The next few days were unexpectedly calm. Human hunters and adventurers no longer dare to enter the wilderness shrouded by the black tide, and the sudden changes make people panic. Many people fled overnight to the hinterland of the human-controlled area, but there were also brave speculators who wanted to see if there was a chance, so they chose to stay in cities such as Heiliu City in the counties on the edge of the Iron Curtain.
Similarly, the dark race is also dormant, and both sides are waiting.
Inside the Empire, news of the Iron Curtain caused a storm. This is the first time that the empire has disclosed the news of the Iron Curtain semi-publicly, and has officially mobilized the military and the family to participate. As the bloody battle progresses, the scope of mobilization will be further expanded.
In the eyes of most people, this symbolizes the growing strength of the empire and the opening of new battlefields. However, in the eyes of the visionary, there is more to see. The empire's initiative to start a bloody battle with the dark race this time actually has far-reaching implications. It is not only to show the dark race's force, but also to allow the major families to show off their martial arts within the empire. As the name suggests, the bloody battle will be very cruel. The performance of the powerful families, various legions, and even the emperor's family in this bloody battle directly reflects the superiority of the family.
After this battle, the ranking of the aristocratic family that has not changed for a long time is about to change.
The aristocratic families who received the summoning order from the emperor's family were naturally ready to fight hard, and many small families who did not receive the summoning order were also unwilling to do so, and tried every means to get a summoning order. Many small families who were not likely to get the summoning order but had ambitions chose to attach themselves to the big family.
Even if they had no ambitions, the reward for military merits this time was enough to tempt them.
The "Jidu Ziyuan" in the Zhao Mansion in Xiji City was much busier than before, with attendants and guards coming in and out sorting out all kinds of equipment. There is a pool of running water in the small courtyard at the back, and it is actually a hot spring that is steaming white smoke in the afternoon when it is not cold. At this time, purple mist lingered in the white smoke, and Zhao Jundu was sitting cross-legged by the water, maintaining the "Blue Sky" piece by piece.
There were very light footsteps outside the courtyard gate, and there were only a few people who dared to disturb him at this time. Zhao Jundu raised his head, and sure enough it was Zhao Junhong who came.
Zhao Junhong's expression was rare, but he didn't speak for a while.
Zhao Jundu stuck the "Clear Water Blade" into the notch under the gun barrel, then stood up, first broke the silence, and said: "Second Brother is back, let's go in and sit down." He knew exactly why Zhao Junhong came.
As one of the Four Clans, the Zhao family of Yanyun got the news before they officially received the summoning order from the imperial family. The elders in the clan discussed in secret for several days before they came up with a list for the battle. In this list, the elite of the younger generation of the Zhao Clan almost came out in full force, with Zhao Yuying as the leader and Zhao Junhong as the deputy, leading the team to participate in the battle, but the most prestigious Zhao Jundu and Zhao Ruoxi were not among them.
Such an arrangement is not entirely out of the selfishness of the two families of Duke Yan and Lord You. Among Cheng Engong Zhao Weihuang's lineage, the boss Zhao Junsu became famous the earliest, and now his rank has surpassed the thirteenth level of the general. Entering the iron curtain will attract the attention of the sky ghost, and going there is tantamount to courting death. Although the third child is also a warrior, he is inferior to his second brother Zhao Junhong who has not advanced to the rank of warrior in terms of talent, combat power or popularity.
As for Zhao Ruoxi, it was the treasure of the Zhao Clan's town house, and the situation was special, so there was no need for such icing on the cake. Zhao Jundu is recognized as the number one person in the future. What is needed right now is to nourish the original force and lay a solid foundation. There is no need to prove himself in bloody battles. Moreover, this list also vaguely reflects the consistent arrogance of the Zhao Clan: I, the Zhao Clan, are as talented as a cloud, without the need for Zhao Jundu, I can already beat the aristocratic family and compete against the three Clans.
However, after Zhao Jundu got the news, he went out of his way and insisted on playing, and finally replaced Zhao Junhong. Zhao Junhong was fighting against the rebels in the Western Continent at that time, and when he came back, the battle list had been reported to the Imperial Army, and it was a foregone conclusion.
After Zhao Jundu entered the room, he personally poured tea for Zhao Junhong, and without beating around the bush, he said directly: "Second brother should stay at home for this battle."
Zhao Junhong smiled wryly, took the clear thin-bodied porcelain cup, twirled it in his palm, and asked, "Why? Because of Qianye?"
"It's not just him, I also want to see what the Iron Curtain is." After a pause, Zhao Jundu sneered again: "Now that the empire is undercurrents, many people are dissatisfied with me, the Zhao Clan. I also heard that There are few rumors, saying that my Zhao Clan's current status is only based on nepotism. This bloody battle just happened to kill my Zhao Clan's majestic reputation! Anyone who refuses to accept it will be killed together under the Iron Curtain."
Zhao Junhong suddenly said: "I'm going to retreat and be directly promoted to warrior."
Zhao Jundu was startled before he was about to speak. Zhao Junhong waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, it will happen when it will happen. My Flowing Silver Sword refers to the ninth sword energy. When I become a warrior, I will come under the Iron Curtain and fight out together." A Hall of Fame!"
Zhao Jundu nodded, Zhao Junhong stretched out his hand and pressed hard on his shoulder, the two brothers didn't say anything more.
Qianye had just returned to Black Stream City. He spent the past two days in the wilderness, patrolling between Black Stream City and Silver Stream Fjord, and found almost no dark race. In the area covered by the Iron Curtain, apart from the extraordinarily quiet life and the extraordinarily active dark force, there is no abnormality visible so far.
Qianye called Song Hu, and went up the city wall to inspect the defense of Heiliu City. After Wei Bainian's reconstruction, among the third- and fourth-tier human cities in Yongye, Heiliu City's defenses are unquestionably strong. Looking at the entire Sanhe County, it is well-deserved. The first, but to enhance another level is a big project.
The core of the city defense system of large and medium-sized cities is the power tower, and the other is various large defensive weapons relying on the power tower. Both of these two things are expensive to build, and require a lot of resources and technicians. The current Dark Fire can't afford it for the time being.
That's why Qianye decided to follow Yongye's usual human sea tactics and recruit a large number of mercenaries and adventurers to fill the vacancy in the city defense. Fortunately, after Darkfire annexed the Seventh Division and expanded westward, the current material reserves are still sufficient. But if the Kuroshio lasts for a few months, that's another matter.
Qianye called Song Hu to patrol the city defense together, preparing to demarcate some less important sections and hand them over to the recruited mercenaries for defense. After inspecting half of the city defense, Qianye asked, "How many soldiers have we recruited now?"
"There are more than 3,000 people in total. If there are more, I am afraid that the military expenses will not be able to afford it."
Qianye frowned slightly: "Just over three thousand? I'm afraid it's not enough."
He still has some rare materials from Anduya's space, so he doesn't have to worry too much about military expenses for the time being, but Yong Ye's army is supported by war, and the value of the defense area must be considered in how much he invests. Qianye learned the truth about the Iron Curtain from Zhao Yuying. He knew that the battle was dangerous, but Song Hu hadn't yet reached the level where he could keep it secret, so when he arranged for the recruitment, he was bound to be a bit tied.
Chisaku thought for a while and said, "It's okay, someone will send the troops over."
Song Hu's expression was a little unnatural, Qianye saw it, smiled and said: "Don't worry, I'm not asking for someone from Qi Shao."
Song Hu immediately looked a little embarrassed, coughed a few times, and asked, "Where did the new troops come from?"
At present, there is no obvious danger when the Kuroshio comes, but the biggest impact is people's psychology. The aborigines in the cities seldom move away, but the hunters and adventurers who make their homes everywhere, only the brave ones stay, and many of them flock to the inland, which makes the always abundant manpower become tense .
Seeing Song Hu's apparent gaffe, Qianye turned the topic away, and didn't ask any further questions, just said: "From other expeditionary forces in the county, they will provide troops and military expenses. Although they won't be much, they are at least supplementary."
"Expeditionary Army? It would be good if they didn't stab us at a critical moment, and they will support us?"
Qianye smiled and said: "Don't forget, this is Ke Yongye."
Eternal Night is not the territory of the empire, except for a few giant fortresses, once the land is lost, it is impossible to expect the military to send troops to recover it. How long the Kuroshio will last now, and what will happen during this period, no one can tell. Just like Heiliu City, Yongye's defense area is actually the private property of the division commanders. If Heiliu City in front cannot withstand it, the next thing that will be exposed to the front of the dark race is the adjacent war area and city.
In the face of interests, there is no eternal enemy.
After finishing speaking, Qianye walked to the next city defense section.
The place he was going to inspect next was the key point of the city defense, and a fort was built.
There was originally an old-fashioned ballista on the fort, relying on mechanical power to throw crossbow arrows to bombard the enemy. Now it has been replaced with a fortress cannon. Although compared with the fortress cannon in the front line of the empire, this cannon is also a second-hand second-hand gun that is decades behind, but it is also stronger than the original ballista that is hundreds of years behind. I don't know how many times.
There are a total of four fortress guns in Heiliu City, which were only obtained by Wei Bainian when he was in office, relying on the resources of the Wei family. Wei Bainian's retreat tactics during the Great War were based on these four fortress guns.
It was the core of Heiliu City's defenses, so Qianye naturally couldn't ignore it, and he had to see it with his own eyes to be at ease. However, when the fort was in sight, he couldn't help being surprised. Dozens of people were busy on the fort, and the shell of the fortress gun had been removed, exposing the internal parts, and it seemed that many parts had been removed.
Fortress guns are different from ordinary tanks or trucks. Its structure is extremely complicated, and it is completely beyond the reach of ordinary pilots. Especially for the convenience of maintenance, many internal parts of the fortress gun are closed and combined to form a module. When repairing and replacing, the entire module is generally replaced together. Only in this way can the repair be completed in the absence of senior pilots, and the cost is expensive. Even if only one small part is broken inside the module, it must be replaced entirely.
Qianye looked around and saw that the fortress cannon had not only removed a few modules, but even some modules had been opened. It should be known that in order to prevent imitation by major arms dealers, this type of module has anti-disassembly measures. As long as it is not opened according to a specific method, the device inside the module will be completely damaged.
The modules were taken apart and the gun was apparently scrapped.
Qianye was taken aback, and jumped onto the fort, "Stop it all! What are you doing!?"
Most of the forts were craftsmen and technicians that Qianye knew. One of them raised his head, and it turned out to be Bass!