Chapter 301 Mason

The night is dark, I don’t know where and when.

The soldiers carrying spears and muskets on their shoulders were panting heavily and just strode along with their comrades in front.

The other side of the road was occupied by horses carrying armor. From time to time, an out-of-control horse broke into the marching column, causing a burst of exclamations and curses.

"This won't work." Bard looked around the crowd, his eyebrows knitted into a knot: "The leading company is about to reach Shengke Town, and the militiamen behind have not left the Cow Hoof Valley yet. There is no food or drink. The soldiers can't be found. The ammunition wagons and the packhorse teams carrying armor could not find the warriors.”

Winters held a lantern and sketched on the map without saying a word.

In addition to the two official officers present, there were also all the company commanders and militia commissioned captains that could be summoned.

Everyone knows that forced marching at night is dangerous, but can it be done without going fast?

Most of the baggage of this force of nearly 10,000 people - including the militiamen - is in Gevaudan.

The Battle of Pangtuo River relied on the main artery [Rewardan-Xiaoshi Town-Pangtuo River] to transport supplies, so that the front line had food, drink, and ammunition.

If Gévaudin was lost, even aortic embolism would not be enough to describe it. The heart would be directly gouged out.

Not to mention that Gévaudan is also an evacuation area for military families. The militiamen may lack sympathy for this, but those soldiers whose families are in Gévaudan are eager to grow wings and fly back.

"Soldiers dripping with sweat and horses foaming at the mouth, such an army cannot fight!" Bud said seriously, seemingly speaking to his subordinates, but in fact, he was speaking to Winters:

"In this state, five hundred cavalry can overwhelm our entire army. Until there is definite news about Gévaudan, we should regard Gévaudan as having fallen and formulate the next battle plan based on this."

Everyone listened silently, there were only two real officers here, and there was only one person who could control this army.

"Correction of the destination, let the 2nd and 3rd Battalions go to Shenk Town to regroup; let the mounted infantry brigade cross the river from Wangqiao Town and take the north bank to Gevaudan." Winters suddenly spoke and gave the order clearly. :

"Let Tamas's first battalion turn back and take the Cowhoof Valley militia to [Iron Peak Pass] to build fortifications and nail the Iron Peak Pass."

[Note: Tiefeng Pass is the narrow and dangerous area between Oxhoof Valley and Forge Township. Winters conducted field reconnaissance of the terrain there in Chapter 60]

Before anyone else could react, Bud had already taken out his notebook and transcribed the verbal instructions into written orders.

"How are the other militia units arranged?" Bud asked, keeping his hands on the other side.

"The troops without specific orders will all be concentrated in Shenk Town." Winters folded up the map and handed it to Bud: "Give the map to the acting battalion commanders. Have you sent out the messengers who mobilized the villages and towns?"

"Everyone has been sent out."

"If we send another one, the assembly point will be in Shengke Town. Food and grass will be collected from Shengke Town and Wangqiao Town, and equal compensation will be given after the war."

"I'll take care of this matter." Bud nodded. He is still nominally the resident officer of Shengke Town.

The two asked and answered questions and quickly sorted out the deployment of the army.

The subordinates were ordered to return to their own units, leaving only Winters, Bud and a few guards.

Bud looked at Winters, not sure what to say.

From the moment he learned that Gevaudan was threatened, Winters' mood gradually became calm and detached, even as if he had been stripped of human emotions.

As if out of some kind of stress reaction or self-defense, Winters never mentioned his concerns about Gévaudin.

This instead shows that Gervaudan has the treasures that Winters regards as life, so much so that he cannot imagine what it would be like to lose them. So he could only occupy his mind with endless deductions about battle situations and no longer think about other things.

Bud felt sorry for his best friend and wanted to say something to comfort Winters.

But it was Winters who asked first: "Has the fleet set off?"

Bader was slightly startled: "Samkin sent a messenger, and he has already set off."

"Okay." Winters nodded, turned around and walked into the inner tent.

When Bud looked at Winters again, the latter had fallen asleep on the cot.

…

At dawn, Gévaudan appeared in the field of vision of Turton's forward.

Jevaudan is located on solid flat land in the middle of the valley. It is also the lowest location on the valley plain. It is open on all sides and has no danger to rely on.

The people of Turtown have a commanding view of Gevaudan: the north and south cities face each other across the river, connected by a wooden bridge in the middle.

At this moment, the lights were brightly lit around the city wall, and it was obvious that the defenders were preparing for the attack.

The fire-warmers were not surprised. Once the army moved, they would inevitably be exposed - they had already been spotted by the sentry tower along the river when they were crossing the river.

Predatory beasts must first approach quietly when hunting, but the final sprint is the key to determining whether they can have a feast.

The person warming the fire pointed at the outline of the city wall outlined by the lights on the south bank, and laughed loudly: "[Herd] is so short, does it deserve to be called a city wall?"

The guards also laughed wildly.

The "city wall" in front of us is really pitifully short, only as high as one person, not much different from a farmer's fence.

Not only compared with the strong and famous cities, but also compared with the walls of the wealthy manors, it is a bit short.

In the Battle of the Wilderness, the Fire-Roasting Man's troops suffered heavy losses. Many of today's night guards, night guards, and quiver guards are newly promoted.

These young Turdun nobles are all eager to prove their bravery and receive rewards for their meritorious service.

The fire-warmer bent his bow and nocked an arrow, and shot a thunderbolt toward the sky: "[Hidden language] God is above!"

The leaders were like runaway hounds, each leading their own horses and howling towards Gévaudan.

As the Terton peered at Gévaudan, Mason also saw a black silhouette on the horizon.

"It really gave me a big problem." Mason complained helplessly to someone in his heart.

However, in the face of the trembling city defenders, Mason enthusiastically used another set of rhetoric: "The Montagne tribune has completely wiped out the barbarian army on the bank of the Pangtuo River! Now there are just some stragglers!"

The city wall of Jevaudan is about two meters high and is a rammed earth structure with wooden shelves built on the inside for people to stand on.

In the face of a powerful enemy, the labor teams building the city were directly recruited into the army and became the glorious city-defending militia. The method of allocating positions is quite simple. Whichever section of the city wall you build, you go to defend that section of the city wall.

The only combat-effective troops in the city, the city guards, which were mainly armed citizens, were held by Mason and did not fill up the city wall.

"Old Mr. Priskin." Mason gently reassured the mayor beside him: "Don't worry too much."

Old Priskin had seen strong winds and waves, but when faced with the barbarians coming like a tsunami, his knees still shook uncontrollably.

Knowing that the barbarians crossed the river from Forge Township, Old Priskin urged Mason to withdraw to the old city and burn the new city on the south bank.

But Mason firmly disagreed.

In desperation, Old Priskin bid farewell to his family in tears and risked his life to accompany Tribune Mason on the wall of the new city.

The Teltown people were about to rush to the city wall, but Mason began to explain his decision-making basis to the old mayor Priskin in a leisurely manner: "There are nearly ten thousand people in the new city, and the baggage is also stored here. Once it is burned, It is equivalent to cutting off Montagne's escape route."

Old Priskin simply didn't know what to say: "If it were burned, wouldn't these baggage fall into the hands of the barbarians, and would it cut off the Montagne tribune's escape route?"

"Do you know why I stayed in Gevaudan?" Mason asked the old mayor with a smile.

Old Priskin was heartbroken and was too lazy to flatter him: "I don't know."

Mason smacked his lips and sighed: "Because I'm the best at defending the city. This city was planned by me, and I have confidence in it."

Old Priskin was about to burst into tears: How could such a short wall and so few people have any confidence? my God!

On the other side, the fire-warmer and the old interpreter were watching the battle on the hillside.

The land around Gevaudan is a strange pitch black, not the usual yellowish brown color in autumn and winter.

The old interpreter always felt that something was wrong. After pondering for a while, he finally figured out the clue - it was too bald, and the earth was bare.

The surrounding areas of the city cannot be bare. The process of citizens moving towards the edges of the city is the process of urban growth.

However, there is a white land around Nancheng, with houses, woods, villages... nothing.

The old interpreter looked around and found that the same situation was happening around him: he couldn't find a useful tree or a bunch of grass that could feed the horses.

"Maybe it's a tough guy." The old interpreter had an idea for no reason.

Outside the city, the deafening sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer.

Inside the city, a group of refugees was sneakily approaching the west gate of the new city.

"Stop, what are you doing?" Sergeant Ivan, who was guarding the door, asked sharply.

"The tribune asked us to come over and bring you some wine." The leader of the refugees smiled playfully, but kept walking without stopping.

Ivan didn't answer at all. When he saw that the other party was still walking forward, he took out his whistle, puffed up his cheeks and blew it.

"Damn it!" The leading refugee pulled out the short blade from his arms and rushed towards the guards: "Kill!"

Other Terdun tribes [subordinates] who had sneaked into the city also rose up and attacked the guards.

"Spy!" Ivan shouted in warning, raised his shield and broadsword, and faced the leader of the spies: "Protect the city gate!"

The guards are well-equipped with armor, but there are few in number; there are many followers, but they only have short swords. The two sides fought hand-to-hand and fought together.

On the other side, Mason heard the whistle from the west gate.

Mason mounted his horse, turned around and said to Old Priskin with a smile: "I'll leave this to you, Mr. Mayor."

After saying that, he led the guards and city guards and ran towards the west gate.

"I...I..." Even when facing Tribune Montagne, Old Priskin was never in such a mess. In desperation, the old man even shouted out loud: "I've never been in a war!"

On the hillside, those watching the battle saw the fire swaying on the south side of the city wall and the gate open.

"I got it!" The fire-warmer couldn't hide his excitement.

The old interpreter looked strange and noncommittal.

The dull sound of horns penetrated the battlefield, and a group of armored cavalry broke away from the main group and rushed towards the city gate where someone was waving a torch.

Other Terton cavalry continued to gallop around the city wall, distracting the defenders.

It would be foolish to use cavalry to attack a city wall - even a low wall - because the Telton people, who lacked siege equipment, had no better strategy than to cooperate inside and outside.

In mid-September, when the first raid failed, the fire-warmers were already planning a second raid.

The [Returners] of the Terdun tribe sneaked into Tiefeng County and Warne County earlier, even earlier than the first robbery.

The so-called adherents refer to non-nomads who fled into the wilderness for various reasons and joined the Hed tribes. The most common source is criminals. Only by joining the crowd, the Hed tribes were able to peek into Plato's internal situation.

Now that the subordinates have succeeded, the most elite armored guards will break into the city wall to expand the victory.

The nobleman of Terdun who received such an honor was named Naiya, and he came from the family of the fire-warmer's mother.

"[Herdese] God is above you!" Naiya roared, rushing into the city gate first: "[Herdese] Leave no one behind!"

The other Teltun armored men screamed, roared, and laughed cruelly, and followed Kota into the city gate.

But...what about the Two-Legged Man?

Naiya was shocked to realize that there was a wall in front of him, and he stopped his horse abruptly. The armored knight behind him couldn't dodge and bumped into him.

By the light of the brazier, Naiya realized that in front of him was not another wall, but a series of carriages connected end to end.

"[Hudian] Ambush!" Naiya's eyes were about to burst open, and he shouted in despair: "[Hudian] Get out!"

The gate fell heavily.

There was a flash of cold light, and a bloody hole appeared on Naiya's face. His hands swung back weakly, and his whole body fell from the saddle in slow motion.

"Fire." Lieutenant Colonel Moritz looked sternly and turned to order Sergeant Shaosha.

Blacksmith Shaosha - who had been temporarily appointed as a sergeant - shouted in a tearful voice: "Fire!" and then pressed the firing rod.

Other citizen musketeers also gritted their teeth, held their breath, and pressed the firing rod.

The cavalry that lost speed was a living target, and the Telton armored soldiers fell into panic. Several Terdun people jumped on the city wall on horseback, trying to climb out of the city wall.

Another burly Terton soldier became ferocious, jumped directly to the carriage, rushed into the citizens' musketeers, and cut off half of the shoulder of the Palatine in front of him with one knife.

The citizens of Gévaudan had never seen such a scene before. The citizens who usually boasted the most were so frightened that they peed their pants, and some simply threw away their guns and ran away.

When Moritz raised his hand, no one could see clearly what he had done. Anyway, the burly barbarian fell to death on the spot.

Moritz raised his hand again, and the citizen running at the front fell to the ground with severe pain in his knee.

"Don't run!" Shaosha, the potbellied blacksmith, cried while loading his musket: "Can you survive if you run away? Kill the barbarians!"

On the other hand, Mason has led the cavalry to kill the spies who sneaked into the west gate.

The followers of Terdun tribe attacked the west gate, but the south gate was just opened. The west gate is a decoy, and so is the south gate.

The labor corps was managed under military law and the number of people was counted every day. If you know how much bread is baked every day, you know how many people there are in each labor team.

After hearing that workers were missing one after another, Mason had to prepare for the worst-there were Tellun spies in the city.

But there were too many refugees, and Mason had too few manpower to screen them. If a large-scale search for spies makes people in the city panic, it will be more gain than loss.

"Leave a few alive." Mason shook off the blood on his saber and calmed down his breathing that was unstable due to strenuous exercise: "Sergeant Ivan!"

"yes!"

"Guard Simon."

"yes!"

"Gentlemen! Sergeant Shaosha at the south gate is still waiting for us." Mason said with an inviting smile: "Don't keep him waiting."

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already galloped away. Other riders followed suit.

Outside the city wall, the Teltown cavalry discovered a huge problem.

That is the city wall that the fire-warming people say is "very short". In fact, not only is it not short, it is insurmountable.

This is a "wall-trench integrated" city wall, which was specially prepared by Captain Richard Mason for the Teltown people.

[The name Mason itself means stonemason]

[But in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the stonemason was not just a "craftsman who played with stones." The stonemason was a craftsman of craftsmen, and his responsibilities and authority were closer to those of architects and contractors. Responsible for master planning, hiring other craftsmen, controlling expenses, etc.]

[For example, if a lord wants to build a castle, the first thing he has to do is find a stonemason. He will hardly have to worry about the rest, as the stonemason will arrange it]

[Another interesting point is that the original meaning of Freemasonry is actually the Brotherhood of Masons...that is, the Association of Architects]

[In the near future, it will be updated on Tuesday\Thursday\Saturday]

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