Facts have proved that after all three siege towers were destroyed, the Eskiline infantry regiment no longer had the courage to launch a fierce attack. Only at the end of the month, perhaps under the pressure of the nobles of the Principality of Karrnath, did they reluctantly launch two attacks. They were beaten to disgrace by the defenders on the city wall without even touching the edge of the city wall, and lost three times. The four hundred men withdrew to the camp.
From then on, the enemy could only watch the castle from across the open space in the village until the first snowflakes of winter fell. To the surprise of Claude and everyone in the first ranger battalion, the enemy did not evacuate when winter came. Instead, they strengthened the camp and cut firewood. At the same time, a large amount of supplies were transported. It seemed that they were preparing to spend the winter here. …
When Claude entered Major Skerry's office, he saw Lieutenant Mister, who was in charge of logistics at the battalion, holding a large stack of documents and preparing to leave. After he left, Major Skerry sighed and told Claude straightforwardly that the material reserves in the castle could only last two and a half months. Ammunition is still sufficient, but the most important thing is food and grass. Two and a half months is already a very optimistic estimate.
It is early December now, and it will be mid-February two and a half months later, followed immediately by the rainy season in March. In other words, the 1st Ranger Battalion must obtain supplies from the rear again before mid-February, otherwise everyone will be in the castle. I'm hungry. I originally thought that the enemy would evacuate when winter comes, but I didn't expect that the enemy did not attack now, but adopted a siege strategy. There is a high possibility that this is because the original secret letter carried by the falcon fell into the hands of the enemy, allowing the enemy to It was clear that the castle's supplies could only last three months...
Major Skerry should have understood that the flaw lay in his secret letter, but he had no other choice. Standing on the city wall, you can use a monocular to see that the enemy has built complete defense facilities for their camp. trenches have been dug in front of the log fence, and there are also densely populated guard towers. At the same time, a guard post was set up in the village to monitor the movements of the castle and to prevent the first battalion of Rangers from sending troops to sneak attacks.
"Our enemy has a cunning commander." Major Skerry said distressedly: "That is a very difficult guy to deal with. Perhaps the enemy's only bright spot in the offense is the three siege towers, but in the Defensively, I can't find any omissions on his part..."
Claude nodded to express his agreement with Major Skerry's view. He carefully checked the enemy's security and defense layout in the village on the city wall. It was indeed very complete, making people feel like there was no way to start. Take the police posts in the village as an example. Basically, they echo back and forth. In addition, the wooden carts dragged back from the open space have turned the ruined village into a big maze. If the first battalion of Rangers wanted to conduct a sneak attack, it might just be what the enemy wanted. Once they entered the village, they could easily be divided, surrounded and annihilated by the enemy.
"You're right, sir." Claude echoed Major Skree's opinion: "But it's very clear when you think about their origins. After all, they resisted the Kingdom's army in the Principality of Rimodra for a year. Half, so defensive warfare is their specialty. But I think they are making a fuss by engaging in defensive warfare with us as if they are facing a powerful enemy. With our current strength, even if we want to attack them in the castle, it will be too much. There’s nothing I can do…”
There are now two and a half brigades left in the castle. The second brigades have been disabled, and the back area of the castle is full of wounded. It can be said that the current situation of the 1st Ranger Battalion is that they are over-defended and insufficiently enterprising. They can defend the castle pretty well, and they have no intention of sneak attacks on the enemy. What's more, winter has arrived. If you go to sneak attack the enemy on a snowy night, you may not be able to come back, and you will easily lose your way.
"But our biggest problem now is that we are short of food and grass, and at the same time we are unable to contact the rear. A few days ago, there was gunfire from the entrance to the mountain road, which made me very worried whether the enemy would capture the position at the entrance of the mountain road and completely defeat us. Trapped here. I sent a few veterans to scout, but they haven't come back yet..." Major Skerry is under a lot of pressure. As the commander of a battalion, he has to maintain a confident look in front of the soldiers, so that Morale will not drop. But he could only discuss these real difficulties with Claude.
Claude didn't have any good ideas. His suggestion of raising lambs, chickens and ducks on the rooftop to attract the enemy's two prairie golden eagles didn't work. Perhaps the two prairie golden eagles were initially fooled, but then the enemy launched a siege and the sound of gunfire alarmed the two prairie golden eagles. They hovered far away from the castle and refused to approach the castle no matter what. As a result, the carrier pigeons in the castle were unable to be released, and they were unable to contact the rear.
"Kill all the pack horses. The saved fodder can be used to feed the sheep. This may allow us to persist for a while." Claude could only think of a solution that was not a solution. There are nearly a hundred packhorses in the castle, all of which were purchased by the First Ranger Battalion for the purpose of transporting grain and grass.
Major Skerry nodded and shook his head: "Lieutenant Mister and I calculated just now that if we kill the pack horses, we can only hold on for half a month longer. If we cannot get food and grass supplies from the rear before the rainy season, our rangers will The battalion has until March to abandon the castle and retreat to Squirrel Village."
There was a knock on the door, and Major Skerry's adjutant came in to report that the veterans had returned from reconnaissance. They came back with two pieces of news, one good and one bad. The good news is that the entrance to the mountain pass is still in the hands of Second Lieutenant Murray Ed's squadron. The enemy launched several attacks in the past two days, but they were all repulsed. The casualties are estimated to be around 200 people. Because the entrance to the mountain road was narrow, the offensive forces could not be deployed, and the enemy gave up after the attack was ineffective.
The bad news is that the enemy has set up a peripheral defensive position around the entrance of the mountain road and surrounded the entrance of the mountain road. It is estimated that the enemy in this defensive position has the strength of two brigades. These veterans said that they saw the flag of the 1st Ranger Battalion flying on the position at the entrance of the mountain road from a distance, but they could not bypass the enemy's position and contact Second Lieutenant Murray Ed, and they searched for a long time but could not find anyone else. Road, and finally can only come back to report what was discovered.
This news made Major Skerry even more worried. It was indeed good news that the enemy did not capture the entrance to the mountain road, but the enemy deployed a defensive line around the entrance of the mountain road, which also made the mountain road useless. Even if the 1st Ranger Battalion abandons the castle and evacuates, it will have to break through the enemy's defense line before it can return to the rear. If it is pursued by the enemy behind during the attack, the result will still be annihilation of the whole army, and at most it will only be able to escape a few people. of fish.
Claude didn't have anything to make a fuss about. If he were the enemy's commander, he would also arrange it like this. However, if Major Skerry decides to retreat, he will not worry about having no way out. The Daqing Mountains are very large, and they can enter the mountains from other places and find a path to the mountain road. For the first battalion of rangers who had experience in exploring the county route, it was not a difficult task. Major Skerry came later and had not experienced the process of finding a way in the mountains in winter, so it is understandable that he is worried...
Soon there will be heavy snow that lasts for several days and nights. In such weather, there is no need to worry about the enemy sneak attack. Because the snow has accumulated a thick layer, more than a foot deep, and it is very soft. When you step on it, it will sink to your knees. The sky is a little brighter during the day, and you can vaguely see 20 to 30 meters away. At night, you can't see your fingers. Even if you light a bonfire, it can only illuminate a distance of three or four meters around...
If the enemy attacks at this time, let alone rush to the bottom of the castle, they may be scattered and lost even if they just leave the camp. After trudging in the snow for half a day, he was still wandering within a radius of less than three feet. In the end, he lost all his strength and froze to death. Therefore, in December, both enemies and defenders consciously stayed in the camp and castle, and stayed peacefully in Maodong.
Claude suddenly found that he had been in the army for more than four years, and this was his fourth orientation night in the army. But this time it was pretty good, at least better than last year's orientation night in the Peak District. Although he was besieged by the enemy in the castle and was short of supplies, Major Skerry instructed the logistics department of the battalion headquarters to provide a sumptuous dinner to all the soldiers in the battalion to celebrate this welcome night. For this reason, all the sheep, chickens and ducks that were still grazing were slaughtered, and officers like Claude were given a bottle of the last reserved fruit wine...
After the arrival of January, the weather began to become somewhat clearer, and even if it snowed, it would not be as dark and dark as last December for several days and nights. Although it is still difficult to walk on the ground covered with thick snow, the snow has been pressed into a solid state, and it no longer sinks half of the body into the ground with one foot. It is barely enough for people to walk on it. The enemy's scouts also began to move out of the camp. Their main scope of activities was in the area around the castle. This was also to monitor whether there were any abnormal conditions among the defenders of the castle.
Claude asked Diaverde to lead his squadron to attack and ambush the enemy's scouts around the castle. Clear gunshots rang out from time to time in the snow-covered wilderness. As the performance of the muskets was not as good as that of a battalion of rangers, the enemy scouts without their mounts suffered heavy casualties. They had no choice but to expand the scope of surveillance of the castle. This made Cloe Virtue has an opportunity to take advantage of.
On a night with heavy snow falling, Claude led a small team of elite veterans silently from the side door of the castle and disappeared into the white snow. The falling snow at night will perfectly cover the traces left by their walking, making them undetectable by enemy scouts.
The cold wind cut across the face like an ice knife, and soon a thin layer of frost condensed on the scarf covering the face. Then it was melted by the hot breath exhaled from the mouth and nose, turning into cold water droplets and falling on the animal skin cover. The robe once again condensed into tiny ice particles.
Claude didn't feel the cold at all. He had already tasted this feeling in the Piclite Mountains last winter and was used to it. He pulled the thin hemp rope held by his left hand, and the response that followed made him let out a long breath. Among the fifteen people, no one was left behind, which was good.
This time the path was planned by Claude himself. This time they were going to take a diagonal route, enter the mountain from another part of the Daqingshan Mountains, and then find a passage leading to the entrance of the mountain road in preparation for the first ranger battalion. Evacuating the castle after running out of food will provide you with a safe escape route back to the rear.
After entering the mountainous area, we first found a sheltered place to camp. These veterans were very experienced. They quickly piled snow and built several igloos, and then set up the tents inside the igloos. This way, they were warm and safe, and there was no need to worry about the tent being damaged. If the snow is too heavy or too thin to freeze to death, the only thing to pay attention to is to maintain good ventilation.
After working for more than an hour, the sky was getting slightly brighter, but the snowflakes were still falling. Claude asked each soldier to drink a bowl of hot soup and then arranged for the light and dark sentry to have a good sleep before starting to search for the route to the entrance of the mountain pass in the afternoon.
After lunch, we packed up and started to move. The snow had stopped falling and the sky was clear. Because the light was very good, the field of vision was wide. This was a good condition for Claude and the others who were looking for a passable mountain road. Fifteen people, divided into three groups of five, marched in the direction of the entrance of the mountain road, and turned back when they encountered a situation where they could no longer move forward. Claude took Mike, the big man Germi, and two veterans to provide support. At the same time, he drew a route map and marked it along the way.
Although the Daqingshan Mountains are not as steep and steep as the Picklate Mountains and look very gentle, they are no less dangerous than the Picklate Mountains. Many seemingly smooth snowfields are actually big traps. If you step on them, you will fall into a deep snow nest with a "click". If you are alone, you will not be able to climb out, and you will have no choice but to wait for death.
Claude and others still used the old method, directly cutting huge logs to build bridges across places where they were not sure whether they were safe. Besides, they didn't really want to lay a road in the mountain, they just wanted to pass it temporarily, so they saved a lot of effort and time. It took them five days to reach the entrance of the mountain road.
Murray Ed was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of Claude and others. He stationed here to defend the entrance to the mountain pass without having to worry about the transportation of logistical supplies. While ordering people to entertain Claude and others, he told Claude a big news.
"What did you say? The war is about to end?" Claude thought he heard wrongly.
"It's true. Captain Durrioro stationed in Squirrel Village told me. Doesn't his family have connections in the War Department? This was revealed to him by his relatives. Let him stay here for a few more months before he can return. The royal capital is enjoying great blessings. He said that the kingdom has now started truce negotiations with the Kingdom of Nasseri and the Principality of Karnas, and even Prince Hansback has returned to the royal capital... "
Claude did know Captain Durrioro. He served as the battalion commander of this local security battalion because of the help of his relatives in the Army Department. The purpose of stationing in Squirrel Village was to give him a resume of serving on the front line, so that he would be able to serve on the front line in the future. You can find a better future in the War Department. If it was what Captain Durioro said, Claude would actually believe it.
"I have to go back to Squirrel Village as soon as possible and ask about this matter clearly. It is related to the life and death of all the officers and soldiers of our first ranger battalion. Prepare my horses and I will set off immediately." Claude said without hesitation.