Berranch's sacrifice was both a shock and a sad inspiration to Gastens and his team. Upon learning of the killing of Berlanchir, the fighters of both the guerrilla brigade and the production brigade swore revenge, blood for blood and tooth for tooth. However, in the face of such an indignant mass emotion, Gastens was still able to calm down. He carefully examined the equipment carried by the slain cavalry and the materials he could find, and sent a large number of scouts to reconnoiter the movements of the enemy's 17th and 18th armies, and soon discovered the enemy's problems.

"Guys, there's a new problem," said Gastens on an unnamed knoll, sharing information with his comrades, "the enemy's 17th and 18th armies are marching at a terrible pace, and there seems to be an idea of making a U-turn." Judging from the arrangement of their troops, it is likely that they want to force us to fight a decisive battle again. ”

"Isn't it enough to suffer this kind of loss once?" , Ivan smacked his lips, "Our advantage lies in the superiority in firepower, the superiority in range and the flexibility not to use formations, and it is only the fool who fights them in a decisive battle." I think we'll continue to harass them, kill as many of them as we can, and when the bullets are nervous, we'll go back to Elena and prepare for defense. ”

"Harassment and another ambush must be a must," Gastens nodded, glancing at Larenz Warren, who was sitting on his left. He was the commander of the 2nd Regiment of the former Guerrilla Brigade, and became the acting commander of the Guerrilla Brigade when the brigade commander Bellanchr was killed, the fate of the 1st Regiment commander Oleg Warren was unknown, and the commander of the 3rd Regiment, Rivi Warren, took the initiative to make concessions and recommend. Perhaps because of the relationship between the newly became brigade commanders, Larentz Warren was still a little shy and had no intention of speaking.

"But we must always adhere to an important principle of guerrilla warfare, which is to do what the enemy does not want us to do. Now that the enemy is no longer on the march, and there are no other targets around, it seems that they are trying to force us to fight again here. Ideally, then, we should avoid it, or wait for an opportunity, or just return to Elena. You can't fight a battle when and where the enemy wants. Now that they want to engage us head-on here, we just won't let them get their way, continue to observe, strengthen intelligence gathering, and prepare for retreat. This is what I understand, the core idea of guerrilla warfare. How can we make the enemy uncomfortable, how can we come. ”

"But Chief, the fighters are very emotional now, and if they don't fight, I'm worried that the fighters will have mood swings," Ivan said.

"That's what I'm worried about," Gastens nodded, "plus I'm holding my breath in my own heart, it's not impossible to find an opportunity to use our advantages to fight and leave as soon as I touch it." What do you say, Larenz? ”

Gastens began to deliberately let Larenz speak. As a brigade commander of a guerrilla brigade, he had to express himself more. Larenz's fighting talent and bravery are recognized by everyone, and what he needs now is more courage and the mentality of seeing himself and Ivan as equals.

"That ......," Larenz glanced up at Gastens and saw that he was looking at himself with encouraging eyes, "I feel that if the enemy's two armies stay, it is not their will, but the enemy's commander-in-chief of the battle." Does that mean that the large army that we let go may want to do something with the time we have been entangled? ”

"Yo, yes, boy," Ivan patted Larenz on the shoulder, "I didn't expect that." The leader also said that the enemy cannot be allowed to get his way. If that's what you think, then let's discuss it and see when we get back to Elena? ”

"Elena shouldn't be a big problem", Gastens pressed the corner of his forehead with one hand, combing through his own information, "The enemy still uses the tactics of platoon guns, and this kind of dense formation cannot break through the defense line of the Luoshan 1 machine gun with plenty of ammunition. The enemy's steam artillery was destroyed by us, and it is unlikely that there will be a threat from heavy weapons. If their target is really us, then the Luoshan crossing is enough to sustain it for a while. And that's enough time for us to make a decision and return. ”

"Or, they want to fight Elliot?" Ivan proposed a new idea, but quickly denied it himself, "It's unlikely." If you fight Elliot, Elena is in a bad position, and if their commander is sensible, he should still take Elena first. ”

"The enemy has a lot of targets to choose from, and they may even leave Ensten for other provinces. We have no basis for this, and even if we start a discussion, it is estimated that there will be no result", Gastens closed the topic, "Anyway, since the enemy wants to fight us now, we will touch the enemy when we confirm that we have an advantage, and then avoid the edge, and after the warriors' desire for war is released, return to Elena." ”

Ivan and Larenz agreed with Gastens of this suggestion. The two of them reached an agreement with Elena, and were about to continue discussing some details, when they suddenly received a new message from the communications soldier.

"Chairman Gastens, Brigadier Ivan, Brigadier Larentz", the herald was a young-looking young man named Ricky Balis, a worker from Van Ensten, the capital of the province of Ensten, with a certain level of education. Gastens saw that he was clever, willing to fight, and quick on his legs, so he put him in the communications company.

"What's wrong?" , Ivan motioned for Ricky Balis to speak.

"Our scouts have spotted that the enemy has sent a force of about two thousand men, guided by our cavalry who had previously been ambushed, and is continuing to follow the trail we left behind."

"Two thousand, infantry? Isn't this something you can eat in one bite? I think the enemy is going to make a mistake this time with a big head. Such a few people are used to track us, as long as they are optimistic about the distance between them and the large army, we have no problem eating them at all! Ivan, excited to hear the news, looked at Gastens and waited for him.

"Boss, give the order, let's go for revenge!"

"Two thousand? Infantry? Gastens frowned, "With what they know about us, we shouldn't make this kind of mistake, can there be fraud?" ”

"You'll know if you've fought or not", Ivan wasn't worried, "Anyway, their cavalry force has been killed by us." As long as we strengthen our intelligence, do a good job of scouting, and confirm that the enemy's large forces are at a certain distance from our ranks, we can safely eat these two thousand people. If their big army wanted to fish, we wouldn't be stupid enough to take the bait knowing it was bait, would we? ”

"Yes", Gastens did not have a good reason to deny Ivan's suggestion, so in the spirit of this small meeting of three, he convened an extended tactical meeting, fully discussed the plan to eat the two thousand men, and then began to prepare for battle.

According to the unanimous agreement of the main comrades of the troops, Elena's partisans were to disengage after this offensive and return to Elena, where preparations were made for the defense of the position and the exchange of supplies with Eliot. As for the outcome of this battle, almost all those involved in the discussion were convinced that they would be victorious.

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"Sending 2,000 men out to feed them will be very controversial," said Alan Carvallo, commander of the 18th Army, at the headquarters of the 17th and 18th Armies, chatting with the commander of the 17th Army, John Clermonds. ”

"It is my personal military future that is at risk, and it is the overall situation that is safe. As we have just said, as I said, as long as we keep a proper distance from the two thousand people who have been sent out, they will not dare to act rashly. And when they are about to lose patience, we will distance ourselves and sell a hole. They will definitely not be able to hold back and rush to the top. Even if these 2,000 people were wiped out by them, we would have delayed them for at least another two days. In the past two days, the commander of the Taijia family has estimated that he has launched the Elena offensive. If things go well on the Commander's side, by the time we get back to Elena with Gastens troops, that land will already belong to us Negru. ”

"Also, if things can develop like this, the commander will definitely understand your thoughts and your plans."

Alan Carvallo echoed softly. Although he felt in his heart that Clemmonds's strategy was not a general's demeanor, and it was easy to lose the morale of the army. But on the bright side, logically and logically, this plan can indeed achieve their requirements. Therefore, he did not forcibly stop it again. All he hopes now is to get things done here as soon as possible and go to the front line of Elena to compete for military merit. After more than 800 years of peace between the six great powers, the current war has become the most powerful upward channel for the victorious army.

"Well, those who achieve great things must be informal. I will give him these two thousand, and when he is choked to death, he deserves it. ”

John ended the topic with one sentence. The two generals each brought a cup of tea and began to talk about the strategy in the eastern part of the province of Ensten. It seems that in their eyes, the current Elena is no longer afraid.

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It has to be said that this strategy of Johann Strauz was a success. Elena's troops, led by Gastens, were extremely cautious about the two thousand men placed in front of them, always fearing that they were decoys. Normally, the distance between the forward force and the large force behind them was enough for them to launch a surprise attack and retreat. But now, both Gastens and Ivan are more cautious. After waiting and observing for a day and a half, they finally found an opportunity, and while the large army was cooking and resting, they raided the two thousand people who came forward, killing more than half and running away a few hundred. Perfect to eat this bite of meat.

And just as Gastens' troops ate the two thousand men sent by Clemunds, the large forces of the Eastern Front Command of the Negru Republic finally arrived outside Elena's door.

"Commander, we are less than three kilometers away from the main entrance to the west side of Elena, the Luoshan Road crossing. You can attack at any time if you need to. ”

Stefan Schgwa, chief of staff of the Eastern Front Command, stood in front of Tai's house and reported on the situation of the troops, "The 17th and 18th armies said that they would hold off Elena's main force and Gastens, and they are not yet in place. The 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd armies have all stopped marching and entered a state of readiness. ”

"Tell them to go out and set up camp and force to a kilometer position. Inform the steam artillery division to push the cannon forward overnight, and prepare for a direct battle tomorrow morning", the Tai family has already done a lot of research on how to fight this battle well. Although the enemy's strength is very different from his own, Anken Rein, the Western Theater and Eliot have all planted their hands in this small and inconspicuous place, so he naturally will not be careless, "Arrange double posts and double posts at night to prevent the enemy from attacking at night." Send troops to blockade the Luoshan Mountains, cut off the information, personnel and material exchanges between the inside and outside, and press the enemy tightly in this small valley, and never release a person or a letter! ”

"Understood," Schgvar nodded, and then proposed, "The east side of Elena is under the control of Prince Eliot, and we can't block that side. And, if you attack, should you be careful of Prince Eliot's troops? ”

"To save a minion who betrayed him?" , the Tai family disagreed, "He Elliot is not so cheap!" ”

"So on the defensive side, do you want to arrange troops to deal with it?"

"No," said the Tayyi family, taking a few steps beside the sand table, pointing to the meteorite flag planted on the east side of Elena on the sand table, "The latest intelligence says that Elliot is waiting for reinforcements from his Emperor Lao Tzu. Until reinforcements arrive, he will stand still. But what you said also makes sense, tell Byner Frank to let his 20th Army pay attention to the flanks and leave two divisions on standby. ”

"Understood."

Schwa nodded again, and sent a sycophant, "The commander is so thoughtful, taking down Elena is just around the corner." ”

"There is nothing to be happy about if you win", the Tai family pretended to be modest, "it is not an enemy of magnitude at all, it is appropriate to win, and it is shameful to lose." ”

"That's, that's."

Schgvar smiled and left the command. The Tayi family stared at the sand table for two seconds, then lifted the curtain and walked out. The big war is imminent, and even he, the commander, will be nervous and excited.

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"Everyone, the enemy has arrived at the doorstep, what should we do?"

In the small town of Elena, the remaining high-ranking members of the enemy forces have been spotted and are in a meeting. Daisy, as the head of Elena's internal affairs, Gastens' semi-public lover, and a member of the Communist Party's council, took the initiative to organize the discussion.

"The leader explained before leaving, using our terrain and weapon advantages to defend to the death. The ample Los Angeles-1 steam machine gun is capable of defeating any enemy who uses the tactics of lining up to shoot," said Caleb Warren, acting commander of the 1st Militia Division.

"Now most of the Second Division has also arrived at the Luoshan Road Crossing, and we have invested nearly 20,000 troops in this area, and there are more than 50 Luoshan Type 1 steam machine guns, and the regional firepower density is extremely high. Coupled with the previously repaired Iron Shield Breastwork and Trench Defense, there should be no problem defending against enemy attacks. ”

Garence Warren, as the commander of the 2nd Militia Division, was the second to express his opinion. Among all the party members present, the leaders of Elena's current armed forces are these two. Daisy was relieved to see that they had more confidence in the defense. Still, in Garstens' habit of being meticulous and prepared to exhaust all risks, Daisy asked everyone to list the possible risks and problems and discuss the solutions one by one. In addition, she and the members of the council revisited the details of Elena's wartime state before ending the meeting. And by the time the meeting ended, it was already two o'clock in the morning. Even in the middle of summer, there is a slight coolness in the air.

Standing under the vast, inky blue night sky, Daisy looked up at the stars and unconsciously closed her fingers. It is the traditional prayer posture of the Tritheistic Religion. As an atheist, she has been useless for a long time.

Hopefully, tomorrow will go well.