It was seven o'clock in the morning when Kildener was woken up again - nearly thirty minutes later than he had asked Moritz to wake him up - on purpose. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

"One report for another, Commander. You were also thirty minutes late when we changed shifts early this morning. Moritz triumphantly handed a cup of coffee to Kildener. Freshly cooked. ”

Kildener took the coffee, but instead of touching it, he placed the cup on the cabinet next to him and asked, "What did the Boers do?" ”

Moritz shook his head. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"They set up positions about three hundred and fifty yards from us and did nothing else." Moritz explained that his expression and tone showed that he shared Kildena's confusion about the performance of the Boer soldiers. "I thought Piet wouldn't be so strict about the ceasefire."

"Our Mr. Captain must have made a small move." Kildener affirmed, but then his tone became less certain, "I have a very bad feeling. ”

"We're in some trouble, Commander. Do you remember what I just said? Moritz drank the last bit of coffee in his cup, and continued, "The Boer position is three hundred and fifty yards from us. ”

"It's amazing." Kildener kicked a piece of wood out with all his might.

Three hundred and fifty yards. Of course, at this distance, both mercenaries who have undergone rigorous shooting training and Boers who are good at hunting in the vast African savannah can maintain a fairly high level of shooting accuracy, but mercenaries are mainly armed with submachine guns and carbines, one with an effective range of only 110 yards, and the other with an effective range of 400 yards, but that is only a theoretical number, and in actual combat, mercenaries can use it to shoot at targets beyond 300 yards at most. In contrast, the same troubles did not exist with the Boer Mauser rifles.

"There are only a few automatic rifles that work, but I don't think they can do much." Moritz shrugged, "If we leave this house, we will be targeted by the Boers." ”

"That is, we are trapped by the Boers." A voice grumbled frustratedly behind them. The two mercenaries turned around and saw Churchill, who had a calm face on the surface, looking at them with disappointed eyes. "It seems like our fugitive journey is coming to an end."

Moritz quickly exchanged glances with Kildener and then took a step towards Churchill. "Things haven't gotten that bad, Mr. Churchill." He shrugged his shoulders uselessly as he struggled to squeeze out an awkward smile, "We still occupy this house and can hold on to it, any attack by the Boers will be quickly thwarted." ”

"But we can't stay here forever." Churchill reminded that "sooner or later ammunition and food will run out, and the Boers can call for reinforcements." ”

"That's true." Moritz nodded, and then began to emphasize the advantages of the rescue force, "It is also impossible for the Boers to stay here forever. This area was far from the area of occupation by the Boer army, but close to the lines of the British army. The potential military threat would force Piet to retreat as quickly as possible. Of course, it is possible that he will stubbornly continue to surround us and call for reinforcements, but it will take a whole day for the nearest Boer cavalry to arrive. ”

Churchill took the coffee from one of the mercenaries, took a sip, and then shrugged his shoulders in the same posture Moritz had just done. "A whole day isn't too long, is it, Mr. Moritz?"

"At least we have a full day—"

"Maybe we won't have to wait all day." Kildener suddenly cried out, "Look! ”

Moritz and Churchill hurried to the window and looked out in the direction indicated by Kildener. A Boer with a white flag was walking towards the house occupied by the mercenaries.

"It's Sergeant Hoffman." Churchill said his voice was so low that he could hear it almost alone.

"What does he want to do?" A mercenary asked.

No one answered the question - Kildenner, Moritz and Churchill, their attention was on the Boer soldier, watching him come closer and closer, without any other movement, not even the habitual exchange of glances - and then Moritz cried: "Stop, just stand there." You're close enough. ”

Hoffman immediately stopped.

"What does your captain recommend?"

"The Captain wants you to release the hostages." The sergeant replied, "Then you and we will fight and end the battle with dignity like real soldiers." ”

"What!" Moritz was stunned—Hoffman's words almost made him think there was something wrong with his ears; Look at Kildener and Churchill, and they were no less surprised than he was. "Free the hostages? Sergeant, your captain is not joking. ”

"This is a serious and serious request. The Captain believed that, as civilized people, we should maintain the necessary gentlemanly demeanor and observe the minimum morals, despite the brutal war we are waging. The sergeant exclaimed, "Let people who have nothing to do with the war leave, especially women and children." ”

"I think ......," Moritz was about to say something, and Kildener interjected, "and we refused." The hostages will remain here until the end of the battle. At the same time, I would like to make a suggestion to your captain. He glanced at Moritz, "If your captain really cares about the safety of these hostages, then he'd better lead you in a retreat at once." ”

"What did you say?" This time it was Hoffman's turn to be surprised—Kildener's suggestion made the sergeant feel that the guy who made it was either a madman, or was turning into a madman, or that he was going to play a clumsy joke. With only five hostages, and ordinary farm dwellers, it was demanded that the Boer army, which had absolute superiority, retreat? It is absolutely impossible for a normal person to make such a suggestion.

Of course, he could not say his assessment bluntly, so the sergeant changed to a relatively euphemistic one. "I didn't hear your advice clearly."

"I advise you to retreat at once." Kildener repeated it in a louder voice.

It's really crazy. Hoffman sighed helplessly and in disgust, put the white flag away, and turned and walked slowly back to Piette. He didn't repeat the request—it wasn't necessary, Piette had already heard it. Of course, everyone knew that he would never accept it.

Now, he's only going to do one thing. However, Hoffman still needs to be confirmed. "What should we do, Captain?"

"Attack."

"Understood, Captain. Now start attacking. The sergeant nodded, passing the order to the next sergeant, who saluted him and ran away. It didn't take long, maybe just a few minutes, for several Boer soldiers to appear in the sight of Churchill and the mercenaries pushing a field gun.

"Hell, a field gun!" Kildener was the first to cry out, "Where did Piet get that?" ”

"Maybe from some nearby farm." Moritz speculated. Churchill looked at the gun, then explained, as a retired artillery officer, "It's an old front-loading gun that has been phased out by the Army...... Probably a six-pounder gun. The Boers should not have prepared shrapnel and grapeball. ”

"Even if they only have ordinary shells, this dilapidated house can't hold up." Kildener gritted his teeth and stared at the field cannon and the Boer soldiers who operated it, "Who can take them out?" ”

He was answered first by a moment of silence, and then someone shouted, "It's too far." ”

"It's too late." Moritz also shouted and threw himself to the floor, "Shelling, find cover!" ”

Before he could finish his words, the noise of the cannon firing reached everyone's ears, along with the sound of wooden planks cracking and falling to the floor, and finally, someone began to scream.

"Welker has been shot!"

"Bandage him. Others take cover on their behalf. Moritz shouted, got up from the ground, grabbed Churchill's clothes, and dragged him out of the room, "Go to the basement, Mr. Churchill." Now only there is the safest. ”

Kildener also ran over and handed Churchill a pistol. "Now you have to defend yourself, Mr. Churchill."

Churchill stared at them for a moment, but did not say a word until the end. He took the pistol, nodded, and pulled open the basement door and slipped inside.

Moritz breathed a sigh of relief, then tensed again. "We're in real trouble." He reproached, "You shouldn't have said that......"

The shells are coming again. Kildena turned his face sideways and raised his hand to block a large shard of wood that was being shot at him. "What did I say?"

"You say, 'I have a very bad feeling,' and you're right."

"Oh, I'll remember not to say that again next time." Kildener nodded to Moritz and cautiously ran back to the window. About a platoon of Boer soldiers was rushing out of their positions, and the sound of Mauser rifles sounded at this time, providing cover for the men.

"Prepare for battle!" Kildena shouted. A hole suddenly appeared in the wall to his left.

"Damn Boers." The commander cursed, raised his gun, aimed at the fastest Boer soldier, waited a few more dangerous seconds, and then gave him a bullet.

More noise joined the chaos.

※※※

Charles. Major Cowen was enjoying his breakfast: with a bit of aristocratic elegance, he tore off a small piece of bread, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly, then swallowed it, took another sip of coffee, pondered for a few seconds, and then repeated. The breakfast had already taken him twenty minutes, but the Major was not in a hurry, as if he did not feel the passage of time at all, as if he was not in a dangerous battlefield, as if he was now traveling rather than fighting.

The junior officers and enlisted men of the cavalry battalion were not without opinion of the absurd style of the Major, yet no one had the ability and courage to persuade him to change it—offending the superior officers was not the right and tolerable act in any British unit. As a remedy, junior officers can only order soldiers to do what they should do while their commander is killing precious time, such as setting up camps, arranging guards, and such as reconnaissance. And to the comfort of these officers, Mr. Major usually does not mind whether the orders they issue exceed their authority, as long as they can do things well enough—it is not an exaggeration to say that he can temporarily delegate any power to any officer except one power.

Of course, this means that Cowen is only a dispensable character, and even if he stays in Cape Town, the officers can manage the cavalry battalion well; But on the other hand, he was a figure of great importance: the power he never gave to his junior officers, it was the right of belligerence.

Without his orders, not a single unit of the cavalry battalion was forbidden to take part in the battle on its own initiative, even if a Boer unit was nearby and unsuspecting.

However, if this were the case, the officers and soldiers of the cavalry battalion were confident that their commander would never spare the unlucky Boer army. Because the Major needs a brilliant victory more than anyone else so that he can quickly be transferred out of this damned land.

The only problem is that the cavalry battalion has never encountered this situation yet - but the opportunity always arises.

A cavalry squad rushed into the camp of the cavalry camp at high speed, and the sergeant who led the team dismounted and walked directly to Cowen's side, panting, and saluting him with an irregular military salute. "Major."

Corvin raised his eyelids and glanced at him, then continued to deal with his breakfast unhurriedly, without saying a word. The interrogation was taken over by a captain who had just walked over. "What did you find, Sergeant?"

The sergeant turned to the captain, saluted him, and replied, "We have found a Boer army, close to one hundred and fifty men, about three miles from here, attacking a farm—"

"Boer Army?" Corvin interjected. When he heard the word, he was immediately interested. "You say there's a Boer army attacking a farm three miles away?"

The sergeant had no choice but to turn around and look at him. "Yes, Major."

"Why did they attack that farm?" The captain asked. One hundred and fifty Boers attacking a farm? This thing is rather strange.

"I don't know, Captain." The sergeant shook his head, "But the Boers must have wanted to take that farm, and they even got a field cannon." ”

"Field artillery?" The captain mused, "It doesn't take a hundred and fifty soldiers and field guns to deal with the farmer, it may be our people who occupy the farm." He turned to Corvin, "Major, I think it is the troops of the expeditionary force that are under attack, so I ask to lead a cavalry company for reinforcements." ”

"No," Cowen refused, "I will personally lead the troops to rescue our compatriots." Captain, assemble troops. He pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it, "Fifteen minutes later." ”

"Fifteen minutes?" The Captain almost shouted, "Major, we should go at once-"

Cowen motioned for him to stop and told him, "Captain, we're cavalrymen. The cavalry never arrives in advance, only at the most critical moment, and now is not that time. ”

"But, Major, ......"

"Execute the order, Captain. The troops departed fifteen minutes later. ”

With that, Cowen lowered his head and went back to dealing with his breakfast.

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Advertisement: "Black Flag" [1219827], Sister Zi's new book [Strictly speaking, it's not a new book, but I've updated too little in the last two months, and I'm only advertising now], comrades who like "Three Thousand Beautiful Girls" and "Bully" can go and see it, and if you don't like it, you can also go and see it (to be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )