After hearing this, General Nathan grinned twice and said:
"You hate those congressmen too? Great, at least we have something in common."
"I don't hate the congressmen, I just think we need to replace them with a group of people with real talents and knowledge." Lawrence frowned and added:
"Besides, General, you probably didn't summon us just to get together and scold the congressmen."
Nathan calmed down a bit and said extremely seriously:
"I may be able to guess that you and General Pauli planned this withdrawal for a larger plan."
Lawrence nodded. It was not difficult to guess. Of course he and Pauli would not defy the protest and withdraw the troops without any reason, so he said:
"Yes, but I have no right to disclose it."
"I see."
For some reason, Nathan's temper today was much calmer than before, and his hostility towards Lawrence was also much lower.
"Although I don't know what you are planning, I know that this is an operation of great significance to Corsica." General Nathan suddenly said in a deep voice:
"I apologize for my previous rude behavior, Major Bonaparte. I thought you were trying to get a military position by currying favor with General Paoli, but everything you did in the Fourth Battalion made me think you were a real soldier."
After saying that, General Nathan stood up on his own initiative, stretched out his right hand, and said:
"We need to work together for Corsica."
Lawrence was silent for a moment. If General Nathan had no grudge against him at all, Lawrence would not believe it. He probably saw Pauly's order and knew that he had to cooperate with him, so he took the initiative to shake hands and make peace.
But no matter what, being able to get the assistance of the Northern Army will undoubtedly be a huge help to Lawrence.
In addition, General Nathan held a high position in the army. If he could win his support in the future, it would be of great benefit to Lawrence.
"For Corsica."
Lawrence said seriously, stood up and shook hands with General Nathan to make peace.
The two people held their right hands tightly together, smiling at each other and nodding frequently. Although they didn't know how sincere their smiles were, this ceremony still lasted for half a minute.
After sitting back on the chair, Lawrence took the lead and said:
"Since General Pauli has given the order, the troop withdrawal should be carried out immediately."
Lawrence, like Paulie, knew that there was not much time left for Corsica. In addition, Lawrence, who was far away from Ajaccio, was worried that Ciro Russell would take the opportunity to target his subordinates, so he could not stay in Bastia for too long.
.
General Nathan didn't speak, but he nodded in approval. This plan was very important to Pauli, and he couldn't afford to miss it.
Lawrence gave Trifali a look, indicating that he would explain to Nathan the plan the two discussed last night. Since Lawrence had never been on the battlefield, he left the specific details to the two professional soldiers to polish, and he only listened on the side.
.
The two discussed for more than an hour, during which many of the plans proposed by Lawrence were rejected during the discussion, but the way of thinking of the two battle-experienced soldiers during the discussion really taught Lawrence a lot.
In the end, the two reached a consensus on two plans:
The first was to have the Northern Army launch a full-scale attack on Ximu Fortress, deliberately making command errors during the attack, and attracting the Genoese army to take the initiative during the hurried retreat.
The second is to let a small force go deep alone, bypass the Ximu Fortress and attack the Genoese army's supply line, thereby attracting the enemy's pursuit, and during the retreat, the enemy will be led to Bastia, which is no longer garrisoned.
Lawrence looked at the map of Bastia. For these two plans, even a layman like him could see that the risk of the first one was too great. The Northern Army and the defenders in Ximu Fortress were only equally matched.
If you fail to retreat in time, it will easily lead to heavy casualties, and you will be playing with fire and burning yourself.
As for the second plan, which troop should be allowed to risk life and death and go deep alone, the three of them already had the answer in their hearts.
"Major Bonaparte, what do you think? If anything goes wrong with the first plan, the Northern Army may even be in danger of being annihilated."
General Nathan habitually squinted at Lawrence and said, wondering what he was thinking.
Having said this, Lawrence knew that there was no other choice. Since he had taken over the power in the army from Pauli, he naturally had his own obligations.
"I understand, the fourth battalion will go deep behind the Ximu Fortress." Lawrence said in a deep voice.
"very good."
General Nathan nodded with satisfaction. If the fourth battalion was wiped out during the operation, there would be no substantial losses to the Northern Army. At that time, the responsibility could be shifted to Lawrence's command errors.
"I will immediately begin to evacuate most of the supplies from Bastia. I hope that the fourth battalion can start operations within two days."
General Nathan added, and then carefully folded Paulie's letter and put it away, indicating that Lawrence and Trifali could leave.
After leaving the longhouse, both Lawrence and Cui Farley looked extremely serious. They both knew very well that although they were officers, they were very likely to be captured or even killed in this operation.
By the time the two returned to the camp of the Fourth Battalion, it was already noon.
"Sir!"
Lieutenant Seth was much more alert this time. He saw Lawrence from a distance and quickly came forward to salute.
"How is the situation in the camp?" Lawrence nodded in return and asked.
"Very good." Lieutenant Seth's face showed uncontrollable excitement and excitement. He did not come to the Fourth Battalion as a conscript, but was assigned from the regular army to serve as company commander here.
In the past time, Lieutenant Seth watched helplessly as the Fourth Battalion gradually degenerated into a gathering place for hooligans and gangsters. But now, since the arrival of Laurence Bonaparte, everything seems to be on track again.
"Sir, about a dozen people left the camp last night, and the rest have made up their minds to become real soldiers." Lieutenant Seth said excitedly.
"Ten people?" Lawrence himself was a little surprised. He thought that a large number of soldiers who were accustomed to the lawless life would choose to leave.
Thinking about it this way, it may be that his cruelty really shocked them, and coupled with the temptation of the two large boxes of gold coins, many people chose to follow him.
"Lieutenant, call everyone together. Just like last time, we only have three minutes."
"yes!"
...
Just one day passed, and the formation standing in front of Lawrence had changed from yesterday's loose semicircle to today's neat square formation. Everyone was neatly dressed in military uniforms, and no one dared to put their coats on their shoulders casually.
"Very good, Lieutenant." Lawrence estimated the time. Less than two minutes had passed and the fourth battalion had been assembled.
Lieutenant Seth smiled slightly and whispered:
"They are actually soldiers who have experienced war. As long as they can be made to obey, they will not be inferior to other troops."
Lawrence nodded, took two steps forward, and accepted the attention of all the soldiers.
Everyone's eyes are focused on Lawrence. Since they have given up and left, it means that they have closely linked their fate with Lawrence.
Glory and wealth, can this young major really lead them to harvest these?
