Chapter 257: The Ice Giant is worthy of further strengthening.
What Lan said was the strategy he had set since the meeting with the King of the North: Advisor Mossak went north to contact Covel's mercenary group, and Steward Enns was responsible for rectifying logistics to cope with the war. Marshal Visekid was responsible for training troops and fighting on the front lines.
Now the three giants of Sintra looked at each other, and Mossak was the first to speak.
"Kelda and I met up in Kevir, because he came into contact with many local nobles and even the royal family during his early demon hunter travels, and he knew many people who could help introduce him. I came back temporarily through the portal to talk to you After reporting the situation, you have to go back and join him immediately."
Mossak's first words made Lan look happy. The two great masters, Kelda and Jeron, were both hermits in character. Their disciples, namely Lann and Cohen, went down to the mountains to gain experience while they themselves stayed at Kelseren.
Now Kelda is willing to go down the mountain for Cintra's affairs, which cannot be said to be a good start. Lan even felt that even if he didn't hire a corps, it would be a victory just to let the old griffon really come into contact with Cintra's political and diplomatic arrangements.
"Thank you for your hard work." Lann said sincerely, "How is the situation?"
Mossak showed a tangled expression: "There were many twists and turns in the middle, and it was generally quite complicated. In the end, although we successfully hired a corps, But the nature and quantity of this regiment are somewhat different from what we planned."
Lann showed an inquiring look.
Mossak sighed: "Let me start from the beginning - first of all, Kevir has just experienced a coup."
...
Kevir is located at the northernmost tip of the North, and to the north is Kyle, the base camp of the Griffin School. The Feilong Mountains where Siren is located has an endless sea to the west.
Geographically speaking, this location is somewhat far away from the political center, but geologically speaking this is not the case - because it is located in a mountainous area, Keville is extremely rich in minerals: iron, copper, silver, zinc, and other rare metals, and even It also occupies more than half of the gold in the north and produces three-quarters of the mainland's magic-blocking gold.
At the same time, because it is located on the coast and widely accepts various immigrants, the glass industry and salt industry in Keville are also extremely developed. They established a port in the Gulf of Praxida, which served as a trading hub for the entire continent.
But unfortunately, the country's territory is not large, and the successive kings of this country do not seem to have any intention of expanding the territory. Therefore, their population is very small, and the entire country's defense force is even handed over to mercenaries. With a large amount of money thrown around, this country's combat effectiveness was very strong, and it even defeated the combined forces of Kaedwin and Redania.
In contrast, Keville's shortcomings are also very obvious: it is a major trading country with an extremely prosperous economy and an extremely free market. This is the reason for the prosperity of the country, and occasionally it can even rise to the position of "the most powerful country in the north" with its strength. However, King Kevir's control over the country is very weak. He is more like a large city lord than a king.
In the plot of Lann's Memory, the current King Kevir will be stabbed to death by an assassin on the steps of his palace to protect his queen, and it is not until most of his blood has been drained that the palace guards arrive belatedly. .
This country feels like an enlarged Novigrad to Lan, and there is no central force like the Eternal Fire that can convince and unite everyone. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand the occasional outbreak of civil strife, coups, and even regional independence.
...
"The current King of Kovir is called Istrad. He has just regained the throne from the usurper, and his foundation is unstable. Moreover, in the previous coup, Povis announced his separation from the Kingdom of Kovir, and moved closer to the inland The Eastern Territory has also declared independence. The national policy that Kevir has always believed in is to remain neutral in the war, so Istrad refuses to send mercenary groups to help us fight against Nilfgaard." "
Even if we hire them at a premium?" Lan asked. road.
Mossak sighed: "Istrad said he would double the premium, and then send troops to attack those of us who disrupt the market."
Lan was silent. The treasures obtained from the Mirror Master could fill several warehouses, but Covill's was enough to fill several castles. In terms of currency ability, Cintra is still unable to compare with Kevir.
"But you said before that the result was good?"
Mossack nodded: "Istrad himself is a rare sober person in the north, and he can see the threat of Nilfgaard. After several rounds of negotiations, He decided to release a group of political prisoners, pardon them and let them form a 'freedom corps' to participate in our war."
From Covir in the far north to Sintra in the far south, this is actually a disguised exile. . By throwing some political prisoners who were not suitable to be killed but were troublesome at home to fight on the front lines, King Istrad probably never thought of letting these people go back.
Lan pondered for a moment: "How many are they?"
Mossak replied: "Three thousand. Redania sent a large number of ships as support, but we need to bear their food and logistics ourselves."
Lan En nodded, something is better than nothing. Let these political prisoners go to the front line to fight against Nilfgaard. If they serve well, they can be recruited to rebuild Cintra after the war. The population of Cintra is not enough to regain its former prosperity. On the premise of ensuring the rights of the Terran people, it also needs to absorb some refugees and immigrants.
And if I remember correctly, King Istrad himself would also send out the "Freedom Corps" in this way in the subsequent Civil War. These political prisoners were originally some of Coville's officers who were on the wrong side, and they had good combat effectiveness. and knowledge, and even have many descendants of nobles. When it comes to fighting, they are stronger than ordinary mercenaries.
In the future, the Free Corps will play a decisive role in the war against Nilfgaard. The Redanians even held a grand triumphal celebration ceremony for this foreign mercenary group. I just don’t know how big the difference in personnel composition is between the free regiment that Kevir sent to Cintra now and the one in the future.
"If that's the case, maybe these 3,000 people can play a more important role than the 5,000-person mercenary group we originally planned to hire." Lann affirmed the Druid's mission. , "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Mossak."
"Enns, how is the logistics situation here?"
The old butler opened the book he carried with him and said in a straight line: "In the batch you brought back, young master, With the support of the treasure, we purchased a large amount of daily necessities from Novigrad, and they gave us a gratifying discount; Aden sold us the first batch of food that was enough to last half a year, and there will be more in the future; Territory Everything in the construction is in order - in general, thanks to you, my work here is going smoothly."
Lann nodded with satisfaction.
"But His Majesty Demavi of Aedirn put forward a condition." The old steward said, "He hopes that we can launch a counterattack against Nilfgaard as soon as possible. At the same time, he hopes to have a meeting with the young master in the near future." With assistance
, Sure enough, there will be demands.
After Enns finished speaking, Marshal Vesekid also took over: "I have a similar situation here. During this time, my troops had contact with Queen Miwe's messenger, Leiria and Livia The United Kingdom is under great pressure, and she also hopes that we can send troops as soon as possible. At the same time, she also hopes to organize a tripartite meeting with you and King Demavi in the near future."
Lan pondered for a moment. Nilfgaard is not the BOSS in the game. While he and others are developing, they are also continuing their strategic layout in an orderly manner. Obviously, both Aedirn and the United Kingdom are feeling the pressure now.
"How are we preparing for the war now?" Lan asked Vesekid.
Vissekid obviously had something in mind: "Three thousand of our five thousand people are veterans who have been on the battlefield. Under their leadership, the remaining two thousand people integrated quickly. There is enough logistical support for them to After being fully engaged in training, I can now guarantee that their combat effectiveness will not be inferior to that of the Royal Guards." "
But we are still lacking in equipment. Although other countries are not stingy in trade, they are not stingy in weapons and armor. The control is very strict. Fortunately, Lan Enzu brought back Skellig's craftsman family, which can alleviate the urgent need."
Enns put forward a different opinion: "The marshal is too optimistic. Although we have craftsmen, we do not have enough iron. Mineral stone, the final armor may only be able to cover two-thirds of the soldiers - and that's only half-body armor. If damage and repairs are taken into account, the coverage rate may be even lower." Some things are not going to be effective in a short time
. It can be solved by throwing coins. The treasure Lann obtained from the Mirror Master can be used to purchase daily supplies. However, for some strategic-level supplies, countries restrict exports even to their allies.
Except for relatives like Skellig who really care about their hearts.
Lann rubbed his eyebrows: "Just considering armor is not enough. If I remember correctly, we also need siege equipment and other war machines. These require more metal raw materials, and Skellige people are not good at making them. So I still have to run a set of dwarf Mahakam."
After assessing the current situation, Lan made arrangements for the three elders: "Marshal, Enns, you don't have to worry about Dema. Regarding the situation of Wei and Miwei, I will explain it to them, and we will do it step by step. We cannot start the war lightly until Skellig's reinforcements and Kovir's Free Corps are in place, and the armor coverage rate is up to standard - —The people of Cintra cannot afford the losses."
"Only we can decide when to start the battle. We must not only regain the lost ground, but also ensure that we obtain the maximum gain with the minimum loss. No outsider can give us strategic advice 'Suggestions', especially those allies who have given us help."
Mossak, Enns, and Visekid nodded solemnly together. Vissekid's face was particularly pleased. The old marshal was very happy to hear that Lan had such military insights.
"This is the situation in Cintra recently. Lan, you should have gained a lot in Skellige, right?"
Mossack seemed to have heard some fragmentary news. At least he knew that East had successfully ascended the throne and Skellige. Ge is willing to send reinforcements.
Enns and Visekid both looked expectant after hearing this.
Immediately afterwards, Lann's words met their expectations, and even far exceeded them. They were so shocked that they forgot to react for a moment:
"When I first arrived in Skellig...then the castle was raided by the Welkars... …I recruited a berserker...I also recruited the night demon...I also recruited the ice giant...The Nilfgaardians sneak attack...The Skellige crowd is excited..." ...The sky is getting
darker
, Lan didn't know how long he had been talking.
The three elders who were listening picked up their wine glasses from time to time, and soon found that the wine bottles were empty, and Hardy, the waiter, had also come in countless times.
The evening wind blew in, and everyone felt relaxed and happy.
"It's really lucky that everything went well for Your Majesty East. If Her Majesty the Queen finds out, she will definitely be able to rest in peace..." Enns lowered his head and gently wiped the corners of his eyes, "And with Skellig's great help, Cintra will definitely be able to survive." Recovered under your leadership, young master."
The old housekeeper always cares about people.
Mossak first felt angry that a traitor like Attis appeared in the Oak Ring, and then began to smile bitterly: "You really gave me a lot of problems, Lan... Research a necklace that can curse humans to become undead werewolves. , crack the secret of berserker transformation, you still want me to try to teach you the ice giant druid magic?"
Although the old druid said "difficult problem", his eyes were shining. For him, For a spellcaster who loves academics and research, the attraction of these projects is fatal. It’s just that he already has too many squeezed projects on his hands and has to come one at a time.
Finally, he said: "Let's solve the problem of your ice giant first."
If he wanted to bring the ice giant from overseas to the mainland, Lann could not afford such a huge amount of magic power at present, and he would definitely have to go through the orthodox method. A teleportation circle was used to transport it - after all, it was a giant more than ten meters tall. Even if a serious mage opened such a large teleportation gate, it would not be able to transport it so far.
The druids of the Ring of Oak are already helping to shape the magic circle, and Mossak is responsible for it in Sintra. After arriving on the mainland, Lann's mana can support the cost of summoning the ice giant.
Of course, the Ice Giant is still too conspicuous in Cintra. Lann plans to hide him in the snowy mountains of Kaer Morhen first, where the environment is suitable, and summon him as a secret weapon when needed.
Old Marshal Visekid was the most excited about the existence of the ice giant.
"A giant that is more than ten meters tall, invulnerable and powerful? If it were used to attack the city, we would be able to drive away Nilfgaard right now..." The old marshal with white hair and beard suddenly began to inhale.
"No, no, there are still weaknesses in that case. We have to guard against Nilfgaard's trebuchets and bed crossbows, as well as their mage troops. This kind of monster... no, war beast, can support the country's power alone. One or two It would be a pity to lose him in just one battle." The marshal immediately rejected his idea and continued to mutter to himself, "You can give him a plate armor with cotton armor lined on the inside and a layer of leather armor on the outside. To enchant him, There are also weapons that are powerful enough..."
To equip a giant more than ten meters tall with armor, or plate armor, and also enchant it?
The marshal's obviously drunken murmur made the corners of Enns and Mossak's mouths twitch.
Lann nodded in agreement, and he hoped to maximize the combat power of the ice giant.
Lann's mentality has been inflated since he got the Ice Giant. He even thought of using [Teleport] to teleport to the Nilfgaard Palace and summon the Ice Giant. Then he can just run away on his own, and the ice giant will be done with the trouble.
But this thought was quickly suppressed after he calmed down.
First of all, if Rann wants to reach Nilfgaard through [Teleportation], he must first have a teleportation point in the capital of Nilfgaard. Either he goes there by himself, or asks an attendant or companion who has a teleportation point on him to go. In today's situation between the north and the south, this is already an impossible task.
Secondly, the Black Sun Empire has its own warlock organization and even warlock troops. Under the centralized power of the emperor, these magicians were still very obedient.
The reason why the ice giants have been able to wreak havoc on the archipelago for so many years is because in the mountains, there are also reasons why the islanders have not been able to effectively organize a response. If you rashly go to the Nilfgaard Palace, tens of thousands of forbidden troops, various large-scale attack equipment, and an entire royal warlock corps will definitely turn this long-standing ice giant into "history".
But Lan just suppressed this thought, not strangled it. Just because the current Ice Giant can't do it doesn't mean that the Ice Giant with the minion panel can't do it in the future...
"The marshal's opinion is actually very constructive. We can consider putting armor on the ice giant... It seems that Mahakam is going to go on a journey no matter what. Only the dwarves can do this kind of thing. ."
——Lan
stayed in Blochlon Town for the next few days. After arranging some matters at this stage, Lann set off to visit Queen Miwe and King Demavi for a tripartite meeting.
According to the news brought by the marshal and the old steward, these two rulers are now in Edsberg.
(End of chapter)