In the early morning of February 8, 1768, in the fortress of Ximu in the north of Bastia.
Colonel Keno stood on the balcony of the main building of the castle, leisurely picked up the white porcelain tea cup and took a sip of black tea.
General Bellerin was leaving the fortress yesterday to inspect Sheephorn Bay, so he temporarily handed over the temporary command of the affairs of the fortress and the army to Colonel Keno.
However, Colonel Geno did not feel any pressure. The Genoese army and the Corsican army had been confronting each other for a long time, and neither side had the strength to completely defeat the other.
Especially this Ximu Fortress, it was originally a castle built by a Corsican count in the Middle Ages. During the war with the Corsican people, it was reinforced many times by the Genoese army, plus nearly 3,000 people.
With a garrison and a steady stream of rear supplies, Colonel Geno said he could guard this city wall until he died of old age.
This allowed Colonel Keno to sleep leisurely until he woke up naturally, and then drank tea on the balcony in his pajamas while watching the sunrise.
With the strength of the Corsican Northern Army, which didn't even have a few twelve-pounder cannons, it would be a fool's errand to attack the Ximu Fortress.
"Ah, how beautiful the rising sun and the endless sea are. I should write a poem..."
While Colonel Geno was intoxicated by the beautiful scenery in front of him, a Genoese guard hurriedly ran into the balcony, saluted briefly and said:
"Colonel, there is something going on."
Colonel Keno put the white porcelain cup on the small round table next to him impatiently, but he was still composing his own poem in his head and asked casually:
"What happened?"
"General Belrain was expected to return to the fortress at eight o'clock this morning, but it is already half past eight, and General Belrain and his entourage were not seen from the lookout."
Colonel Geno turned his head to look at the guards, waved his hands impatiently and said:
"It's just that General Belrain was delayed there. Well, let's go out. Don't hinder me from watching the sun... ahem, I mean, observing the enemy's situation."
Colonel Geno was actually a little happy when he heard the news that General Belrain had not returned. After all, if General Belrain was in the fortress, he would not dare to enjoy a leisurely life so blatantly.
However, when Colonel Keno picked up the tea cup and looked back at the scenery outside the balcony, there was no trace of leisurely and elegant appreciation of the scenery in his mind.
A loud explosion was heard from the direction of Yangjiao Bay, like dozens of artillery fires, followed closely by thick black smoke rising slowly from the bay.
Bang!
The tea cup in Colonel Keno's hand fell to the ground without any hindrance and broke into several pieces, but both he and the guards just stared at the black smoke rising from the Sheephorn Bay with their mouths open.
"Lost...Fire...? Impossible, damn, it's an enemy attack!"
Although Colonel Geno likes fishing, he still showed the qualities of an experienced soldier at this critical moment:
"With the strength of the Corsican navy, it is impossible for Yangjiao Bay to be attacked from the sea. If it is a surprise attack bypassing Ximu Fortress...the opponent's troops will not be too many, otherwise they will definitely be noticed."
After a brief analysis, Colonel Keno hurriedly ran into his bedroom to change into his military uniform and ordered the guards just now:
"Quick! Inform the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions and assemble quickly!"
At the same time, the soldiers of the Fourth Battalion in Yangjiao Bay.
"Tsk, what a pity."
Major Cui Farley looked at the blazing warehouse with distress and said that he had just set fire to this treasure house with his own hands.
There was already a lot of gunpowder stored in the warehouse, as well as flammable materials such as flour and wheat. Lawrence ordered the soldiers to place these explosive materials evenly, and then Major Cui Farley stood in the distance and used a long rope as a fuse to ignite the whole thing.
A warehouse.
"The destruction of things is sometimes more valuable than its existence. Right, General Belrain?" Lawrence said with a smile and looked at General Belrain.
General Belrain's hands were tied behind his back, and he remained silent. He looked at the warehouse that was gradually reduced to ashes with an expressionless face, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Let's go back to Bastia."
Seeing that the fire gradually engulfed the warehouse and quickly spread towards the entire Sheephorn Bay driven by the sea breeze, Lawrence also ordered the assembled soldiers to start retreating.
Accompanying the soldiers of the Fourth Battalion were more than a hundred prisoners of war, who were placed in the center of the group by Lawrence to prevent them from resisting or escaping. Of course, the most important General Belrain was following Lawrence closely.
Different from when he came, when retreating this time, Lawrence deliberately led the soldiers to walk on the road to attract the attention of the Genoese army.
On the other side, Colonel Keno was leading two full infantry battalions towards the direction of Yangjiao Bay.
General Belrain handed over the command to him before he left. Now that such an incident has occurred in Sheephorn Bay, if the responsibility is to be held, Colonel Keno will definitely not be able to escape the blame.
Now Colonel Kino can only quickly find out what happened in Sheephorn Bay and what happened to General Belrain based on the idea of making up for the past.
"Sir!"
A mounted scout galloped to Colonel Keno's side and reported quickly:
"About 500 meters ahead, we found a troop with more than 300 people, but there should only be about 200 soldiers fighting."
"really..."
After hearing this, Colonel Geno immediately gritted his teeth, confirmed his guess, and then asked:
"Is it the Corsican Army?"
"This..." the scout hesitated for a while and said: "Their military uniforms and jackets belong to the Corsican army, but the muskets, sabers, helmets and armor are all our style."
Colonel Jino almost fainted when he heard this. The other party had obviously taken possession of the equipment in Yangjiao Bay:
"Did you see General Belrain?"
"This... I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to take a closer look."
"Bastard! Give me my order! The first infantry battalion lines up to follow me and the second infantry battalion divides into two teams to surround the enemy from the flanks."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Colonel Keno's troops and the soldiers of the 4th Battalion soon met. Due to the poor accuracy of the muskets, in the line tactics, the battle between the two sides
The distance was only tens of meters or even closer, which also allowed Colonel Geno to clearly see the other side's commander.
"Your Excellency, you have been surrounded, and reinforcements will continue to arrive from Ximu Fortress." Colonel Jino looked at Lawrence with an unkind expression and said in a deep voice.
Lawrence looked around and estimated that the other party probably brought two battalions of troops.
Seeing that Lawrence didn't say a word, Colonel Geno didn't want to talk nonsense. Anyway, he had overwhelming military strength, so he ordered:
"First Battalion reload! Aim!"
"Wait!"
Lawrence just heard a shout, and then took a few steps forward in person, completely exposed to the opponent's gun.
"Oh? Are you ready to surrender?"
Colonel Keno looked at Lawrence teasingly, and in his mind he had already started planning to hang this damn yellow-haired boy on the wall of Ximu Fortress in public display.
Lawrence chuckled and shook his head, making a gesture to Major Trifari behind him.
Major Trefarley also understood the situation and brought General Belrain, whose hands were tied behind his back, to Lawrence.
Before Colonel Geno could react, Lawrence directly grabbed General Belrain's neck with his backhand and pulled him in front of him. He pulled out a dagger with his right hand and placed it under Belrain's neck.
"General Belrain! You!!"
Colonel Geno's eyes almost popped out of his head. His joking expression was gone. He hurriedly waved to the soldiers to lower their guns, for fear that some blind bastard would accidentally fire and kill the supreme commander.
"Now, let's make a deal."
Lawrence said calmly, now it was his turn to look at Colonel Keno with a teasing look on his face.