Chapter 1512 The Empire’s Response
The shortest distance between the southern border of the Suritan Empire and the northern border of the Gwana Empire is about more than a thousand kilometers. It's not long, it's not long, it's not short.
In addition to a large plain that was almost like a desert, there were also several mountains that stretched across it, which greatly prevented the two empires from invading each other.
If it weren't for the two rivers flowing down from the mountains and nourishing part of the land from south to north, I'm afraid no living thing could survive in this barren land.
But this distance cannot stop the ambition of an empire, especially a nation that rides on horses. However, due to various internal and external reasons, the Sulitang Empire, which actively campaigned abroad during the founding period, did not place its main force in the south, but moved its attention to other places.
When the Great Khan of the empire wanted to touch another empire, he was moving towards the goal of conquering the entire land of Midi. At that time, the Lost Land was already full of magic towers, blocking the marching route of the army.
Not to mention those weak countries that dominate the territory, if the Sulitang Empire really wants to challenge the old empire of Midi, the Gwana Empire, it will have to pull up the tower all the way and cross the mountains from the gorge before it can meet Your chosen opponent.
Even if you can bribe the tower owners of two magic towers and get them to agree to allow the army to pass through unharmed. Who can bribe all the tower owners and make them obey the Great Khan of the Empire? The reason why the Magicians Association disgusts the noble lords all over the land is not without reason.
This is why there are very few magic towers located within the empire. Even if there is, it may only be an old tower left over from an earlier period, rather than a newly built one. After all, no one wants their home to be filled with homeless people who listen to propaganda but not propaganda.
In comparison, those small countries do not have that much intimidation to the Magician Association. It can neither prevent magicians from building towers nor prohibit magic towers from occupying land.
Sometimes small countries also need magic towers to fill their defense systems, to fight against enemy countries, or to defend against attacks from nature. Even if this comes at the cost of losing some territorial control.
Therefore, at a certain period, magic towers were built one after another in the southern countries of the Sulitang Empire. There are even places where magic towers were consolidated first and then countries were established.
The magic fortress built in the past has now become the lifeline of humanity. Facing the attack of the allied forces of demons and orcs, no magic tower gave up its responsibilities. They all fought until the last moment and did not allow the enemy to pass easily.
Perhaps the blockage from the magic tower was something the demons did not expect. But no tower can achieve the success of the Great Sage's Tower more than 20 years ago, which forced the devil to actively close the Gate of the Abyss with the power of one tower.
The magic towers in these small countries are all the most basic three-story towers. At most, it can be won at the cost of nearly one legion.
The human army is very valuable, and the noble lords from all over the world are reluctant to squander it so much that they use it to attack the tower. But for the allied forces of demons and orcs gathered together, it was enough for each leader to dedicate some members of the death squads to attack by force.
If you choose to hit the magic tower hard, there is no trick to the strategy. Anyway, if you pile corpses all the way to the third floor, you will win.
The traditional magic tower in the Lost Land does not kill people as fast as the Tower of the Great Sage that was transformed by a certain time traveler. Although the tactic of exchanging lives is cruel, it is indeed effective.
But even if it works, attacking any magic tower cannot be done instantly.
The magic tower's external attack and internal defense are not two options. As long as the tower owner can handle it well, it is not a problem to carry out both at the same time. This means that before a magic tower is completely knocked down, it is impossible for the demon coalition to pass by the tower safely.
Not all of these magic towers are built on naturally formed pass terrain, some of them just rise from the ground on relatively desolate plains.
However, the uneven attack range of all magic towers makes the unmarked areas between towers form several winding and unmarked safe passages. Such a road is definitely not something that an army can pass smoothly.
This is also the reason why if the demon coalition wants to attack, they must pull out the magic towers that are in the way.
If there is any magic tower that is still controlled by magicians, it will be silent in the face of the army; but it will be used by some slutty commanders to attack, or it will be destroyed by small groups of troops. After such long-term harassment, even if the demon alliance is crazy enough, they will be completely destroyed.
And such an offensive behavior of pulling out towers one after another greatly slowed down the march of the demon coalition.
These hours allowed most civilians to successfully retreat. They even arduously crossed the mountains, never stopping no matter how many people fell from exhaustion along the way. Because everyone knows that before being blocked in the mountains, they have just entered a desperate situation.
The human coalition forces on the Southern Front failed once, so this time the hastily put together defense line is also impossible to stop the demon's attack. Furthermore, the living people who dare not cross the mountains will eventually become the rations and seedbeds of the orcs, or become sacrifices to the devil.
It's all about death anyway, so it's an easy choice to die on the road, or give up the will to live and die at the hands of the devil. At least if you choose the former, you still have a chance to live; if you choose the latter, you will definitely die.
People who successfully crossed the mountains ended up in the small country in front of the Gwana Empire. They did not dare to cross the border easily, because the grand dukes responsible for guarding the empire's borders had already deployed their troops on the border. Maybe it's to protect against the devil, or maybe it's to protect against something else.
Without the emperor's order, the grand dukes did not dare to easily let this large number of refugees go.
For the lost land of this era, a large population is a good thing that any country can long for. But 'refugees' are different.
Most of them enter a new environment with nothing. If this new environment cannot sustain their most basic life, then they can only plunder it themselves. Loot the environment's original owner, or plunder other refugees.
Everything is just to survive...
Under such circumstances, without a good plan, no noble lord would dare to accept a group of refugees easily. Unless these noble lords can't stop it, they can only watch a large number of people who have lost most of their wealth pouring into their territories.
But the grand dukes guarding the borders of the Gwana Empire are by no means the group of people who are powerless to stop them. What's more, the Grand Duke who bears the brunt of guarding the Northern Territory is the territory of the Kawei family. In the past ten years, the most vigorous family has emerged.
The mechanized infantry division that has completed its restructuring does not belong to the regular army of the Gwana Empire, but to the 'militia' of the Kawi family.
They are not transporting troops and horses in trucks like they did twelve years ago. But the soldiers who got out of the car still held swords, better mounted war horses, and used their original tactics to fight the enemy.
Magic guns are too expensive. Maintenance requires professional knowledge, and charging also costs money. With all the money, it is better to form a magician army directly.
Early gunpowder weapons were too weak and had too many restrictions. They were useless to soldiers in lost lands. Even if tactics such as three-stage shooting, concentrated volley shooting, and formation shooting are used, it will not help much.
A group of fledgling warriors gathered to charge! In an instant, they could cross the qualified range of gunpowder weapons of this period and rush into the musket queue to kill a large number of people. Especially when faced with monsters with weird abilities, the early Musketeers were even more powerless.
But there is one weapon that is still useful, and that is the 'cannon'. It can be used to siege cities and demolish strongholds, and can be used for ranged killing. Even if these goals are not achieved, the huge sound will still bring a considerable degree of psychological shock to the enemy and ourselves.
Therefore, among the Kawei family's 'militia', a large number of artillery units were deployed in rear positions. And this force is not some unknown secret weapon. Several encirclement and suppression operations against World of Warcraft have made this force famous far and wide.
The thermal weapon technology obtained by the Kawei family was not obtained from some great time traveler. But it was obtained from another descendant of Chuanzhong, the Ruan family behind the Jialong Chamber of Commerce.
The original thermal weapon technology has always been controlled by the core head of the Ruan family. This is also the main reason why the main family can control other branch families and control such a large chamber of commerce.
But the strength of force was soon replaced by greater interests.
The cooperation between brothers Nguyen Van Chiu and Van Viet and the Automobile Center has improved the transportation capacity of goods by more than one level. This is crucial for the transportation of grain, the main commodity of the Jialong Chamber of Commerce.
Besides, the number and use of firearms have always been controlled by the head of the Ruan family. Brothers Nguyen Van Chiu and Van Viet opened up the purchase of cars so that everyone could benefit together.
Each branch naturally chooses new partners for cooperation, rather than remaining in the position of the oppressed. The two brothers also remembered the suggestion of a certain travel group that while cars and trucks were open for sale, the oil refining technology was still in their hands. New energy is where the real power lies!
How could such a change of dynasty not be accompanied by bloodshed? Of course the head of the Ruan family tried to use firearms to suppress disobedient branch families!
But unfortunately, the two brothers, who were aware of the power of firearms and were not short of money, purchased a set of magic firearms from a certain time traveler early on and equipped their trusted team.
Using a magic firearm designed by a 21st-century time traveler to shoot a 19th-century gunpowder firearm, even if someone is not a professional arms manufacturer, is still like bullying a child.
The more expensive magic gun beat the personal guards of the head of the Ruan family until they howled and screamed. After three or two blows, he was beaten until he was subdued.
The power struggle within the family was not as bloody as the imperial power. At least after their master surrendered, the Ruan brothers did not think about killing them all. The struggle between the two parties is also fought to the death by the agents below.
But the technology of gunpowder weapons, which was regarded as useless, fell into the hands of the two brothers. Including the 'cannon' left by their ancestors, which was a powerful weapon for protecting the country when the Nguyen Dynasty existed.
Where the main house is located, there are two cannons preserved as a symbol of remembrance of the past. But a cannon, a heavy and difficult-to-move thing, is certainly not something that just a chamber of commerce can use.
Besides, the Ruan family has never mastered the technology of gunpowder weapons. Whatever the ancestors left behind, they would pass it on intact and fearfully.
Therefore, this weapon of war, which can still perform well in a mysterious land with personal power, has been left in the dust. Until it fell into the hands of the Ruan brothers.