next morning.
The imperial coalition forces officially withdrew from Storm Fortress and began a mighty withdrawal operation.
Despite the disastrous defeat in the Tianduan Mountains, there are still more than 400,000 imperial coalition forces in the fortress, and the number of refugees from the Western Region who evacuated with the army exceeded one million.
Once such a huge team set off, it would be covered in mountains and plains, without a head in front and an end in the back, stretching for tens of kilometers. Looking down from the sky, it looked like a storm fortress with a thick and long tail.
To fully control such a huge team is almost impossible in this era without instant communication.
Possessed by Emperor Reinhardt, Colin felt a burst of irritability and powerlessness as he watched the endless reports of various situations.
Only then can he deeply understand why enfeoffment is the best choice in this era.
Because it's the only viable option.
In the end, Ke Lin could only set a few general principles, and then let the major lords manage their own armies independently. If not necessary, they should decide on their own and stop reporting.
Leaving the camp of the Chinese army, the Duke of the Southern Territory walked out for a while, and when only Bachelor Yaruger was left by his side, he asked in a low voice:
"How about it?"
Bachelor Yaruge shook his head silently, and said firmly:
"The one just now is obviously not Emperor Reinhardt. Human nature cannot be changed. If it was the real emperor, he would have been angry long ago. How could he still deal with it calmly like now?"
The Duke of St. Landers nodded in agreement, but asked doubtfully:
"But judging from the appearance, that is Emperor Reinhardt..."
"From the appearance of Mr. Yu, he is still the previous Duke of St. Hilde." Bachelor Yaruge joked with a smile.
The Duke of St. Landers stroked his chin thoughtfully, and said:
"Could it be that you think His Majesty is also occupied by someone?"
"It is very likely, otherwise it would be impossible to explain His Majesty's abnormal behavior."
"Then who do you think is occupying His Majesty's body?"
Bachelor Yaruge pondered for a moment before saying, "I suspect it's Queen Midella."
"Queen?" The Duke of St. Landers looked at Maester Yeruger in surprise, obviously a little surprised by this answer.
Maester Yaruger explained:
"Yes. Didn't the queen's vitality be drained because of the forced activation of the sacrificial circle? But what if she didn't really die, but succeeded in possessing His Majesty
I don't know much about this possession spell, so I can't make a more accurate judgment, but think about it, His Majesty's attitude has changed drastically, and he has decided to adopt the Marquis Garcia's strategy against the orc army.
Once successful, not only the Marquis of Garcia would be cleared of his crimes, but the northern cavalry who successfully encircled and suppressed the Warsong Legion and the army of the orc emperor's direct line would surely become famous.
This kind of favoritism is very likely that Midella is paving the way for the rise of the Northern Territory... "
The Duke of St. Landers was silent for a moment, then asked:
"If Queen Midella really occupied His Majesty's body, what do you think we should do?"
Bachelor Yaruger thought about it and said:
"My lord, I suggest that you do nothing. At least until the end of the battle in the Loire Valley, do nothing."
The Duke of St. Landers immediately understood, and said: "You mean, let the northern leader complete the sniping of the orcs first, and then talk about other things?"
"Yes. Now the orcs are the biggest threat to the empire. The northern border controls Emperor Reinhardt, which is at least a way to eliminate internal conflicts. In this way, the imperial coalition forces can concentrate on fighting the orcs.
No matter what conspiracy there is in the North, we should wait until the orcs are defeated before we expose it.
If there is a quarrel at this time, the orcs will only take advantage of it. "
The Duke of St. Landers was silent, and seemed a little dissatisfied with this suggestion.
Upon seeing this, Bachelor Yaruge said again:
"Your Excellency, in fact, compared to the San Lorenzo family, the St. Hilde family's control of the empire is more beneficial to the southern border.
At least they have no grudges with the St. Landers family, and if they want to seize the power of the empire, they will definitely need the support of powerful allies, and they hope to make some concessions... "
Hearing this, the Duke of St. Landers seemed to have thought of something, so he nodded in satisfaction and said:
"Okay, then do as you said. If Consul Fred comes again, you will use this reason to dismiss him."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Duke."
…
The long army, mighty and mighty, all the way to the east.
As the real commander of the army, Colin has gradually gotten used to it besides the initial nervousness and fear.
It's just that the soldiers at the lower level gradually became restless and restless as they traveled long distances.
The specific phalanx of the Loire Valley campaign cannot be explained to the lower-level soldiers, even if it is explained, they will not understand it.
So in their view, the withdrawal of the empire this time is not a smart choice.
After all, the terrain of the Loire Valley is not as secure as the walls of the Storm Fortress.
In addition, this withdrawal also meant that the vast area west of the Loire Valley was completely abandoned, and more refugees began to join the withdrawal team, which also exacerbated the turmoil in the hearts of the people.
But fortunately, the nobles and officers have unified their thinking, and Colin also used the authority of Emperor Reinhardt to rectify military discipline many times, requiring officers at all levels to strictly control them, even at the expense of murder.
So, on the marching road, you can see some wooden poles with ugly heads hanging on them.
Such bloody means suppressed the changes in the army.
Military law is ruthless, and Colin will not feel compassion for this critical moment.
Because he understands that once his heart softens at this time, it is likely to lead to greater chaos and even collapse.
This imperial coalition seems to be huge and powerful, but it is actually extremely fragile.
They desperately need a victory to regain confidence.
Mid-August.
The imperial coalition forces finally arrived in the Loire Valley and joined the northern army.
Unfortunately, Ke Lin did not find Marquis Garcia here, only heard that the other party had returned to Yulong City.
This made Colin feel very puzzled, wondering what the Marquis of Garcia was doing there
Doesn't he want to prove himself in the Loire Valley
In desperation, Ke Lin had no choice but to bite the bullet and go into battle in person, and began to control Emperor Reinhardt to command and deploy the defense system.
But this also meant that Emperor Reinhard had to meet with nobles and military officers frequently. Gradually, the emperor's abnormal behavior began to spread among the army.
Therefore, Ke Lin had no choice but to let Emperor Reinhard pretend to be sick, and at the same time announced the appointment of himself as a temporary commander to temporarily command the coalition forces on behalf of the emperor.
Although this will increase the suspicion of some people, but at this time Colin can't care so much anymore.
Stopping the orc army is the top priority. As long as he wins this tough battle, Ke Lin is sure to deal with those imperial nobles who have different ideas.
Fortunately, although the aristocrats were discussing in private, but after all, there were no big aristocrats to take the lead, and under the pressure of the approaching orc army, no one dared to initiate civil strife at this time.
Moreover, Colin is quite prestigious in today's Glorious Empire, and no one is unconvinced that he will serve as the interim commander of the coalition forces. The army of the Loire Valley has completed its strategic deployment in this oppressive calm.
Just waiting for the arrival of the orc army.
(end of this chapter)