The desert that stretches for thousands of miles seems to be full of roads, as long as you don't lose your way, you can always reach the goal, but the caravans and military brigades who are familiar with geography know that there are really dozens of routes suitable for marching, and the reason is very simple, the oasis water source, along these dozens of routes, can be constantly replenished. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

"Commander, the prince has sent someone to urge us to speed up the march, and the words are very ugly!"

The horse's hooves stepped down, raising the sky and flying sand, and the three invisible cavalry teams in the desert were like three hideous long snakes, holding their heads high and rushing straight to the prairie, and the daily journey was more than 100 miles, and the sharp fangs of the vanguard team had pierced into the depths of the desert.

"Hurry up cleaning up the water source!" "Iron armor skirt heart guards, the nail leaves fluttered as he walked, and the resentment in his chest seemed to erupt.

"The spring water is full of corpses of people and horses, and the stench can be smelled miles away, the damned student soldiers don't dare to line up to fight, but they destroy all the water sources along the way, the war horses can't drink water, how to charge and kill the enemy, I only know the sons and daughters who race horses and hunt, it is difficult to treat the desert as a fertile grassland!"

The tent roared louder and louder, and the decomposing corpses contaminated the water source, making the mercenary raid tactics come to naught. The elite cavalry can run for 300 miles day and night, but the desert is more than 2,000 miles long from east to west, and the elite iron cavalry does not dare to drive straight in, so they have to set up military stations every 300 miles.

"Order, dig another new well, just enough for us to drink. ”

It was the task of the vanguard to open roads and build bridges in the face of mountains and rivers and to clear all obstacles that were not conducive to the advance of the army, and it was obviously a dereliction of duty for the commander to leave the difficulties to the brigade, and the officers were silent.

"It will not take a few days for the Chinese army to catch up, and it will be a dereliction of duty! Give up cleaning up the springs along the way, rush to the grassland as soon as possible, and prepare camps for the army. Seeing that the officers were still worried, the commander raised his eyes and roared angrily: "The 20,000 troops of the Chinese army can be cleaned up in an hour, why should we work tirelessly for most of the night! ”

There are brave and unscrupulous fools, who can't hang the vanguard seal, and the decision of the commander is a good way to deal with the situation, thinking of the shrewd commander of the army, the officers no longer have any doubts, and they have come out of the tent to carry out the order.

"Putting so many veterans of the empire don't need it, but letting a prince who can speak big words lead the middle lane army, it's really incompetent to exhaust the three armies!"

The Sunset Empire learned that the soldiers went deep into the grassland, at first they didn't take it seriously, just to use the tribal cavalry to weaken the enemy's strength, many days later sent back the news that the soldiers had formed an alliance with the tribe in the three wars, only to realize that the lord of Qinghui was going to conquer the grassland, and hurriedly transferred the elite mercenaries from all over the country, and it was two months after the assembly was completed.

"Dispatch the border guards, Duguying will have enough reasons to retreat from the army+-how can the soldiers resist the imperial iron cavalry, just to cover up their timidity and fear of war, and they will also have a reputation for conquering the grassland, and they will inherit the throne in the future with more chances of victory. Qinghui royal family does not afford civil strife, and I will take advantage of the sunset to enter the void. What a fortified city can be built in a few months, it is nothing more than to mobilize more mercenaries to attack and start a war in the prairie, will my Sunset Iron Cavalry still lose to Qinghui!"

Due to Pu Yanju's obstruction, the Sunset army did not go out of the pass, and only sent a small team of men and horses to kill the horse bandits who ran over, and after capturing countless property, he had no time to pay attention to the student soldiers in the desert, but he didn't know that the water sources of the oasis turned into desert stagnant water one after another.

The speed of the mercenaries' march slowed down day by day, and the baggage team that followed behind the army was more comfortable, there was no war ahead, bows and crossbows and arrows did not need to be replenished, and every day in addition to sending people to transport military rations and horses, it was the mountain of materials piled up at the guard station, and the closer to the rear, the more materials were piled up, and the more lax the defense.

Hua Zifei led three battalions of cavalry, from the right mercenary north more than 100 miles away to the enemy's rear, the scouts of each battalion are selected to send the standard commander to lead the team, the horse bandits encountered along the way are not allowed to escape, must be killed, so as not to expose the whereabouts of the soldiers. The rangers on the flanks of the army simply pretended to be horse bandits, and the farthest squad was less than thirty miles away from the mercenaries, and sometimes they even encountered the mercenary scouts, so they naturally pretended to be panicked and fled in embarrassment.

Avoiding the main force of the mercenaries, seeing the materials piled up at the military station, the soldiers couldn't help but smile, the defensive strength is only more than 1,000 people, and they can burn it clean by sending a standard team over, but Hua Zifei has not given the order to attack, but just asked Liu Xindong to mark it clearly on the map.

"Most of the supplies of the military station are daily supplies, even if they are all burned, it will not have much impact on the mercenaries, but will expose the whereabouts of the soldiers, remember, the mercenary commander is by no means worse than us, and the lax defense of the military station is very likely to be the result of intentional connivance and unrestraint. ”

After carefully tasting Hua Zifei's words, the three captains and staff officers were a little embarrassed, Hua Yue and the mercenaries fought three vicious battles before creating a fighter, and her injuries had not yet healed, so she took the rangers close to the mercenaries to reconnoitre, and more than 10,000 people marched hundreds of miles in a roundabout way, how could they only choose one military station as the combat target.

"This is a desert, once their whereabouts are exposed, the mercenaries will never chase after them, but the regular army of the setting sun will be dispatched immediately, and I don't need to say much about the final result. ”

Liu Xindong wiped his forehead and took the words: "In this way, we only have one chance, and we have to fight quickly, and immediately turn around and return to the grassland after burning the supplies, let the sunset iron rider bite, and then it will be difficult to get rid of the tracking." ”

"Commander, our three battalions have tens of thousands of elite soldiers, even if we encounter the sunset regular army, we will not be without the strength to fight. ”

Ouyang Xuan and Fang Zhenhai were a little disappreciative in their hearts, Huayue had a standard team of more than 600 people, and the three thousand strikers who killed the witch soldiers could not form an army, the grassland trials have been thousands of years, and the three kingdoms have clashed against each other, and no one has completely defeated anyone, so it can be seen that the mercenaries are not very powerful.

"The power of a battle? Even if we encounter the Sunset elite legion, we can rush all the way out! But have you ever thought about it, who are we leading? The elite of the imperial government standard battalions, the orphans of martyrs, and the future officers! Let them fight a bloody battle with the Sunset regular army, one for ten, and the military department will unceremoniously cut off our heads after the war. ”

Hua Zifei softened his tone, looked at the three young captains, and patiently explained: "In the battle of Crescent Spring, the bravery of the five squads is enough to compile the history of the army, why is the county lord angry and severely punished, she is distressed, the standard battalion of the eighty-first mansion of the empire, there are only more than 1,000 students who graduate every year, and each battalion can be divided into three or five, and the lowest official position in the future is the standard commander, who is the backbone of the royal trust, and they support the huge army of the empire." ”

"Commander, we understand that people will inevitably die in battle, but if it is due to a command error, resulting in the bloodshed and sacrifice of the standard battalion cadets, the military law is ruthless and the conscience is not at ease. ”

Hua Zifei's fingers focused on an inconspicuous oasis on the map.

"Three-way march, set up a military station every three hundred miles, guarded by a thousand troops, how many troops do you have to leave in the desert? If the mercenaries have such strength, the prairie has already changed masters. We don't eat the bait, and go straight to the turnover point of the front and rear military stations!"

The main force of the cadets traveled day and night, avoiding the mercenary scouts all the way, and with the cover of the night, tens of thousands of people silently returned to the rear of the mercenary middle lane.

"Legion Commander, you can't risk your life, I'll take someone with you!"

Behind the sand dunes, the tent was tightly covered, and there was no light to penetrate, Hua Zifei took off the iron armor and changed into a night suit.

"Hidden observation for a few days, there should be no more omissions in the defense of the soldiers, you have also seen, the piled up of materials is enough for tens of thousands of people and a half months to consume, the heavy defense is expected, five thousand people can not stop the surprise attack of the students, but if the charge is suddenly intercepted by Wuzong, it will inevitably cause heavy casualties to the officers, I must go to check it in person, if you really want to have Wuzong, with your skills, don't think about coming back." ”

In fact, the three lieutenants were no longer hypocritical, and just as Hua Zifei was about to leave, Hua Yue opened the curtain and leaned in.

"There is no Wu Zong in the military station. ”

"How do you know?" Captain Ouyang glared when he asked, eager to slap Hua Yue, and reproached angrily: "Before the injury is healed, I dare to go to the night scout station, and if I don't report it, I will act without permission, and I will punish you this time." ”

"If you want Wuzong to be in charge, how do you plan to get out before you go?" Hua Zifei couldn't see joy and anger on his face, and stared at his granddaughter and asked: "If you alarm the defenders, do you know that the surprise attack will fail?"

"I suffered a loss, how can I be fooled again. Hua Yue blinked and jumped in the tent a few times, signaling that he was not injured at all, and seeing that the four of them were calm and did not talk, he hurriedly reported in a low voice: "I have captured a centurion, I have already tortured it, and the mercenaries think that our little strength does not dare to stay in the desert, and the defense of the military station is not as tight as a few days ago, and Wu Zong, who is sitting in the town, left three days ago." ”

"If Wu Zong is still there, and it is found that a centurion is missing, your audacity will still be a big deal. Hua Zifei couldn't bear to blame his granddaughter heavily, but Hua Yue obviously violated military discipline this time, and he couldn't help but punish him: "Thirty whips will be written down for the time being, and they will be executed in public after returning to the grassland, don't think that your little sister's secret is hidden from everyone." ”

"Commander, Hua Yue violated military discipline, but he also found out the military situation, and the merit is enough to compensate for the mistakes, so the punishment is naturally necessary, so there is no need to enforce it in public. Captain Ouyang's attitude changed and he talked about love again, the eleventh standard commander of the second battalion was imprisoned in the prison of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and Hua Yue had to be whipped in public again, so how could he be embarrassed by the captain who was demoted and retained.

"Don't coax the two of you, whoever pleads again will be regarded as an accomplice!" Hua Zifei blocked the mouths of the two lieutenants with a word, and looked at Hua Yue with heartache and joy: "I grabbed the military flag and was slapped by Wu Zong, and I was not seriously injured by relying on the silkworm clothes, and if I don't punish it, I will dare to go to the martial saint in the future." ”

"Silkworm Clothes!"

The three captains looked at each other and smiled, the legion commander was strict in enforcing the law but also had selfish intentions, let Hua Yue wear a silkworm robe and be whipped, with her cultivation, she would not feel the pain, besides, the county lord would definitely come forward to intercede, and he would never let Hua Yue lose face in front of everyone, and the old fox would not sit idly by, who would dare to whip his favorite general in front of him.

"The three of you will go back to the camp separately, and tomorrow you will lead the troops to raid the military station as planned, and I will remind you again, don't ask for many mercenaries, but be sure to burn all the supplies. ”

At dawn, dozens of military stations almost at the same time burst into flames, just when the mercenaries were busy fighting the fire, the ambush for several days had been full of spirit of the students, suddenly launched a charge from three sides, the resistance of the defenders was also very tenacious, three thousand people team successively carried out a counter-charge, and the students and soldiers melee together, two thousand people ambushed behind the fence, the arrows were like flying locusts crossing, the battle situation was at a stalemate for a while, but as the materials ignited the fire became more and more intense, the two thousand people of the military station had to withdraw, abandon the bow and arrow and turn over the horse, and the students quickly mixed together, Hua Zifei's plan was to surround three missing one, and the mercenaries chose to fight to the death, no team chose to break through on the empty side。

"Elite soldiers! The sunset generals are not simple, they would have expected that the students would attack and harass the baggage, but unfortunately they didn't expect that what came was not the attack of the elite soldiers, but the siege and killing of tens of thousands of troops. In that case, a big battle should be waged in advance, and the order was given to the reserves to attack from the gap and destroy the defenders of the station. ”

When the three commanders died under Hua Zifei's spear, the battle situation gradually evolved into a massacre, and the remaining mercenaries had to concentrate their forces to break through, subconsciously chose the previous gap, and were colliding with the reserve led by Hua Yue, three rounds of longbows and two rounds of short crossbows shot past, and the corpses of people and horses blocked the way, only hundreds of mercenaries stood out from the encirclement, but they didn't know that more than 300 people in Huayue's standard team were ambushed in the distance, and they were shooting with long bows and short crossbows.

"The standard commander Mo Fei's courage has become smaller after being injured, and he will choose to ambush and hurt people with hidden arrows. ”

"Yes, not letting the mercenaries who break through the siege not be allowed to be chased and killed, which is not like the usual practice of the standard commander. ”

"Be content, we were originally in reserve, I didn't listen to the captain, I didn't plan to send it before the attack, it's good to have this feat. ”

In a battle at the military station, the soldiers were killed and wounded at the cost of more than 700 people, almost all of the 5,000 defenders were annihilated, the hoarded materials were burned to the ground, the army took a little rest, and chased along the mercenary marching route, the mercenaries in front got the news that there was the main force of the soldiers behind them, and the horn of the charge had sounded in their ears, and the desert was a bloody battle every few days, and the regular army caught up at sunset, and the soldiers had already entered the grassland.

Three full-fledged cavalry battalions entered the desert for alert training, and when they returned to the grassland, there was a shortage of soldiers close to four standard teams, more than 1,300 cadets were buried in the desert, and more than 1,500 soldiers were lightly and seriously wounded, and more than half of the 23,000 people of the mid-route army of the sunset mercenaries were killed and wounded, and they were unable to fight again in a short period of time.

The attack battle that retreated with one blow turned into a series of assault battles, which certainly won the Second Army valuable time to build the city, but the casualties of the soldiers always made Hua Zifei feel guilty.

"Behind enemy lines, you not only have to fight with mercenaries, but also be killed by the sunset iron cavalry, horse bandits are even more hated by the soldiers, and they may fall into the enemy's heavy encirclement at any time, and the chance of survival is too slim, if anyone is unwilling to go to this task, it is not considered a violation of military orders. ”

Every time he left a patrol soldier, Hua Zifei had to repeat it with tears in his eyes, and the answer he got was always the same voice.

"Loyal to the Empire, fight bravely, all for victory!"

The Sixth Patrol Soldier quietly stayed in the desert, and the reason why the main force rushed all the way back to the grassland was to play cover and prevent the enemy from detecting the abnormality too early. After the start of the war, the Six Patrols will turn into bandits, who do not belong to the same battalion as each other, and there is no unified command, so as not to betray someone after being captured, so that the sunset mercenaries can follow the clues and catch them all.

The most dangerous and important raid area is undoubtedly the transportation line closest to the sunset border, Hua Yue ignored Captain Ouyang's roar, and led a patrol to stay first, Hua Zifei didn't say a word, but the reluctance and worry in his heart could be seen by anyone.

"Born into a duke, the honor of nobility does not allow me to leave the danger to orphans and soldiers. As the granddaughter of the corps commander, I should lead by example for the three armed forces. (To be continued.) )