For Weiss, Slien was a blessed place. In the last war, when he led the Lorraine army and civilians to launch a vigorous guerrilla war, the battle of the ambush of the Norman convoy outside Huslien was the first beautiful battle they won after raising the flag, and after the defeat of the Lorraine guerrilla war, he did not sink, but after a period of hibernation, he led the guerrilla advance force back to Lorraine, and won a surprise victory at Slien. Later in the war, the earth-shattering battle at Slane became a turning point that changed the course of the war. In that battle, Weiss and his partisan advance party staged a Jedi battle that severely wounded the Norman crown prince - and it wasn't long before the hapless man died and the Normans accepted a truce due to bitter political fighting.

Back in Slane, Weiss doesn't have much time and energy to relive the glory of the past. The battle on the ground was raging, and after suffering a series of heavy losses, the Normans were prepared this time. They are like strong sharks, fighting the hunters. It's a life-and-death battle, and the hunter never wants such a huge prey to slip away from his hands, and the prey is ambitious and looking forward to a great counter-kill......

It was a foggy early morning when the Federal Air Force transport ship arrived in Slien airspace with Weiss and his reserves. The two sides fought fiercely for two days, and the smoke of artillery fire made the fog in the mountains even thicker, in an era when there was neither high-precision radar nor infrared detectors. It is difficult to penetrate the fog to accurately judge the situation on the battlefield, and the approximate location can only be deduced from the abrupt mountains exposed outside the fog. Both sides are able to use fireworks signals, the Federalists are signaling the direction of their own air forces, and the Normans are sometimes answering their aviation units, and more often they are interfering with the communication of the Union Army - on the battlefield, the troops on both sides are staggered, you have me, I have you, it is difficult to separate, it is not difficult for the Normans to know the signal methods they use from the mouths of captured Union soldiers, and they can also pick up a lot of signal tools from the corpses of the dead, even if they can't let the Union Army fight their own people, It is sufficient to make the aviation units dare not rashly launch a ground attack.

At the sound of a hurried alarm bell, the transport ship began to descend. Although these behemoths have a sturdy steel body and can easily crush trees, that doesn't mean they can ignore the terrain and climate, and if they're not careful, they can still be damaged or even lose power in the foggy forest.

Standing in the open doorway, Weiss used his special vision to observe the height of the transport ship and the situation below, and there were many red dotted boxes in the nearby mountains and forests, which were enemy soldiers. The fog blocked the view of the flying ships, and it also made it difficult for the Normans in the mountains and forests to accurately judge low-flying targets, not to mention that they carried out rapid raid operations and did not carry heavy equipment, even if they did not pose much threat to low-flying targets.

Observing that the transport ship was about to land, Weiss turned around and shouted to the officers and men of the reserve force in the cabin: "Attention! We landed immediately, there was no enemy within range, everyone assembled according to plan! Assemble in order! ”

Commanders lead by example, and being on the battlefield is always the best way to boost morale. When the transport ship landed in a slightly stiff manner, Weiss took a deep breath, did not have time to savor the smell of moisture mixed with gunsmoke on the battlefield, and immediately jumped out of the cabin, beckoning the reservists to land and assemble.

The landing ground is located in the middle of a valley and is an open area. With a line of sight of no more than 200 feet, thanks to good preparation, the soldiers of the reserve detachment quickly left the ship and assembled on the north side of the valley, and did not suffer any casualties during the rapid landing.

"Hello, Mr. Officer! The 1904th and 1906th Reserve Battalions of the Lorraine Reserve came to report! ”

"Thank goodness you guys were on time! Hey, it's you! I know you, Chief Clumber-Haysen, and I spent a few months under you in the Lorraine guerrilla advance unit, do you remember? ”

"Yes, yes, I remember you, your name is Past, and you were a detachment commander at that time...... Look, you're now a qualified Army Major! ”

Weiss confronted the liaison officer of the ground receiving force at the edge of the woods. This is not the first time he has met his old subordinates and colleagues on the battlefield. The round-faced officer in front of him was wearing a field uniform, and the collar badge on the collar indicated his rank.

If it weren't for his early retirement from the regular army, Weiss might have been a very young general by now, and no matter how bad he was, he would have been close to the rank of colonel or brigadier general. It's not a bad idea to abandon the military and go into politics, at least for now, to make more and more positive contributions to the so-called hometown of Lorraine.

He has never regretted this.

"What's going on?" Weiss got straight to the point, "As I flew in, I saw what seemed to be a fierce battle in the mountains and forests on the north side, and from the momentum of the fighting, I felt that there might be a battalion of the enemy, maybe more or less. ”

When he followed Weiss in guerrilla warfare, this officer must have seen his magic. Hearing what Weiss said, he nodded again and again: "Yes, that's right, sir, your judgment is very close to the actual situation. We think that the enemy army there may be half a regiment in size, and it is normal to have more or less. They occupy a mountainside position, and when we rushed up to try to outflank them, we were ambushed in the valley, so the situation was a bit tricky...... As you know, our units are subordinate to the 39th Assault Division, to be precise, the 39st, 392nd Combat Regiments to which the 392nd Assault Division belongs. ”

These assault divisions are upgraded versions of the defense divisions produced by the military reform of the previous war, and their troop composition and equipment allocation have been optimized to a certain extent, and most importantly, they are prepared for battle. In peacetime, key officers and non-commissioned officers were retained, and training was maintained with a intensity close to actual combat, while in the event of the outbreak of war, a large number of reservists entered the troops. With officers, non-commissioned officers and veterans as the absolute backbone, plus reserve soldiers for rapid establishment and running-in, and then go to the battlefield. In general, assault divisions are 60% professional soldiers with 40% reserves, while defense divisions are usually 50% professional skills with 50% reserves. These two formations are a great improvement over the traditional units of the past, so in this sudden war, the Federation Army will be better able to cope and perform than at the beginning of the previous war.

"My two battalions are mainly reserves, and there is no way to compare with you in terms of organization, so on the battlefield, I must keep them as concentrated as possible, and divide the troops into two ways at most."

After hearing Weiss's words, the major expressed his understanding, and he led Weiss to the side of the bunker, where there was a field telephone. He grabbed the phone and connected to the headquarters, reported the reinforcement of the reserve troops to the commander on the other side of the phone, and then he handed the phone to Weiss: "It's General No-Bakar, our division commander, and he wants to talk to you on the phone." ”

At the last moment before boarding the transport ship and heading for battle, Weiss received information about the numbers and commanders of friendly forces, this General Bakar he had met several times, coincidentally, both had studied at the Deelefig High Staff Academy, but General Bakar was ten years before him, and he was only a school student. Aside from this level, there isn't much intersection between them.

On the phone, General Bakar expressed his gratitude to the reserve troops in a deep voice. After all, after the initial stage of the last war, the Federal Army no longer independently organized the reserve troops into combat units and put them into the battlefield, and this time the Battle of Lorraine coordinated by General Arteus was an active and active combat operation under the condition that the other fronts were very tight, and all its front-line troops were fully mobilized, and in this case, the reserve troops were also a last resort.

Not to mention the role of these two battalions of reserve reinforcements in General Bakar's mind, Weiss was still confident that he would lead them to a good battle with the enemy in front of him. One of the two battalions took part in the Battle of Russell Air Base and the Battle of the Wallens, and the other battalion also took part in the Battle of the Wallens. After the battle, the reservists were more accustomed to the battlefield than before they entered the battle, and the victory in two successive battles increased the confidence of the reservists in the face of the Normans.

After some politeness, General Bakar also went straight to the point, he instructed Weiss to lead two battalions of reserve troops to advance north, take over the starting position of the 392nd Combat Regiment, and prepare to resist the enemy's tactical counterattack after entering the position, so that the 392nd Regiment could free up its hands to devote its forces to the siege of the enemy. This kind of deployment is very suitable for the battlefield form, and it is also a deployment that suits the actual characteristics of the respective troops. Weiss gladly accepted, then bid farewell to Major Past, and led the two reserve battalions that had arrived on the battlefield to move north.

For Weiss in such a battlefield, it is like a cow and a cow, and he is at ease. With two battalions of reserves, he arrived at the position of the 392nd Regiment very quickly. After communicating with the commander of the unit, although the other party was hesitant and worried, it was General Bakar's order, and they resolutely carried out the order, and the officers and men of the two companies left behind all moved forward.

In places that cannot be seen with the naked eye but can be peeped by special vision, the officers and men of the 391st and 392nd regiments are flanking the more than 1,000 Norman troops. They were tactically very advantageous, and although the enemy occupied the mountainside with his back to the hillside, and seemed to be more than able to advance or retreat, in reality there was not much room for maneuver, and the two regiments of the Union army were each on the one side and flanked the Norman positions. If the commanders of the two regiments had been more courageous and perceptive, and had launched a series of strong attacks at this time when the Normans were unable to give full play to the advantages of accurate shooting in the fog, there was a high probability that the numerical and tactical superiority would have been transformed into the fruits of victory - more than 4,000 federal officers and soldiers would have been able to flank the Normans in the situation of fighting on home soil with sufficient mental and physical strength, and it would not be difficult to win. This advantage became even more pronounced after the reinforcements of the remaining troops of the 392nd Regiment, and the Normans clearly felt the increased pressure of the battle, and if this continued attrition, they would be defeated sooner or later. Therefore, their commander decided to maneuver while the fog had not yet dissipated.

Aware that the firepower on both sides was strong and the frontal firepower was relatively weak, they resolutely launched a frontal counterattack, as General Bakar had predicted before. The situation suddenly changed and the Union troops were caught off guard by the task of frontal feints, and lost many positions at the first charge of the enemy, and when the enemy regrouped and launched a second attack, they retreated to the two flanks, so that the gate of the middle was opened, and the Normans arrived in front of Weiss in less than a quarter of an hour.

In the fog, what the officers and men were most worried about was not the sudden appearance of the enemy, but the accidental injury caused by colliding with their own friendly forces. With Weiss in the formation, the officers and men of the reserve force absolutely did not need to have such worries, even if they could not judge themselves, the commander's instructions were the guidance to them.

When the Norman counterattack came to the front of the position, the troops of the two reserve battalions immediately poured fire on the front at the order of Weiss. At a distance of three or four hundred feet, the Normans who threw themselves into the counterattack were like hitting the muzzle of a gun. In the face of the explosive fire of the defenders, they had no time to dodge, and in an instant, a large number of men and horses fell in the rain of bullets. Not only that, but Weiss's reserve troops were well equipped with machine guns and mortars. In the face of the enemy, they did not hesitate to use all of this firepower, even if they would run out of ammunition in a few minutes, even under Weiss's clear orders.

This ferocious defensive fire killed and wounded a small half of the six or seven hundred Norman soldiers who rushed down the mountainside. Although the absolute results are not much, you must know that the more than 1,000 Norman soldiers fought with the regular troops of the Union Army four or five times their own for a day and a night, and the two sides suffered casualties on both sides, and this short confrontation in front of them caused the Normans to lose almost a company of troops, which is rare in such a battle. After curbing the momentum of the Norman counterattack, Weiss immediately contacted the 391st and 392nd Regiments - at this time the field telephone lines on the battlefield were intermittent, fortunately, the 391st and 392nd Regiments, which were on the way to the Normans from the starting point of the attack, were still in communication, and they received information from Weiss's side that the Normans' frontal counterattack had been contained, and the best way at the moment was to reverse the direction of the attack, carry out a feint on the enemy troops on the mountainside, and launch a flanking attack on the enemy troops coming down the mountain, Annihilate the enemy's living forces between the mountainside and the position at the foot of the mountain.

After Weiss reported himself home and analyzed the battle in succinct terms, the two regimental commanders decided to take his advice and change the direction of the attack. After a short time the sound of gunfire and explosions on the battlefield was intertwined, and Weiss and his reserve troops stood firmly on the field of the starting point of the attack, waiting for the two combat regiments to strangle the Norman troops. After about an hour, the situation on the battlefield gradually became clear: except for a few Normans who remained on the mountainside to continue to resist, the enemy fresh forces that fought back were all damaged by the 391st and 392nd battle groups, and the rest were also scattered.

At this point, Weiss selected a detachment from each of the two reserve battalions to join the battle group to clear the small enemy forces that were stubbornly resistant.

After another hour or so, the Union forces captured the enemy positions on the mountainside with iron determination, and the battlefield finally fell silent, and all that remained was to clean up the battlefield. As he passed through a meadow full of corpses, Weiss saw several wounded Norman soldiers carrying a dying officer, although his face was covered in blood, Weiss could tell at a glance that this person was Lieutenant Notts, who had hated him so much in the previous war, that the Norman officer who had been with General Sedlintz and was in charge of him and Nikolai in Somsonas, and in the end he could only watch the "prisoner" escape from the flight research base in a way that left and went...... It seems that this guy seems to have been assigned to a front-line combat unit, and after all this time, he has only risen one level in rank, and he is a captain in a marine unit.

At the sight of Weiss, Notz's eyes widened and he immediately turned disgraced. Weiss did not taunt him, but looked at him quietly, and said in Norman: "You have once again set foot on the territory of the Commonwealth, and once again we are fighting for our freedom. We finally met on the battlefield, and hopefully this will be the last time. ”

Notts endured the pain and sneered: "As soldiers, we have our own duties, and when the commander orders us to move forward, we can only move forward." ”

This attitude of blind obedience came from the mouth of a veteran Norman officer, and Weiss did not find it strange at all. He didn't argue with the other party about his philosophical interest, but asked curiously, "Why are you here, and not with that promising noble general?" Did he come to Lorraine too? ”

Notts shook his head: "Why am I here?" Speaking of which, isn't this due to you? ”

Even if the other party didn't elaborate, Weiss understood that it was his courage to jump into the air that caused this Norman officer with a special mission to make a major dereliction of duty, so that the originally good future was ruined. This is fate, and the best response to the Normans.

Weiss said no more, and before parting, Notz said hatefully: "I suppose that it will not be long before Field Marshal Sedlinz will become the occupier of Ulster." By that time, if you're still alive, you should have a chance to see him again...... Of course, when you meet again, you will still be a prisoner, and he will still be the victor from above, and there will be no possibility of reversal of this contrast. You, Lorraine, and the entire Federation, will be firmly trampled under his feet. ”

"It's impossible!" Weiss replied-for-tat, "Evil can never defeat justice, and your aggressive ambitions are the most evil force in this world!" ”