Chapter 207 I have never fought such a rich battle in my life!
Two-quarters of an hour later, Lan got dressed under Hardy's service and came to the study.
Mossack and the old butler Enns have been waiting inside for a long time.
Hardy poured glasses of wine for the two old men and Lan, and then stepped aside.
"Tell me about it, Lann." Mossak did not go to drink, but just looked at Lann with a smile, "You must have gained a lot from this trip north. When you were in Novigrad You have already told me part of it, and you also shared part of it with me in your letter about what happened later. So what are the gains from this Northern Conference? It is really the same as what you said outside, and other gains were made The king's support?"
"Half of Novigrad fell into Lan's control." This information had been passed back when Triss came back with the warlock Ofir. At that time, it was difficult for the two old people to I believed it for a while. You must know that Novigrad is the first city in the north. The prosperity of this city even exceeds some small countries in the north and even some medium-sized countries. Not even Vizmir II can guarantee that he will be able to control Novigrad. Rui's control, now Lan En says he can do it?
It can only be said that Chapelle, this alien species among the shape-shifters, is really crucial. After Mossack knew the truth, he had to lament Lann's luck; of course, it was Chapelle's luck to meet Lann, otherwise he would have been burned on the rack sooner or later.
As for the old Druid's question about the talks in the North, Lan slightly shook his head.
"I did sign some agreements with them, but how many of them will be effective in the end and to what extent they will be effective still needs to be considered." "The opinions of the North are indeed
unanimous, but we are still far away from 'comprehensive cooperation' There is a big gap. In terms of troop support and resource tilt on paper, we may be able to drive Nilfgaard away, but this will inevitably make Cintra, which is already depopulated, bear a greater burden. losses, so we still need to take a long-term view."
The main purpose of what Lan said to the people outside was to "encourage", but the real situation was still different. Lan then summarized the gains this time with the old druid and the old housekeeper:
the full support of the United Kingdom of Lyria and Livia, the military support of Aedirn, the sea transport support of Redania, the support of Thailand Moria's resource support, and Kaedwin's promise not to cause trouble.
At the same time, these countries will also issue a statement to boycott Nilfgaard, calling on the northern countries to boycott Nilfgaard at all levels, including trade. I don’t know how much it will be able to achieve in the end.
"As expected of Henselt." After hearing Kaedwen's promise, Mossack couldn't help but sneer.
Afterwards, everyone began to count Cintra's current strength and began to formulate the next strategic approach.
Queen Calanthe worked hard to manage Cintra into the "fifth country" after the four northern countries. At its peak, she was able to gather an army of 20,000. However, due to the trap set by the Nilfgaardians, the main force was wiped out in one battle, and then the stragglers were eliminated. Now there is really not much fighting power left.
"If the forces that Brochlon has gathered now are combined with those of Marshal Visekid, plus the young men who are constantly gathering and joining the military camp, we can probably mobilize about 5,000 troops in a month. ."
Mossack analyzed: "But these five thousand people can only support one battle. If we cannot drive away Nilfgaard in one fell swoop and fall into a protracted war, then it will be difficult for our logistics to support it. Among the five thousand people, At least half of them have to step down and take up logistics duties."
Lann pondered for a moment: "That means our current real 'standing army' level combat strength is only about 2,000?"
Mossack nodded.
The army of the Northern Kingdom is mainly divided into two types: standing army and levy army.
The standing army is a professional soldier, completely off-duty, and his mission throughout the year is to train and prepare for war. It is mainly composed of knights, kingdom guards, and city guards. Strong armies may also have specialized legions.
The levies were essentially farmers. They only had a few dozen days a year to fight for the king on a voluntary basis and did not have much combat effectiveness. Basically they are used as logistical transportation or cannon fodder. When this obligation time is over, if the battle is not over, then the king will pay to hire levies to continue fighting for him.
During the Calanthe period, Cintra was plentiful in martial virtue, and it was quite a bit like all the people were soldiers. The quality of the levies was also the best in the north. Now that the country is ruined and the family is in ruins, conscripts are naturally on standby and willing to join the army. But they are willing to fight, but now Sintra does not have the capital to let all these more than 3,000 people go off work and become soldiers. On a daily basis, they still have to engage in production work, and even the standing army who is not fighting on the front line occasionally has to help.
So as Mossack said, these five thousand people only have "the strength of one battle." After the First World War, most of these soldiers will have to go back to production no matter what. Even if their battle loss rate is higher, the existing structure of Cintra will be rewritten, and the overall structure will collapse.
In addition to the five thousand people in Cintra, those who can clearly support the army include the United Kingdom of Lyria and Livia, as well as Aedirn.
The United Kingdom of Leiria and Livia, like Sintra, is fighting the Patriotic War. At full strength, it can muster almost 15,000 troops, which can be fully deployed in the battle.
Aedirn was a large country, with a standing army and a levy army that could total about 40,000. But they were only there as support, and it would be a blessing to be able to dispatch 10,000 people to help. If there are any more, they themselves and even other countries in the north may have objections.
Lan pondered for a moment, then said to the old housekeeper and the druid: "Let all these five thousand people go out of work and strengthen their training."
Looking at the two elders who were hesitant to speak, Lan smiled and said: "What I gained this time It’s not just the help from the northern countries, it’s also wealth, a huge amount of wealth. Not only is it enough to support our restoration and reconstruction of the country, it’s even enough for us to hire a mercenary group to replenish our troops.” Enns’ conditional
reflection He opened the account book in front of him: "That requires a lot of money."
Lann smiled: "I do have a very 'big' sum of money."
Five thousand from Sintra, fifteen thousand from the United Kingdom, and Aden Ten thousand, a full dozen can only be counted as thirty thousand.
And what about Nilfgaard?
During this period, through the intentional or unintentional intelligence support from intelligence organizations in various countries and the help from Novigrad, everyone now has a general understanding of Nilfgaard:
First, Nilfgaard unified the south; The population is between 30 million and 50 million. This figure fluctuates because local intelligence is less detailed.
To compare horizontally, the population of the entire northern border is about 30 million. Temeria and Redania, the most populous of the four northern kingdoms, have a combined population of about ten million.
What is truly terrifying is Nilfgaard's military strength. The entire Black Sun Empire has a standing army of 350,000, plus civilians, logistics, levies, etc., so there is no problem in pretending to have an army of one million.
This is an army of one million. The entire northern army combined does not have this many troops. Any intelligence agency in the northern border was stunned when they received the news. This is a number that makes people feel desperate just by hearing it.
But fortunately, Nilfgaard did not come out in full force this time. One is that he has not yet completed the internal integration, and the other is that they still need to leave people to guard the rear. This time the attack on Nilfgaard in the north sent a vanguard force of 100,000. Only after the gap in Cintra was opened and a base was established, the following troops would be sent over.
This is also because Nilfgaard is a long-distance battle and the logistics are very tight. Therefore, Nilfgaard was eager to capture Cintra in one battle and turn this northern gateway into its own province. It became the springboard for launching a general offensive towards the northern border.
Of course, this strategic goal has not been achieved to this day. However, according to intelligence, Nilfgaard has gathered in "Lower Soden" next to Cintra and "Anglin" across the river from Lyria, and established temporary military forces in these two places. base; they also established temporary war fortresses in several cities south of Sintra.
In other words, if Lan wants to drive away Nilfgaard, he must speed up the progress before Nilfgaard's follow-up troops come to establish a foothold. Nilfgaard obviously also knew about the talks in the north, and they would definitely be on guard against the movements of Lann and his party.
Mossack analyzed: "According to intelligence, Nilfgaard's army was killed by 20,000 people in one fell swoop by the Northern Alliance in the Battle of Sodden Mountain. Our battle in Cintra, And the subsequent battles also consumed more than 10,000 of their troops." "
Even so, there are still more than 60,000 people." Old Butler Enns frowned.
"The Nilfgaardians are also full of factions. I heard that their emperor Emhyr executed a group of older generation officers before, which enhanced the cohesion of the army. But this also caused a lack of integration between their officers and their soldiers. In addition, their current base is occupied land, and a large number of indigenous people have been captured as slaves by them." Mossak said meaningfully, "They are not standing firmly now." "Ever since they found that they could not
attack After entering the entire territory of Sintra, the main force will march east to attack the United Kingdom of Queen Meve. According to what Lan said, Aedirn will provide support to the United Kingdom. Then what we have to deal with is the territory of Sintra The five thousand Nilfgaardians who exist now, and the ten thousand soldiers stationed in Lower Soden who may come to support at any time."
Fifteen thousand people, three times as many as our own. Moreover, the five thousand soldiers under Lann are very valuable. They will be the seeds of Cintra's rise in the future, so we can't really lose most of them here.
"We need to plan a surprise attack, a blitzkrieg, knock down the enemy's main force and morale in one battle, and drive them out of Cintra before the reinforcements can react." Lan mused, "We must If you do this, the current Cintra will not be able to withstand the consumption."
If they want to achieve this goal, they will need additional support.
Mossack affirmed: "Skellige can help us. They can launch a surprise attack from the river to drag down the enemy forces in Lower Soden. But we don't know how many people they can support us." The people of the islands are organized into families
. , their total number of troops is no more than ten thousand. But on the sea, they can defeat enemies several times or even dozens of times their own strength. Their wind-like mobility also allows them to plunder the southern coastal areas almost without damage, making them most suitable for harassment operations.
"I will go talk to Skellige, just in time to visit Uncle East." Lan said.
Then Lann added: "Besides that, we also need other support, and we need a large number of mercenaries. We are willing to accept mercenaries from the north, especially Kevir, who have a huge mercenary group. . It just so happens that Redania promised us to open shipping, allowing them to transport soldiers for Cintra and fight for us."
Enns worried: "Kevir's mercenary group is indeed brave and good at fighting. But the reward Kevir gives them The price itself is sky-high. If we want to hire them temporarily, we need at least 1.5 to 2 times the premium. Add in the long-distance transportation and logistics, even if Sintra spends all the money now, it can't afford it." The Kingdom of
Kevir At the northernmost tip of the North is a strange and absolutely neutral kingdom. It is most famous for its mineral resources. Legend has it that Kevir produced 80% of the gold in the North and 70% of the magic-resistant gold. Therefore, even though Kevir has a sparse population, it has relied on mercenary groups to form one of the most powerful armies in the north, and has even defeated the coalition forces of Redania and Kaedwen.
"Stealing business" with such a country, no wonder the old housekeeper looked worried.
"I'm very rich now." Lann chuckled, "Not only do I need to use mercenaries to supplement our troops, I also want to upgrade the equipment of Cintra's existing soldiers. I heard that Nilfgaard's Soldiers are all issued with standard equipment, and even the lowest-ranking soldiers have chainmail; but the conscripts in the north all provide their own weapons and don't even have a cotton coat?" Lann said sternly: "
We Xint Ra also needs to be the same as the Nilfgaardians, or even stronger than them."
Enns sighed even more heavily: "This not only requires a lot of money, but also a lot of craftsmen and manpower, which is not what we can do now. Yes."
"I will go to the dwarves of Mahakam to purchase equipment from them." Lann said, "Even if possible, I would like to ask them to borrow a heavy infantry to use against Nilfgaard's cavalry. ."
Spend money to hire Kovir mercenaries, go directly to the dwarves to purchase equipment, and even persuade the dwarves to send troops to support. None of this was unbelievable to Enns and Mossack. But none of them refuted Lann. Instead, after Lann proposed it, they began to think about how to achieve the goals set by Lann.
Enns took out a notebook and wrote in it for a while. After a while, he determined the number on it and showed it to Lan.
"I don't know how many times I have said this today, but Lan - this is a lot of money." Lan
took it, glanced at it, and said with a smile, "So Enns, are we free now?" Let me show you my current wealth in the warehouse." The
old butler has long known that Lan has the magical space storage ability of [Inventory]. After hearing Lan's request, he and Mossack led Lan to an empty barn.
Lann looked around, stretched his left hand forward to open the [Inventory], and gently supported Enns's back with his right hand.
"Master?" Enns was confused about Lan En's behavior.
"Lest you get too excited for a while." Lann was ready to contract Enns as a [follower] at any time, lest the old butler would be distracted by the wealth that emerged in front of him.
Enns sighed: "Young Master, I am the royal steward, and I have grown up in the palace since I was a child."
The implication is: What scene has the old man not seen?
Lan twitched the corner of his mouth, his mind sinking into his system.
.........
Enns and Mossack may never forget the scene they saw next in their lives:
Lann's left hand seemed to have turned into a spring, and a torrent of "wealth" was continuously spraying out. : At first, there were all kinds of golden coins, such as krona, florin, oren, and linta, which are currencies in circulation today. Then, ancient gold coins from the elven rule period began to appear, and then various types of lianmosa. Coins of gold that even Gram's knowledge could not identify.
It's all golden, with silver and copper not even qualified to be embellishments.
After the golden torrent passed, what followed was the blazing light of red, blue, and green gems, mixed with large diamonds, emeralds, and pearls. These shiny little things seem to have turned into stones that can be seen everywhere on the roadside.
After that, several gold-encrusted boxes rolled out and rolled open in mid-air. Expensive jewelry and decorations such as pearl necklaces, gold crowns, and gemstone rings rolled out; you can also see exquisite antique swords, gold and silver wine glasses and tableware, glossy porcelain, and framed oil paintings.
When these fragile things first flew out, the two old men almost screamed nervously, fearing that a collision would damage their value. But then I saw them rolling down onto the coin base that was already covering the warehouse, sinking slowly as if they were sinking into the sand.
There are already as many coins in the warehouse as the sand on the beach, which is another more invigorating golden color.
The entire warehouse began to be filled with a choking aroma, either strong musk, or fragrant sandalwood, etc., fragrant and fragrant.
Enns swallowed hard and shook violently a few times.
Lann pulled the old butler all the way back to prevent him from being buried by these treasures. The three of them retreated all the way to the door, letting the gold coins hit their feet.
Then Lan looked at the old butler with some worry. Just as he was about to do something, he saw Mossack, who was breathing heavily, put his hand on Enns's shoulder.
Rao is a well-informed old druid, but he is also shocked at this moment. But then a wave of magic rose up from his body like a breeze in the forest, covering him and Enns. Even Lan felt a refreshing feeling of comfort and relaxation for a moment.
After more than ten breaths, Enns finally swallowed a sip of saliva, moistened his dry throat, and was able to speak again.
"Master... these are all yours? Where did you get them from?"
Lan En smiled shyly: "Actually, these are not all, I kept some as pocket change. But it should be enough for the things we just planned Is that enough?"
"It's more than enough..." Enns murmured to himself.
The fluctuation of natural magic once again rose up in Mossak's body, and it was obvious that he was not calm enough.
The green light rose and fell several times, and Mossack and Enns became more and more calm, until their faces were expressionless.
Finally, the old druid said without any emotion: "I will contact the mercenary group in Kevir. I know many acquaintances. Kelda can also help, and I will convince him to join me. "
Kair Siren, the headquarters of the Griffin School, is in the northernmost part of the Kingdom of Kevir. Kelda has traveled to every corner here for more than a hundred years and made many connections. Of all the immortals, which one has nothing to do with the ruling class? Maybe the current king's grandfather's grandfather had his life saved by Kelda.
Enns also said coldly: "This money is enough to hire a corps of 10,000 people to support us... No, we still can't hire too many, otherwise it will be easier to hire people than to send them away. Five thousand people is a suitable number. The remaining The money is enough to upgrade the equipment of our own troops, build siege equipment, and rebuild post-war Sintra. In the future, we will be able to completely rely on imported food from Aedir to meet our needs. Five thousand A human-sized legion can also be fully engaged in military training."
Lann was a little uncomfortable with the two men's emotionless tone, and could only nod in agreement with their views:
"Ah... yes! That's it. "
Then Lann." Mossak turned around and said seriously, "Your next task is to go to Skellig to borrow troops, and then go to Mahakam to find the dwarves. All this needs to be a little more compact." , before Nilfgaard reacts to the policies of the northern countries. One month is a suitable time, enough for Skellig’s warships to come over. If the dwarves really have heavy infantry support, I You can ask Triss, Jaylon and a few druid friends to open the portal and let them come in batches."
"Yeah, okay, okay!"
Enns also turned his head: "Master, before you Before you go out, you need to go see Her Royal Highness the Princess. She misses you very much. When we received the news of your return, we also informed Marshal Visekid that you need to accept his troops, and the princess also needs to accept His allegiance."
"Ah... ok! I've also missed Ciri for a long time!"
Lann swallowed: "Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?"
Mossack and Enns looked expressionless. Looking at each other, the two people felt natural energy fluctuations again.
"Lan, please put these treasures away first. The door is blocked."
"Yes, Master. Then we also need to find another place to store our property. The barn is still not safe after all."
Lan said obediently . Nodding: "...Okay."
(End of chapter)