I will be crowned king

The dusk sun shines on the top of the castle tower, shining like a golden spear rising from the ground into the sky, and like the mast of a giant ship. As travelers continue to move forward along the road, they gradually reveal themselves from below the horizon.

This is the southern fortress, an important military center on the southwestern border of the Kingdom of Clovis, and a training base for new recruits. It can steadily provide Clovis with five-digit numbers of recruits and three-digit numbers of officers every year - including a certain soldier who came from the skirmisher department and completed his internship. A former captain officer who was supposed to report back to school but was employed early when the war broke out.

Standing on a hill not far away, looking at the strange and familiar fortress, Anson's expression was somewhat complicated - strictly speaking, he didn't have many memories of this fortress in his mind, but according to "Former Anson" Memories, my body's affection for the southern fortress is extremely deep, no less than that of St. Isaac's College and my hometown in the countryside of Central Province.

And the most troublesome thing is not only his own memory, but that everyone seems to know about it...

"Isn't it a different feeling to return to the place where you once lived?" Looking at the magnificent fortresses in the distance, little Leon looked up at his brother in front of him with an "I understand you" tone: "Actually, When I first arrived in Eagle Point City, I had a similar experience; the mix of familiar buildings and unfamiliar people created an experience that felt like another world away."

Anson maintained a stiff smile and did not speak.

But just because he didn't speak didn't mean that the people on the side would remain silent. Alexey, who had just made "illustrious military exploits" in Iser and successfully proved himself, also walked forward and nodded seriously: "Yes. Ah, for you, Commander-in-Chief, the only thing that can be comparable to this fortress is the White Whale Port, right?"

"One is to wash away all the mistakes and transform from a scholar to a soldier; the other is to change yourself and become a true leader; from the south to the north, from land to sea, maybe the gods are actually guiding you. Follow the destiny."

Well said, you should really consider becoming a poet... Anson's face was still tense, trying desperately to restrain the urge to speak out.

"Speaking of which, I remember that His Excellency Ludwig Franz seemed to have been the garrison commander here for a while. Many recruits of the Southern Army were drawn from this fortress." Carl's face suddenly showed worry. look:

"According to that lord's habit, the veterans and the new regiments in the fortress, the friends that Cousin Anson made here, are probably all gone, right?"

"It's definitely possible."

Alexei nodded matter-of-factly and sighed with regret: "Returning to your hometown but not seeing a familiar face will always leave you with some regrets when things go well in your life."

As the words fell, the two people who were so moved did not notice the subtle light in Ansen's eyes.

While the three of them were talking to themselves, the panting chief of general staff of the legion was climbing up from below, the cigarette butt biting in the corner of his mouth seemed to never go out.

"What's the situation? The southern fortress should be ready to supply supplies to our entire army, right?" Probably because of the good news, Anson's tone even became lighter:

"It has been arranged half a month in advance. Even if they don't want to see us anymore, a military fortress should not be able to disobey the orders of the Ministry of War."

Just like those fortresses on the western border, the southern fortress has become distant from the new War Department since the turmoil in Clovis, and has a tendency to become semi-independent; but the difference lies in the strength of southern Clovis. Not as powerful as the west, the southern fortress has long been a unit directly under the War Department - recruiting and training officers - and is very weak in terms of independence.

Therefore, unlike the standing corps in the west that needed to communicate well, the War Department had a very tough attitude towards the southern fortresses. It only sent a messenger to convey its opinions, requiring them to do their best to meet the logistical needs of the Ranger Corps and the Hantu Corps. Especially the supply of arms, disobedient people are engaged in military law.

Although it is home to the largest fortress group in the south of Clovis, the southern fortress with few troops obviously does not dare to defy the Ministry of War, plus the 100,000 troops who have already visited the workshop.

"The supplies have been prepared. When the Southern Army left, almost all the warehouses were filled. If we save money, it should not be a problem to support the entire army for about half a year."

Before he finished speaking, Karl waved his hand and suddenly smiled mysteriously: "In addition, they also told me that they have prepared an 'unexpected surprise' for you, the ruling lord."

"Unexpected surprise?!" With Anson's heart "thumping!" Alexei and little Leon turned their heads in unison.

"I originally thought that when Ludwig left, he must have transferred all the outstanding officers in the fortress, but it seems that the situation is slightly better than we imagined."

Karl's smile became more and more difficult to conceal, and he approached with a somewhat "I understand you" attitude, and patted Mr. Anson on the shoulder: "I heard that the person who came is the current ruler, the most powerful person in the army. Young lieutenant general, the person in charge of the fortress checked the roster and found quite a few officers who still know you and are the same age as you!"

"How many?!"

Alexey's eyes sparkled.

"There are about forty or so. Basically, they are all lower-level officers at the level of lieutenants and captains. The best one is a major... Well, we need to pay close attention to this guy. He should have something." Karl immediately became serious. Get up:

"Anyway, the Southern Fortress has prepared a quite sumptuous reception dinner for our ruling lord. At that time, Commander-in-Chief, your old friends will be there to accompany you and chat with you about your... um, romantic past."

"Well, I don't think this is necessary, right?" Anson forced a calm smile and quickly interrupted the chief of staff who seemed to want to continue chatting: "Why don't we discuss a banquet or something? This is a war period. , it seems a bit too extravagant to engage in this kind of ostentation..."

"On the contrary, I think this kind of banquet is even more meaningful because it is during the war." Young Leon was the first to object:

“At any time, the key to a strong army lies in whether superiors and subordinates can be united, whether the monarch can make them understand his ideas, and whether the knights can regard the monarch as their brother or even father; Only when the two become one can a huge energy burst out!”

"Of course, I also know that Clovis and Hantu are very different today, but because of this, shouldn't the two be more closely united?" Little Leon asked back: "They are all you Your former friends are the people who knew you best in the past, and may still be looking forward to you now; let them understand your advanced ideas and understand what is most important to Clovis today, isn't it your duty? Mission?"

"I can't tell you the truth, but as far as I know, even the emperor will have a banquet for guests before the war breaks out, especially his most trusted knights and vassals."

Alexey scratched his head, with an awkward expression as if he wanted to speak clearly, but was afraid that others would see through him: "This has nothing to do with the system or anything. There are more than 40 young and cutting-edge people, and they are most likely to be your future The officers in the squad are right in front of us, and it would be unreasonable to think of not drawing them over."

"And if you don't give them a chance, Ludwig will definitely not let it go once he finds out." Karl, with his hands on his hips, continued to add jealousy:

"Think about it, the officers who know you best have become his team. Even if you don't think about yourself, you should always think about us old guys who follow you - we don't want to meet someone who knows you very well. opponent!"

"Okay, okay, I promise." Looking at the three people who were more interested in him than him, Anson twitched his lips helplessly: "Just in time, you just use this excuse to send a message to Ludwig. He said that our legion may be half a month later than scheduled, and I beg him not to organize a battle at this time, and to avoid confrontation with the main force of the imperial army as much as possible."

"Wait, procrastination?"

Alexey looked surprised: "I, I thought we were so anxious to end the war between the Yser elves just to rush to the Western Front battlefield as soon as possible."

"That's what happened, but one moment and another moment." Anson explained with a chuckle, pointing the telescope in his hand at the southern fortress: "How to explain... Before the end of the Yser Elf War, Clovis was attacked from both sides. state, now we can point all the guns in the same direction with ease, so we are not so anxious."

"Furthermore...the information provided by His Majesty Igor Mossfield confirmed my judgment. This decisive battle is very important to the emperor, and he must be very eager to win it quickly; the less the enemy wants something, the more The more we give them and drag out the war, it will obviously be more beneficial to Clovis at present."

"Moreover, our Lord Ludwig must be racking his brains to win over those generals now; as outsiders, we are asking for trouble if we come here at this time, and may even become a threat to Ludwig. If you use the tools on the opposite side, then the gain outweighs the loss." Karl took a half step forward and explained:

"Let our Lord Ludwig perform to his fullest and gather the generals of the Border Standing Army together. It will be much more convenient for us."

"Uh..." Alexey's eyes flickered. He wanted to ask if this would not isolate the Rangers, but with little Leon present, it was really hard for him to ask such a sensitive topic.

Anson and Karl looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

Ludwig felt that by tying the generals and himself into a community of interests, he could isolate himself... He obviously did not understand that there was no common interest between these generals and him, the ruling leader; on the contrary, it was a double-reverse situation. The relationship is somewhat incompatible.

The reason is also very simple. Throwing out those legions that have experienced mutiny and been purged, the remaining status is actually still the same as before the "King fled". In other words, they may not be so loyal to the King, but they are still loyal to the current Crow. Wei is definitely not one of our own in the strict sense; both sides understand that they are fighting side by side only because the imperial army has arrived, otherwise the "loyal ministers of the kingdom, protecting the loyal king" army would have raised a banner long ago.

Mid-level and senior officers, especially those who can climb to the level of generals, are almost without exception from aristocratic families, the most powerful and influential families in each province; what the National Assembly is currently doing is to pry the corners of these people. , seize power from their hands - if you think about it with your heels, you should understand their attitude towards the National Assembly.

From the beginning, Anson never considered cooperating with these people; on the contrary, how to remove all these guys, gradually complete the purge of the army under their command, and replace them with "heartless" or newly promoted young officers, can we truly recover. Clovis Army combat effectiveness in the best possible way.

Ludwig tied these old coffins of the old era together, which made it easier for him; as long as the so-called "war committee" could be killed, the old forces and royalists within the army would no longer be able to stir up any trouble. In the turmoil of the war, the new army will be reborn in the conflict with the empire!

Having finalized his decision, Anson immediately started organizing the stationing of the Ranger Corps and the Hantu Corps in the southern fortress. Of course, it was impossible for all the 100,000 troops to be stationed in the fortress. Camps must be built around them, and roads must be repaired and supply lines re-planned for convenience. Then set off and wait for work.

After several "cheating exchanges" with the officers of the southern fortress, Anson was finally able to come to the conclusion with a sigh of relief: the "real Anson Bach" was not a particularly conspicuous figure at the time, and his social circle was basically non-existent. One category; he cannot be considered lonely, but he is definitely not gregarious; his military talents and talents are not outstanding, and he does not have a good family background, so of course he will not attract many people's attention.

Since there is such a convenient opportunity, Anson can naturally communicate with various "former friends" in private, saying that when we trained together in the southern fortress, you really knew me best, and now I want to find someone I can trust absolutely. The target, it can only be you...

Anyway, comparing his current status with theirs, it is impossible for anyone to be stupid enough to jump out and actively refute and question; both sides can actually get what they want; as long as they can accept a Clovis without a king, what camp do they stand for? Anson actually didn't care much.

This state lasted for almost ten days. Anson finally had to say goodbye to his more than 40 "close friends" in tears, organized the army to set off early, and advanced to the Western Front battlefield as quickly as possible.

The reason is simple - Red Moon Town has fallen again.