Iron Powder and Spellcaster

The scout followed Hurd's army all the way to the River Styx and brought back bad news and good news.

The bad news is, the pontoon has been burned.

The river beach was littered with charred boat wrecks. The Hexi camp was also burned, and no survivors were found.

The wounded soldiers, merchants, and Colin's centurions who remained in the camp were all killed. Even those who returned to Plato may not be spared.

The good news is that all signs indicate that all the enemies have crossed the river and the baggage train is temporarily safe.

But...can this really be considered good news?

The old marshal once said, "The most difficult thing in war is guessing the enemy's intentions."

A battle-hardened veteran might be able to easily discern Barbarian's intentions, but not just anyone has this ability.

After the enemy dropped their chess pieces, Winters gradually sketched out the whole picture: From the beginning to the end, the target of the Herds was the pontoon bridge, and they wanted to burn the war back to Plato.

…

After the war begins, the most important thing is how to end it.

If Plato wanted to end the war, the key was not to capture the city.

The wealth of farming peoples is concentrated in cities, but the Hittites live as nomads and have no cities for the Plato army to attack.

Killing and wounding soldiers, kidnapping people, plundering livestock, and beating the Hud barbarians to pain, crying, and subduing them were the purpose of the Platoans.

As long as the Huds surrender and move westward, the war will end immediately.

Moreover, Plato did not go to war with all the Hittites, but only the nearest one at a time.

Sometimes they would even take advantage of the conflicts between the tribes and hire Huds to fight against the Huds.

Although the Palatuan people are unwilling to admit that their ancestors are the Hud branch, there is no doubt that the war patterns of both sides are full of the shadow of the nomads.

In the past thirty years, the Hud people have been in disarray.

Whenever there is a war, tribes often break up their tents and flee far away, with preservation of strength as their top priority.

At most, a small group of light cavalry would be dispatched to harass the supply line, and they would naturally retreat when the Palatuan people could no longer afford it.

After all, the Platoans came and went, and the other tribes in the wasteland were the real enemies.

Therefore, everyone including Winters thought that the Centurions who encountered them first were the vanguard, and Alaric's troops who pursued them the next day were regarded as the main force.

However, in fact, the Hedians dispatched a real army this time, at least half of the Naiman [Ten Thousand Fu Army].

Alaric's troops, who fought against the Platoans until the sky was dark and the earth was dark, were the real outposts.

…

The worst estimate of the officers before was that their escape route would be cut off by the Hurds.

Lieutenant Colonel Custer almost fainted when he learned that thousands of Hurd cavalry were crossing the Styx eastward.

What is east of the River Styx? It is a no-man's land hundreds of kilometers wide. However, beyond these more than 100 kilometers, we reach the mainland of Plato.

The Hittites... were heading towards Plato, and no one could stop them.

After thirty years, the iron hooves of the Hurd raiders will set foot on the land of Plato again.

Lieutenant Colonel Custer immediately sent communications troops to the front and rear.

However, the pontoon bridge was destroyed, and the signal troops could only go upstream to cross the river, but it was too late.

The news was so shocking that the Platoans in the team were in a daze. Even Winters felt dizzy when he first heard it.

The Plataeans had been winning battles for so long that they had forgotten that the Hittites had teeth.

The last time the Hurds invaded Plato, Jashka was just a toddler, and most of the people in the camp weren't even born yet.

In the past thirty years, Plato has maintained absolute suppression of the Hed tribes.

The Palatine punched, the Hittites retreated, the Platts punched again, the Hittites retreated again.

Victory after victory, the Platuan people built up their confidence to be invincible.

Winters saw that in the car formation and behind the camp wall, no matter how dangerous the battle situation was, the Platuan people never doubted the final victory of this war.

Now, Winters is seeing that confidence begin to crumble.

More than one captain came to him, asking implicitly or directly whether he wanted to withdraw from Plato.

But Winters had no decision-making power in this matter.

…

The officers of the cavalry squadron and the baggage train held an emergency meeting to discuss the next step.

The atmosphere of the meeting was solemn, and the officers were sullen and silent.

Seeing that no one spoke, Lieutenant Colonel Custer was furious: "Are they all mute? Starting with the lowest ranking, tell them one by one!"

There was another moment of silence, and then Winters stood up. There was probably no one with a lower military rank than him.

"Okay, let's start with you!" Custer slapped the table: "Then the one on your right."

Andre suddenly turned into a bitter face.

"I think." Winters said as briefly as possible, "We should go west to find the main force."

The air suddenly cooled.

"Reason?" Lieutenant Colonel Jessica's eyelids twitched.

"The pontoon bridge has been destroyed, and there are only two ways to cross the river. Either go upstream, or build a boat to cross the river. The detour is too far, and boat building is time-consuming. We don't know how many Hed people are wandering around here, and it is safer to go to the large army. "

"How do you know the army has not been defeated?"

"Because the enemy troops crossing the river are still wearing armored leather jackets." Winters replied: "The Hud people don't waste anything. If the army in front has been defeated, they will definitely have more than just the rags on them."

"That's right!" Custer immediately agreed: "How did the Hedians get the ability to kill an army of 20,000 people? They must have taken a wrong approach and made a dangerous move. This battle has not been defeated yet!"

Others present looked at Jessica. If he held the same opinion, there would be no need to discuss it further.

"You fight yours, and I'll fight mine." The one-eyed lieutenant colonel suddenly smiled bitterly and shook his head: "This is the old marshal's strategy. When did the Herds learn it?"

The tone was set, and the officers discussed and decided to set off immediately, and at the same time sent out rangers to gather the other three squadrons of Custer's regiment.

Because most of the supply camps along the route had been looted, Custer's cavalry would follow the baggage trains to obtain supplies while also providing protection.

The merchants accompanying the team were frightened and wanted to go home, but they couldn't help it at this moment.

The two lieutenant colonels were worried that the deserted traders would reveal the whereabouts of the baggage team, so they commandeered all the traders' carts and draft animals, and also incorporated the people into the militia.

Unknowingly, the mentality of the Plato people has quietly changed.

Before encountering Hurd's army, the Platuan people regarded the supply line as their rear and only occasionally harassed them.

Everything is different now. It seems that it is still the same vast wasteland, but in the eyes of everyone who is starting their journey again, murderous intentions are hidden everywhere. There seems to be an ambush of the Hud behind every hillside.

The baggage train changed its route, and Custer scattered the scout cavalry twenty kilometers away. Everyone was so nervous that they didn't even dare to light a fire in the daytime - because the smoke was too conspicuous in the wasteland.

Regardless of whether they were soldiers or civilians, they could only cook on earthen stoves after dark.

Instead, the advantages of the iron furnace built by Balian were highlighted.

There is no open flame in the iron stove, so it is hidden and safe, leaving no stove pit. Because it consumes less fuel, the smoke is also very small.

The more senior the officer is, the more wonderful the iron furnace is.

For hungry, cold, and tired soldiers, nothing boosts morale like a bowl of hot soup.

Lieutenant Colonel Custer even inspected the iron furnace inside and out, and was filled with admiration.

"Are you a blacksmith?" the lieutenant colonel asked Balian abruptly.

"Two years as an apprentice."

"not married?"

"My lord, no."

"Come and work for me." Custer generously recruited Balian: "I'll give you a job as a sergeant, and I'll guarantee you three years to save up for a wife."

Winters on the side did not expect that the dignified Lieutenant Colonel would directly poach him, and the terms would be so generous.

The meaning of sergeant in the republics is slightly different. In Veneta, sergeant is the name for captain of ten.

But in Plato, the sergeant was between the captain of ten and the captain of centurion, which was an excellent position. Senior NCOs are even paid more than junior officers.

Hearing Custer's words, Winters was a little nervous. He really couldn't bear to part with such a good cook.

Balian was stunned for a moment and replied dully: "Thanks to your kindness, I still have a younger brother at home, and I can't let him go."

Lieutenant Colonel Custer snorted. He had already given enough face by recruiting in person, so he couldn't say anything more.

Before leaving, Custer turned around and asked, "What's the name of this stove?"

"Yes, it's called Sawyer Furnace." Balian's eyes were a little red: "It was designed by my father."

That night, blacksmith Balian took over the fire stick from the second lieutenant and was honorably promoted to a full-time cook in the officers' mess of the cavalry regiment and baggage corps, completely freed from duty and combat.

He immediately became the most closely protected person in the team, even safer than the two school officers.

…

After marching cautiously for three days, the advancing scouts encountered friendly scouts.

Behind the friendly scouts were forty squadrons of cavalry, more than five thousand light and heavy cavalry.

Later, Major General Arpad and his personal guards came to the baggage train in a hurry and asked the two lieutenant colonels for information.

It was impossible for the movement of the large group of Hedians to be without traces. The Plato army, which noticed the enemy's movements, immediately sent out all its cavalry to pursue them.

But it was still a step too late. Three days after Hurd crossed the River Styx, the pursuers finally arrived.

Upon learning that the pontoon bridge had been burned by the Hurds, Major General Arpad immediately became furious.

After further learning that the Hurd raiders crossed the Styx eastward and killed Plato directly, Major General Arpad was almost angered to death on the spot.

Arpad, who had gray temples, scolded the two lieutenant colonels bloody. If anger had heat, Jessica and Custer would have been roasted to the point of being scorched on the outside and scorched on the inside.

But the bridge had been destroyed and it was too late to say anything.

Arpad could only rendezvous with the large infantry force first and then make plans.

While Jessica and Custer were scolded by the major general, their subordinates stood at attention behind them.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica was humiliated, which made Winters feel a little uncomfortable. He couldn't help but said to the others: "It's obvious that the Herds didn't stop in front, but they still scolded us vigorously!"

"That's not the case." Cavalry Lieutenant Kossuth waved his hand.

After stirring in the same pot for many days, the lieutenants of the Cavalry Regiment have become very familiar with Winters.

"That is how the matter?"

"Major General Arpad has already defeated three Herd troops on the way, otherwise he wouldn't have arrived so late." Lieutenant Kossuth explained in a low voice. He added: "I heard what the people in the first regiment said."

Winters' pupils suddenly dilated: "There are still three defeated Qianfu teams, plus the Herds crossing the river, that doesn't mean..."

"That's right." Kossuth wiped the sweat from his forehead: "A Naiman, a real ten thousand men."

"Tens of thousands of cavalry! How can they hide in the wilderness?"

"Does that need to be said? Attack separately." Kossuth sighed: "The Hed's special skills."

…

The impatient Major General Arpad left the slow baggage team behind and led the cavalry to join the large army first.

After another fourteen days of arduous journey, the Jashka baggage train finally arrived at its destination.

The sun is setting in the west, and red clouds cover the sky.

Winters rode Qiang Yun slowly up the hill, and the Plato camp appeared in his sight.

It was only at this moment that I finally understood why this battle had been delayed for so long.

Just in front of the Plato camp, an earthen city stood quietly on the wasteland.

The Hud barbarians... built a city.

weekend! My motherboard is coming back soon! Good things come in pairs.

Thank you to the book friends who have voted for recommendation before, and special thanks to the book friends who have voted for recommendation in the past two days! Compare your heart!

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Thanks again to the book friends who voted for recommendation in the past two days, thank you all.