Tixilan Mountains.
It's autumn again, and the tall birch trees are covered with yellowing fallen leaves. The once peaceful forests are now home to many newcomers.
These imperial soldiers were dressed in black armor and used long spears to sweep away the dead branches and bushes in the forest. They stepped on the dead and rotten fallen leaves and moved forward carefully.
They are subordinate troops of the Imperial Right Wing Legion, led by Earl Heisong, and are responsible for sweeping out these strongholds hidden in the mountains and forests.
Although Grand Marshal Duke Pascal did not have high expectations for them and only asked them to block several exits from the Tisilan Mountains, Earl Hesong believed that he could do more than that.
If he wanted to stand out in this expedition, he must have impressive achievements. He decided to go a step further and wipe out the stronghold of the Rabbit Ears Tribe in the mountains.
Unlike the central battlefield, where daily fighting was taking place, the intensity of the fighting on the eastern right wing was lower, so the morale of the Imperial Legion was relatively good and they had not suffered a major blow. In addition, they could occasionally catch some animals in the mountains and forests, and they could also eat some meat, which was relatively good.
The day before yesterday, Earl Heisong received a report from his elite scouts that they had found the enemy's stronghold. After confirming that it was correct, he mobilized nearly 50,000 troops today and began to march towards the destination.
"This place is quite nice."
Riding on a black horse, Earl Heisong was talking to his adjutant.
"After we conquer something, we can build a vacation estate here. It will be a good choice to go hunting with others and enjoy the scenery." His body swayed slightly with the horse, and he pointed the whip in his hand at the tall and empty birch forest, where pale yellow and reddish fallen leaves occasionally fell from the branches, and the sound of birds occasionally came from the air.
"Your Excellency is right. Even I am thinking about spending my days leisurely here in the future. The quiet forest here is perfect as the back garden of the fiefdom." The adjutant wore a light leather breastplate, a black cloak, and a long sword at his waist. He looked like a commander who had received an elite education.
However, in the Empire, a title of nobility was far more prestigious than an official position. Even though he possessed outstanding commanding abilities, he still had to obey the orders of the Black Pine Earl and serve him. This was because only nobles could afford to raise so many soldiers, and without a commander, they were nothing.
"Haha, no problem. After the victory of this war, I can arrange a knighthood for you so that you can live out your retirement here in peace." Earl Heisong laughed.
"Thank you for your appreciation, Lord Earl." The commander then complimented him again.
Ahead of the team, on the path of the main force, the Earl's 'Poison Bee Blade Regiment' had already been scouting the surroundings and acting as sentinels, monitoring the situation of the stronghold in the mountains and forests.
Although Earl Black Pine was ambitious, he wasn't completely irrational. His confidence stemmed from the existence of this elite regiment, which gave him a significant intelligence advantage, allowing him to seize the initiative every time. This time, he naturally believed, was simply another victory repeating past successes.
Gray Forest Stronghold, the stronghold of the Rabbit Ears in the central part of the Tisilan Mountains.
A few rabbit-eared warriors on the city wall were patrolling the surrounding situation. They were carrying bows and arrows, and some were holding spears in their hands.
Although the war has begun, this fortress seems to have been very quiet and has not been found by the enemy. Behind the valley guarded by this fortress is the large orchard and terraced fields of the Rabbit Ear Tribe, many of which were even planted under the guidance of His Highness Loran Hill in the past.
The Rabbit Ears took this very seriously, building a sturdy fortress here with gray-white rocks, housing thousands of soldiers. In case of an emergency, the garrisoned soldiers would light a beacon fire, prompting reinforcements to arrive quickly from the larger cities in the rear.
Just as the soldiers in the fortress were searching as usual, two scouts in gray and black uniforms were whispering to each other in a hidden forest not far away.
"Have you confirmed the number of people among them? The lord's troops are heading this way."
"About 3,000-5,000 people. This fortress is of great interest to the enemy, so there are quite a few stationed there. Most of them are from the Orc-Rabbit-Eared tribe, with a few humans as well."
"Hehe, this country in the west is really interesting. Those orc bastards actually live together. They have really forgotten the past history." What the scout was talking about was naturally the past when humans were persecuted by the Orc Empire during the First Age.
"Barbarians are like that. Not every inch of their territory is as glorious as the Empire. Take the West Wind, for example. Wasn't it once a horse herder on the grassland? It was only through good luck that it gained territory."
"It's a waste to have such rich land inhabited by these people."
"Wait a little longer. The Earl's troops will be arriving soon, and we'll be able to capture it then. I sneaked into the valley behind and saw that the orchards there are truly fruitful."
"Hehe, be patient, there will be nothing less in time."
Then the two scouts hid in the bushes of the forest, continued to observe the situation in the fortress, and waited for the arrival of follow-up troops.
However, do the defenders in the Tisilan Mountains really know nothing about this?
On the top of a high mountain several thousand meters away from the fortress, a small wooden watchtower is hidden among the trees, blending in with the surrounding environment.
There was a slight flapping sound of wings in the air, and a silver-winged finch the size of a palm landed among the branches, with a small paper tube tied to its feet.
A rabbit-eared warrior took down the scroll, unfolded it, and looked at it. The information inside was written in cipher, but as he was trained, he quickly translated the general meaning.
'The enemy is in a cage, ready to move.'
After putting away the scroll, the rabbit-eared ranger flipped over and landed from the branches, stepping lightly on the leaf-covered ground without making a sound.
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