The military orders are like mountains, and Claude must carry them out even if he is reluctant to go to Nubicia. Moreover, General Michelich summoned Claude to give him an order, not to discuss with him whether he should not go. Claude also understood in his heart that since the Ministry of War has promised to expand the Ranger Division into a corps after this battle is over, no matter how great the difficulties are, there will be no way to stop General Michelchi from leading the Ranger Division. , go to the mainland of Nubisia to fight with the colonial garrison invaded by the Kingdom of Hicks...
Expanding the Ranger Division into a legion was General Michelchi's long-cherished wish, and it seemed that this war was inevitable for Claude. As the sharpest knife in the Ranger Corps and the commander of the 131st Ranger Battalion, Claude has to assume the responsibility of the vanguard. In General Michelchi's plan, the 131st Ranger Battalion was not only the first batch of troops to go to the mainland of Nubisia, but also the reconnaissance eyes that probed the enemy's details and understood the entire battlefield situation.
"Okay, General, I promise to carry out the order." Claude said.
Due to transportation difficulties, the Ranger Regiment will arrive in the Tiersim area of the Nubisian continent in two batches. The first batch and the second batch will be separated by three months. General Michelich ordered the 131st Ranger Battalion and two mobile field regiments to rush to the Tiersim area as the first batch of reinforcements, and then asked the two mobile field regiments to rush to the front line to stabilize the defensive line and wait for the second wave. The first batch of large troops arrived and then chose the opportunity to launch a counterattack.
At the same time, as the first batch of reinforcements to arrive, the order to be carried out by the 131st Ranger Battalion was to take the initiative and launch an attack deep behind enemy lines. What we do is still what we do, attacking the enemy's logistics and supply bases and slowing down the enemy's attack speed. It forces the enemy to divide its troops to protect the safety of logistics supply lines and relieve the defensive pressure on the two mobile field regiments of forward defense.
General Michelich placed great expectations on the 131st Ranger Battalion. He hoped that Claude would lead the 131st Ranger Battalion to attack the enemy's rear to buy more time for the Ranger Division. The first is to prevent the enemy from occupying too much territory in the Kingdom's overseas territories before most of the Ranger Division arrives. The second is to give the two mobile field regiments time to stabilize their defense lines and reorganize the local defense forces in the territories, and assemble them. Create more counterattack force.
After all, the mainland of Nubisia is too far away. It was more than a month ago when we received the news that the colonial garrison of the Kingdom of Hicks had declared war on the seven overseas territories of the Kingdom of Overas and invaded the territory of Cromwell. The messenger The latest battle situation before boarding the ship and returning from delivering the message was that the colonial garrison of the Kingdom of Hicks had captured most of the demesne and was besieging Wickham Castle, the capital of the Cromwell demesne.
The journey by sea from Nubisia Continent to Farea Continent takes more than half a month. This is under the condition of smooth sailing. If something unexpected happens, it is normal to arrive in 20 or 30 days. General Michelich didn't know how far the war situation in Nubicia had progressed. He estimated that the local garrison troops of the seven overseas territories would not be able to withstand the colonial garrison of the Kingdom of Hicks.
The only thing that gave the kingdom's senior officials confidence was that the territory of the seven overseas territories was so large that it would take months to walk from one end to the other on horseback. The Hicks Kingdom's colonial garrison still has to attack the city and occupy territory all the way, so within half a year, the kingdom still has enough time to transport the reinforcements Ranger Division to the mainland of Nubisia.
If there are no war horses, the Ranger Regiment can be transported there in one go. An ocean-going ship can carry two hundred soldiers and logistical supplies, and only one hundred and fifty ocean-going ships are needed to make one trip. But with the addition of 20,000 war horses, it had to be transported in two batches. If you don't bring war horses, firstly, you won't be able to raise enough horse mounts from the overseas territories, and secondly, you will lose your mobility, and you don't know how long it will take to get to the front line.
In addition, General Michelich specially summoned Claude to keep it secret. The superiors did not want this war on the Nubisian continent to disrupt the stable situation of the kingdom and cause confusion among the people. Therefore, after the soldiers boarded the ship, Claude could announce the destination and combat mission of the trip. On the way to Bailu City, they used training and sea transportation training as an excuse to avoid making local officials suspicious along the way.
Claude nodded in agreement and repeated the mission requirements and combat objectives. General Michelich then asked him to step back and prepare for the whole battalion to set off immediately. He also told Claude that the two mobile field regiments that would then go to join the 131st Ranger Battalion as the first batch of reinforcements would also set off for White Deer City within a week, and they would board as soon as the Storm Fleet was ready for transportation. The ship sets sail…
Claude returned to the camp with a cold face. The only thing that made him happy was that the light cavalry captain had been ordered to return to the division headquarters. Belklin, nominated by Claude, had taken over the position of the light cavalry captain.
Speaking of which, Belklin was able to take over this position thanks to the rout in the Karrnath Steppe. He tied himself and his companions to the backs of the mounts. In addition to letting the horses rest and forage, the group He ran around for two days and three nights before escaping from the pursuit of Karrnath's light cavalry. Therefore, he has a deep understanding of the prairie reconnaissance cavalry that is famous in the eastern part of the continent. Claude believes that he can lead this light cavalry brigade to imitate and surpass the Karnas light cavalry.
Three days later, the 131st Ranger Battalion broke out and headed to White Deer City again. The entire battalion except Claude thought they were going to White Deer City for training again. But as we got closer to the three southwest counties, something started to feel wrong. When Major Siegfried and local officials in the towns along the way were handing over logistics supplies, they often heard them ask, are they going to the mainland of Nubisia? When Major Siegfried came back, he told Claude a joke, but he didn't see Claude's face turning pale...
When they arrived at White Deer City, the general manager, Viscount Felidos, went straight into the military camp, grabbed Claude's hand and encouraged him to go to the mainland of Nubisia to teach the invaders of the Hicks Kingdom a lesson and make new contributions to the kingdom, Claude Knowing that this news could no longer be kept secret in the army, he asked General Felidos how he learned that the Rangers were going to the Nubicia continent.
Manager Felidos laughed loudly and said that there was nothing to keep secret. The Nubisian mainland could hide the conflict from the royal capital, but it couldn't hide it from White Deer City. Don't forget that White Deer City's Storm Fleet escorted merchant fleets between the two continents. , those sailors, crews, and merchants had already spread the news throughout the Kingdom of Hicks that they had invaded the Kingdom's overseas territories. It was just that there was an order from above that all newspapers were not allowed to publish news about the war in Nubicia, so it could only be spread by word of mouth among the people as gossip.
As the general manager of White Deer City, Viscount Felidos is naturally very aware of the real war situation on the opposite continent. It is said that the Cromwell Territory has been captured by the enemy, and the colonial garrison of the Kingdom of Hicks has blocked two routes and invaded the two territories of Beringana and Robisto respectively. The local garrison collapsed at the first touch and was unable to resist the enemy's attack. The other bad news is that Admiral Maciek, who supported Cromwell's demesne, has been killed on the battlefield...
The highest local official position in the Overseas Territory of the Kingdom of Ovilas is the governor, and the highest local military commander is the admiral. The Governor is responsible for the administrative affairs of the territory directly under the Central Government, and the Admiral is responsible for the local defense of the territory directly under the Central Government. Generally speaking, in addition to the local garrison regiment establishment in the capital city of the directly governed territory, the other towns in the directly governed territory only have the strength of one garrison battalion. The total strength of an admiral's troops is only the size of two regiments, which is basically the size of one regiment. It is a small group establishment, not a strengthened group.
There are seven governors and seven admirals in the seven overseas territories. The Cromwell Territory has fallen into the hands of the enemy. The governors and admirals have the responsibility to defend the territory. Now their whereabouts are unknown. According to Governor Felidos, Admiral Maciek was the military governor of the Amphiston Territory, and he led the local garrison to reinforce the Cromwell Territory and fight the enemy in the field. As a result, the army collapsed at the first touch. He was hit by a stray bullet and fell from his horse. His followers fought desperately to snatch him back. As a result, he died before he could escape to a safe place.
Knowing that the kingdom was at war with the Kingdom of Hicks on the Nubisia continent, Manager Felidos naturally knew that the kingdom would definitely send reinforcements there. So Claude led the 131st Ranger Battalion to White Deer City, and he immediately understood that the reinforcements sent were the Ranger Division. As a fanatical war activist, General Felidos only hated that he was disabled and could not continue to fight for the kingdom, so he rushed to the military camp to encourage Claude. In his opinion, Claude really caught up. It's a good time to encounter another war after the war in the eastern part of the mainland.
After finally fooling Chief Felidos, Claude could only smile bitterly when he looked at his colleagues. At this time, there was no need to keep any secrets. Let me tell you bluntly that this time the Rangers are indeed going to the Nubisia continent to resist the invasion of the colonial garrison of the Kingdom of Hicks.
For the officers of the 131st Ranger Battalion, they really did not expect to go to the mainland of Nubisia to fight against the colonial garrison of the Hicks Kingdom. It was just beyond Claude's expectation that they were not afraid, but eager to try.
Well, since the last military exercise gave the Guards a field battle of zero to four, the officers and soldiers of the 131st Ranger Battalion have grown their eyes to the top of their heads and consider themselves to be the best in the world. This time, even if they faced the colonial garrison of the Hicks Kingdom, known as the overlord of the North, they believed that the opponent was weak and vulnerable, and they were ready to earn some merits from the enemy so that they could be promoted to the military rank.
However, the officers and soldiers in the camp were easy to comfort. After returning home, Claude burst into tears when he saw his mother and wife. He was really depressed. His mother even hoped that Claude could retire immediately and go home to live a peaceful life instead of going to the distant continent of Nubicia to fight. Claude didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This was not a question of whether he should retire or not, but that the military order had been issued. If he retired at this time, he would immediately be regarded as a deserter.
In the end, Claude comforted his mother and Kaifani, and returned to the military camp only two days later. Everything is ready, just waiting for the Storm Fleet to gather the ocean-going ships to form a fleet and set sail.
As the first batch of reinforcements, two mobile field regiments also arrived at White Deer City. The leaders of the two regiments were both Claude's seniors in the advanced seminar class of the Royal Military Academy of Caleb, and they had a good relationship with Claude. The task they received was to organize a line of defense, stabilize the battle situation, and at the same time organize and reorganize the local garrison forces in the remaining overseas territories as a reserve force. They would then choose the opportunity to launch a counterattack after the second batch of large units of the Ranger Division arrived.
Next, the two regimental commanders, together with their regiment's operational staff and Claude, conducted several sand table deductions based on the map of the Overseas Territory of Nubisia Continent. For everyone, Nubisia is an extremely unfamiliar place. The Kingdom of Hicks is an enemy it has never encountered before. Everyone is not sure, so they can only try their best to conduct sand table deductions to find and make up for their own shortcomings.
Another week later, the Storm Fleet finally mobilized the ships that formed the ocean transport fleet. After spending two days for the troops to board the ship and settle down, Claude was greeted by his mother's family, friends and fellow villagers at the dock. Embark on a journey to the continent of Nubisia.
According to Captain Restin of the Storm Fleet's flagship Tornado, it will only take about half a month to set off from White Deer City to the Tiersim Direct Territory on the Nubisia continent. If everything goes well, it will not take more than seventeen days. If there is any accident, it will not take more than 17 days. Just twenty-four or five days. He has been traveling this route for more than six years, making four round trips every year. He can find the right direction even with his eyes closed.
As one of the senior command officers of the first batch of reinforcements, Claude and the two senior captains were invited to the flagship. This is probably the safest place in the Storm Fleet. Because the Tornado flagship is one of the kingdom's seven first-class battleships. It has three tiers on each side with a total of seventy-eight naval guns. Its firepower is extremely powerful. At the same time, it has six masts and can hang twenty-three sails of different sizes. , it is also very outstanding in terms of speed and flexibility.
The only thing that dissatisfied Claude and the two senior captains was the attitude of Count Salamento, the admiral of the Storm Fleet. He probably invited Claude and the others to live on the flagship out of the traditional customs of the royal fleet. But except for the first meeting, he never met Claude and others again, and kept hiding in his commander's cabin. Obviously, he looked down upon civilian officers like Claude because he was a noble...
Claude got along well with the captain of the Tornado, Colonel Restin, and would chat on the helm deck at the stern of the ship when nothing happened. On the eleventh day, the fleet encountered an unexpected visitor on the Silent Ocean. A black ship with black sails appeared on the right side of the fleet, following it for most of the day at a distance of five or six miles.
"That's the black-sailed pirate ship." Captain Restin glanced at the black ship and said, "This is a ship for patrol and reconnaissance. Don't worry, they don't dare to rob the kingdom's fleet. We have more than two hundred people this time. It’s a sea-going ship, and a bite of it would burst their bellies.”
"There are still pirates operating here?" Claude was surprised.
Captain Restin looked around and then quietly said to Claude: "There has been no other pirate activity on this route for a long time, except for the Black Sail Pirates. Because this pirate leader was originally a defector from our Storm Fleet. He is said to be very young, and his home base should be on an island deep in the Silent Ocean. Our Storm Fleet tried to hunt him down several times but failed, and instead lost several warships. Now the higher-ups have issued an order saying that as long as the Black Sail Pirates Don't mess with us, we'll just turn a blind eye and let them go..."
Young and defecting, it couldn't be Ericson... Claude thought to himself.
At noon on the 18th day, the ocean-going fleet arrived at the port of Copicius in the direct jurisdiction of Tiersim on the mainland of Nubisia...