Clancia, Sword Pine City.

Although it is late autumn now, the mountains and wilderness outside the city are still green, and the mist in the mountains brings a hint of coolness.

This is the southernmost part of Clancia and was once the border of the westerly wind. It got its name because of the tall pine trees that are abundant in the surrounding area. The wood of this pine is hard and its appearance is as straight as a sword, so the locals named it sword pine.

In the past, Xifeng did not think this place was important. The only thing that people remembered was the Black Pine River beside the city. Following this river south, you can go to Virga.

People who have never been to the area might think that this should be an important commercial town, but in fact, because this place is the upper reaches of the Black Pine River, the river is shallow and difficult for large ships to sail, and there are many high mountains around it. Therefore, the trade between West Wind and Wilga has always been more through the spacious land route to Hopeland.

But with the changing times, the division of Wilga, the establishment of Clancia, and the allocation of the Black Pine River to the Frost Rose, it has now become Clancia's bridgehead against the Frost Rose Alliance.

After receiving the news of Frost Rose's troop deployment, Clancy also urgently mobilized 80,000 troops from the surrounding areas to garrison here.

Because this place is surrounded by mountains and sparsely populated, the original permanent population in the city is not large, only about 50,000 in total. With so many people suddenly added, feeding becomes a big problem. Moreover, the mountain roads are difficult to travel on and supplies are relatively scarce. If troops continue to be dispatched, it may be difficult to sustain.

On the iron-gray stone brick wall, General Saige looked down at the tranquil river below and asked the adjutant beside him.

"When will Frost Rose's army arrive?"

The adjutant, dressed in a sharp military uniform, replied, "Sir, according to a message from the New Vilga Alliance, they passed through Turbulence City three days ago. It's about 100 miles from here, so they should be arriving soon."

"Although the golems are powerful and sturdy, they are incredibly heavy. If they were to use a ship to transport them, they would have to disembark and walk no more than 60 miles from here."

"Does Frost Rose have so many ships?" Saige continued to ask. He had just come from the royal capital and was not very familiar with the situation in the south of Clansia.

"They didn't have them before, but they annexed half of Virga and were able to requisition a large number of its merchant ships. Also, they're said to have built ironclad ships."

Two years later, with the assistance of the Dayas Chamber of Commerce, Frost Rose also launched its first batch of ironclad ships, with the Great Eastern being the most famous experimental vessel. While some of the other ironclad ships had less than ideal performance, they weren't wasted and were now being used to transport golems.

"If the Golem Legion truly descends upon the city, with our current forces and capabilities, we'll likely be unable to resist," the adjutant said worriedly. Having received intermediate military training from Clancy, he understood the strengths and strengths of the various armies.

"Yes, but as soldiers, it is our duty to guard this place and prevent the enemy from passing through."

"Even if we lose in the end, we must inflict heavy damage and losses on the enemy, weakening their strength step by step." Saige's voice was as steady and firm as the rocks in the mountains.

For many of Cranzia's soldiers, the peace was fleeting. Their battles with the nobles of West Wind seemed like only yesterday, the bloodiness and fortitude of their early uprising still lingered. Now, upon receiving the order, even though they knew the battle would be extremely dangerous, no one complained or shied away, instead following the order with accustomed composure.

Though Westwind was in decline, the Transcendents in its army often outnumbered Clansia's by several to one. To defeat such an enemy, Clansia had taken its military development to the extreme. Their discipline and fighting spirit were unimaginable to outsiders. Even with over 70% casualties, they remained steadfast, advancing with their spears until their enemy's magic and strength were completely exhausted, finally surrounding and slaying them on the spot.

Sacrifice has become commonplace. As for death, you might be frightened the first time you see it, but after seeing it so many times, you become numb and accustomed to it.

Faced with such a situation, the senior officers of Clancia were both proud and helpless. They were proud to have such fearless warriors, but helpless that they had no other choice. In the absence of high-level extraordinary people, they could only use this method to defeat the enemy.

Fortunately, now that the civil war is over, we can finally put down our weapons, recuperate, and strengthen our national strength.

But there's no such thing as a halftime break in this world; others will take advantage of your weakness to kill you. Seeing that Clancy's situation wasn't completely stable yet, Frost Rose seized the opportunity to attack, marching north as planned long ago.

The reason they didn't act a year or two ago was simply because they didn't have the right means to transport golems. While the golem army was powerful, they were heavy and slow to advance, making them difficult to use as an effective offensive force.

Now that the time is ripe, they have requisitioned domestic ships and ironclad warships, preparing to march north to the Central Plains and enter the heart of the former West Wind. It is a vast plain that connects the seven countries of Xuehua and is also the only way for the Frost Rose to grow and develop.

Just as Saige finished inspecting the city defenses and walked down the city wall, a burst of dense metal friction and collision sounds gradually sounded beside the distant mountains and rivers, and then slowly approached north along the river bank.

There were sporadic scratches and dust on the gray-silver steel. In the morning mist, these steel-structured war machines stepped on the gravel and soil, leaving huge footprints on the ground.

A little dew condensed on the steel shell, then slid down, carrying some dust with it, landing in the grass, and then being trampled into the ground by the following golems. With a teeth-grinding sound of metal rubbing against each other and the sound of falling trees, these golems pushed aside the mountain bushes and trees, clearing a path for the rear team.

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