Although Claude wanted to be a dawdling in the army and survive this war. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a sense of crisis. Although the area where they are stationed was voluntarily given up by the nobles of the Principality of Karnas, and its geographical location is relatively remote compared to the Karnas Prairie, this does not mean that it can always be so peaceful.
There is always a feeling in my heart that the territorial nobles of the Principality of Karnnus will still come back, and they will come back with the army of the Principality of Karnnus. Sooner or later, there will be a war here. It was precisely because of this intuition in his heart that Claude urged Major Skerry to stock up on various military supplies and prepare for the war. At the same time, he urged his soldiers to build Landes Castle into a strong and complete defensive fortress.
Fortunately, Major Skerry has always maintained an attitude of unconditional trust in Claude and is very supportive of his defensive preparations. No matter what, the lone army penetrated into the enemy's country and occupied such a large area, and the supply transportation from the rear only relied on a narrow, dangerous and difficult mountain road. For any commander with a clear head, this would inevitably make him feel a little nervous. .
Judging from the geographical environment of this area, the enemy only needs to send a light cavalry regiment, which is enough to trap a battalion of rangers in four castles, and at the same time cut off the communication between the mountain road and the garrisoned castle. Therefore, no one would object to Claude's suggestion to speed up the stocking up of supplies. Everyone knew that if there was no food and ammunition in the garrisoned castle, the fate waiting for the defenders would be either surrender or destruction.
In July, all the attention of the Army of the Kingdom of Overis was placed on the Principality of Rimodra, and the frontline command decided to destroy the Principality of Rimodra before the end of August. They mobilized four or five second-line legions, led by the Guards Corps, and launched a fierce attack on the anti-Austrian alliance forces. They were preparing to hand over the merits of the destruction of the Principality of Rimodra to the Guards Corps.
The Blue Feather Legion that originally defended the border line between the three southern counties and the Principality of Rimodra has been replaced and moved to the Grand Duke's Fort of Braviso, the capital of the former Eskiline Principality, for rest and recuperation. Once the war in the Principality of Rimodra ends, the Blue Feather Army will lead the two second-line armies into the Karnas Prairie and press towards the Beibu Gulf of the Principality of Karnas.
The situation is very good for the Kingdom of Ovelas. Everyone knows that the successive demise of the Principality of Sidings, the Principality of Esquiline, and the Principality of Rimodra has made the so-called Anti-Austria Alliance unworthy of its name. The remaining Principality of Karrnath and the Kingdom of Nasseri cannot stop the military front of the Kingdom of Orvilas. This war that has swept the entire eastern region of the continent has lasted for nearly four years. All the participating countries have already felt that they are at the end of their rope. The only difference is that the Kingdom of Ovelas is in a victorious position, and it is easier for them to persist until they obtain victory. The ultimate victory.
"We have now stored enough food for one and a half months, and the ammunition can also be used in defensive operations for three months. The soldiers who are going to transport now complain that it is too hard, and the melons and vegetables they have planted have been harvested, to a large extent. The food shortage has been alleviated. Do you think we can take a break for a while to let the soldiers relax?" Major Skerry asked Claude.
Claude came to the battalion headquarters mainly because he wanted to know some news about the front line. Major Skerry was the personal adjutant of Prince Hansback. He had many friends at the front line headquarters, so he could use the falcon to convey messages quickly. Know some developments and intelligence on the front line. For Claude, this was very helpful in grasping the latest information and understanding the progress of the war.
Looking at the battlefield information delivered by the falcon on the table in the past half month, Claude shook his head: "We have to strengthen the reserves of food and various military supplies as soon as possible. At the very least, we must have enough savings to hold on for three months. Don’t you find it strange when you look at these battle reports? Although they are all news of victory, the war targets are all armed regiments formed by the Principality of Rimodra, but none of the soldiers from other countries in the Anti-Austrian Alliance appeared. On the battlefield…”
This Major Skerry really didn't notice it. When he picked up these battle reports again, he discovered something strange: "Yes, I remember that among the anti-Austrian coalition forces in the Principality of Rimodra, there was a man from the Kingdom of Nasseri. Standing legions, three light cavalry legions from the Principality of Karnas, four legions from the original Principality of Eskilin, and the rest are armed legions formed by the Principality of Rimodra.
The standing corps of the Nasseri Kingdom serves as the guard force of the coalition command and cannot easily go to the front line. The three light cavalry regiments of the Principality of Karrnath are very active on the front line, but due to the damage in the battle, only about two regiments are left. The four armed legions of the former Eskiline Principality were the main force in frontline defense and suffered heavy casualties. Although they were organized into four legions, their actual combat strength was only two and a half legions. After the surrender of Grand Duke Eskiline, the soldiers of these four legions mutinied and surrendered to us. It is said that the number of men and horses gathered in the end was less than the establishment of one legion.
Although the Principality of Rimodra has formed more than a dozen legions, most of them were temporarily formed through compulsory recruitment, with poor combat effectiveness and poor treatment. They have always been regarded as frontline coolies and cannon fodder. They are no match for the second-line armies of our kingdom and rarely undertake independent defense tasks. Now these battle reports are all about the defeat and annihilation of a certain army in the Principality of Rimodra. There is no news about the armies of other countries. It seems that the enemy has begun to move. I have to write to the frontline headquarters immediately to remind... "
Anyone with a discerning eye can see clearly at a glance that the only way the enemy can move is by sea transport. The destination is very clear. It can only be the Beibu Gulf of the Principality of Karnas, which is the nearest port of the Anti-Austrian Alliance. It only needs to be close to The coastline of the former Eskiline Principality can be reached by sailing for three days and three nights.
"Let me be responsible for transporting supplies." Claude volunteered, and he was going to take this opportunity to go to the Witch Wood to have a tryst with his little lover Sheila. Anyway, when the transport team arrived at Squirrel Village, they had to rest for a night before setting off the next day. They had just one night to go see Sheila: "As for the soldiers responsible for transportation, we can rotate them and dispatch a group each time. With the new manpower, they can also go to the tavern in Squirrel Village to relax."
"Okay, you can make the decision on this matter." Major Skerry agreed immediately.
It's just that after Claude returned from Squirrel Village with the packhorse team, he found Major Skerry looking gloomy.
"What's wrong with you?" Claude asked.
Soon Claude knew the whole story. It turned out that the staff officers of the frontline headquarters also discovered the changes in the front line of the Principality of Rimodra against the enemy, and they also came to the conclusion that the enemy was moving. The problem is that they have no way to stop the enemy's actions. On land, it is necessary to capture defensive lines one after another in order to gradually approach the three seaport cities of the Principality of Rimodra. The coalition command of the Anti-Austrian Alliance pushed the temporarily formed legions of the Principality of Rimodra to the front line and used them as cannon fodder. Used to slow down the attack speed of the Overas Kingdom army.
Anyway, if the Principality of Limodra is going to perish, it is better to finally make use of these temporarily formed legions and let them serve as cannon fodder on the battlefield than to surrender to the army of the Kingdom of Orvelas and become prisoners. The coalition had no expectations on whether these temporary legions could hold the defensive front. Instead, they hoped that the Army of the Kingdom of Overas would cause greater casualties to these temporarily formed legions when they captured the position. The reason is simple. The greater the casualties, the greater the cost will be for the Kingdom of Ovilas to govern this place in the future, and the longer it will take for development.
This is a conspiracy, even if it is discovered, it will be difficult to crack. For more than half a month, the Army of the Kingdom of Ovilas on the front line used violent shelling and the assault capabilities of the soldiers to capture the enemy's defensive positions, causing heavy casualties to these temporary legions of the Principality of Rimodra. Although the frontline command headquarters ordered as much as possible Methods such as inducement to surrender are used to force the enemy to lay down their weapons and reduce casualties, but this takes time, and it allows the anti-Austrian coalition forces to take advantage of the slowed down pace of the attack to speed up the transfer of troops.
It is said that standing on the seaside of the former Eskiline Principality, you can see countless ships sailing along the coastline to the Beibu Gulf of the Principality of Karnas. This is the joint fleet of the Anti-Austrian Alliance escorting those transport ships and merchant ships. A fleet was formed to transfer the coalition forces from the Principality of Rimodra to the Principality of Karrnath.
The reason why Major Skerry was in a bad mood was because he heard from his friends at the frontline headquarters that Prince Hansback completely broke out and cursed the Kingdom's Navy in public, watching helplessly as such a man could annihilate most of the anti-Austria Allied forces. The great opportunity was wasted like this. If the Navy Department allows the Dreadnought Fleet to cruise in the waters of the Principality of Rimodra, then the enemy will never dare to transfer troops so blatantly! The angry eldest prince even smashed his own office. The new adjutants did not understand the eldest prince's character as well as Major Skerry, and none of them had the courage to step forward and persuade the eldest prince to calm down...
Major Skerry said that if he had been by the prince's side, he would have stopped the prince from losing his temper. As the crown prince of the kingdom, the eldest prince cannot expose his love and hate to others in this way, so as not to create an opportunity for interested people to take advantage of. In addition, the eldest prince's opinions on the Kingdom's Admiralty may also affect his smooth access to the throne. Although the eldest prince received the support of the kingdom's army, the navy had great influence in the royal capital, and used the proceeds from smuggling between the two continents to form a wide-ranging network of interests and favors among the powerful.
This is the first time Claude has heard about the conflicting interests of the upper class, but Major Skerry only briefly brushed it off. Having worked as an aide-de-camp for the eldest prince for six years, he had seen a lot of the interest dealings of the upper class, so he was worried about whether the eldest prince's tantrum in front of everyone at the frontline headquarters would bring any trouble. good consequences.
"You are the commander of the 1st Ranger Battalion, but you are worried about the eldest prince's personal adjutant. At this rate, you might as well go back to the eldest prince." Claude could only joke like this Major.
The Principality of Rimodra was destroyed before the end of August, but the anti-Austrian coalition forces left a mess in the Kingdom of Ovelas before they withdrew. All the nobles of the Principality of Rimodra left with their property and families, and the coalition forces also Withdrew, the combined fleet also bombarded the three seaport cities of the Principality of Rimodra into ruins. What the Kingdom of Ovilas received was a land burned by the war and nearly three million war refugees waiting for food. Most of them are old, weak, women and children, and many of the young and strong are disabled people. They became disabled in this war.
Prince Hansback now feels that it is better not to attack the Principality of Rimodra. The destruction of the Principality of Rimodra only sounds better in name. In fact, it will not be of any benefit to the kingdom at all. Instead, it will be burdened with a big problem. burden. The kingdom still doesn't know how much money and material resources it will need to invest in this land that was devastated by the war in order to restore people's livelihood.
Almost all the offensive plans made in advance were delayed by the dire reality of the Principality of Rimodra, so much so that the first ranger battalion, which occupied an entire remote area on the Karnas Prairie, was forgotten by the frontline headquarters. . The most important task of the frontline command now is not to formulate any plan to attack the Principality of Karnas, but to carry out disaster relief and restore people's livelihood in the Principality of Rimodra. After all, the Principality of Rimodra has been incorporated into the territory of the Kingdom of Ovelas. If there is no rescue, when winter comes, countless victims will die without food and clothing. This is a major responsibility that the kingdom cannot ignore.
After the coalition forces of the Anti-Austrian Alliance moved to the North Gulf of the Principality of Karnas, they quickly resumed their reconnaissance operations on the prairie after a short rest. At the end of August, Claude received reports one after another of scout cavalry discovering enemy scout cavalry, and there were even several small-scale conflicts. Nine of the twenty-four reconnaissance cavalry were lost in just one week, and three others escaped with injuries, almost wiping out a combat team.
"A week ago our scout cavalry reported that they discovered the whereabouts of the enemy's scout cavalry here." Claude placed a small paper red flag on the map: "And now it has only been a week, and we are here. The enemy's reconnaissance cavalry team was discovered at the place, only one day's riding distance from us. It can be seen that the enemy is expanding their reconnaissance range, and their reconnaissance cavalry team is getting closer and closer to us. I estimate that there are no more than three Days later, the enemy's reconnaissance team will come to conduct reconnaissance in our area. Once it is discovered that we only have one battalion of troops stationed here, it is likely that troops will be sent to launch an attack."
Major Skerry looked at the location on the map where Claude planted the small red flag with some worry. The location of the small red flag representing the enemy's scouts was indeed approaching this area: "How do you think we should deal with these enemy scouts?" ride?"
Claude laughed: "Have you forgotten the purpose for which our ranger battalion was established? It was originally to deal with the light cavalry reconnaissance of the Principality of Karnas. The eldest prince formed this ranger battalion to use ambushes to deal with these Light cavalry scouts can come and go with ease. Now we can repeat our old tricks and make it difficult for the enemy to come and go." See more! Prestige official account: hhxs665