Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 365 The Human Kingdom's Military Shortage! Forbidden Zone Danger Level! (Bonus Chapter)

"—In addition to this, the King has also sent us thirty of the latest Dragon Breath Heavy Cannons."

"Sixty thousand troops? And dragon breath cannons?" Scholar John breathed a sigh of relief. "If the equipment arrives normally, then I'm relieved!"

Jon grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Old John, don't worry, the King is one of our own. You focus on handling logistics and the soldiers' medical care. Don't worry about anything else. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Even if the sky falls, we'll be the first to hold it up."

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Old John hesitated for a moment, looking at Jon's feigned ease, before saying, "My lord, I am not worried about your command abilities, nor do I trust the King's character! But the large-scale celestial energy convergence has only been increasing for a short time before entering the second stage—this reminds me and some of my colleagues of the turbulent and dark years of the past!"

Jon's expression immediately turned ugly.

The so-called turbulent and dark ages were an absolute catastrophe for humanity on the continent abandoned by the gods.

According to the records of the human kingdoms, when the turbulent Dark Ages came, their population was nearly wiped out.

If it weren't for the help of the Holy Star and other forces, the Forsaken Continent would have long become a forbidden land for humanity.

"Impossible, right?"

"Lord Yorn! The energy from this celestial convergence has increased far too rapidly. News has come from the Citadel that other regions have also detected varying degrees of energy fluctuations. I feel that this is far more—far more serious—than any previous major disaster."

Old John looked around to make sure no one was there before saying, "I—I even suspect some forbidden areas have been vandalized."

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"Impossible!" John shook his head violently. "Don't demoralize the troops; the situation hasn't reached that point yet!"

"My lord, we need to be more prepared! You must know that the civil war of the past two years has cost us nearly a million elite soldiers. The younger generation has also suffered heavy losses. The kingdom is now beset by internal and external troubles, and now this has happened at Blood Gate. We must be on guard!"

John patted the other man on the shoulder again: "Old John, the new king is a great king, a great warrior! Now that all the mad king's supporters have been dealt with, the foundation of the kingdom is as solid as a rock, and the Blood Gate will stand firm and never fall!"

After hearing this, old John's worried expression remained.

The new king is very powerful, but he can't solve the immediate problem!

Blood Gate is a massive fortress built amidst towering mountains. Thanks to the enhancement of magic and various alchemical golems, it is entirely constructed from materials such as steel, cement, magic-absorbing stones, magic crystals, and dragon crystals.

This fortress is not primarily tasked with blocking invaders from all directions, but rather with defending against invasions from another world, or serving as an outpost for infiltrating and invading into another world.

Behind the Blood Gate lies a rich and magical world, but it is not ruled by humans; instead, it is inhabited by a group of viper-men.

Historical records show that the two sides have been at war for over 3300 years. Each time a major celestial event occurred, the two sides would engage in a war that lasted for nearly ten or even several decades.

Over the past few thousand years, there have been many grudges and feuds between the two worlds and their respective ethnic groups, which cannot be explained in a short time.

Only after the large-scale celestial convergence event ends can both sides enjoy a relatively peaceful period of peace.

Of course, that's only relative.

During the convergence of the large celestial domes, the spacetime rift becomes extremely large, increasing from the usual ten meters to several hundred meters, which can accommodate more beings from both worlds to cross over.

Moreover, the side effects of cross-border transportation and the rate of soldier loss will be reduced to a minimum.

By the way, because the other world is a great world that can be developed, the angels previously built a very special defense mechanism.

In normal times, humans can enter the world of the snake people through the cracks in the sky, but entering the world of the snake people is extremely dangerous!

Under normal circumstances, only when the large celestial domes converge and the powerful spacetime rifts cease to be dangerous can the two realms begin to fight each other and plunder resources.

The snake-people race from another world once conquered parts of the abandoned continent of the gods.

Humans have defeated their opponents many times.

On some occasions, humans have even cooperated with snake people to fight against even more evil beings!

"John, don't look so gloomy!"

As John comforted him like a son, the wrinkles on Old John's face became even more pronounced in the evening glow.

He pondered for a long time, but instead of answering directly, he said, "Sir, you should remember the records in the Blood Gate's history books about the last major celestial convergence, right?"

Yorn paused for a moment, then leaned awkwardly against the cold battlements, took out a pack of expensive tobacco from his pocket, but didn't light it, just put it in his mouth.

"Why bring this up?"

During the last three hundred years, which coincided with a major celestial convergence, the Fire Dragon Dynasty was not only militarily strong but also extremely powerful.

Before the Great Celestial Convergence closed, their pioneering forces had occupied large swathes of territory in the Serpent People's World.

With the arrival of the new era, the human kingdoms were even prepared to explore the world of snake people on a large scale.

Who knew that not long after the space-time rift opened, what rushed in was not the pioneering force that humans had once sent to the snake-people world, but the snake-people themselves.

The enemy has launched a counterattack against the human kingdom.

Since the enemy has launched a counterattack against the human kingdom, it means that the pioneering forces that invaded hundreds of years ago are probably all dead!

Jon crushed the unlit cigar hard in his palm, tobacco dust leaking through his fingers.

"Old John, don't make me look bad like this! I used to think the Snake People's World would be our lifeline, a badge of honor, fresh meat for the family. Now, it's become a bottomless pit, a meat grinder that only takes in and never gives out!"

"Yes, that's the problem." Old John's voice lowered further. "Based on the current energy fluctuations, the scale and duration of this celestial convergence will far exceed that of three hundred years ago. The spacetime rift near us is widening! We're already suffering huge losses, if—"

Old John didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Humans, especially Yorn and his group, are in great danger at this moment.

Although the snake people of this other world are weak, they can work together to fight against them.

Meanwhile, the human dragon kingdom is unable to concentrate its forces to deal with the snake people world due to various problems.

"What are you afraid of? We have reinforcements!" Jon straightened up, brushing the tobacco dust off his hands. "Don't overthink it. Old John, guard the Blood Gate, that's our mission!"

Old John was about to speak when a long, deep horn sounded from ahead.

Not one, but two short horn blasts.

They're reinforcements; they actually arrived several days ahead of schedule?

Jon's spirits lifted, the gloom from before vanished, and he strode towards the city walls.

"Come on, old John, let's go see the fine lads the King sent us!"

When Jon arrived at the fortress gate with a squad of his personal guards and saw the dusty procession, the anticipation on his face froze instantly.

The column was sparse and stretched for miles, but the formation was loose. The soldiers looked pale and their armor was of various styles. There was no runic power armor, nor any cannons or muskets.

Some of the people in Jon were even carrying farm tools.

This wasn't the elite warrior with gleaming armor he had imagined.

This is definitely a group of strong farmers just dragged from the fields!

This was a scene he had only witnessed during the most brutal period of the usurper's war the previous year.

"Lord Yorn, this is an army of ten thousand, and we will recruit another ten thousand! They are the last batch of reinforcements for the next year. Please train them well; they will be responsible for assisting you in defending the Blood Gate!"

"What's going on?!" Yorn grabbed the quartermaster by the collar, practically shouting, "Didn't the king send 60,000 elite troops? How come he gave me 10,000 who can't even hold their weapons properly? And what about the defensive equipment? What about the dragon breath heavy cannons the king promised, and the elite flying legion?!"

"My lord, please calm down!"

The young quartermaster, looking distressed, pulled out a transfer order stamped with the king's wax seal from his pocket.

"My lord, this is the king's order. The third forbidden area of ​​the Northern Ice and Snow Great Wall suffered large-scale damage the day before yesterday. Ancient evil creatures are attempting to descend upon the kingdom again. The situation is extremely urgent. Therefore, the three elite legions originally scheduled to support the Blood Gate, along with new heavy artillery and various equipment, have all been urgently transferred to the north yesterday."

The quartermaster's voice grew softer and softer.

Jon looked at the letter stamped with the king's wax seal, tore it open, and then examined its contents.

Then, the letter slipped from his hand.

Old John quickly picked it up, and his pupils constricted immediately after reading what was written on it.

The North?

The Great Wall of Ice and Snow?

Those nine forbidden zones of time and space that even legendary gods and angels could not completely seal off?

Those were the nine most deep and deadliest forbidden zones in time and space, out of the hundreds of festering wounds within the kingdom.

Every time a large celestial convergence occurs, it becomes a bottomless vortex that devours life; it is a true meat grinder, so brutal that even poetry dares only to gloss over it with vague words.

It turned out to be the case.

The reinforcements have all gone to support them!

Damn it, why did the celestial convergence erupt at this moment?!

The civil war caused them heavy losses, turning many wealthy territories into scorched earth, slaughtering countless civilians, and killing hundreds of thousands of their most elite and loyal warriors like pigs.

This is an era when the kingdom is extremely weak, and within its borders, Blood Gate is not the only leaky hole.

Long before the large celestial convergence occurred, other elite troops had already been dispatched to various places to act as firefighters!

Even the supposedly impregnable Great Wall of Ice and Snow has encountered problems in its forbidden areas —

Yorn looked back at the majestic pass behind him, which resembled a wounded behemoth under the blood-red sunset, and then at the group of reinforcements in front of him whose faces still bore the marks of rural life, who couldn't even stand in formation and probably couldn't even tell left from right. Despair and frustration spread through his heart!

"Sir—" Old John asked from beside him.

Jorn ignored him, letting out a short, strange laugh, like a fishbone stuck in his throat: "Old John, I'm fine! Actually, I consider this an honor bestowed upon me by the King!"

He said something out of the blue.

Old John felt even heavier-hearted.

"We are the kingdom's shield, its protectors, old John." Jon spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice not loud, yet sending a chill down the spines of the guards around him. "Gentlemen, the kingdom has nurtured us for decades, but its future is fraught with danger. The time has come to prove your loyalty!"

Old John's lips moved, and the other guards, upon hearing Jon's words, also felt very distressed.

The kingdom has too many problems right now.

The reinforcements in front of them, who could barely hold their weapons, were probably the only force they could mobilize at the moment.

They must be trained!

Even if it costs a lot of resources and time, we will spare no effort to train them.

Compared to the snake-men army that has not yet broken out and relies mainly on numbers to win, the forbidden areas in other regions are actually more dangerous.

In the kingdom's vast strategic defense map, the greatest danger actually lies with our human friends on the Eastern Continent.

They desperately wanted to expand their territory in this godforsaken place. However, for various reasons, this place, like the ancient malaria-ridden and dangerous Qiongzhou, was a haven for criminals and the downtrodden.

The first defensive echelon consists of the nine sealed forbidden areas of the Great Wall of Ice and Snow.

Because the Dragon Empire had a good relationship with the former Fire Dragon Dynasty, and some nobles there were even distant relatives.

Following the occurrence of the large celestial conjunction, all parts of the Sacred Star entered a state of instability.

Everyone is busy minding their own business and has no time to pay attention to external issues.

Within the God-Forsaken Continent, the highest levels of danger and protection are found in the nine sealed forbidden areas of the Ice and Snow Great Wall, and the three forbidden areas in the south.

Blood Gate, a type of spacetime rift, is neither particularly dangerous nor particularly dangerous, but it can provide a lot of resources, making it a second-tier forbidden area.

If unforeseen circumstances arise elsewhere, this place might even become a discarded pawn.

Because the area around the Blood Gate is mostly mountainous and rich in minerals, but has relatively little arable land, even if it is temporarily abandoned, the human kingdom still has many strategic defense nodes.

The God-Forsaken Continent has existed for countless years, and there are definitely more than just the Blood Gate as a large military fortress and castle.

However, when narrowed down to human families, the Blood Gate is the core of the Yorn family and the absolute foundation for their family's continued strength.

"Pass down the order," Yorn's voice gradually calmed, like a stagnant pool, "scatter all ten thousand peasants. Stuff them into the garrison battalion, let them replenish their nutrition, and familiarize themselves with military matters!"

"Sir, this—they haven't even started training! They haven't taken any medicine either, they're completely—"

Jon waved his hand firmly, his eyes resolute: "Scholar John, we don't have time to think things through. Even if they're unqualified, it's not acceptable. Those damned Snakemen won't give us time. I suspect their probing should be over soon."

Old John sighed.

"Big, you go and get the roster of new recruits too. Pick out all the butchers, hunters, and doctors separately, and line them up in a separate row!"

"yes!"

Looking at the busy crowd, Jon turned solemnly to the worried old scholar John: "Scholar John! The King is responsible for the defense of the entire territory and is temporarily unable to send reinforcements. But this is our homeland, and Blood Gate Fortress needs your initiative!"

Are you prepared to call for additional reinforcements?

'

"Yes, we need not only more soldiers, but also more supplies! And let's open the family warehouse. We need to transform these ten thousand warriors into qualified soldiers."

"My lord, this is too costly, and your previous actions won't make it easy to find allies!"

Yorn: "————"

John's words made Jon blush with embarrassment.

To my shame, Jon had wanted to eat alone, and now he was reaping the bitter fruit of his actions.

The reason is simple: three hundred years ago, the previous Fire Dragon Dynasty led a coalition army to invade the Snake People's World, established a complete and extremely strong base, and recruited millions of people to explore the other world.

Yorn had assumed that the celestial convergence would resume after several hundred years, and that by excluding members of other families, they could make money effortlessly.

Who would have thought that, hundreds of years later, the once incredibly powerful human pioneering group would be wiped out?

Not only that, the snake people actually launched a counterattack!

This time, Jon and his family were completely at odds.

It should be noted that not long after the large celestial convergence appeared, the Yorn family, who had benefited from the war by following the usurper, took advantage of their achievements and used various methods to prevent the family, which had sent soldiers hundreds of years ago, from entering the Snake People's world to expand.

They were trying to gain more benefits.

Unfortunately, the snake people destroyed all the foundations that humans had built in this other world.

What was supposed to be a strategy to make the family stronger has instead led to a crisis of death for the family.

Some might even be quite happy to know that the Yorn family is doomed.

With no reinforcements from the kingdom, the Yorn family should stop thinking about hoarding their wealth. Their primary task is to distribute their family fortune, recruit people to defend the fortress, and strive to protect the Yorn family's core assets.

Blood Gate is Yorn's territory, and behind Yorn is the Duke of the Valley.

The loss of the Blood Gate was a significant blow to the Duke of the Valley, but for the Yorn family, it was a devastating blow.

Yorn will not abandon the land where his family prospered.

"John, stop talking about that! Faced with the risk of our entire clan being wiped out by assassins, we had no choice!" Yorn rubbed his temples in pain. "Also, old John, prepare more handwritten letters. We need to establish business partnerships with our neighbors! Let's share some of our profits with them!"

Seeing the pain on Jon's face, old John sighed, "Alright!"

Soon, a large number of letters were sent to the nearby human noble territories.

When the nobles of the Southern Human Kingdom saw that the insatiably greedy Yorn had promised to fairly distribute the resources they had obtained from the Serpent People's World in order to protect the Blood Gate and ensure the safety of the fortress, many nobles were tempted.

More than 300 kilometers away, inside the fortress belonging to the Redford family.

"Yorn, the Bronze-level miser from the Blood Gate, is actually willing to give up his current gains and request our reinforcements!"

While inside his luxurious house, Earl Redford listened to the scholar reading the letters aloud, and looked at the farmer kneeling on the ground, his face filled with fear and frantically begging for mercy. He said directly to him, "When you borrowed the money, I told you that if you didn't repay it, I could only leave you with some traces—"

"Speak, Your Excellency," the Earl said, walking towards the other man.

"My lord, spare me! Please spare me! I'll make you more money, I'll make you more money!"

"No, if everyone is unable to repay on time, then everyone in the Earl's territory will become a deadbeat."

"Speak," the Earl said, holding a small knife, and walked towards the other party.

He used a sharp dagger to cut open the other person's chin, and then pulled out the other person's still-begging tongue from below.

A blood tie, which the count considered exceptionally beautiful, was thus created!

Seeing the other person's miserable appearance, the count laughed happily.

"See, this is what happens when you break your promise."

"Tie him up and parade him around so others can see the consequences of not paying back debts."

"Yes, Your Excellency!"