The vegetation distribution of the Nella Forest is very different from that of the Ridela Wetland and Thoratin further south. The number of various poisonous insects in the temperate zone is much smaller, and there are also abundant palm trees and The variety of colorful fruits is far inferior to that there. "The sound of nature is small" said www. ⒉Nature is very wonderful. A difference of several degrees in temperature and a difference in average annual precipitation may determine that certain plants that are very common in other areas cannot grow here. This has also shaped the different forest landscapes of Rigar around the world. But it is not an absolute law. Some plants with excellent adaptability can tolerate huge temperature and humidity differences. Like the most famous opportunist among animals, rats can be seen in a wide range of areas.
These plants, which are abundant in many places, are generally easier to process than high-density hardwoods with extremely long growth periods. With an iron ax and a sharp machete, a dozen people can quickly convert them into Improvised weapons and traps.
These militiamen dispatched by the Northern Army are all mixed and matched. Even though there are many mountainous forests in Avenella, they are not nomadic people in the grasslands, and they cannot be all soldiers. Therefore, the longbowmen who were the main force in ambushing the Otolo heavy infantry were naturally mountain people and peasant hunters living in border towns. And those ordinary farmers and even refugees on the Acasta Plain, although they are not good at using longbows and do not have much experience in traveling through the mountains and forests, they can also help the longbowmen and help with some easy but difficult tasks. Work that requires time and effort.
The hard-working nature of farmers was perfectly demonstrated at this moment. Each brigade of 150 to 200 people was divided into several groups of more than ten or twenty people. The core members of the group are three to five old hunters and mountain people in their 40s and 50s, while the remaining members are divided in half. In groups of two, young mountain people lead ordinary farmers or refugees who have just started to learn to use longbows. . Each group can survive outside for a long time with a kettle made of bamboo or sheepskin, some beans and dry food.
It takes a long time to train a perfect longbowman. The mountain people of Avenella start hunting with their elders in the mountains when they are seven or eight years old, and they spend more than ten years until they are in their twenties. Only through training can they become independent hunters - but now they do not need to go hunting alone. Although they are still novices, in a state of using the forest as a cover to ambush condescendingly and still winning by sheer force, as long as they know how to draw a bow. The arrow is shot after a rough aim, and the rest is just waiting for luck to take effect.
"Uncle Tom, is this okay?" A young farmer carrying a brand-new wooden bow with a hemp rope bow string said to the fifty-year-old old hunter - even though the other man was almost a year shorter than him. He had a small head and a dark and skinny appearance, but the young man still had no intention of looking down on him in the slightest. "Yeah." Tom, the core member of the team, is a typical mountain man who is humble and taciturn. Even though he is considered a leader and an elder according to the instructions from his superiors, his attitude is very easy-going and approachable, just like the elders of the neighbors who are doing the work for these things. The young man opened his mouth to explain.
"These are animal paths. It is difficult to walk in the forest. Old people who often go into the mountains know that it will be smoother to follow this path, and the same goes for the Otolo people." The words and rhetoric he spoke in dialect were not elegant, but they were It is easy to understand, and young people who have lived in the Nella Forest for a long time and have deeply experienced the warm welcome of various thorny plants can learn faster when they understand it with their own feelings. They stepped back some distance, then confirmed the area where the trap they had just laid was located, and then ran to the temporary station.
Carrying only a very small amount of belongings and wearing light clothing, they moved through the forest at an astonishing speed under the guidance of experienced old hunters. They wore half-body armor, one-handed swords, daggers, throwing spears and shields, as well as some personal supplies. The Otolo heavy infantry, which weighs more than 40 kilograms in combat, is definitely unable to match the long-distance running speed of such light archers on flat ground. And when encountering complex terrain that consumes more physical strength, as long as they Here, keep the size of the small stocks light and flexible and don't mess up your position. It is basically impossible to catch up.
The choice between flexibility and defense has been a problem since the birth of the warrior profession. Although with the passage of time, the design of armor has become more consistent with the human body structure. Great empires like Otolo have excellent metals. Smelting ability can also provide amazing defense with appropriate weight, but this is still a multiple-choice question and cannot be perfect.
As we have been trying to explain: weapons, armor, infantry and cavalry are all designed for specific battlefield situations.
There has never been any army or equipment in this world that can adapt to all terrains and all battlefield environments - if there were, there would be no need for a commander. As long as the number of people reaches the standard, just let the soldiers push them up. Tactical and strategic maneuvers are just a waste of time.
What determines whether a commander is excellent is not whether he or she can come up with the so-called ingenious and extremely creative ideas in one fell swoop. In fact, almost everyone who thinks they know a lot about military affairs has all kinds of whimsical things. Everyone has constructed it in their imagination. It is true that an excellent commander cannot just rest on his laurels and play those rigid textbook-like commands, but it is more important to understand everything before innovating. If he cannot do this, then the so-called "novel ideas" "Original insights" are just wishful thinking with half a bottle of vinegar, and have no practical significance except for rhetoric.
Read thousands of books, and then summarize the laws and elements of the battlefield from them, and understand their essence and principles after a thorough understanding - until this step, it is still at the level of talking on paper, and anyone can explain the big principles. But the real difficulty is turning beautiful words into actionable reality. To achieve this step, the commander needs to have meticulous observation and understanding of the various messages from both the enemy and ourselves as well as the battlefield environment.
True strategic command is not about copying a template and forcing your soldiers to execute it, as if they were just chess pieces on a chessboard without emotion. A true strategic command must know oneself and the enemy, understand the strengths and weaknesses of both the enemy and ourselves, and have a thorough understanding of the surrounding environment - and then use all of this to exploit strengths and avoid weaknesses, and leverage one's own advantages.
This is exactly what our wise man did to Avenella's northern army.
It is impossible for Otolo's heavy infantry to catch up with the native Avenella people in the jungle. Although it is difficult for longbows to penetrate their armor and cause effective damage, the heavy defense in the dense forest can bring Although they feel a sense of security, they also seem to be constrained, making them always half a beat too late to effectively complete their planned goals to encircle and defeat their opponents.
——The words return to their original place.
What Tom and his scattered team did was to search for nearby animal paths and then block them. If possible, it would be better to attack the Otolo people with traps, but the other party could They are not the kind of stupid lower-level mercenaries. After being injured several times, the Otolo people became cautious when moving forward. A little bit of dirt, stirring up traces of fallen leaves, would attract their attention, so the trap has a greater function. The purpose is to delay the time of the Otolo people, so that the warning reaction here will take longer to prepare for evacuation or ambush.
Of course they cannot block all approaches. After all, no matter how much they try to set traps, it is not as safe as keeping moving. Therefore, the spike traps made by cutting down bamboo, peeling it off and sharpening it are only placed on a few easy-to-travel roads. The heavily armored Otolo people cannot walk on the steep paths like them, so a few simple traps can effectively block or delay most of their movements, preventing them from being driven in and caught in one fell swoop during their rest.
"But that adult's trap is really scary. It's very effective and easy to make." They returned to the camp in silence and quickly, and perhaps because of the sense of peace of mind, one of the young people sighed after sighing in relief.
"Well, yes." Another person echoed, and the adult they were referring to was naturally our Mr. Sage - for these guerrilla soldiers of the Northern Army, time means everything, so they are determined not to It may be possible to set up traps such as large holes and fallen trees, which are more efficient but require much longer preparation time. The solution Henry proposed to this made even our little Mira, who was very familiar with him, shudder after realizing the tendency of the trap.
The structure of the trap is actually very simple. It is a miniaturized spike trap. It only replaces the large wooden piles and several meters deep pits that can severely damage the prey. Henry's improved version uses countless small bamboo or wooden sticks and shallow holes. The shallow ones only reach the pit above the feet. Bamboo sticks that can be sharpened with a knife are dotted in these tiny, imperceptible traps - they are designed for Otolo's heavy infantry, not to kill the enemy but to injure them.
Even for knights in full plate armor, the soles of their feet are actually just a thicker layer of hard leather for the convenience of walking. No one would add steel plates to the bottom of plate armor shoes. This is not to mention the Otolo heavy infantry who only wears half plate armor, with no protection on the upper arms and calves, and only wears a pair of leather boots.
Lower leg and upper armor are usually worn by cavalry because these parts are vulnerable to attack while riding on horseback. In addition to the smaller and more flexible parts of the infantry's plate armor, such as the shoulders, which we mentioned before, the armor of the lower body usually only protects the thighs and does not continue to extend, because the calves and feet are rarely protected by the enemy. Attack, so most of them will give up the defense here in exchange for the flexibility of walking and running.
In view of this characteristic of the equipment worn by the opponent, Henry designed this trap with the purpose of only hurting the opponent's feet rather than killing them. However, this did not make it more merciful, but more terrifying - often walking outside. Everyone understands that feet are the life of a soldier, and Otolo's heavy infantry have to carry heavy armor and shields. Once their feet are injured and become a burden, they will only cause more trouble to the entire army than dying directly. It will be even worse.
Including the equipment of a soldier weighing more than 100 kilograms. If his legs are injured and he cannot walk independently, he will need at least two companions to take care of him. If he dies directly, it will be easier. If this kind of behavior can only drag down the team, it will cause internal conflicts. A major factor affecting combat effectiveness. Even with strict discipline, soldiers are still human beings with various emotions. The negative emotions of soldiers who feel that they have become a burden and the disgust of those responsible for caring for them over time can lead to a decline in morale. And considering the labor cost of making such a trap by just digging a shallow pit and inserting easy-to-process spikes, the effect it can achieve is amazing.
"Go to the east, supplies are coming." The explanation from the core leadership of the brigade was simple and clear. The entire temporary camp was more of a relay station than a camp. The team of more than 180 people was divided into several small groups. The collective moved in and out of the neighborhood. Everything is the simplest and lightest, and can be taken away easily. After a day, there will be no trace of being stationed here.
"Let's go." Tom turned around and led the team. An old hunter like him didn't need a magnetic needle. He could effectively judge the direction by looking at the sun during the day and the stars at night. Through words and deeds, these words of experience can quickly help the novices under his command to grow up - of course, provided that they do not die in this war.
They moved forward rapidly, and after June entered, the weather in the south of Avenella became hotter and hotter. Everyone was carrying only a small bamboo tube, and drinking water was consumed quickly in such weather and complex terrain. The Otolo people are not idiots. Although they are not familiar with the forest here, some obvious streams nearby are also monitored or controlled. If you want to go to the upstream source, the round trip time will take too much time and it is easy to get lost, but this It is still not a problem for the mountain hunters who were born and raised here.
Tom's team stopped. They had to get water from a small puddle in front. These non-flowing puddles would contain many bacteria and dirt, such as the excrement of monkeys and small creatures that came here to drink water. Therefore, if quoted directly, the result would be very bad, but they did not have time to collect firewood to cook it at the moment, and due to the shortage of supplies, the entire brigade only had one iron pot to use.
But the old hunter who is familiar with nature has his own plan. The method Tom used is known to many people who have been out all year round - he dug a hole next to the puddle on the ground, and a group of people rested next to it for a few minutes. Wait for the clear water to slowly seep into the pit next to it. After the surface dirt was scraped off, the soil in the forest was very clean. Sand, gravel and soil were extremely effective as filtering devices. Everyone filled their water bottles and took out some fine charcoal from their bags. Crush it and throw it into a bamboo tube, then shake it to let the charcoal have a cleaning effect.
After completing all this, the team continued to move forward. After walking a long distance, they met the local farmers in the south who had been waiting here. They didn't talk much nonsense. After handing supplies such as grains and beans to the Northern Army militia, they began to reveal some things about the movements of the Otolo and the Southern Allied Forces.
The reason why the Northern Army was able to ambush Otolo's heavy infantry everywhere, and how it knew the location of the Southern Allied Forces, was already quite obvious.
The advantage of having home field advantage is not only that the combat effectiveness of the soldiers is higher, but also their intelligence advantage is unmatched by the armies of Otolo and Ashbern II.
"Take care." After briefly memorizing the information, Tom said goodbye to the farmers on the opposite side, and then started to rush back with information about supplies and enemy movements.
