From afar, Weiss spotted Stephen Chow hiding near a fir tree. Upon approaching, I saw that the pilot was very cleverly concealed - he hid in a pit and made a cover out of branches, which was pasted with mud and sticked with dead grass blades, and even from a very close distance, it was not easy to see that it was a man-made object.

"You're a master of disguise." Weiss praised it heartily, "It's a very good way to not miss us when we pass by, and it's the safest way to do it." If there is one drawback that must be found, it is that it is afraid of rainy days, and the rain can easily wash away the camouflage. ”

"I'm also a contingency plan." Stephen Zhou smiled wryly, "I'll have to think of other ways to wait until it gets dark, this thing doesn't keep warm." ”

"There is an old saying in my hometown, if you keep the green mountains, you are not afraid of no firewood. For soldiers, senseless sacrifices should be avoided, because it is not easy to train a qualified soldier, and it takes dozens or hundreds of times the cost and time to train a pilot. It is wise to keep useful and return to the battlefield as soon as possible. Weissdau.

"So, you're here to search and rescue parachutists?" Stephen Chow looked at the two colleagues who were following the group. They don't know each other, but they can tell from their outfits. All three were pilots of attack aircraft groups, and attack aircraft were also the type of aircraft with the highest number of equipment in the Federal Air Force.

"No, we're just dropping by." Weiss replied, "Our first task is to take a dam, which is garrisoned by some Norman soldiers. Of course, we won't let you get directly involved in the fight, and once we succeed in taking it, you'll be quickly transferred. ”

Stephen Chow nodded and said no more.

The group continued towards their destination, and after walking for a short time, they came across a group of Norman soldiers on horseback. Although they could use flying ships to rescue parachuting pilots in Lorraine, now that the battle is fierce, they are at a disadvantage, most of the ships are put into the battlefield, and there are not many who can be dispatched to carry out rescue missions. In some relatively remote places, it is still necessary to be assisted by ground forces.

Stephen Chow followed the guerrillas into the woods, and in his mind the guerrillas were supposed to avoid engaging the enemy forces head-on, but as the Norman cavalry drew closer, he saw the leading guerrilla commander signaling to his companions. The guerrillas raised their weapons one after another, as well as two sets of light mortars and three light machine guns that used magazines to feed ammunition, such force seemed to have exceeded his speculation about the guerrillas, and the next battle scene made him even more stunned: the guerrillas seemed to be all marksmen, and as soon as the commander gave the order to fire, they swept down many Normans with a dense rain of bullets, and after two minutes of suppressive shooting, there were less than ten Normans alive resisting. In this case, the guerrillas rushed down the mountain like tigers, and the enemy was crushed, and the last few Norman soldiers who tried to evacuate were shot accurately.

The battle, from beginning to end, lasted only five or six minutes, and the Norman cavalry was completely wiped out, while only two wounded on the partisan side. Regrettably, the bullets were eyeless, and the enemy's horses were killed and wounded. If you can capture a few horses, the rest of the journey should be much easier.

Stephen Chow followed the partisans to clean up the battlefield, picking up a rifle and some ammunition from the fallen Norman soldiers, while the other two pilots did not pick up Norman weapons like he did because they were carrying matching guns.

Seeing the tall pilot carrying the Norman rifle on his back, Weiss said to him, "Do you intend to defend yourself, or do you want to join us in battle?" If you're just thinking about self-defense, you can swap clothes with our people. You also know that the Normans were always very mean to our pilots. If only one of us makes it back to the rear, we will leave this precious opportunity to you, not ourselves. ”

Stephen Chow stared at him for a few seconds and said, "I don't mind going into battle if necessary, and besides, I'd rather die with the same honor as an ordinary warrior than become a Norman prisoner of war." ”

This old man's temperament is very much recognized by Weiss. He patted the other party's arm and said, "Don't worry! Although our first mission is to capture the enemy's river dam positions, I will not let you take the risk lightly. Your lives are much more precious than those of the Normans, and perhaps before we reach the dam, I'll find a way to get you to move to our control. ”

Stephen Chow did not thank him, but watched quietly as the partisans took off their coats and trousers from several relatively intact Norman corpses, and picked them up along with their armed belts, water bottles, sapper shovels, and other belongings, and asked, "Are you going to disguise yourself and sneak into the enemy position and take it?" ”

"This is the most common tactic used by our guerrillas, to be able to surprise and win with minimal losses." Weiss replied, "Not every time, though. We are ready, we use what we use, and we just use it if we don't. ”

Stephen Chow asked a few more questions about the dam, and Weiss didn't hide it, explaining to him why the Federal Air Force didn't bomb the dam.

"It is admirable that you are Lorraine, you love this land deeply, and you protect it with your courage and wisdom, even if the enemy is extremely strong, and you will not give up easily." Stephen Chow lamented, "I had read about you in the newspapers back in the last war. I didn't expect that when the war came again, you would still be as brave and tenacious as your predecessors. ”

Hearing this, several of the guerrillas next to him laughed, and Weiss laughed too.

"In the last war, we did the same. As for the seniors you are talking about......" another partisan interjected, "and the one standing before you is none other than the famous Lorraine guerrilla hero of the last war, the head of government of our federal state of Lorraine and the commander of the reserve forces, Chief Clumber Haisen. ”

Hearing this, Stephen Zhou was stunned, he couldn't believe his eyes, the young man in front of him seemed to be a commander with a lot of experience and combat skills at first glance. If there is any difference from others, his calmness and calmness make him a little different, but it is limited to that. He never imagined that such a small guerrilla force would be led by the governor of the federal state of Lorraine, and just now, he had no scruples about fighting a group of Norman soldiers.

"In Lorraine, everyone is a warrior for freedom, so the enemy can occupy it, but he can never conquer it." Weiss said proudly.

After quickly cleaning up the battlefield, the group continued to move forward. After a short walk, Weiss led them into a bush where they could rest for a while. Stephen Zhou was surprised by this arrangement, knowing that the battlefield they had just fought with the Normans was less than ten miles away, so they were not afraid that Norman reinforcements would rush over?

He turned his gaze to Weiss, a man with a legendary aura sitting on the ground, taking apart a captured rifle and studying it, then expertly assembling it back. He saw Stephen Zhou's doubts, and said to him with a smile: "According to normal thinking, the guerrillas will definitely evacuate quickly after ambushing the enemy's regular army, so even if the Normans send people over, they will not have too much vigilance in this vicinity." We took a break here to adjust our condition and prepare for the longer road ahead, and secondly, if the enemy's reinforcements arrived, we could just give them a hard blow. ”

"What if the enemy comes with a large force?" Stephen Chow voiced his concerns.

"With the current situation, it is unlikely that they will pull out a large force. If that were the case, we could have called in the Air Force to deal with them. Weiss snorted with his mouth and signaled that he was accompanied by a communications corpsman. The communications soldier carried a radio station and could contact the Federal Air Force if necessary. If the enemy is deployed here and hundreds or thousands of people, it is precisely the target that meets the appetite of the Federal Air Force at the moment.

As a general, you need to be bold, careful, prudent and flexible. Stephen Chow admired the guerrilla commander even more. He sat down and enjoyed the food offered by the partisans, which was delicious except for the absence of heat. Judging by the markings on the cans, this is a newly arrived standard picnic food from the rear, which means that the partisans are not an isolated existence.

However, wouldn't repeated battles with the enemy here affect their combat mission against the river dam? Stephen Chow was curious, and he looked at the young guerrilla commander, speculating on his thoughts at this point. The war has been going on for so long, and the aviation units have been engaged in fierce confrontation with the enemy, and their tactics are also flexible and changeable, rather than going in a straight line. Even in one-on-one combat, the mind is especially important, especially for an attack aircraft pilot like him. In the face of enemy fighters, attack planes do not have absolute superiority in speed and firepower, and must use mature flight skills and tactics in order to get rid of the enemy's pursuit and even achieve counter-killing.

In his previous combat experience, Stephen Chow shot down six times, two of which were enemy fighters, three were bombers, and one flying ship. It is not surprising that attack aircraft shoot down bombers, and it is not surprising that they can take out enemy flying ships, but it is very difficult to shoot down enemy fighters. Those two battles are still vivid in my mind. It is precisely because of this way of thinking that Stephen Chow is curious about the combat line and style of this guerrilla force.

By the time they had replenished their strength with food, Norman reinforcements still did not appear. It seems that in the case of the whole of Lorraine turning into a battlefield, the enemy may not notice the state of such a reconnaissance detachment. Even if I find something, I'm afraid it will be a long time later.

Weiss continued to lead the team until it was dark. Stephen Chow thought they would spend the night in a hidden place, but only after a two-hour break, the guerrillas moved on. Night marches are not easy to detect by the enemy, but at the same time it is easy to fall into the enemy's trap. Stephen Chow couldn't help but ask the guerrillas what they could do to ensure safety on the night march.

The partisans told him that, firstly, they knew every inch of Lorraine and knew the terrain by heart; Second, they have a magical commander who is best known for their night raids. The guerrilla also spoke with great interest about the classic battles that took place in Lorraine, including the raid on Slane, as well as the attacks and ambushes against the Norman army, which Steven Chow listened to with great interest.

Although there is no need to be wary of marching during the day, marching at night has to fight against the environment. Walking through the dull woods, you will occasionally stumble over tree roots and potholes, and the road is quite awkward. In the second half of the night, the fatigue deepened, and when they took a short rest in a wood, several people sat there and fell asleep.

"Sir, we are about 20 miles from our destination, and Desser's detachment should be waiting for us in the mountains ahead, and if nothing else, they will arrive there around midnight. Do we send a team to scout the front and make sure they're in place? What about the pilots? Do you want to stay with us, or do you want them to stay behind and see what happens? ”

Stephen Chow vaguely heard the guerrillas asking their commander for instructions.

"There are fir trees on the mountainside on the north side, and I think there are our pilots there, and there seems to be a fire on the east side over that col - there was just now, and I may not be able to see it now, it is probably an enemy pilot." The guerrilla commander said to his men, "Moore, you take two men to the north, remember the fir trees on the mountainside, I can't be mistaken." Pick up our pilot and bring him here as soon as possible. Parker, you come with me to the front and see if there is really an enemy pilot. The rest of us are resting here, Booker, you're in charge of arranging the guards, and we'll be back in about an hour. ”

Although Stephen Chow was very sleepy, he thought it was very strange, and thought that he did not need to participate in the battle against the river dam, so he volunteered to come forward and said, "I want to participate in your operation too." In fact, I slept well last night and have been doing well for a while lately and should be able to hold on. ”

The young guerrilla commander looked at him and responded cheerfully: "No problem, come with us for a long time and experience the feeling of guerrilla warfare." Of course, you have to listen to me, and if there is a firefight, you must protect yourself first, and we will try to solve the troubles. ”

"Don't worry about me, I'm also a veteran of the army for ten years, and this obedience is still there." Stephen Chow replied.

The tasks were assigned, and everyone went their separate ways. Carrying a Norman rifle and an ammunition box, Stephen Zhou followed closely behind the partisan commander and the partisan he had handed. Three people move much faster than a team marches. With a clear objective, it took less than half an hour to approach the suspicious area described by the partisan commander. Stephen Monday had a stomach problem, but in this case could only remain absolutely quiet, and they crept forward gently. As he walked, he saw the commander suddenly raise his right hand, motioned for everyone to slow down, and then said something in Norman.

Although Stephen Chow was not proficient in Norman, he still learned some from his companions out of combat needs, and knowing that it was probably a kind of greeting, he was very nervous, and even quietly pointed his gun at this legendary guerrilla commander. Although he wasn't sure what kind of situation awaited him, the special status of flying made him extra vigilant. A moment later, there was a response from the darkness ahead, also in Norman.

The guerrilla commander answered a few more words, and after a while, a man slowly walked out in front. The partisan commander was heard shouting "Catch him" in the Ulster language, and the accompanying partisans rushed up with their commander to the left and right, as if they had expected it, and pressed the man to the ground. By the time Stephen Chow walked over, the two of them had roped the man up and snatched the pistol from him.

The man was furious and said something in Norman, but the partisan commander was unmoved.

"It's amazing, how do you know he's hiding here? How do you know he's Norman? How do you know he's going to be fooled? What did you just tell him? Stephen Chow couldn't help but throw out this litany of questions.

As the administrator of Lorraine, the commander-in-chief of the Resistance, and the commander of this guerrilla force, Weiss did not have to explain so much to a pilot, he said perfunctorily: "As I said, this is a powerful power of observation and a magical intuition, which is usually very effective, but it may not be relied upon when it matters, so it is so." ”

"Shall we take him back and escort him with us?" Stephen Chow asked.

"Yes, I told him that he was already our captive and that he would have to live by following us. Otherwise, we'll bury him in a pit, and he'll never see his family again." Weiss said.

Stephen Chow certainly knew that Norman pilots were the focus of the Union Army's attention, and that normally, captured Norman pilots would be held until the last minute. For example, the Norman pilots captured in the last war were the last to return to the Norman Empire in the exchange of prisoners of war.

"Does he believe it?"

"I can't believe him." Weiss responded, "We must win this war, and it won't be long before our army enters their homeland, and this time we will most likely have to kill their capital." Aren't three wars in quick succession enough for us to make up our minds to completely dismantle their ability to fight? ”

When it comes to the strategic aspects of high-level decision-making, Stephen Chow has never liked to talk to people, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have his own opinions.

The group returned to the temporary rest point, and it was only a little more than an hour before and after. The rest is not long enough, but at least it can relieve everyone's fatigue a little. In order to reach the target position at the expected time, Weiss encouraged everyone to move on despite fatigue. Towards dawn, they reached the upper reaches of the Moore River, north of Lorraine.

As the horizon gradually brightened, a river dam appeared in sight. It is built by the river, about sixty or seventy feet wide and about forty feet high, and is considered a medium-sized dam. Upstream is a series of mountains, and downstream of the dam is a relatively open river valley, but the river valley is still forested on both sides.

With the "super" observation and intuition of the guerrilla commander, they were able to meet up with the other guerrilla force without any problems. On the way here, the partisans also rescued two Union pilots, who, according to them, fought the Norman pilots along the way. Because of the exchange of fire, which attracted the attention of the Normans, they had to run all the way, and the result was two hours earlier than expected.