Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Enemies in front, back, left, and right

On the last day of May, Emperor Karman II issued a proclamation to send troops against Zrunagra, in order to cut off the root of the country's conspiracy against Mafar and establish the foundation of permanent peace.At this time, the Mafar Army has completed its reorganization, prepared food, and the road to Zrunagra has also been repaired. At the imperial meeting, Karman announced: "The Duke of the Golden Crow is an irreplaceable wise friend to me. Therefore, he will serve as the chief of staff in my base camp." This order includes several complex meanings at the same time.On the surface, it seems that Kalman made such an arrangement to maximize Munchell's intelligence, so he was asked to serve as the chief of staff of the entire army and sit in the position of the emperor's adviser.But behind this arrangement, the real purpose was to place this really dangerous man, Munchell, next to the emperor for close monitoring.In addition, there is a greater significance, which is to separate Munchell from the 45,000 troops of the Principality of the Golden Crow that he possesses.So the general who commanded the Golden Crow Principality's army was actually Princess Angelina.Kallman didn't think that Angelina would raise the flag of rebellion, but once a rebellion really happened, Kallman could take Munchell, who was in the base camp, as a hostage.Of course, Munchell had already seen Kalman's true intentions, but all he could say was of course a respectful answer:

"Everything is in accordance with His Majesty's imperial edict." In this way, in June of 1092 in the continental calendar, the Marfar Army, led by Emperor Karman II himself, embarked on an expedition to the neighboring countries in the south. The 20,000 soldiers of the Bronze Sparrow King Lacusta and the 3,000 soldiers of the Black Sheep King Almosio stayed behind in the imperial capital Onogur.Almoxiu's army is actually just a symbol of his loyalty to the emperor, because even in terms of numbers, the main force should be La Custa's army.And La Costa's task is by no means just to be a relaxed stay-at-home force.Because Kalman handed over the heavy responsibility of monitoring and dealing with the lurking hostile forces in the country to his confidants, La Costa's responsibilities were actually more important than participating in the field battle himself.

Mafar's army dispatched to Zrunagra totaled 250,000 troops.The soldiers of each principality are 45,000 from the Army of the Golden Crow Principality, 30,000 from the Army of the Principality of the Black Sheep, 18,000 from the Army of the Principality of Dragon Tooth, 33,000 from the Army of the Principality of Tiger Wings, and the rest are For the emperor's direct army. The chronicle records about the day of the expedition as follows: "Emperor Kalman is brave and brave, and has the genius to command an army. Under his leadership, the Duke of the Golden Crow and the next Duke of the Black Sheep served as the left and right wings of the overlord, and they embarked on the journey to defeat Zrunagra together. The might of the empire Today is the most glorious day..."

Chronicle records are often excessively embellished with ornate prose, but lack the description of the cold side of the facts.However, when the emperor's military flag, surrounded by the four principality military flags, started to head south, the whole scene was indeed quite spectacular. In this way, Kalman, Munchell, and Lidvan embarked on the journey of the Zrunagra Succession Battle together, but this was the last time that the three of them fought against the same enemy together. Furthermore, there is another rare situation that has been discussed by everyone, that is, in this battle, Mafar and Yerudi actually joined forces to form a united front against Zrunagra.Although the enemies for many years joined forces temporarily for the common benefit, but when they extended their right hands to shake hands, the left hand behind their backs would sooner or later grab the hilt of the short sword and wait for an opportunity to strike!The fact in front of us is the so-called "today's ally is between yesterday's enemy and tomorrow's opponent".

Yerudi mobilized 75,000 soldiers, and the chief general was the "One-armed General" Obrahit, who enjoyed the reputation of a fierce general among the nine-pillar generals.The Mafar Army and the Yerudi Army broke through the border of Zrunagra from the north and the east respectively, and may merge into one force in front of the capital.The total number of generals and soldiers is 325,000.Since ancient times, the country of Zrunagra has never had such a large enemy army pressing down on its borders. Heralds crossed the land of Zrunagra to bring urgent news to the palace.An ominous shadow covered the entire interior of the palace, and the sound of the flapping wings of the shadow made people feel even more uneasy.The nobles and courtiers once again competed with each other in the conference room.

"There are 250,000 Mafar troops in the north, and 75,000 Yerudi troops in the east. The enemy troops have already surpassed all the troops in Zrunagra in terms of numbers!" "Even if the number of people is the same, we may not be able to defeat Mafar, let alone the Yerudi army, and I heard that the leader of the Yerudi army is the one-armed general, right?" "So we should actively review our peace strategy now! Instead of losing the entire territory, we might as well cede part of it. Isn't that what so-called politics is?" As far as the opinion itself is concerned, this is indeed correct, but no one has put it into practice.Maybe this should be called "scorched earth policy"?

In any case, now that this was the case, Zrunagra was bound to use the army.So far, the discussion of the entire meeting has finally entered the stage of reviewing the use of troops in actual combat. Is it possible to defeat each of the Mafar army and the Yerudi army before they come together?If this strategy is adopted, a short-term decisive battle can be expected.And if the Mafar army is allowed to go deep into the interior of Zrunagra's territory first, and then cut off the supply line to make it difficult, then it is necessary to make a plan for a protracted war.It has been about forty days since Emperor Mafar issued the interrogation letter to the actual use of the army.What exactly was Zrunagra doing during this period?

"The reason why Yerudi sent troops was to show courteousness to Mafar, and his fighting spirit was actually very weak. Once he saw that Mafar's army was defeated, he should have withdrawn without fighting. In other words, I, Zrunagra, is the only one The best opportunity is to attack the enemy's main force before the two armies merge." The brave general Yip Silante expressed his opinion decisively.There was an uproar among the courtiers, but soon after, the civil servants raised objections: "However, I heard that the leader of the Yerudi army is the one-armed general. This shows that their fighting spirit is not weak, right?"

"That's exactly what Yerudy's strategy is about!" "If the famous one-armed general is appointed as the main general, anyone will think that Yerudi really wants to give it a go. And this is the true intention of the Yerudi army." In fact, even if this battle is won, it will not be of any benefit to Yerudi at all.After annexing Zrunagra, it will only make Mafar stronger.Just ask which country would be happy to see their neighbors strong.What Yerudi really hoped to see in his heart should be Mafar's tragic defeat in Waterloo.They never really wanted to fight this battle.

"What is the reason for this war? The answer is all in the city of Onogur, the imperial capital of Mafar. All the disasters originated from that land, and I, Zrunagra, was just affected by the aftermath. It's just the spread." Ypsilante made the above conclusion, and his calmness and thoroughness almost surprised people. His arguments overwhelmed all opinions with force and clarity.So the direction of the entire meeting flowed—immediately form an army quickly, launch a quick attack on the Mafar army, use the advantages of the terrain to win first, and then make peace with Mafar.

The latter part of the proposal put forward by Ypsilante is actually a substitute for the opinions expressed by the court secretary Juraj.There is no chance of peace in Ypsilante's heart when facing an opponent like Mafar.First, the idea of ​​launching a quick attack and then winning first, that is, "seeking a victory after one battle" itself is very difficult.At this time, Yip Silante actually planned to risk his life, and resolutely adopted the conspiracy that he had mentioned to the Secretary-General before. At that time, the secretary Juraj was at the bedside of King Danilo IV, reporting to the king the strategy that he and Ypsilante had painstakingly worked out.After the king knew about it, his expression was very bitter, and he said to his subordinates in a voice that was as breathless as air: "Thanks to you good subordinates, but I can't give you any rewards. Forgive my incompetence!" "Your Majesty, please don't say that. This is nothing like you in the past. The current plight of our country is not your Majesty's responsibility, it is entirely caused by the ambition of the Mafar people!" The secretary comforted the king.Although in this case, consolation will not have any constructive effect, but Juraj hopes to at least relieve some psychological burden for the bedridden king. "What my subordinates are concerned about is the current Yarudi's ambassador in Mafar, a man named La Salle." "Lassalle...is the youngest of the nine-pillar generals..." "Weichen once heard that he is quite resourceful." "The so-called ingenuity is usually the twin brother of ambition. It's like good friends who are always together with sentimentality and lust!" Despite being seriously ill, Danilo IV still smiled at his subordinates in bed.In the past, Danilo IV was not only a great lover, but also a sophisticated politician. If his physical condition is still as healthy as before, this Zrunagra succession battle may have a completely different situation from the present. The development process, or maybe it will not explode from the very beginning. "Then try to hope that Lasalle can..." The king muttered in a low voice, but before he finished speaking, the dark shadow of fatigue had already shrouded like a curtain, and the seriously ill king fell into a cloudy and hazy sleep again. "Kalman is not in the imperial capital. He even let his lair empty the city. This time he will learn a good lesson, that is to be careless and bring disaster, ha, ha, ha..." The grand princess of the Marfar Empire, Ai Shebet, laughed excitedly, and the laughter kept leaking from her bright red lips. When the armor worn by the soldiers reflected the sunshine of the early summer, like waves of shining waves, when the ranks stepped out of the gate of the imperial capital, in the eyes of Eshebet, it was like a A bunch of big idiots.Even if the damned Kalman had won Zrunagra, he would have to lose Mafar, so what was there to boast about?Now I want you to have a good taste of the tragic feeling of being homeless when the teacher returned to the imperial court. Ai Shebet was like a bird released from a cage, starting various activities in a hurry.When Zrunagra’s ambassador, Duke Zaychel, was killed, Aishabet crouched in the mansion in fear of guilt, too frightened to step out, but Karman not only did not indirectly hold Aishabet accountable , or even completely ignore what she did.To be precise, she pretended to ignore her actions completely, but Ashebet interpreted all of this as clever means, and she judged that Kallman didn't know anything at all.Alshebet had no idea how amazing Kalman would be once the policy was decided.To her, Kalman was nothing more than her husband's younger brother, whom he had long ignored and scorned.So she secretly carried out many rebellious plots, one of which was to ask the Yarudi ambassador Lasalle to assist her in the rebellion. But of course it was impossible for La Salle to accept her mercy and dance like a snake to the sound of her flute.He was as egotistical as Love Shebet, and a far more dangerous figure than Love Shebet.The Grand Concubine is a person who prioritizes feelings in everything. How could he play with her with fire and end up getting burned?So on the other hand, the two points that Ai Shebet asked Lasalle for assistance and she had to seek Lasalle's assistance have already doomed Ai Shebet's failure. When the Grand Duchess sent an envoy to seek assistance, Lasalle killed the envoy, Baron Isaacuccia, on the spot.Then he sent the bloody head to Lacusta, Duke of the Bronze Sparrow Kingdom. "Grand Princess Aishebet has acted rebelliously. I, Yarudi, have always worked hard to maintain the friendly relationship between our country and Mafar. Now I present the head of a traitor to prove it." To Lacosta, Lasalle's words were as worthless as a joke.But now is the time to complete the task entrusted by the emperor.So at midnight that night, he led an army to surround the mansion of Eshebet. The army led by Lacusta, the prince of the Steel Sparrow Kingdom, broke through the door.Horseshoes and military boots trampled on the stone pavement, making harsh sounds, and bursts of roars and wailings tore through the night air. "This is the palace where His Royal Highness Grand Duke Luchette and His Royal Highness Princess Aishebet live. You are violating the laws and justice of the country by drawing your sword and breaking into the residence of the royal family without authorization!" The steward of the palace protested desperately, but his voice was completely ignored. Lacusta took the lead and walked in front of the soldiers, his armor shining under the light, and he strode into the palace with his head held high. .Every time La Costa took a step forward, the air in the mansion vibrated with the screams. The mistress of the mansion, Ai Shebet, hugged her young son to her chest, and ran around between the rooms. Fleeing, screaming in his mouth: "How could this happen? How could this happen?" In fact, with the exception of herself, most of the people in the room already knew why this happened.But she subconsciously refused to admit that she had failed.Avoiding a grim answer, she struggled desperately for a place of escape in the tangled chaos before her. But the places where you can escape in space are limited after all.Not long after, under the protection of a few maids and guards, the mother and son of Alshebet and Ruchette had been forced into the attic to the west, and there was no way out. La Costa ordered his subordinates to kill anyone with a weapon.For according to the Chronicle, "the sword is the evidence of guilt."Dogmatism is singing its triumph over conspiracy. After the door of the room was broken through, the guards who resisted bravely were surrounded by the majority of the enemy, and were beheaded to death one after another in a bloody mist.Alshebet watched the scene in front of her with stiff eyes.And Lacusta held the hilt of the long sword and stood resolutely in front of Eshebet. "Please forgive the impoliteness of the Duke of the Bronze Sparrow, La Custa. La Custa sees Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess." La Costa bowed respectfully to the Grand Duchess, but it was just a formality.Ai Shebet cursed angrily and humiliatedly in a hoarse voice: "Lacusta, you were just a warrior, but now you can become the Duke of the Bronze Sparrow Kingdom. It's really soaring to the sky!" "The reason why I can climb to such an unworthy position is all due to His Majesty's grace, and I am really grateful." Perhaps because of the victor's calm attitude, Alshebet was suddenly speechless in the face of Lacusta who responded calmly.But the young Luchette in her arms was crying endlessly because of the sleepiness in the middle of the night, with a sense of fear that surpassed sleepiness. La Costa then spoke again: "His Royal Highness, just now you kept talking about how this happened, do you know the reason why I came here?" "How would I know? How would I know what reason you have to come here to offend!" "Then let me tell you. Your Royal Highness, His Majesty Karman already knew about your conspiracy. Even so, His Majesty still deliberately left the imperial capital in an empty state, just to make you think there is an opportunity." "……what!" Alshebet's cry was very sad, because she had realized that she had been tricked by Kalman at this moment.Ai Shebet was like a stupid prey, unconsciously pounced on the bait cast by the enemy. "The emissary of His Royal Highness, Baron Isaacuccia, has been killed. The crime of treason has been revealed, and you have nowhere to escape. Please understand this." "...Hmph, bah..." "His Royal Highness, at this point, it is best for you to end up with yourself and make a clean end to what you have done." As Lacosta approached, Alshebet couldn't help moaning.A sense of defeat had completely shrouded her pale cheeks, and she was so weak that she was almost paralyzed.But this woman, who is equivalent to the emperor's brother-in-law, barely supported her body that was about to collapse, and supported the walnut mirror table made by a famous craftsman with both hands, slowly adjusted her breathing, and then turned her head Facing La Costa again.At this moment, La Costa felt a suppressed oppression, which turned into a dark fire, burning in her eyes. "Then, you call Kallman here. I will never kill myself. At least let him be charged with murdering his brother and sister-in-law, and let his hands be stained with blood. If you want me to die, come and kill me yourself Bar!" The horror brought to others by these words is far deeper than the speaker's own self-awareness.Of course, La Costa would not know that his beloved monarch was actually charged with patricide, but he couldn't help but feel a shuddering cold sweat running down his back.After a lot of difficulty, he finally straightened his back again, and he replied to the Grand Duchess: "No, His Majesty has an order not to stain your hands with the blood of the royal family. So we will not take your life personally." "Then you're imprisoning us? Locking us in a dungeon that never sees the light of day?" "We will not do such a thing. Your Royal Highness, you have full freedom to do whatever you want in your own mansion, except going out and approaching visitors other than imperial envoys." After La Custa finished speaking, he saw that the Grand Duchess was at a loss because of the accident, so he attacked the other party with a fierce voice: "However, all this is only related to your Royal Highness. As for Prince Luchette Please let my humble Lacusta take care of you for the time being." "You want Rouchette...?" Alshebet let out a clear wail.Reflexively clenched her hands tightly, Luchette struggled and cried out in her embrace.Alshebet's cheeks were completely pale, as white as a piece of lifeless paper. "Are you going to take a four-year-old child away from its mother? Can such a cruel thing really be done by a human being?" "Then who exactly caused this disaster?" La Costa's eyes and voice seemed to be covered by ice armor, cold and emotionless.Because if he didn't deliberately arm his heart, he might not be able to complete this matter. "His Royal Highness, all this can only be blamed on your shallow thinking. Originally, you should have died along with the conspiracy of your father, the Marquis of Apostel. The reason why you can live to this day is all thanks to His Majesty Karman. But you To avenge kindness, what Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess did will make Her Royal Highness Ruchet fall into misfortune." "Don't even think about it, don't want me to hand over Rushette...!" Ai Shebet and Tae-joo tried to escape, but they were blocked by the armored procession.A few silver-grey shiny arms stretched out like huge ivy, depriving Aishebet of her freedom of movement, and also dragging Ruchette's small body from her arms.Mother and son were thus separated. "Rushette, Rushette...!" The mother's distressed call did not get a relative answer from the son.The toddler had already lost half of his sanity in fright when he was hugged by a burly knight to prevent him from moving, and he couldn't make a sound no matter what. "Don't be rude. His Royal Highness Luchette is the nephew of His Majesty the Emperor. Besides, His Majesty once said that the crime of a relative is not as good as a son." After being scolded by Lacusta, the knight hugged the child's small body again with some shame. When La Costa turned and walked out, the soldiers also lifted the siege on Aishebet.Alshebet fell to the ground, facing the back of the emperor's deputy, weeping bitterly while cursing and wailing. "Although this job makes people feel unpleasant, but in order to avoid bloodshed and sacrifice in the future, I have to do it now." La Costa told himself this, but when he came out of the mansion of the treacherous prisoner and rode forward, he felt the presence of others around him.La Costa looked around, only to see a man he hated appeared in front of his sight.This person is Lasalle, the ambassador of Yarudi. "It seems that everything is over, so I feel relieved. His Excellency Tongque Duke's handling skills are really extraordinary!" "Thank you ambassador for your assistance." Although it was only a short answer, it was already the result of La Costa trying to suppress his emotions before vomiting it out.A half-moon-shaped smile bloomed on Lassalle's lips, and he sat on the horseback, watching the soldiers of the Steel Sparrow Kingdom cross the other side of the street with the prince in their arms. When the Mafar army came to the border with Zrunagra, Emperor Karman received the emergency envoy sent by the Duke of Bronze Sparrow.When Kalman heard the news from the emergency messenger, he said to himself: "Has Alshebet already exploded into action? It's even faster than originally expected!" This conjecture is certainly true.Kalman has confirmed the fact that La Costa has kept Prince Rouchette as a senior prisoner.After listening to the messenger's report with a blank face, he praised La Costa's achievements and said that he still looked forward to La Costa's future performance.After sending the envoy back, Kallman raised his head in deep thought, as if looking at the sky in early summer.Soon after, he told his military attache, Ferenz, to summon the person he wanted to see.So under the leadership of Ferenz, Lidwan, the commander of the Black Sheep Army, appeared in front of the emperor's camp. "I really envy you that you can freely come and go as you want, as if holding the reins of the wind in your hand. However, you probably have your own difficulties!" Karman showed a clear and untainted smile.Basically, Kallman could always treat Lidvan as a close friend in Royal Academy as he did in the past.And Lidwan is of course the same. Despite his different identities, it is not difficult to overcome these obstacles.At this time, the Munchell was not in the main camp, and he went to inspect the march of the rear platoon instead of the emperor. "If there was a pointless battle between me Mafar and Zrunagra, then Yerudi would applaud. There have been many such examples in the past, first before the accession of Danilo IV Already!" Therefore, of course, Kallman would not let Yerudi stand by and watch the two armies fighting from a high place, so he dragged Yerudi into the vortex of this turmoil.In terms of political strategy in the first stage, Kalman was successful.But immediately after the success of one stage, another worry of a different kind will follow.That is, what actions will Ambassador Lasalle of Yarudi take next to deal with this brand new situation?Or to put it another way, what impact will Lasalle itself have on the current situation?It is necessary to pay attention to this point at all times. "Yerudy must be planning to use the least amount of labor to get the tastiest part of the prey. Of course, if they want to do so, let them do it!" There was a urchin-like smile on the corner of Kallman's mouth.Li Dewan couldn't help but want to ask the emperor, why don't you pay attention to the enemies lurking in the country?But Lidwan also had scruples, he really couldn't say it, he couldn't tell the emperor to be vigilant against Munchell.However, from the arrangement that Kallman transferred Munchell away from the main army of the Principality of the Golden Crow, and deliberately placed the Army of the Principality of the Black Sheep led by Lidvan behind the Army of the Principality of the Golden Crow, the emperor Psychology seems to be clearly shown. "...These things are another matter for now. I called you to the base camp because of something else." Karman turned around and ordered Filianz to bring over a volume of documents. "The Ministry of the Palace has officially recognized you, Ridvan, as the heir to the Duke of Black Sheep, and your son Paar has also been recognized as your successor. This is the official document of the Ministry of the Palace. " If it's the other way around, this determination is tantamount to denying Paal's qualification to inherit the status of Duke of Tiger Wings in the future.Since Kalman came to the throne, the widows of the Tiger Wing Duchy, Geertrut and Simeon, have been swearing loyalty to Kalman on the surface.Regardless of what they really think in their hearts, as far as domestic politics is concerned, how to protect their status and make them feel truly at ease is also a very important part.Lidwan remained silent without saying a word, so Kallman tapped his knee lightly with the volume of documents in his hand. "Simien shouldn't be an incompetent person, but since he got involved with this woman Gertrude, his original vigor seems to have been wiped out." "His Majesty……" "After this confirmation, Simeon should not try to hurt you father and son again. If he still doesn't want to stop..." Kalman's eyes looked very serious. "If he still doesn't stop, he will be guilty of ignoring orders and contemptuous of the emperor, and I will hold the Duke of Tiger Wings accountable. Endangering the Duke of Black Sheep, Lidwan, is endangering my relatives, friends, and important ministers. The prisoner will have to pay with his own life for the crime he has committed." Kallman suddenly and unexpectedly threw the roll of documents over, Lidwan could only catch the roll of documents involuntarily.Karman then smiled heartily and said: "Wake up! Lidwan, you have to die quickly so that you can take over the position of the Duke. Although you want to push all the important responsibilities of the country to me so that you can live a leisurely life alone, but this Can’t do it! At least you have to carry the Black Sheep Principality, right?” After Lidwan walked out of the base camp, he returned to the place where his troops camped.Not long after, Princess Angelina visited from the camp of the Golden Crow Principality's army.The two talked about various public and private topics in the tent. When Angelina talked about Munchell's marriage contract, she couldn't help shrugging her shoulders and sighing: "For the House of the Marquis of Passarowitz, this may be a trouble to be thankful for. It seems that I will get engaged to Paar and fight against my brother." "That would be nerve-wracking. I don't want to be rivals in love with my son!" Li Dewan's casual words stunned Angelina.A pair of shining eyes stared straight at the black-haired knight, but then she acted as if nothing had happened, with a mischievous smile on her lips: "Oh! Hey, hey, the next Duke of Black Sheep is really good at talking! But the task of the mouth should be more than just talking, right? It should also be able to do other things, right?" No matter how puzzled Lidvan was, he still understood what Angelina said.He stared at the beautiful face of the princess, but let his eyes sweep around for a week.There is a big elm tree in the back, and there are tent curtains hanging on the left and right sides, and there are dense bushes in front. Just look at the location here, so you don't have to worry about someone peeking. After quickly checking the surrounding situation, Ridwan finally made a gesture like a lover.At this moment, the curtain of the tent was lifted.Lidwan quickly straightened his forward body, and saw Holdy walking towards him, and shouted to Lidwan in a leisurely tone: "Hey, Lord Lidwan, look at the good Ziyijia wine I got. We don't know whether we will win or lose in the future battle, so let's drink a cup of it first, and wish us success!" "Ah, is it? Sounds good." Li Dewan was perfunctory clumsily, but Holdy didn't notice, or pretended not to notice on purpose. Princess Angelina stood up with a tense face, and was about to go out, but she turned her head and looked at the two men with cold eyes, said something even colder, and then walked out of the tent. "Only men who are not active in doing things will start drinking during the day. The drunk wine is really ruined." It was only at this moment that Li Dewan suddenly realized that the memorable moment was far away from him, and Li Dewan couldn't help scolding himself for not being active.And Holdy, who was obsessed with the contents of the glass, sat cross-legged on the spot holding the urn of Ziyijia wine. "Occasionally encountering good wine is my second wish in life. My first wish is to collect the culmination of folklore from the whole land of Mafar and establish a complete system. I am just a kind-hearted scholar without great talent, but when When a genius appears one day, perhaps based on the records I have made, a great theory can be created! This is my true wish." Holdy babbled happily. "A kind-hearted scholar is good at dancing swords and practicing big dogs. What is going on?" "Lord Lidwan, this is because, in addition to the kind people in our world, unfortunately there are also some wicked people who do evil. Although I am kind-hearted and peace-loving, I still have to protect myself sometimes. !" "That's right..." After Li Dewan smiled wryly, he didn't intend to ask any more questions. In fact, he didn't intend to pursue Holdy's past.Although from the surface of the four wonderful friends of Holdy and Parr, it seems that they must have had some experiences that cannot be described in words; but now they are completely reliable friends, and there is no need to be poor at all. Chasing after them to expose their past. "Ah! This wine is indeed fragrant." Holdy abandoned the cup and poured the wine with his horn flute. When he put his nose close to the horn flute, he couldn't help but feel a little flustered.Ziiga wine is brewed from plums and distilled. People usually drink it warm in winter.After drinking this wine, the Mafar people often dance heartily and sing "Winter is outside the window, but summer is in me, and spring is in my heart".In the long and severe winter, people maintain their feelings for each other and establish a relationship of coexistence. Lidwan picked up his horn flute and swung it up.The liquid fire flowed down the throat into the inside of the throat, and then rekindled a raging fire at the bottom of the stomach.After the first glass was drained, Holdy began to pour the second glass of wine, when he suddenly said: "Sometimes thinking about it, Lord Lidwan, His Majesty Kallman's reign was really very unstable." "Stability will take some time. His Majesty Kallman should become a virtuous king. Isn't this what we are happy to see in the future?" These words of Lidwan are actually more like speaking to himself. When they were together at Royal College, the teenagers used to talk about their futures to each other arrogantly.They said that Karman was the emperor; Munchell was the Duke of the Golden Crow and the Chief Elector of the Empire; as for Ridvan, he traveled around the countries at will, and came immediately when Karman was in trouble. Rescue.At that time, the three teenagers believed that the so-called future was synonymous with infinite possibilities, and they all believed that after the spring of life, the summer of life would follow.Now, they are indeed facing the dazzling midsummer, under the bright red sun.Sooner or later, the gentle autumn in their lives will finally come. The envoy of peace from the Kingdom of Zrunagra came to Mafar's camp on June 10 after setting off from the palace.The envoy group composed of six people, led by the Earl of Sibiwu, came to Mafar's camp without any swords on their bodies, and did not bring a single soldier.What they wore was not war robes, but court gowns, which made people feel that they were far away from the war.These six people bowed respectfully and respectfully to the emperor of the enemy country: "Your Majesty, what is wrong with me, Zrunagra, that your country must send troops?" As soon as this was said, it was shown that the six men had indeed tried their best to try to persuade Kalman to change his original intention by fervent protest.Emperor Mafar let the other party give an impassioned speech, and began to count in his heart. When the count reached nearly a thousand, the other party finally finished speaking, but Karman only said these few words indifferently: "Zrunagra has only one fault, and that is the border between the country and our Mafar Empire. Now the troops are sent to punish this fault. Are you satisfied with this answer?" "This, isn't this too unreasonable...!" No matter how eloquent a person is, he probably cannot refute such an argument from Kallman.卡尔曼于是对着这群无言以对的使者们淡淡地笑了笑： “这是开玩笑的。不过就刚刚那么一句话，你们大概也可以知道我卡尔曼是个凶残霸道的人了。如果想来向我请求慈悲或通融都是没有用的。劝你们还是快快回国，看是要投降或者抵抗，赶紧想个好法子吧！” 这或许就是所谓的马失前蹄，人有失算吧；开始前来求和时，兹鲁纳格拉的使者们整齐一致的出现在马法尔皇帝面前，此时却惊慌失措地作鸟兽散。不过他们来此求和的时候，还背负着另一个任务，就是拖延与马法尔军交涉的时间，好让敌方暂时停下侵略的脚步。不过卡尔曼怎可能上了他们这种小当。皇帝传令给近卫军的士兵，让他们把兹鲁纳格拉的使者们带走，强迫他们上马，然后将他们绑在马鞍上，用长有荆棘的灌木树枝鞭打马的屁股。于是在一阵混杂着失望的叫喊和哀号声中，这六名使者在一片飞扬的尘土里走远了。 虽然马法尔军和耶鲁迪军合计起来，总人数有三十二万五千名之多，但是在卡尔曼的眼里，其中的十二万，也就是耶鲁迪军与金鸦公国军其实是潜在的敌军。所以，尽管兹鲁纳格拉人对联合军的人数之多感到畏惧，但是卡尔曼对于本身的有利条件并不是那么确信。虽然明知如此，却仍然将潜在的敌军迎进自己的阵营中，这其实是卡尔曼本身的霸气使然。 在最后的那一瞬间，耶鲁迪军的獠牙究竟会朝向哪个阵营呢？这个猜测让人不禁感到战栗，不过有一点是可以肯定的，那就是耶鲁迪军总是会靠向占有优势的那一边。所以在这场战役当中，最重要的就是不可以让耶鲁迪军有机可乘，只要把耶鲁迪拉进来，成为征服兹鲁纳格拉的共犯就好了。 “就算耶鲁迪倒戈，只要是发生在战场上，那么就不值得畏惧。” 卡尔曼身为军事家的自负使他产生如此的想法。对他来说，最值得忧虑的应该是，耶鲁迪军趁着他远征兹鲁纳格拉，国内空虚的这段期间，偷袭马法尔本土。虽然眼前马法尔与耶鲁迪联手形成暂时的同盟关系，但是卡尔曼对这种关系丝毫不信任。在这个乱世之中，国家的利益经常都在信义之上。事实上，卡尔曼之所以与耶鲁迪王国结成同盟关系，理由之一便是他早已预料这种同盟关系迟早会破裂，到时马法尔便可以此为借口，出兵讨伐耶鲁迪。此外，将耶鲁迪拉进这场战役里来，如果可以顺便让耶鲁迪在攻打兹鲁纳格拉的实战中损耗一些兵力的话，那就更好了。 就这样，所有的事态似乎都依照马法尔的想法在进行着，不过耶鲁迪其实也不是真的这么好对付。他们所派遣的兵力是七万五千名，这个数字其实是经过微妙的计算和考虑才决定出来的。和马法尔的二十五万大军比较起来，七万五千当然是少数，但是不管从哪个方面看来，耶鲁迪怎么也没道理出动超过马法尔军以上的兵力，所以这也是理所当然的。再者，如果要倒戈的话，七万五千名的兵力将可带来极大的打击。不过耶鲁迪此次出兵并不一定志在倒戈，如果联军将来战胜了，耶鲁迪即可主张己方所派出之七万五千名兵力对于胜利有着何等的贡献，然后再进一步要求分配领土、或者财宝等战利品。而且这么一来，耶鲁迪还可以在国际间宣扬己方对于同盟国的忠实，而这一点将成为今后外交上极为有利的筹码。 百年以来相互敌对的两国，如今竟结成同盟关系，此举不仅是兹鲁纳格拉感到不可思议，其他像库尔兰特、札拉、利斯阿尼亚、和乌鲁喀尔等邻近各国也是目瞪口呆。不过马法尔与耶鲁迪两国的敌对情势原本就是因为各自的立场不同才形成的，如今为了共同的利益而联手也是理所当然的事情。 耶鲁迪的用心除了表现在士兵的人数上，另外军队指挥官的人选——九柱将军之一的奥布拉希特，也如同兹鲁纳格拉军的伊普席朗特将军所洞察的，是一个相当具政策性的必要条件。而且在形式上的宣传效果极为重大。不过，就算摒除政略上的考虑，而单从军事上来看的话，这个人选也是绝对可以叫众人心服口服的。“独臂将军”不仅勇猛，具有优秀的统御能力，而且在战术方面也是个非常练达的领导人才。加果真要一战的话，耶鲁迪军的七万五千兵力，或许可发挥匹敌十万人的战斗力。奥布拉希特骑马时，是以左手持缰绳。如果在马上与人交战的话，则把缰绳衔在口里，以左手舞剑。即便如此，他在马上的剑术也非凡人所能够抵挡的。 原本耶鲁迪军的指挥官或许该是由拉萨尔将军担任。因为耶鲁迪军以及马法尔军之所以会入侵兹鲁纳格拉，完全是他在幕后导演出来的。不过他目前担任耶鲁迪驻马法尔大使的这个立场却对他有些许束缚。虽然，如果他主动提出要求的话，他其实还是可以得到这次战役的指挥官职务，但是奥布拉希特将军既然已经志愿担任，那么他也不便再提出任何异议。 猛将奥布拉希特对于拉萨尔怀着不信任，他怀疑拉萨尔是否因过度滥用自己的才略而误导了祖国耶鲁迪。但是他不能当众声明，因为他并没有掌握任何确实的证据来证实自己的猜测，所以只得毅然用行动来牵制拉萨尔危险的意图。 对拉萨尔来说，眼前的情势是他亲手造成的，他也想亲自参与其中，但是却横遭阻挠，在背地里他大概会恨得咬牙吧。虽然他揭发了爱谢蓓特大公妃企图发动叛乱的阴谋，卖了个恩情给马法尔，但却只是件微不足道的小事。奥布拉希特如果在战场上建立了堂堂的功勋，或者在阵前倒戈，打败马法尔军，进而取下皇帝卡尔曼二世的首级，那么他的功劳就根本不是拉萨尔所能够比拟的。因此，此时的拉萨尔也只能够在远离战场的马法尔帝都奥诺古尔，向上天祈祷不要让奥布拉希特建了大功。 不过，对卡尔曼来说，拉萨尔身在奥诺古尔的这个事实，却也让他时时得回顾背后。总之，这一切彼此相关的事态，使得三个国家卷入了野心、阴谋、策略的漩涡中，彼此相互冲突碰撞，一时之间似乎也不容易解决。 “就这么样相互料缠，倒也是件愉快的事情。就看看哪个人最狡猾、哪个人最不幸吧！” 金鸦国公蒙契尔一面像是在品尝葡萄酒似地，一面在心里低声自语着。虽然他并非全能，但是对于横跨在三国之土地上的混乱事态，却大致能够掌握其全貌。因为促使拉萨尔演出这幕戏的罪魁祸首不是别人，正是他蒙契尔。虽然他所描绘的构图已经呈现在地面上，但是他本人却又被卡尔曼调离本国的军队。尽管如此，他仍是以一副讽刺的态度嘲笑着自己此时的立场。人毕竟不是棋盘上的棋子，不见得能够完全照着自己的招数来驱使，随时都可能有意外产生。不过，对天上的众神来说，蒙契尔本身或许也只不过是命运棋盘里的一只棋子罢了。 兹鲁纳格拉所采取的基本战略，就是在马法尔军和耶鲁迪军合并之前，出兵先攻打侵略军的主力，也就是马法尔军。但是这个基本战略终于还是无法实现。六月十二日这一天，马法尔军突然改向西南方前进，在托尔古·德·弗洛奇平原先行布阵，目的就是为了和耶鲁迪军会合。因为不管是主将卡尔曼也好，是幕僚长蒙契尔也好，都早已猜到兹鲁纳格拉所可能会采用的基本战略，为了把耶鲁迪军拖进实战当中，当然得优先让两军会合。 “耶鲁迪军到达！” 当龙牙国公渥达送来这个消息时，卡尔曼下令全军暂停行军。这一天，空中有着薄薄的云层，平原的尽头是一片亮灰色的朦胧，地平面上笼罩在半透明的云霞当中，当一批批身穿胄甲的骑马将士从地平线的那端不断涌现的时候，马法尔军在心理上仍然采取了狙击的姿态。他们当然知道对方和己方是站在同一阵线上，不过他们更了解这层关系只是形式上的。 耶鲁迪军布好阵势之后，只见五、六个人骑马步出阵营。走在最前面带头，而且军衣的右袖随风飘动着的，便是耶鲁迪军的将军。当到达卡尔曼的面前时，他跃下马来，用自己的一只膝盖顶着大地，非常恭谨地行礼。 “耶鲁迪军指挥官奥布拉希特，首度参见马法尔皇帝卡尔曼陛下。” “你就是人称独臂将军的奥布拉希特将军吗？” “歇禀皇帝陛下，确是臣下。” “久闻将军的威名，朕一直想有个机会见见你。” “陛下言重，学疏才浅如臣下者，真是受之有愧。在下当专心致志，竭尽一己之绵力，但求不耽误陛下精妙的用兵大计……” 奥布拉希特的态度和声音从容淡泊，丝毫没有傲慢之气，卡尔曼不由得对他产生一股信赖感，这奇妙的信赖感倒不是表示耶鲁迪军由这名男子指挥的话，就不会阵前倒戈，而是指挥官如果是像他这样的人，那么就算要临阵倒戈的话也会堂堂正正。奥布拉希特的忠诚无论如何都是为祖国耶鲁迪奉献的，这一点毫无令人怀疑的余地。 马法尔、与耶鲁迪两军会合的消息传来的时候，在首都城外布阵的兹鲁纳格拉军立刻被一股紧张的情绪给团团包围。 “就算打不过他们，至少也要对马法尔报一箭之仇，叫他们知道光是夸耀自己的强兵也不见得能打赢！” 伊普席朗特将军一面在内心低声自语，一面跨上他的爱马，然后将右手高举，下达出征上阵的指令。