Legend has it that in the distant prosperous era, the land illuminated by the sunset was once the most fertile place on this continent.
This place used to be lush and leafy, with forests covering the hills, and endless farmland. Metal slaves worked endlessly in the fields. People did not need to work, but could enjoy the splendor of the prosperous times all day long. Everything was born and inexhaustible.
Only one agricultural district in Luoxia Province is enough to feed 90% of the population on this planet.
To this day, even though the glory of the past has been covered with dust, the afterglow of the sunset still shines here, warming the survivors who are lingering in the ruins.
This is still one of the happiest places in this wasteland.
As long as you don't step into the desert, you don't have to worry about those mutant creatures. Every inch of arable land here is protected by the armies of various kingdoms and the "river embankment".
The rich and sufficient food allows the people of the spirit of the sea of sand to not worry about hunger.
Although feudal, this place is united enough. It is not like the eastern provinces, where a group of plunderers can easily stir up a bloody storm. Children who have just left their cradles must not only learn to walk but also learn to shoot in order to survive.
Facts have proved that in the difficult years after the end of the world, it is better for everyone to believe in something together than to believe in nothing.
However, in the eyes of William Falcon, the prince and marshal of the Falcon Kingdom, this is far from enough.
Although the kingdoms are united because of faith, there is no trust between countries.
The spirit of the sea of sand once taught the kings that brothers should unite and lend a hand to each other when they are in trouble, but in fact the kings are suspicious of each other, always vigilant against each other using blood to usurp their titles, enjoying the power given by faith and hating their obligations.
It would be fine if the spirit of the sea of sand could give its grace equally to every kingdom in this desert.
But it did not do so, and even the disasters it brought were not equal.
The first to disappear was Oasis No. 1, and the yellow sand swallowed up everything there.
Next came Oasis No. 2. The fertile land of the Falcon Kingdom was shrinking at a visible speed, and it lost more than 20% of its territory in just half a century.
The selfish kings refused to provide help to the Falcon Royal Family, and the gods did not respond to the Falcon Royal Family's prayers. Instead, they continued to bring disasters. They could only seek help from external forces...even the demons in the west.
However, it was precisely thanks to the selfishness and cowardice of the kings that the war progressed more smoothly than ever before.
Faced with the lightning offensive of the Falcon Kingdom, the kings who were suspicious of each other had no power to resist, and until now they have not been able to form an effective resistance.
After solving the strongest national power, the lion, he would immediately march north to take down the Golden Lizard Kingdom. At this point, the entire Luoxia Province, except for the Falcon, only the southernmost Hump Kingdom was left.
They could no longer change the situation, and they had no other choice but to surrender.
By then, this land protected by the glow of the sunset will be more united than ever before.
Since he was very young, William has had this dream in his heart. He dreams of unifying this desert one day, and then, with his powerful dominance, restoring the desert to its former glory.
Turning the desert into an oasis sounds a bit unbelievable, but he believes there is always a way.
Even if it cannot be done now, someone will definitely be able to do it in the future.
After all, the spirit of the sea of sand once said that this was originally a world covered by yellow sand.
As for the second half of the sentence often said by believers - "The world will eventually be swallowed by the yellow sand and return to the embrace of the spirit of the sea of sand."
That is just the interpretation of those who give up on themselves.
In contrast, he is more inclined to interpret the teachings of the spirit of the sea of sand as - "Here we can finally return to the best era one day", "The oasis is a gift from people to the gods, not a gift from the gods to people."
Since it is a man-made thing.
There must be a way to create it again.
What he has to do now is to destroy the corrupt kings with his thunderous wrist!
Become the master of this desert!
"... Operation Thunder has been canceled. This is General Griffin's order. He asked me to convey it to you."
In the tent.
William, who was staring at the strategic map, heard a piece of bad news from the legion officer who walked into the tent.
He opened his eyes slightly, and after a moment of silence, he lowered his voice and said.
"I need a reason."
Five teams of 10,000 people, more than 70,000 soldiers of the kingdom, have assembled on three sides of the "City of Plenty".
It is the granary of Oasis No. 9 and a strategic town in the central part of the Lion Kingdom.
The giant dam called "River Dike" surrounds a circular area with a radius of about ten kilometers.
This towering dam is completely cast from alloy, irrigating thousands of square kilometers of fertile soil inside and outside the "River Dike". No one knows how it works, but they only know that it contains an inexhaustible supply of fresh water and can restore polluted water to purity.
Under the protection of the spirit of the sea of sand, ordinary weapons can't hurt it at all.
Therefore, the Lion Kingdom deployed a large number of weapons on the circular "river embankment" and sent heavy troops to guard it, turning it into an unbreakable fortress, echoing with the capital hundreds of kilometers away, forming a horn of each other.
However, as long as they can take this place, the army of the Falcon Kingdom will be able to march eastward until the capital of the Lion Kingdom, and there will be no more dangers along the way!
The "Thunder" plan was formulated to take this important town.
For this, they have been preparing for a full month, including dispatching troops and planning offensive plans.
However...
General Griffin, who formulated this plan, actually canceled it with just one sentence?
What a joke!
But soon, the officer's next words made William's mood sink to the bottom.
"Camp 530 was attacked. The tanks, rifles, bullets, shells that were originally sent to the front line... these supplies are now in the hands of the guerrillas, enough for them to arm a 10,000-man team and last for two months without the supply line."
"Our planes are searching for their traces, but they are very cunning and hid in the hills northeast of Oasis No. 9."
The desert is not all endless plains. In addition to the sand dunes that rise and fall, there are also desertified hills and valleys near the central part of the river valley province.
"Camp 530?! How could it be... Aren't your elite stationed there?!" William asked anxiously.
The officer nodded and said very simply.
"Yes, but even if they are elite, there is only a thousand-man team. At present, it seems that it is the people of Enterprise who launched a surprise attack on our camp and even used electromagnetic pulse weapons."
Enterprise...
William frowned.
Although he was eager to take over the City of Plenty, it did not mean that he was reckless.
In fact, it was precisely because of his careful decision-making that he was able to maintain a record of successive victories and take over the entire Honey Badger Kingdom within a week.
If the battle plan has been leaked, and there are suspected activities of Enterprise troops and guerrillas equipped with legion weapons on the north side of Oasis No. 9, it is indeed not a good idea to hastily launch a full-scale offensive.
"...I remember there is a predator tribe called the Bear Clan there? Is there a way to bribe them?"
The officer shook his head.
"We tried, but those people were scared by the alliance, and the few people left just hid in the mountains as bandits... I even doubt whether they have the ability to fight."
After Dillon died in battle, the centurions and tenth-colonels under his command had completely become deserters. Although there were still some people willing to return to the legion, those few people could not change anything at all.
William's face was solemn, and he said after a moment of silence.
"It is best to fight this war quickly. If it drags on too long, there may be variables."
"Of course, Lord Griffin thinks so too."
Reading the expression on the prince's face, the officer smiled faintly and said.
"... So, we quickly prepared a second set of offensive plans. Unlike the "Thunder" operation, this time we plan to use some unconventional means."
William frowned, and vaguely read a hint of unusual meaning from the officer's tone.
"Unconventional means?"
The officer didn't say anything, but handed him a note and made a joke in a teasing tone.
"Burn it after reading it. We can't leak the secret again this time."
William looked at him suspiciously, took the note and unfolded it.
When he saw the words on it, William was stunned at first, and then his face changed.
He looked at the officer, staring at the indifferent eyes.
"I oppose this plan! We need a complete and prosperous city, not a rotten ruin!"
The officer shrugged expressionlessly.
"Sacrificing a 'farm' in exchange for the entire oasis is definitely worth it in our opinion. If we delay for a month to make a new plan and redeploy our troops, we may face enemies several times the number we have now."
"In addition, this is also the opinion of the commander of the Eastern Legion."
"We don't want this war to turn from a local conflict into a full-scale war between the Legion and the Enterprise. Neither we nor they are ready. Before the Enterprise increases the chips placed here, it is the least costly option to smash our enemy's defenses and resistance will with thunder."
Listening to the cold and ruthless voice, William stared at him.
"You don't know what that means at all. Destroying the miracle of the spirit of the sea of sand is a blasphemy to the gods!"
However, the officer just smiled faintly.
"Blasphemy? Do you still care about this?"
Looking at the prince with a livid face, the officer continued in a slow tone.
"It will take some time for the weapons to arrive. You should also prepare them."
As for the objection.
He pretended not to hear it.
After saying this, the officer turned and left.
Standing next to William, a general of the kingdom swallowed his saliva and asked in a low voice.
"Your Highness... What does the legion plan to do?"
William was silent for a long time and seemed to be struggling in his heart.
However, it was only for a moment.
He was not an indecisive person. Those who achieved great things should not be particular about trivial matters. As long as they won in the end, Luoxia Province would usher in eternal peace.
No one could say he was wrong.
Besides, even if he felt it was inappropriate, he could not stop the legion's decision.
Handing the note to the oil lamp on the table, William watched a handful of flames jump from the note, engulfing it bit by bit, crushing it into ashes, and finally falling on the copper plate.
"They are going to release the demons from 200 years ago and blaspheme the grace of the gods... Haha, but what he said makes some sense. We have all sold our souls to the demons in exchange for power. Why should we care about this?"
Throwing down a faint self-deprecation, William left the bewildered general alone and walked out of the tent.
His expressionless face made it hard to tell what he was thinking at the moment.
Nuclear bomb.
A cheap and easy-to-use device.
It is said that with just the push of a switch, hundreds of thousands or even millions of people can be wiped off the map and a fertile land can be turned into an uninhabitable ruin.
What the gods' disaster takes half a century to do, it can do in just a moment.
This is not a particularly sophisticated technology.
But it is definitely effective.
"Get on the horse."
Arrived at the stable.
William patted the shoulder of a guard next to him, then walked to his tall horse and rode on it.
Not all desert dwellers like camels.
Black horses from the Great Desert are the favorite pets of the Falcon Kingdom.
They are as powerful as mutants. They can charge in the hail of bullets with heavy armor. They are naturally fearless of the sound of gunfire and gunfire, let alone death.
"Where are we going, Your Highness?" The bearded captain of the guards asked, holding the reins as he rode up to catch up with William.
William narrowed his eyes and glanced eastward.
"To the front line!"
The captain of the guards said cautiously with hesitation on his face, "It's too dangerous there. Prince Winter's army always fires at us from time to time. I don't recommend you go to such a dangerous place."
William laughed and kicked the horse's butt to make it run.
"It's not dangerous! Those turtles in their shells only have a few days left. We will soon be able to step over their corpses."
Before the beautiful castle turned into a pile of twisted steel.
He planned to ride his beloved warhorse and take another look at it.
…
At the same time, in the fertile city of Oasis No. 9, inside and outside the towering circular "river embankment", there were patches of floating yellow farmland.
The harvest season is coming.
I don't know whether the first to harvest them will be the farmer's sickle or the tank's track.
On the river embankment.
Prince Winter, holding a telescope in his hand, was looking to the west, and a trace of solemnity appeared on his wrinkled face.
The fortress under his feet is not only the granary of the Lion Kingdom, but also the front line of the war.
The towering "river embankment" is a natural fortress. It is made entirely of alloy and is almost impossible to be destroyed by conventional weapons.
The troops stationed here are the elite of the kingdom - the "Scarab" 10,000-man team!
Together with two 10,000-man corps consisting of more than 22,000 conscripts, the garrison here has exceeded 30,000, and tens of thousands of farmers are still in training.
Thousands of 97mm smoothbore cannons were pushed onto the "river bank", in addition to nearly 100 230mm cast iron mortars.
Don't underestimate these antiques.
Although the range is limited, it can still work wonders with the support of an unbreakable bunker.
As long as the number is sufficient, combined with shells filled with high explosives, it can also pose a considerable threat to the attacking forces.
Not to mention that they have also prepared a large number of gas tank rockets.
In addition to these antiques, the Lion Kingdom also purchased a certain number of 100mm howitzers, and handed over 30 of them to Prince Winter.
These modern light artillery have a range of up to 20 kilometers, but lack of ammunition, and the deterrent significance is greater than the practical significance.
However, the defenders stationed here were not worried about the troops outside. They were all in high spirits and waiting seriously.
No matter how powerful the tanks of the legion are, they can't climb over the alloy-cast "river bank".
The City of Plenty has sufficient supplies, and they can stay here until the next century!
As long as the City of Plenty is still there, the capital is still there, and the kingdom is still there!
It will be like a stubborn nail, nailed in the direction of the Falcon Kingdom's troops' advance, and anyone who tries to pull it out is destined to be stained with blood.
Everyone is ready to live and die with this fortress.
"... The Falcon Kingdom's troops are digging trenches within 5 kilometers of us."
Prince Winter handed the telescope in his hand to the adjutant next to him, and looked at the messenger next to him expressionlessly.
"Let the first artillery squadron prepare to show our enemies a little color!"
"Yes!" The messenger stood at attention, saluted, and then trotted to the radio station not far away.
After the bombardment coordinates were reported, more than a dozen explosions were heard soon.
White smoke drew parabolic trajectories in the air, fell on the enemy's position, and exploded into clouds of white smoke.
The range of the 230mm cast iron mortar is similar to that of the light mortar, but its power is even greater. It quickly blew up the people digging trenches.
However, looking at the group of engineers who suffered heavy casualties, Prince Winter frowned.
The adjutant on the side also found something unusual, with a trace of shock in his eyes, and said with gritted teeth.
"My lord... those engineers digging trenches seem to be us--"
"It's the enemy," Winter said expressionlessly, interrupting him without hesitation, "Keep firing!"
The adjutant nodded silently, picked up the telescope again, and looked at the position in the distance.
Hatred and anger flashed in his eyes.
These shameless guys...
They actually used prisoners as cannon fodder!
This despicable method is not only a blasphemy against the ancient covenant, but also a betrayal of faith!
He swore.
He will definitely get it back from those people!
Turning away from the front line, Prince Winter took the elevator back to the fortress.
At this time, a messenger came trotting over, stopped in front of him, and stood still.
"Report! An urgent message from the palace!"
Taking the letter from the messenger, Winter opened it and took a look, and his frown finally relaxed.
Seeing the change in his facial expression, the staff officer beside him couldn't help asking.
"Is it good news?"
The only good news in the past month is probably that their allies are finally planning to send troops.
Although it is said that it is only half a thousand-man team...
Winter nodded and handed the letter in his hand to the staff officer beside him, with a rare tone of ease and joy.
"Our allies have successfully destroyed the Legion's supply hub in the north. The Legion's "Thunder" plan has been thwarted. Our north will probably be safe for a while, and we can focus on dealing with the bugs outside."
I have to admit that the alliance's intelligence network is terribly strong.
I just learned the code name of the entire operation, and the alliance thousands of miles away has strangled the entire huge and meticulous plan in the cradle.
All signs show that the alliance's infiltration into the desert has penetrated so deeply that it cannot be ignored.
And the Lion Kingdom knows almost nothing about them.
Thinking of this, Winter was terrified in his heart, and he couldn't help but secretly made up his mind.
If the Lion Kingdom can successfully survive this crisis, he will definitely persuade His Majesty the King to increase the budget for intelligence work.
Or...
This job can also be done by himself.
"50 Conqueror tanks... including self-propelled artillery and trucks, and enough supplies to arm a 10,000-man army. It's amazing that they were able to take down such an important military base!"
The staff officer's expression was slightly moved.
Suddenly, he thought of something, looked at Prince Winter eagerly and asked.
"Where are the equipment?"
Prince Winter smiled faintly.
"It's probably handed over to the Restoration Army led by Yade... Don't think about it, they won't give it to us."
A trace of regret appeared on the staff officer's face.
That's enough equipment to arm a 10,000-man army...
"If we had sent troops there at that time."
"Who should we send?" Prince Winter didn't think it was a pity. "We can't even protect ourselves now, so how can we send extra troops to the north?"
Hearing this, the staff officer was silent for a while, sighed and said, "You are right... I hope there will be news from Andre soon."
"I don't think it will be good." Prince Winter replied casually, without any expectations.
If the Golden Lizard Kingdom really wanted to send troops, it should have sent troops here when it sent the declaration of war, instead of sitting quietly on the border like now.
The faith of the Spirit of the Sand Sea has never been so weak in this land. Those oaths made in front of the Spirit of the Sand Sea are like water poured into sand, which can't be counted at all.
Maybe...
Those things are really outdated.
No matter how this war ends, they will enter an era of intrigue and deception...
At this time, another messenger came from a distance.
He had an urgent letter in his hand, the second one on the same day.
"Why is there another one?"
Two urgent letters were delivered at the same time, and Winter couldn't help but have a bad feeling in his heart.
He had already read the good news.
Logically speaking, the probability that the second letter was still good news was too low...
However, what was coming could not be avoided, and he finally opened it.
There was only a short line of words in the letter, but it made his face pale.
[A nuclear bomb with an equivalent of one million tons is being sent to the Falcon Kingdom through the Great Desert. ]
One million tons!
For a moment, he felt that even his heartbeat had disappeared...
...
It has been a month and a half since the celebration with fireworks.
In the past month and a half, the biggest change in the north of Shuguang City is probably the road in the north.
With the help of Ideal Group, this concrete road, which cost 16.9 million Cr and is 169 kilometers long, from the northern suburbs of Qingquan City to Luoxia Province, was finally completed.
Before, it took one or two days to get from Qingquan City to Ruigu City, even if it was a forced march.
Now, with a smooth road, it takes less than three hours to get there.
As the manager of the alliance, Chu Guang participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the highway.
Although there were already trucks running on it before he cut the ribbon.
"This road is for emergency use after all. If you want to use it for a long time, you still have to pay attention to road maintenance. If it is properly maintained, it should be no problem to use it for 10 or 20 years." Looking at the straight concrete road in front of him, Li Changkong's face was full of pride and he said with a sense of accomplishment.
Chu Guang, who was standing next to him, also had a smile on his face and shook his hand.
"Thank you so much!"
Li Changkong said with a smile.
"You're welcome!"
Not far away.
The chief engineer of the alliance, Daoxialiuren, was still squatting beside the road, looking at the concrete blocks on the ground and muttering.
"How is it possible..."
Just passing by, Quit Smoking glanced at him and saw that he was still squatting there thinking about this broken road, and couldn't help but said.
"Damn... You haven't given up yet, have you figured out anything?"
To his surprise, Daoxialiuren actually nodded.
I saw this guy stretched out his index finger, touched the side of the road, and rubbed it with his thumb.
"This road is not just cement, there is also a fixed structure similar to a steel rod... But it's not made of steel."
Quit Smoking was stunned for a moment.
"What is it made of?"
"Carbon...it could also be some isomer of silicon carbide," Daoxialiuren clapped his hands, stood up from the ground, and said with a twinkling look in his eyes, "I don't know what it is, but its tensile strength, yield strength and other physical properties are higher than steel."
"Oh..." Quitting touched his chin, "Interesting."
Seeing this perfunctory expression, Daoxialiuren couldn't help but speak.
"Don't you think it's strange?"
Quitting looked at this guy in confusion.
"What's so strange about this? There is a space elevator in the desert... A material with higher tensile strength, isn't this a basic operation?"
Daoxialiuren: "..."
That makes sense.
He didn't know how to refute it for a while.
In the distance, the ribbon-cutting ceremony ended.
Just when Chu Guang was thinking about where to repair the idle equipment, Xiaoqi's voice suddenly came to his ears.
"Master! Prince Kariman wants to see you. He said he has something important to discuss with you. Do you want to meet him?"