Chapter 272 Beacon

The next day, Mason was delighted to learn of Colonel Bode's decision.

Because of the hangover, the senior's skull cavity felt empty and painful.

He said straightforwardly: "Okay! Great! Now we are no longer 'a small group of foreigners commanding a large group of Platoans'."

Senior Mason hoped from the bottom of his heart that the colonel would join the group.

The new government of Tiefeng County, which is the local government of Plato, is led by Venetians and people from the United Provinces. The composition is really embarrassing.

That is to say, the current territory is small, the population is small, and the blood wolf's reputation can still deter those who are ready to take action. This is why the new government has not been caught and beaten up.

The addition of Bode Gates will increase the concentration of Platoans in the decision-making layer from [0] to [14.3%], which can be called "a small step for a colonel, a giant step for the new government."

However... the concentration of soldiers is still 100%.

In addition to the above reasons, the senior also has a little selfishness.

With Bud absent, Winters indifferent, and no one else visible, all matters big and small inside and outside Gevaudan now rested on Mason's shoulders, causing the senior's hairline to recede at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Having one more helper to share the common chores is a dream for the seniors.

But Mason didn't take the initiative to invite Colonel Bode.

Who is Bod Gates?

In terms of status, he is the chief captain of the Sixth Army, only half a step away from the position of army commander. It is logical that one day in the future, he will get the general's baton.

In terms of background, he comes from a famous family in Plato; the [Bode] family has as long a history as the [Arpad] family, and both can be traced back to the period of the seven ancient tribes of Plato.

Want to recruit him to join the "Rebels"? The possibility is slim.

Mason didn't know what method his junior used to convince the colonel. Although he was very happy, he always felt a little uneasy in his heart.

…

Colonel Bode attended the resolution meeting without any ceremony and no need for introduction—Winters and several others had been his subordinates. Adding a chair next to the table completes the scene.

Winters made the opening remarks: "The total number of votes in the resolution meeting has always been an even number before. With Colonel participating in the meeting, we no longer have to worry about a tie vote!"

Senior Mason clapped weakly.

Lieutenant Colonel Moritz was not present - Winters had not found a chance to inform Colonels A and B of the existence of Mr. B. There were only three people in the conference room: Winters, Mason and Colonel Bode.

"Wait a minute, I haven't agreed to rebel with you yet." Colonel Bode leaned back in his chair and mocked: "Don't worry about including me yet."

"How can we call it a rebellion?" Winters asked doubtfully, "We are all appointed officers of the Plato Republic."

Colonel Bode snorted and ignored Winters.

"Winters came to me excitedly this morning and told me that you had joined the gang." Mason joked: "Did you lie about the military situation?"

Colonel Bode raised his eyebrows: "Join the gang? Are you robbers? Do you want to swear another oath?"

"If you want to take an oath... there is no problem. I will lend you a holy relic." Winters recommended enthusiastically: "How about the emblem of Saint Ados? It is said that there is a fragment of the true holy emblem hidden inside."

"Don't be careless. I didn't drink too much last night. I can stay at Arpad's place in Tiefeng County. I don't want to go; I'm too lazy to serve those idiot members of the Kings' Castle." Colonel Bode changed the subject. , his eyes became serious: "But there are two things I must ask clearly."

"Excuse me." Winters straightened his clothes and sat down: "I won't lie to you if I can answer any questions."

Colonel Bode stared at Winters closely, trying to discern clues from the latter's eyes and expression: "What is your relationship with the Hurds?"

"Hostile relationship." Winters spread his palms.

"I'm not asking about the Terdun Department." Colonel Bode's body leaned forward involuntarily: "I'm asking about the Chihe Department! It's the Chihe Department that fought a bloody battle with us, captured me, and then released me!"

"Two years ago, I accidentally saved the biological brother of Yasin, the white lion. It's that simple."

"Yasin owes you a favor, so let me come back too?"

"Don't always want to use me as a scapegoat." Winters propped up his chin and said with a chuckle: "I have fulfilled my responsibilities in Plato, Periphery, and Styx. If you are feeling unhappy, you should go Get angry at János, Arpad and Szekler. Why hold us accountable, little centurions?"

"Stop prevaricating me! I'm not taking it out on you because I lost the battle. You know what I mean."

"Then I will give you a dignified answer." Winters put away his smile and looked directly at Colonel Bode: "White Lion let me go, maybe to repay the favor. Because I was alone at that time and had nothing. Let you go When you come back, you are obviously helping me. There are three purposes.

"First, if I can gain a foothold, he can trade with the outside world through me; second, Tiefeng County resists the New Reclamation Army, and no matter who wins or loses, it will consume Plato's strength; third, Tiefeng County is close to the sphere of influence of the Terdun tribe, and I have an old grudge with the Fire Roarer. He can use me to contain the Fire Roaster.

Kill three birds with one stone, why not? And what the White Lion has paid so far is nothing more than being a slave to you. Now that he has sent you back, do I still have to say 'no' and send you back again? "

Colonel Bode's face turned from red to white, and then from white to blue. He tensed his cheeks and said nothing.

Mason was frightened when he heard this. He gently pulled Winters to signal his junior not to be so aggressive.

Winters ignored the senior and continued: "I have never betrayed the interests of Plato to the Herds, nor have I betrayed the interests of the Plato people. I am aboveboard and have a clear conscience.

But if the Hart tribes profit from my actions, even though it is not my wish, I will not stop there. The New Reclamation Corps sent troops to attack me. I can't just not fight back just because the Hurds will benefit, right? "

Colonel Bode was speechless.

After sitting quietly for a while, he sighed deeply and asked: "Second question. Since you have contact with the Red River Department, do you have any way to get those prisoners in the wasteland back?"

"There is a way! And I will do my best to rescue them - there are also my subordinates among the slaves." Winters took out a knife: "I had a verbal agreement with the White Lion to exchange supplies for prisoners. As long as you give me a chance, I will open up the trade route to the Red River Department and exchange people back bit by bit."

"Exchange of materials for prisoners?" Colonel Bode asked with a frown. Plato maintained a long-term blockade of the wasteland, and exchanging supplies for prisoners was nothing more than smuggling.

"What else?" Winters asked, "If you don't take goods, how about gold and silver in exchange? Not only do I have no gold and silver, but what's the use of gold and silver in the wasteland? White Lion values ​​material profits and will never trade people for money."

Colonel Bode was speechless again. He gritted his teeth and warned Winters: "The White Lion and the Red River tribe are more dangerous than the other Hed tribes combined."

"I know, of course I know. This is feeding meat to the lions." Winters said frankly: "But exchanging the veterans back will also make us stronger. After all, 'my' survival is more important."

The colonel asked: "What will happen after you change back? Will you continue to let them fight for you?"

"Yes, that's what I thought at first." Winters sighed: "But after meeting you, I realized that they are also living people, with families and relatives. They are not puppets or weapons, nor are they puppets or weapons. Not my tool. So...that's it."

Winters made up his mind and smiled and said to the colonel: "You are free to stay or go. If you are willing to stay, you can continue to serve as a soldier for me; if there are disabled people, I will give them land; if they want to go home, I will pay them travel expenses." How's it going? Are you satisfied?"

"What am I dissatisfied with?" Colonel Bode snorted.

He used his only right arm to adjust his appearance, stood up, and solemnly raised his hand to salute Winters: "If you can do this, I will pay tribute to all the Plato veterans and my subordinates who are living in the wilderness and cannot go home. Thank you!"

Winters accepted the gift and raised his hand in return.

After hearing this, the big stone in Senior Mason's heart just fell to the ground. After understanding Colonel Bode's motives to a certain extent, the senior's uneasy feeling eased a little.

But then, his spirit became tense again.

Because the senior heard the colonel say to Winters: "I want to ask for something from you."

"What do you want? I'll give you what you want." Winters first agreed, and then hurriedly declared: "I don't need money. Our finances are tight."

"I want an official position."

"What official position?"

"The highest official position." Colonel Bode sneered: "Whoever has the highest official position, just give it to me."

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, and Mason subconsciously shrank his neck. He has a gentle personality and does not like fighting. The last thing he wants to see is a struggle for power and internal fighting.

"You don't have to." Winters winked.

"It's not necessary?" Colonel Bode pretended to be confused: "What's wrong with me, a great colonel, asking for a high-ranking official?"

"There is no need to think about the future for us. Since we have embarked on this path, we voluntarily bear the risk of not being able to escape unscathed."

The air was no longer frighteningly cold, but the conference room was still quiet.

"Are you naive or brave? This is no longer a small fight, this is an entire county." Colonel Bode sighed deeply: "When the sword falls, can you little guys hold it up? Use me as a shield. , hand me over when everything is over, and you guys might be able to replace me with another school officer? Wouldn't it be great?"

"You are too pessimistic." Winters smiled and recommended his backup plan: "In the worst case, you can also go to Veneta with us. Anyway, we won't have one more partner in the business."

Colonel Bode's anger surged up again: "Silly boy, when the day comes, do you think Venetta will protect you?"

"Then escape overseas, to the west." Winters drew a circle in the air: "I heard that if you keep going west, you can reach the Far East."

Colonel Bode held his head on the table and couldn't say a word for a long time.

"An official position is nothing more than a seal. Can't you just engrave one for you?" Winters explained sincerely: "It's your request - the largest official position. This is a bit..."

"You said it's just a seal." Colonel Bode blew his beard and glared: "Are you stingy with even a seal?"

"The biggest official position here is marshal." Winters asked tentatively: "Then I will engrave a marshal's seal for you?"

The colonel's breath stopped for at least a beat. Senior Mason stared at his knees, trying hard not to laugh.

Bode's chest felt tight and he struggled to speak: "Thousands of people, and there is no territory as big as a horse's hoof, but there is already a marshal? Does that mean there is also a legion commander?"

"They all have a place in the establishment." Winters asked with a smile, "How about... can you pick the one you like?"

"Forget it, forget it." Colonel Bode blushed and tried to calm his breathing: "I am old and thin-skinned, and I cannot afford to embarrass this person."

In the eyes of Senior Mason, the colonel's posture and expression became natural as he talked and laughed, and the previous feeling of being a bystander and an outsider gradually dissipated.

"Let's get down to business." Senior Mason turned the conversation to formal affairs. He smiled bitterly and said, "There is an official document from Shovel Harbor to us."

When he heard Shovel Port, Winters' energy suddenly concentrated, and his eyebrows frowned unconsciously: "What did you say?"

"Mayor Potal said that the militia has been recruited, but is in urgent need of food and ordnance. I hope we can allocate some to them."

"Botal? Do you want me to have arms and food?" Winters stroked the handle of the knife and said with a smile: "I have a lysis technique, does he want it?"

"Then this is how I reply to him?" Senior Mason asked with a smile.

"Tell him to stay on the east bank of the Glorious River and light a beacon if there is any enemy. Reinforcements will naturally come." Winters sneered: "In my opinion, he probably doesn't want us to go there yet!"

"Okay." Senior Mason immediately started drafting a reply.

Seeing that Colonel Bode didn't speak, Winters explained to the colonel: "It's not that I don't help, but that...Botal, he has no good intentions."

Colonel Bode listened quietly.

Winters left his chair, took out a map and laid it on the table. He pulled the colonel and stood nearby to study it.

"The riverbank in Middle Tiefeng County is close to 80 kilometers, and the riverbank in Lower Tiefeng County is more than 100 kilometers." As for the topography of Tiefeng County, Winters had it at his fingertips: "Only in Upper Tiefeng County, there are not as many riverbanks that need to be defended. To twenty kilometers. The river is the widest and the current is the fastest, making it the easiest position to defend."

"What kind of lake is this?"

"Shovel Lake."

"The water dries up in winter. Is the lake actually as big as it appears on the map?"

"It's bigger than this. This is an old map."

Colonel Bode stroked his beard and asked: "Since it is a port, there must be ships. Why not requisition it?"

"They were all detained by the bastard mayor." Winters frowned more and more: "Before, Portal had been hoarding food, attracting refugees, and obeying Gévaudin's instructions.

As for ordnance, it’s hard to say. In terms of food, I'm afraid he has more than me. For the sake of maintaining peace in the town, I didn't touch him. "

"But this bastard." Winters sneered: "But he is becoming more and more dishonest."

Colonel Bode leaned over to look at the map and murmured to himself: "There is a lot of wisdom in the seams of the map - I still heard John Jessica say this. I have never seen anyone better than him in terms of map work. It's a pity." ”

Winters thought: "Do you know where Lieutenant Colonel Jessica is?"

"I don't even know whether he is alive or dead." Colonel Bode shook his head with a wry smile. The colonel's fingertips traced the border between Warne County and Tiefeng County: "The seam of this map - the junction of the two counties. Have you considered the river bank?"

"I've thought about it. There are mountains and forests over there."

"A horse can also walk in the mountains and forests."

"But Gévaudin can't send troops." Winters was helpless: "Otherwise, before the Herds come, we and the Legion will have to fight first. We can only make the militia in Shovel Harbor more vigilant."

Colonel Bode didn't say anything else. He sat back in his chair and asked Winters with a smile: "I heard you discussing whether to report to Linjun. Have you reported it?"

"Notified." Winters replied a little bitterly: "But I didn't mention the source of the intelligence. The legion ignored me and didn't send a reply. I guess they don't believe it."

"I have an idea." Colonel Bode's smile grew deeper: "What if... the source of the intelligence is me?"

Winters sat up straight and smiled after a moment's hesitation: "Then you have to make up a good story."

"Is there still a need to make it up? Just say that I escaped from the Terdun tribe and brought back important information that the Terdun people were gathering plunderers?" Colonel Bode laughed: "That's right, let's do it too. I am beautiful."

"That……"

"I will personally go to Wargne County and Baishan County." Colonel Bode said naturally.

Even Senior Mason, who was drafting a reply, stood up suddenly, and Winters even held the colonel's hand: "Then I'll help you."

"It's a small matter, but dealing with the Hud people to clear the grass is a big deal." Colonel Bode waved his hand and asked, "Is the chief officer of Baishan County still Gesa Adonis?"

Winters was pleasantly surprised: "Do you know that bald man?"

"I'm one level higher than him. I was the one who took him when he entered the academy." Colonel Bode sighed and said with some sadness: "Gesar became like that after he was seriously injured and saved his life. Originally, it was the same A very handsome and handsome man, what a pity.”

"So what the bald man said is true." Winters thought to himself, and with all his humility, he asked the colonel: "Can you go to Baishan County first? I have a small business with Colonel Gesar, and I have I would like to ask you to help pull the needle and thread..."

…

At noon that day, Lieutenant Worthington, who came from White Mountain County and was currently in prison in Gevaudan, regained his freedom.

Colonel Bode had a few words alone with Worthington.

When he learned that the one-armed colonel in front of him had crossed hundreds of kilometers of no-man's land alone and escaped from the wilderness back to Plato after many hardships, Second Lieutenant Worthington was moved to tears, and his heart was filled with endless respect.

After further learning that Colonel Bode had returned with important military information, Worthington immediately wanted to return to White Mountain County.

Winters selected a male stallion and a female stallion from the stolen horses as gifts for Ensign Worthington to take back to White Mountain County.

"Please give Colonel Gesar a message." Winters said sincerely to Senior Worthington: "At that time, Adam and Eve only had one boy and one girl, so they could not have given birth to so many people today. Colonel Gesar, please be patient. , sooner or later a pair of horses can become a herd of horses again.”

"You'd better talk to the colonel yourself." Second Lieutenant Worthington looked complicated: "I'm afraid the colonel will beat me."

Colonel Bode, who returned from the wilderness, only stopped briefly in Gevaudan before embarking on his trek again.

…

Winters was busy with another thing - building a city.

To be precise, the expansion of Gevaudan.

Unlike ordinary farms, Juntun Village has no ability to protect itself after the soldiers are drafted away.

Winters simply issued the "Strong Wall Clearance Order" and evacuated all the family members of the twelve military villages to Jevaudan so that the soldiers could fight with peace of mind.

Gévaudan was not a big place to begin with, and with the addition of military families and civilians who came to seek refuge, it immediately became very crowded.

Fortunately, the weather is getting cooler now, otherwise there might have been a big epidemic.

Moreover, Winters and Old Priskin agreed that more civilians would flock to Gevaudan in the future - the villages and towns in Iron Peak County had no walls, and facing the Hurd Cavalry would be meat on the chopping block.

Winters decided to build a new city that could accommodate all the refugees.

Priskin Sr. proposed expanding the city based on the original city walls, while Winters advocated building a new city south of the St. George River.

The reason Winters gave was that “building the wall against the river bank can reduce the amount of work as much as possible.”

This reason is very good, and the elder Priskin does not object.

So while the wildfires in Turtown were about to burn his hair, Winters was busy doing civil engineering.

The new city located on the south bank of the St. George River is more like a "fort" than a "city".

Because it is essentially a half-circle of city walls and trenches backed by the river bank. There are no living facilities inside, but the fortifications are very poorly repaired - after all, the barbarians are coming.

There is another interesting point: According to Winters' method of dividing Upper, Middle and Lower Tiefeng County, the old Gevaudan urban area is completely on the north bank of the St. Georges River, so Gevaudan undoubtedly belongs to Upper Tiefong County.

But the new city was built on the south bank of the St. Georges River, which meant that Gévaudin had one foot back to Zhongtiefeng County, like a child standing on the threshold.

He held a meeting in the morning, saw off Colonel Bode and Second Lieutenant Worthington at noon, and went to supervise the construction in the afternoon. It was not until late at night that Winters dragged his exhausted body back to his apartment.

Without taking off his clothes, he fell on the bed and fell asleep.

Just when Winters lost consciousness, about 40 kilometers downstream of Shovel Harbor - at the junction of Warne County and Iron Peak County and the seam of the map, the Hurds took advantage of the darkness to release a sheepskin raft.

People took rafts and horses across the water, taking advantage of the darkness to cross what Winters called "the most defensible position."

[late, sorry]

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