Chapter 379 Gambler
Shieldwind Fortress.
Leon is arranging Rimusk's men to set up a defense line.
He planned to use Rimusk's men to stop the Bacchus army at the Shield Wind Fortress - after the Bacchus captured the Shield Wind Fortress, they left a lot of military rations here.
This is a normal practice. White Hart Fort is located in a forested mountainous area, where it is difficult to travel by car. The Bacchus usually do not bring too much food and grass when attacking White Hart Fort. Leaving the food in Shieldwind Fort will ensure supply regardless of whether they continue to attack or retreat.
Since the food is here, the enemy will naturally return to Bacchus from here after withdrawing from White Deer Fort. After all, they need to eat on the way back.
Since the Bacchus set fire to the Noldor Forest, the arsonists must not be allowed to return alive. This is Wendy's request.
Of course, Li Ang himself thought so too.
Li Ang really didn't expect Kairos and his son to do this.
In fact, over the past few hundred years, many people have thought about burning the forest - especially those who were misled by rumors and regarded the Noldor elves as demons.
This was also thought by the old forces that had waged a full-scale war against the Noldor elves 360 years ago, before the establishment of the Kingdom of Pendor.
But no one has ever actually started a fire in the forest.
The Ebony Gauntlet Knights, who have been fighting against the Noldor elves, have never done this, nor have the kings of all generations, nor has the conqueror General Osa done this...even the Jatu people have never done this.
It's not because it can't be ignited - the forest is there and it won't move. If they really set it on fire, the forest can be ignited at any time, and the number of the Enodos is simply not enough to prevent it.
There are two reasons for not setting fire.
On the one hand, it is about interests - the nobles need the Noldor elves, and capturing the Noldor elves formed a huge industrial chain hundreds of years ago. The former Changhe Town, the Ebony Gauntlet Knights, and Cliff Bay are all links in this industrial chain.
At the upstream of this industrial chain are naturally the powerful people in various countries, and they cannot let the Noldor elves get out of control.
But now, the continent of Pande is in chaos, and with Leon's intervention, this industrial chain has been basically cut off.
On the other hand, no one can afford the consequences of arson.
Because the Noldor elves who have lost their homes will inevitably attack humans madly - in order to survive, they must carve out a habitat in the human world.
If people are forced into a desperate situation, they can do anything, and the Noldor elves are no exception.
Most of the Noldor elves are indeed peace-loving, but if they lose their homes, those Noldor artists who were originally unwilling to wield swords will of course only be able to fight with bows and arrows.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Sarleon and the Empire of Bacchus had to protect the Noldor Forest. Once a serious fire occurred that could not be reversed by human power, these two countries adjacent to the Noldor Forest would most likely be destroyed by the crazy Noldor elves.
Of course, the outnumbered Noldor could not destroy these two countries, but they could at least cripple them.
If they were to be crippled by the Noldor, other countries would surely take advantage of the situation, and the destruction would not be impossible.
Of course, the people in power in all countries are aware of this consequence. If someone really doesn’t realize it, then they must be mentally deficient and cannot possibly become a person in power…
But this is just the obvious consequence that will happen immediately.
In addition, there is a heavy price to be paid in the future...
The Forest of Noldor is not just a small forest; it is a vast primeval forest, the total area of which is roughly equivalent to half of the Kingdom of Sarleon.
As for the density of the forest, that is, the number of plants and animals in the Noldor Forest, it may account for half of the entire continent.
If such a large forest were to burn down, the entire continent would be affected.
Not to mention other sequelae brought about by the fire, just taking species as an example, when the forest was burned, it was not only the Noldor elves who lost their habitat, but also the animals, birds and insects in the forest.
Birds and insects are not killed by fire; they fly to other places to find food - such as wheat fields or plantations.
Insects will be forced to live and reproduce in the fields, birds will be forced to find food in human farms, and all kinds of snakes, insects, rats and ants will be forced to enter human habitats.
It's all about survival...
This will lead to widespread bird and insect plagues, crop failure, tree baldness, and even bridges and dams will gradually collapse due to the migration of insects and ants.
In just one or two years, the entire continent will completely lose the balance of species. Not only will humans have to face the revenge of the Noldor elves, but they will also have to deal with endless insect pests and the inevitable famine!
This is also what really happened in the world where Leon originally lived...
However, not many people are aware of this cost, which will only become apparent in a year or two.
But Leon could realize it, and Lisadiran and Wendy could also realize it - the Noldor were all taught from childhood the importance of species balance.
For Leon, this consequence is extremely serious - his territory is closest to the Noldor Forest and will inevitably suffer a devastating disaster first. All crops this year are likely to fail.
In this day and age, it is basically impossible to prevent bird and insect plagues with human power.
In other words, even in order to have enough food to sustain people's lives, Leon had to kill these Bacchus people, then attack Bacchus and seize their territory and food reserves.
Otherwise, by winter, hundreds of thousands of people in the entire east will have no food to eat!
——The war in the western part of Sarleon over the past two years has fattened up the people of Bacchus. Now only Bacchus has so much food in stock.
"Which fool set fire to the Noldor Forest? How dare he accept such an order?"
After arranging the defense line, Leon asked Rimusk.
"It should be Gauls, the Lord of Almeira Castle. He was the one who set the fire in Almeira Castle..."
Rimusk is very honest now, and he really cares about his mistress and illegitimate son.
"Gauls... that's really a fool, he's a bad gambler."
Alina said to Leon.
"Yes, he was a gambler who would even bet his wife, and he always lost everything... He could think of nothing else except gambling. He was the only one who dared to set fire to the Noldor Forest."
Rimusk nodded and said, "He has another name... Oliver, this is his original name. He changed his name to Gauls after he lost his wife..."
"Oliver? It's him?"
Ramon was stunned.
"You know him?"
Leon looked at Ramon - Ramon's expression was a little dull.
"I know him. I know him very well... His wife lives in Singar now. She has remarried to one of my brothers..."
Ramon spread his hands and said, "I am the dealer who made him lose his wife... Besides, I was actually doing a good deed at that time - it was his wife who volunteered to exchange herself for chips. She couldn't stand this gambler anymore, and she would rather work as a hostess in my casino!"
What a coincidence...
But Ramon frowned again: "However, Oliver is not easy to deal with... Although he is terrible at gambling, his martial arts are indeed amazing."
"Why? You fought him?"
Leon asked.
"I went to collect the debts... I once lent him some gambling money - you know, this is a regular business in the casino. But after he lost it all, the dozen brothers I sent to collect the debts were knocked down by him alone..."
Ramon pointed at the Scorpio assassins behind him and said, "All the ones I sent are good fighters."
"In other words, this Oliver, or Gaulus, is a gambler, a skilled warrior , but a brainless warrior? Such a person probably only cares about the excitement of winning or losing, right?"
Li Ang asked as he thought about it.
"No, even though this guy is a gambler and doesn't care about his family, he is very loyal to his friends. Many people in the Shadow Legion have a good relationship with him... Otherwise, he would not have been the lord of Almera Castle a long time ago..."
Rimusk shook his head.
Li Ang nodded: "He is addicted to gambling, loyal, but he doesn't care about his family. He is brave and skilled in martial arts... It seems that this is the scapegoat that Kairos specially found to set the fire... Since he likes gambling, let's give him a bet... Rimusk, go and let him gamble..."
"Okay... Hey, who? Me?"
Rimusk thought that Leon wanted him to gamble with Gaulus, so he quickly asked, "How can we let him gamble at this time?"
"Of course, to give him a chance to win."
Leon patted Rimusk on the shoulder and said, "You just need to let him into the Shieldwind Fortress. You should be able to do such a simple thing. If you let him go, I will kill your whole family, including your beautiful mistress and your lovely illegitimate child."
…
North of Shieldwind Fortress.
The two armies are facing each other.
The troops of the Bacchus Empire are more numerous.
Standing in front of them were their former colleagues - Rimusk's men.
Moreover, most of them were shadow infantrymen who originally belonged to the Shadow Legion.
"We must get the food from Shieldwind Fortress...Gauls, lead the troops to defeat them!"
Antonius thought for a moment and then gave the order.
"Antonius, the morale of many of our lords' troops is unstable. It is said that assassins' knives have been found in their homes... Besides, we are facing Rimusk's troops. We can't kill each other... Rimusk is not very courageous. Talk to him. He doesn't dare to fight us to the death."
Gauls, riding a tall warhorse, whispered to Antonius, who was wrapped up tightly beside him.
"Shut up, Rimusk has already rebelled... Since he has stopped us here, it is no longer a question of courage! We can't waste time... Don't you want to live? It won't be long before the Noldor elves will move out in large numbers!"
Antonius glanced at Gauls and said, "Or do you feel sorry for your enemy?"
"Enemy? They were our colleagues yesterday! Besides, how can the brothers fight with peace of mind when they are worried about the situation at home?"
Gauls was unhappy: "Antonius, although I am helping you and your son, I am not your servant! You are not the imperial marshal, so you have no right to order me!"
"Well, I respect your wishes. It's not convenient for me to show up in public, so I'll withdraw first. I'll leave this army to you. You can do whatever you want with it... Perhaps, you can get the food from the Shieldwind Fortress and bring the entire army back to your Amera Castle. By then, they will be completely yours..."
Antonius was not angry. After saying a few words calmly, he looked to the west, spurred his horse and prepared to leave alone.
"Give me all these people?"
Gaulus asked in surprise.
"Of course. This is the command flag of the Shadow Legion. Take it... According to our previous agreement, my father has appointed you as the general of the Shadow Legion. The centurions will obey your command."
Antony threw an exquisite pennant on the side of his saddle to Gauls, then rode away westward alone.
"this……"
Gaulus took over the small eagle flag with a look of disbelief on his face - this triangular command flag could indeed command the centurions of the Shadow Legion, and now in the First Legion, the grassroots captains were all Shadow Centurions.
As the general of the Shadow Legion and holding the command flag, he can indeed command the actions of the legion.
At the same time, this was supposed to be Gauls 's condition for supporting Kairos and Antonius - to make him the general of the Shadow Legion.
Yes, to become the general of the Shadow Legion you don't need Emperor Marius' approval, it's up to Kairos to say.
The legion commander decides everything, this is the tradition of the Shadow Legion.
Although this private appointment is illegal, the Shadow Legion has never recognized the new laws after Marius' reform...
"Lord Gaulus, a secret letter has been sent from Shieldwind Fortress. It's for you."
Gauls was in a daze when a soldier came forward and handed him a letter.
"You want to talk to me? Huh..."
After reading the letter, Gaulus grinned and said, "That coward Rimousk really doesn't have the courage to fight..."
In fact, if Gauls led his troops to charge immediately, he would most likely be able to break it with one blow - Rimousk's troops also had no fighting spirit, and who would be willing to fight with their former colleagues?
Moreover, most people could realize that after the fire in the Noldor Forest, the Noldor elves would soon launch a revenge, and no one was willing to stay in the Shieldwind Fortress.
But Gauls did not listen to Antony's orders. He really did not want to charge at his former colleagues...
And Antonius did not insist on this order - letting Gauls attract attention here would allow Antonius to escape easily.
the next day.
Gauls arrived outside the Shieldwind Fortress with a cavalry.
Afterwards, the gate of Shieldwind Fortress opened, and Rimusk stood outside the gate with his troops.
"Rimusk, you don't seem to want to fight with me? That's right... no matter who you join now, you should leave here..."
Gaulus felt a little strange when he saw Rimusk opening the city gate and going out of the city to talk.
"Oliver... I have no choice. If I don't stop you, I will lose everything..."
Rimusk shook his head helplessly and said in a low voice.
"My name is Gauls now... Rimusk, if I can't bring my brothers back to Fort Ameira, I will lose everything... Since you don't plan to fight, then move the food out and let us leave... You can't stop us with just a few people. I don't want to kill you, nor do I want my brothers to kill each other. After all, we have been comrades for many years..."
Gaulus realized that Rimousk really seemed to be unable to control himself, and he softened his tone.
"Oliver, I opened the city gate because I wanted you to lead your troops into the city... They asked me to invite you here so that they could attack you... But I thought we could take a gamble..."
Rimusk's voice became even quieter: "Leon is in the city... There are not many people around him. I can't deal with him, but you can... I think we can take a gamble together... If we can catch him, my family will be safe, and I won't be coerced anymore!"
"...You mean...there aren't many troops in the city?"
Gaulus also lowered his voice as much as possible.
"Not many people... but my family is in his hands, so I dare not confront him openly. Li Ang is now in the military station on the north wall. With your skills, you can probably catch him if you rush into the city..."
Rimusk urged in a low voice.
"Then... let's take a gamble..."
Gauls looked at the open city gate, suddenly raised his spear and accelerated his horse.
The cavalry behind him also rushed towards the city gate with him. There were not many of them, only about two hundred, but each of them was an elite soldier.
There are always winners and losers in gambling, and Gauls won the bet this time - he took the lead and easily rushed into the Shieldwind Fortress.
But in the gamble of life, Gauls lost everything again - as soon as he led his troops into the city, the castle gate fell down.
Afterwards, various parts of the city suddenly caught fire, and the fire quickly engulfed the castle that had just been rebuilt two years ago.
At the same time, Rimusk's troops came from all directions outside the city and surrounded the burning Shieldwind Fortress - all his troops were actually outside the city, just on the other side of the city wall.
