"Ambush!" the scout's jǐng proclamation turned into a scream in the next second: an earthen throwing gun pierced his warm chest accurately. Throwing guns continued to rain down, and screams rang out one after another in the queue.

The soldiers of the Zhōngyāng army who were attacked quickly gathered together and formed a prototype defensive circle, and the shieldbearers holding swords in one hand and shields in the other hand automatically stood on the outermost periphery, hundreds of square-shaped shields automatically formed a circle formation, and the half-crouching archers returned fire from the top of the shield to the depths of the dense forest. The spears were still being thrown, but it was no longer possible to hurt the soldiers hiding behind the shield wall.

The captain of the team, the small flag warrior Dukla, roared angrily: "Fifth squadron, go on!

More than thirty soldiers armed with sabers shouted, "Yarime!", and suddenly launched a charge behind the dense bushes. They were originally cavalry, and they could not ride horses in jungle warfare, but this did not change their fierce style. Three soldiers were shot and fell to the ground during the impact, but the rest bravely rushed closer, surrounded a dozen orcs and slashed them.

The orcs resisted equally resolutely, they ignored the shouts of "Wow Sirivalu!" (Surrender or die)", bravely used rudimentary javelins and sharp sabers to kill, in the muddy jungle after the rain, people on both sides continued to splash blood, screams, and fall to the ground, no one on either side retreated, the arm was cut off with a knife and he took the gun in his hand instead, his shoulder was broken by a wooden stick and he gritted his teeth and pounced as usual, and a soldier of the zhōngyāng army had his leg broken, so he rolled on the muddy ground and continued to wield his saber to cut the enemy's leg.

Seeing that the orcs had already suffered more than half of the casualties, Dukla turned around and shouted, "Archers, get rid of them, you guys retreat first!"

The archers replied with a bang and began to pull their bows and strings, and were about to step forward. With a roar of "wow", hundreds of orcs poured out of the dense forest on all sides, holding javelins and wooden clubs, fiercely surround and kill. The soldiers immediately formed a circle to resist again, and a brutal fight began on the periphery of the formation.

Dukla's brain "boomed": "There is an ambush!" and shouted loudly: "The fifth team, move closer to the brigade!"

The more than 30 soldiers of the 5th Squadron who left the brigade desperately rushed back, but they were surrounded by hundreds of half-orcs with huge sticks roaring wildly.

The soldiers of the brigade also struggled to meet them, but they were blocked by hundreds of rebels, and the two sides clashed fiercely, and every second someone fell with blood spilled. They were less than thirty meters away from the besieged soldiers, and the two sides could see each other shouting, but they couldn't get closer, and it seemed that they couldn't wait for the brigade to come over to respond, and those soldiers who couldn't form a formation to resist would be killed and wounded!

With a clear roar, a figure flickered, and somehow passed through several layers of encirclement and rushed into the besieged soldiers. This small human figure is extremely fast and neat, with bare hands, but the enemy fell to the ground silently in a gesture, and no one could see how he made a move, and the half-orcs, who were known for their great strength, were as vulnerable as mud and paper paste in front of him, and suddenly tore open the encirclement of the half-orcs, and the surrounded soldiers rushed and returned to their own formation.

Seeing that the ambush could not be achieved, a tall half-orc commander said "wow" a few times, and in an instant, a large group of half-orcs who were still fierce just now scattered and fled in all directions, and disappeared without a trace, disappearing as suddenly as they appeared.

The sound of the fighting was gone, and the late autumn forest was silent again, so quiet that you could hear the chirping of birds, the ticking of rain dripping from the trees, and the soft moaning of the wounded lying on the ground. The pale sunlight of the late autumn afternoon flowed feebly through the leaves into the dense forest, speckled on the green moss, on the pools of stagnant water, on the young and pale faces of the war dead.

The soldiers gasped, their fingers still clenching their knives hard, their muscles tense, their red eyes still searching for the next target, and they couldn't believe that the thrilling battle was over.

Dukla was the first to come to his senses, and commanded in a loud voice: "What a fool to stand there like stakes! Why don't you help the wounded brothers to bandage them! ”

The soldiers woke up from a dream, and one by one promised to take out medicine to wrap their wounds, check if the people on the ground were still alive, and see if they could catch a prisoner.

Dukla remembered: "Who was so brave to rush over and save our brother just now?"

Several archers pointed to a young soldier looking around: "It was him! He saved our brothers, and he did a great job!"

"It's me. The young soldier smiled embarrassedly, showing his white teeth - that was the only white part of his face, his face was covered with mud, he was not tall, he gave people a jīng feeling, his eyes were sharp and very calm, his uniform was so dirty that he couldn't see it clearly, his bare head, his hat had fallen off in the fight, and he was looking around.

"Well done, young man, well done! Well done!—you're not from our troops, are you?"

"Yes, I just passed through here, you're the commander of the troops......"

"To you!" Dukla was furious: "Didn't your commander teach you at all?, and when you speak to your superiors, you have to be honorific, and you have to be sharp, and you have to say, 'Yes, my lord!'

The young man smiled good-naturedly and said, "Yes, my lord!"

"Well, this is like being a soldier! Okay, tell me your name, position, and unit number, and I will help you get credit!"

"That's a real bother, my lord. The young man smiled: "Full name: Sterling." Zuo Na, who belongs to the family zhōngyāng army, holds the following positions: commander of the zhōngyāng army, member of the command office, member of the Supreme Military Staff Committee—when are you going to ask for credit for me, my lord?"

He finally found his hat, blew the dust off it, wiped the sludge water, and revealed the bright Golden Eagle badge.

※※※

"My lord, you are disobedient again today!" said Deputy Commander Tang Ping, chief of staff of the Zhōngyāng Army, in a tone like a doctor complaining about a child who refuses to take medicine: "You went down to inspect the defense of the troops, how did you rush to the front?

"That's right!" Qin Lu, deputy commander of the legion, also said: "The division commanders below protested one after another: 'We welcome Lord Stirling to inspect our defense area, but can we not let him keep rushing to the front......?

"Alright, alright, I know. Stirling hurriedly diverted the topic: "Today I looked at the three divisions on the left flank, the defense of the Lu Ning division is okay, and the trenches are well dug; the Wenhe division is so bad that I don't know what I'm doing from top to bottom, I haven't even come to interrogate me after walking for a long time, the trenches are dug like ditches, so shallow that they can't hide people at all, and there is even a 255 captain with more than 300 people who is about to rush into the Visdo Forest to find trouble for the rebels -- haven't I already issued a ban: "Pursuit is not allowed to enter the forest!"? Speaking of which, Sterling was already in a strict voice.

Qin Lu hurriedly explained: "The Wenhe Division was originally a cavalry division, and it was good at attacking but not good at defending, and their officers were used to attacking - I would tell Wenhe about it immediately." ”

"We can't attack anymore, our casualties are too heavy. That damn ghost forest, there are not enough people to die!" Sterling sighed, and his tone turned to stern: "If the supervision is not strict, Wenhe will be held responsible, you sue him: he has been demoted, demoted from a red-clothed flag book to a flag book, and still serves as the commander of the third division, sue him, if he dares to commit another crime, go to the military justice department to report to him." ”

Qin Lu and Tang Ping couldn't help laughing: Wen He had been demoted for the third time in two weeks, and every time Sterling was strict, but after a few days, he found a reason to help him get promoted back to his original position - not only Wen He, but almost all officers knew that Sterling's style of work was vigorous and resolute, and it was easy to get promoted when he served under him, but he also fell quickly, because Sterling was never tolerant and lazy. So much so that the officers had to send someone to the general staff every morning to ask: "Am I a flag book or a red-clothed flag book today?" "What, I have been demoted to a small flag samurai! The day before yesterday, I was still the deputy commander?!"

Tang Ping said that he had found an opportunity to tell Sù Stirling: Ming Hui, the acting commander of the Black Flag Army, had arrived, and he was waiting for Stirling at the headquarters. Stirling Daxi: The arrival of Minghui means that the powerful Black Flag Army is nearby, and the officers and men of the Zhōngyāng Army, who have been fighting alone, can finally take a breath!

※※※

In a humble headquarters made of planks and branches, two of the family's highest-ranking commanders in the Far East met.

Sterling raised his hand and saluted, "Greetings, sir." I was commanded to hold on.

Minghui returned the salute: "Greetings, my lord." I was ordered to reinforce. ”

Minghui and his entourage were all dressed in dark blue sè uniforms, spotless on snow-white gloves, black and shiny military boots, and gold epaulettes on their shoulders glittering in the sun, and their expressions were full and high-spirited; in contrast, the uniforms of the officers of the zhōngyāng army were tattered and dirty, and many of them wore dirty black bandages, and their bare feet were pulling on most of their rotten boots, and a few officers even attended meetings bare-chested, and even Sterling, who was the commander of the regiment, was no better, covered in mud and water, and did not even wear a hat, and his bare head was very unorthodox to meet visitors。

The officers of the Black Flag Army exchanged glances, and the corners of their mouths showed an imperceptible smile: This is the demeanor of the family's No. 1 Jīng Rui Troops, not much better than the group called Hanako.

The meeting between the top leaders of the two legions was supposed to be a very historic moment, but it was very damaging to Minghui, and he shouted: "Stirling, don't the zhōngyāng army never eat? We have walked a long way, we are tired, and no one has given us anything to eat after coming for so long." ”

Sterling smiled bitterly and quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, the people below are not sensible - cook for Lord Ming and your distinguished guests immediately." ”

Qin Lu, the deputy commander of the legion, was embarrassed, he was in charge of logistics, and the slogan was: "It's okay to die, but there's no food!" -- this time seeing that Sterling's order was resolute, he hurried down and ordered, "Cook!"

The hot rice was quickly served, and several zhōngyāng military officers turned their faces away, not allowing the guests to see the slander on their faces. The smell of rice is too irritating to them.

Minghui said strangely, "Sterling, don't you eat?"

Sterling explained: "We have already eaten in the troops below, please use it slowly, Lord Ming." ”

Minghui smiled and said: "Sterling has also learned to go down to fight the autumn breeze, and the food below is really good--but how can you swallow this meal without ordering food!" Sterling, you are too stingy, and all the good things are hidden." I know that your life on the front line is hard, and I don't require you to have fresh chicken, duck and fish, but you should always have bacon, right?"

The masters looked at each other, and finally Stirling smiled bitterly and said, "I'm sorry, but no—let's wait until we get some rabbit or some game another day." ”

Minghui was indeed hungry, and after complaining for two sentences, he buried his head in a big gulp of rice, and did not forget to teach Sterling: "If the soldiers don't eat well, their morale will not rise, so ah, the army is fighting, and the supply problem is the key! Sterling, you still have to learn!"

The implication is that Lao Tzu, I eat more salt than you eat, and the command office has recently planned to select a candidate for the commander of the Far Eastern Theater of Operations.

The officers of the zhōngyāng army on the side all showed indignation: at the beginning of the emergency, the zhōngyāng army went to the battlefield without having time to raise supplies, and it has been deep behind enemy lines, and the supply lines are often cut off;

Tang Ping, chief of staff of the zhōngyāng army, couldn't help but say: "Lord Minghui's battle report has also been read by the lower officials, your troops killed seven million enemies in a week, and the courage is so brave that no one has ever come before or since, and it has made outstanding achievements!"

All the officers of the zhōngyāng army laughed out loud, and they hated Minghui's false report of his achievements: since the rebels have killed all of you, then what credit do we have left!

Minghui wiped his mouth and said nonchalantly: "Where, no credit, it's just for the family!"

Sterling waved his hand, stopping Tang Ping's further sarcasm. As early as when he was fighting against Flowing Wind and Frost in the west, he had learned that this "Ming Lord" was so thick that it could be on top of the three of Stirling, Zi Chuanxiu, and Di Lin combined, and ironically mocking him was like poking iron armor with a match, and it didn't matter at all - otherwise, he wouldn't have seen Flowing Wind and Frost from a distance and immediately ran faster than a rabbit.

After eating, the meeting starts immediately.

Stirling introduced the situation of the zhōngyāng army to Minghui: "When the zhōngyāng army set out from Dìdū, the total strength of the army was 150,000, including 50,000 cavalry and 100,000 infantry. After experiencing the Battle of Valen, the Great Pursuit in the Far East, and the Battle of the Visdo Forest in Yun Province, the loss of nearly 50,000 soldiers, of which the loss of cavalry was particularly large, and there were less than 20,000 cavalry left in the 50,000 cavalry. Therefore, he asked Minghui to let the Black Flag Army temporarily take over the defense of the Zōngyāng Army, so that the Zōngyāng Army troops would have some time to recuperate.

Minghui listened with his chin in his hands, and said, "This thing... Lord Stirling, as you know, our Black Flag Army was originally a second-line unit defending the Lin family, and our soldiers have little combat experience, so I am afraid it will be difficult to undertake this heavy task. Besides, we are not natives of the Far East, and many of us are not accustomed to the soil and water, and many of us have diarrhea, which affects our combat effectiveness; besides, we have run out of fresh fruits recently, and everyone is very dissatisfied......

Listening to Minghui's list of reasons one by one, Stirling's heart was on fire: If the troops of the Black Flag Army are not adaptable, is it true that the Zhōngyāng Army is native to the Far East -- more than half of the entire army has been infected with dysentery! You just have no supply of fruits, but we can only eat wild vegetables; you say that you have no combat experience -- is it possible that our Zhōngyāng Army will fight as soon as it is born? What's more, this is simply impossible, didn't the Black Flag Army participate in the last few wars against the Liufeng Family?

Sterling suppressed his anger and asked, "However, the Command Office ordered Lord Ming's department to reinforce us, how do you plan to reinforce the law?"

"Oh, the staff told me a plan before I came, and I thought, this plan, okay! Come on, open the military map. ”

Minghui drew on the map: "This is the Visdo Forest, the main force of the rebels is in it, this blue belt is the defense line of your army, and our army plans to deploy on the first line of this red belt, fight side by side with your army, and destroy the rebels together!"

Sterling almost scolded her mother angrily when she saw it: almost all the red belts deployed by the Black Flag Army that Minghui said were behind the blue defense line of the zhōngyāng army, and he said nicely: "Fight side by side", but in fact, he was hiding behind the zhōngyāng army and watching to preserve his strength.

However, he immediately accused his own feelings: Minghui was not his subordinate, and he did not have the authority to give orders to him, so he could only give him orders through his superior command office or Zichuan Shenxing, but this place was thousands of miles away from dìdū, and it would take at least a few weeks for official documents to come and go; Everyone is a member of the Command, and he has this power. At that time, I really don't know when the lawsuit will be.

However, the zhōngyāng army, which was in dire need of rest, was really spending its years, losing hundreds of soldiers every day due to non-combat reasons such as wounds, illness, and hunger. Those who insist on fighting are just barely able to stand up, all of them are hungry and skinny.

Sterling could only discuss with Minghui in a good voice, but no matter how he moved and begged for promises and guarantees, Minghui was still as smooth as a glass marble, so as to respond to all changes: "This thing is difficult!"

Stirling almost lost confidence, and even had the thought: When you Minghui is deployed, I will take my troops away on a dark and windy night in the middle of the month, and let the rebels deal directly with you - but after thinking about it, he knows that he will not do such a thing: if Minghui's bastard also follows his example and runs away, who will defend the Visdo Forest?

Before you know it, the night has come. Minghui got up and was about to say goodbye and said, "Okay, okay, I'll talk about these things another day, I have to go back." ”

Stirling can't do anything about him, can't he be detained, right? The rest of the group of zhōngyāng army officers sat there in a daze with sad faces.

Stirling beat the god Jīng and said to his subordinates: "It's nothing, the battle is still the same, and the meal still has to be eaten." The orderly brought everyone's "dinner": a large pot of wild vegetable soup that was so thin that people could see it. Originally, there should have been some food in the vegetable soup, but today's food quota has already been eaten up by Minghui, and everyone can only eat vegetables.

Sterling scooped a bowl of soup, there were not a few wild vegetables in it, he smiled wryly, and thought: the secret of eating wild vegetable soup is: drink the soup hard, drink until your stomach is full, and then soak in urine and get hungry again.

When everyone was eating sadly, Minghui's cheerful voice came from the door: "Okay, I won't eat when I come, and the good things will be taken out when I leave." I'm better at the end of the day! "It was getting dark, and the Black Flag officers couldn't find their way to come, so they had to return to the Zōngyāng Army, intending to talk about it tomorrow after the night.

Before Sterling had time to hide it, Minghui had already probed over: "Let me see what kind of small stove Sterling opened?"

After just one glance, his face changed: "You guys just eat this?"

Sterling was so embarrassed that he was embarrassed to speak out, and Tang Ping muttered a few words in a low voice: "What will you eat if you don't eat this? Today's food is all for you." ”

Minghui was silent for a long time before he spoke, "Bring me a bowl." He also scooped up a bowl of soup and drank it, and as soon as he took his mouth, he showed an expression that was difficult to swallow, put the bowl aside, and stared straight at Sterling: "How long has this been?"

Sterling couldn't hide it, and replied honestly: "It's been two weeks, and our supply has long been cut off. ”

Minghui's eyes showed a sharp look, making it hard to believe that he was the same person as the slick bureaucrat who played "haha" just now: "Why didn't you report it?" Xuan changed his words and said: "Who made the trouble? Luo Minghai? Why don't you report him to the chief executive!" He understood in his heart that Luo Minghai must be jealous of Sterling's outstanding military achievements, for fear that he would take his place, and deliberately did so.

Stirling replied, "No matter how big or small, whatever annoys the chief is the fault of our courtiers." He didn't want to have a lawsuit with Luo Minghai at a time when the country was in danger.

Minghui was silent for a long time before he slowly spoke: "Sterling, you are good! But I Minghui is also a man! I dare not say it after a long time, we can still do it in the Black Flag Army for two weeks! You can withdraw and rest." ”

Sterling was overjoyed and bowed deeply: "Lord Minghui is righteous, Sterling would like to thank you on behalf of all the officers and men of the Zhōngyāng Army!"

Three days later, the Black Flag Army troops entered the position to take over the defense of the Zhōngyāng Army, and the 100,000 Zhōngyāng Army soldiers, who had been fighting fiercely since the beginning of the war in the Far East, were able to take a breath and retreat to the Far East Province of Deyaxing to recuperate.

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