Aigron said in a relaxed tone while looking at the scenery in the distance.
And this understatement became an unquestionable command.
Soon, the guard members around him conveyed this order and set up camp around the abandoned castle, and Aigron himself naturally camped and rested in the castle.
He had just seen with his own eyes the cyan or blue granite that had been dyed cyan or blue, paired with black and brown shale, but when he came inside, he realized that it was already a gloomy and empty place.
Many of the stones inside the skeleton have been misplaced, and the windows in the room naturally have no glass. There are only miserable holes along the wall. Because of the cracks in the ceiling, light leaks from the roof, but because it hasn’t rained yet
It rained, so at least there was no leakage.
All these desolate scenes make the castle look like a rotten skeleton. It does not welcome the arrival of uninvited guests. The sound of wind echoing everywhere seems to be complaining about the uninvited guests coming from afar and disturbing its final days.
Sleep peacefully.
The hawks and falcons in the sky circled in the sky, adding a sense of loneliness.
Aigron was walking in the abandoned and broken corridor. He didn't care about the environment here. Instead, he kept looking at the situation outside through the window next to the corridor. On one side, he was confirming the situation of his troops, and on the other side, he was paying attention to the movements outside.
.
According to the intelligence he received, one of the enemies was heading towards Nafpaktos from the southeast, and this was the only way they could pass. However, he was unable to obtain accurate information on their actions, so he was not sure when the enemy would appear.
In other words, at any time from now until the future, the enemy may suddenly appear on the eastern horizon.
At that time, they will have a battle. This battle will not be large in scale, but it will determine the fate of him and his entire career.
An ordinary person would definitely tremble because of this, but Aigron only felt extremely excited in his heart. The feeling of gambling at the risk of everything was enough to burn his nerves.
"Your Highness." Just when he was lost in thought, Major Hench, who was following him, suddenly spoke. "Since you are going to face the enemy here, I suggest that you make all preparations, even in the face of any eventuality.
preparation."
"Do you still doubt my courage and think I will be scared?" Aigron asked with a wry smile, "Then you underestimate me too much."
"I don't doubt your courage and determination at all." Major Hench shook his head, "In fact, at this moment, just seeing your eyes, I firmly believe that you will never be afraid of losing your life, whether it is the life of others or others.
But you must also see that you are burdened with too many things, and there is absolutely no room for you to be a hero. So what I want to advise you is that your fanaticism is for others, and you cannot devour yourself.
It's commendable to have the courage to face the enemy, but you can't just throw everything in, on the contrary, you have to be fully prepared. Once the situation is unfavorable, you have to find a way to escape unscathed, and try your best to take your men away from the battlefield.
This is the most responsible attitude.”
"Why, don't you have confidence in our war?" Aigron was not angry, but rather strange. "I think we still have a good chance of winning."
"I gave you the idea. Of course I am as confident as you are, and I also think our side has a better chance of winning." Major Hench nodded, and then continued seriously, "But I have been in the army for many years, what?
I have seen all kinds of weird things, and I have seen too many things about people who were full of confidence before starting a war but ended up losing! God’s will is unpredictable, and even the most powerful calculations may not always bring good results.
As a result, especially on the battlefield, it is most important to be fully prepared in advance. When the situation is favorable, we can take advantage of the victory and pursue the victory without mercy; when the situation is unfavorable, we can also try to preserve our effective strength for the future."
Logically speaking, he should not discourage His Highness before the battle, but from his position, he had to remind His Highness not to be carried away by fanaticism. After all, he was not willing to watch His Highness Teresa.
She was widowed before she got married.
While looking at Aigron, he continued, "I ask you to promise me that whether today or in the future, if you lose the battle, you will never make a hot-headed move, but follow my advice to retreat.
Let us cut off the retreat for you. Not everyone can achieve an orderly retreat. If you want to cut off the retreat, you must have a corresponding spirit of sacrifice. I am the most suitable person to do it."
After hearing these words, Aigron was speechless for a moment.
Archduke Karl really found the right person.
"Are you willing to fulfill the Grand Duke's commission at the cost of your life?" he asked in a low voice.
"Don't be too busy being impressed. What I said is only the worst case scenario. If everything goes well, of course it would be best." Major Hench laughed again, slightly diluting the solemn atmosphere between the two people, "I
I just think we should take all possibilities into consideration. What do you think, Your Highness, can you promise me?"
Aigron looked at the other party's sharp eyes and nodded subconsciously. "Okay, I understand."
Then, he changed the subject, "But you are not serving the country now, and no one has even asked you to do anything for me. You are only asked to be a consultant, so why do you need to be so devoted?"
"Although I'm not serving, I'm executing orders, so this is my obligation." Major Hench replied without thinking, "The Grand Duke has given us a lot of care before, and he entrusted me with this matter out of necessity.
Because of the trust placed in me personally, I must not betray this trust. Moreover, as a knight, I have to work hard in order for Your Highness Teresa to continue to smile by your side, right?"
The latter sentence was obviously a joke, and Aigron couldn't help laughing. "I thought that the spirit of chivalry had disappeared over time, but I didn't expect that I saw a living example in front of me... Mr. Major,
I admire you very much, and if I really get what I want in the future, I will definitely give you a medal to show my due respect."
"If you are not an enemy of our country, then I will happily collect it; but if you accidentally oppose our country at that time, then don't blame me for stepping on it~" Major Hench said, gently
He stepped on the stone ground with his foot, stirring up a small amount of dust.
Just as the two people were talking, they had strolled into the inner courtyard of the castle. Several trees planted behind the house were swaying their branches on the roof. These trees stood on both sides, swaying dimly.
The branches seemed to be some sort of ceremonial guard welcoming Aigron.
Aigron walked up to the heights and looked around. The castle's rough decoration and scattered architectural layout all showed that this was the manor of a large landowner. Perhaps not long ago, its owner had majestic control over the castle.
In this land, however, everything has been forgotten at this time, as if nothing had happened.
However, soon, this abandoned castle will face a battle, and it is destined to usher in the day when it will leave its name in history, even if he doesn't know its name yet.
After Aiglon decided to station himself here and build his own front with the castle as the center, his subordinates began to move nervously.
Because of the existence of the castle, you can easily build fortifications by relying on the stone walls of the castle and the nearby trenches. The stone walls of the castle and the nearby pond together surround a depression. The soldiers of the artillery team worked together and relied on the animal power of the horses.
Several cannons were pushed to the high ground in the center of the depression. From this high ground, you can overlook the surrounding valleys in three directions. The view is very good, and it also has certain concealment and defense capabilities. It is indeed a very ideal gun position.
Because they didn't know when the enemy would appear, they were forced to step up their actions, and in their intense and fast actions, the abandoned castle and its surrounding areas were quickly transformed into prepared positions.
As the sky got darker, the twilight became dim, and the setting sun dyed the earth into a large golden brown. Aigron decided to rest today, so the busy scenes everywhere stopped for a while.
Aigron had no intention of having the rooms in the castle cleaned and tidied up, but directly set up the tent in the courtyard.
During this time, he had become accustomed to such a simple life during the march, so he didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
Soon, darkness dominated the entire sky. Except for the dotted bonfires surrounding the castle, everything was plunged into darkness. Aigron also stayed in his tent, preparing to rest.
Because it was already early autumn, the temperature was cool and pleasant, but the chirping of cicadas echoing everywhere was still a bit disturbing. Aigron was so noisy that he couldn't rest, so he simply wrote down today's notes next to the oil lamp until late at night.
It was only then that he fell into a deep sleep.
The half-moon in the sky sheds dim and unclear light on the earth, making the castle and forest a bit more gloomy. It was already completely silent at this time, and the camp fell into a deep sleep, except for some sentries patrolling everywhere.
Outside, the entire castle fell into the silence of the past.
Aiglon slept very lightly, and at the break of dawn, he woke up groggily.
After washing himself, he walked out of his tent and faced his guards who were on guard duty last night and had not yet slept.
"Was there any hostile situation last night?" he asked.
"No, Your Majesty, it's very quiet in the east." He got an answer that didn't make him happy or disappointed.
Before he had time to think about it, Aigron asked again, "Is there any news from Andre?"
The answer is also no.
Aiglon frowned slightly, but at this time he had no choice but to wait quietly for the next news.
The dice have been thrown, but it still takes time to open the cup and see the results. This period of time is undoubtedly torturous, but it is also indispensable. Because of this torment, after tasting the fruits of victory, everything will work out.
So sweet.
He waited in agony, quietly letting time pass by, and at noon, he finally received a letter from Nafpaktos.
He opened the letter and saw that the content was very simple.
"Your Majesty, around five o'clock yesterday afternoon, two enemy armies arrived outside the city and launched tentative attacks. The number of enemies is indeed much higher than ours, but you don't have to worry. Everything on our side is in good condition and our morale is high.
Wang Sheng, I will definitely be able to fulfill your request, and I wish you all the best there."
Here it comes...Aigron bit his lip lightly.
It seems that, as expected, Nafpaktos began to be attacked shortly after he left, and his guard captain Andre Davout must be fighting to the death with the enemies at this moment.
Even though he was dozens of kilometers away from there, he seemed to be able to hear the sounds of gunfire and roars at this moment.
Since it has already started over there, we cannot ignore it here.
He subconsciously looked up to the east, but saw nothing but olive groves in his sight, so he suddenly became a little anxious.
But he also knew in his heart that being anxious at this time was meaningless and even very harmful, so he forcibly suppressed his mood.
Everything that happened at this time was of great significance to him, but he was convinced that Andre would never betray his trust.
He called Major Hench in front of him, and then explained to him the situation he was currently facing.
"Don't be anxious, Your Highness." Major Hench said to him calmly, "Since you have made a calculation beforehand, you must be determined now."
"I know." Aigron replied, "But the information may be inaccurate. It is not wise to wait here all the time. If those gentlemen don't show up tomorrow, then I will have to go back to the division to rescue the siege the day after tomorrow. Andre also
It’s impossible to stick with me indefinitely.”
"If this is also a good thing for you, it at least proves that you only need to face half of the enemy." Major Hench comforted him.
"That's the truth, but it would be really regrettable if all the troops mobilized but failed in the end." Aigron looked to the east and waved his hand heavily, as if to provoke, "Hurry up and come over here."
Ah! You bastards!"
Of course, there was still no movement over there.
Aiglon was in anxiety and suffering, silently enduring the passage of time. The more he suffered, the more he doubted whether he had listened to wrong information and made a wrong step.
Of course, he didn't let his anxiety show.
Finally, in the evening, he finally came out of this torture.
A sentry conveyed the news of the enemy situation to him, and the entire castle was instantly set on fire.
Aigron, who was preparing for dinner, almost jumped up with excitement.
He walked to the top of the castle, then picked up his telescope and looked at the dark ranks of troops in the distance.
"They're coming! They're coming!" Aigron excitedly took down the telescope in his hand, and then shouted to Major Hench next to him.
"Yes, Your Highness." Major Hench nodded. "Let's pray."