I will be crowned king

When the dawn rose from the mountains, the choking smoke finally dissipated along with the roaring gunfire all night long.

Accompanied by the sound of bugles, the Clovis army formations all over the mountains and plains retreated like a tide from the fortresses in front of Eagle Point City, leaving only a battlefield littered with corpses, flags, blazing fire, and craters.

The soldiers who had been fighting all night had dull eyes and staggered forward with their rifles in hand. As soon as they entered the defense line, they fell to the ground and fell asleep; the rest also huddled on the ground feebly, drinking sand and dust. Like cold coffee, he shiveringly took out a box of shriveled, inferior cigarettes from his pocket.

The expressionless Ludwig stood on a raised mound from which he could clearly see the entire battlefield; with his hands behind his back, his bloodshot eyes stared unblinkingly at the troops retreating from under his feet. , and several lonely fortresses that were almost in ruins, but still fluttered the flag of King Yser.

As expected, he failed.

But this time there was no anger on Ludwig's face, because he knew very well that all this was caused by himself.

Because he really wanted a happy victory so much!

Compared with the original Thunder Castle, Eagle Point City, which divided the borders of the three kingdoms, is even more desperate; even if the defenders in the city are Ysel elves with extremely poor combat capabilities, they can still use their geographical advantages to defeat the southerners who do not have heavy weapons. The legions were trapped in fortresses scattered across the mountains.

Ludwig...he almost showed great patience and gnawed away those troublesome small fortresses one by one on the outside. He clearly had an army of more than 10,000 people, but because of the terrain, he could only expand it. One or two thousand people were engaged in repeated tug-of-war that seemed to have no end in sight.

It took him more than ten days before he could finally see a small half of the city wall of Eagle Point City and a tall tower from a distance.

Because of this, when he realized that Anson Bach - although there was no accurate information, Ludwig was sure that it was him - was besieging Eagle Point City from the back, he was so excited that he lost his mind and desperately gave in. The army launched a general offensive.

And the final result is, of course, disastrous.

Not to mention a plan for the entire battle, there was not even a general direction of attack, let alone a command... The legion of 8,000 people fought all night like headless flies under the starry sky.

But it's not right to insist on eight thousand troops - because his order was issued too suddenly, and almost all the officers had no time to assemble the troops; except for the three infantry regiments at the forefront, the rest were left in a hurry The regiment commander, who was eager to attack, randomly picked up an infantry company and rushed forward holding the military flag.

According to his own observation, the number of troops that actually went into battle in the end was probably less than 4,000.

Ludwig was even grateful for this. The entire legion did not have a vicious stampede or the more terrifying "camp bombing" due to his "whim" order... He even managed to capture two of the two camps with a single go. A fortress of the elves of Yser.

I have to say, this is really an unexpected surprise.

Looking at the Eagle Point City shrouded in shadow under the morning light, the standing figure of Ludwig pursed his lips tightly and turned around stiffly. His resolute expression also had a shadow like that of the fortress.

And the moment he turned his back to the fortress, a burst of exclamations suddenly sounded from around him.

"That, that...couldn't that be..."

Looking at the soldiers around him who suddenly showed surprised expressions and pointed at something in stunned silence, Ludwig stopped and looked back behind him.

And then...then he was shocked too.

Under the bright morning sun, Ludwig suddenly opened his eyes wide, and his pupils reflected the Eagle Point City that he had been elusive for the past ten days, and at the top of the tallest tower of the fortress...

Flying the flag of King Clovis of Osteria!

……………………

Everything happened so suddenly and so logically.

After seeing the fall of Eagle Point City, the last few forts that had been held on no longer thought of holding on to death. They decisively raised the white flag to the Southern Legion and handed over the forts and all weapons to express surrender.

Although they don't know how Eagle Point City fell, since even the fortress has fallen, there is no point for them soldiers to continue fighting; let alone escaping, as long as the Clovis people besiege them for three days and three nights , these defenders who had run out of ammunition and food would starve to death.

So after receiving these prisoners who voluntarily surrendered, the confused Ludwig and the Southern Legion, who also couldn't figure out what happened, entered Eagle Point City without firing a shot, and got a command from Anson. Led by Bach, nearly two thousand people from the "Storm Division" gave him a warm welcome.

Walking on the road paved with scorched earth, blood, and bones, the exhausted soldiers all had dazed expressions; this victory came so unexpectedly that many thought they were dreaming.

As for the other "big winner" of this battle - Buller Mattias, he and his remaining elven outposts of less than a thousand men were disarmed before welcoming Ludwig into the city. They were all thrown into the cell.

When being taken away by Fabian, the elf knight didn't even have time to ask the question that puzzled him: "The commander is clearly in the city, who are you welcoming?"

And the commander he was talking about... Anson Bach was sitting in the fortress commander's room at this moment, looking anxiously at the "real commander-in-chief" Ludwig Franz across from him.

Although Anson always pretends to be disapproving in front of Karl and Fabian, he is still a little guilty now - after all, the other party is the real commander-in-chief and has absolute control over the entire "Iser Punishment War" of leadership.

His own behavior cannot be considered wrong, but it is absolutely reasonable to say that he "disobeys command" and "disobeys military orders"; not to mention "stealing" the opponent's spoils while the main force of the Southern Army is facing off. Chance captured Eagle Point City.

Oh, and Lieutenant Colonel Roman, who was "sold" by himself and was fighting to death with the Iser Guards...

Anson, who was sitting upright, kept smiling and wiped away the sweat from his temples without leaving any trace.

Ludwig didn't think so much. He stared out the window motionless with a blank expression as the bloody unicorn flag fluttered. There seemed to be ten thousand emotions intertwined in his bloodshot pupils.

This silence lasted for so long that Anson, who was sitting on pins and needles, almost thought that the Commander-in-Chief had fallen asleep with his eyes open and was about to sneak away, pretending that everything was normal...

"What are your plans next?"

Without looking back, Ludwig suddenly spoke.

"ah?"

Anson's expression was startled, as if he had just woken up.

"I said...do you have any plans next?"

Ludwig turned back stiffly and glanced at Anson coldly: "You can't just 'rob' Eagle Point City and think you've won a great victory, right?"

Listening to the other party's deliberately emphasized words, Anson, who was smiling, twitched his throat slightly.

...He really cares about this matter.

"Of course not." Anson said without hesitation:

"The capture of Eagle Point City is only the first step in this war, or even the starting point at most; for the Southern Legion, we have at most two routes to achieve the goal set by the Privy Council and the Army to force the Ysel elves to surrender and pay the war. Reparations, severing alliances with the Empire' strategic objectives."

"Which two?"

"Use Eagle Point City as an outpost, establish a solid supply line, ask for reinforcements from the rear, defeat the main army of the Iser Elf Kingdom at the Eagle Point Pass, and then advance all the way east to capture the royal court of the Iser Elf!" Anson He said in a deep voice:

"Of course, it is more difficult to capture the Royal Court; and there are many hills and forests in Yser, and the terrain is not much better than the Eagle Point Pass; but we can besiege the Royal Court while taking the opportunity to raid and plunder the surrounding territories, relying on the supply lines and The enemy engages in a war of attrition to see who can hold out first."

Ludwig nodded slightly, this was pretty much what he was thinking: "What about the second one?"

"We are still establishing an outpost in Eagle Point City, we are still fighting against the main army of the Iser Elf at the Eagle Point Pass, and we are marching towards the Iser Elf Royal Court... But!" Anson changed the subject:

"The real main attack direction should not be to the east, but to the south."

South... Ludwig frowned slightly: "Seven Cities Alliance?"

"If you want to win the entire war, no matter which path you take, the Seven Cities Alliance is an indispensable part." Anson's expression gradually became solemn:

"Although divided and seemingly weak, this fragile alliance possesses vast wealth and controls the trade routes from the Empire to the Elves of Ythal, so it must either be crushed completely or win over to Clovis. embrace!"

Ludwig's expression moved slightly, and he immediately understood that the "entire war" Anson said did not just refer to the "Iser Punishment War" in front of him, but also included the invasion of the empire.

If the relationship between the Seven Cities Alliance and the Ysel Elves can be destroyed, not only will the Ysel Elves be completely cut off from the assistance they receive from the Empire, but they will also be able to obtain a large amount of wealth from the rich land of Han to make up for the war with the Empire. Losses caused by the outbreak.

Even if we go one step further and infiltrate Clovis's power into the Seven Cities Alliance and establish a friendly alliance with two vassal puppets, we can rely on Hantu to establish a fourth front in the south of the empire.

This will alleviate the pressure on the western and southwest fronts to a certain extent, and the mountain passes in the western part of the Dawn Mountains are also easy to defend and difficult to attack. Only a small number of troops are needed to force the empire to deploy heavy troops for garrison.

The situation...will be reversed from this!

"But is it really that easy?" Ludwig shook his head:

"Indeed, the Seven Cities Alliance is weak and there are still many conflicts between them. They are a group of alliances that rely entirely on the protection of the Yser elves and are afraid of Clovis and the Empire and have to stick together for warmth; but if they are truly united, their strength will be greater. It’s still something that shouldn’t be underestimated.”

"As long as they have a little common sense, they will know that joining Clovis's cavalry and continuing to advance south will inevitably harm their interests."

"The premise is that their interests are completely consistent." Anson smiled softly:

"But are their interests really aligned?"

"What's the meaning?"

"It means that as you said, their alliance was only out of fear of Clovis and the Empire, and that neither of them could annex and conquer the other." Anson said slowly:

"In other words, if we are willing to support one of them so that he can become the de facto ruler of Hantu in a reasonable and legal way, the Seven Cities Alliance... will naturally turn to us."

Ludwig narrowed his eyes slightly: "From your tone, it seems that you have found the target?"

Anson smiled calmly:

"Leon Francois, the only heir to Claude Francois, Grand Duke of Thun, is currently in Eagle Point City. You can ask him personally."

"What?!"

Ludwig's eyes widened instantly.

He was shocked at first, and then thought of the two routes Anson just mentioned. Many previously puzzling questions seemed to suddenly become clear to him.

I see... No wonder he appeared so quietly behind Eagle Point City. No wonder he never received the orders he issued. No wonder... Eagle Point City fell so quickly.

In the quiet room, Ludwig took a deep breath.

"Very good...so that's what happened." Ludwig's eyes fell on Anson's face again, his bloodshot eyes unblinking:

"Anson Bach...you're not asking me to choose."

"You have already prepared a complete set of strategic arrangements, you are just telling me now."

"Even if I don't agree with your plan, you will still insist on going your own way and use various means to force me to cooperate with you in order to win... just like what happened in Eagle Point City this time, right?"

Nonsense, otherwise do you still expect me to cooperate with you and fight to the east of Eagle Point Pass to resist Yser's reinforcements, so that you can continue to dilly-dally like this?

"Of course not." Anson said decisively and seriously:

"All of this is just a coincidence caused by various force majeure. As your appointed deputy commander, I just made some last resort choices in an emergency."

"Just like this siege of Eagle Point City, to be honest, I didn't even expect that the defenders would actually rebel, and they rebelled so completely that I didn't even have time to inform you and captured the fortress! "

"So if you insist on taking the Elf Kingdom of Yser as the main direction of attack, I will have absolutely no complaints and will serve you wholeheartedly!"

Anson's expression was extremely sincere.

But Ludwig didn't seem to believe it...and he really didn't care.

"Listen! I can give you the credit for capturing Eagle Point City, or I can agree to your plan to unite with the Grand Duchy of Thun and dismember the Seven Cities Alliance. After all, some guys have already started doing it on their own terms... But! He glared at Anson:

"I want victory, and a complete victory. What I want is for the Elf King Yser to kneel in front of me and beg for peace... Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Anson nodded decisively, knowing that there was no room for bargaining at this time.

"very good."

Ludwig snorted softly:

"Then now you should think about how to deal with the Iser Guards Corps who are coming to rescue the fortress; my loyal deputy commander, Colonel Anson Bach."

"Colonel?"

"Yes, Colonel, I have been ordered to come with the next batch of supplies." Ludwig glanced at him:

"Why, you don't think I would let my deputy commander hold the rank of 'lieutenant colonel' forever, do you?"

Please don’t hurt the Yi Geng Beast anymore. The Yi Geng Beast has to work hard during the day. Four thousand a day is really the limit ()