On the way back to the underground station, Weiss was still at the front of the group. In the beginning, he had to scout cautiously at every fork in the road. However, as he walked, he found that in this dark sewer, the frequency of using the "human radar" had exceeded the limit that his body could bear, and the feeling of burnout became heavier and heavier, and the adverse effects of prostration became more and more obvious. There was no way, he had to slow down his march, try to perceive the environment with normal sight and sound, and only when he found something abnormal, he would sacrifice his secret skills again, and it turned out that the Norman army had not yet entered the sewer system of Austria on a large scale, and the hiders in those corners were all from the Federation. There were the remnants of the defenders, and there were also unarmed civilians - before the Norman army laid siege to the city, the federal army issued three proclamations asking the people of Austria to evacuate eastward according to the army's arrangements, and provided them with transportation and living arrangements, but for various reasons, about one-fifth of the residents of the city chose to stay. The percentage alone is not high, but the actual number of people is quite a considerable number.

Among the many who remained behind, there were those who believed that the Union army would be able to hold the city; Some people are reluctant to leave their homeland in their twilight years, and some people are worried because they can't get rid of it. Some of these people joined the AFS and volunteered to help the federal army treat the wounded, and some accepted the advice of the military to escape the fighting in relatively safe shelters, while others stubbornly stayed in their homes and left fate to decide whether they lived or died......

About three-quarters of the way through, the group came to a fork in the road that extended in all directions. Weiss told the soldiers to rest on the spot, take out the sewer distribution map, check the location, determine the route, and then conduct a full brain wave survey. This look reveals that one of the forks in the road has two motionless green dotted boxes. Judging by their readings, they should be healthy, full-blooded adult men, unarmed, and with the most basic combat effectiveness - slightly stronger than the "five scum of war".

In the dark sewers, in order to avoid a catastrophic misattack, Weiss whispered to his soldiers: "Attention, everyone...... There are people in front, but not enemies, it should be our people. ”

Weiss wasn't going to harass them if they didn't show up, but as the team re-advanced and passed through the fork, a deep but clear male voice came from a dark corner.

"Hey, guys, which unit are you from?"

"The 11th Corps of the Federal Army is a guard regiment." Weiss replied quickly, asking rhetorically, "Who are you?" ”

The other party did not answer, but a yellow beam of a flashlight appeared in the darkness, followed by the sound of slow footsteps. At this time, the footsteps behind Weiss stopped, replaced by the sound of objects rubbing against each other. Soldiers have neither night vision devices nor time-of-the-art identification systems for friend or foe, and in such an environment, it is only natural for them to instinctively adopt a posture of self-defense.

Weiss squinted and saw that the two frames were still green. Acting can deceive, but brainwaves don't. So, he stood composure and waited for the two men to slowly move closer.

By the light of the flashlight, the two sides looked at each other.

"Mr. Captain, although you look very young, you have a kind of composure that is unusual and valuable." The deep, clear voice said, "If all the officers of the Union Army are like you, there is no chance that the Normans will defeat us. ”

The man was tall and thin, with a simple mustache and a deep forehead tattoo, and should be around 40 to 50 years old. He wore no hat and an unembellished, unmarked field uniform, and looked like he was supposed to be a member of the Field Service. The other silent man was about the same size as him, with no beard and smooth skin, and was estimated to be in his 20s. He also wore no military cap or steel helmet, revealing a soldier-like head, but his physique did not resemble that of a soldier who had undergone long-term training, and he wore an unadorned and unmarked field uniform.

Moreover, when these two people stand together, the similarity of their facial features makes it easy for people to associate with their relationship.

"You look like civilians, you act like spies, but you're still civilians. I'm curious, who are you? Weiss responded.

The older man showed no surprise or hesitation, and replied calmly, "As you can see, we are indeed civilians. We used to be doctors in private practice, and then we joined the Field Service as first responders, but before we could do anything, we saw our army retreat, and if we hadn't run fast, we would have been captured by the Norman army. ”

Judging by the tone and content of this man, although he was disappointed by the embarrassed posture of the Union Army, he was also a member of the Field Service. He was ignored by the army in a moment of crisis, but he did not have a heavy grudge. Now that he has chosen to walk out and stand in front of Weiss, it shows that he is still willing to continue to contribute to this war to defend freedom.

"If every citizen of the Federation were as brave and resolute and righteous as you, the Norman Empire would not dare to spy on our land and resources." Weiss replied.

The other party's reaction to this compliment was as calm as Weiss had just now. The older man did not stand in front of the group, but took the young people with him, and automatically joined Weiss's group, and asked as he went, "Where did you come from and where are you going?" ”

Due to the exhaustion of energy, Weiss's physical strength gradually could not keep up, he took the rifle he was carrying, handed it to the new civilian, and said: "If I say that our small group of soldiers raided a Norman camp not long ago and killed dozens of Norman soldiers, do you believe it? ”

The middle-aged man, who spoke in a low voice but spoke clearly, took the rifle from Weiss's hand, and instead of fiddling with it, he held it in a non-standard posture.

"You killed dozens of Norman soldiers? Uh, I hope that's true. ”

"It's true." "There's no element of banter or pompousness. ”

"Hah! Are you the elite of the Secret Service? "The emotions of the middle-aged people are like stones thrown into the lake, causing ripples in circles.

"No, we are not part of the special forces. To be precise, we are scouts in a regular combat unit. Of course, our large forces have been broken up and have lost contact, and we are now in a position to fight on our own, to conduct an urban guerrilla war our way. Weiss explained briefly, sending out an invitation: "If you want, you can join us in the fight." ”

The elder replied unhurriedly: "With your wise eye, it should be clear that my son and I have no formal military training, nor do we have the skills and experience to fight, and even if we do assault training, it is unlikely that we will reach the level of standard. All we can do is work on medical emergencies, and if you don't mind, we're happy to help. ”

"We can't ask for your help." Wei Si said, "However, I have a little curiosity, after the loss of positions and the collapse of the troops, many soldiers have lost the confidence to continue fighting, what makes you not give up and be willing to continue to follow us against the powerful Normans?" ”

"Honestly?" The elder asked.

"Well, let's be honest!" Weiss replied in the affirmative.

The elder said: "Rationally speaking, with our current situation, it is very dangerous to move alone outside, even if we find a place to hide, without fresh water and food, we will not be able to survive for long." We have discussed that instead of losing our lives in vain, we should summon up the courage and continue to fight with our army, so that even if we die, we will die a glorious death. ”

Weiss pondered for a moment: "You are telling the truth. ”

"Besides, although we are not soldiers in the true sense of the word, when we go to the battlefield, we are fighting for freedom, just like you. You have a chance to be heroes of your country, don't we have a chance to be our own heroes? The elder continued.

Weiss turned his head to look at him, and although he couldn't see the outline of his facial features, at this moment, he could clearly feel the firmness on his face and the pride in his eyes.

"Actually, if you were able to stand up just now, you are already your own heroes." Weissdau.

The older man seemed to have finished what he wanted to say, and he stopped talking, and the young man who followed him remained silent from beginning to end. In this way, Weiss's night raid team lost one companion, two prisoners of war and two new reinforcements, and finally made it to their temporary location beneath the foundry. After meeting with the non-commissioned officers, Weiss learned that during the short period of time he had led his troops, the detachments had expanded their garrison area in accordance with his orders, and in the process, they had spotted many Union soldiers and civilians hiding in the sewers. As a result of the negotiations, more than 20 federal servicemen who had lost contact with the troops joined their ranks temporarily, and a considerable number of wounded accepted their help, and a few and a half were not seriously injured and could take up arms and continue the fight. As for the civilians, there is no good way to do it for the time being, except to provide them with food supplies, but to continue to hide from the fighting in this dirty, damp sewer.

"You're doing the right thing, and while food supplies are very important to us, we should do everything we can to help those civilians. Originally, I thought that this war was just a duel between armies and armies, but now it seems that the civilian population has no way to stay out of it. Weiss affirmed the actions of the non-commissioned officers. At this time, what came to his mind was the classic concept of "On Protracted War". It is true that the current Norman army is in full swing and seems to be difficult to defeat, while the Union army is losing and retreating, and it is undoubtedly cowardly and stupid to fall into defeatist sentiments and be swayed by the theory of national destruction, and to be willing to degenerate, or even to help and abet abuse. A truly brave man should face up to reality, face up to difficulties, correct his mentality, unite all forces that can be united, make use of all available conditions, and fight with the determination to never give up, regardless of victory or defeat......