Iron Powder and Spellcaster

"Qiang."

"Qiang."

"Qiang."

The sabers struck each other, sparks flew and there was a loud sound.

Two Hussars lieutenants were fighting fiercely on horseback, almost indistinguishable from each other without the different colored ribbons wrapped around their arms.

Because not only are they dressed similarly and are of the same age, but even the hacking and stabbing skills they use are taught by the same teacher.

The sabers whizzed, drawing beautiful arcs one after another around the two men; the frightened horses neighed and kicked and bit each other.

The two lieutenants came and went as if they were performing some kind of special dance.

However, what they held in their hands was neither a harmless prop nor a wooden sword used for practice, but a terrifying weapon that could easily tear flesh and flesh and chop bones.

The "performance location" is not a training ground, nor is it a stage in an auditorium. It is just a piece of wild land without a name near an unknown small village.

The curved blade saber flew up and down, as flexible as an extension of the arm; there was no referee or audience, the two lieutenants used superb skills that only the other could appreciate, trying their best to take the other's life.

In this death game, it was the older man with a white ribbon on his arm—Captain Luo Song of Leiqun County—who came out on top.

When the cold light of the sharp blade flashed in front of his eyes, Luo Song raised his knife to block it, and at the same time used his knees to control the steering of the war horse. He seized the fleeting opportunity, occupied the opponent's weak side, turned around and swung a sharp slash from his shoulder.

The lieutenant, whose arm was tied with a red ribbon, had no choice but to use an extremely awkward posture to defend himself, accidentally exposing the side of his sword to Lauzon's blade.

The saber in his hand let out a weak sigh. The lattice defects hidden deep inside the saber's body grew rapidly under the action of huge stress, eventually leading to negative consequences.

Lieutenant Red Silk Belt's saber was cut off by Captain Lauzon's blow with all his strength.

Captain Lauzon's steel blade remained powerful, and then left a terrifying wound on the opponent's back.

The wound extended from the shoulder to the spine, and blood spurted out, instantly soaking the uniform. Among the blurred flesh and blood, the forest-white bone stubble is faintly visible.

A frightening scream broke out from the throat of the lieutenant with a red ribbon tied on his shoulder. He stabbed the horse in the ribs and ran towards the north.

In this small-scale cavalry encounter that took place outside the village of Hehe Valley, the situation took a turn for the worse in an instant.

The remaining cavalrymen of the New Reclamation Army had already been wounded. When they saw the officers retreating after being seriously injured, they immediately fled in all directions.

Captain Lauzon watched his opponent leave and did not pursue the victory. Blood dripped from his saber and fell onto the grassy ground.

This battle that took place in River Valley Village has not yet been named. Both parties involved in the war have feared it, cursed it, and looked forward to it for a long time.

But actually, it's just getting started.

Without caring about counting the results of the battle, Captain Lauzon led his six subordinates who could still ride horses and galloped straight towards the east. After climbing over several low hills, an advancing army suddenly appeared in front of him.

What a spectacular sight that is:

The forest-like spear pointed slantingly at the sky, drawing an insurmountable straight line on the earth;

The sergeants with helmets and armor holding shining halberds walked at the front of the line to guide the army;

The hooves of the cavalry on both wings stirred up overwhelming smoke, and the gorgeous feathers on the cavalry's heads rippled as the horses stepped forward.

Behind the enemy lines, Captain Lauzon also noticed that a large column was detouring south of the valley village - flying a flag that did not belong to the New Reclamation Corps.

Captain Lauzon wanted to continue observing for a while, but like a beehive and an ant colony, when an army acts in harmony, it will behave like a living creature with intelligence.

Soon, the spied "living creature" discovered that an unidentified cavalryman appeared beside him.

Two teams of cavalry immediately ran out from both wings, shaped like outstretched arms, and "hugged" Captain Lauzon and his party.

Captain Lauzon did not linger, ordered a retreat without hesitation, and flew towards the valley village with the latest reconnaissance of the enemy.

…

[Jinghu County]

[River Valley Village]

Hehe Valley Village is located at the northern foot of Yinque Mountain. It is located on a small earth bag at the exit of the river valley, hence its name.

Because of the topography, the water flowing in the valley turns in front of it, forming a curve; also because of the topography, the provincial highway also passes around the village, leaving an abrupt corner.

However, its terrain is not so high that it cannot be climbed, and the river that protects it is not so deep that it cannot be crossed.

Just like its unremarkable name, River Valley Village is also an unremarkable place.

Churches, farmhouses, dirt roads, small vegetable plots in the backyard, large areas of farmland surrounding settlements...

It has only a dozen households and a dilapidated church. It is as ordinary, quiet and uncontested as any farm in the new province.

Even the vast majority of the villagers couldn't tell whether they were under the jurisdiction of Changhu Town or Sheze Town.

However, regardless of whether River Valley Village is special or not, regardless of whether River Valley Village is innocent or not, fate has chosen it to bear the flames of war. There is no reason and no choice but to whether it wants to.

The four-county allied forces are pouring into this small farm. With every second that passes, the number of soldiers in the village becomes more and more.

"Elno", a new recruit from Baishan County, is one of them.

When the assembly horn sounded, Erno was confused; when he heard the departure command, Erno was at a loss. He confusedly followed Lieutenant Woods through the wheat fields and drove straight into the village of Riverdale.

Things must have gotten serious, because Lieutenant Woods, who had always been kind and gentle, began to speak harshly when issuing orders.

But even though he was already guarding behind the low wall made of gravel, what Erno was most worried about was the pot of broth being cooked in the camp.

"I forgot to put out the campfire." Erno thought dejectedly: "The pot of soup will definitely burn."

The more he thought about it, the more pity he felt, and the more he missed her, the more sad he felt. After all, it was a pot of broth. Not only did it contain chicken and duck, he also put a lot of onions and carrots. From the time he left Baishan County until now, that was the only food he looked forward to.

So when Lieutenant Woods patrolled along the wall to his side, Erno bravely asked the lieutenant: "Sir, can you let me go back to the camp?"

The soldiers beside Erno unanimously turned their attention to this new recruit who had no brains. The captain hesitated to speak, but finally did not dare to speak.

Woods held his sword and frowned unconsciously: "What are you going to do?"

"When I came out, I forgot to put out the fire under the soup pot." Erno replied in a low voice: "I... I want to go back and take down the pot. The pot of soup is very good. It would be a pity if it boils. What a pity……"

Woods stared at Erno for a while, realizing that the other person was neither entertaining him nor trying to escape, because he remembered who the person in front of him was - a man who never slacked off and was always sent to do hard work. Tired recruits.

Engineer Lieutenant Woods fell silent. He didn't know how to explain to this simple young farmer what was going to happen today. So the lieutenant finally just patted the recruit on the arm and left without saying anything.

After the lieutenant left, the captain approached Erno and looked at the latter with a complicated look: "You are really lucky. Aren't you afraid of being executed as a deserter by your superiors to establish your authority?"

"Why?" Erno was puzzled: "Why do you treat me as a deserter?"

The tenth captain suddenly became furious. He raised his finger to the east and shouted sternly: "You still don't understand? The rebels are coming soon!"

Erno was so frightened that he shrank his neck and nodded desperately.

The captain didn't bother to explain, so he walked away.

It wasn't until the captain walked away that Erno dared to ask in a weak voice that only he could hear: "But...but the rebels...aren't the rebels not here yet?"

Yes, from Erno's position, there is nothing in the fields east of the valley village. Except for the dust floating behind the outline of the hills, there is nothing special about it.

But the distance between the "rebels" loyal to the Great Council and Erno was not as far as Erno imagined. This distance is still shortening, because the "rebels" are approaching the town of River Valley according to a carefully formulated battle plan.

A soldier guarding a small section of wall could not understand this.

However, the deployment of the parliamentary army could not be hidden from the eyes of Colonel Bode. When he learned that Saner had taken the initiative to attack, Colonel Bode immediately rushed to the commanding heights of the valley village-the church bell tower.

Looking from the bell tower of the River Valley Village Church, the movements of the two armies within a three-kilometer radius can be seen at a glance.

In Colonel Bode's field of vision, the first thing that appeared from the distant horizon was the shining iron tip, then the dim sleeve, then the dark long pole, and finally the blurry soldier.

The soldiers with vague faces formed a neat queue, walking smoothly from behind the outline of the hills, and were swallowed up by the outline of the hills little by little starting from the ankles.

But the so-called "engulfment" is just a visual illusion. The enemy troops have not disappeared. They are walking straight towards the valley village.

Colonel Bode turned around, holding on to the church bell, and walked from one window to another.

In the fields to the west of the clock tower, soldiers from Baishan, Leiqun and Bianjiang counties were concentrating blindly on the valley village.

River Valley Village is too small to accommodate the troops from the three counties, so the army camped in the wilds to the west of the village the night before. Colonel Bode also specifically ordered to avoid the farmland that was about to be harvested.

However, the military situation was urgent at this moment, and the officers no longer had much to worry about, and they led their men across the farmland one after another. The green and yellow wheat sea has been trampled to create winding "roads", as if they were lines randomly drawn by a child on the canvas.

Colonel Bode frowned, returned to the east-facing window, stared at the smoke and dust in the distance, and subconsciously hugged his broken arm to figure out the enemy's plan.

The deployment of the parliamentary army seemed simple and crude - arrange the infantry square in a straight line, deploy the cavalry at both ends of the straight line, and crush directly towards the location of the Union Army.

But if the size of the enemy force identified by the scouts is accurate, and if Saner and Chloe are not bluffing, then they will definitely take full advantage of the strength of the parliamentary army and try their best to outflank the coalition forces.

The only advantage that our own side, which is at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, can draw on is its geographical location.

Unfortunately, the so-called "geographical advantage" is not a natural hazard. It is just a small land parcel, a dozen farmhouses and a creek that is no more than knee-deep - but this is all the Union Army has.

"Dong dong dong dong..."

The rapid and dull sound of boots on the steps came from Colonel Bode's feet. As the sound got closer and closer, Geza Adonis leaned half out of the floor.

The space on the top floor of the clock tower was too small to accommodate two people, so the Baishan County garrison officer could only stand on the steps and talk.

"They want to surround us and catch us all." Colonel Geza reported the military situation concisely and concisely: "Captain Lauzon confirmed that at least three groups of enemy troops are heading upstream, and they are not flying the flag of the New Reclamation Army."

Colonel Bode was not panicked, but felt indescribably relieved. He unbuttoned his collar, pushed aside the bell to make room for Colonel Gesa, and nodded to signal the latter to go upstairs:

"Then, the size of the enemy force we have ascertained and the intelligence sent by the Montagne boy can corroborate each other - the flag of the New Reclamation Army will not be used, because it is not the army of the New Reclamation Army at all, but the troops of the New Reclamation Army. The sixth legion sent by the King’s Castle.”

Colonel Bode sighed with half appreciation and half ridicule: "Grove Magnus, this poisonous snake... really dares to make a bet! In addition to the expansion of the new reclamation dispatched army by the remnants of General Sackler, the Great Council's The total number of field troops here is only two newly formed legions. He actually dared to lower half of the chips in one go, which is really generous and courageous."

Colonel Gesa barely squeezed onto the top floor of the clock tower. In order not to make the seniors feel crowded, half of his body was almost leaning out of the window.

Hearing the senior's words, Gesa gritted his teeth, the veins on his fingers bulging out as he dug at the window frame, and his eyes almost burst out with fire:

"Arpad's group of people are trash! How can they allow the puppet government to so easily send half of its field troops to reclaim new land? If they can put even a little bit of pressure on the Jinliujiang defense line, none of the kings' forts will dare to act like this. Now mobilize the troops like this!"

Colonel Bode's eyes swept across the newly cultivated wilderness, and he breathed the air mixed with dust, wilderness smell and malt sweetness contentedly, and then he spoke.

He neither complained that the military government on the north bank did not do enough to contain the kings' forts, nor did he pursue the responsibility for failing to build fortifications in the valley village in advance.

He just sat on the window sill and said with a smile: "Arpad can't hear your complaints. That half of the Sixth Army that is outflanking our flank is now our problem."

Gesa lowered his head, his Adam's apple twitching. After a long silence, he said guiltily: "Senior, my judgment was wrong... I'm sorry."

"Gesar Adonis actually apologizes?" Colonel Bode laughed loudly and gave his junior student's shoulder an affectionate slap: "You have been the toughest guy since childhood in school, and you have always accepted punishment but not mistakes! Why? ? After several years of wasting in the new land, the edges of the stone in your toilet have been smoothed?"

Hearing Colonel Bode's seemingly derogatory but actually tolerant words, Gesa felt even more guilty.

When the Union Army arrived at River Valley Village the day before, Colonel Bode proposed at the regular officer meeting that the terrain of River Valley Village is very good and it can be expanded into a garrison camp; it can be used as a headquarters for the Union Army or as a The Union Army's baggage transfer station protects our own supply lines and prevents the enemy from using delaying tactics.

However, the officers of the Three Counties, who had just discovered the whereabouts of the enemy's main force and were eager to seek a main battle with the Parliamentary army, voted to reject Colonel Bird's proposal.

Their reasons are also very good: first, after days of marching, the soldiers are tired and anxious and have no energy to build a permanent camp;

Secondly, if the enemy wants to use delaying tactics - refusing to defend and attack its own supply lines at the same time, the coalition's cavalry units can also cope with it;

The last and most important reason is that since the movement of the enemy's main force has been captured, it should be annihilated as soon as possible. If precious time is wasted on digging trenches and building walls to allow the enemy to escape, it may mean that the success will be lost.

After the regular meeting, some lieutenants even secretly discussed that Colonel Bode must have left such a deep shadow in the Battle of the Wilderness that he was hesitant to look forward and backward, and lost his energy and courage.

By the time the scouts discovered the size of the enemy force, it was already too late.

In fact, until the sentinels sent an urgent report that a large group of enemy troops were heading towards Hehe Village, the officers of the three counties were still arguing with Tiefeng about whether to "take the initiative," "hold on in place," or "temporarily retreat." The county troops will be at loggerheads with".

No one could have imagined that the person who finally ended the strategic debate within the Union Army was not the three colonels of the Union Army, but Saner, who was on the other side of the battlefield at this moment.

Saner took the lead and launched the attack, leaving only one option for the coalition forces.

Colonel Bode leaned against the window sill on the top floor of the bell tower, his empty left sleeve fluttering in the wind outside the window. He talked as calmly as if he were playing chess, rather than deciding the life or death of tens of thousands of people:

"It's too late to retreat, we will be chased and bitten to death - not to mention that we have no way to retreat; we can't count on the support of the Montagne boy - the enemy is coming too fast."

Colonel Bode took out a small piece of letterhead from his arms: "According to the communication just sent by the Montagne boy, he only left last night, and it was too late anyway. Besides, we shouldn't have expected him. He could The other half of the Sixth Army is blocking Green Valley and has already fulfilled its responsibility.”

Colonel Gesa took the letter and scanned it hastily, his eyes becoming hesitant.

"You don't have to count on anyone." Colonel Bode's eyes were calm, but his tone was decisive: "Here, in River Valley Village, we are the only one, and we can only rely on ourselves."

He looked at Geza Adonis and said with a smile: "Adonis, this may be our last battle. We must fight well to avoid being smeared by that guy John Jessica in the future. People who are incompetent and incompetent, you think...right?"

Gesa also looked at the experienced senior, and the eyes of this tough guy suddenly turned red. He spat out the window, and the hesitation and haze in his eyes disappeared.

He raised his hands heavily in salute, and answered wildly, impudently and loudly: "Yes!"

"That's right!" Colonel Bode laughed heartily. He used his right hand, which was so thin that only bones were left, to tap Gesa's shoulder hard: "I just want to see your strength! I admire you as a bastard. Bad temper like stone!"

Gesa sneered: "Just tell me how to fight!"

"Come." Colonel Bode pulled Gesa and asked him to stand in front of the window and follow his gaze to the wilderness to the east: "If you are Saner, your infantry is superior in size. Although the cavalry is the same size, If your quality is not good, what are you most worried about?"

Colonel Gesa replied without thinking: "After our cavalry was driven out of the battlefield, the cavalry from Leiqun County and Bianjiang County turned around and came back, directly overwhelming the infantry in a wave."

"Yes. If Saner wants to take advantage of his strength, he must occupy the width of the battlefield as much as possible. But he cannot occupy the width of the battlefield without limit - he is afraid of our cavalry's counterattack."

Colonel Bode pointed to the lush Yinque Mountain to the south of Hehe Village: "So the main direction he chose to attack must be the south. This small river is very shallow, so it is not enough to rely on, so there is not much difference between the upstream and the downstream. But the terrain in the south is undulating, The vegetation is dense, making it difficult for cavalry to move, and the battlefield is just the right width—perfect for a vicious left hook!”

Gesa rubbed the scars on his face and subconsciously squinted his eyes.

"So I want to deploy the best troops to the south." Colonel Bode patted Gesa on the back: "That is, the troops of Baishan County, your troops."

"No problem." Gesa replied without hesitation: "Leave it to me."

"The cavalry troops are hidden on the reverse slope of the valley village. Although this small dirt bag is not high, it is more than enough to hide them."

"yes."

"Also, River Valley Village does not need so many troops to defend." Colonel Bode pointed at the village square that was already crowded and soldiers were still pouring into it. Can two brigades be crammed in? They all squeeze in and serve as targets? Only one brigades are left to defend! Another brigades are left behind as a reserve, and the other troops are pulled out to set up defenses along the coast."

"yes."

"Listen, Adonis." Colonel Bode buttoned his collar, and his tone suddenly became solemn and solemn: "If we want to win this battle, we must withstand the enemy's left wing, defeat the enemy's right wing, and give our cavalry Create opportunities."

"I understand." Colonel Gesa already understood. His eyes swept from the south to the north of the clock tower: "What you mean is that we need to block Saner's left hook, and at the same time, use the valley village as the axis to strike hard. Give Saner a left hook too!"

"That's right." Colonel Bode smiled: "You still understand me best."

"Just like in the past, senior." Gesa grinned: "Leave the dirty work to me, just worry about winning."

"Just like in the past, Adonis." Colonel Bode also laughed: "But this time there is something different."

Gesa was puzzled.

"The enemy's advantage is too great. So we still have to be here at the same time..." Colonel Bode patted the rusty church bell next to him: "In the valley village, in this place where we have the only terrain advantage, we must try our best to Contain and kill enemy troops in multiple places, and weaken the enemy troops on both flanks. The more enemy troops we can attract here, the greater our hope of victory."

"But." Gesa frowned and assessed the terrain of River Valley Village condescendingly: "Although River Valley Village is not a dangerous place, the terrain is high and the water flow is fast. It can be said to be easy to defend but difficult to attack."

Gesa turned to look at Colonel Bode: "There are easier places to cross the river on the south and north sides. Senior, Saner is not an idiot. I don't think he will invest heavy troops here."

"No way? I have an idea." Colonel Bode smiled and gently pulled the bell hammer, letting the low bells sweep across both sides of the river valley:

"Right from this bell tower, raise my flag!"

[Explain the timeline (it would be too long to put it in the text, so I put it here)]

[As the distance between Tiefeng County Army and the main force increases, the communication delay will inevitably increase]

[From [Green Valley], where Winters is located in the previous chapter, to [River Valley Village], where Colonel Bode is located in this chapter, the communication route is [River Valley Village-Changhu Town-Qingyin Pass-Green Valley], and the message is delivered once in one way , as short as one night or as long as a whole day]

[So Winters sent a letter to Colonel Bode the night before (previous chapter), and Bode received it after dawn (this chapter). This was still under the condition that inns were set up along the way, and the messenger changed horses but not people] [And because he was worried about the messenger After being intercepted, military communications generally do not dare to be written in too much detail - even if code words and passwords are used]

[The results of overconfidence can be compared to the German army in World War II and the French army during the Napoleonic Wars. They were overly confident in their own password compilation skills, resulting in no knowledge that the password was cracked. In the end, all military intelligence and important communications were seen, and the battlefield was one-way and transparent]

To summarize, the chronological order of the most recent chapters is as follows:

[Yesterday during the day (Chapter 20, Chapter 21), during the Battle of Green Valley, Felt's troops were ambushed; the main force of the coalition discovered the whereabouts of the main force of the Parliamentary Army, and the coalition arrived at River Valley Village]

[Last night (Chapter 22, first half of Chapter 23), Winters led his troops to evacuate Green Valley, went to meet Colonel Bode, and sent a messenger; at the same time, coalition scouts ascertained the size of the parliamentary army]

[Today during the day (the second half of Chapter 23, Chapter 24) Felt's troops reoccupied the undefended Green Valley; the Parliamentary Army launched an attack on River Valley Village] [All in order]