Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 438 The great alliance moves forward (ten)

   Rebukes and scoldings came one after another, and the monotonous melody came from the snare drums. Teams of soldiers walked down the highland where Hegu Village was located, along the path where the farmers went to the fields in the early morning and returned home in the evening, heading for the battlefield that they could not choose.

   With the orderly withdrawal of the coalition troops, this small village with no competition returned to its former emptiness - but it failed to regain its former tranquility.

   Because at the junction of the river and the village, next to the low wall used by the villagers to draw the boundary, the two infantry battalions left behind in Hegu Village are racing against time to reinforce the fragile walls made of rubble.

Colonel   Gesar led people into the villagers' houses and sheds, took away all the tools that could be used, and then ordered the dismantling of all the things that were useless to obtain building materials.

   Colonel Geisa himself threw the gold-trimmed colonel's uniform jacket to the orderlies, unbuttoned his cuffs, picked up his shovel, stepped over the fence, and walked among the sweating soldiers.

   He stood in the mud that could sink his boots, and tirelessly loaded the heavy mud into the basket;

  He picked up a wooden purlin thicker than a plate without any effort, and carried it from one end of the village to the other by himself;

   A soldier accidentally fell into the rapids, choked several saliva in panic, and struggled to be swept downstream;

   Geisa grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him up the mudflat;

   Another soldier whipped the whip recklessly without seeing the route, causing the carriage to get stuck in the ditch and unable to move.

  Gisa jumped into the mud puddle, raising the wheel with all his strength, while yelling fiercely.

  It has to be admitted that Geisa Adonis has a lot of energy. When he threw himself into the war, the tiredness of a veteran, the philistine temperament of a businessman, and the Platonic cunning that had always existed in him disappeared in an instant.

  The pain of old wounds, the comfortable mansion, and the vault under the mansion that would make any miser envious were also left behind by him.

   Only pure, unyielding ferocity remains.

   It is this contagious and intense emotion that inspires everyone around Geisa.

   Witnessing that Colonel Geisa Adonis set an example and worked madly with one person out of ten, the officers who stayed behind in River Valley Village, whether they were under his command or not, took up tools and joined the ranks of the soldiers.

   Even the cavalry, who were standing by outside the village, left their horses and volunteered to share the dirty work of digging trenches and walls with the infantry.

In the village of    River Valley, there were only two officers still wearing clean gloves: Colonel Bode Gates, and the little-known Lieutenant Woods Frank.

   Colonel Bode gave an overview of the battlefield on the church bell tower, and issued orders through the messenger cavalry;

   Lieutenant Woods Frank is not slacking off, and even for the defense of Riverdale, Lieutenant Woods is more important than Colonel Bode.

  Because Colonel Bode was condescending and always focused on the deployment of the entire army.

Lieutenant   Woods shuttled between the mud pond and the courtyard wall—he was the only engineer officer in River Valley Village, and probably the best defensive warfare expert among the three-county troops.

   "Remove the thatch from the roof as soon as possible! Which house? All the houses! In the event of war, the hay will set the whole village on fire! Can't find a ladder? If you can't find a ladder, take off the roof!"

"Who told you to pull up these fences? Colonel Geisa uses it? Colonel Geisa's instructions are 'Tear down what you don't need'! There is a row of stakes in this and this fence, isn't it ready-made Rejection of horses?! Put the fence back in for me immediately!"

"All stone walls must be covered with soil! If there is no time to cover both sides, only the front! If the stone walls are not covered with soil, the lead bullet will hit you, and the gravel will kill you! Find a shovel and start it now! What? No shovel? No Use wooden boards for shovels! Use spoons! Use fingernails!"

   "Stop! Stop! These hay are still useful, which one will give you the guts to burn them down? I let them? Damn! When will I let you set fire? All the hay that is plucked from the roof will be sent to the river bank!"

Lieutenant   Woods, like the most stringent overseer, patrolled the village with his cowbell-like eyes.

   With each passing second, the lieutenant became more and more anxious and irritable. He ruthlessly "whipped" all his colleagues and subordinates, trying to squeeze out the last shreds of value in Hegu Village. His roars and scoldings were left in every yard and grass hut in this small village.

   It is out of complete trust in Woods Frank that Geisa Adonis will still devote himself to those simple and heavy manual labor before the war.

With a pickaxe, Colonel    dug trenches himself in the mudflat between the river and the highlands, and hewed the slopes leading to the village steeper.

   When Lieutenant Woods came to the river bank again, the loose stone fence had been covered with a thick layer of mud and hay mixture.

   Colonel Geisa, leaning on a shovel, asked the lieutenant proudly: "How?"

Lieutenant    Woods rolled over and dismounted, and answered honestly, "Amazing result."

   "If it can be exposed to the sun for a few more days, it will be stronger." Colonel Geisa looked at the wilderness to the east with a smile: "It's a pity we don't have time."

Lieutenant    Woods also looked east, but instead of looking into the distance, he scanned the stone walls covered with wet mud and the trenches below the high ground:

Colonel Geisa focused on strengthening the defense of the "top corner" of the zigzag river bay, where he dug the deepest trench and built the strongest parapet; he even strengthened the two existing livestock pens according to local conditions and rebuilt them to extend to the The convex fort of the river.

   However, the stronger the riverbank defenses the colonel rushed to repair, the more anxious Woods became.

   Regarding the direction of the enemy's attack, Woods and the colonel came to the same conclusion - the two agreed that "the top corner of the river bend is the most easily breached position, and it must be the main attack direction of the enemy".

   In addition, the judgments of the two are very different.

Lieutenant   Woods uneasily bent the whip in his hand, and his speech became subconsciously fast: "Sir, IMHO! I still think there is no point in defending the river bank! We can't stand it!"

The lieutenant tried his best to keep his voice down so that the soldiers on the side could not hear the conversation: "But we can take a step back and turn River Valley Village into an ambush. We can use every house and every wall to stop the enemy's offensive first. , forcing them to retreat and rearrange, then cut off their tails, and eat them nibble, nibble."

Colonel Geisa listened to the lieutenant's advice without saying a word, glanced at the four-quadrant flag flying on the church bell tower, turned to look at his most trusted subordinate, and replied lightly but unquestionably: "No, Woods. Lieutenant, we must keep the enemy on the riverbank."

"If you are worried about the safety of Colonel Bode, then leave a flag on the bell tower and let Colonel Bode be transferred to command outside the village." Woods almost begged: "As long as the enemy believes that Colonel Bode's command is located in the village church, Isn't that enough?"

  Gesar Adonis couldn't help laughing, laughing so hard that he was gasping for breath.

  After laughing, he wiped his tears and patted the lieutenant's shoulder: "I'm going to sit on the battlefield in the south. Once the battle begins, there's only you here, Lieutenant Woods."

   "Hold the bank," Colonel Geisa said.

Lieutenant    Woods hesitated, and finally raised his hand to salute: "Yes."

Colonel   Gisa silently returned a salute to his subordinates.

"Since we have to defend the river bank." Woods is no longer as anxious as before: "Then the defenses in the other three directions must also be strengthened—we must be prepared to be besieged. The enemy cannot break through the front, and there is a high chance that they will try to flank the two flanks. outflank."

   "You decide. From now on, you are the military commander in charge of the First Brigade of Baishan County and the First Brigade of Leiqun County."

   "I hope to get support from the cavalry."

   "Okay, I'm going to communicate with Colonel Bode and Colonel Skool."

Lieutenant   Woods thought carefully for a moment and did not intend to make any other requests. He raised his hand and saluted again: "Good luck, Colonel."

   "Victory." Geisa returned the salute happily and briskly: "Frank."

   Above the heads of the two, the sun has risen to the highest point, and the dust in the distance is getting clearer and clearer. The sound of snare drums and trumpets swept over the hills, swept across the river, and the warm and comfortable breeze penetrated into everyone's ears.

  The soldiers stood up in unison, their already stiff and numb bodies, and looked up at the direction from which the sound of war came.

   "Don't stop!" Colonel Bode stepped forward, roaring over the approaching drums: "Every extra shovel you dig now can save you a drop of blood today!"

  Three riders appeared on the horizon, and the leader held a green flag.

   Allied light cavalry with white ribbons on their shoulders immediately went up to meet them. Without fighting, the allied light cavalry surrounded the enemy messengers and galloped straight towards River Valley Village.

   Colonel Geisa stared at the green flag and narrowed his eyes.

   "Go and bring Colonel Skool," he ordered the messenger.

  …

   The small river outside Hegu Village has never had a name, and no one has ever cared what its name is.

   Maybe many years from now, people will give it a commemorative official name because of today's battle. But so far, it's still a "nameless creek".

  The open land on the north bank of the unnamed small river has been reclaimed many years ago. It has grown an unknown number of crops and fed an unknown number of generations of children.

   Under the scorching midday sun, this mature, unharvested wheat field is misty.

  Three Platoon officers stood in the middle of the billowing yellow dust, quietly waiting for their classmates, their old friends, and their enemies.

   In the distance, two riders in the uniforms of the colonel appeared on the edge of the hill. Like the three colonists waiting for them, they were not accompanied by an escort.

  The two of them rushed towards the three people in the middle of the wheat field.

   This may be a godsend to take down the enemy commander with ease - for both sides.

   But the ambush and assassination did not happen in the end, and two colonels loyal to the Great Council came to the commander of the three-county coalition without incident.

   "Senior Broad." Colonel Sarnell took off his military cap and bowed to greet him.

  Chloe Toril also silently took off his hat and saluted.

   Colonel Bode just nodded lightly, seeing that he was not very close to the two of them.

   "Didn't Lieutenant Colonel Matthias from Bianjiang County come?" Sarnell asked with a smile.

   "Magash is from the ninth period." Gisa replied lukewarmly, "I don't want to join in the fun."

  No annoyance could be seen on Sanel's face: "But as far as I know, Lieutenant Colonel Matthias stayed in Bianjiang County and did not go out with you."

  Gisa raised his chin and stopped answering.

   The little warm atmosphere between the two sides also disappeared, and the tumbling hazel wheat fields became extremely quiet.

   Instead, Colonel Chloe, who had not spoken, broke the silence.

  Chloe's complexion was very poor, as if she hadn't had a good rest for a long time. His lips were chapped, his cheeks were sunken, his eye sockets collapsed along with his cheeks, and his eyeballs were full of red blood.

  Gesar and Skool didn't even recognize who the haggard ghost in front of them was for the first time, and couldn't connect him with the kindest and most likable Colonel Chloe Toril ever had.

   "Surrender, everyone." Before Chloe hit the horse, his voice was hoarse like a rusted door hinge: "While there is still time."

  Gisa sneered and spat at Chloe's hoof, giving her own answer.

   "That's what I told both of you." Colonel Bode responded calmly.

   Sanel behind Chloe said suddenly: "Senior, your wife and daughter are still waiting for you in the castles of the kings."

   Colonel Bird's face gradually became gloomy, and small wrinkles spread from the corners of his eyes.

Sarnell said slowly: "Please rest assured, Mrs. Zun and her daughter are very safe and they are treated very well. Because you have not heard from you before, Speaker Grove Magnus will treat you as a general officer. Your family members will be given pensions. Even if you learn that you have returned to China, the pensions and condolences will not be interrupted.”

   Colonel Bird snorted lightly, with a disdainful and sarcastic smile, pulled the reins without saying a word, and immediately rode away.

  Gaisa didn't say a word, waved the whip, turned around and left.

  School's gaze stayed on Sanel and Chloe for a while longer. He nodded slightly and followed the two colleagues to the River Valley Village where the four-quadrant flag was flying.

  Sannell and Chloe didn't dare to stay, glanced at the flags flying all over the West Bank, and rode away.

  …

In Hegu Village, the recruit [Erno] of Baishan County held a musket, half-kneeled behind the fence, looked at the officers who had parted ways, and asked the officer beside him curiously: "Sir, you are a learned person, can you Tell me, what are those adults doing?"

Lieutenant    Woods was also paying attention to the short conversation in the wheat field. He said calmly: "The negotiation is over, and this wheat field is destined to be watered with blood today."

  The sergeant and another soldier came carrying the brazier. Ernault and the other musketeers gathered over and untied the hemp rope wrapped around their arms and put them into the brazier.

   When the hemp rope soaked in salt water was ignited, they immediately pulled out the hemp rope and stepped on the fire, leaving only the flickering embers.

   Even a musketeer who never learned how to make a sword received a sword today.

  Erno leaned his sword against the wall, took a small wooden bottle from the belt on his chest, pulled the cap off with his teeth, poured the gunpowder in the bottle into the barrel, and pressed the gunpowder with copper bars.

   Then he poured out the polished lead bullet from another copper pot, wrapped the lead bullet with a small piece of dirty linen, and repeated the process of filling and compacting.

   Finally, Ernault opened the lid of the gunpowder tank, poured the little gunpowder left in the wooden bottle into the tank, and fastened the lid again.

   After doing all this, Erno leaned the musket against the wall and picked up the saber next to the musket.

   Looking at the unfamiliar and familiar weapon in his hand, Erno fought a cold war inexplicably.

   He suddenly realized that he might be going to stick this cold and sharp steel rod into another person's arm, stomach, and chest today.

   He had seen the slaughter of livestock: crimson blood, pink and white flesh, wailing, screaming, soft innards like sticky fish eggs... But he had never associated these things with his own kind.

  Ernor hurriedly put his sword aside. But after a while, he took the sword back to his feet.

   He picked up the musket and waited while praying.

   Beside Ernault, Woods Frank did not notice the waves in the recruit's heart, and he stared intently at the hills on the other side of the river.

   "The weather is favorable for our army." Lieutenant Woods felt the breath and pulse of the battlefield: "But the wind direction does not favor us."

   "Get the upper hand and release the smoke to cover the action." Woods thought: "Conventional tactics."

  As expected, the white smoke seems to be beer foam overflowing from the mouth of the cup, clinging to the ground, slowly flowing down the curve of the hills.

  The smoke screen is like a layer of gauze, blocking the eyes of peeping.

   The bugle of the battle was then played on the west bank of the nameless creek.

   [Ah... I always say it's today before dawn, but I'm really confused. I thought it was the Dragon Boat Festival tomorrow. ]

   [Fortunately, I found it in time this time (covering my face). In the past, there was also the stupid thing of "oversleep and hurried to go out, but always felt that something was wrong, only to find out that today is Saturday" when I arrived at the work unit...]

   [Supporting characters in this chapter: Lieutenant Woods Frank]

   [Woods Frank, a small, unremarkable engineer lieutenant, Colonel Geisa's confidant (big trouble) (bushi). During the first anti-encirclement campaign in Iron Peak County, Lieutenant Woods was in charge of building a bridge over the Anya River; after the Battle of Blood Mud, Lieutenant Woods served as Colonel Geisa’s personal accountant and had a heated discussion with Winters about the pricing of military horses]

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   (end of this chapter)