to rush out got on his mount and walked in front of another tall horse. The man on the horse nodded: "Major."

The major looked back at the col not far away: "...a mercenary again?"

"According to the combat method, it should be." The young man replied: "When we chased to the mountain, there was no sign. The scouts checked the surrounding situation and judged that it might be just a team of magicians. Once we approached, they would retreat. — just like the previous harassment.”

Since the team reached the edge of Samir, the various ministries have been frequently attacked by such small-scale, hit-and-run attacks, and only less than ten troublemakers were caught.Although most of them are unusable long-range magic attacks, running over and over again to hinder the march will also make the troops mentally exhausted.Especially for the leaders, they have to worry that this kind of hit-and-run tactic will make the soldiers' defense more and more lax, which is really annoying.

"If you don't send troops to attack at such a good opportunity, does Suoyang still want to fight?" The major seemed to be talking to the young man, but also seemed to be talking to himself, "If Suoyang always only hires some mercenaries to harass... I wonder if its strength is worth our army dispatching 5 men to attack."

The young man bowed his head and said, "Major, be careful with your words."

Harder was still in the team attacking Suoyang. The difference from last time was that this time he was just an ordinary soldier who obeyed the command.

It has been more than a year since the two things that made him stand out the most. The comrades who ate and lived with him no longer fear him as before and are always wary of him.But as a "vicious beast" and an experienced person who had sneaked into Suoyang once, no one dared to underestimate him.

In the temporary camp, smoke rose from the kitchen.The sunset covered the western sky, and the soldiers were gathering in twos and threes, eating dinner sitting or standing.

Harder's eating style is still turbulent, but now his comrades are more or less used to it.In addition, long-distance marches consume a lot of energy, and the comrades themselves don't look very good, so no one can dislike anyone.

Harder finished eating first, stood up and held the rice bowl, and looked into the distance.

"What are you looking at?" The comrade-in-arms stood up after eating, followed his gaze, and there were only some hills and woods in sight.

Harder withdrew his gaze, glanced at the other party, and replied casually: "It's nothing."

He took his rice bowl and walked to the temporary water purification point, ready to wash the dishes.But his comrade-in-arms was not frightened by this cold tone, and followed behind with his empty rice bowl: "I know what you are looking at, that direction... Suoyang, right?"

Harder was unmoved, as if the voice hadn't reached his ears, and continued to walk forward.

"Hey, wait for me!" The comrade-in-arms approached him and whispered, "I said, do you have any inside information? We have been stationed here for five days. When will we attack those traitors?"

Yes, five days.

The 5 people were divided into three groups and marched towards Suoyang. Harder was in the second echelon, which was also the main combat force with the largest number of people.However, after the long-distance raid, it was not the Suoyang rebels who were dying to "greet" them, but the closed Soyang city gate.

It is said that the first echelon was ambushed five kilometers away from Soyan.It's not the kind of harassment on the road before, but a real ambush with soldiers and horses fighting.The first echelon faced the enemy head-on. Although there were slight casualties due to the unpreparedness and the youngness of the soldiers, the attack was finally defeated by the superiority of numbers.The Soyang rebels were also unwilling to fight. After discovering that the Southwestern Army had begun to gain the upper hand and counterattacked, they called up the remaining troops and quickly retreated.

With this retreat, the city gate was completely closed.

The terrain where Suoyang is located is complex, with many hills and valleys.The small town of Suoyang is built on a hilly highland, with its back against the mountains and facing the slope of a large angle. It seems that a circle of city walls has been added to Suoyang, which can be said to be blessed with a wide view.This kind of site selection is actually quite similar to the rock eagle station in the north, the purpose is to be easy to defend but difficult to attack.As long as the Southwest Army appeared under the hillside, Suo Yang's sentry post would be able to spot it immediately.Not to mention whether Suoyang sent troops to meet them, just those magicians standing on the top of the city and throwing magic down would be enough for the vanguard of the Southwest Army to drink a pot.

Therefore, the first and second echelons of the Southwest Army temporarily stationed behind some hills.Three days ago, the third echelon also arrived at the temporary station.Due to the large number of people, the garrison points of the three echelons were encircled from the front and the sides, and it was difficult for people in Suoyang City to fly.

After several days of siege, neither the Southwest Army nor Suo Yang moved at all.It was like the calm before the storm, which made the young soldiers look forward to it, but couldn't help being agitated.

Harder is an exception.

He ate and slept freely, as leisurely as if he was camping, without any tension.Because he had served as the captain of the advance force before, his comrades thought he knew the plan, so they came to inquire about the news from time to time.

"I don't know." He washed the rice bowl, and finally turned his head to glance at his comrades in arms, "Don't bother me."

His eyes were like a wild beast locking onto its prey in an instant, and the noisy comrades finally dared not cling to him anymore.

The border of the Samir Forest, the city of Vomalavia.

"Is there a stalemate?"

Li Chen threw the document in his hand on the table, squinted his eyes, and said with a smile, "Why am I not surprised at all?"

"Of course you won't be surprised." Fudexi sat across the desk and sneered, "You can even guess who started the battle, so what else can surprise you?"

Akye, who was sitting next to him, glanced at him.An ordinary person might be scared to cry by this tall man's cold and ferocious appearance, but Fudexi has long been used to it, and just thinks that this "wolf"'s "protective instinct" has appeared again.

As for Fudexi's tone of sarcasm, Li Chen is no stranger to it.He smiled, and said again: "Suoyang is easy to defend and difficult to attack. In addition, it has insufficient troops. If it wants to resist, it can only close the city gate and harass it. Although the Southwest Army sent a crushing [-] troops , but under the premise that you must win, how to win beautifully is the key point."

Li Chen originally wanted to use this offensive and defensive battle to "educate" Fudexi, so when he encountered this topic, he would explain a few more words to Fudexi.

Knowing Lichen's plan, Fudexi asked along his own train of thought: "Then there is no more stalemate? The [-] army has been unable to take down Suoyang for a long time, what does it look like?"

Li Chen replied: "There are not only rebels in Suoyang City, but also civilians. Although the Southwest Army has a strong force, it is also a life. Under the reputation of pure white, this battle must be hit with one blow and will The casualties of the civilians and the Southwest Army were minimized. If possible, even the rebels had to take live prisoners. This is the bitter fruit of Fjalal's choice of "the name of pure goodness". Persist, too."

"No..." Fudexi raised his eyebrows and said, "Since both sides were instigated by His Highness, can't he find a way to solve it quickly?"

Li Chen crossed his legs, leaned on the back of the chair, and said with a smile: "How many people know the truth behind this scene? Most of them are just doing their duty. Besides, if this battle is too easy, it is not as good as the Third Highness's coming down." Does it even pale in comparison?"

Fordhi replied: "But you guessed it."

"Fodexi, if you want to praise someone, can you just use a flattering tone?" Li Chen put down his legs, then reached out and flipped through the documents on the table, "Wait, this matter won't take too long Yes, our Highness has to get ready to get married, and time is running out."

Fu Dexi mocked: "He doesn't go out in person like the Third Highness, why should he take advantage of this wind?"

"Based on the fact that he is on the main battle faction in this matter, and because his maternity is the color of rose." Li Chen thought for a while, then asked Fu Dexi, "I told them to take the things to Suoyang, Did you bring it?"

"Transformation potion? I brought it, mixed with a bunch of prohibited drugs, and gave it all to the intelligence team... Oh, no, it's a border caravan now, and it's taken to Suoyang." Fudexi replied, "What are you planning to do?" Seeking wealth and insurance? Doing black transactions under the eyes of two pure whites!"

"After the war, there is a lot of waste to be done, and there will be a black market in all likelihood. This is also a common practice. Otherwise, how will the war money be made?" Li Chen lowered his gaze to the document, and glanced at ten lines, "But I am not trying to get rich, just... Just in case."

Fordhi narrowed his eyes, but did not answer.After a while of silence, Akye, who had been silent all this time, spoke.

"The main leaders of the Suoyang rebel army have been investigated."

Li Chen didn't raise his head: "The Suoyang incident has been going on for more than a year, but every intelligence agency should have their list, right?"

What's more, they have hanged people on the city wall before, which is simply a "feast" for intelligence agencies!

Akye said again: "There are only a few who sent their family members out, and people have been sent to watch them one by one. At present, these family members have not been in touch with Soyangli's relatives for a long time, and Fujalal doesn't seem to be too concerned." Watch them."

"For the time being, treason is still in the system. It's normal for them not to contact each other. I just hope to get rid of it." Li Chen finally raised his head and looked at Akye. Clear."

Although Retia is an alliance, it is an imperial system after all, and there is still a stipulation of consecutive sittings under felony crimes.It's just that pure goodness is prevalent in the alliance. If the families of these traitorous generals have indeed stopped dealing with sinners, under the mediation of pure white, there may not be no way out.

Or directly make people forget the existence of family members, it is not a bad idea.

Akye said: "I have asked people to check their financial transactions."

"Tsk tsk, it's really worry-free." Li Chen glanced at Fu Dexi, "You should be more careful, my person in charge!"

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