In the Name of the Queen

People who often fight in wars know how difficult it is for an isolated fortress to defend against enemies five times its number and hundreds of heavy artillery.

Although she chose to rescue, Christine conceded that the Franks Fortress could not be defended.

She slowed down and sent scouts to expand the scope of exploration, fearing that the thousands of elite cavalry who brought rescue would also fall into the encirclement.

When the scout told her that the fortress was still holding on, she once suspected that it was hallucination.

When she rushed to the Franks Fortress day and night, the fortress was not only as stable as a rock, but also seemed to be able to hold on for a long time.

She was a little confused and even thought it was a trap.

Until she saw several familiar faces and familiar flags appearing on the city wall.

She thought that the Franks Fortress would fall and would hold on tragically, but she didn't expect the defenders to hold on so calmly.

The drawbridge facing the Sussex side was slowly lowered and the city gate opened.

A small number of the 6,000 cavalry led by Christine were stationed outside the city, and most of them entered the city.

With great doubts, Christine walked towards the command center of the city hall, surrounded by several welcoming officers.

She sternly rejected the welcoming banquet arranged by General Dailong, and went straight to the command room to hold a military meeting.

Her style has always been like this. General Dailong, who was familiar with her, was not too surprised. Only the young officers were not familiar with this commander.

They were surprised by the beauty and decisiveness of the saint lady, and they were eager to try and show their bravery in front of this beautiful lady.

Dailong's eyes caught the eyes of these young people, and he felt a little more emotional.

These little guys really don't know this saint Christine.

She has a firm belief and is a cold-blooded commander.

The beautiful body only makes her more friendly when preaching, and it is even a burden.

God knows how many nobles and knights in the Wende Empire are her suitors, but in her eyes, these people are just annoying flies.

In this era when the saints of the Divine Court are often equated with political prostitutes, she is indeed an outlier.

The enthusiasm of these young people is destined to have no return.

"General Dai Long, how is the recent war situation?"

Christine's cold voice pulled Dai Long, who was a little distracted, back to reality.

He sorted out his mood a little and reported the war situation to Christine in a slightly low voice.

Christine's expression did not change at all.

Whether she heard that thousands of people died in the outer positions, or heard that the commandos blew up hundreds of artillery pieces, or that General Jebacs died heroically in the raid, there was not much expression on her face.

She was as calm as a bystander.

This is also her usual command style. She does not allow personal emotions to affect her judgment and always stands at a high altitude to overlook the war situation.

Dai Long was not surprised by this, but he still wanted to say a few words for Jebacs.

After all, they are old comrades-in-arms. If he doesn't speak, he will not be able to get through this level first.

"Your Highness the Saint."

"Please call me General Christine, or Commander-in-Chief." Christine corrected Dai Long's address expressionlessly.

The address is also a position.

If she claimed to be the Holy Maiden of Light, it would certainly help her establish prestige within the Court of Light, but it would also create a gap between her and the generals of the coalition.

The Holy Maiden was a guest, and the Commander was a comrade-in-arms.

Dailong naturally knew the difference.

His eyes turned to Christine again. She was wrapped in light silver light armor, and her cold face looked even smaller under the metal collar.

Although she was not very beautiful like a soldier, her awe-inspiring temperament still revealed a hint of murderousness.

It was just a moment of surprise, and Dailong accepted the new commander from the bottom of his heart.

"Yes, Commander."

"I think I must focus on telling you about the achievements of General Jebacs and the five hundred warriors."

After getting Christine's approval, Dailong quickly told the story of how Jebacs and others risked their lives to replace 95% of the enemy's artillery.

Even with Christine's indifference, she was somewhat moved.

"All five hundred people were killed?"

Although she had used the death squad to exchange for the enemy's high-value targets, and more than once, this time was different. These people really volunteered.

After a long silence, Christine asked softly: "Did you leave a suicide note?"

"The suicide notes are all kept properly." Dai Long breathed a sigh of relief. He could feel a slight change in Christine's tone.

The face was still cold, but there was an imperceptible warmth in her voice.

"Sort it out, I will do my best to help them realize their wishes."

Dalong quickly stood up and saluted Christine, this was for the five hundred warriors.

Christine stood up and returned the salute, nodding to indicate Dai Long to continue reporting.

Although the following report was very long and all concerned important matters related to the city's defense, there was no more ripples on Christine's face.

After listening to the report, Christine did not rush to make important instructions, but only asked everyone to stick to their posts.

"The meeting is adjourned. General Dailong will stay for a moment."

Standing on the watchtower behind the eastern wall, even without a telescope, Christine could clearly see the deployment of the Pruden Kingdom Army.

Dalong stood half a step behind her, his face calm, waiting very patiently.

Although he was a major general, his status was very different from that of the commander of the coalition forces, Christine.

When Christine didn't need him to speak, it was best to remain silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Christine finally broke the silence and asked softly, "How long do you think the fortress can hold out?"

Dalong was startled and hesitated.

Was this a simple question or a test?

"Don't worry, we're just discussing military intelligence." Christine added.

Dailong was relieved and answered without hesitation: "Unless the enemy can get a few hundred heavy artillery or more troops, we can hold on."

Christine nodded with satisfaction and said calmly: "Very good, evacuate the residents as soon as possible."

"Ah?"

Dalong was stunned. He never thought that Christine's thinking was so out of line.

Didn't we agree to hold on? Why did we start evacuating the residents?

He couldn't help asking: "Why?"

"Because the Franks Fortress is destined to fall. Sooner or later, the enemy will get more artillery and soldiers. There is no need to continue to hold on."

Dalong was a little dissatisfied in his heart. He looked at Christine stubbornly and insisted on his point of view.

"Commander-in-chief, there is no place to defend between Franks Fortress and Hansa. If we don't resist the enemy here, the door to Hansa will be open, and the enemy can march straight in and reach Hansa within half a month."

"Are you planning to meet the enemy in Hansa? It is our second capital overseas. It would be too passive if the battlefield was there."

Dalong couldn't help complaining: "Commander-in-chief, I have reminded you many times in the past two months to strengthen the construction of the fortress defense system, build military camps around the fortress, and deploy at least 50,000 elite troops and more heavy artillery. However, these suggestions were shelved by the headquarters. I want to complain to you that someone has hindered your connection with the grassroots."

Having said that, Dai Long knew that no one dared to hide the truth. It was likely that Christine herself did not attach importance to the lack of strengthening the construction of the fortress.

He did not dare to blame Christine, but he would never evade what he should say.

If Christine ignored it, he even planned to bypass the commander and report directly to the governor.

Faced with Dai Long's almost accusatory suggestions, Christine was not angry, but just smiled.

"Hans is located in a plain. Although there is the Rodinia River around, the river flows slowly and is behind the city, so its defense is not as good as Franks."

Daylon breathed a sigh of relief. It was enough for Christine to admit it. He could continue to persuade her.

He certainly didn't want to give up the Franks Fortress.

The military importance of this fortress is self-evident, and this fortress means a lot to him.

If this fortress is lost, even if it is Christine's deployment, it will be difficult for him to get rid of the title of losing the fortress.

If he decides to turn this fortress into a meat grinder, both sides will have to invest more troops, and his power and prestige will rise sharply.

Holding on to the fortress is the best choice for both the country and him personally.

If there is no sea of ​​flowers and no final battle site selected by Roland, this is indeed the best choice.

Christine fully understands Daylon's plan.

In fact, she originally planned to use the Franks Fortress as a meat grinder, constantly consuming the enemy's flesh, blood, morale and supplies, making it a hell that drags down the enemy.

However, Roland's words a few months ago changed her deployment.

The decisive battle will take place in Val City and White Mountain. Only in White Mountain can there be a chance to defeat Sophia. All other cities can be abandoned.

Since Roland asked, Christine will naturally implement it.

The Franks meat grinder plan was cancelled.

In the first battle, Franks made a feint, and in the second battle, Hansa continued to show weakness, and finally the decisive battle took place in White Mountain.

This is her overall arrangement.

After all, Hansa is an overseas political and economic center. It is a bit too fake to give it up directly, so the defense of Hansa must be fought, and it must be fought in a decent manner.

Since Hansa is used as a meat grinder, the Franks Fortress has no value.

She can't tell Dai Long about these deployments.

She believes that Dai Long can keep a secret, because she can too.

Seeing Christine admit the importance of the Franks Fortress, Dai Long ignites his confidence and continues to persuade.

He expounds on the pros and cons, telling about the dangers of abandoning the Franks Fortress and the necessity of defending the fortress.

If the enemy is hurt, he can even force him to accept a peace without a winner, and accept the result that the two sides rule half of the continent with the Franks Fortress as the boundary.

This is the result he wants.

"War is not for killing, but to win peace with force. The existence of the Franks Fortress can also help your motherland Wende relieve pressure. Please think twice."

Dai Long really couldn't figure out what the benefit of giving up the Franks Fortress was, and why Christine was so stubborn.

He even brought up the precarious Wende Empire to persuade Christine to change her mind.

"As long as we eliminate the enemy's living forces in the Franks Fortress, the Wende Empire will have time and space to reorganize its army. When they recover, the normal trend of the war will change."

Dai Long became more and more excited, looking at Christine with fiery eyes, unable to hide his expectation.

However, Christine's expression did not change at all.

The name of the Wende Empire could not arouse her emotional fluctuations.

Silence is sometimes acquiescence, and sometimes it is rejection.

Dai Long's passion gradually cooled down, and he asked unwillingly: "Are we going to let the sacrifices of these thousands of people go to waste?"

"Only by winning this war can their sacrifices not be in vain."

Christine said calmly.

This sentence was almost a direct rejection, and Dai Long's expression was a little ugly, but he still controlled his emotions well and did not continue the topic, but he also had his own persistence.

"I respect your decision, but I reserve my opinion, and I will explain my views to the Governor."

Dalong is not an ordinary major general division commander. He is Roland's confidant, responsible not only for the fortress, but also for the defense of the eastern defense zone.

He has the right to report directly to Roland.

Christine didn't say anything, just nodded.

She had no opinion on Dailong. He was a slightly rigid but very dedicated professional soldier, and he would still be needed in future wars.

If he knew the overall layout of this war, he would definitely not question it.

But the overall layout has a high level of knowledge, and only a few people know it, so Dailong will make a wrong judgment.

Watching Dailong leave, Christine continued to stand in the watchtower to observe the battlefield situation.

She completely understood Dailong.

He was a professional soldier, but not a superhuman, so of course he couldn't understand the upcoming Return Day War.

On a battlefield with millions of people, it was a few strong men who dominated the direction of the war. It sounded too absurd.

Even if he told Dailong, could he understand it?

He didn't know the horror of Sophia at all.

From the beginning to the end, Roland's only goal was Sophia, but what about Sophia?

Christine was a little confused.

At first, she thought Sophia needed to use Sylph as a stepping stone to advance to the sixth level. As her strength grew, she understood more and more how powerful Sophia was.

If she had to step on others to advance, what about others?

As long as the return day came, Sophia could advance on the spot, there was no doubt about it.

She really couldn't understand why Sophia was obsessed with starting a war.

Did she really want to unify the world within her sight?

Christine just thought it was absurd.

The Wends and Ruriks once had the same ancestors, but they separated hundreds of years ago and have evolved into different ethnic groups.

It is a foolish dream to want them to unify, let alone other ethnic groups.

How prosperous the Odin Empire was back then, but now it has been divided into several countries such as Pruden, Tyrol, Weimar, and Val, with many differences in language, writing, and customs.

It is a bit of a stretch to say that they are one ethnic group.

Even if they were the same, Sophia could not unify the Odins into her own country.

Even if we follow the principle of as long as they are related, there are more than a dozen completely different ethnic groups on the Rodinia continent, and unification is impossible.

Roland described the blueprint for the future to Christine.

In the future, with the development of industry and the progress of civilization, the connection between countries will be closer, and the whole world will be linked by trade, tolerant of each other, and develop peacefully.

The future world is like a town, and the country is the town residents.

Whether poor or rich, strong or weak, they all have basically similar sovereignty and interact through international organizations and international treaties.

According to Roland, no matter how this war is fought, the Sussex Empire has no need to annex those small countries, nor can it swallow a giant like the Vladimir Empire.

What Roland wants is to defeat Sophia, let other countries accept the new order, and make progress together under the framework of the new order.

The blueprint he described is very grand and advanced, but Christine believes it.

The great goddess once described a similar peaceful world in the oracle.

Unfortunately, the great goddess did not say how to realize this ideal world.

However, Roland provided her with a general direction.

Comprehensively develop industry and build an international system.

Thinking of this beautiful blueprint, Christine felt much better.

It doesn't matter if Dai Long and the others don't understand now, they will definitely understand in the future.

Just as Christine was observing the battlefield situation alone, footsteps came from behind.

The brisk footsteps stopped more than ten meters away, "Commander-in-chief, I am Tom, the commander of the Third Regiment of the First Division. Some intelligence has been ignored by General Dai Long. I want to report to you separately."

Christine looked back at the young officer in front of her and nodded.

She has a good memory and she remembers this young man.

Helensburg Battle Hero, who has won the Medal of Courage and the Second Class White Rose Medal, is a leader among the younger generation of officers.

And he is very good at excavating ruins and has good luck.

Could it be that there is a discovery in this area?

Christine guessed correctly that Tom did find a ruin, to be precise, a warehouse of the Alemanni Empire.

This warehouse stores 5,000 tons of black powder, and it is obviously an armory.

Unfortunately, there are no guns or explosive bombs that can be used directly.

Although black powder is very good, it takes a lot of time to transform it into combat power, and it is not needed in the current war.

After reporting the discovery in the ruins, Tom took the opportunity to ask Christine a soul-searching question.

"Commander-in-chief, can the fortress really not be defended? As long as these black powders are arranged reasonably, they are enough to blow up half of the city. If we can find a way to send black powder to the enemy's feet"

As he spoke, Tom's voice gradually became smaller.

Sure enough, it is still not realistic.

The enemy is not a fool. Of course, they know the power of tunnels during the attack and defense of the fortress, and they will definitely take precautions.

Digging a long tunnel to bury thousands of tons of black powder is not a magical tactic, but a performance art.

Just when Tom was frustrated, Christine's eyes lit up.

She didn't want to leave the fortress intact to the enemy and become an obstacle to the future counterattack.

However, it was too difficult to destroy this magnificent fortress, and actively destroying the city walls in the face of more than 100,000 enemy troops outside the city was a suicidal performance art.

Even if there are thousands of tons of black powder, it is not easy to go out and blow up the enemy.

But what about the other way around?

Let the enemy enter the city, and then detonate the black powder that has been arranged in advance, and half of the city can be sent into the sky, and the enemy can also be sent away.

Christine's lips slightly raised, and she asked with a smile: "If you are asked to distribute the black powder reasonably, can you send the fortress into the sky?"

"Yes, but only half of it." Tom answered honestly, but he was still a little surprised. The fortress belongs to the empire, why ask such a question.

No, no, the commander-in-chief is a famous general, he will definitely not do this, he thinks too much.

Christine nodded with satisfaction, and said with a smile: "Tom, you are responsible for this matter, arrange the black powder secretly, and I will ask the Prudens to fly. Tom, what's wrong with you, Tom?"