The western outskirts of Amiens are wild, flat and open, with sparse forests, and the hidden terrain is almost useless for marching and fighting. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 InfoOutpost reconnaissance unit of the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the 5th Marine Brigade of Germany, a platoon of modern cavalry, quickly traversed rough field roads and grassy uninhabited wilderness. Each rider was constantly on the lookout for movements, and as they advanced five or six kilometers west from the captured French position, they did not see a single French soldier or a single French cannon, as if they had pierced the battlefield into the undefended rear of the French army.

Beside a small bush more than half a man high, the young warrant officer Otto Wachervica and his naval cavalry stopped for a short rest. In front of the eye, in the middle of the open field, stands a striking three-story building, with a brown-yellow circular vault and a square body in typical Renaissance style. At the center of the building, a fence wall encloses a large area of verdant grass and tall trees, and a gravel path is faintly visible.

"Sir, can we spend the night there tonight?"

One of the horsemen under Warrant Officer Wachervica stared at the beautiful rich manor, probably thinking of the storehouse full of bacon, the cellar full of barrels, and the soft and comfortable bed. In the German Navy, although the Marine Corps was a new branch of the army, and the level of military salaries and logistical support in non-war conditions was better than that of the surface fleet, the traditional spirit of Prussia was to promote simplicity and humility, except on major festivals, the food on the military table was rationed, and it could only fill the stomach and not pursue luxurious taste enjoyment. Now that they have arrived in the enemy's territory, the soldiers need to sleep in the open air, march hard, and constantly risk their lives to fight the enemy, and the mental and physical body is like an oppressed spring, and various ways are needed to release this pressure, and the delicious wine and meat are naturally the spoils of war that these occupiers can easily enjoy at their fingertips.

The warrant officer looked up at the sky, it was getting westerly, if it was an ordinary field march, it was time to find a camping spot, but today was the first day of the Marine Corps' participation in the battle, and the two Marine brigades captured Amiens in one fell swoop at a huge cost, and took the initiative to advance to the depth of the French army. However, in order not to discourage the enthusiasm of his soldiers, he replied ambiguously: "I hope so." ”

The surrounding cavalry suddenly jumped with joy.

Warrant Officer Wachevica left his mount, took his tools from his binoculars, and looked at them for a while. The building's high roof was ideal for reconnaissance and sniping, but the French would not have turned a blind eye to it - they would have set up observation posts there to keep track of German activity in the area.

"But we have to occupy it first, maybe a bunch of French soldiers have already used it as a nest?"

With that, the warrant officer let the binoculars hang down to his chest and took off the short-brimmed gray military hat that was custom-made for the Marine Corps. He didn't like the pointed steel helmet, its leather structure had no protection against bullets or shrapnel, and it was especially hot in the summer, and the cloth military hat was much better in that regard.

Hanging his military cap on the handle of his mount, Warrant Officer Wachervica combed his hair with both hands. At this time, he was wearing a field military uniform in the style of army cavalry, with field gray breeches and pure black cavalry riding boots, such a fashionable and stylish outfit was in line with the temperament of the new cavalry -- the continuous increase in the degree of industrialization has brought new changes to the weapons of war, and the definition and essence of cavalry have also quietly changed. Considering the special form of operation of cross-sea transportation and beach-grabbing landing, the cavalry units under the jurisdiction of the German naval infantry unit are far less than those of the army, and each marine brigade is usually equipped with only one brigade cavalry communication company and a number of regimental cavalry platoons, and the riders' mounts have been replaced by motorcycles instead of war horses in the past!

Daimler's automobile factory made the world's first motorcycle in 1885, and for more than 20 years, Daimler devoted itself to the development and manufacture of engines, Mercedes-Benz focused on the development of automobiles, and the practical application of motorcycles went faster in Britain and the United States, especially the British Triumph and the American Harley. Until 1912, the German Friedrich shipyard invested 600,000 marks and Mercedes-Benz company jointly invested in the establishment of a motorcycle factory, the initial scale and output of this factory was very limited, but with the acceleration of the pace of German expansion, orders rolled in, by the summer of 1914, it had the ability to produce 20 "Lightning" motorcycles per day, and its performance was not inferior to the military models produced by Triumph and Harley.

Today, Warrant Officer Wachervika's cavalry reconnaissance platoon is equipped with mounts that are all domestically produced "Lightning" motorcycles, which get rid of the original prototype of bicycles and small engines, and have strong cross-country maneuverability, with a top speed of up to 70 kilometers per hour on the flat, and can run nearly 300 kilometers with a full tank of fuel, and the cost and maintenance are more affordable than traditional military horses.

The German Navy's new cavalry units had many similarities with the traditional cavalry in terms of formation. A standard cavalry reconnaissance platoon consisted of a platoon headquarters and four cavalry squads, each with 6 men and a full platoon of 28 men. Soldiers usually carry a Type 98 cavalry rifle or a Madsen light machine gun, and officers and non-commissioned officers are issued a Luger 08 or Mauser C96.

For the sake of prudence, Vachervica sent two two-man reconnaissance teams, with binoculars, to return to the north and south sides of the manor separately to conduct visual reconnaissance of the situation inside the manor at a distance of seven or eight hundred meters. If there are French combat units deployed in the manor, even if all the soldiers are hidden in the house, there will be traces outside, and even if there are French snipers in the manor, it is not easy to accurately snipe moving targets with rifles at such a distance, if machine guns are used, it means that the French army does regard it as a stronghold, and this is beyond the ability of the cavalry reconnaissance platoon of Wachervica, and the problem should be solved by the large forces behind.

After the two-man reconnaissance group set off, Wachervica unhurriedly pulled out her pistol and carefully wiped it. He was a lover of the Ruger pistol and wore a Navy version of the Ruger 08 with a barrel 50 mm longer than the standard model, and was correspondingly more powerful than the standard model issued by the Army.

In Wachervica's eyes, this Luger pistol is not only a work of art with exquisite workmanship, but also a reliable weapon for killing enemies on the battlefield and self-defense. Since the outbreak of the war, he has been practicing his marksmanship day and night, but the Marines have not been given the opportunity to fight, which has left Wachervica often feeling sad and lost. Now that he finally got the opportunity to fight on the battlefield, he couldn't wait to show his skills, but his duty was to take advantage of the fact that most of the companies and platoons of the 2nd Naval Infantry Brigade had been able to engage since the Battle of Amiens began, but his reconnaissance platoon had not fired a single shot.

The moment when the sword will be unsheathed sooner or later, Wachervica comforted himself in his heart, and at this moment, he faintly felt that the opportunity to pursue honor was getting closer and closer.

"Sir, they're signaling...... Everything was normal in the manor, and there was no hostile situation. The orderly at the platoon headquarters reminded in a whisper.

Vachevica hurriedly raised her binoculars, and the two reconnaissance teams were already in position, and they used the motorcycle lights to send a signal that there was indeed no hostile situation.

The young warrant officer scratched the back of his head, put on his military cap, waved his big hand, and led the platoon personnel straight to the manor. The four men swaggered through the fields and along a straight dirt road to the main entrance of the manor. Wachervica parked her motorcycle in front of the door and knocked on the knocker on the large iron door herself.

After a while, a gray-haired janitor appeared behind the iron gate, looked at the dusty German riders with a little surprise, and then said a few words of French.

"This is war, and we have the right to enter to make sure that there is no hiding of your fighters, to temporarily requisition it for non-military purposes, and to use a certain amount of force in a civilized manner if forcibly stopped."

Warrant Officer Wachervica pronounced it in German, but the other party apparently did not understand a word, and the janitor began to babble in French. Wachervica had no intention of dwelling on him, and with a calm face, he pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the janitor. The other party shouted a few words angrily, and opened the iron door from the inside tremblingly.

Wachervica triumphantly put away her pistol and left her two men at the door, riding into the manor with only the orderly. They circled the gravel road inside, and it seemed that there were indeed no French soldiers hiding here, and including the janitor, in the vast manor, Vachervica saw only five men in total, and none of them were men of military age.

The Frenchmen looked at the two intruders with strange eyes, especially when Vachervica walked up the steps in front of the main entrance of the building with a body of dust, and the two maids looked terrified. Vachervica didn't stop there, he drew his pistol and crept into the main hall, but there was no ambush he feared. Just like the understated yet stylish exterior of the estate, the interior furnishings of the building have been carefully furnished to give a relaxed and comfortable visual feel.

According to the specifications of this building, it would take at least half an hour for two people to walk separately, and Vachevica only went to the place he wanted to go the most, and he climbed to the roof of the building, standing on the only commanding height within a radius of several kilometers, and suddenly felt that everything was under control. However, when Vachervica took out her binoculars and looked around, she suddenly saw a group of cavalry approaching in the northwest direction, and the atmosphere turned into a shock. He watched intently for a moment, and his mind quickly calculated his next move: the group of French cavalry looked to be more than two hundred men, nearly ten times the size of his cavalry reconnaissance platoon, and was most likely armed with heavy machine guns and light artillery. Based on the previous lesson, it is unlikely that the French would use these cavalry to directly attack the German infantry line before the sun went down, and they could not commit so many cavalry in a mere reconnaissance mission, and their purpose was probably to wait for an opportunity to attack the German troops after nightfall. Judging from the current time, it is likely that they will stay in this manor for a short time.

"Anton! Anton! ”

Wachervica called out the orderly's name from the rooftop, still in front of the main hall, a few steps away from the motorcycle, and the five Frenchmen stood there in large numbers—much to Wachervica's relief.

The orderly raised his head and responded, "Yes, sir. ”

At this moment, Wachevica, not caring whether the French in the manor could understand German, said loudly: "Go to the gate and signal our men to come here as quickly as possible, and you go back to the regimental headquarters as quickly as possible, and tell Colonel Weissmann that we have found a battalion of French cavalry, and they are coming here, and that we will continue to probe their intentions, and that there may be an exchange of fire with them." Do you understand? ”

Surprised, the orderly hurriedly mounted his motorcycle and sped towards the gate of the manor.

(End of chapter)