Marlin's approach quickly solved Woolf. Esbrand's worries. After receiving the reply, Woolf. Esbrand decisively selected eight thousand elites and prepared to go south with Saqqara.

At the same time, he will leave behind two thousand veterans to stay in the Duchy of Schleswig. However, in order to prevent the 2,000 people who had escaped from the enemy's army, Saqqara decided to recruit another 6,000 people from the civilian population to assist the remaining 2,000 veterans to defend the city.

The specific arrangement is to leave 500 veterans and 3,000 people to assist in the defense of Schleswig, the capital of the Duchy of Schleswig. In the city of Libe, 500 veterans and 1,500 people were left to assist in the defense. In several other important towns, some veterans were also deployed to defend with the people.

Woolf. Esbrand also did not want to hold the cities of the Duchy of Schleswig, as long as several strategic points such as Schleswig and Ribe were not lost, and the Danes could be held back, even if they were successful. He and Saqqara marched south with an army of 18,000 to aid Marin's main force and try to defeat the Bosa coalition army.

It's just that on the route of the march, they have some difficulties. Because, Marin's request to them was not only to complete the mission of marching on Lübeck, but also to try not to detect them by the Bossa coalition army.

Because, if these 18,000 people are facing 50,000 Bossa coalition troops, they will definitely not have good fruit to eat. After all, the Bossa coalition army is not only numerous, but also not old, weak, sick or disabled, all of them are elite. In particular, the 20,000 Swiss mercenaries were not inferior to Marin's men in hand-to-hand combat with spears, and were even stronger.

Therefore, these 18,000 people not only had to go south for reinforcements, but also had to avoid the sight of the Bossa coalition army. It is best to sneak around the rear of the Bossa coalition and launch a surprise attack......

Looking at the map, Woolf. Both Esbrand and Saqqara scratched their heads. According to the normal route, it travels south from the Duchy of Schleswig, passes through the eastern half of the Duchy of Holstein under the control of Lübeck, and then goes directly to the city of Lübeck......

This is the shortest and most normal route. But Woolf. Esbrand felt that this was the least important way to go. Why? Because, the commander of the Bossa coalition army is not a fool, and he will definitely arrange a lot of scouts on this road. As long as you find the traces of the army, why don't you report it quickly?

After all, one of the leaders of the Bossa coalition army was "Zhuge Terre" III, known as the "German Little Zhuge ......

If the other side did not guard against reinforcements from the north, it would not be Frederick III. I can't imagine wanting to take this path and then complete the sneak attack.

So, Woolf, who is better at scheming. Esbrand directly repudiated this route. However, the 8,000 people who are currently staying in the border area between the Duchy of Schleswig and the Duchy of Holstein as a means of deception can be put to good use.

For example, let them march towards Lübeck with great fanfare, attract the attention of the Saxon scout cavalry, and cover the real army...... What is this move called...... At the beginning, Woolf. After Esbrand's surrender to Marin, he had studied the art of war with Marin for a period of time and knew this tactic. Therefore, the 8,000 people who were originally used to deceive the Danes might as well give full play to their residual heat again, and deceive the Bossa coalition army again before disbanding......

As for the fact that the Bossa coalition found out about this Minzhuang force used to deceive, that would be fine. It's a big deal to let these 8,000 people surrender without a fight, and when the victory comes, these people will definitely return to their own hands. Moreover, giving the other side 8,000 prisoners, and also costing the other side rations and wasting part of the army to take care of them......

By the time the other party found out that it was a fake reinforcement, the real troops had already detoured back to the rear of the Bossa coalition army. Then, launch a night raid......

Speaking of night raids, Saqqara doesn't have too much experience. At the beginning, when Marin taught his officers tactics, there were many tactics of night raids. For example, Saqqara's learning of encircling the enemy in fragments is an important principle.

In short, no matter how well the enemy is well prepared, as long as the camp is breached, the other side will definitely have a period of panic. Taking advantage of this time period, quickly intersperse the encirclement, isolate the enemy's large battalion in pieces, so that the enemy army cannot concentrate his forces, then the night attack will be stable.

When encountering an unsuspecting army, a night attack can easily make the other party bomb the camp, and there is no need to use hands. Even if they encounter a guarded force, as long as they divide and encircle it in time, the other side will not be able to make waves. Anyway, the one who comes first will always have the upper hand. Unless, the number of troops attacking at night is much smaller than that of the enemy. Otherwise, the attacked side will always be at a disadvantage. Unless, the opponent can be sure that the enemy will attack at night, and lay traps, and at the same time keep the soldiers awake all night, waiting for the enemy to fall into the net.

However, this is a rarity in Europe. Because, there is no such level of strategist......

After all, in ancient Europe, when fighting wars, it was customary to face each other head-on, and most of the knights were also brains. If you can know how to guard against night attacks, you can be regarded as a resourceful general. As for taking advantage of the other party's night attack, it is rare in China to trap the other party, let alone the ancient Europeans with fewer brain circuits.

Why Marin values Woolf. Esbrand? For the sake of this person, he even did not hesitate to lobby in person. It's because, Woolf. Esbrand is a rare European wise general who uses the tactic of flooding to defeat a tenfold enemy. At the beginning, Marin taught the "Thirty-Six Strategies" to Woolf. Esbrand's time, Woolf. Esbrand's eyes lit up the whole time......

Saqqara was only a young man, and although he learned a lot of military knowledge from Marin, he still did not have Woolf. Esbrand was cunning. After all, Woolf. Esbrand is a middle-aged man who thinks more comprehensively than Saqara......

……

After rejecting the route directly south, Woolf. Esbrand and Saqqara began to choose new routes. If you want to go behind the Bossa coalition army, from the Duchy of Holstein to the east, through the Duchy of Mecklenburg, directly behind the Bossa coalition army, it seems that it is possible. After all, the large battalion of the combined forces of Bossa was mainly in the southeast of the city of Lübeck. This is because the river to the southeast of Lübeck is the narrowest. Moreover, the Bossa coalition army is currently threatening the local people to reclaim the river in order to facilitate the siege of the city.

But this path, Woolf. Esbrand also denied it......

Why? Because, the Duchy of Mecklenburg was too deeply influenced by the Elector of Brandenburg. Even the Duchy of Mecklenburg may not really be of the same mind as the Elector of Brandenburg. However, due to the strong pressure of the Electorate of Brandenburg, there must have been nobles in the Duchy of Mecklenburg who secretly defected to the Elector of Brandenburg. When the time came, when the army passed through the Duchy of Mecklenburg, if a nobleman who secretly defected to the Elector of Brandenburg secretly reported to the Bossa coalition army, it would be in vain......

So, this path doesn't work either......

Well, all that's left is the route from the west......

The problem was that the detour from the west would have required the army to cross the wide Elbe, which required a lot of ferries. Moreover, the army could not go to the Hamburg-controlled zone. Because, in Hamburg, there must be spies of the Bossa coalition army. Once you are discovered, you can't do it.

Therefore, if you want to take the western route, you need to transport large military ships to the west bank of the Elbe first. Then, a little south of Hamburg, out of the sight of the spies of the Bossa coalition, they launched another river crossing and marched in the direction of the Bossa coalition camp......

However, at present, Woolf. In the hands of Esbrand and Saqqara, there were only twenty or thirty boats, which could only transport two or three thousand people at a time. With an army of 18,000, it is estimated that it will take many trips, which is a waste of time......

Woolf. Esbrand looked at the map and thought, while Saqqara said - there were not enough ships......

After a long time, Woolf. Esbrand suddenly said:

"Who said there weren't enough ships?"

Saqqara was a little stunned, but still said:

"I only have twenty or thirty troop carriers in my hands, of course not enough! Are you going to Emden to transfer ships to transport troops? In that case, it would be a waste of time to obtain a warrant from the Duke first, and then send someone to the port of Emden to transfer the ship......"

"No, we don't need to transfer ships from home!" Woolf. Esbrand said firmly.

"Where do you get the boat?"

"You forgot? O our ally Hamburg! They were Hanseatic cities with hundreds of merchant ships. Now that the war is tense again, we should not have a problem going to Hamburg to borrow hundreds of ships to transport troops......"

"But...... If you go to Hamburg to borrow a boat, will you be detected by the other party's spies? ”

"No, we will quietly contact the Hamburg Council and ask them to keep it a secret when they send the ship. If the sailors and captains of the ships do not know the mission when they go to sea, what can the spies find out? ”

"Moreover, I studied the map and found that in the Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg, south of Hamburg, there is an Elbe-Lübeck canal. It would have been more convenient if our troops had taken a boat directly along the 'Elbe-Lübeck' canal to the vicinity of Lübeck......"

"The Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg? Lord Woolf, you're not kidding, are you? That's Saxony...... Isn't it with the Elector of Saxony? ”

"No, you're wrong! Although the Duchy of Saxony-Raunburg also has the word 'Saxony' in its name, it has little to do with the Elector of Saxony. The Electorate of Saxony and the Duchy of Saxony were ruled by the House of Weting, while the Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg was ruled by the Askani dynasty, not by a family. ”

"Once upon a time, the Duchy of Saxony-Wittenberg, which is now the Elector of Saxony and the Duchy of Saxony, was also of the Askani dynasty, and they were originally one with the Askany family of the Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg, but later they were divided into two countries. However, in 1422, the Saxony-Wittenberg part was inherited by the Weettin family. Since then, the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxony-Wittenberg have not been one and the same. In fact, even if it is a family, the two countries have been separated for more than 200 years, and the relationship has long faded. What's more, the two countries are now divided into two families? ”

"And, as far as I know, the Duchy of Saxony-Launburg did not have a good relationship with the Saxon nobility, but with Lübeck and Hamburg. The Elbe-Lübeck Canal, which is part of the Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg, has the largest customers of merchants from Lübeck and Hamburg. The collection of toll taxes through this canal is one of the most important revenues of the Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg. Thus, the Duchy of Saxony-Launburg was closer to Lübeck and Hamburg, and less to the two Saxon states that also bear the name of Saxony. ”

Woolf. After all, Esbrand was old and knowledgeable, and he gave Saqqara a good popularization of historical knowledge.

Saqqara frowned, thought for a moment and said:

"That is to say, this Duchy of Saxony-Raunburg is a friend of Lübeck and Hamburg, and it should be fine for our troops to pass through their territory?"

"Yes, and we don't have to get the consent of the Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg. We drove the fleet of 18,000 troops directly into the territory of the Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg, and it didn't matter if the other party didn't agree. Anyway, they can't stop it. When the time comes, I will send the scout cavalry squad under my command ashore to intercept and kill the horsemen who are heading east. ”

"What kind of scout squad? Can you ensure that the interception is successful? ”

"It was assigned to me by Lord Sauer, and there were 50 men in all, all of them light cavalry on Arab horses. Moreover, each man wore three clockwork muskets, which were used exclusively to intercept and kill messengers on horseback. Those men were very skilled in shooting with clockwork muskets on their horses, and they were very good at riding horses, which were fast and stamina, and they were perfect for intercepting and killing enemy messengers and scouts! Our Second Legion, in total, only 50 such elite scouts. ”

"Shhh

"Why doesn't my England legion have such an elite? With such elite troops, how convenient it is to intercept the enemy's messengers! It's also convenient for the army to sneak attack! ”

"Come on, how long has your English Legion been formed? There is no official number yet, where is it possible to have such an elite scout? It is said that the Duke's headquarters is only 200 elite scouts of this interception type. After all, shooting and killing enemy messengers on the back of a galloping horse also requires a lot of skill, and ordinary people can't learn it. Therefore, the number of this scout cavalry, which is specially used to intercept and kill enemy messengers, has always been very small. The main reason is that the shooting skills on the horse are too difficult, and ordinary people can't hit accurately on the back of a galloping horse, and they may not be able to intercept and kill the enemy's messenger...... It was because the number of people was too small that I was worried that the 50 people who took the normal route in the middle would not have time to intercept and kill the other party's spies, so I chose the western route. After all, the other party must have planted a lot of spies near the middle road...... And if you take the western route, the other side has fewer spies, and it will be easier to intercept and kill......"

"Well, you're in luck. So, how do we make sure that we don't get caught by enemy spies when we pass through the river near Hamburg? You know, in the city of Hamburg, there must be spies on the other side. ”

"It's so easy that our fleet passed through the Elbe valley on the edge of Hamburg in the middle of the night. At the same time, let the Hamburg parliament declare a curfew, and no one will be allowed to go out at night. "Woolf. Esbrand said after a moment's thought.

"It's a good idea, once the curfew is imposed, the other party's spies won't be able to come out in the middle of the night to find out the news. If you dare to come out, you will be arrested directly! ”

"Of course!"

"However, the plan to borrow a boat from Hamburg and take the Elbe-Lübeck canal still needs the approval of the Duke. And the matter of borrowing a boat from Hamburg and suggesting a curfew in Hamburg, it is best for the Duke to come forward and coordinate, you and I are not so face-saving......"

"Well, I'll write a report!"

"Okay, I'll ......sign it when I'm done."

……