Looking at Madurand, who he hadn't seen for almost two years, but who was described as having become more and more vicissitudes of life and whose eyes were sunken, Jiang Tian couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion. He was once just a young sergeant, and now he is a lieutenant colonel.
Acting commander of the First (guerrilla) Corps.
Of course, the one who lamented more was actually Madurand. He only fought on the front line in the northern province of Lozère for more than two years; at the beginning, a small group of only a hundred or ten people in Midonie also joined this lord.
His subordinates swept almost the entire southern part of the kingdom.
In this regard, the supplies and comfort materials transported from the rear have become more abundant; the military pay and allowances distributed have become more and more punctual and sufficient, the quality of the coins has become better and better, and there have even been special comfort groups.
, you can slowly realize it.
Who would have thought that he, who was just an ordinary soldier of the Kingdom, would unknowingly become the commander of a regiment while persisting in fighting; even he was also included in the list of major members of the newly established southern salvation government.
What about a share?
Although he is just a member of the Military Commission in a remote area and the deputy director of the Military Service Administration of the national salvation government. But he has also heard that the current Free Army is drawing up a list of titles and ranks, and a list of awards.
Directory of lands and estates.
You must know that less than three years have passed since we picked up the remnants from Midonie and marched to Livron, the capital of Dron Province. Therefore, Madurand was inevitably a little scared and worried from time to time, wondering whether he had missed the opportunity to follow.
Opportunities for adults to make contributions.
However, when the subsequent commission arrives, he will worry about whether he can shoulder such an important task; to guard the northern front for the main force of the Free Army attacking cities in the south. Inspired and prompted by this complicated emotion, he is also working hard
Learn new things.
In addition to the sixteen-character teachings left by the commander for the guerrilla regiment, he also equipped several times more staff members and auxiliary officers to assist in understanding and mastering the battle results and the increasingly complex military affairs; conducting sand table and
Paper war chess deduction and planning.
It also includes hiring several private teachers for himself to take the time to teach him the profound aspects of language; studying the legends and allusions; the deeds and achievements of famous figures in ancient times; and even asking some subordinates to read books on military theory aloud.
.
This also took up almost all of his rest and leisure time; making him give up most of his private entertainment, gatherings, and social activities. After all, his original family background only allowed him to understand words and simple calculations.
Learning was difficult at the beginning.
But he persisted and found an unexpected love. Yes, just when the family he was trying to find was missing in the turmoil in the capital, and he was often depressed; a certain lady who was employed as a private tutor...
But it comforted his body and mind.
The more than two years that he led his men to be active and fighting between Delong Province and Yinzeer Province also allowed him to experience a lot of things and become experienced in this position. At least he can proudly claim that
, and did not live up to that adult's expectations.
Under the continuous harassment and attacks of the First Guerrilla Corps, the Verona army and its vassals in the province of Inzer have fallen into a helpless and isolated predicament; with the activity of the Free Army, they did not even dare to easily
Leaving, several cities are like isolated islands.
Therefore, it can also be said that Madurand, with the support of the local people who had suffered a lot, only relied on the four or five thousand soldiers of the First Corps to relatively contain the Verona army, which was alone and penetrated deeply but was several times larger than his own.
Of course, the enemy did not try to counterattack.
The most dangerous moment was when the Verona people, who had learned from the painful experience, assembled an army; spearheaded by the hired Avar cavalry and led by some local traitors; they successfully passed through the cordon in the northern hilly area.
Fight to the gate of Lifulong City.
At that time, due to winter repairs and rotations, there were only a few hundred soldiers in Lifulong City, including the regiment's headquarters guard brigade; it was the time when the defense was most empty. However, Madurand rarely refused his subordinates and took shelter for a while or
It's a solid suggestion to stick to.
He personally led most of the soldiers to attack and raid, and the Avar cavalry who had just arrived at the city. Although they were not able to achieve much results or gains, they could not help but be frightened and retreated more than ten miles away; indirectly affecting the follow-up of the enemy.
The main force’s judgment on the situation.
Therefore, when these enemies waited for a day and launched their attack again, Madurand had already used this small victory in the first battle to calm and calm the restless people in the city. Then he opened the munitions warehouse on the spot and recruited and armed at least a thousand soldiers.
Many citizens.
So on the third day, the Verona army made up its mind to seize the city with all its strength; but it was successfully blocked by the defenders led by Madurand, and persisted for four days; with the return of various guerrilla companies, civilian troops gathered from various places/
For the Self-Defense Group, the ratio of strength between the enemy and ourselves was reversed.
Therefore, in this local war called "a week of attack and defense", although the Verona raiding force finally retreated from the city in time, they did not suffer much losses; but on the subsequent retreat, they became these
A nightmare experience for the enemy.
Almost every moment, there are endless attackers popping up, making it impossible for them to eat and rest well, or even sit down and take a sip of water; some people in the team escape or disappear every day. Then the only one in the army
The baggage and the wounded were also forced to be abandoned.
However, this did not change their difficult predicament. Even the villages that they had ravaged seemed to have become death traps that outsiders were not allowed to enter. The soldiers who entered in search of food and clean water had almost no ability or
from.
As the last few hundred exhausted Verona soldiers, including a court count/colonel commander, fled in panic to the banks of the Rhone River and raised the white flag. As the only remaining Verona army of the North Italian Allied Forces,
It also lost almost all mobile forces including cavalry.
However, the battle situation on the northern front also fell into a relative stalemate and confrontation. Because, although the Verona Army, which was divided among several cities, was slowly sitting back and waiting for death, it had absorbed a large number of local armed guerrillas.
The corps itself also lacks the ability to attack difficult targets.
After the guerrilla regiment tried once, a sneak attack inside and outside to seize the city failed, this confrontation situation was temporarily maintained; instead, in the city of Lyon further north, the great governor sent by the dynasty, the Marquis of Antel, used this to recapture the city.
There are several strongholds and they are greedy for their own success.
Madurand, who was unable to do anything about it, could only appease the internal indignation; at the same time, he reorganized and reorganized the severely expanded guerrilla regiment. In accordance with the regulations of the Free Army, he eliminated the redundant personnel and reorganized them.
Organized into a local garrison.
Now, with the commander of the Luo Xia (Jiang Dan) Army, leading the main force of the Free Army to Delong Province, and joining the First Guerrilla Regiment, the total strength has reached 31,000 combat soldiers, 14,000
auxiliary personnel; the horn for the final battle has sounded.
On the way to the city of Lyon, a steady stream of local residents/citizens emerged from the ruined villages/towns and complained to the Free Army about various atrocities and crimes committed by the foreign invading forces. And they enthusiastically complained to the Free Army.
Act as a guide and inform on those traitors.
Therefore, wherever the army marching north passed, almost all kinds of hanged people were hung on the roadside; almost all of them were old local officials or wealthy families. Most of them were trying to save their lives under the iron heel of the foreign invading army.
, and pass it on to decent people who persecute the people.
Finally, when the leading cavalry of tens of thousands of troops arrived at Saint-Valier, the first city occupied by the Verona Army, the heavily armored knights of the special attack company responsible for the first assault blasted through the blockage almost in one encounter.
The city gates overwhelmed the hungry and exhausted defenders.
Then there is the city of Bolpai, the city of Vienne, the city of Bourguan... These once relatively solid city defenses were bombarded by hundreds of cannons launched by the Free Army, and a commando composed of heavily armored knights, a double blow.
Under; it is almost impossible to last for a day.
Therefore, when the Free Army advanced to Givar, the last city occupied by the Verona army, they found that the city gates were open on all sides, and the Verona flag with the fortress cross was still hanging on the city head, and there were almost no defenders. Immediately afterwards,
The team that entered for exploration quickly exited.
And brought an unexpected news to Jiang Tian. However, it was due to the fact that many massacres occurred in the city, but they were not properly handled. In the end, a serious plague broke out during the occupation of Verona; including Verona,
More than three thousand soldiers fell ill and died one after another.
Therefore, today's Zhivar is almost a dead city, with patients and corpses everywhere. Afterwards, Jiang Tian ordered the city to be completely sealed off; then, he asked the inheritance knights who were relatively strong in physical fitness to enter the city to search for the only remaining corpses.
survivors and then burned them to the ground.
After skipping this somewhat disharmonious ending, across several bridges at the mouth of the Rhône River, the large city of Lyon on the other side is already in sight. And leaning against the tall city wall lined with towers in Lyon, there are colorful troops in full formation.
, almost covering the whole city.
"Follow me, follow my flag..." In the sound of waves of mountains and tsunamis, Jiang Tian personally rode his horse and ran in front of the battle, behind him was the knight Duval holding high the flag of the Northern Expedition; then with an overwhelming
The voice said: "I am invincible, move forward... move forward."
The next moment, he took the lead and rushed across one of the bridges at the mouth of the Rhone River; and led the inheritance knights who acted as vanguards, one after another, flying through, crashing through, and destroying the numerous barriers and barriers set up on the bridge.
Obstacles, and the soldiers hiding behind them...
Following closely behind, the highly motivated and extremely fanatical Free Army cavalry rushed onto the bridge without hesitation; more impatient infantry regiments jumped off one after another holding wooden planks, sheepskin airbags and other floating objects.
The river bank; then the soldiers with good water skills took the lead and swam to the other bank.
As the first soldier came ashore, he tightened the rope tied to his body and tied it to the rocks and trees by the river. In the blink of an eye, as pieces of planks and skin bags were pulled and floated,
Several simple pontoons have been built on the half-mile-wide river.