Chapter 501: Westward! Battle of Boulder City! (Continued)
Central Great Plains, outside Boulder City.
The winter of the year 540 in the new calendar seemed particularly cold. Even with the mountains blocking the way, the temperature in the central plains was still exceptionally cold.
Although such weather was nothing to the well-disciplined Idar army, what the soldiers saw and heard had completely changed since they stepped out of the Moore River Valley.
Compared to the stability and prosperity of the Idar Empire, the land west of the Moore River Province has not yet healed the scars caused by war.
The barren farmland was covered with withered yellow weeds, and the cracked land seemed to be telling the Idar army passing by about its past confusion.
Under the rule of the Church of Light, civilians living in this land are still extremely poor. The fact that a large number of civilians have fled eastward has also slowed down the church's reconstruction work in this land.
Along the way, the soldiers from the Idar Empire saw countless abandoned villages, towns and markets, and stiff corpses lying on the roadside.
Not only were the faces of the corpses blue and purple, and the limbs stiff, but many of the clothes on the corpses had already been stripped away by the hungry and cold refugees. Their emaciated corpses were frozen together with the surrounding snow and ice, and the misery they experienced was almost impossible to describe in simple words.
It was these tragic scenes presented before the eyes of the Idar soldiers that further strengthened their innermost beliefs and aroused their persistence.
If there were no Stuart family, if there were no Emperor Bruno Stuart, the eastern part of the continent at this time... would probably have become like this under the ravages of war, right?
The long-term peace in the Idar Empire has caused many Idar people to subconsciously ignore the suffering they once endured and bury that painful experience deep in their hearts.
But……
The scene before them once again touched the softest part of the Idar soldiers' hearts, making them clearly aware of the responsibilities and missions they shouldered.
Standing behind them was the Emperor of Idar who led them out of the quagmire of war, their families and friends, and millions of united Idar people! Without Bruno's leadership and the popularization of magic industrialization, the eastern part of the continent would have become a living hell as early as when Odin's cavalry marched south.
Therefore, what they have to defend is not only the glory of the Idar Empire, but also the countless Idar people and their aspirations and hopes for the future!
Several kilometers away from the Stone City, Lieutenant General Sam Layton, commander of the Idar Army and chief commander of the Central Battlefield, was holding a telescope and gazing at the fortified city not far away with a serious expression.
The order from the city of Idar has been transmitted to this battle-hardened general through remote communication equipment.
This time, looking at the flags fluttering in the Stone City and the Crusader soldiers standing solemnly on the city walls, Sam Layton's heart was filled with emotion.
Bruno has fought many battles for Idar since he came to power.
From the Battle of the Golan Heights to the friction with the Odin Empire, from the Basel Conquest War to the current Battle of Stone City, this veteran can be seen in almost every war since the founding of Idar.
But for him, every war brings about great changes.
The changes here are not changes in the enemy's strength, but changes in Idar's army's weapons and equipment as well as strategies and tactics.
During this period of time, the changes that took place in the Idar Empire were too fast and too many, especially the changes that took place in the Idar army!
From the initial short swords and daggers to the steel blades that gleam with cold light and are sharp and edgy; from the Idar cavalry galloping in the Gran Highlands to the steel-covered, magic-driven armored vehicles.
The tactics of the Idar army were changing at a speed that was difficult for ordinary people to understand. To be honest, even Sam Layton, who had witnessed it, was stunned by it.
The only explanation he could find was that the person he was loyal to, Bruno Stuart, the Emperor of Idar, was the son of destiny of this era and the creator of history and the future! Only in this way could Sam Layton explain the changes that had taken place in the Idar Empire in this short period of time.
In Sam Layton's view, since the emperor he is loyal to has set a precedent for the times, his followers, including himself, must also accept the changes of the times with a new attitude.
In the days and nights before the war broke out,
Not only Sam Layton, the Army Lieutenant General, but almost all generals at all levels in the Idar Army are studying tactics and strategies in the Idar Officer Academy.
They tirelessly trained new recruits and tried to conduct military exercises again and again with brand-new weapons and equipment, striving to create a more combat-effective Idar army.
The Idar First Armored Division and the Idar Royal Guards led by Sam Layton, which had already arrived outside the Stone City, were undoubtedly the best in the Idar army! From the "Explorer" Type A light armored infantry vehicle to the powerful "Sword of Dawn" main battle tank, almost all members of the Idar army commanded by Sam Layton were equipped with the latest models of weapons and equipment of the Idar Empire.
so……
Conquer the Stone City! For Sam Layton, this was not only an order from Bruno himself, but also an answer that he and the Idar soldiers he led must submit to all Idar people! "Report!"
As a loud and powerful shout reached Sam Layton's ears, Major General Grant Doyle, commander of the Idar Royal Guards, trotted to Sam Layton's side.
Although this young general also has a high military rank, it is obvious that at this moment, Lieutenant General Sam Layton is the highest military commander in charge of the central battlefield.
"explain."
"General, in order to coordinate the battle on the front line, Deputy Director of the Idar Central Intelligence Agency, Baumil Brown, has transferred all the contact coordinates of the Idar agents deployed in the Stone City to us. After the war begins, the agents will directly pass on information from the city to us, and you can also directly command the Idar agents in the city."
Hearing this, Sam Layton nodded solemnly.
He himself knew only too well how important this war was to the Idar Empire and in the hearts of all Idar people.
“Is the Air Force in place?”
"Lieutenant General Rolf Hawthorne of the Air Force has allocated two hot air balloon formations for us. The magic crystal bombs for bombing have also been loaded, but..." Major General Grant Doyle hesitated for a moment, and then replied in a deep voice: "...but our army's siege methods are no longer a secret, especially after the air raid on Bethlehem. The Crusaders have long been prepared for this and have also temporarily built a number of defensive fortifications in the city."
"Defense? Then let's see whether the Crusaders' walls are stronger or the Idar people's artillery is more lethal! I'll give you twenty minutes to deploy all the self-propelled artillery and magic cannons to designated positions!"
As he spoke, Sam Layton raised his wrist, and a military watch with exquisite workmanship and wrapped in special materials suddenly appeared in front of him.
It is true that the Idar people's magic industry is not yet able to be precise to the millisecond, but as long as it is debugged, there will not be too big an error in the movement of the pointer, at least within a week.
"Understood!" Major General Grant Doyle replied seriously.
…
Boulder City.
As a "war hero" who captured the imperial capital of St. Lawrence and burned down the Norman Palace, the meritorious commander of the Crusaders, Caravelle Windle, was highly expected by the Church of Light and naturally shouldered the heavy burden of defending the Stone City.
only……
At this moment, deep down in his heart, Callaway Wendel was no longer as calm as he appeared.
The Idar Empire has the Idar CIA as its eyes that penetrate deep behind enemy lines, and the Church of Light, which has been rooted in the continent for many years, cannot be blind or deaf.
Especially with the expansion of the Idar Empire's territory and the increase in its population, the number of caravans traveling within the empire has continued to grow. It is almost impossible to ensure that there are no spies from the Church of Light within the territory.
Therefore, Caravi Winder, the meritorious commander of the Crusader Legion, had naturally heard of the weapons and equipment of the Idar people.
Especially after the holy city of Bethlehem suffered an air strike, he immediately ordered the gathering of the Crusader soldiers who were originally scattered along the Moore River Valley, and requested military support from the holy city of Bethlehem.
But even so, the speed of Idar's army's actions had completely exceeded Caravi Windel's expectations. Almost as soon as the letter requesting support was sent out, the Idar First Armored Brigade, which had strict military discipline, had arrived at the outskirts of Boulder City.
Then……
The legion commander was a little dumbfounded.
Caraway Windle had indeed experienced several wars and personally commanded the siege of the imperial capital of St. Lawrence, so he had a lot of experience in both siege and defense.
But the problem is... those are all sieges and defenses in conventional wars! But what about the Idar troops outside the city?
In addition to armored infantry vehicles, self-propelled artillery, heavy tanks, and other ground weapons that Carraway Windle had no idea what to call them, he even saw a hot air balloon slowly rising in the sky...
The hard armored steel plates reflected a terrifying cold light, and the black gun barrels made people want to leave the city wall.
For Callaway Wendel, all the previous experiences and strategies seemed to have vanished into thin air when facing the Idar people.
Because he really wasn't sure what siege tactics the Idar people would use. In any case, conventional siege weapons such as arrows, ladders, and catapults were unlikely to be used by the Idar people.
The only thing that Caravi Windle could be sure of was that he and the Crusader soldiers he led would inevitably face direct artillery bombardment from the Idar people for the first time.
And since he had never experienced the feeling of being bombarded by artillery before, even Caraway Windle himself was not sure how useful the fortifications built under his orders and according to his own ideas would be in defending the city.
…
The cold wind in the early morning seemed to be mixed with scattered ice chips, bringing a slight sting to the exposed faces of the Crusaders defending the city.
Their hands and feet were slightly cold, and their fingers and cheeks were red from the cold.
The sun flag symbolizing the Church of Light fluttered, and the sound of the flag seemed to cover up the noise of Idar's army outside the city. Only faint rumbling sounds that they had never heard before could be heard.
"For the God of Light..."
A Crusader stared at the Idar army that was approaching the city wall at an extremely slow speed, clenched the weapon in his hand, and murmured softly with his slightly cracked lips.
"What are those things? They must be evil creations of the devil."
The soldiers on the city wall watched as the Idar people's artillery were lined up outside the city wall, with the black muzzles connected into one, and all they could do was breathe out hot air and talk in low voices.
The reason was simple: the position of Idar's army was just beyond the range of the arrows.
"Who cares? We can definitely hold out. Even St. Lawrence has been reduced to ashes. The Crusaders are naturally invincible! Besides... we still have the Apostle Legion from the Holy City!"
Hearing the discussion that was as quiet as the hum of a mosquito, a devout Crusader soldier spoke with his neck stiffened.
Hearing this, the surrounding soldiers shut their mouths.
only……
Anyone could tell that in that man's stubborn and resolute voice, there seemed to be a hint of barely perceptible uneasiness and anxiety hidden.
Apostolic Legion,
This is the name that ordinary Crusader soldiers privately gave to the legion that covered itself entirely in white robes.
It is said that those people are a legion led by His Holiness the Pope himself, and they are an immortal legion whose members have all been blessed and baptized by the God of Light!
Ordinary Crusaders did not know whether they would live or die, but what they knew was that before the Idar army arrived, the commander of this legion had stood on the top of the city wall and proposed to take the initiative to attack the possible Idar army and give the Idar people a head-on blow.
But……
When the strange-looking weapons and equipment of Idar's army, as well as the huge monsters that could walk on their own, arrived outside the city, the legion seemed to have forgotten their previous proposal and even hid themselves in the deepest part of the Stone City.
…
The rumbling sound of the artillery penetrated the mist and cold wind, like thunder exploding in the ears of the Crusaders.
When the artillery pieces far away in the outskirts of the city all made the sounds that were so familiar to the Idar people, the Crusader soldiers stationed in the Stone City finally received their first round of baptism of fire on this day.
"Bend down and crawl! Head for the fortifications!"
Amidst the panicked shouting...
On January 20, 540 in the new calendar, the rumbling artillery fire of the Idar people marked the beginning of the war.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
