My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 153

"We have a military force of about 70,000 men. But in reality, we can only trust our regular army of 20,000 men and the Sarkaz mercenaries from Kazdel of 10,000 men."

"It doesn't matter. In war, besides filling the front lines, the most important thing about elite troops is to concentrate superior forces to attack the enemy's weaknesses... Sigh, but this is urban warfare. If Duke Nikolai really brings his landships over, the actual battlefield width we can engage in is still too narrow."

"Yes."

Kosichello was worried about the battlefield width issue. After all, battlefield width is... ahaha, quite troublesome.

for example.

When the cities of the Duchy of Kosiché and the Duchy of Nikolai collide, for various reasons, a narrow, interconnected bridgehead will form at the point where the eastern part of the Duchy of Kosiché collides with the Duchy of Nikolai.

Perhaps that bridgehead was far too large for an ordinary passerby—but for an army of hundreds of thousands, it was far too cramped.

They simply couldn't fully deploy their troops in this terrain. The battlefield width was only 3 people, so they could only deploy a maximum of 3 people, even if you had an army of 5—the place wasn't big enough, and no matter how much you squeezed, you couldn't squeeze that many people in!

It's not like the petite Kosiché and her husband now—he can squeeze in and think it's great, but what can the army do? Until there are losses at the front, those standing at the back can only watch helplessly, or go to support the war elsewhere.

So after much consideration... if the future battlefields of the Duchy of Kosiché and the Duchy of Nikolay are too narrow, it's not good news for Kosiché.

On the one hand, the war will drag on for several more months—especially if Duke Nikolai only attacks from one location and then uses other districts to block the exit route of the Koschei duchy. This is not good news for Koschei: it means she will be tied down and forced into a difficult tug-of-war.

On the other hand... if the battlefield is too narrow, even if His Majesty the Emperor's army comes, unless they can open up a new front, everyone will still have to fight to the death in this narrow place, and it may take a year to finish the battle.

...Both of these points are not good for Kosichek, but overall, the narrow battlefield width is not without its advantages.

At the very least, she could withstand Duke Nikolai's attack for quite some time by having her elite divisions defend the front lines and her militia divisions replenish them as needed—provided that Duke Nikolai only committed his forces to those few narrow bridgeheads.

Chapter 81

Compared to the military issues that Kosiché had to deal with, the livelihood issues that Yang Hao had to address seemed less difficult—meaning, in his eyes, they weren't that difficult. After all, with the assistance of the invincible [Puppet Stage], and being able to directly control the people under his command, those issues of public sentiment that were difficult for politicians to control were like clay that he could mold at will.

However, this doesn't mean he can solve the problem simply by staying home and wandering around! After all, if possible, besides using the [Puppet Stage] to control the citizens to leave those districts that were judged to be destroyed in the instant of the explosion, Yang Hao also hoped to see if he could obtain some [Event Rewards] by personally investigating.

but--

"Hmm? Are we going over there? Mr. Yang Hao, would you please stay with the Templar Knights and my juniors? I'll go and ask them for you."

"Hey you over there? Okay, sir, please stay in a safe place. I'll take care of it."

"And...that? Um...I don't quite understand, could you tell me what to do?"

...

Sonia's mother?

Aren't you too worried about my safety?

Watching Sonia's mother's retreating figure as she forced herself to stay in a safe place for the fourth time before going to gather intelligence, Yang Hao, under the pitying gazes of the Templar Knights and the younger Deepsea Hunters, sighed heavily, feeling both amused and exasperated.

He truly hadn't expected that Sonia's doting affection would become the biggest obstacle preventing him from investigating the "incident." And what was most crucial was that he really couldn't say anything, because in this emergency... Yang Hao himself absolutely couldn't afford to get hurt.

So, to prevent him from getting into trouble, it seems like there's nothing wrong with Sonia doing it herself? But the problem is, if I don't go there in person, won't Miss Elegy help me by creating some events to reward me?

But Miss Elegy, really, why go through all this trouble? Wouldn't it have been better to just give me the gift directly?

"Forehead..."

"grown ups?"

"It's nothing. I just suddenly have a bit of a headache..."

His lips twitched, wondering if he was having more and more headaches lately. Sure enough, he needed to put his ascension on the agenda as soon as possible—speaking of which, was Sonia's mother coming back?

Yang Hao sighed again, looking up at Sonia's mother approaching from not far away. He thought to himself, "I must persevere! I must persevere in my work!"

Yang Hao, you can't keep being spoiled like this. You're the kind of man who's going to turn Ursus and Duke Kosichear into a one-man show in Terra!

Never let yourself be spoiled like this again—

Yang Hao's internal assessment hadn't lasted more than a few minutes when Sonia's mother returned, gently telling him everything that had happened, and affectionately patting Yang Hao's head with a maternal touch to reward this good boy...

Um...

This seems pretty good?

For a moment, he really decided to just stay apathetic—but when he thought of Koschche who was still working hard, when he thought of little Hela, and when he thought that he would have to go to the House of Lament again tomorrow—he swallowed hard.

“Um, Sonia? I need to go and see for myself.” Therefore, after Sonia finished explaining all the information, he tried to remain calm and thought for a while, finally deciding to use the reason that “your description is not intuitive enough” to get Sonia’s mother to allow him to go and see the situation in those detached districts. “You’re just saying that, I haven’t actually seen the situation and I don’t know what’s going on—let me go, okay? No matter how much protection you provide, you can’t do this.”

"Ms. Kosichelle told me to protect you, Mr. Yang Hao? Besides, that area has been unstable since the mobilization order was issued, you really can't go there."

"Huh? Unstable? I have received the message, but... never mind, I think I understand."

The reason why the people in the salient urban area were unsettled was largely because the residents there knew that they would become victims of the clash between the two cities, and that their homes would become bridgeheads that both armies would have to fight over—which is why they felt uneasy and unstable.

In this situation, if Duke Yang Hao went in and failed to provide these unsettled people with a reassuring answer, he could very well face unforeseen danger—though, given his current prestige within his own territory, this possibility was extremely slim. However, his doting mother, Sonia, was unwilling to allow him to take even the slightest risk, so...

Yang Hao's eyes darted around for a while, and finally, mustering his courage, he reached out and ruffled Sonia's mother's hair:

"I trust you can protect me, so... please let me through."

Sonia's mother frowned. She was about to scold her child for not prioritizing his own safety when she saw Yang Hao bow his head to her with a sincere expression.

"So please, Sonia—I trust you."

"...Really...sigh. Just this once?"

That's enough!

Sure enough, the gentle mother couldn't refuse her child's pleas. But then again—does that mean Sonia won't settle scores later?

If something really happens to Yang Hao this time, he might not be able to find any opportunity to work outside under her protection in the future.

But this time, obtaining permission was enough. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led his guards into the district—

really.

The moment he stepped into the bustling salient of the city, a new event popped up.

[Event: Unstable Area]

Upon learning of the impending decisive battle with Duke Nikolai, the residents of the outlying salient facing the direction of the Duke's main force were filled with unease. They weren't concerned about whether their hard-earned fortunes would be crushed in the fierce clash between the towns, but they were worried that the two dukes would simply abandon them—they didn't need much; just being housed would suffice.

'Although I lack land here, there's definitely no problem cramming a few more people into some resettlement areas.'

See, see? Only when I come here do Miss Elegy create a series of events to reward me!

He breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his back, and while figuring out how to resettle the residents of the salient urban areas, he also decided to fortify these salient urban areas into impregnable fortresses.

Chapter 82

That evening, while Yang Hao had settled the evacuation area of ​​the people in the salient city and planned the entire salient city as a fortress area in preparation for the test of the soldiers of Duke Nicolai who were not far away, Kosichrie was solemnly organizing the latest intelligence she had obtained in the audience hall. Beside her, her head maid Monica was serving her and had to occasionally quiet Hela down so that she could study the work she might need to do when she grew up.

"...Monica, how much alcohol do we have in our territory?"

"Eh? This... well, because we are a city in Ursus, our alcohol reserves—at least our reserves of strong alcoholic beverages—are very ample. Lord Koschche, and you are?"

"For some reason, Duke Nikolai's flesh puppets are afraid of the threat posed by alcohol... I speculate that the alcohol splashed on them has a [disinfecting] or [evaporating] effect... If it's the former, items that can disinfect on a large scale should also be very effective against these puppets. If it's the latter... could we consider creating an unfavorable battlefield environment for them by raising the battlefield temperature?"

Duke Kosiché frowned and muttered to himself. Once she was in working mode, she finally revealed the true appearance of an immortal black serpent—not a twenty-something married kitten in the throes of new love.

She deduced the potential weaknesses of the flesh golems through some details—but she also knew that her plans could not keep up with changes. So, in order to obtain more intelligence, she ordered a group of soldiers to conduct an armed reconnaissance mission against the main force of the Nikolai Duchy, to see if they could obtain what she wanted.

But how to say it?

Although the soldiers sent out returned on the same day, their reports were understandably urgent: because the Nikolai Duchy had fewer cities than the Kosice Duchy, their movement speed was certainly faster. Therefore, it was expected that within two days, the Kosice Duchy would be overtaken, and those standing on the defensive walls would be able to see a sea of ​​red-clad troops surging towards them.

This is one aspect of the urgent need for intelligence. On the other hand, their armed reconnaissance, after losing approximately twenty men, did indeed obtain a considerable amount of useful intelligence:

1. Although Duke Nikolai's troops have undergone a large number of mutations, alcohol remains the greatest threat to the flesh golems. However, apart from the flesh golems, other soldiers are unaffected by alcohol—even those mutated beyond recognition.

2. Duke Nikolai's troops have seen a large number of new species that were not mentioned in previous intelligence.

For example, there are parasites that can use their intestines as ropes to spew dozens of meters out of their mouths, living on flesh puppets.

For example, there are the "elite" soldiers who have become one with their armor, and whose human form can still be barely discerned, yet they still appear eerie and robust.

For example... some strange [facilities].

"The floating hearts covered in eyes are one thing... but how come their cities are gradually being taken over by skin and muscle tissue? That corruption might require intense heat to eradicate... and that stuff could infect our cities, so besides combustible Originium products, we also need large quantities of flammable alcohol..."

"If that's the case, our alcohol reserves might not be enough... but if we can burn off what you call 'corrosive substances' by burning wood or coal, instead of necessarily needing alcohol... we should be able to last quite a while longer?"

"...This requires a lot of calculation. Sigh...what time is it now?"

"It's 7:20 PM now. If nothing unexpected happens, Lord Yang Hao should be back soon—should we go back to our palace to rest?"

"...No. I have some work to take care of. My dear will probably come directly to me later."

"Yes."

Kosichrie grabbed Hela, who was running around aimlessly, and placed her on her lap under her bewildered gaze. She sighed heavily, then continued to look at the plan in front of her, weary but serious, lost in thought.

Plans can never keep up with changes... Although we have gathered the latest intelligence, who knows what other great treasures Duke Nikolai might pull out?

I need to have some backup plans... she pondered, what kind of backup plans could I keep on my territory?

Naval guns? Haha—naval guns are fine to destroy if the enemy is a small town with only one district.

The problem is that the enemy is also a large mobile city—even if the naval guns can destroy the urban area in front of it, they still cannot penetrate the wreckage of the urban area in front of it to cause any damage to its core city.

Moreover, naval guns would be crucial defensive structures that both sides would destroy first in the initial assault. Therefore, the possibility of repelling the Duchy of Nikolai through naval gunfire was extremely slim.

So, what should we do?

What backup plans can I keep?

Kosichä frowned. Just as she was considering her backup plan—she suddenly remembered some political resources she could utilize regarding her heir, Miss Karina...

Miss Karina's family has close ties with some nobles in Letania and Victoria. If we could directly use her body to command a group of the free mercenaries from both countries to stab Duke Nikolai in the back during the chaos, that would be ideal.

However, Koschke was aware of the risks involved, so she needed to discuss it with her beloved husband.

Furthermore, even if Hela's experiment succeeds, she still needs time to prepare—even if she collects the required number of souls, it will still take her over twenty days to prepare a ritual. Therefore, it seems we on our side also need to minimize the risks Hela might face...

"Aunt Kosiché—!"

"...Sigh. Your father isn't home yet, can you be good?"

She sighed and patted Hela's forehead. She gave up on getting Hela to call her "Mom"—she'd just wait until the little bat came over and had him do it then.

"But—Aunt Koschke seems to have something on her mind?"

Hela squinted, squirming restlessly on Koschei's lap. Head Maid Monica, seeing this, smiled wryly and tried to pick Hela up, but was refused by Lord Koschei.

"Yes, I am indeed troubled by some very important things—so can Hela be a little quieter?"

"But, but—if Aunt Koschei hadn't told me, I wouldn't know if I could have helped."

She shook her head, the small sickle she was holding swaying dangerously up and down with her movements.

Faced with Hela's curious question, Koschei just smiled wryly and rubbed Hela's forehead. Then, with the intention of "it's okay to talk about it," she explained to Hela the problems she was facing—the trouble caused by the alien soldiers of the Duke of Nikolai, and the potential impact of the "corruption" existing in their city on their city.

Kosich's question made Hela blink, and then Hela said that she seemed to have a way to solve those things.

"...You think you have the ability to solve this?"

Kosichrie paused for a moment, then pointed to the photo of the city corrupted by blood and flesh in the intelligence photos on the table: "Do you have a way to deal with this kind of thing?"

"Because—it looks like an aggregate of many souls~"

Hela nodded. In her childish voice, she indicated that she could solve anything that involved a soul or was based on a soul—but the problem was that the city seemed far too large.

Hela could manage to prevent the Duchy of Koschche from being corrupted by those vile aggregates of souls. But she couldn't solve the corruption in the city while simultaneously conducting the ceremony her father desired.

"Well, after all, Dad wants the ritual I hold to consume too much stuff. While I can distract myself and prevent other spirits from approaching my location, I won't be able to cleanse the spirits there under such restrictive conditions."

"...In other words, Hela, if you hadn't performed the ritual, could you have cleansed the Nikolai Duchy of the lands?"

"Mmm! But..."

"but?"

"But if I do that, I might have to sleep for a very long time. After all, absorbing so many souls..."

Hela patted her stomach, a conflicted expression on her face, and finally managed to squeeze out these few words:

"It will make my stomach uncomfortable."

"...I see."

This means she has come to understand another major characteristic of Hela's body—although Koschke finds the idea of ​​Hela digesting souls as food somewhat...amusing and exasperating, she has nonetheless come to understand the limitations and secrets within Hela.

While Hela holds the ceremony, she can prevent the corruption from the Nikolai Duchy from spreading along the border between the two cities to the Kosichean Duchy—that will be enough.