Iron Powder and Spellcaster

When the Tiefeng County Army's left wing and center army strangled the enemy's right wing like an iron pincer, only destruction and death awaited the Terdun Division.

The [breaking point] that directly caused the morale of the Terdun people to completely collapse was the collapse of the banner of the Khan tent.

Facing the soldiers of the Plato champion, the fire-warmer... ran away.

The battle ends at that moment, and the rest is the victor's pursuit of the loser.

Terdun's defeated soldiers, with their liver and gallbladder shattered, crawled into the dense forest, climbed up the barren mountains, and fled in all directions in a panic.

The exhausted Tiefeng County militiamen could no longer pursue and kill the fleeing enemy. The real pursuers were the Palatine hussars - in a sense, this was the part that the hussars were best at.

The hussars rode on hot-blooded horses and moved as fast as the wind. They drove the broken troops of Turton to escape without stopping, and both sides soon disappeared on the horizon.

It wasn't until night fell that the bloody day seemed to be over.

The surviving militiamen wanted to return to the camp to rest, but found that the camp no longer existed.

Because the Tiefeng County Army's camp was a battlefield, the flat farmland between the mountains and forests was strewn with bodies that had not yet been recovered and the injured who were dying and seeking help.

There was so much blood that the air smelled sweet and fishy.

The militiamen lingered on the edge of the battlefield, not knowing where to go or what to do.

When relatives and friends who survived the disaster met, many couldn't help crying. More people were rummaging through the bodies, crying and calling the names of their family members.

It was at this time that Mason met Bud.

Senior Mason, who was always polite and maintained social distance, gave his junior a bear hug without saying a word, which made Bud a little uncomfortable.

The reunion of comrades-in-arms brings endless things to say. But when the words came to his lips, he didn't know what to say.

It was Mason who sniffed, smiled and spoke first: "I really want to get some elbow meat to eat."

"Yeah." Bud smiled gently: "Me too."

Bud also just arrived on the battlefield, and he also brought a complete logistics detachment.

Previously, Bud had been sitting in the [Kennel Village] ten kilometers south of the battlefield.

According to the battle plan drawn up by Winters and Bard: Winters commanded the main force to seek a frontal decisive battle, while Bard looked for a suitable position at the rear of the battlefield, built forts, piled up baggage, and prepared for the worst possible situation.

Fortunately, no backup plan came into play this time.

When he learned from the communication cavalry that the victory had been decided, Bader immediately led the baggage troops to the front line and finally arrived at the battlefield before dusk.

What awaits Bud is an unprecedented mess.

"Thousands of things." Bud concluded with a wry smile: "It's a mess."

While he was talking, a military policeman with a white armband strode over and breathlessly asked for instructions: "Tribune, the stretcher team caught two civilians who secretly cut off the heads of barbarians. What should we do?"

Mason couldn't help but frown.

Stealing [trophies] is not only a serious violation of military discipline, it is even worse on a moral level.

Bud's reaction was very dull: "Bring the person here."

The "criminal" was quickly brought before Bud and Mason.

Judging by their appearance, the two prisoners were both farmers who could not be found in the crowd. They didn't even know where to put their hands when facing the "Lord Tribune". Sometimes they were behind their backs, and sometimes they were hanging on their legs.

They first looked at the surrounding soldiers in horror, and soon stared at the ground, swallowing saliva.

"Hold out your hand." Bud walked up to the prisoner.

After being pushed a few times by the military police, the two farmers hesitantly stretched out their palms covered with thick black calluses.

Bud looked at the farmer's hand and asked, "Do you admit that you cut off the heads of barbarians without permission?"

The two farmers didn't reply.

The military policeman escorting the prisoner was furious and wanted to beat him with a stick.

Bud stopped the military police and asked again in a friendly manner: "Have you ever cut off the heads of the Teltown people?"

One farmer turned pale and nodded. Another younger farmer also nodded with tears in his eyes.

"Five lashes for each, public execution, now." Bard issued the verdict: "After five lashes, let them go back to Shenk Town with the wounded carriage, and their conscription will be lifted."

Two farmers were taken away.

It is natural to be beheaded for stealing; it is natural to be hanged for stealing trophies.

Five lashes was obviously too light a sentence, and Mason neither understood nor agreed.

But there were all Bard's subordinates present, and the seniors had to maintain the authority of their juniors, so Mason did not show any opposition.

Bud understood what the senior was thinking, and he extended an invitation: "Senior, since you are here, may I take you to inspect the camp?"

Mason agreed immediately.

The two of them each led a horse and walked slowly around the camp without any followers.

Bud set up the logistics detachment's camp on the south side of the battlefield, next to the road.

The civilians of the transport troops cut down trees, lit bonfires, boiled water, and baked biscuits.

In the dark night, the campfires in the camp were as bright and warm as beacons.

From time to time, militiamen carrying weapons and dragging their tired footsteps numbly walked towards the fire.

Military police patrols are used to this.

The gendarme gave the visitor a piece of bread to the person who had been fighting for the rest of his life, wrapped him in a blanket, took him to the campfire, and then went to fetch the others.

Riders holding torches went to look for the lost warriors, and carriages carrying the wounded rumbled toward the rear.

Before they knew it, Mason and Bud reached the edge of the battlefield.

Perhaps it was a psychological effect, but Mason always felt that the cold air was mixed with the smell of blood.

The battlefield has been shrouded in darkness, and little bits of fire are moving around. That was the stretcher team organized by Bader, looking for the injured.

"The lightly injured will stay in the temporary camp for the time being, and the seriously injured will be sent back to the Kennel Village, and then sent to Shengke Town in the future." Bud explained his arrangement to the senior: "Father Carman is on the way, and I asked him to set up on the spot. Medical clinic. The sooner the injured receive treatment, the higher the chance of survival..."

Mason listened carefully.

Compared with the battle itself, the finishing work after the war is the real torture. Just treating the wounded is enough to be nerve-wracking.

At the end of a day's bloody battle, the victorious and defeated parties gasped in the darkness; the wounded and corpses who could not move on their own were abandoned on the battlefield, and gangsters who fished in troubled waters came to loot property at night - these were all ordinary sights.

The wounded in the Tiefeng County Army were both unfortunate and lucky.

Because at least someone cared about their lives and tried their best to keep them alive.

From the treatment of the wounded, Bud then talked about the prisoners of the Teltown Department.

"Senior, you don't know yet, right?" Bud said softly: "There are more than two thousand Telton prisoners south of the Pangtuo River waiting for us to deal with."

Mason was shocked: "Two thousand prisoners? Prisoners from the Battle of Pangtuo River?"

"Yes, the prisoners of the Battle of Pangtuo River. There may even be more than two thousand, because only the [Taichi] troops surrendered before, and there are also a lot of stragglers from the Terdun tribe in Lower Tiefeng County."

Mason was speechless.

Bader continued: "And it's hard to say whether the Taichi tribe is considered a prisoner or not. Because we failed to effectively control them. We left them on the south bank of the Pangtuo River, and then pounced on the fire roasters. Now the fire roasters have been dealt with, What to do with Tai Akabbe became the primary issue.”

Mason sighed heavily.

Bud dropped another piece of bombshell news: "The previous communication with Gévaudan was cut off, so I couldn't tell you in time - for this battle, the New Reclamation Corps provided reinforcements."

Mason suddenly felt dizzy, and he asked blankly: "Those hussars? Are they the troops of the New Reclamation Corps?"

Bud mused: "In my opinion, they do not represent the official position of the New Reclamation Corps."

"What's going on?" The hair on Mason's back stood up.

"Those people are..." Bud frowned slightly: "[Volunteers] invited by Colonel Bode. What exactly happened, we have to wait for Colonel Bode to come back. As for whether those people have other demands, it is unknown for the time being. "

Mason thought about it and sighed heavily.

"Then there's the [Beheading Order]." Bard stared at the battlefield, then looked at Mason: "It's what you just saw."

"Compared with this," Mason said bitterly, "it is a trivial matter to sentence two thieves lightly."

Bud shook his head: "On the contrary, I think... the last thing is the most important."

"Why do you say that?" Mason was puzzled.

"The New Reclamation Corps, the prisoners of Turdun... are all external forces, and external forces cannot defeat us. But what is reflected by [stolenly cutting off the heads] is a grenade buried in the internal organs, which is powerful enough to shatter us into pieces. "

Mason chewed on his junior's words and fell silent again.

"I have handled no less than thirty cases of beheading. Seven people were hanged - not for stealing the heads of Telton people, but for taking credit for taking one's own head."

Bader stated the facts calmly: "Lower Tiefeng County was destroyed by the Terton people. What about Middle Tiefeng County? It was also severely damaged. This is the biggest and most serious problem. The reason why the two farmers were not sentenced harshly was because Enough people have died. Tiefeng County needs many things now, but fear is not included in them."

"We won." Mason said sadly, "We also lost, and it was a complete mess."

"No!" Bud's tone became serious: "You said it wrong."

Mason raised his head in surprise.

"We just won." Bud declared firmly: "We won the right to survive. This is the most important thing."

Mason was startled at first, and then "turned his worries into a smile."

He breathed a long sigh of relief: "Yes! We have won the right to survive tonight. Let's talk about other things tomorrow!"

"That's right." Mason suddenly remembered someone: "Where is Winters? Leave the mess to us, where are the others? Where are they?"

This time it was Bud's turn to sigh: "I don't know either."

…

In the early morning, Colonel Geza returned to the temporary camp and asked to see Winters.

He got the same reply: "We don't know where Captain Montagne is either."

Where Winters is, you probably have to ask the fire roaster.

…

At dawn, Zhong Tiefeng County, I don’t know where it is.

"[Herd] Khan, there is a river ahead!" The quiver soldier panted and reported: "[Herd] It seems that we have reached the river."

The fire-warmer was also panting heavily and asked viciously: "[Hudian] Wolf cub... Is that wolf cub still behind?"

The Great Quiver listened for a moment, then swallowed his saliva and said, "[Herd] doesn't seem to be catching up."

"[Hud] Okay, okay, take a break."

The four quiver men and the fire-warmer, a total of five people, hid in the woods by the river to rest their horses.

A man with a quiver couldn't resist his thirst and ran to the riverside to drink heavily. The big quiver, the leader of the guards, scooped some water out of his helmet and offered it to those who were warming themselves over the fire.

The famous Terdun Great Khan only had four people left beside him at this moment.

The man warming himself by the fire sipped cold water, his face ashen.

Suddenly, the fire-warmer suddenly turned back to look at the two quiver warriors behind him. When their eyes met, the two quiver warriors quickly lowered their heads.

The fire-warmer turned slowly and quietly changed his position so that every quiver was within his line of sight.

No one knows whether he is a coward or a warrior until death actually comes.

At least the fire roaster originally thought he had the courage to fight the Plato champion face to face.

However, when the fire-warmer really saw the bloody red flag approaching unstoppably, when the fire-warmer really saw the guards of the sweat tent being shattered... he was afraid.

Fear fell like an avalanche at a certain moment, and the fire-warming person was afraid from the bottom of his heart, scared to death.

So he ran away and fled in panic.

Although defeat was inevitable, the direct cause of the collapse of the Teltown headquarters was undoubtedly the escape of the fire-warmers.

The Khan allowed his banner to be captured, how could his followers still have the will to fight to the death?

However, seizing the flag could not make the opponent sheath the sword, and the night could not stop the opponent's footsteps. In the nightmare-like escape, the guards of the Firemaker disappeared one after another.

In the end, only five people including him were left.

But he finally got rid of the wolf, "I won in the end," the fire roaster thought with a victorious spirit.

Power can make anyone appear inviolable and superior, the more so from a distance.

But when that aura is stripped away and only a human image remains, he will immediately become weak and vulnerable.

An emperor at the end of his rope is often like the humblest slave, making those who once worshiped him doubt their own eyes. The so-called heroism is not linked to power.

With power, new slaves will come to worship and swear loyalty; without power, the closest quiver becomes unreliable.

"[Herd] Rest your horse here first." The man warming the fire indirectly reiterated his position: "[Herd] Wait until night, and then go downstream along the river. After crossing the river, you can return to Teldun."

The four quiver warriors bowed their heads and agreed.

"[Herd] You and others are my closest guards. If you don't abandon me, I will reward you and others heavily."

The three quivers thanked them, but there was no joy on their faces.

Only the big quiver said directly to the fire-warmer: "[Hedian] Great Khan, there is no need to act like this. As long as I have one life, I will definitely protect you back to the grassland."

These words sounded like a sign of loyalty, but the way they were spoken was an infringement of authority. The fire-warmer usually didn't need to think about these issues at all, but now he was occupied with these things.

Before he could think of how to respond, a series of horse hooves could be heard in the distance from the river beach.

The people who were warming up the fire immediately hid, not daring to come out.

The sound of hooves was getting closer and closer, there were about a dozen riders.

The sound of hoofbeats sounded like horses on the grassland, but the fire-warmers didn't dare to tell because the two-legged people also used a lot of captured horses.

It wasn't until the visitor came closer and saw clearly that he was wearing a robe with a sloping front, that the people warming themselves by the fire breathed a sigh of relief.

One of the quivers blew a whistle gently - and the fire-warmer didn't have time to stop it.

The visitor stopped and whistled in response.

Both parties confirmed their identities and could no longer hide it. The man who was warming up his heart felt refreshed and walked out of the woods.

"[Herd] Which tribe are you waiting for?" the fire-warmer asked in a loud voice.

"[Hidden language] Great Khan?" The leader of the visitors asked in surprise: "[Hidden language] Is it the Great Khan?"

The man warming the fire stopped and put his hand on the tip of the bow: "[Hidden] Which tribe are you waiting for?"

"[Hudese] I am..." The leader of the group took the initiative to greet the people who were warming themselves by the fire: "[Hudese] I am your slave!"

The man who was roasting the fire laughed like crazy, drew his bow and shot an arrow at the visitor: "[Hidden] Join the crowd! Traitor! Carrion wrapped in grass that even the cows won't eat!"

The fire-warmer's sudden move surprised several quiver warriors behind him.

The leader of the surrender was shot off his horse on the spot. The other surrenders also simply lost their skin and shouted loudly: "Fire the loud arrows! Fire the loud arrows! Call the others! Big fish! It's a big fish!"

More than a dozen riders joined the crowd and fired arrows at the fire-warmers, obviously not intending to capture them alive.

"[Herd language] What about you? You want to kill me too!" The fire-warmer roared ferociously, stood still, and drew his bow to fight back.

Four quiver warriors participated in the battle with bows and used their bodies as shields for those who were warming themselves.

Whether they are quivers or fire-warmers, they are all truly good players.

The arrows of the five men were not in vain, but they killed the people who had surrendered and fled in panic.

A louder sound of horse hooves came, this time there were at least dozens of horses.

Seeing the fleeing followers turning back, the fire-warmer knew something was wrong and shouted: "[Hudian] Mount your horse and let's go!"

Looking back, where is the horse?

The horse had already been taken away by those who had just surrendered.

The rumble of horse hooves got closer and closer, and the rider rushed straight towards the fire-warmer.

The fire-warmer pulled out his machete and roared in despair.

…

A helmet of cold water was poured on it, and the fire-warmer regained consciousness.

"woke up?"

"You seem to be awake?"

"[Herd] Do you still recognize me?" The speaker patted the fire-warmer's cheek, his voice mixed with hatred and teasing: "[Herd] sweating?"

The person who was warming the fire was feeling dizzy, the back of his head was wet, and he couldn't say a word.

"[Hidden] Dahan, can't you hear it? I am..." The speaker lifted his hair, revealing a bare ear hole on one side, and introduced himself affectionately: "[Hidden] Red Dog!"

Hearing this name, the fire-warmer woke up with horror: "[Hedian] Is this the River Styx?"

"[Herd] No, this is the river of the Great Shaman George." Red Dog said casually: "St. George River."

"[Herdese] But you're dead!" The fire roaster roared angrily, coughing out a few blood clots: "[Herdese] Echige also lied to me!"

"[Herd] I was not going to survive, but some people thought I might still be useful, so I survived." Red Dog slowly pulled out the dagger: "[Herd] Look, I'm coming to see you right now. Are you there? You shouldn't have run away. If you hadn't run away, you could have died like a warrior."

The fire-warmer wanted to say something else, but the other adherents held him firmly, making him unable to speak or struggle.

"I know what you want to say." Red Dog said in a language that the fire roaster could not understand: "The Great Khan who escaped from battle died in the hands of the lowest slaves like us - what a fitting way to die!"

…

When the morning light broke, Winters returned to the battlefield.

Chasing all night, the cavalry following him fell behind one after another. Because his war horse stumbled, he failed to win over the enemy chief personally.

When he returned, only one person was left with him.

Not Charles, not Heinrich, but Jakob Green, the tall, thin man who wanted to write an epic.

Seeing Tribune Montagne charging in person, Jakob Green followed without a second thought, even without a weapon.

He just wanted to stand closer, closer, and driven by this enthusiasm, even though Charles and Heinrich fell behind, Jakob Green still followed closely behind the tribune's saddle.

The sun penetrates the treetops and shines on the battlefield, revealing the corpses lying on the ground, the soil solidified by blood, and the twisted expressions of the deceased in their last moments.

Jakob Green recorded: “…the battlefield was strewn with corpses. Hurds and ours. Tribune Montagne tried hard to prevent his mounts from trampling the remains. He failed, so he fell Horse. At this moment, I saw him crying... Is this true? Can the killing machine called [Blood Wolf] also have that kind of emotion? Or maybe the memory deceived me... But at that moment, The helpless boy crying while walking and his eyes shining with tears left such a deep impression on me that I will never forget it..."

[Thanks to the leader of the book friend "yokinoshita", thank you]

[Thanks to the leader of the book friend "Broad Ideas and Talents", thank you]

[Thanks to the leader of the book friend "Just a Nuo", thank you]

[Thanks to book friends for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]

[Today, it is very common to rescue the wounded after war, and even the enemy's wounded are rescued]

[But before the Napoleonic Wars, the army's battlefield rescue capabilities were very limited. It is common to abandon the wounded]

[Usually at night, the battle will come to an end or be completely over, and the victor has to rest or pursue the enemy]

[Therefore, the scale of the battle is small, and the chance of the injured being rescued may be higher. The scale of the battle is large, and seriously wounded people who cannot walk often have to lie down all night or even for several days before they can be rescued]

[During this period, some people will come to the battlefield at night to loot the property of the injured and deceased. The seriously injured have no ability to resist these "robbers\