At Changfeng Fortress, Maryland ended its communication with the Machinery Manufacturing Institute, and the adjutant standing next to him couldn't help but speak: "General, are you planning to use a batch of fake magic equipment to arm the recruits that have just been summoned?"

Maryland nodded: "That's what it means - let them put on fake gear and stand on the walls, and that's not enough."

“Not enough?”

"The number of 'fakes' that can be supplied in a few days in the southern border is still limited, and it can only solve the equipment of individual soldiers in a short period of time. These things may not be scared to mention Fengren. We have to find a way ourselves," Maryland continued. "The engineering team that had previously built camps should have been idle - I'm passing on my order to build civil engineering in the hills on the north side of the Changfeng Fortress and the Paramel Heights, and transport all the wood piled up on the shallows. I'll tell you what I'm going to do..."

The garrison of Changfeng Fortress began to operate again. Before the next wave of reconnaissance of the Tifeng people arrived, several engineering teams began a large-scale civil construction according to Maryland's orders - from the hills on the north side of Changfeng Fortress to the Paramel Heights on the south side of the fortress, more than a dozen defensive fortifications or firepower positions began to be built.

On the Paramel Heights, on the No. 4 "Architecture" of the No. 4, engineers were stepping up digging trenches and leveling the ground. Fully armed sentries stood on the temporary observation deck, constantly scanning the open wastelands around with vigilance. Two soldiers equipped with engineering magic terminals were cutting wood, while several others were dealing with large bundles of tarpaulin and coiled ropes. The scene was busy, but in order.

The commander in charge of commanding the engineering team walked through a ditche that had just been dug, looked at the soldiers' work progress, nodded slightly, and said to the soldiers next to him: "Just at this speed - stand up the rack before noon."

"Sir, is this really OK?" the soldier scratched his hair, "Terror with these scheming?"

"Execute the order," the commander glanced at the soldier, and then grinned, "and I think it's very feasible."

He raised his head and saw several soldiers not far away nailing the cut wood, laying it on the slope of the mound, and then covering it with tarpaulin. The four corners of the tarpaulin were nailed firmly to the ground, and a real magic crystal rail gun was erected in the dirt pit in another place, with the acceleration guide pointing to the direction of the plain, and the tarpaulin on the body of the cannon was halfway covered.

In fact, that is the only real gun on the position, and all other rail guns are built of wood or scrap iron.

This is a fake position, with fake positions that are fake and fake. There are several similar positions nearby, and there are more in the north of the fortress, but not all positions are fake - about a quarter of the dozen positions are real, and the deployment of rail guns and sufficient soldiers urgently transferred from the Holy Spirit Plain is definitely a tough trick to crack.

This is a battlefield wisdom that the traditional aristocratic army had never imagined. It is a cunning act that has nothing to do with the so-called "integrity, honesty" and other chivalrous spirits. However, the battlefields of all sizes experienced by the Cecil Legion proves one thing-the era of the Knight War has passed, buried in the fiery embers of cannon fodder, and the justice standards of the new era are calculated by caliber and range.

"Don't forget one thing, those Tifeng people have not been blown up by magic cannons," said the commander who was promoted from a veteran, grinning and saying to the soldiers beside him. "Most of them do not recognize what the real magic equipment looks like, especially after we have done disguise - as long as they don't recognize it within this week, the Iron Throne will come!"

...

On the wall of Changfeng Fortress, Maryland stood next to a magic crystal rail cannon with a sword. Not far away from him, next to the cannon position of a real magic cannon. The soldiers were building steel plates and cement blocks that were originally used to strengthen the city wall, while a group of patrol soldiers were walking not far behind him. The patrol soldiers were wearing strange-style light armor, neatly lined up and full of energy.

At least that seems to be the case on the surface.

"The army on the Tifeng border has never seen magic equipment with their own eyes, but their intelligence personnel must have reported the general form and power of these things. This is the intelligence deviation," Maryland breathed a lightly and said to the adjutant, "After the completion of the No. 8 position, a round of artillery fire was carried out in the direction of the quagmire of Gray Pond - to release the news in advance, that is, to test the second generation of new weapons, and do the same after the No. 12 position is completed."

"Yes, general." The adjutant bowed his head and took the order.

Maryland nodded, her eyes crossing the battlements of the city walls and looking down at the vast wasteland in the distance.

The false deterrence has already existed, but we must also be prepared to see through the Fengren in advance or not be fooled, and the war ultimately depends on hard power to speak. While building those false positions, Maryland has been strengthening the real defense of Changfeng Fortress. Some mine positions at key intersections have been laid, and traps and trench projects around the fortress are not stopped all day long. Inside the fortress, the training of new recruits is not at all careless, and is always in an orderly manner.

After all, in addition to those "magic equipment" that are just right, a batch of real magic weapons were also transported from the rear. The biggest feature of these equipment is that it is easy to control and easy to form combat effectiveness - ordinary people can shoot correctly in just three days of training, and recruits can barely stand on the city wall after more than ten days of training. At this most critical moment, every time one more soldier is trained to come out, the safety of the empire's border will be more guaranteed.

He once lost a fortress and in his lifetime he did not want the same thing to happen again.

Beside him, he has been following him for many years, and has been with him since the time of the Rock Fortress. He has experienced the Battle of Rock, labor reform, and the Battle of God Hunting. He is also looking at this vast line of defense. The young man seems to have complex emotions on his bronze face.

After a few minutes of silence, Maryland asked, "Pain, what are you thinking?"

"General..." the young adjutant hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke, "I just suddenly felt a little emotional. The last time I was guarding the fortress, the chivalrous spirit was still my only creed."

"Defending the country is also a chivalrous spirit, and a higher chivalrous spirit - we are defending here to protect more people," Maryland shook his head, "and as for the means used on the battlefield... Times have changed, Penn, I have gained an epiphany in front of the giant cannon, you should try it too."

"…You're right, General."

...

The changes in the Changfeng Fortress and its surrounding defense lines were not hidden from the scouts of the Tifeng people. The continuous intelligence was quickly summarized into the command post of the Winter Wolf Castle. When Andersha Wendell received this information, he even stood up in surprise. The young wolf general did not expect that the Cecils would suddenly build a second line of defense.

Faced with the increasing military pressure of the Tifeng people, the Cecils not only did not adopt the strategy of shrinking the defense line, but instead actively built a batch of new positions. Does this mean...their reserve troops are more than they thought at the beginning?

The commander of the reconnaissance force who came to report stood in front of Andesha and reported the situation meticulously: "General, we have found at least six newly built positions in the area of ​​the Paramel Heights, all of which are stationed by a large number of soldiers, and unknown troops and positions were also found in the hilly areas in the north. In addition, according to the information of merchants, the Cecils have been frequently mobilizing their troops during this period, and many soldiers and convoys entered the Changfeng Fortress from the northwest and southwest..."

Andesha thought of the information she received not long ago and the report that Changfeng Fortress continued to increase troops.

"Where are so many soldiers coming out from..." The young wolf general frowned, "Can you confirm the background of those soldiers and positions?"

"Those soldiers seemed to be the rumored Cecil Magic Legion. Their equipment was very different from that of ordinary soldiers. They carried the iconic combat backpack and were very disciplined. As for those positions... the scouts were not too close, but we did observe the scene of the Cecil's testing weapons, which was as powerful as the previous intelligence said, and could completely match our magicians."

Andesa left the table and came to the nearby combat map. According to the report sent back by the scouts, she made marks at the defense line of Changfeng Fortress.

"It's a complete line of defense..." "The scale is consistent with the previous increase in troops." "There are large legions gathering in the Palamel Heights and the hilly areas in the north..." "Are they ready to deal with the "legion-level spell" of the Iron River Knights?"

Staring at the combat map in front of him, Anderssa Wendell fell into long-term thinking.

Through the magical messenger tower's relay at any cost, the intelligence from the border arrived in front of Rosetta and Augustus as soon as possible.

"Pei Dinanqing, the Ansu people have once again increased their troops on the defense line."

The Emperor Tifeng raised his head and said to the old duke standing in front of him.

"Now they are called Cecils, your majesty," Pei Dinnan Wendell said in a deep voice. "They built a series of extended positions based on the original Longfeng Fortress defense line. Combined with the information they received before, they should be ready to deal with the Iron River Knights."

"...The Iron River Knights can create energy storms with a range of nearly two kilometers in a charge, and are extremely good at destroying heavy fortress shields, but if a series of positions with long-range firepower conduct continuous attacks and interference, the Iron River Knights' legion-level spells will be dispersed... The new commander of the Long Wind Fortress is an experienced person."

Duke Pei Dinnan nodded: "Andersha's reconnaissance troops have 'confronted' with the opponent several times. The Cecilians' scouts are experienced and well-equipped. Although most of them are ordinary people, they are not at all disadvantages when facing the extraordinary. They should be really elite."

Rosetta did not make a sound, but sat quietly in a high-back chair. Pei Dinnan, opposite, continued after a pause: "The Royal Advisory Group has evaluated the trade situation with the Cecils in recent times and the information collected from private channels, and concluded that it is not appropriate to start a war."

"The opinions of the advisory group are based on indirect intelligence, but Andessa's intelligence is obtained through direct contact," Rosetta broke the silence. "We must make a decision. If we want to fight, now is the last chance. If we don't fight, we must also think of the arguments to the noble parliament now."

Pei Dinnan was silent for half a minute before finally speaking seriously: "...My opinion is consistent with the advisory group, and it is not appropriate to start a war, Your Majesty."

“What’s the reason?”

"Our industry and economy are undergoing major changes. In this process, most of the reform pressure accumulated before can be relieved. We no longer have such urgent needs for war. On the other hand, once the Cecils are really ready for the fight, the setbacks we will suffer will be greater than expected. Not only will the internal pressure not be relieved, but the ongoing industrial construction will be interrupted."

Great changes in industry and economy...

Rosetta frowned.

What Pei Dinnan said is a fact that cannot be ignored - the key point of the Tifeng Empire is entering a new era, and the emerging magic industry is destined to completely change the operating rules of society, and within the expected range, the benefits generated by these changes may exceed the previous hundreds of years.

In this case, does Tifong really need a war?

Rosetta got up and left the desk, and slowly paced by the desk.

He stopped after more than ten minutes.

"Let Andertha shrink his troops and withdraw the Iron River Knights to the east of the Winter Wolf Castle defense line."

"Yes, your Majesty."
Chapter completed!