Since the cold wave arrived at the end of last month, it came and went quickly, as if a collapse not only changed the Nzoz Mountains but also took away the cold and bleak snow. After passing peacefully on the first day of February, the weather changed dramatically on the second day of February.

Although the ground was still covered with snow, the biting wind no longer blew through the air. The bright sun shone in the pure blue sky, which was free of any dust and clouds.

Good weather always brings joy, but at this moment, Saski, the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army of the Empire, who was on his way to Enzos, was not in a good mood.

It was past noon, and the sun was high overhead. The intense sunlight made Saski feel his face burning. He couldn't help but reach out and take off his hat, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. His thick, curly brown hair drooped in the air for a few seconds before suddenly bursting into a fluffy, frizzy mess.

Viewed from behind, his head took up almost half the width of his body. This was because he was not tall, but his head was very large, and with his fluffy curly hair, he ended up with this somewhat disproportionate and vaguely comical torso.

But neither the officers nor the soldiers following behind Saski would dare to cover their mouths and laugh out loud at this moment, because if Saski heard them, he would not hesitate to take out the short-handled musket from his waist and fire a bullet at them.

Everyone knows that Admiral Saskia is a man with extremely high self-esteem, and if you trample on his dignity, he will definitely send you to hell.

Forty-three-year-old Saski not only has a thick head of brown curly hair, but also a full, thick, grayish-white beard, which always obscures his facial features, making it difficult to see clearly or guess his thoughts from his expression. However, the eyepatch he wears over his left eye, embroidered with the "Empire Eagle" insignia, always immediately draws attention to his face, reminding people of the widely circulated tale of Saski's heroic deeds.

During the Battle of Sonam Valley at the beginning of the Empire's Twelve Years of War, Saski, then commander of the Emperor's personal guard, stepped forward to protect the Emperor from a despicable assassination attempt.

According to Saski's own account afterward, he believed that he had single-handedly killed at least forty Kosovo gunmen in that attack. This astonishing feat spread rapidly throughout the country after it was revealed, and even in some rural areas, rumors circulated that Saski had single-handedly killed four or five hundred Kosovo gunmen.

Today, it is impossible to verify exactly how many quick-draw gunslingers Saski killed that night, because at several banquets afterward, a drunken Saski would sometimes say that he killed thirty quick-draw gunslingers that night, sometimes fifty or sixty, or even more.

However, the undeniable fact is that during that assassination attempt, he was shot several times while protecting the emperor, and even paid the price of losing his left eye, which is beyond question.

Of course, he was also awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Silver Fir Leaves and Swords for his bravery and fearlessness. This was a very special medal, and Saski was the first person to receive it.

After that incident, Saski was seriously injured, so his deputy, Bowerman, temporarily took over as the commander of the temporary Royal Guard. However, less than a month and a half later, Saski, who had not yet recovered, requested to be re-enlisted, but the position he requested was no longer in the Royal Guard, but in the front-line troops. The Emperor agreed.

So, wearing the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with its twin swords and silver fir leaves, Saski honorably joined a unit at the front.

After that, although the troops led by Saski had both victories and defeats in battles against the enemy, they won more often than they lost. As a result, he was gradually promoted to commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army in a very short period of time. Today, he has twelve divisions under his command and commands a force of 300,000 men.

Now, Saski is leading these twelve divisions toward their destination, Pariston.

But he wasn't in a good mood right now. To be precise, he hadn't been in a good mood since receiving the Emperor's order.

Fighting in the cold winter was something he definitely didn't want to see. Firstly, he didn't have much experience fighting in harsh environments, and secondly, his hidden injuries were torture for him. During these days of traveling, every time it got dark, he felt like someone was stabbing him with a knife.

After being late in arriving at the front lines to provide support by the end of January, his mood was even worse. He knew that being late would definitely result in severe reprimand from the Emperor. Although he had a good relationship with the Emperor and wouldn't be punished for it, he was certain that he would be scolded in front of all the officers.

But this is very damaging to one's self-esteem.

Fortunately, the weather cleared up in the last two days, so Saski ordered his troops to speed up their march in the hope of making up for the losses. Although the marching speed was indeed faster, it did not change Saski's bad mood.

The devastating news looming over him was that the Heinrich military base had been breached and the Fourth Army had been defeated, meaning that the front-line battlefield had changed from flat terrain to a much harsher mountainous environment.

But the bad news didn't stop there. According to the news received in the past few days, the Fifth Army, which had rushed to the front line, suffered several defeats in Enzos. Now, its strategic focus has been forced to shift to defense. The Fifth Army's commander, Dylan, is leading the remaining troops at the pass, about to fight the Yan Kingdom in the final defensive battle.

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