Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 437 The great alliance moves forward (9)

   "锵."

   "锵."

   "锵."

  The saber collided with the saber, sparks splashed, and there was a loud sound.

   Two light cavalry lieutenants fought fiercely on horseback, almost indistinguishable from each other without the different colored ribbons wrapped around their arms.

  Because they are not only similar in clothing and age, but even the split and stabbing techniques they use are taught by the same teacher.

  The saber screeched, drawing graceful arcs around the two of them; the frightened warhorses neighed, kicking and biting each other.

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

   However, what they held in their hands was neither a harmless tool nor a wooden knife for practice, but a terrifying weapon that could tear apart flesh and bones with ease.

   "Performance location" is not a training ground, nor a stage of an auditorium, but a field without a name near an obscure small village.

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

   In this game of death, the elder with the white ribbon on his arm—Captain Lorson of Thundergroup—has the edge.

  When the cold light of the sharp blade flickered in front of his eyes, Luo Song raised the knife holder to block, and at the same time used his knees to control the steering of the warhorse. He seized the fleeting opportunity to occupy the opponent's weak side, and reflexively swung a sharp slash from the shoulder.

  The lieutenant with a red ribbon on his arm had to use an extremely awkward posture to defend, accidentally exposing the side of the general's sword to Luo Song's blade.

   The saber in his hand let out a faint sigh, and the lattice defect deep in the saber's body grew rapidly under the action of huge stress, which eventually led to bad results.

The    Red Ribbon Lieutenant's saber was directly cut off by Captain Luo Song's full-body strike.

  Captain Loshon's steel blade was unabated, and then he left a terrifying wound on the opponent's back.

  The wound stretched from the shoulders to the spine, and blood spurted out, instantly soaking through the uniform. Among the flesh and blood with blurred boundaries, the white stubble of bone is faintly visible.

   The lieutenant with a red ribbon on his shoulders let out a horrific scream. He stabbed the horse's ribs and ran towards the north.

   This small-scale cavalry encounter took place outside Hegu Village, and the situation turned sharply in an instant.

   The cavalry of the New Reclamation Army who were still alive had already been wounded. Seeing that the officers were seriously injured and retreating, they immediately fled in all directions.

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

  This battle in Riverdale has not yet been named, and both sides have feared it, cursed it, and looked forward to it for a long time.

   But in reality, it’s just getting started.

  Ignoring the results of the battle, Captain Luo Song led the six men who were still able to ride horses and galloped straight to the east. After climbing over several low hills one after another, an advancing army suddenly appeared in front of him.

   What a spectacle it was:

  Lin's spear pointed at the sky diagonally, drawing an insurmountable straight line on the ground;

  The sergeant with the top helmet and the armor holds a bright halberd and walks in the front of the front to guide the army;

  The hooves of the two-winged cavalry swept up the sky and dust, and the gorgeous feathers on the top of the cavalry’s heads waved with the strides of the horses.

   Behind the enemy lines, Captain Losson also noticed a large column detouring toward the south of Riverdale Village—with a flag that was not part of the New Reclamation Corps.

  Captain Loshon wanted to continue to observe for a while, but like a hive and an ant colony, when an army moves in concert, it will behave like a living creature with intelligence.

   Soon, the "living creature" who was peeped found that an unidentified cavalryman appeared beside him.

  The two teams of cavalry immediately rushed out from the two wings, like outstretched arms, and "hug" towards Captain Luo Song and his party.

  Captain Luo Song didn't stay, he ordered the retreat without hesitation, and galloped towards Hegu Village with the latest detected enemy situation.

  …

  [Gyeongho County]

  [River Valley Village]

   River Valley Village is located at the northern foot of Yinque Mountain, on a small earthen bag at the exit of the river valley, hence the name.

  Because of the terrain, the flowing water gathered in the valley turned in front of it, forming a few-character turn; also because of the terrain, the Provincial Avenue also passed around the village, leaving an abrupt corner.

   Yet its terrain was not so high that it could not be crossed, nor was the creek that sheltered it so deep that it could not be waded in vain.

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

  Churches, farmhouses, dirt roads, small vegetable plots in the backyard, large fields surrounding the settlement…

  It has only a dozen families and a church in disrepair, which is as ordinary, quiet and indifferent to the world as any farm in the New Reclaimed Province.

   Even the vast majority of villagers could not tell whether they belonged to Changhu Town or Sheze Town.

   However, no matter whether Hegu Village is special, or whether Hegu Village is innocent or not, fate chose it to bear the fire of war, and there is no reason why it is willing or not.

  The coalition forces of the four counties are pouring into this small farm, and every second that passes, the number of soldiers in the village is getting more and more.

  The recruit "Erno" from White Mountain County is one of them.

When the    rally call sounded, Erno was puzzled; when he heard the command to start, Erno was at a loss. He followed Lieutenant Woods bewilderedly through the wheat fields and drove straight into Riverdale.

  Things must be serious, because Lieutenant Woods, who has always been kind, began to give orders in a stricter tone.

   But even if he had been guarding behind the low wall made of gravel, Ernault was most concerned about the pot of broth that was being boiled in the camp.

   "Forgot to step on the campfire." Erno thought in frustration: "The soup must be burnt."

   The more he thinks about it, the more pity he feels, and the more he misses it, the more sad he feels. After all, it was a pot of broth, not only with chicken and duck, but also a lot of shallots and ganxun. From leaving Baishan County to the present, that was the only food that made him look forward to it.

  So when Lieutenant Woods patrolled along the wall to his side, Ernault dared to ask the lieutenant: "My lord, can you let me go back to the camp?"

  The soldiers beside Erno all turned their attention to the new recruit who had no roots in his mind. The ten commander hesitated, but finally did not dare to speak.

  Woods held the saber 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 the pot off. The soup is very good, and it would be a pity if it boils, too Pity…"

Woods stared at Ernault for a moment, realizing that he was neither amusing him nor trying to get away, because he remembered who was in front of him—a man who was never lazy and was always sent to do hard work. live recruits.

   Engineer Lieutenant Woods fell silent, not knowing how to explain to the pristine young farmer what was going to happen today. So the lieutenant just patted the recruit on the arm in the end and left without saying a word.

After the lieutenant left, the ten commander approached Erno and looked at the latter with a complicated look: "Your life is really big. Are you not afraid of being executed by the commander as a deserter?"

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

  The ten commander was instantly furious. He raised his finger to the east and scolded sharply: "I don't understand yet? The rebels are coming soon!"

  Erno shrank his neck in fright and nodded desperately.

   The ten commander was too lazy to explain and left.

  It wasn't until the Ten Commander was far away that Erno dared to ask in a faint voice that only he could hear: "But...but the rebels... haven't the rebels come yet?"

  Yes, from Erno's position, there is nothing over the fields east of the village of the river valley, except for the dust floating behind the outline of the hills, there is nothing special anymore.

   But the distance between the "rebels" loyal to the Great Council and Erno was not as far as Erno imagined. This distance is still shrinking, as the "rebels" are closing in on Riverdale according to a carefully planned battle plan.

   This is impossible for a soldier guarding a small section of the wall to understand.

  However, the deployment of the parliamentary army could not be concealed from Colonel Bode's eyes. Knowing that Sarnell took the initiative to attack, Colonel Bode immediately rushed to the commanding heights of River Valley Village - the church bell tower.

  Viewed from the bell tower of the Kawagu village church, you can see the movements of the two armies within a three-kilometer radius.

   In Colonel Bordet's field of vision, the first thing that appeared from the distant horizon was the shiny iron tip, then the dull sleeve, then the dark long pole, and finally the blurred soldier.

  The soldiers with blurred faces lined up neatly, walking out of the contours of the hills with steady steps, and were engulfed by the contours of the hills a little bit from their ankles.

   But the so-called "engulfing" is just a visual illusion. The enemy troops have not disappeared, they are walking straight towards Hegu Village.

   Colonel Bode turned around, leaning on the church bell, and walked from window to window.

   On the field west of the clock tower, soldiers from Baishan, Leiqun, and Bianjiang counties were blindly concentrating on Hegu Village.

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

   However, the military situation is urgent at this moment, and the officers can no longer care much, and lead their subordinates across the farmland one after another. The blue-yellow Mai Haili has been trampled out of winding "roads", as if they are lines randomly sketched by young children 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 seems simple and crude - the infantry phalanx is arranged in a straight line, the cavalry is deployed at both ends of the straight line, and the coalition army is rolled over directly.

   But if the size of the enemy army detected by the scouts was accurate, and if Sanel and Chloe did not bluff, then they would make full use of the strength of the parliamentary army to outflank the coalition army as much as possible.

   And the only advantage that the weaker side can take advantage of is the geographical advantage.

  Unfortunately, the so-called "placement" is not a natural danger, just a small earthbag, a dozen farmhouses, and a creek that is not knee-deep - but this is all the coalition has.

   "Dong Dong Dong Dong..."

   The sound of hurried and dull boots stepping on the steps came from under Colonel Bode, and as the sound got closer, Geisa Adonis protruded half of his body from the floor.

  The top floor of the bell tower is small and cannot accommodate two people, so the Baishan County garrison officer can only speak on the steps.

   "They want to surround us and wipe us out." Colonel Geisa reported the military situation succinctly: "Captain Losson confirmed that at least three large groups of enemy troops are advancing upstream, and they are not fighting the flag of the New Reclamation Corps."

   Colonel Broad was not panicked, but an indescribable relief. He unbuttoned his collar, pushed aside the bronze bell to make room for Colonel Geisa, and nodded to signal the latter to go upstairs:

"Then, the size of the enemy we have discovered and the information sent by the Montagne boy can confirm each other - do not use the flag of the New Reclamation Army, because it is not the army of the New Reclaimed Army at all, but the kings. The Sixth Legion sent from Fort."

Colonel Bode sighed half-appreciatively and half-jokingly: "Groff Magnus, this viper... really dares to bet! Except for the new reclaimed field army expanded by the remnants of General Sackler, the Great Council has The field troops of the two newly formed corps are only two newly formed corps. He dares to suppress half of the chips in one breath, which is really generous and courageous. "

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

   Hearing the words of the senior, Gaisa gritted his lower teeth, and the veins of his five fingers digging at the window frame burst out, and his eyes almost burst out with fire:

"Arpad's people are all waste! How can the puppet government be able to so easily pull out half of the field troops to reclaim the land. If they can put even the slightest pressure on the Jhinliujiang defense line, the kings and castles will never dare to do so. Now move the troops like this!"

   Colonel Bird's eyes swept across the open fields of the new field, and he breathed contentedly the air of dust, wilderness, and malt sweetness before speaking.

   He neither complained that the military government on the north bank was not strong enough to contain the kings' fortresses, nor did he pursue the responsibility for failing to build fortifications in River Valley Village ahead of schedule.

   He just sat on the window sill and said with a smile: "Alpad can't hear your complaints. That is flanking half of the 'Sixth Legion' on our flank, and now it's our problem."

  Gisa lowered his head, his Adam's apple flipped, and after a long silence, he said guiltily, "Senior, my judgment was wrong... I'm sorry."

"Gisa Adonis even apologized?" Colonel Bode laughed and smacked his junior on the shoulder affectionately: "Since childhood school, you have been the toughest guy, always admitting punishment but not admitting wrong! Why! After a few years of wasting in the new land, the stones in your latrine have also been smoothed out?"

   Hearing Colonel Bode's seemingly derogatory words, but in fact tolerant words, Geisa felt even more guilty.

The day before, when the Allied Forces arrived at Hegu Village, Colonel Bode proposed at the officers’ regular meeting that the terrain of Hegu Village was very good, so it could be expanded into a garrison camp; The coalition transit station for the coalition forces to protect its own supply lines and prevent the enemy from using delaying tactics.

   However, the officers of the three counties, who had just discovered the whereabouts of the main enemy force and were eager to seek a main battle with the parliamentary army, voted against Colonel Broad's proposal.

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

  Secondly, if the enemy army wants to use delay tactics - refuse to defend and cannot attack their own supply lines at the same time, the cavalry force of the coalition army is also sufficient to deal with it;

   The last and most important reason is that since the movement of the main force of the enemy has been captured, it should be annihilated as soon as possible. If the precious time is wasted on digging trenches and building walls to cause the enemy to escape, it is likely to mean a failure.

After the    regular meeting, some lieutenants even secretly remarked that Colonel Bordean should have left too deep a shadow in the battle of the Great Wasteland, so that he lost his energy and courage when he looked forward to the future.

   By the time the scouts found out the size of the enemy, it was too late.

In fact, until the sentry sent an urgent report that [a large group of enemy troops are advancing towards Hegu Village], the officers in the three counties were still deciding whether to "take the initiative to attack", "stay in place" or "temporarily retreat with Tiefeng" The county troops will reconcile" and quarreled endlessly.

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

  Sanell took the lead and launched an attack, so there was only one option left for the coalition.

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

   "It is too late to retreat, we will be chased and killed - let alone we have no way to retreat; the support of the boy Montagne can't be counted on - the enemy is coming too fast."

Colonel Bode took out a small letter from his arms: "According to the correspondence just sent by boy Montagne, he only left last night, and it was too late in any case. Besides, we should not have expected him, he could The other half of the Sixth Corps, who stood in the Green Valley, has done his duty."

   Colonel Geisa took the letter and swept it hurriedly, his eyes became hesitant.

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

He looked at Gaisa Adonis and said with a smile: "Adonis, this may be our last fight, we have to play beautifully, lest we be discredited by that guy John Jessica in the future. Incompetent, incompetent, vegetarian, you say... right?"

  Gisa also stared at the senior who had experienced the vicissitudes of life, the eyes of this tough guy suddenly turned red. He spat out the window, and the hesitation and haze in his eyes were swept away.

  He raised his hand in a heavy salute, and replied rudely, presumptuously, and loudly: "Yes!"

"That's right!" Colonel Bode laughed, and slapped Gaisa's shoulder with his skinny right hand: "I just want to see your toughness! I admire you in the hut. Stink like a stone!"

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

"Come." Colonel Bode took Gaisa and asked him to stand in front of the window. He followed his line of sight to the open field to the east: "If you are Sanel, your infantry is superior in size. Although the cavalry is of the same size, The quality is not good, what are you most worried about?"

   Colonel Geisa replied without thinking: "After our cavalry was driven out of the battlefield, the cavalry of Leiqun County and Bianjiang County turned back and directly washed away the infantry."

   "Yes. If Sanel wants to take advantage of his troops, he must occupy the width of the battlefield as much as possible. But he can't occupy the width of the battlefield indefinitely - he is afraid of our cavalry Jedi counterattack."

Colonel Bode pointed to the lush Silver Sparrow Mountain in the south of Hegu Village: "So his main attack direction must be the south. This small river is too shallow, so there is not much difference between upstream and downstream. However, the terrain in the south is undulating, The vegetation is dense, which is not conducive to cavalry action, and the width of the field is just right - perfect for a fierce left hook!"

  Gasamo rubbed the scar on his face, and narrowed his eyes subconsciously.

   "So I'm going to deploy the best troops to the south." Colonel Bode patted Gisa's back: "That is, the troops of Baishan County, your troops."

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

   "The cavalry units are concealed on the reverse **** of Hegu Village. Although this small earthen bag is not high, it is more than enough to hide them."

"Yes."

"Also, Hegu Village doesn't need so many troops to defend." Colonel Bode pointed to the crowded village square under his feet, and at the same time he was still pouring into the village square of the soldiers. Can two battalions fit in? All are squeezed in as targets? Only one battalion is left for defense! Another battalion is left behind as a reserve team, and the other forces are pulled out and deployed along the coast."

"Yes."

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

"I understand." Colonel Geisa already understood, his eyes swept from the south of the clock tower to the north: "You mean, we want to block Sanel's left hook, and at the same time use River Valley Village as the axis, ruthlessly Give Sanel a left hook too!"

   "Yes." Colonel Bode smiled: "You still know me best."

   "Just like in the past, senior." Gaisa grinned: "Leave the dirty work to me, you can just rest assured and win."

   "It's the same as in the past, Adonis." Colonel Bode laughed as well: "But this time is a little different."

  Gesar was puzzled.

"The enemy's advantage is too great. So we have to be here at the same time..." Colonel Bode patted the rusty church bell beside him: "In River Valley, the only place where we have a terrain advantage, as much as possible We can pin down, kill, and weaken enemy forces on both flanks. The more enemy forces we can attract here, the better our chances of winning."

   "But." Gaisa frowned and assessed the terrain of Hegu Village from a height: "Although Hegu Village is not a dangerous place, but the terrain is high and the current is fast, it can barely be called easy to defend and difficult to attack."

  Gisa turned to look at Colonel Bode: "There are easier places to cross the river to the south and north. Senior, Sanel is not a fool, I don't think he will put a lot of troops here."

   "Isn't it? I have a solution." Colonel Bode smiled and gently pulled the bell hammer, letting the low bell swept across the river valley:

   "Right at this clock tower, raise my flag!"

   [Explain the timeline (it will be very slow to put it in the text, so put it here)]

   [The communication between the Tiefeng County Army and the main force, with the increase of the distance between each other, the delay will inevitably increase]

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

[So Winters sent a letter to Colonel Bode the night before (the previous chapter), and Bode received it after dawn (this chapter). This is still when a post station is set up along the way, and the messenger changes horses but not people.] [And because he was worried about the messenger Intercepted, military communications generally do not dare to write too detailed - even using code words and passwords]

   [The result of overconfidence, you can refer to the German army in World War II and the French army during the Napoleonic Wars. They are too confident in the level of their own password compilation, resulting in the password being cracked and ignorant. Finally, all military intelligence and important communications are seen, and the battlefield is one-way transparent]

   In summary, the chronological order of recent chapters is as follows:

   [Yesterday in the daytime (Chapter 20, Chapter 21), the Battle of Green Valley, Felt's Department was ambushed; the main force of the coalition found the whereabouts of the main force of the parliamentary army, and the coalition arrived at River Valley Village]

   [Last night (Chapter 22, the 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, the coalition scouts found out the size of the parliamentary army]

   [Today during the day (the second half of chapter 23, chapter 24) Felt's army re-occupied the undefended Green Valley; the parliamentary army launched an attack on the village of River Valley] [all in sequence]

   (end of this chapter)