Iron Powder and Spellcaster

The first one to pursue them was not Hurd's Qingqi, but Lieutenant Bader who was responsible for collecting the missing people.

When Bud led the riders to catch up with the large group of people, almost every rider had an extra person sitting behind them.

"We found more than 20 people, but we can't find the rest in the dark." Bud reported to the lieutenant colonel.

But the lieutenant colonel was more concerned about another thing: "Are there any pursuers?"

"Didn't see it."

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica looked gloomy, stroking the stubble on his chin, and it took him a while to make up his mind.

He ordered: "Let everyone stop resting and set off now."

The militiamen in the baggage train were suddenly reduced by 30%, and the lieutenant colonel had no choice but to order the weapons of the deceased to be distributed to coachmen and traders.

These civilians who had never received military training were temporarily formed into a team, commanded by Bader - because they only trusted Lieutenant Bader.

Dussac, who could still ride a horse, was all placed under the command of the lieutenant colonel himself. Andre returned to his post as an infantry officer, responsible for leading Bard's centurions.

The original plan was to rest at the temporary camp for two hours, but in fact half an hour was not enough. The carriage at the end of the team has not yet entered the camp, but the carriage in the camp is already about to set off again.

Militiamen, coachmen, and traders complained—and they couldn’t be blamed.

The so-called pursuers couldn't even see their shadows, but the cruel Cyclops Lieutenant Colonel forced them to march for real, and it was after a bloody battle.

Not only are the living people exhausted, but the livestock are even more miserable.

Many carters and traders begged for a break because their animals were barely holding on.

But the answer can only be no.

Winters would see dead mules and horses on the roadside from time to time. While the owner of the livestock was still crying, others were already moving the contents of the vehicle to other carriages.

The baggage team did not dare to throw away the supplies, and the merchants were reluctant to throw away the goods. Although the pursuers may not be far away, no one can be sure whether there are real pursuers.

The result was that the Platuan people wanted to escape, but they did not dare to let go and escape. Just dragging heavy cargo across the wasteland, avoiding the invisible enemies behind you.

The convoy was able to maintain order only because of Dussac's saber and the prestige accumulated by several officers in the past.

But even the second lieutenants were muttering: According to Lieutenant Colonel Jessica's interrogation method, it is not surprising that those Hurds can tell anything.

"Remember that rabbit?" Bud asked.

"What rabbit?" Andre was puzzled.

Winters replied: "A rabbit that was too beaten to say it was a raccoon."

After discussion, several people decided to express their concerns to the lieutenant colonel.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica set up a carriage as a temporary command post.

When Winters approached the lieutenant colonel, the latter was busy working on a map.

"Sir, it's too dangerous to walk in the dark. Several horses stepped into rat holes and broke their hooves." Winters suggested tentatively: "How about waiting until daybreak before taking action? We can just send more scouts to explore the situation behind. "

"I've already sent them." The lieutenant colonel said without raising his head: "Instead of worrying about the future, it's better to think about how to avoid going the wrong way."

"We have lost too many mules and horses during the forced march, and the road ahead may not be easy."

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica raised his head and stared at Winters, raising his eyebrows: "You also think I am a scornful person?"

"I firmly obey your judgment."

"It is a consistent strategy of the Hurds for small groups of troops to raid supply lines." The lieutenant colonel leaned over and continued his homework on the map: "But think about it, how many days has it been since we met the courier who came back from earlier?"

Winters' hair stood on end for a moment.

Supply lines are also communication lines, and messengers traveling along the way often encounter baggage trains. Occasionally, they would come to ask for a drink of water and exchange some news from the front and rear.

But in recent days, I have only seen messengers passing from behind, but not from the front.

"In any case, it is safest to return to the riverside camp first." Lieutenant Colonel Jessica handed a roll of parchment to Winters: "I suspect that all the camps ahead have been lost."

Winters unfolded the parchment, which was a map. He finally understood what the lieutenant colonel was busy with.

The militia was not taken seriously, and maps were only issued to the level of captain, not centurions. Lieutenant Colonel Jeshka was drawing maps for his three centurions.

The lieutenant colonel said calmly: "You don't have to worry, I will take any responsibility. Just obey the orders with peace of mind."

"Lieutenant Colonel, we are the least worried." Winters smiled: "The reason why I tell you this is just because I have doubts."

"Do you still have any doubts now?"

"there is none left."

"Then get lost."

"Yes." Winters saluted.

…

Judging from the map, it was about sixteen kilometers from the ambush site to the riverside camp.

However, these sixteen kilometers are only the distance shown on the map. Due to the undulating terrain, the actual distance far exceeds this number.

The convoy had already traveled for most of the day before encountering Heard's cavalry.

After that life-and-death fight, there was no time to breathe, and the convoy immediately turned around and turned back.

Lieutenant Colonel Jasika ruthlessly drove the Platoans to march as fast as they could for their lives, and they actually walked two days' journey in one night.

The price was that thirty-three mules and horses were injured and exhausted, seventeen carts were abandoned, and thirteen carts were separated along the way.

The journey was bumpy and many seriously injured people could not hold on and died. Many people were injured in accidents while marching at night.

Finally, when the morning light appeared on the horizon, the "River Styx" slowly appeared from behind the outline of the hillside.

The silver ribbon-like river meanders through the yellow-green wilderness, and the undulating water surface flashes with thousands of golden lights.

Brother Rhett stood on the hillside with his arms akimbo, pointing at the river and praising: "Look at the green dragon on the left, the white tiger on the right, and the jade belt in front of the door. This place is a treasure of Feng Shui! But I have no heirs, so there is no point in thinking about it, haha Ha ha!"

Winters didn't understand what crazy talk the old man was talking about. He patrolled in the motorcade and shouted: "The riverside camp is right in front of you! It's coming soon! Wine, meat, bread, warm blankets, everything is there! Hold on! live!"

As Winters tried to cheer everyone up, a gunshot was heard in the distance.

The sound of gunfire echoed in the ravine, and Pierre ran down the hill behind him. He waved his flag and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Winters couldn't make out what Pierre was shouting, but he didn't need to.

"The Hurds are coming!" Winters shouted: "Speed ​​up! Centuries, assemble!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then the coachman, who came to his senses, lashed out at the animal that was already on the verge of reaching its limit. The militiamen of Montagne's Centurion rushed toward Winters in panic.

"Coming?" Lieutenant Colonel Jessica rushed to Winters' side on a brown horse.

"Coming!" Winters replied.

On the ridge on the west side, Hurd's cavalry appeared one after another.

In their eyes, groups of carts were slowly crawling towards the Palatine military camp on the west bank of the Styx.

They paused, as if waiting for an order.

Winters counted the number of Hurd's cavalry: "Less than a hundred cavalry came."

"It's probably just the vanguard." Jessica said solemnly, "There may be other troops hidden on the reverse slope."

The Dussacs rushed to the lieutenant colonel one after another and gathered in a noisy group.

Winters and Andre's centurions were rapidly gathering. Bud and his motley crew remained in the convoy.

The Dussacs also arrived one after another and gathered in a noisy group behind the lieutenant colonel.

At this moment, the Hud moved. They also realized that the Platoans could not be allowed to form a formation.

One horse jumped out of the crowd, followed by a hundred horses and rushed down the hill.

The roaring hoofbeats were reflected in the valley, and the overlapping echoes were as powerful as thunder.

All the Platoans were overwhelmed by the momentum of Hurd's cavalry, but the one-eyed lieutenant colonel didn't seem to be in a hurry at all.

"Wangshan is running to death, let them run for a while." Jessica's left hand left the saber handle and gave the order to the lieutenants in a leisurely manner: "Second Lieutenant Montagne."

"exist!"

"You are the reserve team."

"yes!"

"Ensign Cellini."

"exist!"

"Cover Cavalry."

"yes."

It seems that the distance between the ridge and the ridge is not far, but to get there, you have to go through a big downhill and a big uphill.

The Hed man controlled his speed and was jogging towards the bottom of the ditch.

There was still a bit of uphill waiting, and they didn't intend to waste horsepower right from the start.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeshka cleared his throat and roared at the Dussacs: "Don't be like a headless fly! Line up like a spearman for me. Arrow formation! Control your horses!"

The immature Dusaks among the Palatine cavalry had never been trained in cavalry combat, and they stood in an awkward wedge formation amidst the scoldings of the old Dusak.

The lieutenant colonel's gaze swept over the horsemen under his command, and his tone was cold: "The old marshal once said that the Hurds have a fierce temperament, brave fighting, and are also skilled in bow and horse. Two Hurd cavalry against three Plato cavalry are like Chopping melons and vegetables.”

The Dusaks had different expressions, some were nervous, some were frightened, but most of them were unconvinced.

"Are you not convinced?" Lieutenant Colonel Jessica shouted: "I tell you, before you are weaned, the Hurd child is already hanging in the saddle bag and nomadic! When you are still crawling on the ground, the Hurd child is already Start learning to ride a horse!”

Angelou, who was in the queue, heard Pierre next to him snort from deep in his nose.

"But the old marshal also said that a hundred Palatine cavalry will never be afraid of a hundred Herd barbarians! A thousand Palatine cavalry can easily defeat 1,500 Herd cavalry! This is discipline and tactics. And the power of the array!”

Everyone's breathing began to become rapid.

"Most of you have not received complete cavalry training, I know." Lieutenant Colonel Jessica yelled: "But it doesn't matter. What do these hundred or so Hurd barbarians mean? Follow me! Cut them down!"

Before he finished speaking, the lieutenant colonel took the lead and rushed down the hillside roaring: "Uukhai!"

The Palatuan cavalry were stunned for a moment, then involuntarily followed the figure and charged: "Uukhai!"

Winters blurted out the curse words, and the highest commander on the scene was the first to kill him, and he didn't even have time to stop him.

Andre was also dumbfounded, but he quickly came to his senses.

"Everyone! Run, walk!" Lieutenant Cellini shouted and led his soldiers to chase the cavalry.

In the blink of an eye, only Second Lieutenant Montagne and his centurions were left on the hill, shivering in the cold west wind.

"Square formation." Winters ordered helplessly: "Musketeers, prepare matchlocks and load ammunition."

In the ravine, the distance between the two groups of cavalry was rapidly closing.

The Herds seemed to have no formation at all.

The Palatine cavalry barely maintained a wedge formation that was about to fall apart, with the lieutenant colonel himself serving as the tip of the spear.

Seeing that the two sides were about to collide, all the Platoans on the hillside stared with bated breath.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Three gunshots echoed across the ravine.

Winters looked around and saw that several Herds on the opposite hillside were also watching the battle, and the gunfire came from there.

After the gunshot, a sudden change occurred in the ravine.

The seemingly unformed Hede Baiqi instantly split into two and circled to the left and right sides of Plato's wedge formation.

"Oops!" Winters exclaimed in his heart.

"It's broken!" Andre also shouted in his mind.

The advantage of the wedge formation is that it is easy to turn. As long as everyone follows the person in front, the rider responsible for guiding can easily control the direction of impact.

But the Hedians were obviously not prepared to confront the Platuan people head-on. They divided their troops into two groups and outflanked the two wings of the Plattuan cavalry formation.

Of course, the wedge formation can also be divided into two, but that kind of formation change during the march is not something that this bunch of rookie cavalry who can only follow the stupid charge can handle.

The one-eyed lieutenant colonel gritted his teeth and jerked the reins with his left hand. The charging wedge turned with him and slammed into the Herd cavalry on the left.

In an instant, people were on their backs, and the Platuan and Hed people who had survived the first wave of hedging began to fight in a melee.

The half-hundred Herd cavalry on the right wing did not choose to support their companions, but bypassed the battle group and went straight to the convoy.

At the edge of the opposite hillside, nearly a hundred Herd cavalry came out from the reverse slope.

The Hed cavalrymen with feathers on their helmets held spears and screamed strangely as they rushed towards the Platoans who were fighting at the bottom of the valley.

Andre and his soldiers finally arrived and joined the battle.

More than fifty Hurd cavalry on the right wing roared past the small phalanx of Montagne's centurions.

Winters's musketeers opened fire, but not a single Hurd trooper fell.

The Hurds ignored the formation of militiamen and went straight towards the clumsy convoy.

The dilemma was suddenly thrown at Winters.

Return to rescue the convoy?

Support the battle in the ravine?

There are only Bard and civilians in the convoy, and what awaits them will be a massacre.

The battle in the ravine looked evenly matched, and the Platuan people still had a chance of winning.

In a flash of lightning he had made his choice.

"If we lose the fight below, no one will survive!" Winters's roar seemed to be suggesting himself: "Expand the phalanx! Everyone! Follow me!"

On Bud's side... they can only rely on themselves.

I caught a fish and finished writing this chapter.

Thank you to the book friends who voted for recommendations and monthly votes. Thank you all for your support.

Time is tight, so I won’t thank you one by one here. I will thank you all in the next chapter. Sorry.