Audrey's words, Sean didn't want to tell whether it was a sincere or slightly jealous warning.

In short, Audrey knew that Sean was not half pretentious about her affection. But she can't be selfish enough to think that Sean will always be hers.

Compared to what happened to Princess Elizabeth, Audrey thinks she is happy enough.

However, Sean has no time to indulge in the love of children.

In June 1836, the Genoese National Army took the pledging to the north.

In addition to leaving the 1 infantry brigade of the 3rd Division as a local garrison, Sean personally led most of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions, as well as the cavalry regiments, artillery battalions and auxiliary units of the army, to the north.

The cavalry units that set out first had already crossed the Ott Mountains, and the rearguard had just left the barracks at Fort Pattum.

The march of more than 30,000 troops was not a simple task, and feeding the soldiers and taking care of the livestock was a test of the quartermaster's ability.

The soldiers and horses did not move, and the grain and grass went first.

Therefore, the logistics troops set out two months early, and they set up signposts along the marching route, set up military stations and predetermined camping areas, and stockpiled military supplies. This work reached its peak when Sean led a large army to climb over the Ultra Mountains.

The narrow trade routes in the Ott Mountains were a bottleneck for overland transportation, and the sappers used explosives heavily in advance to widen the transportation routes. This will allow large quantities of supplies to be transported by rail from Poitu to Fort Partenham with a slightly faster movement.

At the same time, the Genoese took advantage of the sea route to trace the west from the mouth of the Longjiang River to the west, and directly transported a large amount of supplies to Gael, which would be the foothold and supply center of the main force of the Nationalist Army in the north. God knows whether some of the military supplies that the Military Command Department promised to distribute will be in place on time and in quantity.

Completing such combat readiness work is a big test for the national army, and Sean uses this opportunity to test the coordination and action ability of the logistics officers under his command. Although there are always unexpected surprises, on the whole, Sean is quite satisfied with the performance of the logistics officers.

The officers were full of confidence, and these officers, who had been promoted by rockets because of the expansion of the army, had a kind of blind confidence in the war and were eager to establish meritorious deeds.

Sean showed a sworn invincibility posture in front of outsiders as well as ordinary soldiers, and he was actually very cautious.

This can be seen from the fact that he spent months preparing supplies, building military stations regardless of cost, preparing a meticulous transportation plan, and holding countless tactical analysis meetings.

Even Adrian Major, who is cautious, thinks Sean is a little too cautious:

"Count, you want to win so much, don't you want to put the glorious mission of defeating foreign enemies on your own? ”

"No, Adrian, war is the top priority of a country, and it is related to the life and death of tens of millions of soldiers and civilians and the survival of the country. Therefore, as a commander, it is not an exaggeration to be careful, especially since we are an army that has not been tested by the cruelty of war. Sean said.

"I was not afraid of war, because it would be the beginning of my glory, and I thought of it from the day the National Army was proposed. I only hope that through my personal efforts, this group of fanatical soldiers will shed less blood, and they do not yet know the cruelty of war. Even the officers of the former 101st Garrison Brigade had only participated in the counterinsurgency war, and they thought they had the key to victory, so how could those traitors compare with the Bilisians?

I had to strike a delicate balance between keeping morale and staying calm. Strategically, we must despise all opponents, even face difficulties, and have the courage to challenge, but in terms of tactics, we must attach importance to any opponent, and respecting opponents means respecting ourselves.

You must know that war is a matter of life and death for ordinary soldiers, but for a senior commander, it is an arithmetic problem, and casualties are just a number. ”

"Well, Commander, I take back what I said, you are now conscious of becoming a senior commander. This made me, a man of letters, more confident about the war we were about to face. Major shrugged, "However, our liaison officer has returned from Jiangbei. ”

Major is also now in military uniform, and Sean confers on him the rank of colonel to facilitate his presence in the army as an adjutant and a counselor. But it seems that Major is not quite used to the outfit on his body, because he always subconsciously examines his clothes.

"What does Marshal Lewis say?" asked Sean, "and your expression tells me that we don't seem to be very popular." ”

By order, Sean's troops were placed under the command of Field Marshal Lewis on the Western Front, and their enemies were the Bilisians, and the two sides had been facing off for a year.

The 200,000-strong army commanded by Lewis halted the Bilisians' attack, and at great cost to themselves, it seemed that the two empires had fallen into a battle of will and strength.

Although the situation has stabilized, the battlefield is in the heart of the empire, which is hardly satisfying.

Moreover, the Bilisians have reversed their repressive policy towards the occupied territories, and there are already signs of treating the occupied territories as their own, and the occupying forces have allowed the Europa people in the occupied areas to cultivate their land and feed them.

"The marshal ordered us to be stationed temporarily in Daguerre, and to stand by in place. Major replied, "The order appears to have been written by the marshal on a piece of letterhead, with only a very scribbled fancy signature." ”

"It seems that Marshal Lewis is somewhat unhappy with us. Sean nodded, pouting.

"It is not surprising that the Estates-General of Genoa have made us subordinate to Marshal Lewis, but have kept you firmly in command of the National Army, and you are not allowed to divide your forces into battle under another commander unless absolutely necessary.

This made the marshal haunted.

He was a veteran marshal, the most trusted marshal of His Majesty, and he would never allow such a challenge to his authority to exist lightly. "Besides, his troops have suffered heavy losses in the battle with the Bilisians, and I heard that they have been replenished many times. Outsiders like us would have the audacity to join him, making his subordinates and even himself think that we were here to steal the credit. Fundamentally, Marshal Lewis did not trust us. ”

"Okay. Sean looked away from the map and said to Perosa, the chief of staff of the legion who walked in, "Villar, are the 50 tons of food I asked you to prepare ready?"

"It's all ready, Commander. I have also prepared twenty cases of cigarettes, as well as some teas, fine cigars, and wine, which are reserved for the officers, at your request. However, the quality of the wines is average, and we are native to Genoa. Perosa said.

"In this situation, it's nice to get wine, which I've heard is also in demand on the black market in Daguerre. Villars, you immediately send someone to send these supplies to Jiangbei, and attach my request, the national army will send an officer corps to observe the battlefield, and I hope that Marshal Lewis will agree to this little request of mine. "Let our liaison officer privately tell the marshal's quartermaster that if the officer corps of our National Army is allowed to rotate on a monthly basis, and provides the necessary assistance and cooperation, they will receive this amount of supplies every month." ”

"Yes!" Perosa said, "but in the long run, it's not a small number. ”

"Haha, Villar. Sean laughed, "It's a fair bribe, and if we can make our officers feel the cruelty of war, and curb their impatience, it's worth it." ”

"I dare say that a considerable part of it will go into the pockets of the quartermasters. Perosa said.

"In times of war, when people are starving in the rear to support the front, how dare they do that?" said Major, angrily.

"This is the norm and the tradition of the army. Perosa shrugged, "It just so happens that under Marshal Lewis, I have several friends who are officers there, and they keep in touch with me, so this is by no means a slander against me." Mr. Major, it is precisely because of the war that a large amount of supplies come in and out every day that they are easy to start. In the military, the quartermaster has always been a fat gap. ”

"It doesn't matter, if they dare to accept it, I will dare to send it. "This reminds me that there is no room for self-sufficiency in our National Army. ”

"Commander. "I don't dare to say that there will never be such a black sheep in the National Army, but rest assured, I will never let go of any such signs." ”

Major frowned and said, "Commander, I don't think that serious discipline and the prestige of killing a hundred people alone will not prevent some people from taking risks to the greatest extent.

It's like putting a pile of gold in an unattended room, which is challenging personal ethics and inciting people to sin.

I think the key is to rely on a strict and perfect system, if there are not too many loopholes to exploit, so that even if someone wants to do such an ugly thing, it will only be a small fight, and it will not bring too much loss to the national army and will not harm the overall situation. Therefore, I suggest that it is necessary to set up a special auditing body in the army, we have more than 30,000 people, not a brigade, and the daily consumption of materials is not a small amount. ”

"Adrian, that's a good suggestion. Sean said, "It's up to you to take the lead." A new army like ours has no historical baggage, and we don't have to be confined to traditional ways of governing the army, and we even need to allow soldiers a channel to make accusations about the bad behavior of their immediate superiors. ”

Sean said to Perosa again:

"You and Herbert want to make every officer understand that we are not the Guards, nor are we the traditional Imperial Army, we are the Genoese National Army, and everything in this army is new, including our ideas.

If anyone is dissatisfied with the disciplinary rules I have set up and thinks that it is a distrust of him, then ask him to leave as soon as possible. If there really is a so-called tradition of the army, then in the national army, it is a tradition. ”

"Commander, the national army resolutely obeys your orders!"

Perosa immediately spoke.