Major Woodley waited three days, not for Marshal Lewis's summons.

He asked the members of the observation group to wander around the headquarters to inquire about the news, and finally let him find an opportunity.

The marshal was going to inspect the front, and it was said that the marshal was preparing to organize a counteroffensive. It will be a massive operation, because the marshal has been busy with this for the past two months.

Woodley had the members of the Observation Officer Corps fully armed and on horseback behind the Marshal's brigade, whose uniforms, which were very different from those of the Imperial Army, finally caught the attention of the Marshal's Guards, and even caused quite a commotion.

"Let their lead officer come forward and talk. ”

Lewis had forgotten about the Genoese.

Perhaps it was his previous attitude that caused misunderstanding among his subordinates on the left and right.

"Major Peter Woodley of the National Army, salute His Excellency the Marshal!" Woodley rode up to the Marshal and dismounted in salute.

"Major Woodley. Marshal Lewis returned the salute on his horse, and he glanced at the Genoese group and said, "Are you still used to living there?"

"It's okay, after all, we are soldiers, and we are here to fight, not to vacation. Woodley replied.

"And where do you live?" asked Marshal Lewis in passing.

"An old warehouse next to the officers' club. Woodley Road.

Marshal Lewis was slightly stunned, he knew that the place was really not a place where people lived, and he even clearly remembered that he had executed a group of spies there.

In fact, the Genoese were now extremely important to the war, especially after the resumption of sea transport, and it was mainly the supplies from the south that supported the war.

Yes, Marshal Lewis was a little unhappy with the southerners, especially the Genoese, especially since the northerners had already paid millions of casualties for the war, while the southerners kept complaining about the safety of the rear.

However, this kind of neglect is a bit excessive, because it is too obvious, making people think that it is their own instructions.

"I'm sorry, but the city was once occupied by the Bilisians, these hateful enemies have destroyed many of the buildings in the city, and they want to destroy our civilization. Now more than 200,000 of our army are crowded into the city, so you can't find a good place to live. Blame this damn war!"

Woodley naturally accepted this explanation, saying:

"First come, first served, besides, the place where we stayed was spacious enough. Your Excellency, we ask to be able to accompany you to the front, so that we can see for a long time. ”

"That's as it should be. Major, let your men follow me. Marshal Lewis readily agreed.

He even had Woodley follow him as a representative.

"I heard that Count Connelly brought thirty men and horses?" said Marshal Lewis.

"Yes, Your Excellency, the entire national army is willing to accept your command. "At the moment, our commander is on standby in Daguerre. ”

"Well, thank you. Marshal Lewis said, "At present, the Western Front has 500,000 troops, and I don't need too many troops here for the time being, because feeding these 500,000 people is a more important thing than fighting the enemy." ”

It was a refusal, and Woodley had been prepared for it.

According to the intention of his own commander, the national army is willing to go to the front line, and he is also mentally prepared for the unfortunate sacrifice of officers and soldiers, but if His Excellency the marshal is not prepared to use the national army, the commander does not mind too much, and it is regarded as a luxurious version of a quasi-war operation.

"Your Excellency, our observation group would like to be authorized by you to allow us to approach the battlefield, of course we promise not to interfere with the actions of our former enemy commanders. Woodley took the opportunity to state his purpose.

"Absolutely. Field Marshal Lewis nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed on the rifle that Woodley was carrying, "This gun doesn't seem to be the same as the standard rifle?

"Absolutely. Woodley took his rifle down and put it into the marshal's hand.

"No flint?" exclaimed Lewis.

"Allow me to demonstrate to you. Woodley Road.

Woodley quickly demonstrated to the marshal the rear-loading center-fire metal rifle that used a rotating pull-back bolt reload and successfully hit a target on the side of the road.

"It's a good gun, it has a lot of advantages, but it's not well equipped. "It even uses brass shells, which is too extravagant." ”

"But all of our National Army have been re-equipped with this rifle. Excellent design ideas alone cannot be manufactured, high bore pressure requires good steel, and it happens that Genoa is not short of advanced smelting technology. "Its range, accuracy, and, most importantly, rate of fire are not comparable to a flintlock pistol, and if massively equipped, I dare say it would even change warfare." ”

His words made the marshal very irritated, and the marshal did not have a good face for a long time.

"The marshal was angry. Daniel whispered in Woodley's ear.

"I know. Woodley replied, "Luxury is also a form of power." ”

At this time, Marshal Lewis reined in his war horse and turned back and said:

"Major, I would be grateful if the National Army could provide us with a batch of these new rifles for trial. ”

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will certainly convey your opinion to our commander!" said Woodley at once.

"Good!" Lewis had a hint of joy on his face.

Leaving Jobosa, about ten kilometers north, there is a line of rivers and low hills, and the enemy and our armies occupy the commanding heights on the north and south banks of the river.

Except for tentative attacks at night when there was a gap between the two sides, there was only intermittent displays of artillery fire from both sides. For most of the day, both sides were recuperating.

The Bilisians seem to be even more tired, and there are even deserters in their army, who are actually Europa, and the Bilisians are undermanned, and they force the Europas in the occupied territories to take up arms and fight their own compatriots.

The Europa side also had no ability to take the initiative to attack, and a large number of well-trained soldiers had been exhausted in the war a year earlier, and the lack of supplies and the prolonged stalemate had created a sense of war weariness among the officers and soldiers.

But this situation is not in favor of Europa, after all, the war is taking place within the borders of their own country, and the Belisian have a tendency to keep the occupied territory in operation for a long time. If the Belisiens gain a foothold, it will be even more difficult to defeat them.

This was also the reason why Marshal Lewis was desperate to organize a counteroffensive, and he desperately needed a victory to boost morale. Apparently he was also under increasing pressure from the Holy City.

The closer you get to this front, the more you can feel the atmosphere of war. From time to time, you can see soldiers and people transporting supplies, and occasionally there is the sound of artillery.

Lewis had his guards hide behind the hills, while he led a few men up the hill to observe the other side of the river.

With a bang, a cannonball flew in a whistling manner and landed on the mountainside.

Marshal Lewis scolded his subordinates who were too nervous about his personal safety, and continued to watch with his binoculars.

The Bilisians built a large number of bunker-like fortifications, from which the shells were fired, because they also had to defend themselves against the attacks of their opponents.

Farther away, Lewis could see the Bilisians driving prisoners and Europa civilians to deliver supplies.

The local commander told the marshal that the Bilisians had treated their captives with cruelty and that the crimes they had committed were too numerous to mention.

This was not Marshal Lewis's concern at the moment, asking:

"How are the armaments of the Bilisians?"

"We took a few prisoners, and the Bilisian soldiers had only thirty buckshot each, and they ate very poorly, sometimes only one meal a day. But when their soldiers were against us, they always avoided firing the first shot. The commander replied, "Our soldiers are always too nervous, and they start firing their guns when they are far away from the old enemy, and the hit rate is extremely low. As soon as we fired the first shot, the Bilisians were very close to us, and our view was already blocked by smoke......"

"Courage is more important than marksmanship. Marshal Lewis mused, "What about their cavalry?"

"The cavalry of the Bilisians is good at shocking, but recent intelligence shows that their cavalry is in difficulty, and I heard that the war horses are very unaccustomed to the water and soil here, especially the recent hot weather. ”

"Maybe it's a disinformation. "Never underestimate the cavalry of the Bilisians, I knew it when I was twenty years old." ”

"Yes, Your Excellency. The former enemy command bowed his head and said, "However, the Bilisians have very few cannons, and they lack the necessary ammunition supplies. Even in the fiercest battles, their artillery can't do us much damage......"

Before the commander's words fell, a series of cannon shots rang out, heading straight for the top of the mountain.

Perhaps the Marshal's distinctive purple uniform was too conspicuous, and the Bilisians suddenly attacked. Countless Bilisian soldiers jumped out of their bunkers and bunkers and, under the cover of artillery fire, began to advance towards the river beach.

Marshal Lewis simply watched the whole process of an offensive and defensive game.

It was a rare opportunity, and Woodley's observation group also felt a short but fierce battle on the spot:

The Bilisians braved the fierce artillery fire of the defenders and went down the river in a slightly loose line, some of them were unfortunately shot and fell into the river, while the rest continued to advance on the opposite bank.

Inevitably, there were also people in Europa who were shot and fell. The Bilisian marksmen hid among the rocks and trees on the opposite bank, firing cold guns.

Not to be outdone, Europa's hunters fought back, taking advantage of the large number of men and the longer range of their rifles.

The fortuitous battle, which lasted half an hour, resulted in a total of 300 casualties on both sides.

Woodley was keenly aware that the Biliss had a slightly shorter rifle range, which made it necessary for them to shoot closer to their opponents, which may have been one of the reasons why they were more courageous.

The Bilisians seemed to have the superior command skills of the officers on both sides, and their soldiers were able to continue the battle under the restraint of the officers, even if they suffered heavy casualties.

Marshal Lewis went to the front this time and decided to reward the front-line troops - giving each soldier a pack of cigarettes.

Woodley discovered that the cigarette was made in Genoa, and that it was produced by a Genoese tobacco company for the National Army.