In the Name of the Queen

Roland and Sif woke up almost at the same time.

There was a faint trace of tears in Roland's eyes.

He was sad.

There was a faint trace of tears in Sif's eyes.

She was happy.

Roland was sad because he lost the trace of the elf Sif, and Sif was happy because she found the lost foot of the elf Sif.

People's sorrows and joys are never connected.

Looking at the tears in Sif's eyes, although Roland didn't understand why his beloved wife was crying, he instinctively thought that she must be sad.

Looking at the tears in Roland's eyes, although Sif didn't understand why he was crying, she instinctively thought that he was mostly happy.

She hugged him, joy must be shared.

He also hugged her, sadness needs to be shared.

Just as the two hugged each other tightly and forgot the world, the world did not forget them.

There was a knock on the door.

"Sif, Roland, are you in there?"

A cold and tired voice sounded outside the door.

It was Christine.

She was the commander of the coalition forces invited by Roland, but she was also a saint of the Court of Light. She was only a guest commander and had not become a citizen of Sussex, so she did not need to call Sif "Your Majesty".

Except in public, she usually called Sif and Roland by their names.

"Wait a minute!" Sif's voice trembled slightly.

She and Roland were both wearing single clothes, their expressions were a little unnatural, and they were barefoot. It was somewhat impolite to meet Christine in this state.

"I'll wait for you in the combat command room." Christine's footsteps gradually disappeared outside the corridor.

Sif breathed a sigh of relief and frantically looked for shoes and socks.

Before putting on the soft white stockings, she couldn't help but move her eyes to her ankles.

Smooth as jade, as if she was born like this.

A clear consciousness flashed through her mind, reminding her that these feet did belong to her, but she just got them in a dream.

Twenty years ago, her feet were all fake.

The white silk smoothly passed over the round toes, all the way up, wrapping the ankles and tight calves.

Sif glanced at Roland from the corner of her eyes, and he was indeed staring at that place in a daze again.

Although she was a little shy, she couldn't help but imagine how Roland would love to hold this pair of new jade feet in the evening.

The sudden fantasy made her cheeks slightly red, and her heartbeat was a little chaotic.

Roland secretly retracted his dishonest gaze and tried to maintain his majestic image.

He didn't want to be regarded as a weirdo with a foot fetish by his beloved wife.

Although the nobles of this era were all very playful, he was not, he had to be proud.

Fortunately, Sif was busy putting on stockings and didn't notice his fiery gaze that wanted to swallow it hard.

It's not too late to expose it when night falls.

After all, the night will slightly cover the fiery gaze, so they don't have to be too shy.

Christine would not come to the door for no reason. There must be urgent military information, and it is probably related to the war on the Eastern Front.

Although he wanted to forget the world and knead his beloved wife's feet, business was important, and Roland quickly put on his clothes.

When he walked out of the room, he was the smiling, calm Caesar again.

Sif, who was walking beside him, was also calm and elegant, showing the noble temperament of the royal family.

Every staff member who passed by stood at attention and saluted them.

Seeing the calm and composed expressions of the two majesties, the staff who were originally a little anxious felt relieved.

With the support of the big men, the sky will not fall. Even if it does fall, the queen and Caesar will take the lead.

Operations command room.

When Roland and Sif arrived, Christine was taking the time to take a few chess pieces from the sand table.

She skillfully picked up the chess pieces representing the four military-level units of the enemy from the ruins of the Franks Fortress and threw them aside.

Roland, who had just walked into the room, saw this scene and couldn't hide his surprise.

"Christine, are all the hundreds of thousands of Pruden troops gone?"

"Yes, they are gone. Except for nearly 10,000 people who were captured and released, the rest are all dead. Among them are a general, two lieutenant generals and seven or eight major generals."

After a slight pause, Christine couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips slightly, "including the two most elite ace military units."

Roland's breathing was a little hurried.

It will take time for the new army of the Golden Kite Republic to form combat effectiveness. The overseas garrisons of the Sussex Empire alone can indeed defeat them, but the losses will definitely not be small.

It would definitely be a disaster to let these Pruden bulls rush into the northern plains.

As long as they can delay the Pruden attack, even if it's only three months.

However, Christine brought good news beyond imagination.

Roland couldn't figure out how to wipe out this powerful ace force with more than 10,000 fortress garrisons and more than 10,000 reinforcements on the front line.

As expected of Christine, she is really a military god of the world!

Roland generously offered his compliments.

Sif was not as corny as Roland, but she also gave him affirmation with her eyes.

However, Christine smiled and shook her head, "Roland, I am indeed an excellent commander, but I cannot violate the laws of war. No matter who is in charge, it is impossible to completely wipe out the enemy in this battle."

"This is a miracle."

She described the process of the Franks Fortress flying in detail.

She did not compete with Tom, Jerry and others for credit, but stated everyone's achievements truthfully.

This bizarre reversal experience made Roland's pupils experience an earthquake.

He knew the scale of the Franks Fortress. According to his calculations, at least 200,000 tons of high explosives were needed to send the fortress into the sky.

Or just a few nuclear bombs. What terrible things are hidden under the fortress?

Although the ruins excavated so far are just the tip of the iceberg, the technology of the Alemanni Empire still shocked Roland.

However, such a developed technological civilization could not escape the punishment of God, which shows the destruction of the God's Punishment Army.

This is really

Roland didn't feel any pressure, he was just shocked.

God's Punishment Army? Let's talk about it after the sixth return day.

Roland had a vague illusion that the difficulty of passing the sixth return day was no less than the final return day, but the return day between the two might not be that terrible.

Don't always look at the illusory distance, think about Sophia in front of you.

To ensure that no useful information was missed, Roland carefully asked about every detail at the time, and finally determined that this was not a punishment from God, but a terrible thing buried under the ruins exploded.

He couldn't help asking, "Did you organize an excavation afterwards?"

"We did, but unfortunately only ruins remain. The weapons and equipment hidden deep inside have been damaged. Although a small number of books were excavated, we can't understand them."

"Give me the books, maybe I can think of a way." Roland's eyes lit up. There are indeed not many people who can understand the ancient Alemannic language, but he happens to be able to.

He can understand the text of the Magic Empire, and the Magic Empire has done in-depth research on the previous era and has compiled a dictionary of pre-era civilizations.

As long as you compare them, you can roughly understand them.

Christine nodded, "The books are on my carriage, I'll give them to you later. Do you have any instructions for the next battle?"

"Can we take the opportunity to counterattack?" The complete destruction of the enemy's ace troops gave Roland a glimmer of hope.

"No." Although she could understand Roland's thoughts, Christine poured a bucket of cold water on his head without hesitation.

"Okay, I believe in your judgment." A little disappointed, Roland saw that Christine wanted to explain in detail, and quickly interrupted her long speech.

He didn't intend to micromanage, so why did he ask so carefully?

The superiors don't have to be experts in every field, just trust professionals for professional issues.

Thinking of such a good opportunity that he couldn't expand the results, Roland couldn't help but sigh: "Such a good opportunity, what a pity."

"No need to sigh, of course we can't miss the window period, there are still many things we can do."

Christine pointed her finger at the map, pointing to a country marked in golden yellow.

"Before finding out the cause of this tragic defeat, the Holy Alliance should not dare to die on its own initiative. We can attack the Weimar Federation and take the opportunity to annex them."

Sif couldn't help but frowned slightly and reminded: "Miss Christine, the Weimar Federation is very obedient to our country, almost no different from a vassal state. It may not be difficult to defeat them, but it will seriously damage our international reputation. Who will dare to follow us in the future?"

"Please rest assured, I have thought about this a long time ago. The Weimar Federation is indeed obedient to the Sussex Empire, but they have a bad relationship with the Golden Kite Kingdom, so they were not included in the alliance."

"I am not only the commander-in-chief of the Sussex Empire, but also the marshal of the Golden Kite Kingdom. This battle only relies on the temple warriors and the Golden Kite Kingdom army."

Christine gathered her hair casually and said softly: "I am confident that it will be three months."

"That won't work. I will give you two months at most!"

Roland interrupted Christine without hesitation.

Three months to destroy XX, this is not auspicious no matter how you listen to it. Although he doesn't believe in evil, he can't take the initiative to be possessed by evil.

Christine didn't know Roland's concerns. She thought for a moment and accepted Roland's request.

"You're right. Although I judge that the enemy cannot launch an attack within three months, this time is just an estimate. If the enemy attacks in advance, we can't protest to them."

"Speed ​​is of the essence. I will send a letter to Alina now to let her get ready. I will meet her as soon as possible."

Christine has always been resolute in doing things. Since she has decided to attack the Weimar Federation, there is naturally no reason to delay.

Watching Christine leave, Sif and Roland did not speak.

To be fair, attacking a benevolent and neutral country like the Weimar Federation will arouse the disgust of the international community in any form, and may even make some small countries that are waiting and watching join the enemy camp.

But they have no choice.

The new army must see blood to grow. No matter how well-trained the new army of the Golden Kite Country is and how high its morale is, it will still be a rookie if it has no actual combat experience.

The new army needs a sandbag for growth.

Unfortunately, the unfortunate Weimar Federation is this leveling sandbag.

After all, they were once part of the Odin Empire, and they share the same roots and culture as the Pruden Kingdom and the Tyrol Kingdom.

If we leave them alone, what if they stab us in the back?

This is a life-and-death war, and mercy does not belong here.

After a long silence, Sif pointed to the north of the map and whispered softly, "What should we do here?"

The place Sif pointed to was the Oden Kingdom.

This country once took the initiative to invade but was defeated, and then signed a defeat treaty and ceded territory.

The Oden people are brave and good at fighting. They remember grudges and will never give up revenge easily.

When the Holy Alliance comes, they will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble.

We must take advantage of this time to completely solve them.

Roland did not rush to provide a solution, but asked, "How do you think we should deal with it?"

"War."

Sif's tone was calm, as if she was talking about what to eat tonight.

Roland nodded and agreed with her general direction.

The two sides are already enemies. Do you want to make them surrender with a few words?

War is necessary. The only question is how to fight?

Sif pondered for a moment and said slowly: "This war is also a race against time. I plan to mobilize the main force of the overseas legion and let..."

She hoped that Roland would be the commander in chief. At the critical moment, she would rather trust Roland. However, Roland always thought that his military ability was limited and was unwilling to lead the army to the battle. She couldn't force it.

"I will lead the attack from land, and you will take over Hansa for me."

After thinking about it, the person she trusts most is herself besides Roland.

Roland said that when he needs to fight, he can only trust himself.

He also said that he will definitely go to the battle in person during the Hansa Defense War and the White Mountain Battle.

In this case, this appetizer dessert will be given to her.

Sif said confidently: "There may be hidden strongmen in the Kingdom of Oden, so I must go there in person. Sven VII is a brave monarch, I will send him off for the last time."

"At the same time, I will dispatch the navy to block the coast and crush their last fantasy."

Sif came to the sand table and told Roland about her battle plan.

Her battle plan can be simply described in one word: head-on confrontation.

Whoever stands in the way will be killed, rush into the enemy's capital at the fastest speed and take them away in one wave.

The plan looks a bit rough, but Roland can't think of a better strategy.

If there is time, he would suggest gradually eroding and disintegrating, splitting the enemy from within, and then achieving the greatest results at the lowest cost.

But they don't have time.

The only way is to fight head-on, crush the proud Oden people in a head-on confrontation, and make them bow down.

There is another advantage of rushing directly, which may make other nobles in the Kingdom of Oden surrender.

The Oden people advocate the use of force. If Sif can show bravery far superior to Sven VII, she may be able to subdue these nobles.

Their loyalty may not be firm, but it is better than firm disloyalty.

Anyway, it was still early in the evening, so Roland simply placed the chess pieces on the sand table and played a war game with Sif, simulating the attack on the Kingdom of Oden.

If he really went to the battlefield to command the battle, Roland would be a little nervous, but he had never been weak in talking about war on paper.

Even for Christine, it would not be easy to defeat him in a war game.

Fortunately, Sif was also good at war games, and the two happily started a chessboard debate.

After two rounds of games with exchanged identities, the battle situation had been determined.

Unless a miracle appeared, the Kingdom of Oden would be destroyed, but the Sussex Empire would also suffer a lot of losses.

After all, King Oden was a famous solid city in the entire Rodinia continent, and it had never been captured head-on in history.

This iron-walled city was known as the city that would never fall, and it was not easy to capture this strong city.

King Oden was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and there was only one valley leading to the city.

The other side of the city faces the sea, and landing will be within the range of artillery.

This city has water sources, food reserves, crisscrossing walls and fortifications. Theoretically, it is impossible to attack without 300,000 people.

Even if the capital of Oden is completely blocked from both land and sea, it is not a problem for this city to last for a year or two.

It is easy to attack the Kingdom of Oden, but it is difficult to take the capital.

If you can't win the war quickly, winning this war is equivalent to losing.

Sif didn't tell Roland her trump card. She would climb the city wall in person and open the door to victory for the whole army.

This is the confidence brought by getting back the flawless foot and getting a perfect body.

Planting trees, advancing, climbing the city, no matter how much the loss is, she must win.

Although he couldn't think of a better way to reduce casualties, Roland did not object to this action.

He didn't want the number of casualties, he just wanted victory.

To ensure victory, he asked Sif to bring most of the main force and let Bordos serve as deputy commander-in-chief.

"Porthos is a veteran, so he will be in charge of the specific command. You only need to make important decisions and kill the hidden strongmen of the enemy. Remember, don't take risks easily."

"I understand. I'm not alone." Sif nodded with a smile.

Her words were also a double entendre.

Under the soul-blood connection, if she died, Roland would be buried with her, so she was not alone.

And she and Roland had made an engagement, and they were already de facto husband and wife, so she was certainly not alone.

Sif stood on tiptoe and put her arms around Roland's neck.

"Roland, I just had a strange dream. In the dream, I got a perfect body. After waking up, I found that this was not a dream. We will win, and we will definitely win."

Looking at the trembling eyelashes on his wife's gradually closing eyes, Roland was also greatly encouraged. He didn't say anything nonsense and kissed her gently.

After an unknown amount of time, the two people who were almost suffocating reluctantly let go of each other.

Sif opened her eyes, with a strange look in them, and said softly:

"Roland, can you only love me before the return day?"

"I will forever"

Sif's slender fingertips touched Roland's lips, and her voice was particularly gentle, "Roland, the soul-blood link has changed my mind. If Alina doesn't want to cancel the link when she reaches the third level, I am willing to share with her. But before that, no."

Her meaning was very clear, Alina could join this family, but she had to go through the test of time.

If Alina asked to cancel the soul-blood link when she reached the third level, her fate with Roland would end.

Roland opened his mouth, and when the words came to his lips, there was only one word left, "Okay."

What else could he say? Could he deny that he had feelings for Alina?

Such hypocritical words will be seen through as soon as they are spoken.

Sif has a pair of eyes that can see through people's hearts. Even if she doesn't use insight, she can tell whether he is lying.

Sif set up a test, which is reasonable.

Alina is a latecomer after all, and she is very generous to accept it.

The time before the sixth return day belongs to him and Sif alone. If they can survive, Sif's mentality will also change, and her higher pursuit is the peak of power.

Roland did not defend himself or say anything against his will. Sif was very satisfied, but she couldn't help but bite Roland's shoulder.

No force, just leaving a mark.

"And your sister Lisa, since she doesn't plan to get married, live with us."

Compared with Alina, Sif is more willing to accept Lisa.

Lisa wants companionship and will not fight for anything.

She doesn't fight for anything, but Sif is a little embarrassed. Lisa and Roland are not related by blood. They grew up together, are familiar with each other, and have experienced so many things together. It would be a big joke to separate them.

As for how they like to accompany each other, let them do it.

Sif and Lisa had a tacit understanding, and now they just made it clear in front of Roland.

But this tolerance also has a price.

Sif left teeth marks on Roland's other shoulder. Sparse and neat, like a crescent moon.

Roland's apology melted in Sif's gentle eyes.

She didn't say anything, just gave Roland a look.

She was about to go on an expedition, and she needed to be filled with Roland's courage again and again tonight.

Roland certainly wouldn't refuse such a reasonable request.

Just as the two held hands and prepared to leave, there was a knock on the door.

"Lord Roland, are you free now?"

Roland was stunned for a moment before he could hear who the hoarse voice was. Munina Gram, the new leader of the Gram Siren who surrendered to him after being captured.

Roland originally intended to make the Sirens an important supplement to the fighting force, but he gradually discovered that the Sirens had a rigid mindset and not many talents to use. According to his selection criteria, he could only form a special force of about a thousand people.

In addition, Munina became Mr. Norton's adopted daughter, so Roland was embarrassed to exploit her too much. As a result, the Gram Sirens were gradually marginalized.

This fate-determining war was basically a land battle, so he simply did not recruit the Sirens to participate in the war.

You can't expect the Sirens to fight the Queen of Winter on the top of the White Mountain, right?

Even if they managed to climb the snow-capped mountains, they would be frozen and unable to take care of themselves.

Although the Gram Sirens are temporarily useless, Roland believes that they will definitely be of great use in the future when entering the ocean, so the task given to them is to recuperate and have more children.

He also introduced preferential policies to encourage childbirth for the Sirens.

After a long pause, Roland couldn't think of what Munina wanted to ask him for at this time.

Seeing that Roland didn't respond, Sif coughed lightly and responded for him: "Miss Munina, please come in."

With a creak, the door of the command room was pushed open.

A pretty face slowly appeared from the door.

Munina was wearing human clothes, and her lower body was also wearing a skirt to cover her fishtail.

She looked conservatively like a mermaid or a cyborg, but a noble lady with strict family education.

"Your Majesty, Lord Roland, I have something to report."

"Please go ahead."

Although Munina was wasting her and Roland's time to enjoy the night, Sif still remained patient and smiled.

The timid Munina didn't dare to look at Sif. For some reason, she always felt that the queen didn't seem very happy now.

She quickly cut to the chase and began to report, "Your Majesty, the Gram clan is also a citizen of the Empire. We have the obligation and the right to contribute to the Empire."

"I want to lead an elite force to join the navy and contribute to the country."

Sif didn't expect Munina to make such a request. She frowned slightly and said softly, "I just hope that this special force has fewer people. After all, the Gram clan is still in the recovery period."

"No, not many, only more than 500 people, and most of them are middle-aged people who are infertile."

Munina said faintly.

The Siren Clan basically loses its fertility after the age of 35. These Siren warriors around the age of 40 cannot add population to the tribe, but can only use their flesh and blood to win benefits for the tribe.

She knew very well that this was a decisive battle to determine the fate of the empire. If the Gram clan did nothing in this decisive battle, they would have no say in sharing the cake after the war.

These middle-aged Siren warriors and singers around the age of 40 are the backbone of the tribe, and their combat effectiveness far exceeds that of young people.

They plan to burn themselves out and fight for benefits for the tribe.

Munina felt bad, but she couldn't refuse. After all, this was the choice that best served the interests of the tribe, although it was a bit cruel.

She understood that the rise of the tribe could not rely on the charity of others, but had to be fought for by themselves.

When necessary, even she could sacrifice herself.

When Munina looked up again, there was no weakness in her eyes, only determination.

Sif couldn't refuse such a look, she nodded and said calmly: "Okay, then you take them to join the navy to provide reconnaissance protection and assistance."

"Your Majesty, this force is led by Elder Nigma. I plan to follow you and Lord Roland to provide support."

"But our battlefields are basically on land, so it doesn't make much sense for you to follow." Sif looked at Munina with some doubts, quite puzzled.

When the siren came ashore, its combat power was halved, because it was exposed to the dry air and could not sing a few words. Munina must understand such a simple truth, so why should she insist on following the main force?

Munina bravely looked at Sif and explained loudly: "I, I can sing the three complete movements in a dry environment, but the time cannot exceed half an hour."

The first movement, charm.

The second movement, chaos.

The third movement, sadness.

All are very practical group auxiliary abilities.

Sif's lips slightly raised, and she said softly: "Munina, I'm going to go to war soon, you stay with me, I just have some singing skills to share with you."