As soon as they crossed the river, Winters immediately commanded the troops to go straight to Iris Castle.
He took the main road, sang triumphant songs, and marched with all the flags and drums in a majestic manner without any desire to cover up his tracks.
Andre's cavalry also came to join him. There are people walking and riding in the team, and the momentum is even greater.
However, the situation is not as optimistic as he showed.
The sword was still hanging above his head, and the thread holding it was about to break at any moment.
The battlefield is shrouded in fog at the moment. The more you can see, the closer you are to victory.
All of Winters's scout cavalry have been deployed, and most of Andre's cavalry have also been dispatched.
Because he continued to seize military horses and use them intensively, Winters actually had a cavalry advantage compared to the garrison in the newly reclaimed land.
Except for the three cavalry pioneers exploring the road, the rest of the cavalry were closely monitoring the movements of the Baishan County garrison.
According to Winters' plan, if the enemy troops return for reinforcements, he can gain at least two days of time difference.
First of all, it will take one day for the Baishan County garrison to return to Manyun Valley.
Secondly, they have no bridge.
It is easier to destroy a bridge than to build one. Repairing a bridge is more troublesome than building it, and it will take at least another day or two.
This is a risky move because no one can guarantee what the enemy commander will do.
War is the art of gaming. Winters has made his move, and now it’s his opponent’s turn.
How the opponent responds is the opponent's business and he has no control over it.
But the war situation is extremely dangerous. If we don't take risks, we can't win.
"Turn around and call back for reinforcements?" Winters scribbled on the map board, thinking in his mind: "Or gritted his teeth and attacked Gévaudin?"
With too little information in hand, he had a very limited understanding of the situation in Baishan County.
Major Ronald couldn't get a word out of him. The Major was silent and refused any form of communication with the rebels.
Winters could only obtain information from public sources.
He knew that the garrison officer of Baishan County was a colonel, his name was that, and that was it.
He didn't know anything about the opponent's temperament, fighting style, or qualifications.
I heard that Colonel Gesa seemed to like money very much and was good at making money.
"Gatha Adonis." Winters muttered his opponent's name silently, thinking: "Adonis? It means the ancient language. He seems to be a handsome man?"
I was distracted and used too much strength in my hand, causing the graphite strip to break with a "click".
Winters is used to this. He put away the broken bar and took out a new one.
Using graphite strips for drawing and shorthand is far more convenient than quill pens, but there is one disadvantage - graphite is too brittle and will break if you are not careful.
Winters straightened his back, took note of the surrounding terrain, and continued writing on the map board.
The saddle was bumpy and the lines in his pen were crooked.
The conditions on the march were limited, and detailed maps had to be redrawn at night.
After capturing Gevaudan, Montagne draftsmen no longer had to worry about graphite.
He wiped out all the graphite on Gévaudin's shelves, and he could paint whatever he wanted.
So now, wherever he goes, Winters documents the surrounding terrain as much as possible.
Lieutenant Colonel Jessica's atlas has not been updated in a long time, and he is trying to fill in the twelve-year gap left by John Jessica.
Out of breath, Charles ran back to report: "Brother! Antler Town is ahead!"
Winters sighed and put away the map board: "Is there any news later?"
"Uh." Charles scratched his head: "Not yet."
"Okay."
"What about Antler Town?" Ciel asked excitedly, "Do you want to fight?"
"Nonsense." Winters smiled and took out his cane and hit Ciel on the head: "You are here, how can you not eat meat when you see it?"
…
The newly reclaimed land province is an underdeveloped area as a whole, and Tiefeng County is an underdeveloped area within an underdeveloped area, which is a comparative form of underdevelopment.
Both belong to the border provinces, Baishan County is much wealthier than Tiefeng County. It is a small family in better condition among a large poor family.
The most obvious place is the road.
Entering Baishan County, Winters immediately felt that the "road" was much easier.
Tiefeng County mainly has rammed earth roads. In some places, there are no rammed earth roads at all. There are only roads when there are too many people walking on them.
But Baishan County actually has a solid road with hard pavement, which is clearly the work of the army.
Unexpectedly, the enemy's commander, Colonel Gesa, whom he had never met before, was actually a good garrison officer who was diligent and caring for the people, which made Winters quite ashamed.
After all, the Montagne garrison officer has not really done anything practical for the people of Tiefeng County.
Winters was secretly wrestling with himself: when he could breathe a sigh of relief, he would also pave a hard road for Tiefeng County.
Although he has great respect for the "handsome" colonel, it does not prevent Winters from conquering the villages and towns under the rule of the handsome colonel.
Even though you have come, you cannot leave in vain. Tiefeng County's finances are currently a bit tight, so it's always good to be able to subsidize some household expenses.
So Winters blew open the gate of Antler Town without any psychological burden.
This is also the second difference between Baishan County and Tiefeng County:
Compared with the "bachelor" towns under Winters, the towns in Baishan County not only have a larger population, but also many towns have built walls.
Andre's cavalry could not attack the walled town.
After joining forces with Winters, not to mention the walled town, even the Iris Castle can be knocked down by the two of them.
Winters has twenty "city-breaking bells" specially brought to smash turtle shells.
Lujiao Town built a wooden wall to guard against bandits and rogues, and never thought that one day it would face an army.
The alarm bell had just sounded, and the militiamen were still running and gathering, when the city gate was blown open with a "bang".
A group of cavalry roared into Antler Town, and the townspeople were frightened and fled in all directions.
The militiamen in Lujiao Town rummaged through boxes and cabinets and finally found weapons.
They walked out of the house, only to find that everyone in the town had already fled, and there were strange soldiers everywhere.
So without saying a word, they turned back to the house, moved furniture, and blocked the door.
Lieutenant Andrea Cellini already has considerable experience with the "raid, rob, and leave" process.
The cavalry can be more effective by breaking the will than by slashing with a sword.
Thirty cavalrymen can drive hundreds of civilians to flee; surrounded by a hundred cavalrymen, they can cover up thousands of people.
Andre's cavalry first went to seize the baggage warehouse, and then occupied the town hall and the police station.
By the time Winters arrived in town, the work was done.
It was still the same, the baggage warehouse was empty, not even a mouse.
After Winters and Andre discussed it, they felt that something was wrong. The enemy might have been prepared.
"If he wants to bring us down, he is just wishful thinking." Andre sneered: "Can people still starve to death?"
Except for weapons, ammunition and seven days of dry food, the troops who invaded Baishan County brought nothing.
The situation of the army in Winters' hands is similar to that of Ronald's army that raided Wolf Town. They also gave up baggage in exchange for speed.
However, Baishan County is far more fertile than Tiefeng County, and it is much easier to recruit food locally.
Winters was also a little strange. He once again sent three cavalry in the direction of Manyun Valley to reconnoiter the enemy's situation.
Charles ran over with a sad face, holding several newspapers.
"No new ones were found, and the latest ones were from last season," said Charles.
The Di Bao, also known as the Di Bao, is the official notification of the New Reclamation Corps to the units under its jurisdiction. Normally there is one issue every quarter, and additional issues will be issued when important events occur.
The first time Winters knew that the New Reclamation Corps had this kind of information channel was when he first met Senior Mason.
He was hungry for information, and Di Bao was the best public source of information.
However, if you can't buy Dibao, you can only go to the territory of the New Reclamation Army to grab it.
Winters took the newspaper and read it at a glance: "It doesn't matter, take them all with you. The old newspaper is also useful, take as much as you can."
Ciel raised his hand in salute and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute." Winters stopped Ciel: "I asked you to find all the businessmen in Antler Town. Why don't you see anyone?"
Charles said with a grimace: "The people in the town are all mixed together, and it's hard to tell who is a businessman."
"Isn't this simple? Go there with a torch, call people together, and ask each shop one by one. Do you understand?"
Unconsciously, they stood up and burned all their shops, bringing torches with them. "
"I understand, I understand."
"Make it clear to them beforehand that just asking a few questions will not harm their lives."
"Yes." Charles nodded vigorously and left.
Winters found a place with good lighting and continued reading the newspaper.
"Aren't they all old?" Andre put his right hand in his arms: "Is it still useful?"
"It works." Winters replied without looking up.
"What is the use?"
"The contents of the records mainly include policies, wars, debates in the House of Representatives, civil and criminal cases, and some news about religious celebrations." Winters turned over a page: "At present, the New Reclamation Corps is still nominally loyal to the King's Castle. Because the name of the King's Castle in the newspaper is still 'Supreme Republic'."
"Adams, you're just a piece of grass, just trying to make your bets based on the situation." Andre snorted disdainfully, and asked again: "But wasn't this all from last season?"
Winters said matter-of-factly: "If the legion and the kings' castles break up, there should be a supplement, right?"
Andre laughed.
"We should also get a newspaper." Winters said while reading: "This thing is quite useful."
"Okay, we'll do it when we get back."
Winters sighed: "If we can take Gevaudan."
Winters turned another page, and suddenly his eyes lit up: "A farmer in Nanshan Town stole fodder from a military horse farm, and the military court sentenced two people to hard labor?"
Andre's ears suddenly stood up: "Military horse farm?!"
"Nanshan Town." Winters chewed on the name and took out the atlas: "It seems to be in Baishan County!"
The two squatted on the ground and looked through the maps one by one.
"It's really in Baishan County!" After searching for it, Andre suddenly shouted in ecstasy: "It's just in the south!"
Winters took the map. He was surprised at first, and then confused: "It's not marked on the map? There is a military horse farm in Baishan County, so why don't the enemy have any cavalry?"
"All the troops and horses have been requisitioned! And this map is too old, so it's normal that it's not marked." Andre patted his thigh and said with joy from the bottom of his heart: "We have to visit anyway. There may not be any military horses of suitable age, but Foals and stallions are also good things!"
"Okay." Winters was infected by Andre's joy and said with a smile, "Let's go and visit. However, no one in Tiefeng County seems to have managed the military horse farm, so the staff of the military horse farm must also be arrested."
Andre disagreed: "Hasn't Senior Mason ever raised pigs or managed a working ranch? Let him do it."
Looking into each other's eyes, the two of them laughed uncontrollably. The more they laughed, the happier they became.
Charles was escorting the merchants in Antler Town, and from a distance he saw Captain Montagne and Lieutenant Cellini squatting face to face, having some silly fun.
"Captain! I brought people here!" he reminded loudly.
Winters and Andre stood up quickly and tidied up their appearance.
Fortunately, the merchants in Lujiao Town were scared to death and no one noticed the two men's gaffe.
"Gentlemen." Winters coughed lightly and said kindly to the trembling businessmen: "Businessmen and traders are well-informed. I called you here because I have something to ask. As long as you answer honestly, I guarantee the safety of your lives and property. .”
The merchants in Lujiao Town nodded like chickens pecking at rice.
"You start first." Winters pointed his cane at the oldest businessman present.
The other party didn't know why: "You...you haven't said what you want to ask yet?"
"Don't worry about what I want to ask." Winters spoke at a leisurely pace: "Just say it. When you hear what I want to ask, I will let you go."
The old businessman was speechless. It took him a while before he had the courage to ask: "Where to start?"
"Let's start with the latest and biggest thing."
The old businessman opened and closed his lips, and it took a lot of effort to speak. As soon as he opened his mouth, Winters and Andre were shocked: "The Hurd Barbarian is here again."
"Go on." Winters looked at Andre calmly.
From Andre's tense cheeks and suspicious eyes, he saw the same emotions as himself.
The old businessman began to talk eloquently:
In mid-September - almost the time when Bard and Mason's Centurions were "annihilated", Hurd's marauding army invaded eastward again.
Obviously, the Hed tribe who invaded Plato at the beginning of the year grabbed a lot of money, making other tribes extremely jealous.
"The barbarians came from both sides of the Jinliu River and killed them all at the same time. I can't even count them!" The old businessman became more and more interested.
"Yeah." Winters nodded calmly: "Go on."
What is "killing people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait at the same time"?
What is "too many to count"?
No one here knew the inside story of Hurd's ministries better than Winters.
They were clearly two groups of Hurd raiding groups, entering Plato from the south bank and the north bank of the Ember River respectively.
Because the Hurd tribes themselves were also attacking each other, the two groups of robbers simply acted separately to avoid a bloody conflict when they met.
And how can it be "countless"? Winters had already guessed how many families the three major departments had.
Which tribe dares to go out in full force? Aren't you afraid of being raided from your old camp?
But this piece of information is still very valuable.
The old businessman's conversation became more and more intense, and he continued to talk about the news that he had only heard from hearsay, and he didn't know how many hands he had passed on:
The barbarians from the north bank invaded Jiangbei Province and heard that they were fighting fiercely with the "rebels";
The barbarians from the south bank rushed into Jinghu County and were defeated by the wise and powerful General Adams and the reinforcements sent by the King's Castle.
Winters rubbed his chin, the half-truth becoming increasingly valuable.
The Hurd tribes invaded and plundered eastward on a large scale, which not only did not trigger a new round of war between Red and Blue Roses, but actually eased the situation.
Nothing united the Platoans more than a "common enemy."
The most interesting thing is the "reinforcements sent by the King's Castle", which are basically Red Rose's troops marching into the newly cultivated land.
"It seems that Adams's head hurts more after all." Winters thought it was a bit funny, and he nodded expressionlessly: "Continue."
It was other businessmen who talked about some scattered things.
Things like "A general was assassinated in the King's Castle", "I heard it was for a woman", and "Blood Night" are all told with nose and eyes, and the narrator seems to be following the assassin through the whole process.
Businessmen in the tobacco, pottery, and wool businesses complained bitterly that the cash crops from the newly cultivated land could not be transported out, and it was all in their hands.
Merchants doing import business complained that things from outside could not be brought in, and their business was extremely bleak.
The two parties became more and more excited as they talked, and they almost fought over who was more miserable.
The newly cultivated land has always made a living by selling crops and buying things that cannot be produced, but both lifelines are now blocked by the war.
Winters held a small notebook and took notes while listening.
The sound of horse hooves sounded like a drum beat. The scout cavalry sergeant rushed to Winters and dismounted from his saddle, then reported to Winters.
Antlers merchants witnessed the rebel commander's mood changes, from calm and indifferent to hearty laughter.
The scout sergeant only said one sentence: "They are coming."
Winters had a one-word answer: "Okay!"
The garrison in Baishan County turned around and came back for reinforcements, which was a great thing.
If that Colonel Gesa is hot-headed and advances towards the Gevaudan pig.
Then Winters could only give up Gévaudan, and then copy the Iris Castle to see if he could make up for the loss.
Jevaudan had few soldiers, disorganized people, weak city defenses, and an extreme shortage of ordnance.
All members of the newly formed infantry regiment were using short spears because they could not find long and straight spear shafts and there was not enough steel.
Only key soldiers are issued swords and helmets.
Dozens of muskets were seized from Ronald, but the quality of the soldiers in the newly formed infantry regiment could not exert its power at all.
They only dared to hold it in their hands and shoot, but did not dare to put their chin on the butt of the gun and fire.
There are even fewer crossbows, and you can count them all on one hand.
There were hundreds of single-body bows taken from the arsenal, but Ronald didn't use them, and it was even less likely that Winters would use them.
There are not many landless peasants in Winters' hands who can shoot a bow and arrow.
This kind of troops can only fight with the wind, and a group of people shout and rush forward.
If they think they can win, one will compete and the other will be brave.
If they think they can't win, they can run away in the blink of an eye.
Judging from Gévaudan's situation, if it is surrounded by two armies, even if the old marshal takes command, it will be a dead end.
And the old marshal would never fight this kind of battle from the beginning.
If you want to win, you must contain one side, fight one side, and defeat one side, so that the other side will not dare to come again.
From the beginning, Winters' plan was to contain Baishan County and attack Wargne County head-on.
But if he fails to contain the Baishan County garrison, the other party will rush to Jevaudan regardless.
Then Winters can only adopt a backup plan:
Give up Gevaudan and withdraw to the south of the St. Georges River, to Wolftown, and even to the great wilderness.
Anyway, he didn't have much in Gevaudin, so it wouldn't be a pity to throw them away or smash them.
Gevaudin's warehouses had long been emptied. Most of the food was taken away by Bud. Winters spent all the money.
As long as the enemy dares to go to Jevaudan, he will dare to attack Iris Castle.
They stabbed each other to see who would bleed more and who would feel more pain - no matter how Winters calculated it, it was Baishan County that hurt more.
Anna refused to leave early, so Winters left the little lion in Gevaudan.
If the situation worsened, he asked the little lion to take the women directly into the no-man's land and take shelter in the Chihe tribe.
The little lion was unexpectedly left in the care of Winters' family. His nose felt a little sore and he rarely gave Winters a bear hug.
Fortunately, none of the above happened.
Winters was willing to part with the bottles and jars in Gevaudan, but it seemed that Colonel Gesart was reluctant to part with the bottles and jars he had in Chateau Iris.
"Okay! Gather the troops and get ready to leave." Winters clapped his hands and laughed, and said to Andre and his subordinates: "The rest depends on the abilities of Mr. A and Mr. B. Let's think of a way to see if we can do it again. Take the 'handsome' colonel for a walk."
…
News that the Baishan County troops turned around to return reinforcements spread in all directions.
Dusac, who stayed in Tiefeng County and monitored the garrison in Baishan County, immediately sent the information back to Jevaudan.
Winters also sent scouts across the river by boat to bring news to Gevaudan.
As for the troops in Baishan County, Colonel Gesa also sent messengers to deliver a message to Colonel Zipper, the garrison officer in Wargne County.
In the letter, Colonel Gesa explained his plan: "The key is not in Gevaudan. The rebels have legs and can abandon the city at any time. The key is to annihilate the opponent's main force. The key is to kill the rebel leader Winter." Smontagne".
"Eliminate any one of the two, and the rebels will be defeated."
Therefore, Colonel Gesa urged Colonel Zipper to "temporarily withdraw from Tiefeng County" and continue to "contain most of the rebels" on the border between the two counties, waiting for news from Baishan County.
"Success or failure does not depend on the moment. If our troops annihilate the enemy's main force, Rewardan's message will determine it. If our troops fail to annihilate the enemy's main force, it will not be too late to encircle the enemy with two lines."
…
Gesa sent a messenger and immediately commanded the troops to march towards Manyun Valley.
Because of the inevitable delay in information transfer.
When Winters learned that the enemy's division was returning for reinforcements, the second pontoon bridge of the Baishan County troops was close to being completed.
At the same time, Colonel Geza's messenger cavalry also arrived at the garrison camp in Wargne County.
Colonel Zipper was upset when he saw the messenger.
Warne County and Tiefeng County are separated by forests and hills, which is perfect for an ambush.
Therefore, Colonel Zipper was extremely cautious, fearing that he would fall into the rebel trap.
As a result, the rebels did not have any arrangements, but blocked his way with the "Hammer Castle" at the end of the forest.
According to the intelligence, Hammer Castle is a wooden fortress that has been in disrepair, low and old.
But the "Hammer Castle" in front of him was not at all the "Hammer Castle" mentioned in the intelligence.
Although the Hammer Castle blocking him was not large in area, it was fully equipped with deep trenches, high walls, and bastions, and it looked like a miniature star-shaped fortress—someone must have bulldozed the old Hammer Castle and built a new one.
The most disgusting thing is that the rebels actually have cannons.
Although it looks like a wooden cannon, the wooden cannon is not something that Qipper's new recruits can stop.
The opponent's wooden cannon mounted on the wall fired two rounds of cross-shot pellets, and the recruits from Wargne County were defeated crying for their fathers and mothers.
Colonel Zipper was seriously considering whether to bypass this tough obstacle and go straight to Gévaudan.
"What did the bald man ask you to do?" Colonel Zipper asked the messenger angrily: "Where is he? According to time, I should see him, not you!"
The messenger replied with some embarrassment: "Colonel Gesa, he...he has returned to Baishan County."
"What?" Qipper was furious.
The messenger quickly handed the letter to Colonel Zipper: "The colonel said that you should go back to Wargne County first and wait for his order. He asked you to come, and you come again."
The other party's condescending tone made Colonel Zipper furious, but he didn't want to argue with a little messenger.
He tore open the envelope and scanned the contents.
The letter paper is real, and the patterns on it are made with special techniques and cannot be forged;
The code hidden at the end of the first paragraph of the sentence is also correct;
And Zipper knew Gesa's handwriting.
Confirming that the letter was not a fake made Colonel Zipper even more furious. He slapped the case and shouted angrily: "He is a colonel, and I am also a colonel! What qualifications does Gesa Adonis have to order me?!"
The ordering soldier did not dare to answer and lowered his head.
The same was true for the other officers in the tent, and no one dared to touch Colonel Zipper.
"What else did the bald man say?" Colonel Zipper asked.
"The colonel said... that if he killed the bandit leader Montagne, Gévaudin would not have to fight."
"Good! Good!" Qipper laughed angrily: "He takes the credit and I do the hard work, right? Right?"
The tent became increasingly quiet.
"Send the order! The First Brigade continues to besiege Hammer Castle!" Qipper yelled: "The Second, Third, and Fourth Brigades, follow me to Gevaudan."
The centurions of the county of Wargne were horrified.
"No!" Captain Salai - the chief centurion of Wargne County - in desperation, directly contradicted the commander: "Absolutely not!"
"Why not?" Colonel Zipper clenched his fists tightly and asked with a sneer.
Captain Salai knew that he had offended the garrison officer, but he had to stop the other party's stupid plan: "Sir, it is a taboo to divide troops at the moment of battle. The strength of our four brigades alone is not enough to form an overwhelming advantage against the rebels. Still Please think twice!"
Colonel Zipper's fist hit the table, as if knocking everyone's heart.
"The main force of the rebels has been taken away by the bandit leader Montagne." Qipper gritted his teeth and asked: "You mean, I can't deal with the remaining crooked melons and cracked dates. Is that what you mean?"
"This is absolutely not what I mean!" Captain Salai was so anxious that he was about to cry: "If we leave a large group to besiege Hammer Castle, it will be equivalent to the rebels using one-sixth or even one-eighth of their strength to contain four of us. One-third of our troops. In that case, we will have no strength advantage at all! It is safer to follow Colonel Gesa’s plan.”
Colonel Zipper suddenly drew his sword and struck hard at the marching table.
The blade of the sword sank deeply into the table, and the bracket under the table could not hold it up and broke into several pieces.
"Damn bald man!" Qipper's chest heaved violently as he cursed.
The tent was as silent as death. Others didn't even dare to breathe. They could only hear the colonel's heavy breathing.
After a while, Colonel Zipper calmed down.
"Retreat!" He ordered fiercely: "Retreat to Mace Hammer Castle!"
Several lieutenants in the tent breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, I'll inform everyone right away." Captain Sarai happily raised his hand in salute and turned to leave.
Colonel Zipper took out the money bag and threw it to Gesa's messenger without clicking it at all.
"Go away." Colonel Zipper sat back in his chair. He was even angrier than before.
He saw Geza's messenger opening the money bag and seemed to be counting the coins.
This made Colonel Zipper's anger even more intense, but he did not want to embarrass an ordinary messenger.
So he closed his eyes to rest his mind and simply turned his eyes away.
The next second, the silver coin in the messenger's hand flashed and flew towards Colonel Zipper's forehead.
The silver coin, traveling at nearly two hundred and fifty meters per second, easily cut through the skin and collided with Qipper's skull.
A gap was opened in the hard skull, and the silver coins got in, rolling through the soft brain tissue, forming an instant huge cavity.
Finally it hit the other side of the skull and bounced back.
Qipper's body stagnated and he fell backwards.
The other officers in the tent were not able to understand what was happening, and they were named one after another by gold coins and silver coins in a few breaths.
The orderly soldier lowered his head and paid silent tribute to the dead officers.
The mourning was brief. The messenger took off the sword from the body - he had no weapons on him and had been searched cleanly when he entered the camp - and then placed the oil lamp next to the tent.
The fire spread quickly, and the Chinese army's tent was quickly engulfed in flames.
The messenger left the tent with his sword in hand, and roared in all directions: "The garrison officer is dead! Surrender without killing!"
The chilling sound of bugles came from all directions in response to this sonic blast.
"The lieutenant colonel succeeded!" Don Juan's facial muscles twitched with excitement. He jumped up, drew his sword and shouted: "Kill!"
"Kill!" The soldiers of the Tiefeng County Infantry Regiment shouted with courage, gritted their teeth and rushed towards the enemy's military camp.
