Clansia, the capital of Ned County, the Iron Felt City.
The city is now under martial law. Patrolling soldiers can be seen in the streets and alleys, and the sounds of orderly training can often be heard from the camp outside the city. A tense mood is now spreading throughout the county.
In the City Lord's Mansion, local government officials gathered together, looking at the map in the middle of the table and discussing seriously.
"Report the current situation." The brown-haired archon said seriously.
An intelligence officer standing at attention saluted and answered loudly, "Yes, sir!"
"The Black Rock Principality has gathered a massive army and is invading our border. They claim to have 300,000 men, and they're attacking from five key passes across our county. Three of their routes have been breached, and our army has repelled the other two."
"Also, according to our informants, a group of airships will arrive soon, carrying new weapons from the Frost Alliance to assist in the battle."
"Is it a musket?"
The official from the Ministry of Industry frowned. Clancia was not completely ignorant of muskets. Loran Hill had once informed senior officials about the future development path and a series of related products.
"Sir, it's still uncertain. Some sources have speculated it might be a magic crystal gun or a war machine."
"Anyway, it's not good news." A bearded officer shook his head.
"How much combat power can we mobilize now?"
"There are currently about 40,000 active personnel, which is the result of the military expansion at the beginning of the year. Now, if we add in the reserves and those who have recently trained, the number could reach up to 80,000."
"It's still not enough. The enemy has over 300,000 men. While this number is a bit exaggerated, with the support of the Frost Alliance, their equipment is not bad. I guess they will expand their forces further in the future."
"Also, Black Rock has always had a tradition of mercenaries, and military training and common sense are relatively common among the people. We'll be able to raise a considerable army very quickly."
"Can the neighboring counties and provinces provide support?" asked a bespectacled scholar, who was the alchemist of this county.
"Yes, but they also have their own difficulties." The Archon said slowly.
"Many Black Rock soldiers have been spotted in other border counties within Fengxiao Province. They might launch a surprise attack, and they won't be able to provide much support."
"The biggest hope now is the counties and provinces in the rear. Baimu County under Fengxi Province has promised to send 20,000 soldiers to support us."
"Where are the instructions from the Central Committee?"
"The war in the south is currently at a critical juncture. Enemy armies are crossing the border one after another. Not only are approximately 500,000 New Wilga troops besieging Hopeland, but another 100,000 are advancing north along the Black Pine River. Finally, the Falcon Kingdom's army is gradually converging on the border. Approximately 300,000 desert cavalry and 50,000 Winged Tribe warriors are approaching the border of Mufeng Province."
"Alas.....every party is in distress. I guess they won't be able to come and support us."
"It is estimated that the number of enemy troops will continue to expand in three months, eventually reaching a peak of about 600,000. Even if we increase our recruitment efforts and go all out, we can only gather about 200,000 soldiers at most after March."
"We can only rely on the dangerous terrain and city walls for defense." An experienced officer analyzed.
"Now I'll leave it to the county's Alchemist Association to reinforce the city's defenses and build sentry towers along the way."
"This is our duty." The bespectacled alchemist pushed his glasses. Although the overall level of alchemists in Nied County was still far from that of Lurna, they were still experienced in basic masonry and civil engineering.
——————
Third Age, 1688
The cold wind gradually came, and as time entered December, a war rarely seen in nearly a hundred years broke out on the Western Continent. The last time the army was mobilized on such a large scale was the "Battle of Broken Bow" one or two hundred years ago.
The former Lurna, half of Verga, Black Rock, and Falcon formed a new alliance, Frost Rose. With their determination and the vision they had at the time of their founding, they marched towards Cransia in four directions, intending to erode the great power on the western side of the continent.
Since the destruction of Xifeng, the former Xuehua Seven Kingdoms Alliance has been annihilated, and the current vigorous civil war has begun. As the Xuehua Alliance's rival and the most powerful empire on the continent, the Cangcui Empire is now also facing an undercurrent of power struggle and change.
The health of the two old emperors was declining, and the wedding dates of the princes were approaching.
The Verdant Empire, the imperial capital of Titaneia.
The large main door, which was usually closed, was slowly opening.
The gate is about 100 meters high and can accommodate 20 carriages moving side by side, and 100 fully armored knights standing side by side at the gate.
The magnificent and majestic city gate reflects a purple-gold halo under the sunlight, and is carved with exquisite rose vine patterns, showing the gorgeous aesthetic of the elves.
When the city gate opened, ceremonial knights wearing crimson and emerald green robes and armor appeared behind them. They stood on both sides of the main road, one every 10 steps, holding 5-meter-high hanging flags in their hands.
These flags were decorated with family crests of various colors but the same shape. All those that could be displayed at this time were crests of earls and above, and all of these ceremonial knights holding lances were above the Extraordinary Sequence 5 (Gold Level).
Along the way, there were over 1,200 ceremonial knights and over 1,200 noble crests, and this was only a small part of the welcoming procession. Behind these two lines of ceremonial knights were 8,000 elite royal knights of Transcendent Sequence 4 and above. They wore silver armor, with red and green rose emblems on their chests, and wielded halberds, shielding them from the crowded crowd behind them.
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