Fifty kilometers north of the Fortress of Rinfeng, Togras Fortress.

The army of the Rhine Empire had already assembled here. Leviathan-class airships like floating islands were suspended directly above the fortress. Thousands of artillery were arranged in the rear positions. Tens of thousands of soldiers rushed into the trenches in front of the fortress, mounting the heavy fire god guns behind the bunkers made of sandbags and armor plates. The copper pipes used to supply steam extended to a hundred meters away...

The Emperor had already prepared for the war, but their enemies did not arrive as promised.

To everyone's surprise, after conquering the Floating Ice Harbor, the Northern Federation did not use this sharp force to move south... On the contrary, they even took back all the small elite troops sent out to harass the logistics line of the Rhine Empire, as if they were about to defend the Floating Ice Harbor.

"Are these barbarians... planning to fight for consumption with us?" On the watchtower of Togras Fortress, two old men wearing brocade cloaks stood side by side. They were wearing the uniforms of the Imperial General, but there was no seal on their shoulders. Even the spike-like tassels that should have on the chest of the general's uniform were removed. Judging from the outfit alone, they could not guess the ranks of the two.

However, judging from the respectful expressions on the faces of the two major general-level adjutants who followed them, these two old men are definitely people at the peak of the empire's power... And in the military, anyone who can have such a high position is covered with skeletons as tired as a mountain.

"Hmph, consumption? They are worthy of it too?" another old man said with a little disdain.

When the war machines of the Rhine Empire were fully launched, even if they were not fought, they would be consumed every day, and the daily material consumption would be an incalculable astronomical figure. The permanent military force of the empire was about 250,000. However, during the war, through the reservist period, the mobilization of local troops and noble private troops, plus temporary recruitment of mercenaries, etc., this number could expand to more than one million in just one month. As for the military budget, it could rise to ten times that of non-war periods... or even more.

A long time ago, famous scholars have proposed that war is not only the military forces of both sides, but also the showdown of economic forces between the two sides. War economics has long become an independent course in various military academies of the Empire.

The standing army is not for production. An ordinary imperial light infantry, from clothing, weapons, ammunition to various daily consumables, including food, accommodation and military pay, the military expenditure requires taxes from at least eight imperial citizens to support it. In a state of war, this number will rise to more than fifteen. If the war lasts for more than one year, then this number will even become larger.

As for some more well-equipped troops, the military expenditure required is more... Even the private army trained by the nobles, after being incorporated into the imperial team, the military expenditure is fully borne by the imperial team.

Even if the Northern Federation does not actively march into the empire's hinterland, as long as this continues, it takes two or three years to complete the economic system within the empire, and at that time, even the most solid fortress will be destroyed.

But the problem is... it is not only the empire that wants to pay for the war. The soldiers of the northern Federation also have to eat, and their guns also need to be replenished with bullets and gunpowder. Moreover, the federal army is fighting across the sea, while the imperial army is fighting locally. The logistics supply line of the federal army is much longer than that of the imperial army. The consumption required to be carried out during the transportation of materials has even exceeded the value of the materials themselves.

If we talk about consuming it, the Northern Federation should be the ones that cannot be afforded. The dozen attacks they failed before were all because of the problems with material supply, so they had to withdraw troops from the north coast of the empire.

"Yes... It's amazing that the bitter and cold land of the Permafrost Islands can raise such a large army. With such a long cross-sea supply line, these barbarians should be more anxious than us." The first old man spoke again.

"If you want to fight, fight, and if you want to consume, is it possible that my Rhine Empire is still afraid of these barbarians!"

...

...

Huangquan Training Camp, Linfeng Fort Base.

"We only have one month... only one month! How could we train a qualified assassin? To be honest, if possible, I would like to replace Ash to get rid of the traitor, but the above name to ask you to perform this task, and we have no way to do it... Damn, those old people are clearly going to disband the Eleventh Period of Huangquan! No matter what, Black Bee, this kid is handed over to you, you torture him casually, no, train him, I would rather he suffer a little more now than seeing his body hanging on the wall of Floating Ice Harbor in a month." Yuri said swearing, while sorting out the various equipment and equipment he brought. Ashes even saw a light single-soldier power armor in it that Soya had used.

"I have no idea either." The black bee shook her head, "A month is too short."

"Is there any assassin's quick training materials or something?" Yuri raised his head and smeared the oil stains on his fingers on the hem of his clothes.

"No, there is no quick-acting statement for this profession, unless you call the guy who rushes up to die with this kind of courage and dies as an assassin." The black bee hugged her arms, and her sharp and cold eyes kept looking at the Ashes.

Although the black bee's eyes were floating and not fixed at a certain point, Ash found that when his eyes swept across his throat, heart and other key points, he would feel a clear sting. This feeling made his hair stand upside down, as if the other party would pounce over at any time and stab something sharp into those key points.

"What should we do? Then we will watch this kid go to die? Or should we just admit defeat?" Yuri looked helpless.

"Assassin cannot be cultivated in a month... but this task does not require an assassin to complete. Can you kill someone?" The black bee suddenly asked the ashes.

"Yes." Ash replied.

Of course he would kill people. If he didn't, he would have been killed in the quarantine area long ago.

"That's good... There are many ways to kill a person. One gun can do it, one knife can do it, one stick, one stone, or even one with both hands alone. The human body is very fragile. Killing a person is not as difficult as imagined. The vital points on the human body are not just a few places."

Before he finished speaking, a matte-tight sting appeared in the black bee's hand. The other end of the sting was against the side ribs of the ashes, and the sharp blade even silently cut the fabric of the training suit.

"You have been paying attention to my eyes, you have been wary of attacking your throat and heart, but in fact, this part is equally fatal, long enough to pass through your ribs and penetrate your lungs, you will lose the ability to resist within two seconds, feel suffocated within ten seconds, and blood will continue to flow back into your trachea..."
Chapter completed!