Chapter 1500 Before the War
It was the end of autumn in the year 749 of the Aramaic calendar.
The window period at the end of this harvest season and before winter is the time when war is most likely to occur in Lost Land.
Because the work in the farmland has come to an end for the time being, it will not start to get busy until next spring. It's not winter yet, which means the weather and traffic aren't so bad that people have to stay home for the winter.
In particular, the human side wants to resolve the demonic threat as soon as possible and restore the original peaceful state. And after a year of preparation, led by the senior officials of the Suli Tang Empire, a major battle to attack from three directions is gradually taking shape.
The southern border of the Sulitang Empire occupied by demons was not a traditional grain-producing area and was itself a relatively barren area. This territory was occupied by demons and did not cause much trouble to the empire.
Really speaking, it’s not that there is no trouble at all. It's just that the country has been invaded by demons. If you want to say that the face of an empire is very glorious, then of course it cannot be justified. But no one dares to point their fingers at an empire, especially the Suritan Empire itself, which is a country with a very aggressive character.
The kings of the eastern and western realms of the empire have been gearing up for a long time. Although most of the men among the nomads are responsible for the protection, and the daily labor can be replaced by women and children, this does not mean that if all the men are deployed to the front lines of the battlefield, there will be no impact on the homes behind them.
Labor can be replaced, but the decline in the number of workers is an undeniable fact. Not to mention that there are many conquered peoples in the east and west who are mainly engaged in farming. These people cannot bear the consequences of men being sent to the front line for a long time.
Therefore, under internal and external pressure, the two kings of the eastern and western realms of the Suli Tang Empire had to consider solving the demonic scourge as soon as possible.
Another reason that made them interested was that the Great Khan, who was also from the Golden Family, was finally willing to take action. Although they did not send troops directly under the Khan's court, they also sent several powerful follower tribes to join the eastern and western fronts respectively.
'Properly' weakening the power of the Great Khan and preserving his own is what the Khans of the Four Realms have been working hard on. Finally, in the name of righteousness, attacking demons, once the army is in hand, will the kings of the Eastern and Western Khans let them eat and drink for free for a year, and then return to their respective tribes!
fight! This battle must be fought!
In comparison, south of the southern border of the empire, the defense line composed of many small countries and volunteer armies did not have much choice.
Even though there have been volunteers from all over the land to join, their foundation is not as good as that of an empire. The longer the delay, the greater the consumption, and the more unsustainable they become.
Not everyone will prepare their own food and join the front. Even if someone prepared their own food at first, it would be impossible to bring enough food to eat in a year.
】
When they finished eating the food they had prepared, those who were more conscientious would pay for it themselves; those who were unconscionable would directly ask for it from the country where they were stationed. Anyway, they will come here to help these countries prevent threats from demons. Under this premise, it’s not too much to take care of the food.
However, the output of a region is fixed. When more people than the area can handle are gathered, these people who open their mouths every day and cry out about hunger will act like locusts and sweep away the food in the area.
The eaten grain can of course be transported from other areas. But even if the merchants responsible for transportation dare not make huge profits before fighting against the devil, the cost of purchasing food will inevitably continue to rise. After all, transportation has costs.
Therefore, from the perspective of humanity, the defense lines in three directions all have needs and reasons for a war, so this war is imperative.
In fact, the allied forces of demons and orcs were not so well-behaved during this year, and they quietly managed the newly conquered territory. At least the spies from the other three parties disappeared time and time again, and the lucky ones returned without success, which proved how strong the demon alliance's defense was.
The more you don't want people to know what's going on inside, it proves that the Demon Alliance is definitely causing trouble.
Rather than letting the devil take the initiative to attack after being fully prepared, it is better to find a way to consume the wave first. Perhaps this wave of offensive can successfully drive out the demons and end the Gate of the Abyss.
Everyone held such a beautiful idea and allowed their morale and voices to fight to rise. Messengers traveling between the three fronts also became more frequent.
Despite the rather convenient thing of forums. But over the past decade or so, several leak crises have also let people know that the information on the forum is not foolproof.
It's just that they are unable to denounce an established magician, and the cost of using the forum is extremely low, and it is in the hands of the magician associations in each district.
Of course, the association cannot lose its golden job, so it can only choose to suppress or ignore these discordant voices, and then change its usage habits.
For efficient information or general communication, most people still use forums. However, those vital intelligence or messages will be delivered through traditional methods.
As for those formal documents, they have always been delivered using original methods. After all, the role of these things is not just to convey news. As a formal certificate, the review mechanism of Fire Paint Seal cannot be replaced by the function of the forum.
Therefore, regarding the deployment of the upcoming war, the commanders of the three fronts did not dare to use forums that were not confidential enough. Ordinary people may not know it, but as long as their status is high enough and some programming language talents are recruited, they will know that this thing is just like a sieve, full of loopholes.
Perhaps sending an envoy to deliver the information also carries the risk of leakage, but at least there will be signs when the information leaks. Rather than being as silent as a forum, it is impossible to trace who has read the information that should be kept confidential.
In addition to the messengers riding fast horses traveling between the three fronts, the mobilization and reorganization of the team also attracted everyone's attention.
Especially the Southern Front, which is regarded by many as a ragtag multinational coalition. Many organizations are organized on a country-by-country basis, with teams ranging from large to small. All teams are like parts of a puzzle, filling in the defensive lines.
This makes the entire defensive front look quite substantial, but in the eyes of insiders, although this front is not vulnerable, it is almost there. Once a fight breaks out, other than blocking the enemy with flesh and blood, don't expect the defensive measures hastily established during this year to have any effect.
There were many factors that made the southern defenses so fragile. The most troublesome point is that all soldiers are not reasonably assigned to positions where they can maximize their effectiveness according to their specialties.
Because all teams come from all over the world, there are a large number of adventurers in them, and they all have partners who are accustomed to working together. These people are not used to fighting in large groups, let alone being split up.
Just like the armies of those small countries, they are afraid that when they are dismantled and used, what should they do if their more vulnerable partners are not well protected? The team of adventurers who gathered here also had the same concerns.
But if you want to change the posture of strategic defense and reorganize it into a form of strategic offense, you have to change the way the current teams are composed. From being in a group with acquaintances, to thinking about real combat power, and then running in.
It sounds wonderful, but how to convince the original team leaders to give up their command rights and obey the arrangements of the coalition command is a big problem. Therefore, the entire reorganization and running-in training plan was carried out from spring to the end of autumn before it showed some results.
Although the results are not ideal, some large-scale teams are not easy to split, and new people are constantly joining. But the people at the Combined Army Command also performed exceptionally well and reorganized everyone into several legions with their own characteristics. In the eyes of some veterans, it can be regarded as a fight.
The Suli Tang Empire had its own war system and model, so the Khans of the East and West hardly had to worry about this. The only thing they have to consider is who goes first and who goes last.
The tribes sent to support by the Great Khan will undoubtedly be placed in the first echelon and sent to the battlefield against demons and orcs.
Neither Khan was too worried about whether these people would obey orders. Those who will be sent to their subordinates are either inconspicuous and marginalized people on the Great Khan's side, or people who need to perform meritorious services to prove their worth. If it is really precious and is not willing to be put on the battlefield to be even slightly damaged, such people will not get into their hands.
Therefore, if these people are left idle in the rear, they will be dissatisfied. Taking shelter under the wings of the Great Khan and distributing fertile pastures, all this is not without cost. The heads of demons and orcs would be a good proof.
On the human side, the three fronts began to prepare for the upcoming attack.
On the southern front, there is a group of young people who look like they have just been weaned, scattered among the reorganized legions.
They do not have full sets of armor like famous knights, nor do they use equipment that appears to be carefully maintained like veteran adventurers. The equipment on their bodies and hands shined brightly, as if they had just been made. And so it is.
This group of people are fellow members of the Brotherhood, led by Ezio. The equipment he wears is a high-end product sponsored by an unnamed magician and commissioned by craftsmen from the Technology Guild.
It may not be as good as the custom-made products carefully crafted by famous craftsmen, but if you sell your belongings, it will be enough for any child to buy a small manor and live the life of a landlord.
The sponsorship from a certain magician seemed to have spent an extra amount of money on these children. In fact, under the reluctant explanation of Ezio, everyone understood the reason why a certain magician could not take action directly.
Of course, what Ezio said was not the real reason, but an excuse made up to excuse him. But it was enough to calm the hearts of these children and maintain someone's tall image. Instead of allowing him to be portrayed as someone who ignored the invasion of the abyss, he would only be despised by others.
Although the number of members of the Brotherhood could be used as a whole, they did not choose this method which would cause some headaches for the Combined Army Command. Instead, they agreed to be broken up and dispersed to other people's teams according to their respective strengths.
After all, when Ezio and others arrived, it was already the late stage of the Southern Front's reorganization, and many formed legions had already begun training.
They can join in dispersedly, which can serve as veterans leading new recruits, and they can integrate into these legions faster. Instead of joining the newly formed legions, they were still secretly scheming over the arrangement of command authority and officer establishment.