A wisp of black smoke rose into the sky in the distance. Michael rushed into Claude's study excitedly and shouted to Claude who was reading: "Sir, the enemy is coming. I saw the smoke rising..."
Claude put down the book and asked in confusion: "The enemy will always come, but why are you so excited? Those who don't know thought it was your relatives coming..."
"Uh..." Michael murmured embarrassedly: "Sir, aren't I happy? We have been waiting for so long for the enemy to come, and we are all a little impatient. Everyone is looking forward to them coming, and it will save us the trouble.
I was so frightened, but now I finally have a result..."
I have to admit that these territorial nobles are really good at delaying. Claude has made all defensive preparations, but the enemy's attack has not come. Sergeant Major Markchi, who had no idea of retreating, boldly sneaked into that place again.
In the territory of Earl Leucade, he pretended to be a mercenary and stayed there for two days. When he came back, his report left everyone speechless.
The real reason why the private armed forces of the territorial nobles gathered in the Principality of Karnas delayed the attack was that the territorial nobles who gathered behind them were opposed to the agreement that Earl Loikides had originally reached with the territorial nobles of the Eskiline Principality.
They were not satisfied with the agreement on the distribution of the results of the battle. They believed that their side had a large number of people and strong troops, so they requested to re-sign the agreement. For example, after entering the three southern counties, the territory for robbery would be expanded, and they would accept unified command and military discipline supervision.
Express dissatisfaction, ask to be able to do things on your own, etc...
Although the territorial nobles of the Eskiline Principality hope that the territorial nobles of the Principality of Karnas will send troops to help, after all, the three southern counties are also the territories that the Eskiline Principality has fallen. Even if they decide to make a profit, they will not decide.
They would go too far. So they also know very well that if they agree to the request of the nobles of the Principality of Karnnus, it will be like putting a group of evil wolves into the sheepfold. They cannot let these nobles of the Principality of Karnnus
He burned, killed, and looted without any scruples in the three southern counties, and then he would be blamed for attracting wolves into his house...
His insistence on not handing over his private soldiers has already offended the Grand Duke of Eskiline and the Principality's military. If another tragic incident occurs in the three southern counties where they are looted by nobles from the Principality of Karnas, it is certain that
After the war, Grand Duke Eskiline will definitely use this topic to his advantage, and hit the territorial nobles like himself with a wrench, which may lead to the disaster of breaking up the family and expelling the nobles.
Therefore, the territorial nobles of the Eskiline Principality who went to the Earl of Loikade to negotiate were extremely righteous. They insisted that the territorial nobles of the Principality of Karnas proceed in a restrained manner after entering the three southern counties.
Robbery activities. In other words, robbery of public treasury is allowed, but no killing is allowed without reason, and houses are not allowed to be burned. They are not allowed to enter private residences, and military discipline enforcement teams are required to be dispatched to supervise their military actions.
As for the troops of the Kingdom of Ovelas guarding the mountain road, none of the territorial nobles cared about it. They had long learned from those who had fled that the Kingdom of Ovelas only had three squadrons of troops stationed on the mountain road.
The garrison is divided into three sections, with a total of less than 200 people. Even though many of the spies sent recently have not returned, these garrison soldiers may have gotten some wind. But so what, before the superior forces assembled by the nobles of the two territories
, they had no room for resistance at all, and it almost ended in an egg hitting a rock.
Markchi already felt that his original retreat suggestion was ridiculous, and now even he was impatient. No matter how many enemies there were, Markchi could not defeat them. Especially after Claude completed the defense facilities, Markchi
They couldn't wait to hope that the enemy would launch an attack immediately, and then watch them bruise their heads and bleed in front of their own defensive positions.
Claude got up, opened the window of the study, and saw smoke rising from a hill in the distance. Soon, three soldiers rode horses and ran quickly on the mountain road. After they passed by, several soldiers on the roadside would
A wooden raft that was originally laid on the road was tied to the backs of two pack horses, and the pack horses were driven back. The road under the wooden raft looked no different from other roads, but all the soldiers here knew that there was actually something underneath.
It's a big trap. If you fall in, you'll either die or be injured...
Claude went downstairs and saw Markchi coming in a hurry: "Sir, the enemy is coming."
Claude nodded: "I saw the smoke."
Markchi said: "When the three soldiers in charge of surveillance and reconnaissance today saw the enemy's vanguard coming, they lit the smoke and ran back. They estimate that based on the enemy's marching speed, it will take about four to five hours to reach us.
"
"Only the territorial nobles of the Principality of Karnas sent troops, but there was no movement from the Principality of Eskilin?" Claude looked at the sky in the east, and there was no smoke rising over there.
"Maybe they haven't coordinated yet..." Markchi guessed.
"Let's do this. You send someone to notify the soldiers who were scouting in front and ask them to withdraw. Since the territorial nobles from the Principality of Karnas have already sent troops, there is no need for us to wait for the enemies from the Principality of Eskilin to arrive. We can just send them here.
Pull back the rafts on the road and set up traps. Otherwise, if the territorial nobles on the Eskiline Principality side delay sending troops for two days, then we may send people to pull the rafts on the road and they may be shot by the enemy.
Causing unnecessary harm..."
"Yes, sir, I will send someone to inform them right away." Markchi turned and left.
Soon, the three reconnaissance soldiers who were deployed on the mountain road on the Eskiline Principality also withdrew. The large wooden rafts laid on the road were also dragged back by the soldiers with pack horses, and then they erected these wooden rafts at the corners of the mountain road.
On the way up the mountain to Squirrel Village, a row of wooden rafts five to six meters high was blocked every twenty or thirty meters, five rows in total. Now all the soldiers have withdrawn up the mountain.
"McJack, when the enemy appears at the opposite corner, light up the smoke and notify Murield of Blackstone Village so that he can act according to the plan." Claude ordered.
The mountain road leading to the Kannas Prairie is built halfway up the mountain, just opposite the camp. The straight-line distance is about 150 meters. However, this mountain road has to make a big turn before it reaches the Squirrel Village.
The three forks of the road are connected. The distance from the bend to the mountain road in front of the camp is estimated to be two to three hundred meters. In the middle is a very steep valley with a drop of more than sixty or seventy meters. In other words, if you fall from the mountain road,
, if you are lucky enough to survive the fall, you will be seriously injured and unable to climb up at all.
In addition, on the two to three hundred meters of mountain road from the bend to the three-way intersection, Claude put gunpowder in jars and blasted five sections of the road, and then asked the soldiers to dig five large traps, which were laid with wooden rafts.
It is used for daily walking. Now that the enemy is coming, remove the wooden raft. The trap has been camouflaged. If the enemy does not pay attention, it will be very painful if it falls...
It is only a trivial matter to use traps to trap a few enemies. The important thing is that if the enemy wants to attack, they must first fill up the traps or lay wooden rafts on them like Claude did. But Claude has ordered the soldiers to take advantage of their free time in these few days.
All the big trees near the mountain road were cut down, and the rocks and other rocks that could be used by the enemy were rolled into the valley. If the enemy wanted to fill these big holes on the mountain road, they would have to laboriously transport trees and rocks from a distance.
Stones, and most importantly, this mountain road is all within the range of the muskets of the defensive positions. The soldiers will then be like shooting targets and knock down the enemies who are preparing to build roads and fill holes one by one.
"Sergeant Markchi, you will be in command here. If the enemy appears at the bend, you can order the artillery to fire. My request is that the enemy be trapped at the bend today and not allowed to appear in this section.
On the mountain road. I'm going to take a look at the position on Dide's side. No enemies from the Eskiline Principality have appeared, so I feel a little uneasy..."
"Okay, sir, I promise not to let an enemy enter the mountain road today, so don't worry." Markchi replied.
Claude took the big men Gemmi and Michael towards the position on the Diaverde side. Their position was on the hillside behind Squirrel Village. There was a gentle hillside there that was connected to the mountain road. Esquiline
There is a high possibility that the territorial nobles of the principality will command their private armed forces to climb up the hillside and occupy Squirrel Village, and then launch an attack on the camp.
However, Diaverde's side was safe, and there was no one on the mountain road. Diaverde was leaning in the trench, chewing grass roots out of boredom. When Claude arrived, he stood up in surprise and asked:
"Sir, why are you here?"
"The enemies from the Principality of Karnas have arrived. There is no movement on your side. I have withdrawn the soldiers who were scouting in front. I have removed all the wooden rafts on the road. Come and see if there is any problem on your side."
Claude said.
"What's the problem? If the enemy comes, I can see it from here." Diavid pointed to the winding mountain road in the distance. The situation is indeed what he said. The enemy came to his side from the mountain road very quickly.
can be discovered.
Claude shook his head: "It's okay during the day, I'm worried about the night. If you defend here, if the enemy comes over in the dark, you will be very passive. What I mean is that you lead the team forward, just like before
We go to ambush the enemy's reconnaissance cavalry. If you find the enemy approaching, just open fire, then slowly retreat, and then defend here. At night, you go to the mountain road in the distance and light a bonfire at regular intervals, so that the enemy can't
The only way to attack them is to follow the mountain road and sneak up on them."
"Okay, I just happened to be bored here, so I took the soldiers to watch from a distance and do as you asked." Diavid laughed: "Don't worry, it's just the private armed forces of those territorial nobles, without you.
You think so hard. Didn’t Markchi say that they are all a mob and vulnerable?"
There was no way, the war was about to begin, and Claude was responsible for commanding the entire battle. Whether it was in his previous life or now, this was his first experience, so he was always a little uneasy, fearing that his omissions would cause unexpected losses. Also
One is facing an enemy with superior force for the first time. Even if the enemies are just a group of sheep, the large number makes Claude feel a little nervous. This is a real war, not a game, people will die...
Returning from Diavid's position, Claude passed through Squirrel Village and checked the layout of the village again. Now that the villagers have moved to Blackstone Village, there is no one in Squirrel Village anymore. Claude set up a
After setting a trap, wait for the enemy to come and take the bait.
Returning to the camp, Claude discovered that the enemies of the Principality of Karnas had not yet reached the bend, but a long marching dragon appeared on the mountain road further away. When he picked up the monocular and took a look, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Markchi's report was correct. These enemies did not seem to have any fighting ability. They had all kinds of weapons, including hunting bows, spears, axes, shields, machetes, and indeed some were even holding dung forks. They were also dressed in rags.
I only saw a few muskets. It looked more like a large group of refugees than an army...
What makes people even more speechless is that the marching team was not arranged well. From time to time, people came out of the marching team and sat on the side of the road to rest. Friends gathered together and laughed loudly. It wasn't until the leader in charge of supervision came over and whipped them with a whip that
Get them up and continue marching. The whole team is as scattered as a flock of ducks, with no sense of tension at all in the face of battle.
No wonder he hasn't come yet... Claude's mood suddenly relaxed. If he can't resist such an enemy despite having made so many defensive preparations, then he should be ashamed of himself.
Jump down from the position. These enemies are here to go to the market, not to the battlefield.
After waiting for more than half an hour, a noisy song came from a distance. Listening carefully, it seemed to be a somewhat obscene folk song, mixed with bursts of loud laughter. Finally, a group of people came out of the bend on the mountain road.
The troops were neatly dressed and carried muskets. They were probably the private armed forces of a certain territorial noble, not the farmers and herdsmen recruited. Just like the owner of the fruit stall, he was accustomed to placing a large and good-looking fruit in front of him.
Attracting guests...
These territorial nobles of the Kingdom of Karnas probably thought so too. They also knew what kind of troops they recruited, so they placed this team of neatly dressed soldiers who seemed to be performing well at the front of the team as a pioneer.
To show their military power. Unfortunately, they forgot that there were garrison troops from the Kingdom of Overas on this mountain road. They were not marching safely in their own territory.
"Fire!" Markchi shouted angrily, and he was impatient to wait.
A light infantry artillery that had been aimed long ago let out a deafening thunder, and an iron pellet as big as a fist was spit out from the muzzle. In the blink of an eye, it crossed a distance of more than 150 meters and crashed into the walking queue.
Among them, there were several broken limbs and a burst of blood mist...
"Bang bang bang bang..." The smoke from the muskets on the position filled the air. After the gunfire, the enemy soldiers who were still standing at the bend were swept away. Except for a few miserable howls, all the enemies who turned around the bend had fallen.
On the ground...
This sudden blow almost stunned the enemy. After a while, a burst of frightened shouts, slaps and curses suddenly erupted from behind the curve of the mountain road. Following several gunshots and screams,
The noise finally fell silent. After a while, someone finally peered over at the bend.
"Sir, the enemy is lying on the ground collecting corpses..." Markchi reported.
"You can collect the bodies, but don't let them get up." Claude said.