Under the gaze of the huge guns of the Norman battleship, the Norman infantry in white combat uniforms lined up in a scattered line and advanced in an orderly manner through the forest. As they approached the main line of defense of the resistance, they found a man holding a white flag waiting for them alone in a glade.

The raising of the white flag is not a sign of surrender, but a request for negotiation - the two sides will suspend the fighting, allow the other side to send an envoy to explain the demands, list the conditions, and if they can negotiate, then the truce will be held, otherwise, the two sides will continue to fight each other until the winner is decided.

The leading Norman officer, with a raised hand, signaled for the group to pause. The man was burly, but not reckless, and he crouched down hundreds of feet away, carefully observing the situation in front of and behind the bearer of the white flag with a telescope. Seeing that there was no abnormality, he waved his hand and sent one of his subordinates to contact.

In the glade, Weiss held a twig with a white handkerchief tied to it. Seeing that the other party had sent a man over, he moved his shoulders and neck slightly, and unbuttoned the first button of his coat, revealing the guerrilla colonel's badge issued to him by the Union Army.

This was not a battle for him alone, but at his insistence, the surviving guerrilla fighters and federal army personnel were dispersed and transferred under the leadership of Colonel Kane and Major Ezerson. Given the bad weather and the complicated environment, all the non-combatants and the wounded were left behind – Weiss stood here with a white flag to fight for their survival.

The Norman soldier who had been sent in was tall, like a moving cloud pine. I saw him stride up to Weiss with his head held high and his chest straight, look him up and down, his eyes linger on the badge of his collar for a few seconds, and speak in Ulster, which is not very pronounced and grammatical: "Negotiator, report your military rank and name!" ”

Weiss replied without humility or arrogance: "Long Clumber Haisen, a guerrilla colonel appointed by the Union Army. ”

Hearing this name, the Norman soldier's face retracted some arrogance, and there was a little more respect in his eyes.

"Norman Army, Ouattara Musket Battalion, Sergeant 2nd Class, Horda-Genke-Pols."

"I am asking for a ceasefire in the name of the commander of the 'Lorraine guerrilla fighters', and I am going to negotiate with your commander."

There's no need for any greetings or compliments, just get straight to the point.

"Our commander is on the other side, hand me your weapon and follow me." The tall Norman soldier said in a condescending posture. At the end, he paused, "Invoking the terms of the 100-nation Marden Forest Convention, we will guarantee your personal safety here." ”

"I'm not armed." Weiss raised his hands to show the empty holster around his waist.

In this case, the sergeant did not force a search, but turned sideways and motioned for Weiss to follow him.

Weiss maintained a flag-raising posture and walked unhurriedly towards the opposite side of the clearing. Having made up his mind to keep the flame of the Lorraine Resistance launched by Somsonas at all costs, the first priority was to buy as much time as possible for the guerrillas fighters to evacuate, in addition to the safety of the unarmed personnel in the camp. He walked, observed, and thought. When you get closer, you don't have to use special vision to clearly see the Norman infantry scattered in the woods like wolves. As a result of the temporary cease-fire, they set up machine guns and machine guns behind the riflemen, and as soon as there was any abnormal movement, they could launch a fire assault and organize a defense on the spot when they retreated.

"The Ouattara Musket Battalion, it's the Southern Army, huh?" Weiss whispered.

The tall Norman sergeant who walked behind him gave an "um" but said nothing.

"That strong guy is your battalion commander?" Weiss continued, "However, I want to see your troop commander, the man who can control the situation here, he is probably not qualified!" ”

"I don't think you're qualified to make such a request." The tall sergeant said unceremoniously, "Even if there is, you have to mention it to him, not me!" ”

The bear-like Norman officer put away his binoculars, bowed his head, straightened his clothes, and stood up straight for Weiss's arrival. At that moment, a low whimper came from the sky. According to the prestige, although the huge Norman battleship barely moved, it was covered with "tentacles" all around it—those large and small naval guns, which were turning at a speed that was recognizable to the naked eye. Obviously, it will only sound the alarm and urgently adjust the artillery when it is threatened.

"Don't move, or you'll die!" A low, cold voice came from behind Weiss.

Weiss didn't move, but looked up at the sky. A few biplanes suddenly emerged from the clouds, and this scene suddenly ignited the flame of hope in his already desperate mood: if the Federation fighters could deal with the Norman warship, even if it was only to damage it or force it away, the battle in the woods would have a chance to turn around. Of course, the guerrilla fighters, who had already begun to disperse, had to regain their confidence and courage and rejoin this difficult battle.

To save non-combatants in secret camps from capture, and to fight the enemy to the death rather than embark on a long-term retreat, Weiss believed that the vast majority of guerrilla fighters were duty-bound.

It is a pity that a few attack planes, without adequate preparations, could not pose a threat to such a behemoth: they sometimes dived at high speed, sometimes circled at high speed, they shuttled and rolled in the rain of bullets, and they threw their bombs on the Norman battleships with all their might, and achieved effective hits one after another, but the target remained unmoved.

A Federal fighter plane was hit by artillery fire and exploded in the volley, which made Weiss's mind return to darkness.

From the time the Norman battleship sounded the alarm, it was only four or five minutes. Weiss and the tall Norman soldier were separated by a few paces, each looking up at the battle that took place in the air, as if they were two unrelated people eating melons. When the surviving Union fighters withdrew and the sky was calm again, the Norman sergeant named Holda spoke again: "Since you are still holding the white flag, then, keep going!" Guerrilla commander! ”

Weiss turned his head to look at him, and looked at the woods behind him, hoping that they hadn't turned back, for it was a futile and wasted of precious time.

After a while, the two of them finally came to the woods on the other side of the clearing, and they walked for seven or eight minutes, a few hundred feet away.

Standing in front of the bear-like Norman officer, Weiss was not at all stunned, and after reporting his home, he said in a loud voice: "I ask to see your commander, I ask for a fair negotiation!" ”

The Norman warship over the woods has moved its position due to the fight with the Union fighters. At this moment, the shadow it casts has covered the woods. Under this shadow, the Norman officer said contemptuously: "I wonder what makes you feel qualified to choose an opponent to negotiate here?" If you want to surrender, I can accept your surrender on behalf of the Norman army, and if you want to fight, then go back to your own battlefield and we will continue to fight. ”

For arrogant and unreasonable people, a low voice often only makes the other party more arrogant. Weston paused: "If you don't care about our comrades who fell at the hands of our guns, or if more will fall, then you can make a decision for your commander - either end the negotiations and continue to fight us, or break the rules of the battlefield that have stood for thousands of years...... Kill me! ”

The Norman officer snorted, his tone softened slightly: "How do I know you're not deliberately stalling for time?" ”

This question was in the same sentence, and Weiss was not a hairy boy who had just come out of the military academy, he looked up at the huge battleship hovering above the woods, and deliberately looked frustrated: "If delaying time is useful, I don't mind trading my life with you for a little time, even if it is an hour or two." ”

"If you're going to run away, of course delaying time helps." The Norman officer's tone was cold.

Weiss had no choice but to sigh: "But I have more than 2,000 civilians here, such weather, such an environment, where am I going to let them escape?" ”

The Norman officer thought for a moment: "As long as you take them with you to give up resistance, we will make reasonable arrangements for them." ”

"You can't promise it." Weiss unceremoniously pointed this out, "So, please take me to your commander!" ”

The burly Norman officer stared at him for a few seconds: "I can take you to the commander who is in charge of this battle, our Excellency the Military Governor of Lorraine, but I am afraid that he will not be able to give you absolute guarantees now." ”

After hearing the other party's words, Weiss couldn't help but feel surprised. He really came and personally commanded the battle, if it weren't for the appearance of this too powerful Norman battleship, it would be difficult to say who would win and who would lose this battle. However, the trouble now is not the siblings on the battlefield, but the meaning of the Norman officer's words: he can't decide, who can?

Thinking of that possibility, Weiss couldn't help but raise his head and take a closer look at the Norman battleship that was like a dark cloud. It is indeed unusual that it is so large, yet isolated in the occupied zone, far from the front line. Moreover, judging from its outline, this is a large battleship of the battleship class, but it is different from any kind of capital ship that has been seen before - maybe a special ship for special missions, but what kind of special mission is it performing?

Thinking of this, Weiss gritted his teeth: "If we fight to the death, then this tragic battle will make the people of Lorraine always remember the heroism of the resistance movement, and will become the spiritual motivation for the people of Lorraine to resist the occupation of the Norman Empire, and if we give up resistance, it should be of no less significance to you than adding a few divisions out of thin air, right?" ”

。 m.