Chapter 2657 Beacon Smoke Pause
General Gates was very dissatisfied with the resolution of the Continental Congress. He felt that he was cheated by this group of literati and bureaucrats, and was forced to suffer the infamy of inconsistency, which was really detrimental to the gentleman's demeanor.
However, the Continental Congress was the leader of the army after all, and despite his reluctance, he still had to obey the decision of his superiors and continue to detain the six or seven thousand prisoners of war.
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On another battlefield, Earl Winthrop was shocked when he learned that General Burgoyne led his troops to surrender!
At this time, the Winthrop Corps has reached the outskirts of Freeport. The original plan was to go north to rescue the Burgoyne Corps trapped in the Baden Wetlands. Now that the rescue target has surrendered, it is meaningless to continue going north. The free port that came down was handed over to the Vasa Corps that was chasing after it, which was not worth it.
However, it seems unreasonable to leave the many Feizhen prisoners of war imprisoned in Hot Spring Town alone.
The Earl's deputy, General Henry Clinton, also learned of the defeat and surrender of the Burgoyne Corps at this time, and hurried to the headquarters to speak to Earl Winthrop, suggesting that he abandon Freeport and continue northward to hunt down Gates and the Laval Corps. It was dragged down by many prisoners of war, and its march must be slow.
General Clinton also suggested that Queen Huaia's Hill Giant Mercenary Regiment be recruited to go south for support, and at the same time ask the navy fleet to respond to General Cornwallis and lead the 3rd Infantry Division to come by sea from Jotunheim for reinforcements as soon as possible.
In this way, there are a total of five troops from the enemy and our side, chasing each other from south to north, in the shape of ouroboros, launching a big melee. The comprehensive strength of our own side is stronger, and it is more likely to win in the chaos!
The battle plan proposed by General Clinton directly stunned Earl Winthrop, who has always been mature and stable!
This style of play is too radical, too crazy, it's completely street hooligans brawling and gambling their lives!
It's fine if you can win, but if you lose, you will be defeated and out of control.
This gamble-like tactic is completely inconsistent with Earl Winthrop's prudent style.
In his opinion, even if Feizhen's side suffered a disastrous defeat in the Baden Wetlands and lost a reorganizer, they are still in an advantageous position strategically. Life.
"Calm down, General Clinton! Please stay calm!"
In addition to the conflict of tactical concepts, Earl Winthrop was also worried that his side would pursue too closely, prompting the enemy's notorious "butcher" General Benedict Laval to massacre the prisoners of war and reduce the burden.
After hesitating for a long time, Earl Winthrop finally rejected the radical plan proposed by General Clinton.
On November 20, the Winthrop Corps withdrew to Freeport, and at the same time urgently summoned Queen Huaia and the naval fleet to come for reinforcements.
On November 25, the forces of Laval, Gates, and Vasa successfully joined forces on the outskirts of Freeport.
The Continental Corps of the Continent and the Corps of the North jointly surrounded Freeport in an attempt to annihilate Winthrop's Corps.
The siege of the city lasted for a week, and Freeport could not be attacked for a long time, and the fortune on the battlefield gradually turned to Feizhen's side.
On December 2, the Queen of Huaia led the hill giant mercenary group and rushed to the battlefield for reinforcements in coordination with the Flesh Colossus.
In the afternoon of the same day, General William Howe's naval fleet also appeared on the coastline of Freeport, and the naval guns fired together, bombarding the Continental Army's position.
Earl Winthrop immediately led the troops to launch a counterattack. With the assistance of the naval guns and the Huaia Corps, they successfully broke through the blockade of the Continental Army and seized the initiative on the battlefield.
The fierce battle lasted for two days and two nights, both offensive and defensive sides suffered heavy casualties, and the generals of the Continental Army, such as George Vassar, Charles Gates, and Benedict Laval, were forced to abandon their plan to encircle and wipe out the main force of the enemy. , led his troops back to Forging Valley.
This time it was Fei Zhenren's turn to chase after the army's buttocks. On December 10, Fei Zhen's army came to Forge Valley again.
Both Earl Winthrop and General Clinton wanted to complete the battle, but Nidaville Fortress was fortified and the dwarves fired fiercely. Even if they sent out the siege weapon "Flesh Colossus", they still couldn't chew on this tough bone!
Nidaville Fortress could not be attacked for a long time, and the enemy and us fell into a stalemate.
On December 8th, the temperature dropped sharply, and the Midgard region experienced heavy snowfall. The stalemate on the Forge Valley battlefield was finally broken by the cold current from the north.
The Fiji Army and the Continental Army, now the biggest enemy is no longer an opponent on the battlefield, but the ruthless laws of nature.
The weather was getting colder and colder every day, and the officers and soldiers of Fizen from the island country couldn't adapt to Midgard's snowy winter, and many of them fell ill.
Earl Winthrop is well aware of how terrible the winter in the northern part of the New World is. It is not appropriate to launch a large-scale battle before the spring of the next year. He had to give up attacking Nidaville and ordered General Clinton to lead the second division to garrison Freeport. Degarde City, rest and recuperate.
In the first year of the War of Independence in the New World, with the arrival of severe winter, the Continental Army and the Feizhen Army were like two hard-fought boxers, with the rest between rounds just to accumulate strength. The melting spring is warm and the flowers are blooming. The two sides will return to the ring and attack their opponents more powerfully!
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With the arrival of winter and the smoldering war, the frontline officers and soldiers finally got a precious opportunity to recuperate from their injuries.
At the same time, on another battlefield where gunpowder could not be seen, the "pencils" of the Continental Congress put all their energy into writing articles on the excellent subject of "Baden Victory" and launched a campaign aimed at It is a vigorous public opinion war to boost the morale of the domestic revolutionary masses and win the support of foreign friends!
Immediately after the battle in Baden Wetlands, the Continental Congress appointed two well-known writers in the New World—Joseph Adams and Alexander Jefferson—to lead a team of reporters to Hot Springs to interview front-line generals and soldiers, and take advantage of the victory Make a fuss.
Judging from the first-hand information collected on the front line, the vast majority of middle and lower-level officers and ordinary soldiers believe that the hero who led them to victory in this battle should undoubtedly be the strong and courageous Benedict Laura. General Val.
As for General Gates, apart from recruiting boggard mercenaries and negotiating surrender, he has no sense of presence on the battlefield.
However, when the "Baden Victory" was publicized afterwards, all the newsletters and reports focused on General Gates rather than General Laval who led the charge on the front line, and praised Gates without hesitation. The general had far-sighted plans and tried his best to turn the tide, but he ignored General Laval, as if he was just a small supporting role obscured by the tall image of General Gates, a brave and foolhardy man.
Historical Materials: Benedict Laval's Prototype Story (Ambition Audacious: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution (USA) Nathaniel Philbrick ))
The Battle of Saratoga is the pivot point of this story, and it was on October 7, 1777, that Benedict Arnold was mortally wounded on this battlefield, an injury that ultimately set him on the path to betrayal .
Also in Saratoga, Arnold's "mortal enemy" Horatio Gates seized the honor rightfully his and challenged Washington's Supreme commander status.