At noon, the defeated rebels slowly gathered back. There were about 1,500 people. Xia Ya originally wanted to collect these people and use them, but most of the 1,500 people suffered a lot. Some of them were not seriously injured, but they were exhausted after fleeing from a long distance. Moreover, it seems that most of them have been killed by the Odins to the core, and they have completely lost all fighting spirit, and everyone's faces are full of fear and numbness.
Xia thinks that he has no ability to immediately awaken the fighting spirit of these guys-he is not a hero in those legends, a speech can exude the spirit of a king, and make these defeated rabbits regain their fighting spirit and become brave warriors- This kind of thing only exists in legends, and it is impossible in reality.
So he simply handed over all these defeated troops to Cato to enrich the logistics, but then transferred more than 200 people from the logistics.
However, in the afternoon, bad news came one by one!
Xia divided all the two hundred cavalry into six teams, and left the station to search in six directions. The six teams came back at noon, and there were two other teams when they encountered Odin's small group of troops. The time to withdraw was a little late, and after a fierce battle, he escaped and lost half of his men.
In the six directions that went out to search, I encountered a small army of Odins!
That is, they were surrounded by the Odins! !
"Obviously, these Odins want to cut off our connection with the outside world." Xia scratched his head in annoyance: "The generals on the front line probably don't know what's going on behind them! No, maybe they already know, but maybe They also encountered troubles themselves. In addition, I am worried... The Odins may have copied directly behind us and captured Wildfire Town! There are not many defenders in Wildfire Town, and after the Odins took over, It just happens to be a stronghold, blocking the direction of our return to the south, and at the same time, it can also resist the help of the imperial army from the south."
Xia sighed. In the tent, the battalion officer named Slater, Sharba, Cato, and three other battalion officer-level officers gathered together.
Char took out the map on the wall.
"Now our situation is not good... The original layout this time is that the three armies on the northern Wildfire Plain will resist the Odins in three ways. In the south of Wildfire Town, there is another corps stationed there as a reserve.
And after the completion of the second and ninth corps of the two routes, according to the current information, Hastings has already run behind us, if they occupy Wildfire Town... No, not if! They must have taken Wildfire Town! As a result, the reserve regiments from the south, even if they came to support, would be dragged north in Wildfire and couldn't go north - and, I fear, Hastings had so many small groups of troops swimming around us just to cut us off. news exchanges. Maybe by the time the reserve corps in the south gets the news and head north, our blood will be drained long ago! "
In the big tent, only the Slater battalion commander has been commanding an infantry battalion. It is a combat arm and has some basics in military strategy. He nodded and glanced at Xi Ya: "That guy Hastings has a lot of appetite! He The surprise attack routed the 2nd and 9th Corps, and then took our backs, planning to stop our 13th and 6th Corps to the north and eat them... Humph! I want to kill our four Byzantine Corps in one battle, this Austrian Ding Wushen's appetite is too big!"
Both Cato and Sharba were only personal soldiers. They didn't lead the soldiers directly, so they couldn't say anything, just listening on the sidelines, Shaerba shouted anxiously: "But I have to find a way to get in touch with the generals in the north. Why don't... let me take the cavalry and rush north!"
Xiaya glanced at him and said sternly: "No! It's not that I don't want to contact the general, but we can't do anything right now! What we can think of, as Odin's famous general, will Hasting not think of it? I guess, Whether it is going south or north, a lot of small units have been set up to intercept us, even if you are willing to risk your life to try, I am afraid that it will only be a waste of our limited cavalry."
After all, Cato is smarter, and he also established a little confidence in Xiaya: "What do you think?"
"Let's stay behind!" Xia Ya sighed: "Most of us are infantry. If we leave the fortifications of the station, whether it is to break through or evacuate south, it will be a dead end! We are not many, and we have to bring a large group of transport teams. The baggage battalion, plus more than a thousand wounded soldiers, relying on our two legs, how fast can he run? Hastings can make a roundabout surprise attack, then most of his cavalry must be fast cavalry, even the reindeer cavalry of the Odin people , if we encounter an enemy in the wilderness, the Odins only need to use eight hundred cavalry, enough to destroy us! And I am sure that Hastings must have set up troops around us responsible for intercepting us, waiting for us Out of the nest. So... only by staying here and relying on the fortifications, there is still a chance of survival."
After a pause, Xia Ya took a deep breath, her eyes became serious, and she said sternly: "Everyone, I'm not afraid of death! I also know that none of our 13th Corps brothers are afraid of death! But now, compared to death Come on, we have more important tasks to accomplish!"
"What mission?"
Xia Ya squeezed his chin, gritted his teeth and said, "Keep this station! Keep this stronghold!!"
He then explained: "Our troops are mostly infantry, so going north to meet the generals won't do anything at all. Even if the whole army is killed, it's of no value. I guess the generals and the others find the situation in the north. No, after encountering Hastings and the Odin army in the valley, they will definitely find a way to break back!
If we lose this stronghold, then even if the generals come back with a large army, the old nest is gone, so where can they find shelter? There is no stronghold, no supplies, and surrounded by enemies in the wild, they can be starved to death or squeezed dry in just a few days! Then there is really no way to go to heaven!
The road to the south has been blocked by the Odins who have occupied Wildfire Town! Only here, after the generals come back, there will be a large amount of supplies, food, grass, and armament. Everyone uses the fortifications of the station to stand by and wait for the reinforcements from the south... This is the only way to survive! Not only us, but also the generals in the north and their only way to survive! "
Xia Ya's words infected everyone present. All of them were middle and low-level officers, but they didn't expect that this budding soldier would actually have such insight.
"There is a third reason..." Char's voice was a little low: "Hasting will definitely want to take our station as soon as possible! The harder we defend here, the more troops will be attracted by Hastings. You can also relieve some pressure on the generals who broke through to the north..."
"Probably this is the case! If we defend here, then the Thirteenth Corps still has a chance! If we lose it here... Should the cavalry of the Thirteenth Corps go head-to-head and hit the walls of Wildfire Town?" Slater The battalion officer also shouted loudly.
The officers of the 13th Corps did not have the slightest fear. Everyone roared in excitement and went out to prepare. On the other hand, Cato walked at the end and asked Xi Ya in a low voice: "Hey, are you really sure that the generals will kill them back? The enemy is Hasting! Do you really need us to respond?"
Xia Ya sighed and said in a low voice: "First, we have too few troops, and we are all infantry, and we have no strength to respond. As for the second... Trust our general's ability! The combat power of the 13th Corps is not Blow it out? I have confidence as a rookie, is it possible that an old bird like you has been shaken?"
After a pause, Xia Ya smiled, his eyes rolled, and the smile was a little weird: "Don't forget, there is a general Ruhr who is best at escaping! He is the most cunning rabbit in the Byzantine Empire."
※※※
The station was busy and busy, and a large number of ordnance was sent to everyone. Even the driver in the transport team was given a set of leather armor, a shield and a sword. This guy Cato actually dug out a few good things from the armory.
Three ballistas, this is a heavy medium and long-distance attack weapon. The huge crossbow arrows have strong piercing power. The crossbow is fake on the two-wheeled cart. One shot can release ten crossbow arrows. Xia tried it. , the power is huge, the farthest can shoot about 800 meters, within 100 meters, even two iron shields can easily penetrate. It fires ten crossbow arrows at a time, and the coverage area is not small. If you do this when facing the enemy's collective charge, it can definitely become a sharp weapon on the battlefield!
The only drawback is that there are not many crossbow arrows, and it takes some time to reload the crossbow after one shot. According to the range and the movement speed of the infantry, it can only be loaded three times.
The second good thing is a small catapult, which has a longer range and can hit more than 1,000 meters. However, it is difficult to excavate stones. Xiaya launched all the transport troops to collect stones, and also asked Cato to prepare some Canned kerosene. Moreover, this kind of thing is completely inaccurate when it is hit, within the effective attack range, it counts as it hits... If you want to attack accurately, you can only fight for character.
Therefore, this sling also has a name in the Byzantine army: the cannon without conscience.
There are only four slings in this way. After all, the 13th Corps is a cavalry unit, and there is not much preparation for this kind of heavy equipment.
Char's hunch was very accurate.
Just in the early morning of the second day when the station was busy, the attack of the Odins came! Obviously, as he had guessed, in order to prevent the main force of the 13th Corps from breaking out from the north, Hastings wanted to seize this stronghold as soon as possible, and then block the way back of the 13th Corps!
In the morning, the soldiers on the observation platform let out a nervous cry, and Xiaya rushed to the platform and looked north...
As far as the eye can see, the sky is full of dust! ! !
※※※
The black Odins appeared in the north, from behind the hillside and from the road, spreading like a swarm of ants. At the forefront are teams of Odin warriors. Most of the Odin warriors are topless - born in the northern kingdom of Odin, they are used to the ice and snow weather. In this kind of place, they are not afraid of such a little bit of winter wind.
The Odin warriors roared wildly in the cold wind with their battle axes in their hands, spewing out heat to form a large white mist, which lingered above their heads.
The crowded crowd made Xia Ya feel a little drum in his heart. The array of Odins in front of him seemed to be endless, and there was no end in sight. The dense appearance made the scalp numb!
A warning shout spread throughout the entire station. Under the urging of the officer, a large number of soldiers rushed over with weapons and shields in their hands. The archers quickly lined up, and everyone's faces were full of tension.
Xia Ya shook an axe in his hands. It was a long axe for horse fighting picked out from the armory. Xia Ya shortened the axe handle and saw, and held it in his hand, the weight was just right.
The morning sun shines on the array of Odins, and the axe light reflects, shining into a cold white light!
"Hell... so much..."
Charya muttered.
Standing beside him was the battalion officer named Slater. He glanced at Xia Ya, patted him, and said in a low voice, "Don't be nervous, the other party is only about ten thousand people."
Xia Ya turned her head and glanced at the guy: "How do you know?"
In the busy day, Slater already knew a little about this personal soldier, and whispered: "After all, you have no experience, and after a few years in the army, you will be able to see how many enemies there are. Such an array, such a thickness, the number of people can guess."
Oh shit! 10,000 people... 10,000 people is already a lot! There are only 2,000 people who can fight here, and many of them are transport teams or craftsmen who take up weapons.
Xia Ya spat fiercely.
He was afraid.
Really scared.
It's not funny. Except for the heartless, no one is born without fear of death. Looking at the numb Odins in front of him, Xia felt that he was short of breath, his mouth and throat were dry, he didn't spit at all, and his heart was pounding!
At this moment, he couldn't help but have such a question in his heart:
Can I really stop the attack of these Odins? damn it! There are so many of them! Can I stop them
Or, can I live? !
Afraid of death is not a good man? joke! Even a good man is afraid of death!
His hand holding the axe tightened again, pressing his chest, it was hard inside, he hid a dragon scale on his chest and back close to his body - he brought out not many dragon scales, except for his For himself, he also quietly divided Sharba and Cato into two pieces, as for the others... He had no choice.
Live or die, it depends on this battle!
The turtle clenched the handle of the axe tightly!
He had no sense of belonging to the Byzantine Empire.
Even, to put it more despicably, his sense of belonging to the 13th Corps did not reach the point where he could die for it. So far, he only has feelings for these friends of the Guards.
In such a dangerous situation, he was also timid, and even thought of walking away when no one was there, finding a place on the wildfire, and when the battle was over, it didn't matter whether he won Byzantium or Odin If the person wins, he can return to Wildfire Town as his native turtle hunter.
But... no!
Turtles also have the dignity of turtles! His only friends are here now, throwing away his friends and running for his own life is not something that a turtle can do!
Other, there is an important reason.
Turtles also have their own ideals!
When he walked out of the mountain and walked to the outside world, he was unwilling to live in the mountains for a lifetime of humiliation! He wants to be a mercenary, a samurai, and break into this world!
Who said that turtles have no ambitions? He has it too! Although so far, Tu Bie has not been able to think of anything like power and wealth, but he also has a little bit of ambition in his heart.
At least... make a little bit of "fame"! As for what this name is, there is only a vague concept in his mind.
He doesn't have to think too much.
In this battle, if you die, you will die! If it can survive... that is the "famous hall" in the heart of the turtle! !
(I won’t die! I won’t die here! I’m still a virgin! I’ve never enjoyed a woman! There are still so many gold coins in the house! I still have to buy a piece of land and a big house! I still have a good life!
Therefore, Lao Tzu will not die here! Absolutely not! ! )
The roars of the Odins were one after another, like the howls of beasts, stimulating the hearts of the Byzantine soldiers one after another.
At this time, a tall figure suddenly stepped forward, facing the distance, facing the dense figure in the distance, facing the roaring one after another in the distance, he took a deep breath and let out a roar! !
His roar is more fierce, more vigorous, more unyielding!
If it's all beasts... Then, he must be the more majestic one! !
"Come on! Odin!! I won't die!! Definitely won't die here!!"
The muscles on Xia Ya's face were twisted, and when she turned her head, she had a ferocious expression like a desperately struggling beast, making Slater beside him stunned.
Turtle raised his axe and roared frantically at the surrounding warriors! And this sentence has even become a legendary slogan!
…
"Kill the Odins!! Kill the Odins!! Kill more Odins!!!"
Sound like thunder!