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chapter Five

Different from ordinary marches, battlefield patrols are a critical behavior of war. They can be roughly divided into three types according to their scale, namely tactical level, campaign level and strategic level. Each level corresponds to different goals, troop formation and tactics.

In terms of route arrangements, military evacuation, etc., different armies will also make arrangements based on the war situation and their own capabilities, which forms their own characteristics.

In the past, it was the reconnaissance force of the combined forces of gods and demons that was the most elite, because they had sufficient war experience and training.

The Seventeenth Reconnaissance Regiment was split from the reconnaissance force directly under the headquarters of the Divine Alliance Army. It is a strengthened establishment with a full strength of 750 people. Because the surveillance mission of the Riva Empire is of great importance, they were temporarily sent to strengthen the Third Reconnaissance Regiment.

The border liaison station is responsible for on-the-spot reconnaissance of the Livasi section of the border and providing campaign-level early warning to the Fifth Army Corps behind it and the coalition headquarters further behind.

This is a correct arrangement, because from a military point of view, it is difficult for the Liva Empire to carry out a strategic-level all-out attack silently, and tactical-level harassment is completely ineffective against the coalition forces. If the Queen really wants to play tricks

If she doesn't, launching a battle is her only option. But fortunately for the Merchant Army, a battle attack is not a small move. It would be very time-consuming and laborious for the other party to just assemble the attacking troops. The various signs exposed in it will definitely

Discovered by this experienced reconnaissance team.

Therefore, in the vast area between the border and the Fifth Army, maintaining an elite reconnaissance team can meet the needs. But at the same time, the burden on the reconnaissance troops is very heavy - the rear troops think that the Liva Empire

There will be no big moves in the near future, but the scouts on the front line cannot think so, because their bounden duty is to face unknown enemy situations and detect their intentions.

In order to accurately transmit the enemy's information back, and to better ensure their own survival, the reconnaissance troops have strict requirements for the formation. For example, when carrying out the current reconnaissance operation, the commander was extremely cautious. He set up a formation ten miles wide.

, a loose formation twenty miles deep, coupled with the surrounding rangers, the early warning range is larger and more flexible, and can take into account a variety of emergencies.

Because of its outstanding mobility, even if it encounters cavalry three times its size, the 17th Reconnaissance Regiment can ensure the evacuation of most of it. The enemy wants to completely annihilate this reconnaissance unit in the wilderness and hilly areas, unless it uses multiple times the force to carry out a comprehensive

surrounded.

More than 600 light cavalry are equivalent to two regular cavalry battalions of the Divine Alliance. The overall combat effectiveness is actually very powerful. Not only can they fight and escape, but more often they can bite their opponents back. In fact, they often need to clear strongholds.

, capture the enemy's reconnaissance team to achieve the purpose of in-depth reconnaissance.

Training and experience gave them strong self-confidence, so every move of the scouts followed the previous combat rules of the Divine Alliance. It can be said that from the formation to the equipment, this reconnaissance unit did everything perfectly. At a rough glance,

The cavalry are only divided into two parts, front and rear. In fact, the entire formation is very sophisticated and will cause great headaches for potential enemies.

There are more than 300 people in the front camp, each group of ten, separated by distance to form a crescent formation. The rear camp with the same number of people also formed a formation with the same shape but in opposite directions. The thickest parts of the two crescents are very close together, and

There are also some overlaps, like a strange creature with four sharp horns, slowly swimming in the wilderness.

Those five-man teams, two-horse teams and even single riders are the countless tentacles of this creature, some wandering around, and some extending far away, like countless eyes, scanning the surrounding situation back and forth. In the main body

On the established movement route, it is difficult to hide any disturbance in the past.

There is plenty of sunshine and continuous green shade. The outpost team at the forefront of the reconnaissance formation is advancing boldly and cautiously.

Unrestrained because these twenty cavalry are very fast; cautious because of the double-arrow formation chosen by the commander. Taking these two keys into account, they will neither miss the fleeting enemy situation nor miss the enemy's situation.

He ran into a trap set by others.

"We are almost at the contact point, pay attention to the signal from the leading soldiers!" The young commander was wearing leather armor, his voice was clear, and he wore the rank of lieutenant of the Merchant Corps on his shoulders. His body was rising and falling slightly with the pace of the horse, and his center of gravity was

Stable and effortless.

"Yes!" Several cavalrymen around the lieutenant responded loudly. Most of their voices were deep, and some even used tribal language with weird pronunciation. The mission of the outpost is very important, and it is usually performed by the best cavalry, who are not too old.

Small and racially complex.

"There's a flash on the left front! We're facing each other, give us the signal!" a cavalryman shouted loudly, and the flag bearer immediately waved the battle flag in his hand.

"Ahead - six miles - there are three people and five horses!" The lieutenant carefully identified the flash signal in the distance, which was sent back by the leading soldier of his own team, "non-military uniforms - weapons - suspicious behavior - confrontation in progress

——There is a possibility of conflict!”

"Sir, it stands to reason that this is not a smuggling channel, and there are no wild animals worth hunting. The sudden appearance of people and horses here is very strange!" the lieutenant's adjutant came over and said, "Besides, the other party brought extra horses, and this is us.

First time meeting.”

"Temporary surveillance, let's rest for a quarter of an hour!" the lieutenant issued an order to stop advancing, "send a messenger to report the situation to the front camp. After a quarter of an hour, we will change horses and surround them, and we must capture them alive here!"

"Yes, sir!"

Since there is an action next, of course, all preparations must be made - the cavalry dismounted one after another, transferred the necessary weapons and equipment to another mount, and gathered the replaced horses together. Naturally, there was someone dedicated to make arrangements.

Drinking water. After a while, those who were about to attack moved their joints or lay down with their arms and legs spread out.

A quarter of an hour is neither long nor short. It is only enough for everyone to lie down and take a breath. But this gap can already allow the scouts to relax and allow the commander to consider tactics.

"All attention - check weapons, armor, and saddles!" the lieutenant glanced at his men, "Assaulters wear double armor!"

"Sir, take it easy, there are only three of us." The adjutant said in the lieutenant's ear, "They will never be able to escape."

"You are wrong." The lieutenant pulled off the cloth mask, turned to the adjutant and smiled, "I am very relaxed."

"You...are you the eldest young master?" The adjutant looked at the face that was somewhat similar to the leader's and changed his title in surprise, "It's really you! I often saw you when I was on guard at the prince's old residence.

I met you twice at the trade group headquarters last year, but I never had the chance to talk to you...otherwise I would have recognized your voice!"

"Really, just because of this face, I can be recognized wherever I go." The smile on the lieutenant's face immediately turned into a bitter smile, "Don't tell me! I am a lieutenant now, but I haven't changed my name.

, also called Adler.”

"Of course!" the adjutant nodded repeatedly, "but how could you come here? Aren't you studying at the Staff College?"

"Shh. Keep your voice down." The lieutenant pointed behind him with his finger, "The leader arranged this. He knows that I have a wild temper and like cavalry."

"It turns out it was the old prince's arrangement." The adjutant replied with a helpless expression, "Then I will be responsible for the outflank this time, right?"

"I appreciate the kindness, but I have just joined the team and have not made any achievements. You have to let me do something." The lieutenant said, "One person is responsible for one, so get on the horse!"

"Yes!" The adjutant knew that the Ulysses family were extremely stubborn, so he nodded and gave the order directly to the others. But he had secretly made up his mind that he must not let this young master have any problems, otherwise his grandfather, that is,

Prince Ulysses couldn't explain it - he was suddenly transferred from the prince's side to the reconnaissance force as a lieutenant adjutant, probably because of this reason.

"Outflank left and right, and slowly enter the position." After getting on the horse, the distinguished lieutenant seemed very relaxed, and the tactical arrangement was more appropriate. "According to my order to attack, you can't let one go, at least two must be alive!"

The lieutenant went to the left, the adjutant to the right, and seven light cavalrymen on each side followed, forming a column and following behind the officer. The remaining two cavalrymen waited for the team to go two miles before following up from a distance, leaving only

Horse watcher.

The war horse trotted, slowly picking up speed under the control of the cavalry. Occasionally, the falling horse's hooves would step on a dewy wildflower, and bring up bits of fertile black mud when it lifted off. It should have been a crisp sound of hoofbeats.

The breeze in the fertile field seemed very light and soft.

After detouring for a mile, the two cavalry groups turned almost at the same time, carefully controlling their speed and approaching the target. The distance was soon over halfway. The lieutenant stretched out his hand to make a gesture, and the cavalry behind him immediately followed, forming a small group with him as the core.

At this time, the lieutenant had already seen his other two leading soldiers, who were maintaining a distance of two arrows from the three targets.

The three people were dressed in nomadic attire, all on horseback, and cautiously staying near a forest. With the interference and obstruction of the woods, it was impossible for the adjutant to simultaneously outflank him along the way. Fortunately, the lieutenant's previous arrangement added additional resources to the following tactics.

More choices.

The previous trot put the horse in good condition and ready to sprint!

"Approach quickly!" With an order, the speed of the lieutenant's mount suddenly accelerated, leaving a series of dull hoofbeats behind - the target now has two escape directions, and there is a half chance that they will collide head-on with the outflanking adjutant.

, even if you only do one turnaround, you will get closer to each other!

But the target was extremely cunning. After seeing the cavalry wearing the uniforms of the merchant corps, one of them jumped off his horse and lay on the ground to listen. Naturally, the three of them fled directly to the only way out. There is nothing to say about this. What follows?

It can only be a hard and long chase. But for the scout cavalry, chasing is not their weakness, they just eat this bowl of rice.

"Send the signal - chase!" The loud arrow flew straight into the sky, and before the sharp whistle ended, the adjutant two miles away responded to the order.

The messy sound of horse hooves echoed in the fields and hills.

The lieutenant not only showed his strong field control ability, but also allowed his subordinates to see the work of imagination. Along the way, he continued to approach with single and double cavalry, cooperated with the squad to squeeze, shot falsely with bows and arrows, and pretended to blow

After two whistles, the endless tricks scared the people in front of them. They were so nervous that they could not even distinguish the road conditions. The horses were always at high speed and were not allowed to rest... The distance between the front and back slowly shortened, and as

The lieutenant entered the attack range as he wished.

In the elite reconnaissance force, the attack range of the leading officer is very different from that of ordinary cavalry. Pursuit is a common combat posture of the reconnaissance cavalry, but the bow of the cavalry is shorter than that of the infantry, and the string power is not as good as that of the infantry's long bow, so the attack

Range and accuracy are important criteria for measuring an officer leading a team.

"Team - prepare to fire arrows!" Adler ordered, taking out a small scroll from under his breastplate, biting open the yellow cover with his mouth, revealing some silvery writing inside. He shook his head again

, the scroll was completely pulled open, and a soft white light enveloped his whole body and the horse. The sweat-stained war horse seemed to have lost weight, and rushed forward suddenly, throwing the others far away in an instant——

Only then did the lieutenant's calm voice reach the cavalry's ears, "Shoot!"

At the command, the first sounding arrow left the string and flew towards the target with a long and high-pitched scream! Only after flying one-third of the range, the second and third sounding arrows were shot out one after another.

The shriek was enough to cover up all the subtle sounds, including of course the lieutenant's string movement - at the moment when he was controlling the horse to leap, Adler held a dark green horse bow horizontally and shot three arrows in a row without blinking an eye!

His movements were not fast, but almost silent. Three black-feathered arrows left the string one after another. The cavalry behind only saw three black lines flying into the distance. The three fleeing riders in front thought they were being chased again.

The soldier was bluffing and did not think of evading. As a result, in the next moment, all three black-feathered arrows hit him!

The galloping horse was already very tired, but after another arrow was shot into its body, it couldn't hold on and fell down on the spot, without giving the rider any time to react. In an instant, the target, including man and horse, fell to the ground! First there was a burst of grass.

Mud splashed, and then the screams of humans and the cries of horses merged into one.

"Hey - Tower!" the pursuers raised their bows and arrows and cheered. This is the dialect of a tribe that is best at riding and shooting, and it means "victory".

But Adler did not slow down amidst the cheers. He loaded his bow and arrows, drew his saber out of its sheath with his backhand, and charged forward... Two of the targets were lying on the ground screaming, but the other one stumbled.

He ran towards a small forest. Of course, the lieutenant's sheathed saber hit him on the back the next moment. He screamed in pain and finally fell down.

"Where can you run to?" Adler sneered, slowly reined in the horse, turned around and ordered the cavalry behind to deal with it, "Separate them and bandage them!"

They were all experienced scouts, so there was no need for the lieutenant to give orders for the next thing. The soldiers interrogated the three targets separately. During the war, when matters were urgent, no one would abuse mercy, and usually opened the way with their fists. So in

Two-quarters of an hour later, the prisoners even recited their own family trees. As for why they appeared here and why they did not run away when they saw the merchant army, they told them as cleanly as possible, without daring to hide anything.

"Sir, we have figured out what happened to the three of them. The three of them are smugglers. They often travel from Tansi to Riva. They have shops in the capitals of both countries." The adjutant walked to Adler and lowered his head.

He raised his voice and said, "This time we didn't receive any news about the merchant group's revolt. The border with Riva was closed, and they didn't dare to move, so they were trapped here by us..."

"It's so strange." The lieutenant shook his head and said, "They are businessmen, so they can retreat to the territory of Liva."

"It was a bit strange, so I gave them some punishment, and the result was quite unexpected." The adjutant replied with a wry smile, "A group of horse bandits appeared opposite us, probably dozens of miles away from our current location.

.These three smugglers were frightened by the horse bandit spies, so they came here to hide. According to them, this group of horse bandits totaled only more than 100 people, driving thousands of horses through. The destination should be

They are several ranches in Riva.”

"It turns out they are horse bandits, which can explain a few doubts." Adler took out his notebook, flipped through it quickly, and finally found the information he needed in the corner of a certain page, "There are several gangsters in Riva."

The largest number of horse bandits is only more than 300 people. They have been active on the border for a long time, raising horses and looting passing merchants."

"It seems that our actions scared the horse bandits, and they are planning to take the horses to the territory of Riva to avoid trouble." The adjutant sighed, "There are more than a thousand horses. These horse bandits are so courageous."

"It's not surprising, because their horses were all ready to be sold to us. The situation suddenly changed, so the contact with each other was broken. The horse bandits obviously couldn't trust us, and would rather run away with the horses than reconnect with us.

." Adler said softly, "But since we have encountered it, we should still go up and take a look - tell everyone that we will continue to move forward after we have a good rest. You can arrange for people to send the prisoners and information back to the front camp, and ask for support.

."

"Support?" The adjutant was stunned.

"Yes, with just the manpower we have, it will be really difficult to drive more than a thousand horses back to the camp!"

"Sir, do you want to buy horses from the horse bandits?" The adjutant's surprise became more and more intense.

"I don't have any money left to buy horses, and it's not appropriate to requisition them as a lieutenant. So, I think I can only write an IOU with them." The lieutenant patted the dust on his body and directly told his thoughts, "Let's first

Attach it, don’t let the horse bandits disappear suddenly, and take the horses away as soon as the reinforcements from the front camp arrive!”

"But this behavior seems to be... robbery, right?" The adjutant expressed his worries timidly, "The leader's requirements have always been very strict."

"You finally figured it out, haha! It's okay. Whatever we see, it belongs to us! When the old man finds out, he will only praise me for a good job!" Adler slapped the adjutant heavily on the shoulder, "Go and make arrangements.

Leave as soon as possible!”

"Yes sir!" (To be continued)


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