The Great North Capital of Muscovy
A large military camp and a sea of tents filled the flat, icy lands of the capital. Many years have changed the capital of the Muscovy kingdom, as steam rose to the sky and warm water flowed into the bathhouses and paved roads.
Both parties accepted the marriage proposal, and in exchange, the empire funded and provided equipment to upgrade the capital and surrounding cities. Although shocking, but not controversial, the High Queen ordered all nobles to surrender their administration and military rights over their lands. This was backed by the Forbidden Cavalry's intimidation tactics. A year ago, all nobles surrendered and were only allowed to have 200 soldiers as house guards. This made the entire kingdom prosper as the infrastructure and way of life were upgraded and improved.
Currently, Muscovy's Grand Royal Army has over 600,000 active soldiers equipped with gear donated by the empire. With the help of Axe and a group of military advisors, they were able to field a trained and fully equipped army. However, they know major losses are to be expected, so they are training reserves to make up for potential losses.
Axe was currently in a separate camp, in the Draconian armed forces' camp. Present were two Forbidden Cavalry corps and half of the 4th Legion, with the rest stationed on the frontlines. Axe was in the command tent, talking to his assistant.
"Where's the wedding taking place?" Axe asked.
"In the Grand Cathedral of the Empire and the Ever Frozen Temple in Muscovy," the secretary replied with a bit of sweat, even though the wind was cold.
"How many years are left?"
"Three, sir."
"So she's somewhat of a praised goddess here, and she has the strength to back it up," he said, knowing that she was in the demi-god realm and nearing the low god stage. He was already in the demi-god stage, near the peak.
Their conversation was cut short as a soldier entered.
"Commander, the Queen is holding the military procession and requested the Draconian Empire to participate, and you specifically," said the soldier with a bit of disgust.
The Draconian soldiers didn't like being in the limelight, displaying the empire's weapons just for show instead of using them in combat. Although they enjoyed a procession, it was better to be in the empire's land rather than on foreign soil.
"I see. Send a battalion of Forbidden Cavalry and a brigade of tanks along with infantry. Just give the excuse that I'm currently chatting with the Emperor," he said with a serious tone.
The reason he didn't want to meet for a while was that the woman was in her period, and she'd been pissed off for the past week. He had been avoiding her, taking on the position of transporting soldiers and equipment to escape.
But then the soldier came back.
"Um, sir, she knows you're lying, so you better go to her. If not, she will confiscate your vehicle parked in the underground garage," said the soldier, feeling a bit bad.
Realization struck Axe as he checked his pockets and found out that his keys to the pickup truck, the Raptor, weren't with him. He realized he had left them in the room.
"Damn it!" he angrily smashed the table and stood up, breaking it altogether.
He breathed in and out, and after a few seconds, he left the tent and walked to the rally point where the procession would take place. He saw the soldiers changing their gear to ceremonial clothes. The ceremonial clothes were also combat gear, second only to the main combat gear, with a hardened Stanhelm with an iron mask. They wore a combined material that could be used in all climates, with lightweight antimatter plate armor protecting vital parts. On their backs, they carried 2 liters of water with a hidden hose for drinking without using their hands. Their hardened leather boots had a special mechanism for climbing steep hills. Their vests were not quite heavy but could carry 6 magazines for their main battle rifles and 4 pistol magazines. Although the color of their uniforms depended on the climate of their deployment, they decided in the future they would wear a mix of dark and terrain colors to give a signature look.
As the procession started, the first to appear was the Queen, followed by the Royal Guard called the Varangian Guard, loyal men willing to die for her and future monarchs. The new military gear given and trained by the Draconian Empire equipped selected soldiers with bolt-action rifles and a few artillery pieces.
In the last row were the Forbidden Cavalry, their spears aimed high to the sky. Their towering figures and their breed of horses, which many nations tried to replicate but failed due to the expenses, were burdensome. Maintaining a company of them was costly, and the horses often died of exhaustion or disease.
In between the marching cavalrymen were APCs and tanks. Axe was seen at the very end with a serious face, but luckily his face was covered. As the procession ended, they quickly got serious and accelerated their march. Over 300,000 Muscovy soldiers awaited the last army group from the capital.
A few days later, the allied army split into four groups to cover more ground. Their first target was Fortress Balti, a frontier city housing 50,000 soldiers. As the army marched, the center of the left flank guard was a mix of tanks and cavalrymen. Axe was currently in a command vehicle, watching the formation march towards the fortress. He spotted a sore thumb in the footage 5 km away.
"Hey, give a closer look at that," he said, pointing to the mark he saw. When the drone got closer, he saw an entire army marching, likely to attack the Muscovy kingdom. This made Axe grab a mobile radio and speak.
"Hey Erik, I want a battalion of Forbidden Cavalrymen and a platoon of tanks to intercept the enemy army. I'm sending the coordinates. I'm going ahead first to assess the situation," he said, opening the door and quickly jumping to his mount. He redirected his horse and dashed through the trees.
A few minutes later, he saw the enemy army, blissfully unaware. Instead of waiting, he quickly capitalized. He pulled out two talismans, one with a blue hue and a horse insignia, the other with a red hue and a lion insignia. He threw the talismans forward; they instantly grew larger, and the writing flew onto his arms, transforming into the elements they represented.
A lion and a horse materialized next to him. He pulled out a third talisman, with pure black paper and pure yellow writing, and in the middle was an eagle spread out like thunder. An eagle materialized, and Axe drew two blades, preparing for combat. As his horse jumped and dove down, the eagle screamed, creating six lightning spheres that shot down the line, killing hundreds and disorienting others. As he landed, he started cutting them down with precision, ensuring they didn't stand up or see the light of day again.
For a few hours, the death count was in the thousands. Those who tried using numbers against Axe were killed by the eagle flying above, raining lightning projectiles. Soon, Draconian tanks emerged from the trees on both sides, starting a one-sided massacre as the cavalrymen swooped in, targeting the rear and vanguard units, preventing them from reinforcing the main line.
"No prisoners!" he shouted as he cut down another one, unleashing multiple attacks, destroying the surrounding parts. As the battle died down, the men started counting the bodies. After a few minutes, they reported over 40,000 titan and human soldiers dead, none alive.
"Let's head back. We must catch up," he said, and soon the small contingent began moving.
The calls for extermination weren't really going to be followed through by Alex, as he had uses for them. He planned to work them to the bone until their species was extinct in written history. Reactions differed; some blamed the emperor for choosing extermination instead of preservation, while others agreed, blinded by loyalty.
A few minutes later, they caught up and saw Weiss talking to her commanders and Draconian officers. Axe asked,
"Sir, the intel was quite false. Over 100,000 soldiers are stationed," said an officer. This made Axe annoyed, and he spoke,
"Alright, send my orders to a nearby airbase. I want this fortress bombed non-stop. Zarina, leave 70,000 soldiers, and I will leave two infantry divisions. They will storm the fortress again," he said, wanting to continue the advance.
Zarina agreed and quickly dispatched orders. The entire allied army left the fortress to be besieged, as after taking control, it would be a supply post and a hub for transporting soldiers.
While the other fronts were preparing, although the Muscovy front got the first chance to rush, they would also have the most difficult land to conquer. During this war, other nearby nations took advantage of the empire's lack of defenses, as in their eyes, the empire's technology was Pandora's box for them.
To be continued...