In a daze, he heard the rumbling of artillery outside, and a figure moving in front of him, as if covered with a veil, making it difficult to see clearly.
He tried hard to open his eyes but couldn't.
"Who... who... is... commanding?" Lewis was still trying his best to wake up.
The figures in front of him fell silent for a moment, which made the sound of gunfire outside the town appear clearer.
"Marshal wakes up, wakes up." Someone cheered in a low voice.
"Who's directing?" Lewis asked again.
However, the cerebral hemorrhage caused his language function to be impaired. He had to repeat the question several times with difficulty before anyone could understand the question clearly:
"It's Baron Simon Dalhousie."
Baron Dalhou is a major general. Although he is a baron, he has a strange personality. He is taciturn, unsociable, and does not get along well with his colleagues. Therefore, after the previous counterattack was launched, Marshal Lewis let him stay in Tudela.
Protecting supply transportation channels has actually been neglected.
However, after the baron learned that the front had collapsed, he quickly made preparations to allow more of his own stragglers to pass Tudela smoothly. When Marshal Lewis arrived, it was precisely because of the joint efforts of him and his men that they
Blocking the progress of the Belis people.
Therefore, when Marshal Lewis fell into coma, Baron Dalhou took over the command. Among the military chiefs in Tudela, no one was more qualified than him. Many generals of the Western Front were either killed in action, missing, or fled back
Some people even did not go to Yobosa, but became shameful deserters - these people are the real deserters.
On the ridge directly south of Tudela, most of the green vegetation was cut off and repeatedly destroyed by artillery fire and soldiers.
Amidst the smoke, the soldiers in red military uniforms were in danger. Standing in the town, you could see the figures of the Belis men in light blue military uniforms who had climbed the ridge. However, the defenders used a counterattack to kill the Belis men.
Drive down the mountain again.
Simon Dalhou stood on a hilltop opposite, personally commanding a small number of artillery to bombard the enemies crowded in the valley.
Due to the terrain, the Bilisi's artillery had no way to deal with it. It was too far away to reach, and it was too close to raise the firing range, so it could only rely on manpower to fill it.
The defenders' artillery didn't even need to take special aim. The solid shells bounced off the hard ground at the foot of the mountain, causing more casualties to the Belis soldiers.
However, this lone army has been surrounded by the town and the surrounding mountains. Most of the Bilisi troops have bypassed here and arrived at the city of Yobosa.
If the city of Yobosa in the rear cannot organize a decent counterattack or even falls, it will fall into the hands of the enemy sooner or later. The ammunition and rations stored in the town cannot support a high-intensity battle.
General Dalhou had lost count of how many enemy troops he had killed. Day and night, he was as exhausted and in pain as his soldiers.
"The enemy is coming again!" someone shouted loudly.
Like buffaloes, the Belis attacked tirelessly. They held rifles and lined up in a loose formation to attack the hills on both sides.
The defenders' artillery fire became sparse, and they had to save ammunition as much as possible, so they used local materials and pushed the rocks to roll down the mountain.
Amidst the rumbling sound, the Bilisi soldiers were unable to dodge, and rocks rolled out in the crowd, creating a path of flesh and blood, causing people to fall on their backs.
This did not frighten the Bili people. Under the officer's order, they shouted and charged towards the top of the mountain like they were desperate.
Bang, bang, the rifles in the hands of the defenders opened fire. In the smoke, they couldn't see how many of their opponents had fallen. They couldn't even see their own people. They only relied on instinct to shoot down the mountain.
When the mountain wind blew away the gunpowder smoke, the defenders suddenly discovered that the light blue figures were already in front of them. Behind these figures was a blue ocean that fell to the ground.
"Fix the bayonet! Charge with me!"
General Dalhao roared angrily, then jumped off the ridge first and rushed towards the enemy crowd.
"Come on!"
The inspired soldiers had already become red-eyed. Under the leadership of their commanders, they launched a counterattack against the enemy troops on the mountainside.
This extremely critical charge not only reflects the courage of the defenders, but also reflects the decisiveness of the commander's on-the-spot command. The only disadvantage they have is the terrain advantage. If the opponent captures the hilltop, they will have no way to retreat.
The Belis people left behind hundreds of corpses and retreated like a tide.
It was already noon on August 23.
At the same time, Sean was nervously preparing for the battle in the city of Yobosa.
The Belis who rushed to the city began to gather. The Belis were not in a hurry to attack. Although they won a big victory, they were unable to continue to attack a city with strong defenses. Their troops were also very scattered.
.
It seems that the Belis are licking their wounds and gathering strength.
In fact, Sean arrived at Yobosa City on the 19th. Once he arrived, he began to strengthen the defense and collect ammunition and food in the name of the city defense commander. Therefore, he also clashed with the senior officers left here by Lewis.
On the 21st, when news of the defeat came from the front, there was a commotion in the city of Yobosa. Sean, who was well prepared, ordered the National Army to disarm some of the troops who disobeyed orders and imprisoned some panicked senior officers.
That night, more defeated soldiers swarmed in. Sean did not refuse these people to enter the city. In the name of strictly guarding against spies, he disarmed the defeated soldiers and dispersed them into custody. At the same time, he shot one of them with the most decisive means.
Criticize officers and soldiers who disturb the morale of the army.
These things almost made Sean very busy. Not only did he have to deal with those who were dragging back, but he also had to deal with some officers in the Western Front who still wanted to fight. Fortunately, he had three divisions of troops in his hands, which allowed him to speak forcefully.
When the Billis troops approached the city, Sean summoned the officers who originally belonged to the Western Front. These were all officers who either wanted to continue fighting or wanted to send troops to rescue Marshal Lewis. Most of them were those who had lost their courage.
They don't know yet about the changes that have taken place in the Holy City. If they do, God knows what will happen.
Sean tightly blocked information about the Holy City, and the National Army's patrols along the coast from Yobosa to Longjiang cut off their sources of information.
Anyone who comes from outside the province of Sheno will be closely scrutinized. This is one of the important things Sean has done in the past week. He must keep the military's morale on the battlefield in front of him, at least temporarily, even if the military is filled with pessimism about failure.
mood.
These people still control an army of no less than 30,000 people, but the organization is a bit chaotic. Some officers have been killed in battle, some are missing, and some have even become deserters. As for the scattered soldiers who cannot be reunited, it is estimated that the number is no less than 70,000, and Sean has no time left.
take into account.
Sean is once again faced with a choice. Life is full of multiple-choice questions.
Existing intelligence and rout brought a lot of news.
Obviously when Marshal Lewis was preparing for a major counterattack, the Billis people were not idle. They seemed to have obtained the information in advance and carefully planned and arranged a huge trap, which allowed the Billis people to take the initiative on the battlefield.
Quan - The concession in the early stage is just to lure the enemy deeper and then launch a better counterattack.
In comparison, the Europeans' intelligence collection on the Bilis was still limited to what they obtained from prisoners, and the latter knew every move of the former in detail.
Moreover, God seems to be helping the Bili people. If it were not for the heavy rain, Marshal Lewis would not have been defeated so ugly. The gunpowder of many troops was ineffective due to the rain, which greatly reduced the combat effectiveness of the Western Front.
, many soldiers had to face the enemy's lead bullets with bayonets.
"Everyone, the Genoese National Army is preparing to march north to Tudela. We must rescue Marshal Lewis."
Sean made his choice.
If he stood still, it would be difficult for others to criticize him rationally. If 300,000 people were defeated, what could 30,000 people accomplish?
Moreover, the Genoese National Army is a new army and has almost no combat experience. Some officers' battlefield experience comes from domestic counterinsurgency a few years ago.
Sean automatically ignored the suspicions of these "regular army" officers:
"As everyone knows, the National Army is a new army, many of its people are miners, farmers and craftsmen, and our officers are also very young, but we are all Europeans.
Responsibility requires us to go north and give the arrogant invaders a hard blow. The hateful invaders poison our land and enslave our people every day. They want to put us in shackles and make us slaves for generations."
"Although the empire is large, every bit of land is not redundant. Fighting for Europa is fighting for freedom. Maybe we will sacrifice, maybe we will gain nothing, but we will have nothing to fear.
Those who are timid should leave here as soon as possible. Some may feel that the battlefield is not suitable for them and want to find another job. I even allow these people to leave with their personal property and weapons, and I will issue documents in the name of the headquarters to
It proves that they withdrew from the army due to injuries. But those who stay, whether they are generals or soldiers, whether they are nobles or commoners, will be regarded as obeying my command."
"You will unconditionally accept my command and resource allocation. What needs to be reminded is that maybe today you are a general, and tomorrow you may be a groom. Maybe you are not even as good as a groom. At least the groom can help our cavalry take care of the horses. Don't
Talk to us about your qualifications and military traditions, let alone which family with a long history your surname comes from, because if the empire no longer exists, our names will only be found in history books."
"It is a soldier's duty to obey orders!"
"Now, it's time for you to make a decision. You only have two hours. By the way, the food in the city is limited and cannot feed so many people."
After saying that, Sean left the conference room, leaving behind a bunch of generals looking at each other.