Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 166 Rangers

   The Hurds fled.

  The black armored cavalry came to Lieutenant Colonel Jesska, surrounded by an officer with a shiny helmet.

   "I will save your life after all," said the officer with the shiny helmet.

   The one-eyed lieutenant colonel showed no appreciation: "I would like to know what you do for food? How could you miss a whole thousand-man team?"

   "The overseas dispatch has not cured your meanness." The other party smiled: "I really regret bringing you back!"

  The officer jumped off the saddle and took off his helmet, revealing a well-groomed beard and wild eyes—it was Lieutenant Colonel Custer Roderick, who had gone to Wolftown to hunt down smugglers a few months ago.

  Custer and Jessica looked at each other for a long time, laughed and gave each other a bear hug.

  …

   The twists and turns, everyone was ecstatic.

  The rest of the people slaughtered pigs and sheep, drank happily, temporarily forgot death and pain, and celebrated.

  The end of the carnival is the aftermath.

   Sweep the battlefield, bury the dead, hold simple funerals.

  There were a lot of horses left in the Hurd camp. Except for some of them to be replenished to Dussac who lost his warhorse, the rest of the horses and the captured warhorses were all taken away by the black-armored cavalry.

  Other spoils follow the established rules: small items are for private use, such as swords; large items are for public use, such as armor.

   Lieutenant Colonel Custer despised Zhajia, so he gave it all to the Jesska Brigade.

Scattered items such as   saddles are directly sold to merchants accompanying the team.

   "Everything has a price", and the desire of businessmen to pursue profit makes Winters amazed.

  Some people bought blood-stained boots and robes plucked from the corpse; some people also bought the armbands and silver ornaments of the Hurds.

   A businessman approached Lieutenant Colonel Jesska and packed up and bought all the horse carcasses.

   Horse hides can be sold; horse meat cut into strips can be marinated and sold to the army; even horse bones have a place.

   There is even a merchant who bought the left ear of the Hed at a discounted price, and he brought the ear back to Palatu in exchange for a reward, and the soldiers could get the cash directly.

   A day ago, these people were still weak and bullying civilians, armed with muskets to protect their belongings.

   A day later, they turned into war-fed crows and scrambled to peck at the corpses of the Hurds.

   "The fastest way to create wealth is to build an empire, and the fastest way to build an empire is to destroy an empire."

   Winters couldn't remember where he heard this sentence, but everything in front of him made this sentence echo in his mind repeatedly.

  …

   Now that the road ahead has been cleared, the cargo team has to set off again.

  Although the Jesska Brigade once made a fuss about "the next thing to go up", the lieutenant colonel did not mention it again, and the second lieutenants kept their mouths shut, and everyone just assumed that nothing had happened.

  After a series of hard battles, some merchants found opportunities, and some merchants did not intend to go further, so they returned.

The wounded of the    Carriage Team also returned to Palatu with them, and some seriously wounded who were inconvenient to move remained in Hexi University for nutrition.

   There are also many merchants who have been killed by the sword, and they are buried in the wasteland without even a tombstone.

   Their belongings are either divided up by others or brought back by loyal companions.

  Some people get rich and some people get unlucky, it has always been the case.

  …

   Winters was guarding the west gate of the camp, watching the carriages slowly drive out of the camp.

   The length of the convoy was much shorter than when it had just crossed the Styx, and it seemed a little empty.

   A carriage passed by, the curtains of the carriage were pulled open, and the face of Brother Rhett was in the window frame, and the old magician waved at Winters with a smile.

   Winters wanted Brother Rhett to follow the merchant back to Palatu, but the old man took a poison oath to prevaricate him.

  The old **** stick refused to return to Palatu, and Father Kaman refused to return to Palatu. So the two clergymen continued to follow the army and set off with the baggage train.

   Lieutenant Colin also came to see him off. He found Lieutenant Montagne and spit out a word sincerely: "Thank you."

   Winters just shook his head.

The lieutenant    saluted the second lieutenant and turned to leave.

   Lieutenant Colin's centurion was basically incapacitated, and Lieutenant Colonel Custer promised to help him ask the legion to send someone to defend.

   The double carriages of the transportation team all left the Hexi camp, and Winters got on the saddle and was ready to set off.

  Ciel and another man ran out of the camp, supporting each other, shouting to catch up with the second lieutenant.

   "What are you doing here?" Winters frowned: "Stay and heal."

   During the brutal battle for the western camp wall, Ciel was pierced by a heavy arrow in his right leg. Fortunately, no arteries and bones were injured, but because of this inconvenience, he was classified as a wounded.

   "I'm going with you," said Charles.

   "No." Winters didn't expect the militia to go to the battlefield at first, and he couldn't bear to take Benwei's younger brother to a dangerous place.

   "If you don't let me go, I'll follow you."

   "Bullshit! Is the front a good place?"

   Shire terrier raised his neck, obviously made up.

   "I don't want to stay here either," whispered another wounded man with a bandage on his head.

   Winters didn't recognize Wasika until the other person spoke.

   The back of the head is hit hard, and it's up to you to be killed or knocked unconscious.

  Washika was lucky not to die, but the laughing boy had been killed.

   Winters wanted to refuse, but he suddenly remembered the "good luck and bad luck" in the mouth of the old god.

   He thought it was a good thing to serve in the militia, but he brought many Dussacks into the Styx. Fate is a bitch, who knows what the future holds?

   Winters sighed: "Must go?"

  Ciel and Vashka nodded.

   "Find a cart and say I'll let it go." Winters thought about it and added: "Washka, go to Lieutenant Bard and ask him to help you get a Hurd warhorse."

   "Yes!" Ciel shouted happily.

  Washika supported Ciel and quickly chased after the cart.

   Eat all the way, and the carriages of the transportation team are not fully loaded.

  So the lieutenant colonel also began to allow the militiamen to put their weapons on the cars and take turns to rest in the cars.

   There were also black armored cavalrymen who set off together. Lieutenant Colonel Custer divided three squadrons to hunt down the defeated Hurd soldiers. He personally led a squadron to **** the baggage team, which was a small benefit he gave to his old friend.

   Lieutenant Mason's hog team also joined the baggage team.

  More than 400 militiamen and coachmen, 300 pigs, more than 100 horse-drawn carriages, more than 50 convicts, five officers, two clergymen and a lion set out from the Hexi camp.

  …

   The official designation of the black armored pistol cavalry is the fifth "plateau" regiment, the second cavalry regiment, or the Custer cavalry regiment.

   In the face of Hurd's light cavalry, which is going up and down like the wind in the wasteland, a large number of troops will be involved in the scattered garrison of the supply line, and it is very easy to be destroyed one by one.

   Thus passive defense was never considered by the Palatine military.

   It is the consistent strategy of the leadership of the Palatine army to use roaming to break the light cavalry and kill the enemy's mobile forces.

  The Custer Cavalry Regiment that rushed to the aid of the Hexi Camp was such a cavalry force.

  This unit usually pulls a net along the supply line, and when there is a policeman, it will quickly gather support.

   The entire cavalry regiment has four squadrons with a rated force of 720.

   But when they fought against the Hurd thousand people, the cavalry regiment only had more than 500 people. And now there are less than four hundred and five cavalrymen who can continue to fight.

   This is because the cavalry is difficult to replenish and often fights less and less, so the cavalry troops are always dissatisfied with the number of troops in wartime.

   In addition to the four combat squadrons, the Custer regiment also has a reserve squadron, which is responsible for recruiting, training and replenishing personnel.

   This is a true elite standing cavalry, with twenty-six officers alone.

   In comparison, the number of militiamen and coachmen in the Jieska Luggage Company was close to 600, but there were only four officers in total.

  Plateau has been rich in horses since ancient times, and has a strong tradition of cavalry.

  Vinetta's standing army, only 10% to 20% of the cavalry. For example, the Third Army had only a cavalry brigade of 600 people, and when they went to the archipelago, they didn't bring it with them because they thought it was a waste of transportation capacity.

   While more than 40% of the standing army of Plato was cavalry, the Fifth Army had three cavalry regiments plus several cavalry squadrons.

  The country of galloping horses not only has more cavalry, but also pays more for cavalry.

  Andre went to the Custer cavalry regiment for a walk, and when he came back, he kept muttering: "That's the real cavalry!"

  The cavalry under Custer also had at least three horses, a riding horse, a pack horse, and a war horse.

   There are special gunsmiths with the army, responsible for repairing and maintaining firearms.

  Many cavalrymen also have valet to take care of their daily life—the valet also rides horses.

   In comparison, the Dussack cavalry of the Jischka brigade was extremely shabby.

   Originally, Andre was happy to be able to lead the cavalry team, but since he saw the Custer regiment, he began to sigh.

   However, this cavalry unit relies heavily on supply lines and is somewhat sluggish. But their fighting power is enough to make up for all the shortcomings.

  …

  The carriage went all the way west, just as Lieutenant Colonel Jesska had expected, the first three camps encountered along the way had been burnt down, and the reserves of food and forage had also been plundered.

   The third camp even had half a centenarian garrisoned, and the terrain was easy to defend and difficult to attack, but it was not spared.

   But the fourth camp was safe and sound. This camp is pitifully small, with only a ten-man team guarding it.

  The sergeant in charge of the camp said that they had not seen the barbarians of Heard, they just saw the beacon smoke in the west, so they relayed the message.

   During the dinner in the fourth camp, the officers of the cavalry squadron and the baggage corps casually chatted about strange things along the way.

   "The supply line is too long." Lieutenant Mason complained: "Everyone loses fat, not to mention the pigs? After driving the pigs for more than 100 kilometers, the pigs lost all their fat."

   Cavalry officer Captain Glee replied: "There's no way, Hurd has always been like this. As soon as you hit him, he runs away, slipping like a loach. You have to catch him and beat him hard before he can sign a peace treaty."

   "I can't figure it out, why did the Hurds let this camp go? They took the more difficult camps." Winters was puzzled by the enemy's behavior pattern.

Custer explained to Winters casually: "The Hurd barbarians lack the means to siege cities, and generally do not attack camps, but only harass the convoy. In case they are dragged - just like attacking your team of Hurds, waiting for a ranger They're going to bleed a lot when they get there."

  Custer was very impressed by the town officer in Wolf Town, and it was a surprise to meet him again in the wasteland, so he was still willing to give Lieutenant Montagne a few words.

   "With all due respect, with the strength of that thousand troops, I'm afraid it will not be difficult to fight any camp." Winters said.

"This is the strange place. The movement of the Thousands is too obvious, and it is difficult to hide their tracks." Custer was unexpectedly patient: "In the past, the Hurds harassed the supply line mainly by the Centuries. To be honest, I am I want to see Hurd Barbarians dispatch a thousand-man team."

"why?"

  Custer replied with a sneer: "The barbarians gather in piles, and it's fun to kill them. How can it be so easy to annihilate a thousand troops in one breath while chasing ten centenarians running around on the grasslands?"

   Lieutenant Colonel Custer spat viciously and concluded: "I'm not afraid of the barbarians coming, I'm looking forward to them coming more."

  …

after one day.

   The fifth camp.

  Custer, Jessica, Winters... all stood on the camp wall, dumbfounded.

Outside the    wall, countless Heard cavalry were galloping around the camp.

  The roar of the hooves made people feel stuffy in their chests, and even the sun was blocked by the smoke and dust raised by the hooves.

  The small Palatu camp is deep in the Heard Riding Sea, like a sampan in a stormy sea, and it will be shattered in an instant.

   This is far beyond what a thousand-man team can have.

After trampling around the camp three times like a demonstration, thousands of Hart looters sped east.

   "How much... how many?" Custer stammered.

   "At least four thousand." The one-eyed Jessica's face was also pale.

   "What is General Yanosh doing to eat! Waste!" Custer, with a ferocious face, cursed: "How the **** can you miss 4,000 cavalry?"

   The other people in the camp have not recovered from the shock just now, and are still trembling with fear.

   "Broken!" Winters was horrified: "Floating bridge!"

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   (end of this chapter)