Wandering in the staggered of the upper class, Li Yong, the viscount of Humen, could clearly feel those vague snooping eyes, he pretended not to care, and behaved calmly and calmly, but in fact, his heart had already been turbulent, and his emotions were on the verge of getting out of control.

I ended the party early and returned to my residence.

The two barons, Blood Yama and Old Wolf, did not attend the reception, as the leaders of the mercenaries who had lived and died for a long time, they did not like this kind of hypocritical entertainment at all, and instinctively resisted similar occasions.

They are like lone wolves roaming in the wilderness and desert, only excited when they drink the blood of their prey, but they do not show a false smile of flattery in order to please a noble lady, which is really against their hearts.

After Li Yong returned, the two silently stepped forward and shook their heads silently in Li Yong's expectant gaze.

They have been staying at home and have not heard anything from South Africa.

Li Yong's eyes suddenly dimmed, he didn't say anything, just dragged his tired steps towards the inner courtyard, and his departing back looked extremely gloomy.

Blood Yama said in a gloomy tone; "Old wolf, we shouldn't come here, but we should go to South Africa, this bustling metropolis makes me feel out of place, everyone on the street is neatly dressed, and the leather shoes are shining, which makes me feel very awkward."

"Come on, you're making excuses for your sloppiness." The old wolf was not in a high mood, watching Li Yong's figure disappear in the shadow of the tree in front of him, he turned his head and said; "We are accustomed to the yellow sands of the Gobi Desert in the Arabian Peninsula, we don't take a bath for a month or two, we wake up in the camp every day, and our clothes are crumpled when we get up, we are used to this kind of life, do you want your children to do the same?"

"This is the life that a hot-blooded man should live, what's wrong?"

"Hmph, just like the lord who worries about Jianyang all day long, although he never said anything, but we old brothers know that the most important thing for the lord is Jianyang's child."

"Jianyang...... Huh! ”

Speaking of Li Jianyang, the faces of these two mercenary leaders who had been rolling in the pile of dead people all year round couldn't help but show a worried look on their faces.

This boy has been riding a horse since he was 12 years old, carrying a gun, and following an armed caravan through the Arabian Peninsula.

Unexpectedly, it was planted in South Africa......

South Africa, in the mountains near Johannesburg

It is already more than 600 kilometers away from Bloemfontein, where Li Jianyang was captured by mistake, and many Boer guerrillas armed with guns are vigilantly patrolling to prevent the Humen mercenaries who are being followed from being caught off guard, and they have already suffered such a big loss twice.

It was a force of about 650 Boer cavalry, led by General James Herzog, a well-known Boer general, a tall and burly white farmer in his fifties, whose face was marked by the vicissitudes of time, and his gray beard was particularly conspicuous.

He stood on a huge rock, looking into the distance like a lion, his sharp eyes containing deep sadness.

It was early October 1900, a full year after the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War.

The British Empire reinforced southern Africa with 380,000 troops, and the two Boer regimes of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic were destroyed, and the President of the Transvaal Republic, Kruger, was forced to leave Europe to seek international solidarity for the Boers.

By this time, the major cities and railway lines of the Transvaal and Orange had been fully occupied, and the Boers, unable to resist the British expeditionary forces head-on, began to turn to guerrilla warfare, attacking the 1,600-kilometer long supply line from Cape Town to Pretoria.

In Johannesburg and Pretoria, a number of Boer riot attempts failed miserably, and the Boers were bloodily suppressed by the British authorities, with their homes and property confiscated and thrown into concentration camps indiscriminately.

Lord Roberts, commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force, pursued a policy of "iron encirclement", like a noose around the neck, blocking the living space and inflicting heavy damage on the scattered Boer guerrillas.

The British went on a frenzy of oppression of the rebellious Boer guerrilla funders and their families, and civilians, including the family of General James Herzog, were thrown into harsh concentration camps and struggled to survive.

After joining the South African battlefield, the mercenaries recruited by the British from Humen launched a hunt against the Boer guerrillas scattered on the battlefield in South Africa with their cunning tactics, accurate marksmanship and rich battlefield experience.

It's only a few months of hard work

More than 30 small guerrilla units were annihilated or severely damaged, with more than 2,700 casualties, dealing a heavy blow to the strength of the Boer rebels.

The most fatal weakness of the Boer guerrillas was their small numbers, and many Boers were forced to give up resistance and silently return to their pastures under pressure as the situation of struggle became increasingly severe.

The Boer guerrillas who were active in the front line of resistance were only more than 20,000 people, and they lost more than 2,700 people at once.

The war has continued to this day, and in more than 200 battles, large and small, the Boers have caused heavy losses of more than 14,000 dead and wounded of the British army, and their own losses are only more than 1,000 people, almost a 15:1 ratio.

It hurts to the heart, it really hurts to the heart.

If the Boer Resistance Army is compared to a deep-sea troll, a small guerrilla force of thirty or fifty to seventy or eighty people is a group of countless tentacles stretched out to the surface of the sea by the Boer trolls, and the Boers give full play to the strength of field cavalry and archery, attacking the British army's lines of communication, plundering the British army's supplies, annihilating small groups of British troops, galloping across the South African battlefield, and dealing a heavy blow to the British expeditionary force.

The old and spicy Humen mercenary team has developed a targeted tactic of using rangers against rangers and maneuvering against maneuvers, breaking the team into dozens of company-level cavalry, using the characteristics of being good at tracking to carry out encirclement and suppression, and stepping on the bones of the Boers to achieve great fame.

What they did cut off the tentacles of the deep sea trolls sticking out of the sea, blocking the airways for breathing, and putting the deep sea trolls in a dangerous situation.

In view of the grim situation on the battlefield

This is like a duel between masters in the ring, the top brass of the Boer army decided to implement a decisive change of formation, gather more than a dozen small guerrilla units, and establish a large guerrilla force of no less than five to six hundred people, many of whom reached thousands, and were led by experienced generals to carry out precise strikes on the Humen mercenary team.

The cavalry team led by Li Jianyang was unfortunate to be the first target, and was surrounded and annihilated by General James Herzog's troops, and he himself was captured.

Fortunately, Li Jianyang reacted very quickly, disguised as a military reporter of Australia's "World Journal", and did not reveal his identity.

The vast majority of the captured Humen mercenaries did not speak English, let alone Dutch, and no one in the guerrilla group led by General James Herzog knew Chinese, so he did not show his stuff.

Li Jianyang also became an interpreter during Boer interrogations because of his proficiency in English conversation, and was treated much better than most captives.

"Your Excellency, this is the order that General Botat just received, please take a look." Lieutenant Colonel Pedro handed the letterhead with both hands.

General James Herzog took it and looked at it;

The order called on the divisions to continue to assemble their troops, form a heavy group of 3 to 5,000 men, and plan to march thousands of miles to Cape Town, penetrate deep into the rear of the British army, and advance the war all the way to the Atlantic coast and the suburbs of Cape Town, forcing the British to return to the negotiating table.

In the eyes of General James Herzog, this is a bit too idealistic.

So far, the British and Burkinos have been in a situation of endless death, how can they easily commit a crime?

But the orders of the superior must not be disobeyed, he nodded in reply; "Reply to General Botat, our unit will resolutely carry out the order, quickly converge with the surrounding friendly forces, prepare combat supplies, and be ready to move north at any time."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Lieutenant Colonel Pedro raised his hand and saluted, but hesitated but did not move.

"Anything else? Mr. Lieutenant Colonel. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency General, our army is about to have an important military operation, and it is really cumbersome to carry out a thousand-mile attack, with so many prisoners, can it be solved on the spot?"

Lieutenant Colonel Pedro's eyes flashed with cruelty, and the meaning was obvious, that is, to kill the prisoners.

The guerrilla force led by General James Herzog, originally numbered about 900 cavalry, and before encircling and annihilating Li Jianyang's cavalry, it had already fought eight or nine battles, killing and wounding more than 320 British soldiers and taking more than 60 prisoners.

After successfully encircling and annihilating Li Jianyang's cavalry, the total number of prisoners reached more than 120 people, and since then, they have been embellished by the haunting Humen mercenaries, and they have fought more than 600 kilometers in the past 20 days, and have never been able to get rid of the other party.

Originally, General James Herzog wanted to turn around and eat this cavalry team of more than 200 people, but who knew that the other party was as cunning as a fox, and he was not fooled at all, and always kept a safe distance.

Wait until a few days later

The Humen cavalry from all sides quickly gathered like African vultures smelling blood, growing from more than 200 to 700, and then further to more than 1,300, and now may have exceeded 1,600, posing a serious threat to the guerrillas and forcing them to move around on a large scale.

There were several short but heavy battles between the two sides, with each other killed and wounded, and General James Herzog's troops were reduced from more than 900 to more than 650 men, and had to take refuge for the time being.

Now the captives of more than 120 people have become a heavy burden, and they are still a difficult problem in front of the general.

He thought about it for a moment, shook his head and said; "We can't afford to do this, and if we do, the captured brothers will have to bear the wrath of the British, and we can't afford to pay a heavy price for killing a prisoner and burying at least 100 people."

"Your Excellency, General, we can slaughter those Eastern mercenaries."

"That's even more unwise, don't forget that these Eastern mercenaries are wearing British military uniforms and playing the British cavalry brigade, we don't have enough evidence to prove that they are mercenaries, and if they openly kill prisoners, it may lead to the Oriental army gathered in Mozambique to openly participate in the war, which will be a catastrophe."

General James Herzog's expression was extremely solemn, looking at the mountains in the distance, and said word by word; "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, these Orientals are the most ferocious accomplices of the British, and apart from being stationed in large numbers of pillboxes and guarding the Boer concentration camps, you don't want to see them vent their anger with unarmed old and weak women and children."

These last words seemed to drain the last shred of courage in Lieutenant Colonel Pedro's body, and he opened his mouth without making a sound, but his face was flushed.

Then he turned away with a dejected expression and disappeared into the mountains and forests.

Eh......

General James Herzog sighed lightly, his guerrillas were in a very dangerous situation, and there were a large number of Humen cavalry behind them, which made him dare not join up with friendly forces and prevent their tracks from being exposed.

If you continue to take these Humen cavalry in circles, you will eventually run into ghosts after walking too much on the mountain road, which is something that General James Herzog, who is experienced in war, has to consider.

Don't forget, behind the Humen cavalry, there is also a large group of men and horses of the British Expeditionary Force, once they are glued, an endless army will encircle and suppress.

The mountain breeze blew the ends of General James Herzog's gray hair, and his tall frame stood as straight as a javelin, and no amount of pressure could bring him to his knees.

The war is far from over.

By the brook in the middle of the forest

Mr. Li and a young Englishman, said to be a journalist named Churchill, were the children of an aristocracy who was not good at labor, cleaning freshly picked mushrooms.

"Lee, you look like a mushroom grower, very good at all kinds of household chores, I doubt how you got into the mercenary team, preparing dinner in the kitchen is your specialty."

Churchill rocked the bamboo basket with the mushrooms back and forth in the stream, and even after rinsing, he did not have the patience to remove the dirt from the mushrooms one by one, which is the work of the inferior.

Li Jianyang is in his early 20s, his face has not completely faded, the fine fluff on his lips and a little baby fat on his face are very deceptive, and only the occasional ruthless color in his eyes can see that this is a ruthless character.

He disguised himself well at the moment, rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, stood in the stream and carefully washed the mushrooms one by one, and replied with a smile; "That's right, Churchill, I think there's a word in the West that describes my hobby;" "Gourmet", I am a person who loves food, and I can make nostalgic deliciousness with ordinary ingredients. ”

"Oh my gosh, like the fried scorpions you made? It's just crazy. There's also snake soup stew that gives me the creeps just thinking about it. ”

"Don't talk about those useless things, you just say it tastes good, okay?"

"Uh...... Objectively speaking, the fried scorpions are crispy and delicious, and the stewed snake soup is extremely delicious, but I still can't accept this. Saying this, Churchill looked left and right, and several Boer sentries were sitting on rocks by the stream not far away, holding their guns, and their eyes swept over from time to time.

He said in a low voice; "Man, I've had enough of this place, I've had enough of these filthy Boers looking at us like slaves, we should find a way to get out. Then come and slay them all with an army, and listen, and then we will be heroes for our legendary experiences, and you can share in the glory as my squire. ”

"Like Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza? Then you have to promise me an island governor. ”

"Oh God! It's incredible, you know this boring Spanish book too? ”

Churchill's eyes widened, looking at the harmless Oriental youth in front of him, and his erudition was raised a few points.

Belch......

It is the kind of English nobleman's appreciation for his servant, not the meaning of sympathy, after all, he is a noble British nobleman, and the two are far from each other.

Li Jianyang was extremely tired of dealing with this arrogant and arrogant aristocratic boy, but he had to keep a warm smile on his face in order to maintain his role as a young reporter.

So he glanced at the Boer sentry, and replied quietly; "Seriously, since you are willing to let me share the glory, as an English nobleman, I accompany you from birth to death, and it is not too much to ask for an island governor, right? After all, Don Quixote is so generous as a down-and-out knight, and you shouldn't be too stingy. ”

"The Governor of the Island? You really dare to think that Cervantes is nothing more than a serf talking nonsense, I suspect that he has gone mad, after being captured by the Arabs, Cervantes was sold to a slave owner on the island of Algeria, this is an extremely terrible person, often gouging out the nose of slaves, cramping and skinning for fun, Cervantes has experienced a whole 5 years of such a dark life of fear, it is strange that he is not crazy. ”

"Hmph, don't talk about those useless things, after all, you're just stingy, compared to your precious life, what is an island governor?"

"How dare you think, boy from the East, well, as long as I can get out of this damn place, I'll find a way to get you the title of Governor of the Island, but that will have to wait until I inherit the title of noble."

"A word is decided, whoever repents will die the whole family."

"Oh, don't be so vicious, Li, it's too much."

"I'm also risking my head, the oath is binding on both of you, which means you're not sincere."

"Well, God testify, my words will definitely work." Under the pressure of the other party, Churchill could only reluctantly agree.

He was not a fool, during the more than 20 days he was captured, the young man in front of him felt very special to him, and those unruly mercenaries were quite tame to him, occasionally revealing a respectful look.

Churchill was absolutely confident that his sixth sense could not be wrong, and if he wanted to escape from this damn place, he had to get help from this young man from the East.

Compared with the dull British soldiers, he believed in the methods of the old mercenaries.

The Boer sentry waited impatiently and shouted; "Alright, you two boys, don't stay there, go get the damn mushroom soup cooked."

"Okay, okay, we're going to chop up the mushrooms and cook the soup, and it'll be ready soon." Li Jianyang replied loudly, and then he and Churchill carried the cleaned mushrooms and walked in the direction of the wild stove.

He asked quietly as he walked; "Hey, Churchill, the Boers are honest with us, why do you keep trying to escape?"

"Because there's no delicious cigar smoke here, that's the love of my life."

"Well, that sounds reasonable."

Li Jianyang replied perfunctorily, he had planned to escape, not only to go by himself, but also to take his mercenary brothers with him, otherwise he would have slipped away a long time ago.

As for this arrogant British nobleman, he just did it by the way and deliberately ridiculed him.

If it's really in the way, it's all over with one shot.