Within a few weeks, the situation in the central region had changed drastically. The Vaegirs had received help from Aelsala and launched a fierce offensive, throwing the allied army into chaos. They lost tens of thousands of people and were forced to withdraw from the Kohor region. In order to not lose more territory, Tashanmu had no choice but to ask for help from the south.
Maen, Wanster Fortress.
"Boom!"
Scorching shells flew out of the short mortar muzzles. Under the skillful positioning of the dwarven cannoneers, they drew a nearly perfect parabolic trajectory in the air and finally smashed into the Aelsala cavalry charging towards the trenches.
The moment the cannonballs hit the ground, the splashing flames and shrapnel that were launched in all directions tore the fragile armor of the cavalry into pieces. After the baptism of artillery fire, the dwarves immediately reloaded their flintlock guns, jumped out of the trench, and poured the bullets onto the battlefield in the crisp sound of gunfire.
Although the dwarves had appeared a little late, they were definitely the strength that Tashanmu needed the most right now. After many lobbying requests, Prince Macnee was finally willing to lead his Thunder Blade Clan into battle. At the front of the Maenn-Wanster Fortress, Macnee led the Iron Castle warriors to form the most solid line of defense. They were practically facing Ayrsala's swarming troops head-on. Like a reef in front of the waves, they stood firm.
"The knights are firmly blocked outside the fortress. They have a lot of numbers, but as long as we guard these few passes, they won't be able to rush up. In addition, the combination of guns and cannons is very suitable for defending the front line. If we have more equipment, that would be even better."
Mackney Thunderblade was clad in his own armor and wielding a dark golden war hammer. He led his personal guards through the passageway on the upper level of the fortress. The frontline commander, Ulie Thunderblade, was right behind him, giving him a detailed report on the current situation.
There was no joy on the Iron King's face. He stood by the railing with his usual focused and serious posture, looking down at his compatriots who were busy below. The Iron Castle dwarves did not suffer much in the war. After migrating to the Trade Federation, they quickly won the preferential treatment of the city state. After more than ten years of rest and development, the Iron Castle's strength was even stronger than before.
Although the enemy was numerous, Macnee still had the confidence to face the enemy head-on.
He just had to be careful.
"This is just an appetizer."
"The people of Aisha 'Sala aren't as weak as they look, or they wouldn't have dared to attack Myrnen. Maybe the attack here is just a diversion, and they're planning something else."
"But as long as we are here, this fortress is impregnable," Wullie said.
"Really?"
Mackney declined to comment. The dwarves had been away from the mainland for too long. Many dwarves had not experienced many wars. Their hearts were still stuck in the small land many years ago, competing with the Red Castle's Dark Flame Clan and the Graycastle's Ambitious Clan.
Yes, the Iron Castle was indeed the strongest of the dwarves in the three castles, but this did not mean anything. After leaving the swamp, they would face challenges from all of Airadia.
Almost as soon as the two of them finished speaking, Mackney's warrior's intuition made him raise his head abruptly. His sharp eyes stared at Ayrsala's army in the valley in the distance. Between the connected mountains and valleys, a faint red light could be seen.
"This is …"
"Boom!"
The scorching halo expanded rapidly in their field of vision, enveloping everyone in a sudden burst of blazing light. Wu Lie howled in pain, as if he was suddenly thrown into lava. His body was like a leaf blown by a gust of wind. If not for McNeil grabbing him at the last moment, he would have been flung off the railing.
"Boom boom boom boom …"
At this very moment, in the valley far away from Wester Fortress, thirty steel behemoths were making noises non-stop. Steam rose from their heads, and the black barrels of their cannons spewed out flames one after another. The blazing flames lit up the dimly lit valley. Behind the blazing flames was the ferocious face of the North towards Eladia.
The people of Ayrsala brought the steam tanks of the Blackwing Empire to the central region, but they did not understand the meaning of the word "tank". So, in Ayrsala, these terrible things were translated as "Tangerine Tusks", or "Black Tusks".
Dressed in heavy black armor, Rune Joseph stood at the front of the formation. He looked at the solid wall of Wester Fortress in the distance that was illuminated by the sunlight. Under the attack of the Black Tusks, the fortress looked like it was being dismembered. Like a landslide, rocks and broken steel fell from the fortress, mixed with the corpses of creatures that had been set ablaze. This cruel and spectacular scene did not cause any waves in the heart of the necromancer. He was only amazed by the power of these terrible weapons.
At first, Rune imagined that they were some kind of weapon similar to magic cannons, but that was not the case. These moving steel fortresses attacked unexpectedly fast, unlike the magic cannons that needed a long time to recharge. Also, when Rune Joseph was not paying attention, he secretly checked them and found that the magic reaction of these weapons was frighteningly low.
Relying on such minuscule magic power to create such great power would require an extremely high magic energy conversion rate. This meant that the alchemy technology of these weapons was already very advanced, comparable to or even surpassing the current overlord of Eladia, the Unfallen Empire.
This was very inconceivable because alchemy technology was different from wealth and military power. Perhaps a country could quickly amass wealth and recruit an army, but it would never be able to achieve great success in alchemy in a short period of time. This was because alchemy technology was like a staircase. Only after climbing the first step could one see the scenery of the second step, and so on. The development of alchemy level required a country to cultivate for a long and deep time. Some countries might have military power on paper, and their development in all aspects was very good, but they could not even make a magic conversion, such as the current Trade Federation.
Looking at the leopard through a tube, one could imagine what the Blackwing Empire was like now, but this country was only founded less than a hundred years ago. How did it do it?
The voice of the Black Tusks commander pulled him back to reality from his thoughts. "Stop firing, observe the field of vision, correct the trajectory, move forward, and prepare for the second round of bombardment!"
"How is this unit?" Charles Charlie came to his side and asked.
"Elite." Rune gave a positive evaluation.
"Of course."
Charles nodded with a smug look on his face. "It's one of the most important troops in the kingdom. I spent a lot of money to build it. Each of these pilots is a royal knight of noble character who was carefully selected."
"Pilots?"
"You don't think that these weapons don't need people to operate, right?
That's terrible. "
Charles said, "When we bought the Black Tusks from the Empire, the Empire gave us a one-year training course. Only students who have obtained the pilot qualification of Blackwing can operate these weapons.
Oh, yes, they will also send a maintenance team, saying something like … logistical support. Although the food and accommodation of these guys are taken care of by the royal family, I have to say that the Empire has done this very well. "
"You mean …" Rune pondered for a moment and asked, "These were all bought from the Blackwing Empire?
They sold you this kind of thing? "
At first, Rune took it for granted that this was the Blackwing Empire's army that had sneaked into Ayrsala. But now, after listening to Charles, it seemed that this was not the case. These weapons came from Blackwing, but now they were owned by Aiyo.
With his worldview and knowledge, of course, it was difficult for him to understand the Blackwing Empire's behavior of selling these things as commodities. It should be known that each of these Black Tusks was a terrible weapon with amazing power. If it were him, he would hide it well as a secret. How could he easily give it to others?
"Ally channel, 300,000 gold." Charles stretched out two fingers. "One.
But they don't sell it alone. They say that this thing must be used in an organization, so they sell it in packs of ten each time. In addition, both parties have to sign an agreement and pay a deposit of the same amount to ensure that these weapons will not be used against themselves. "
"Then how many did you buy?" Rune asked.
"Here, just these."
Charles raised his chin and said, "We can't not buy them, because everyone is arming themselves with these weapons. Some countries are so militaristic that they can only buy 50 Black Fangs at most. However, the high-ranking lords and I have calculated for a long time. This is already the limit that Aiyo can support at the moment."