Along the way, they encountered several villages that had either fled or been looted into ruins. The small team led by Jiang Tian also walked along the mountains and fields on the roadside and finally saw a town that was still inhabited. The only local man among them who also serves as a guide couldn’t help but said:
"Ahead of us, there should be the town of Joao... Not only are there the kingdom's permanent tax collectors, but there are also several taverns and inns that entertain merchants and travelers, as well as service blacksmiths, carriage shops, and prostitutes..."
However, when Jiang Tian personally came to the hill to investigate and observe, he was somewhat disappointed. Because, in this town, which is at the center of the road, there are groups of foreign troops wandering around; and above the three-story office where the mayor is located, there is a black crow's head flag.
"Damn the Principality of Milan, the damn Lombards. These ungrateful dogs have forgotten how they begged the kingdom for help in order to be able to stand on their own in Northern Italy!" Another person who accompanied the investigation could not help but clench his fist and cursed: But it was Madurand, the only sergeant in the team.
However, Jiang Tian just glanced at him and immediately stopped complaining. Madurand, who has slightly curly chestnut hair, deep facial features, a weathered face and always looks tired, is also the deputy of the first team directly under Jiang Tian; strictly speaking, he is a trainee sergeant with a background as a crossbowman in the Kingdom, and was originally affiliated with the garrison.
According to the kingdom's military system, there are only two major parts of the standing army. One is the kingdom's army, which is nominally directly under the royal family; and the other is the field army that can be mobilized by the kingdom. The other part is the garrison supported by various provinces and metropolises, usually only one to several large or small regiments of soldiers.
The basic unit of the kingdom's army is the regiment, which originated from the end of the classical war era; it belongs to the third type of mixed organization besides the classical and oriental styles. Therefore, there are both regiments with oriental characteristics and regiments with classical colors; there are also titles such as brigade, squadron, and squad.
Then several regiments form large regiments (5-8 regiments) or small regiments (3-4 companies); several regiments form a special military region/overseas corps; led by a general. An army consisting of more than ten regiments is usually called a legion; it is led by a marshal or grand marshal.
In some border provinces under the jurisdiction of military regions, there will also be some special units; such as the Alemany Mountain Infantry Regiment in the Upper and Lower Alpes Provinces; the Basque Militia Group in the Pyrenees Border Military Region; and the Massili in Provence Province. Asia Marine Corps...
It is said that Madurand's ancestors can be traced back to the White Iris dynasty, which replaced the descendants of the former Acacia dynasty during the Corolla War. He was upgraded from a conscripted serf to a free citizen by royal decree, and thus gained a small settlement in the suburbs of the capital. Land of generation veteran/sergeant family.
Therefore, as long as you bring your family's weapons and join the army, you can easily obtain the qualifications of a formal soldier, and then be promoted to a double-salary veteran, or a trainee non-commissioned officer, a regular non-commissioned officer, a senior sergeant, or a master sergeant, and you are eligible to be commissioned For, leaders and captains at all levels from the company captain to the lieutenant officer.
To use some later terminology, he is analogous to the Five Banners disciples who were stationed in various places in the Manchu City; and the old border knight family from Jiang Tian was a member of the royal charter knights whose ancestors were directly subordinate to him; he was a member of the Shangsan Banners who stayed in the capital. Born as a junior officer; in a sense, part of the same system.
Therefore, he naturally has a tendency to be close to, support and follow Jiang Tian, who has the status of adjutant to the commander of the Second Military Region of the Overseas Legion. It is also a potential help to master this first team. Then I saw Bodos approaching with a straw stick in his mouth and said:
"Can you take advantage of the night and find an opportunity to go around from the edge of this town?"
"I'm afraid it's more difficult. Look..." Jiang Tian observed for a while but shook his head, and then summoned them to draw a rough outline of the place on the flat dirt: "This town is right on the edge of the road. As long as it's Every movement and movement in the wild can be threatened with a crossbow."
"There is absolutely no confidence at this distance that we can pass through the lack of cover without alerting the outer sentries and patrols. If we want to detour to farther mountains and forests, we are afraid that our physical energy consumption and food supplies will be more expensive. We can’t get on; not to mention the injured, the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled.”
"So, this town can't be bypassed." Upon hearing this, Portos slammed his fist deeply into the dirt. "Are we going to attack directly and rush over when the enemy is unprepared? I'm afraid it will cost a lot." The price will not be small. Even the remaining people may not be able to escape."
"Can't you try to turn back and find another way?" Andrew, the trainee priest who acted as the recorder, said with a squirming lips:
"No." "You can't look back!" However, Portos and Madurand denied it almost in unison: Then Jiang Tian also looked at him and explained: "Those Avars are behind us, although they have been temporarily stopped. Pursue, but if it turns around it is likely to be re-encountered.”
"The Great Luo of All Worlds"
"Actually, it's not impossible to pass through here." Then, under their expectant gazes, Jiang Tian said slowly: "But it requires your all-out cooperation; in order to get through at a small price, The goal is achieved.”
After another half day, the sky gradually became dim. The Avar Rangers, who were disguised as casual activities, ventured close to the town to investigate and watch for a while. Jiang Tian, who was unceremoniously expelled by the sentry, also came to the team who were left behind Qiu to eat and rest. among.
"Lila, I have something important and I need your cooperation and assistance." Then he immediately found one of the two washerwomen who was chatting quietly with the wounded: Although she had a thick waist and dark and rough skin , and crow's feet; but the larger area is equally substantial.
"Excuse me, sir, will it kill me?" However, the stout washerwoman named Lila couldn't help but hesitated and asked cautiously:
"What I ask you to do will of course have corresponding risks and threats;" Jiang Tian replied without hesitation: "But it may not endanger your life, but you will inevitably suffer some hardships. Of course, you You can also choose to refuse, but there will be no reason to accept the team’s protection.”
"In this case, sir, I ask that Lila and I bear the necessary price." After hearing this, another thinner washerwoman beside her shook hands in front of her chest and prayed: "Otherwise my I can never feel at peace in my heart..."
"Okay, then you two will come together." Jiang Tian nodded simply, then turned to the others who were holding their breath and said: "Now that the bait is available, I will need a few volunteers to cooperate... "
So, at dusk when the sky was about to get dark, a hurried carriage suddenly drove up from far away on the road outside the town. Then, as it was running closer and closer, it rushed out of the road made of dirt and rocks again. It fell over in the gutter by the roadside; and then two more ladies rolled down.
The two ladies were wearing bright dresses, and like frightened quails, they hurriedly hid in the grass that was about half a person tall. Afterwards, several Avars on horseback were chasing after them on the road; they were heard hissing strangely, and they hurriedly dismounted their horses and chased them into the non-stop movement of the grass.
These Milanese soldiers and sentries who were lazily patrolling outside the town couldn't help but become excited. After a few discussions, they also held their weapons without hesitation and headed towards the grass. Chasing the swaying movement, he touched it playfully.
Then, one of the sentries standing on the wooden frame next to the wall, wearing a rice-shaped cross robe, also paid close attention to the direction in which these patrols were driving, and there was a faint sound coming from the rolling grass. Women screamed and men roared one after another. Suddenly his eyes popped out.
But it was a bloody sharp blade that penetrated his alveoli and heart from the back; he suddenly lost all consciousness. At the same time, several sentries of the Principality of Milan who stayed outside the door were also blocked by Thiago who came up one after another with a sword, or their neck bones were severely broken by Portosler from behind.
At this time, Jiang Tian, who had already set his sights on the fourth target, jumped up again; with one hand he clung to the edge of the ten-foot-high log wall, and with the other hand he pierced the lower jaw of a sentry who had just poked his head out. ; As the blood splashed down, it turned into a posture of leaning out.
Then the dull sound of iron boots rubbing against the wall came closer again; facing the dead sentry who leaned out motionless, he shouted something in a deep voice with the eaves unique to Northern Italy: Then, Jiang Tian also used the same words in his memory. He answered in Italian, and someone suddenly showed up.
But he had a broad face with beard in a conical helmet, with long yellow hair falling down; then, the moment he caught a glimpse of Jiang Tian, who was hanging with one hand against the wall, he was changed hands again. Jiang Tian hit his head and neck with a noose, dragged him violently against the wall, and suddenly lost his voice.
However, the opponent's strength was not small. Although he was beaten to pieces by the wall after being tightened by the noose, he still put his iron gauntlet on his throat, trying to hold on and struggle to warn him. But Jiang Tian no longer gave him this chance. Suddenly he inserted two fingers, poked his eyeballs and then slammed them.
The next moment, Portos and the others, who were working together to eliminate the last person outside and were about to call the police secretly, heard a heart-wrenching sound of armor and stomach rubbing against the outer wall. But the armor-piercing officer who screamed in agony was dragged down from the wall with one hand and fell to the ground.
Porthos, who was the nearest, caught up and wanted to hit him with a hammer; only to find that the officer wearing a half-armor and heraldic robe had already had his face crushed. Then, as Jiang Tian disappeared, low screams and muffled grunts came one after another from the inside of the wall; they turned into several corpses falling one after another.
As the last body landed, it was dragged into the mud ditch in the blind corner of the wall. In a short period of time, the army of the Principality of Milan that occupied this town completely lost its ability to alert and respond in this direction. And with the torch lit in the darkness, another battle ended quickly.
As a team of dozens of people, who had changed into burqas, gathered again outside the emptied south gate of the town; at the cost of five minor injuries, they successfully ambush the patrol soldiers who were chasing after each other because of their lust; In the end, nine people were killed, one escaped, and the other four were captured intact.
After the four prisoners had a cordial exchange (torture/intimidation) and crushed the skull of one of them, Jiang Tian once again learned part of the situation in this town. The effective combatants in the town were fewer than those he had observed and assessed during the day.
In other words, there is only a severely disabled regiment of about two to three hundred people; there are only a small number of soldiers belonging to the Duchy of Milan; the rest are gangsters who were captured on the way to the expedition or recruited. Rogues, vagrants, and the like were added one after another.
Therefore, one of the more elite soldiers was assigned to two gates near the road to guard and guard; the other was to guard supplies and property at the town office. As for everyone else, they were scattered on the few streets in the town looking for fun on their own. This was also the reward promised to them.
In this case, Jiang Tian's original plan of using a small number of mounted men to create chaos and diverting most of the enemy's attention from the east to the west to cover the passage of others would have to be adjusted and changed again. Because he felt that he could add more and bigger goals to the existing goals...
