Chapter 384 Dafeng Town

Joan nodded, hurriedly took out the spell scroll, and was about to cast the spell, but was stopped by Major Green.

"Joan, don't worry, we'd better think about this matter carefully."

"There's nothing else to think about!" Lieutenant Colonel Vasa said impatiently, "Our rank is too low, so it's pointless to think about it. After all, we still have to ask His Excellency the Governor to make up his mind!"

"George, calm down first and listen to me."

Major Green looked around vigilantly, gestured to Vasa, Magny, and Joann to gather around him, and said in a voice that only the four of them could hear clearly:

"George, my friend, please think about it!"

"Your Excellency the governor just promoted you to be the commander of the corps, and you made a big mess. Not only did you get yourself into big trouble, but you also implicated the governor who promoted you in an exceptional way. If the matter spread, it would even cause the governor to suffer from unknown people. Criticism, where do you let him put his face?"

George Vassar's face changed rapidly when he heard this, and he said hesitantly: "Your concerns cannot be said to be unreasonable, but you cannot hide the truth from your superiors just because of this!"

"What I mean is not to ask you to conceal the truth, but to stop reporting this matter first."

"It's better to wait for a while, wait for the troops to win the battle, or drive the gnolls back to the south of the Brass Mountain Pass, and then write a letter to the Governor, report the good news, and incidentally explain the accidental killing of the Hailan diplomat."

"In this way, the good news will offset the bad news, we will save face, and the Governor will not be too angry."

Major Green said slowly.

George Vassar frowned and thought for a long time, but still couldn't make up his mind, so he asked Magny and Joan what they thought.

"Mr. Green's words are very reasonable. If we have bad news and have to report it to our superiors, it is best to match it with good news, so that we can make ourselves appear less of a failure." Magny said with a wry smile.

"I also agree with Mr. Green's approach, but this news cannot be delayed for too long!"

"If the Viceroy learns of Sir Joseph Jumonville's death through other channels before receiving your report, it will be self-defeating!"

Joan solemnly warned Lieutenant Colonel Vasa.

"I understand." George Vassar nodded with difficulty, "Nathaniel, just do as you say."

...

After the disgraceful battle that took place on September 7th ended, relevant news was immediately blocked.

Except for George Vassar, Nathaniel Green, Magny Powhatan, and Joan, all other officers and soldiers who participated in this raid were kept in the dark, and they did not know the group of people who were killed by them The Hailan people are not actually a reconnaissance force, but an envoy entrusted with diplomatic missions.

Not to mention that the leader of this mission is the elder brother of General Louis Jumonville, the new garrison commander of Muspelheim who built "Fort Duquesne" on the south side of the Brass Pass and provoked border friction with an aggressive posture.

A "time bomb" was carefully packaged and sunk into the deep sea by a few insiders, and then continued to lead the Corps to advance southward as if nothing had happened.

The parties involved, including Joan, knew in their hearts that this bomb would explode sooner or later, and it was hard to predict what kind of turbulent undercurrent it would arouse.

The last two days of the Southern Corps' itinerary were uneventful.

After more than half a month of marching, the troops finally passed through the jungle-covered Delin River Valley and approached the northern foot of Huangtong Mountain, and the scenery along the way gradually changed.

From a lush forest that covers the sky to a flat and desolate wilderness, the tall trees are gradually replaced by low bushes and even the bare Gobi. Yellow skin.

The further south you go, the sparser the vegetation on the surface, and the drier and barren the soil becomes.

When the troops arrived outside the Broken Tooth Valley on September 9th, the hot wind howling from the Muspelheim Gobi on the other side of the valley blew on Joan's face, making him feel a slight tingle on his skin, as if it was being polished by sandpaper.

Lieutenant Colonel Vasa unfolded the scroll of the map and observed it for a long time. After careful consideration, he finally drew a circle on the small hill between "Broken Tooth Valley" and "Jinsha River" - a tributary of the Delin River - as a construction site. The address of the military stronghold.

Joan was ordered to inspect the environment around the fortification site from the air.

He turned into an eagle man, looked down from the sky, and found that with the "Jinsha River" as the dividing line, the landforms on the north and south banks are completely different.

The vegetation on the north bank of the river is fairly luxuriant, with green land and meadows as far as the eye can see, which are natural pastures for local residents to graze cattle and sheep.

The south bank of the river gradually became barren, and when it reached the outskirts of Broken Tooth Valley, there was little greenery to be seen, and everything was rough sandy conglomerate.

The fortification site chosen by Lieutenant Colonel Vasa is located between the south bank of the river and the northern entrance of the Broken Tooth Valley, with the backwater facing the mountain, which is convenient for water collection and can monitor the main roads of the mountain pass from a high position. It is indeed a good place to build a military outpost.

But before starting to build the fort, there are two imminent things, one is to recruit workers, and the other is to buy military rations.

On the morning of September 10th, Joan was ordered to come to the camp of Lieutenant Colonel Vassar, and found that Brothers Magny and Tyndale had also rushed to report.

His doubts were quickly answered.

Lieutenant Colonel Vasa handed him a heavy money bag and asked him to go to a small town near the mountain pass to hire local people to help build the fort.

In addition, Joan also tried to get in touch with a local grain merchant named "Pickman".

"Pickman is the designated supplier of the Yalfheim military, and he is responsible for the food and grass supply of our army during the stationing at the Brass Mountain Pass."

"The payment for the purchase of grain will be settled directly with Pickman from the headquarters, and we will be responsible for transporting the grain from his warehouse back to the barracks."

Lieutenant Colonel Vasa considered that there were often jackals and bandits nearby, and that they might be robbed during the food delivery, so he specially arranged for Magny to lead a platoon of chasseurs to escort them.

As for the Tyndale brothers, their main task was to serve as bodyguards for Joan.

This is not only to protect Joan's personal safety, but also to protect the military expenses he carries with him for hiring workers.

The small town where the grain merchant Pickman is located is about ten miles away from the military camp.

Joan and the others led the way, and within an hour of riding fast horses, they saw the small town in the valley.

Because it is located in the Brass Mountain Pass, the strong wind blowing from the canyon is endless all year round, so the local area is also called "Dafeng Town".

There are a total of a hundred or so families in the town, most of them are Asa herdsmen, and there are also some shops that provide food and accommodation for business travelers, most of which are run by humans.

In addition, there are some professional adventurers in the town who mainly make a living by providing bodyguard services for business travelers traveling from south to north.