"It's simply ...... Heavenly punishment," the iron axe sighed, "I can't even see the shadow of the opponent, I can only be beaten passively, if it is an ordinary enemy, it is absolutely impossible to walk this mountain road under artillery fire." Pen %Fun %Pavilion www.biquge.info"

The commander-in-chief of the First Army had seen the power of the howitzer and naturally knew what an astonishing effect it would have if it landed in a dense marching ranks. With the first shell landing a full five kilometers in front of the position, the enemy either ran wildly, expending all his strength before the big battle, or continued to advance regardless of it, dragging the incomplete team to storm the position. Of course, the most likely scenario is to disperse in a hurry, from marching directly to rout.

"It's a pity that the enemies we have to deal with are not ordinary," Roland smiled, "and the number of shells is very limited, otherwise these two fortress guns alone would have wiped out all the opponents." ”

Due to the use of a full ammunition fire, the rate of fire of the fortress gun was as high as eight rounds per minute, and the fire delivery efficiency was absolutely frenzied in this era. Since the Alchemist of the Royal Capital moved into Neverwinter with a large number of apprentices, the production of dual-base propellants has been increasing, and the number of cannonballs has become the biggest limit - the trigger fuse can only be produced by Anna by hand, and the extremely sophisticated mechanical structure restricts the production capacity of howitzers.

"Your Majesty, all twenty rounds of calibrated artillery have been fired," reported the battalion commander Vanna, after repeating the firing several times, "and a total of six effective targets have been obtained, roughly distributed in the second half of the mountain road. ”

"Very well, that's all for today. Roland nodded.

After all, test shells also need to be specially made, and although they are made of solid warheads, they are no different in shape and counterweight from fused-mounted grenades - a delicate task that only Anna can do, and every day she finds time to make a certain number of test warheads for the artillery battalion to fire.

"Do you need to look somewhere else?" Iron Axe asked.

"No," Roland shook his head after thinking for a moment, "I'll go back to the camp first, and you can continue to arrange for the soldiers to train." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty," he saluted.

Back at the camp, Roland leaned back on his chaise longue and sighed, he found that he had nothing left to do, or rather, everything that needed to be done had been done, and all that was left was to resign himself to fate.

Five days ago, the church finally responded, and according to Maisie, the gates of the Holy City were opened, and countless people poured out of the city, marching in a neat long line towards the Cold Wind Ridge. The armor of the samurai shimmered silver, and when viewed from the sky, it looked like a sparkling river running through the desperate mountains.

At the same time, spies stationed in the Old Holy City and the Hermes plateau also sent back secret letters, saying that the scale of the Church's operations was unprecedented, and that even the number of people active in the city was much smaller.

It is clear that the enemy has poured out.

Upon receiving the news, Roland immediately rushed to the front line, and his arrival also raised the morale of the officers and men of the First Army to a peak, and a decisive battle was about to determine the future of both sides.

More than 4,000 elite soldiers, a reserve knight team provided by the Duke of the North, a pre-reconnaissance team composed of Lightning and Maisie, Sylvie's unsparing firepower, and the battle witches scattered around the camp were not incomplete. Even the Church's measures were staged step by step in accordance with the battle plan formulated by the General Staff, and the residents of the Cold Wind Ridge had all been evacuated, even if the other party wanted to use the madness pill, it could only consume the believers in the Holy City, or forcibly recruit the residents from other kingdoms.

It's been a perfect start.

But there was always a hint of concern in Roland's mind.

That is the Pure One.

It is unknown in what form they will appear and what kind of ability they will be able to interfere in the decisive battle.

In order to avoid casualties caused by the other party's sneak attack, the witches who stay on the front line these days sleep in their clothes, and they are all gathered in a single lobby. Sylvie and Nightingale split into two groups to keep vigil in turn, and if a magical reaction is detected, the entire camp is awakened by the sound of an echoing siren.

As a result, until today, the church has not taken any extra action except to send troops to occupy the Cold Wind Ridge, and Roland has not even seen the shadow of the pure.

He didn't know if the enemy was planning an earth-shattering conspiracy, or if he didn't bother to harass at all, intending to crush himself directly on the frontal battlefield.

In any case, all he could do now was to continue to wait.

......

After dinner, Roland lay down in bed early, but he could not fall asleep until the moonlight shone through the crack in the window. As soon as I got dressed and walked out of the bedroom, the nightingale that was staying outside immediately flashed over.

"What, can't you sleep?"

"Sort of, probably too much straw under the bed," Roland rubbed his neck and pulled a wheat leaf out of his collar, "and when I lay down, I felt that there was always something on my back." ”

"I think so too," Andrea, who was also in the first half of the night group, echoed, "Not to mention bringing a big bed, at least two layers of silk quilts need to be laid, and the Duke of Northland is too stingy." ”

"We're at war, not an outing, gentlemen and ladies," Ash didn't have a good breath, "a sheltered house is good, how can it be so demanding." ”

"Of course, it really doesn't make a difference to people with rough skin. ”

"That's better than being weak. ”

"I think we need to duel again and see who's really weak. ”

"When you're done with the church, you'll understand. ”

"Wait...... Can I place a bet?" Savi said, raising her hand.

Nightingale pulled him aside, "Ignore them, it's the custom every night." ”

Roland smiled and shook his head, "I wouldn't have separated them if I knew I wouldn't have separated them." "Since Nightingale's detection range is much smaller than that of Sylvie, the combat mission of the first half of the night group was given to the card-playing trio, and with the addition of Nightingale, this is already the strongest offensive combination that witches can handle. In the second half of the night, the group is mainly defensive, and the members are Agatha, Zephyr, and Efe, and they are unmatched in controlling and blocking the enemy. "What about the others, are they still adapting?"

"The sisters of the Mutual Aid Society are not as particular as you are," said Nightingale, blinking, "they have all experienced the days of fugitives when they slept in the open, and they could fall asleep when they closed their eyes. ”

Well, it seems that he is the one who can't hold his breath...... Roland sat on the steps, looking up at the stars, and was silent for a long time, "What will happen to us when this is over?"

Nightingale sat down beside him, "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"I'm just feeling a little emotional," he touched his nose weakly, "if we don't defeat the Church...... "Will Neverwinter continue in its current order?Will the kingdom be completely swallowed up by the Church, or will it go back to the old ways of aristocratic separation?and Anna and the other witches...... Will they really be able to escape safely to the Isle of Sleep?

Before he knew it, he had developed a strong affection for the land and the people who had worked so hard to build.

"Don't worry," Nightingale said softly, taking his hand, "as I said before...... As long as I'm alive, you'll not be harmed in any way," she paused, "and, our story has just begun. ”