Chapter 500: Westward Journey! Battle of Boulder City!

January 20, 540 in the new calendar.

This day, which sounds so ordinary, is bound to be remembered by history and will be engraved in the hearts of all Idar people.

Because on this day, the Idar army finally left their homeland and finally embarked on their own journey under the expectant eyes of all Idar people.

There is no impassioned declaration of war, no need for lengthy justifications for war, and no need to issue tactics or make advance warnings.

What was published in the Idar Daily and praised by the Idar people was just Bruno's simple words - "to safeguard the interests of the Idar people."

This may sound a bit terse, but it is sufficient.

"Since the wars will never end, and none of the forces have the ability to govern this land... then the Idar Empire has the responsibility to bring a better future to the world."

"Let the common people have enough food and let the craftsmen earn money."

"Let the worker be able to feed his family, let the farmer own the land he tills, let the businessman be free from fear, and let spelling and reading no longer be a privilege reserved for a few."

The words and phrases used in the Idar Daily are not profound. This newspaper, founded under Bruno's guidance, did not inherit the extreme euphemisms and endless red tape of the Norman nobles. (Readers of Qidian.com click here to view details) Through the Idar Daily, the purpose of starting this war was clearly told to all Idar people - it was for the benefit of Idar people! ...

Valence Province, Shenmu Castle.

Shenmu Castle, located in the southwest of the Valens Plain, is not a castle fortress. In fact, it is just an inconspicuous agricultural town on the Valens Plain.

This town originally belonged to the territory of Viscount Masivo. Most of the local civilians made a living by farming and relied on the land given by Viscount Masivo to survive, and they had to pay high taxes every year.

However, when this land was incorporated into the territory of the Idar Empire, Viscount Masivo's rule naturally became history.

Officials from the Valence Government Office have already developed a complete and detailed set of governance strategies through countless days and nights of hard work.

so……

When they first appeared on this land a year ago, the civilian officials of the Government Affairs Hall skillfully divided the farmland around the town into different plots, and then lent these lands free of charge to the civilians living here in accordance with the laws of the Idar Empire.

From full of doubts to the joy and happiness after the first harvest, under the rule of the Idar Empire, the civilians living in this small town understood the meaning and hope of life for the first time.

They also gradually realized that... having enough food and warm clothes is not just an unrealistic luxury. Even in the cold winter, they can get job opportunities outside their houses instead of living off their savings like before.

When the hazy morning light just sprinkled on the frosty land, the rumbling sound of the gears woke up many residents living in this small town from their sleep.

The well-informed Idar people are no strangers to this sound. Whether it is a steam locomotive or a magic car, these magical creations are no longer a fantasy in the eyes of the Idar people.

Even the Idar people living in the border areas already know that these are the changes brought to this era by the magic industry.

But this time, people sensed a hint of something unusual among these familiar sounds.

Many town residents curiously unlatched the windows and pushed open the wooden windows that were closed because of the cold winter wind.

Then……

When the cool morning breeze blew on their sleepy faces... the gazes of these civilians were involuntarily fixed on the road not far outside the window.

Even many years later, they will be extremely grateful for their curiosity that morning.

Even though Shenmu Fort is not a castle fortress and does not have tall and strong city walls, this small town is located on the road leading to the border after all.

therefore,

When the Idar Northern Army Group stationed on the Valens Plain finally received orders from the city of Idar, the residents living in this small town saw a scene that they would never forget.

Strictly speaking, Idar's army cannot really be called a steel torrent.

After all, magic industrialization has not yet been fully popularized, and the production capacity of magic vehicles is still insufficient, so... although cavalry and other arms are no longer the main force, they have not completely withdrawn from the stage of history.

Although within the Idar Empire, logistical supplies such as food, fodder, and ammunition could be transported by steam locomotives, once the Idar army stepped out of the empire's borders, they had to rely on ox carts and horse carriages due to the limited number of military vehicles.

However, all of this did not affect the shock on the faces of the townspeople.

In the reflection of the dawn, the steel armor covering the entire vehicle looks particularly eye-catching, and occasionally one can see the light blue luster of the magic patterns flashing at the joints of the steel plates.

The sturdy wheels rolled over the gravel on the road, and the broken stones hit the steel plate at the bottom of the vehicle, mixing a lot of crisp and noisy sounds with the rumbling sound of the engine.

As military vehicles passed by, the road that had not yet been fully hardened was stirred up with gusts of dust, covering the convoy following closely behind.

As the vanguard of Idar's Northern Army Group, armored personnel carriers were moving on the road at an astonishing speed.

The jeep military vehicle responsible for leading the way used its horn to emit deep and powerful sounds from time to time, leading the armored vehicles following closely behind to drive away in a mighty manner.

But you have to know that this is just the tip of the iceberg of Idar’s military mobilization.

Following an order from the city of Idar, the Idar army split into three groups, from the Valens Province to the Moor River Province, and then from the Moor River Province to the Central Province...

All of a sudden, from north to south, the entire Idar border was shrouded in war clouds, and under the coordination of long-distance communication devices, the armies of the entire empire took action one after another.

On the northern battlefield, Idar's Northern Army Group stationed in the Valens Province moved southwest of the Valens Plain with the intention of encroaching on the Kelvin Basin.

On the central battlefield, the Idar 1st Armored Brigade under the Idar Royal Guards marched westward through the Stranglethorn Vale Fortress and joined the Idar Royal Guards stationed in the Moore River Valley to march westward, with their spearhead heading straight for the central plains.

In the southern battlefield,

While consolidating the border defenses and adding border minefields, Idar's Southern Army Group dispatched mechanized corps to the northwest, deep into the Ogure Desert, intending to directly attack the heartland of the church!

Except for the Idar Navy which could not directly intervene in the inland battlefield, the Idar Army and the Idar Air Force cooperated with each other. While the Idar Army troops were rushing to designated locations for deployment, the Idar Air Force's hot air balloons and airships were also patrolling the border areas.

Especially on the Valens Plain and the long southern border of the Idar Empire!

Hot air balloons belonging to the Idar Air Force flew one after another, and some even crossed the border line for dozens of kilometers, completing aerial surveillance of the entire border area.

Even the slightest troop movement by the enemy would be reported to the general stationed in Idar at the first opportunity.

If the church had radar, if they could look down from the sky, they would be shocked to find that the vast land in the east of the continent was full of Idar troops being mobilized! The active troops were sent to the border, the reserve troops were recalled for training, and even the province of Padilla, far away in the Lost Land, was affected by this and began to expand its army.

…

Idar, Alhambra.

According to the laws of the Idar Empire, when the empire faces war, the Idar Supreme Command will be formed by itself, and the Idar Emperor Bruno Stuart will serve as the supreme military commander of the Principality of Idar.

Therefore, once the war order was issued, Bruno came to the Alhambra Palace to take charge personally.

He may not know how to respond flexibly on the battlefield, but even if Bruno just sits here, he can bring unparalleled confidence and strength to the empire's generals.

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At the same time, in order to fight this war, the various institutions of the Idar Empire also had clear division of labor.

Deep in the hinterland, the Idar CIA was responsible for collecting information and intelligence from the enemy.

Verified intelligence will be gathered to the Idar Supreme Command in the shortest possible time for review and reference by the chiefs of staff and senior generals from the Idar Navy, Army, and Air Force.

These strategies and instructions, approved by the Supreme Command and Emperor Bruno Stuart of Idar, will be immediately issued to the generals in charge of the front lines, who will then respond accordingly based on the situation of the battle.

As the weapons and equipment of the Idar Army continue to change, all-round and three-dimensional combat has become the war concept implemented in the Idar Army.

In particular, the significant results achieved in the air strike on Bethlehem also made many Idar generals more deeply aware of the improvement in combat effectiveness that can be brought about by the cooperation between different branches of the military.

"The southern part of the empire is peaceful for the time being. According to the information sent by intelligence personnel, most of the troops of the Principality of Sidon have been mobilized to the north. Although there are a lot of Sidon troops stationed on the border, most of them are temporary militias. If a fight really breaks out, they will probably scatter in a hurry and will not be our opponents at all."

On one side of the conference table, CIA Director Krell pulled out a piece of intelligence that had just been delivered to the city of Idar from his folder.

"We can't fight even if it's easy. The central battlefield is the most critical place."

"Although the Sidon troops stationed on the border are weak, the Idar Southern Army Group is the weakest of the three major armies of the empire. If the battle line is extended too long, it may affect the situation on the mainland." Sarah Coren said without hesitation: "Besides... the elite troops in the south have already entered the Ogure Desert, so we can't make any changes easily."

Upon hearing this, the staff officers and generals present nodded in agreement.

Although Idar's army launched three attacks simultaneously in this all-out war, Idar's Northern Army Group had to divert its forces to prevent sneak attacks from the Odin Empire, while the Southern Army Group had just been established. After sending its elite troops deep into the desert, it was no longer able to guard the long border.

Therefore, the central battlefield, with Idar's 1st Armored Brigade and Idar's Royal Guards as the main force, is the key to this war.

after all……

When the Idar army marched west out of the Moore River Valley, they only needed to break through the flat central plains. The Idar troops could then threaten Bethlehem to the south and St. Lawrence to the north, thus dividing the battlefield and giving the Idar people an advantageous position in the war.

This strategy has been unanimously recognized by the Idar Supreme Command.

"What's the reaction from the Church of Light?"

A moment later, Bruno's words broke the silence in the conference room.

"The Central Plains is vast, and there aren't many places that are easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Church of Light has almost received our news. The main force of the Crusaders stationed on the eastern front is gathering towards Boulder City."

As he spoke, Claire planted a light yellow flag that symbolized the Church of Light on a city near the junction of the Central Great Plains and the Moore River Valley.

"The Stone City?"

As Claire finished speaking, Bruno couldn't help but focus his slightly solemn gaze on the colorful flag that Claire had just erected on the sand table.

This move by the Church of Light did not actually exceed everyone's expectations.

Because when the eastern part of the continent had not yet been conquered by the Norman Empire, the Stone City guarding the west side of the Moore River Valley was the gateway to the Norman Empire.

If the Stone City is breached, the Central Plains will be undefended, so the Church of Light will naturally not give up easily.

Sarah Coren frowned slightly and asked again and again, "Is the news accurate?"

As a former Norman general, Sarah Coren was very familiar with the name of Boulder City.

In other words, the vast majority of Eastern nobles and Norman generals have more or less heard about the history of Boulder City.

Back then, in order to build this fortified city, the former Norman Empire spent huge amounts of money and piled up a large amount of stone. The strength of its city walls is enough to rival that of the imperial capital, St. Lawrence, and it also adopts the highest level of fortress standards of the Norman Empire.

"CIA intelligence personnel and Idar Air Force scouts have jointly confirmed the accuracy of the news." Krell immediately gave an affirmative answer.

"No matter how many troops the Crusaders gather in Boulder City, we must fight! And we must fight hard!"

"Tell Sam Layton that the Battle of Boulder is both the first and the crucial battle! He must capture Boulder before the Northern Army Group takes the Kelvin Basin!" Bruno said in a rare statement that did not allow for any argument.

(End of this chapter)