The battlefield in the north.

The falling snow covered the military uniforms and armor, and the continuous military formations were also decorated with alternating colors of snow-white and metal, silent and depressing.

Under the gray raven flag, soldiers exhaled white air, looked towards the red army lined up with them, and waited quietly for the general's order.

Although many northern lords did not understand why the Duke of Raven responded to the call of the Griffin family, they still set foot on the battlefield according to their past oaths and promises.

There is no need to doubt loyalty. If you doubt it, it means you are not loyal enough.

These iron-grey armies are calm and resolute, possessing the usual tenacity and strict discipline of the people of the North.

The attack was launched at the sound of a horn. This iron-grey army was the attacking force, unable to waste time with the central army. With food and clothing scarce in the north, they needed to quickly capture key locations in the south to secure adequate supplies. This was a hugely risky undertaking, and many people did not understand the Duke of Raven's intentions.

Fighting in a snow-covered field was a common occurrence for people in the north, but it was a serious problem for soldiers in the central region who were not accustomed to the cold weather. Most of them were frozen, exhausted, and their consciousness was a little slow.

However, as the commander, Darcy had already anticipated this. His experience of chasing Lily in the North several years ago had given him a full understanding of the local environment and helped him summarize some coping strategies.

The imperial army also began to move. The soldiers in the front advanced a short distance before stopping to garrison and set up muskets and long shields. The cavalry on the side did not directly confront the enemy, but waited until the enemy in front was about to reach their own position before setting off, bypassing a short distance and attacking the battlefield from the side.

A few cannons roared behind the positions, and after being transported to the front line with great difficulty, they played their due role.

The biting cold wind mixed with broken ice blades swept across the snowfield, rushing towards the military formation in the center of the empire, and then was resisted by the resonating military formation.

Piercing ice spears suddenly burst out from the ground, lifting up a group of soldiers, and then the line was broken. The knights from the North rushed in on their horses. After accelerating, the lances easily pierced through the soldiers holding muskets one by one, and continued to spread in the red line.

However, the Empire's lines also changed rapidly under command. They began to divide into independent hollow squares, with shield walls and spears on the outside, and rows of soldiers holding muskets on the inside. Some of them also had a small number of cannons and court wizards for support.

In this way, even if one army formation is defeated, it will not affect other formations. At the same time, the army formations support each other in an interlaced manner, making the cavalry rushing in not knowing what to do for a while and falling into a brief confusion.

Although the Northern Army was supported by many witches, whose spells empowered the warriors to be unafraid of the cold and attack fiercely, after overcoming the initial difficulties, the equipment advantages of the Central Empire's army began to emerge. The ample muskets, ammunition, and armor created a huge advantage for the Northern Alliance, which still relied mainly on cold weapons.

The physical energy consumed by loading, aiming, and shooting is far less than swinging and charging with weapons, and it is easier to train.

After the initial panic, the imperial army began to stabilize, and gradually began to counterattack and regain the upper hand.

For this reason, the coalition forces in the north had to retreat first and the stalemate was restored again.

As several provinces in the central part of the empire gradually fell, the coalition forces in the north were temporarily suppressed and had difficulty advancing. However, faced with such a situation, the legion led by Darcy was unable to achieve a decisive victory.

If the battle were to advance deep into the northern borders, the harsh cold, long supply lines, resistance from the locals, and difficult roads would all become tormenting for the soldiers. This required a strong and stable rear base to enable the army to advance step by step, but the current empire lacked such conditions.

In the central provinces, as the Griffin Alliance conquered cities step by step and gradually approached Titaneia, they finally encountered strong resistance.

Led by the thirteen blood-sworn noble families surrounding Titaneia, the coalition they formed, together with the Empire's new reserve legions, finally stopped the Western Frontier's army at the complex terrain of the sacrificial tower.

This area is the origin of the Cangcui Empire, which was also the area of ​​the former Cangyue Kingdom. Most of the nobles in the fiefdom have a long history. These people are regarded as true confidants by the imperial family, and most of the guards of successive generations also come from this place.

In the area of ​​the sacrificial tower, forests, plains, valleys, shallows, and various other landforms are intertwined, complex and varied. Most of the nobles here are also wealthy, and they have built many castles on the hills, important roads, and forests.

This is a custom and tradition left over from the early days of the empire. At that time, the Cang Yue Kingdom was not absolutely powerful. Located in the central region, it often faced attacks from surrounding countries. Therefore, there was an inexplicable pursuit and obsession with the sense of security brought by the castle.

Basically, a nobleman spends his entire life building his own castle or fortress, and the common argument for evaluating his life's achievements is the castle he built, whether it is sturdy and suitable for use.

Although these castles lost their original functions after the empire gradually became stronger, they were not abandoned. They were often used as vacation resting places for nobles, or for training their private armies and stationing them there.

Now, after the Western Army entered here, it was as if it had hit countless solid nails in the sand, and slowed down for a moment.

At the same time, the thirteen blood-sworn noble families, loyal to and defending the Empire, also began to disrupt and disrupt the Western Frontier army. They often had many super-high-level mortals and were agile and swift. Coupled with the support of the Empire's Dark Moon intelligence, many Western Frontier lords were beheaded or assassinated during the march, temporarily causing the Western Frontier coalition to be on the verge of collapse.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!