Chapter 173 Backup Plan

"We also brought a pontoon bridge."

After saying this, the hussar officer on the raft waved his torch three times toward the other side of the river, and people on the other side of the river also raised fire in response.

It turned out that there was another group of people marching on the other side, facing everyone across the river.

With manpower on both sides, the pontoon can be fixed by pulling the cables.

Sackler arrived looking very annoyed. The general's face was livid, and he suppressed his anger and asked: "Put that lieutenant in line and tell me your name and subordinates."

"Andrea Cellini." The tall hussar officer said nonchalantly: "Belongs to the Jessica Battalion."

"John Jessica? Where are the others?!"

"They took the land route and set off before me." Andre was suddenly startled: "What? They didn't come?"

…

In an unknown ravine on the north bank of the confluence river.

A furious Jessica was furious at Lieutenant Mason.

"What the hell are you doing for food? Did Lu Yuanxue take out all those things?" The one-eyed lieutenant colonel was so angry that he was so angry that he tried his best to suppress his voice: "You can lead me astray! "

Mason was sprayed with spittle all over his face, and after a while he said aggrievedly: "The humble job has no map...it's a fool's errand...and...the humble job is actually the artillery department..."

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica completely exploded. No matter what he had to do to maintain the dignity of his subordinates in front of the soldiers, he picked up a riding crop and slapped his head and face: "How dare you speak so harshly!"

Mason didn't dare to hide or cry out for pain, so he was whipped twice.

Less than one meter behind Lieutenant Mason, squatting was a heavy armored soldier holding a halberd.

Behind the halberdier is another musketeer, and behind him are endless muskets, armored spears and halberds. They are all densely packed with people.

Hundreds of militiamen hid in this narrow, twisted ravine, waiting silently for orders.

All the way up the slope of the ditch to the top, Winters was lying in the dead grass, squinting his eyes and trying his best to find identifiable surface markers.

Charles stood beside the lieutenant, lowering his voice and saying bitterly: "This Lieutenant Mason...where did he bring us here?"

"The swineherd really killed us." The little hunter was also full of complaints.

"Shut up." Winters scolded in a low voice: "If you let me hear this again, even you two will be whipped."

About five hundred meters ahead, on a leeward hillside, a few weak campfires could be vaguely seen.

But if you look carefully, you can see the reflection of weapons in the firelight and the blurry moving figures.

The wind brought the neighing of horses, and if Winters guessed correctly, there were countless Herd cavalry resting on the hillside - to be precise, they couldn't be seen clearly.

"Do you dare to move?" Winters hesitated, then answered to himself: "Don't dare to move."

…

As the closest detachment, Lieutenant Colonel Jessica was the first to receive a call for reinforcements.

Plato's military law was strict. He knew his friendly troops were in danger but cowered and refused to save them. Chief officers were beheaded, subordinate officers were dismissed, and soldiers were beaten to death.

The Jessica Brigade is responsible for the defense of the North Bridge and is not among the "cowardly" ones. It does not need to go and should not go to the rescue.

But when Jessica learned that General Sackler was ambushed, he immediately sent troops.

The one-eyed lieutenant colonel insisted on having his own way, and Winters, Mason and several centurions could not dissuade him no matter what.

In desperation, Winters gave the lieutenant colonel a solution - a pontoon bridge.

South of the confluence river is the area controlled by the Palatine Army. As long as they can retreat to the south bank, the crisis in the Szekeli Department will naturally be relieved.

The material of the pontoon is wooden rafts, which are fixed with cables between the north and south banks.

Although there is no buoyancy tank, the Szekely Department also does not have heavy weapons, so it should be possible to make do with it.

"Wood raft?" Lieutenant Colonel Jessica frowned: "Where did you get the raft? Can you bundle it in time?"

"It's just in time, there's ready-made wood." Winters said with a sincere tone and a calm expression. Only those familiar with the situation could detect a trace of embarrassment in his eyes: "It's really not possible to dismantle the carriage."

Winters didn't lie, he just told the truth selectively: the army not only had ready-made wood, but also ready-made rafts.

When the Veneta people got together a few days ago, Andrei suggested that everyone "make preparations early."

What preparation? Preparation for escape.

Winters learned only four things in military school, and one of them was "Always have a backup plan."

The raft was the second option to the backup plan, which was to go by water, and the first option was the boat.

Because according to Bud, all the rivers in this wasteland will eventually merge into the inland sea.

Theoretically speaking, as long as they get on the boat and swing the oars, the Veneta people can go home happily.

So the Veneta people are looking for ways to build boats and practice swimming.

However, in the vast wilderness, it is faster to find a ready-made ship than to simply build one.

The wooden rafts were quite simple, so I quickly built some and took them with the army [Note: The Jashka Brigade had many large vehicles].

I just didn't expect it to come in handy so quickly.

"Go and prepare." Jessica immediately agreed to the pontoon plan: "The sooner, the better."

Perhaps the Veneta people's plan has been discovered by the Lieutenant Colonel? Winters had no idea. But at least the lieutenant colonel didn't say anything or expose him.

The plan was finalized, and Andre was responsible for leading the discharge, while a small team of reliable personnel went to the south bank to support them.

And... Bud is responsible for staying at the bridgehead camp, and the lieutenant colonel himself leads the attack.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica still had to lead troops to support. According to him, this was a "backup plan."

One centurion stayed behind, one centurion was released, and the remaining six centurions were all taken away by Jessica.

The troops moved eastward along the river bank, with Winters taking the lead, Lieutenant Mason finishing the troops, and Lieutenant Colonel Jessica escorting the troops.

However, General Sackler did not see it and bumped into the Hud first.

Fortunately, it was not the main force of the enemy, but a sporadic light cavalry spying on the Jashka brigade with malicious intent.

Dusak pounced, Hurd Qingqiu slapped the horse and ran away; Dusak retreated, Hurd Qingqi appeared again. They just don't fight the Platans, and they are as annoying as flies.

Not long after encountering Hurd's light cavalry, Lieutenant Colonel Jessica called a halt to the march, and Winters and Mason were summoned to a meeting by the lieutenant colonel.

Winters had just met the lieutenant colonel, and the first thing he said was: "The Herds did not defeat the Szeklers. The rear team became the front team, and we retreat."

"Withdraw?" Winters was confused.

"Withdraw." Lieutenant Colonel Jessica was very sure.

"Why?" Mason couldn't help but ask.

Winters was also a little annoyed: He insisted on sending troops before, and now he suddenly said that he wanted to withdraw. Is he playing a trick on everyone?

Jashka's anxiety when she first heard about the ambush of Szekler's tribe completely dissipated: "The Heds are all a mob. The first round of attacks is the most brutal and the most ferocious, and it is a surprise attack. If the Heds fail to overwhelm the Szekeli in the first round of attack, It is even more impossible for the Sekler Department to make a follow-up attack. Since the Sekler Department has stabilized its position, it does not need our support. There is a pontoon bridge that is enough for them to retreat."

"Wait a minute." Winters quickly stopped: "How do you know that General Sackler's troops have not been defeated?"

"If the Szekeli troops are defeated, will the Barbarian Cavalry play like this with us? The focus of the Herds is obviously not to prevent us from attacking. They are to prevent the Szekeli troops from attacking! The Barbarian Cavalry is intercepting and killing the messengers and isolating the Sekeles. Send a message to our troops. On the contrary, it means that the Szekely troops are holding on. Hurry up and retreat. If you go any further, you will be surrounded and called for reinforcements!"

Jashka has never engaged in military democratization. Except for one time when it was defeated, it has always been true.

The lieutenant colonel ordered a retreat, and the team immediately changed from the rear to the front, with Mason at the head and Winters at the rear.

If he had just retraced his steps along the river bank, Lieutenant Mason would not have gone wrong anyway.

Although Comrade Mason has devoted all his passion to pig raising in recent years, he still has some old roots.

Unfortunately, on the way back, they encountered another group of Hud barbarians, and a small-scale encounter broke out between the two sides.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica was worried that the enemy would catch up from behind and attack him from behind, so he ordered to break away from the enemy while it was getting dark and detour northward back to Qiaotou Village.

The lieutenant colonel used Mason as Winters, but he forgot that Lieutenant Montagne was cutting off the rear.

By the time Winters, who had finished the blocking battle, caught up with the main force, Mason had already led the main force into the ditch...

…

At this moment, Winters, lying in the withered grass, was in a very complicated mood.

Senior Mason's luck was extremely bad, and in a sense, extremely good.

For example, although Mason was lost, he easily escaped his pursuers.

He led the group to the vicinity of the Hud camp by mistake and was not discovered by the Hud people. Is this good luck or bad luck?

Winters discovered that the Herds down the hillside were completely unaware that there were hundreds of enemies hiding in the ravine just a mile away.

Maybe it's a fighter plane.

But, can you do it?

Winters thought about it again and again, but still thought it wouldn't work.

This is not a camp-based defense, but a field battle on the plains. Although it was unclear how many Hurds there were, there were definitely more than the Jessica Brigade.

It looks like a fighter plane, but it is likely to be smashed into pieces.

Suddenly there was a rustling sound behind him. Winters was startled and already held the handle of the knife with his right hand.

"It's me." Lieutenant Mason's voice.

Winters breathed a sigh of relief and stuffed the steel nails back into his arm guards: "What's wrong with your face?"

"Don't mention it." Mason covered his eyes and lowered his voice and asked, "How is it?"

"Not very good." Winters was so thirsty that his voice became hoarse. He said angrily: "Look for an opportunity to evacuate quickly before we are discovered. If we don't evacuate, we will starve to death."

"Goooo, goooo" came out from Winters' abdomen, which was particularly clear in the silent night.

Mason looked over at Winters, who had obviously heard it too.

The Jessica Brigade was dispatched in combat mode, carrying nothing but weapons and ammunition. Food and drink were only what the soldiers carried with them.

Continuous marching, plus an encounter, everyone was so hungry that their chests were touching their backs.

"Brother [Winters], I have something to eat." Charles took out the dry food and water bag from his arms: "There is also water."

Ciel hasn't completely changed his tune yet, and when there's no one else around, he occasionally calls his brother by the name of his brother as he did when he was a child.

There were still people's body temperatures on the dry food and water bags, and the food and drink that everyone carried with them had long since disappeared - Winters knew very well that Ciel had left these because he had not eaten or drank all the way.

Winters licked his dry lips, pulled out the water bag and took a sip. After moistening his throat a little, he handed the dry food and water bag back to Ciel: "I'm too hungry, and it makes eating even more uncomfortable."

"You don't want to eat? That's a good feeling." Senior Mason was very happy and reached for the water bag: "Give me some."

Winters angrily suppressed eating and drinking: "I changed my mind!"

"Don't be so stingy."

"You still have the nerve to say that?"

"I didn't mean it... I can't see the stars at night, how can I tell the direction?" Mason felt extremely aggrieved.

[Note: It is cloudy today and the wind is from the west - there is a mention about the weather in the part about the formation of Szekely's troops in the previous chapter]

Winters sighed helplessly, and gave the senior the food and drink. He said rather distressedly: "Don't eat and drink everything."

"Yeah, yeah." Mason grabbed the water bag and took a big gulp.

Winters on the side swallowed involuntarily and refocused his attention on retreat: "This slope is not high enough, so we have to find a higher place. As long as we can see the border, we can determine the direction."

"Yeah, yeah." Mason broke off another piece of dry bread.

Polaris is obscured by clouds, making it impossible to discern the direction of the stars. It was dark at night, and it was unrealistic to rely on landmarks such as trees and rocks to determine the location.

We can only rely on more obvious landmarks, and Bianli City, located on the highlands, is the best indicator. You can identify the south by seeing Bianli.

Patting the others around him, Winters signaled to retreat: "Let's go, just leave one person here."

"Creak, creak" came from beside me.

The low voice can be blended into the background sound of the wasteland, but these two "creaks" cannot be covered up in any way.

In an instant, all the hairs on Winters' back stood up.

The senior Mason who made the noise was also stiff with half a piece of dry bread in his mouth and did not dare to chew any more.

It doesn't matter, as long as no one finds out, Winters comforted himself desperately.

"[Herd] Who's there!"

This was definitely the last sound Winters wanted to hear in his life.

Someone was walking this way, and the rough male voice asked again in an unfamiliar language, "Which one [Hudish]?"

Winters took out the steel spike and patted the person next to him on the shoulder.

A figure emerged from the dead grass: "[Hudian] me."

The Hurd sentry who patrolled here was so surprised that he pulled out his scimitar. When he saw the armor worn by the opponent, he put the knife back into the sheath: "[Hurd] What are you doing?"

"[Herd] Let the water go."

"[Herdese] Which department are you from?" the Herd sentry was a little suspicious: "[Herdese] Why are you traveling so far to pee?"

The voice of the other party is very young, but the words are very ugly: "[Hudian] Do you want to take care of it? Idiot, you have to watch it yourself!"

The Hurd sentry was furious and walked towards the opponent: "[Hurd language] You have no father to teach you! I must teach you a lesson today!"

The next moment, Sentinel Hurd only saw a flash of cold light, and his consciousness was annihilated.

The first steel nail hit the sentinel between the eyebrows, and the second and third nails also hit the head. The sentry died beyond death.

After three consecutive unreserved flying arrows, Winters' phantom pain was as painful as his whole body being squeezed into a small box.

His muscles were all paralyzed for a moment and he couldn't even speak.

But without him opening his mouth, Charles and Bell had already rushed to the sentry's body, held it up before it fell, and gently placed it on the ground.

The young hunter is wearing full Hudza armor, which is Winters' backup plan.

"Let's go." The phantom pain went away as quickly as it came. Winters, who regained his mobility, immediately led the people back into the ravine.

The sound of steel nails punching through the skull was equally harsh, and more Hurds would have noticed it.

The four of them lay on the reverse slope and listened with bated breath, waiting for other sentries to come over.

There was no movement, and it seemed that no one noticed.

Several people involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief. Winters patted the little hunter on the shoulder. He didn't know what to say.

He wonders what the little hunter thinks of other Hurds, enemies? Tribe? He could only let the little hunter solve it by himself.

Suddenly, the Hurd camp in the distance was awakened.

First there were a few shouts, and then the sounds of human voices, horses neighing, and the clash of weapons merged together.

"Discovered!" Charles glared at Lieutenant Mason angrily.

Winters immediately ordered: "Go find the Lieutenant Colonel!"

The little hunter got up and went to deliver the message.

The sound of horse hooves began to sound, and there was more and more sound of horse hooves. Hurd's cavalry was preparing.

"Wait?" Mason listened carefully and frowned: "It won't be such a big battle, right?"

Winters quickly climbed to the top of the hillside. The Hurd camp in the distance was brightly lit, and bonfires were lit one after another.

The Hurd cavalry all held torches, like a river of fire. It's just that the river of fire didn't rush toward Winters, but was flying farther away, not knowing who it was going to fight.

"The Hurds moved!" Winters laughed loudly and punched Mason hard: "You are so lucky!"

Winters now had an empty camp and five hundred militiamen.

[There are maps in this chapter and the previous chapter. The last chapter was posted late, so some book friends may not have seen it. I will post the map when this chapter is finished later]

There are two thirty-five chapters in this volume. Starting from chapter thirty-five, the chapter numbers are all wrong. It’s hard to laugh or cry, so chapter 58 jumps directly to chapter 60. This was from yesterday, I’m just writing it now…

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