February 7, 1768 was the third day after General Nathan received the order from Pauley. Lawrence, who was in the Fourth Battalion camp, also received General Nathan's order early that morning.
In a tent in the center of the camp, Lawrence, Trifali and Lieutenant Seth were looking solemnly at a letter on the table, which was sent by General Nathan early in the morning.
The letter briefly explained to Lawrence the preparations for Bastia's evacuation: most of the supplies in the city had been transported back to the new garrison in the south, and even the military rations in Bastia were only kept for ten days for observation.
The Genoese army could evacuate at any time.
At the end of the letter, General Nathan formally issued the order to the Fourth Battalion to start the operation in the name of the supreme commander of the Northern Army, signaling Lawrence to set off this early morning.
The three of them read the letter carefully twice, then Major Cui Farley spread out the map on the table and explained to Lawrence:
"The march route we planned is to pass through the jungle to the west of Ximu Fortress, avoid the detection of the defenders in the fortress, and arrive here..."
Major Trifali said, pointing his finger at a bay in the northeast of the fort, and added:
"Yangjiao Bay is a natural harbor. The Genoese supply fleet will dock here to unload their cargo, and then transport it overland to Ximu Fortress."
"In other words, there should be a large amount of supplies stored here." Lawrence nodded and said.
"That's right, if Sheephorn Bay is lost, the Genoese army will never sit idly by and watch." Major Trifali continued to add.
"But..." Lieutenant Seth interrupted timidly:
"The defense of such an important area will definitely not be relaxed. With the strength of our battalion, I am afraid..."
Lawrence nodded in agreement. For such a supply center, even if it was located in the rear of the fortress, the Genoese army would not be stupid enough to leave it completely undefended.
Fortunately, Major Cui Farley also took this into consideration and responded confidently:
"According to the information I have received, the main force of the Genoese army is still stationed in the fortress. Even if Sheephorn Bay is fortified, there will not be a large number of troops stationed there. Of course, with the current situation of our battalion, even the small number of troops stationed may not be able to solve the problem.
.”
What Cui Farali said was not to damage the morale of his own people, but he also knew the current situation of the fourth battalion. The army of more than 200 people only had more than 120 muskets. Fortunately, the remaining soldiers were not bare-handed.
, at least everyone can get a broad-bladed infantry knife.
Taking these factors into account, neither Lawrence nor Cui Falley had any hope of using line tactics to fight the garrison at Sheephorn Bay, so there was only one remaining tactic.
"Surprise attack."
Major Trefarley traced his planned march route with his finger and said:
"Most of this route is in dense jungle far away from human habitation. The probability of being detected by the Genoese is extremely low. If we march covertly all the way to Sheephorn Bay, then launch an attack at night and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the defenders,
There’s still a good chance.”
Lawrence himself was still just an apprentice in war, so he looked at Lieutenant Seth and asked for his opinion with his eyes.
"This... does have a good chance, but after we capture Sheephorn Bay and attract the main force of Genoa to pursue us, how should we retreat?"
Lieutenant Seth hesitated for a moment and asked.
As soon as the words were spoken, Lawrence and Cui Fali looked at each other, and they were silent for a while while looking at the map.
This is the most difficult point of the whole plan. Although Lawrence is sure to attract the Genoese army to Bastia, how many soldiers of the Fourth Battalion will be killed or injured afterwards, even Lawrence is not willing to accept this consequence.
"Only God knows."
Lawrence said casually, and Major Trifari nodded in agreement.
The Fourth Battalion will have to face an enemy force several times its own number surrounded from the direction of retreat. How it will break through and what price it will pay for the breakout are currently uncertain to the three people present.
Sighing slightly, Major Cui Farali folded the map and put it away, stood up and said:
"No matter what, we must leave now. Yangjiao Bay is more than eighty miles away from here. If we march for a whole day, we should be able to reach it by night."
Lawrence nodded, looked at Lieutenant Seth, and ordered:
"Inform the soldiers to pack their bags and gather in five minutes. They will distribute muskets and sabers and set off immediately."
"Yes." Although he was a little worried, Lieutenant Seth still chose to believe Lawrence, and after a brief reply, he hurriedly ran out of the tent.
Although the soldiers of the 4th Battalion have been resigned to self-destruction for a long time, they are after all experienced warriors who have been baptized by war. After Lawrence's order was issued, the soldiers did not need any additional instructions, and they had already skillfully organized and assembled their backpacks and sleeping bags.
complete.
Without too much mobilization, Lawrence believed that these soldiers had been mentally prepared three days ago, so he directly ordered the departure after a simple head count.
According to Major Trifali's plan, the 4th Battalion needed to travel non-stop through the jungle in order to reach Sheephorn Bay at midnight. During this period, they had to be careful to watch out for possible Genoese sentries and local villagers or hunters.
During the intense march, there was not even a reserved lunch time. The soldiers had to step through the dense bushes while stuffing dry bread as hard as rocks into their mouths, without even a sip of light soup.
However, when the soldiers saw that the two officers, Lawrence and Trefarley, were chewing the dry black bread as hard as they were, they had no complaints.
Fortunately, the route planned by Major Cui Fali was indeed hidden. At most, he bumped into a few squirrels and hares along the way, and was not noticed by others.
At midnight, Lawrence looked up at the weather. There was no wind tonight and the clouds were dense. The visibility was very low. The moon wrapped in layers of dark clouds only had a hazy halo.
The Fourth Battalion is still hidden in the woods at this moment, but faint lights can be seen not far away.
Major Cui Farley took out a silver pocket watch, took a look at it, pointed to the lights in the distance and whispered to Lawrence:
"It's midnight now, almost as expected. That's the pier of Sheephorn Bay."
Lawrence squinted his eyes and looked towards Sheephorn Bay, but he could only see a few light spots. The distance was still a bit too far and he couldn't see the specific situation on the dock clearly.
So Lawrence turned to Lieutenant Seth and ordered:
"Send two people with good eyesight to wrap their bodies in black blankets to explore the situation inside. If they are discovered, let them fire a warning shot. In addition, let other soldiers rest on the spot for a while."
Major Trifali couldn't help but look at Lawrence in surprise. This young major had only been in the military camp for a few days, but the orders he issued were already very strict and correct.
While waiting for the scouts to return, Lawrence also quietly chatted with Trifali:
"So far it's going well, but if I were to command the Genoese army, I would definitely set up a reconnaissance post in this forest."
Major Cui Farley smiled bitterly and said:
"I don't think it's necessary. In front of Yangjiao Bay is Ximu Fortress. Even if the enemy forces occupy Yangjiao Bay, they will not be able to escape the pursuit of the defenders in the fortress."
"Just like we are now." Lawrence took a long breath and said with a smile.