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Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Fantasy -> Butterfly in the storm Text Chapter 3 The non-existent fleet (5)
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January 27, 1667, deep rainy season
Yellow Turban Taiping Dao Kingdom, Fuxi Province
??Government of Guozhou, prevention of Diebao
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One hundred and twenty-eight years ago, after the Guozhou Prefecture was ceded to the people of Shengsen and the Senate "for the supply and trade of elven ships," the leaders of the Qingniu Prefecture decided to do so within a few dozen miles. A new Guozhou seat was built outside the city to govern the remaining counties of Guozhou.
At first, the priests of Taipingdao who were in charge of the affairs of the west side of the province planned to give the city a tacky name like "Xinguozhou"; but in the end, under the suggestions of some learned people, they decided to give this city a tacky name like "Xinguozhou". The new city was named "Fangdibao".
Translating this name into Western terms, its meaning is "a fortress to resist the Western barbarians." Calicut Alvarez, the famous elf general known as Lelito by the Tao people, almost wiped out the entire Yellow Turban Army in the west of the country, leaving a deep memory of humiliation to the Taiping Tao Kingdom.
Like all cities that believe in Taiping Dao, the yellow background Tai Chi flag of Taiping Dao is flying over Fangdibao. This flag is commonly known as "Tai Chi Fish" in Western countries. It consists of alternating black and white patterns forming a wonderful circle. It is a common symbol for all religions and sects that follow the supreme road and pursue the only right path.
For many years, one-half of the standing troops of the entire Fuxi Province have been stationed under this banner, always ready to resist the invasion of more elven legions.
Finally, the elven army they were waiting for arrived, but it was flying a white flag symbolizing peace.
At this moment, the leader of this elf army, Jiawen Alvarez, is in the side room of Fangdibao government office, sitting in a very ladylike posture, leaning on a boxwood carved Heavenly Master chair, holding a tea cup in her hand, and sighing. He calmly waited for the summons of the master of this place.
A few decades ago, this relatively new style of oriental furniture was not very common in the world of Taiping Road. Taoist people still preferred matzas, low beds and even sitting on the floor; but after the clever Shengsen and Oriental businessmen, this kind of furniture, formerly known as "Taishi Chair" "After the imported chair was renamed "Tianshi Chair", it swept the officialdom of the Taiping Dao countries.
She brought four elves and quasi-elf nobles to serve as guards, all of them were murderous and brave. She wanted the other party to know that she did not bring the defeated army to surrender.
Although the truth is not far from this. Just three days ago, the Free Army fleet that rushed across the entire Hidden Dragon Sea landed in Jiawenfegna and wiped out the Elf Colonial Legion stationed in the colony along with its captain and colonial governor. Jiawen used the authority of the tribune and took out several titles of honorary citizens of Shengsen to reorganize the defeated soldiers and refugees into a colonial legion detachment that looked reasonable and had a unicorn battle flag.
"This chair is finally more comfortable than the last time I came here."
The female elf tribune took a sip of tea and recalled the memories of dealing with these Taoists decades ago, not wanting to make any big etiquette mistakes. In recent years, Taoist officials have taken the initiative to go to Jiawen Feige to visit representatives of Shengsen.
"The Governor of Guozhou, General Fangdi, Deputy Governor of Fuxi, Lord Zhu Juezhi summoned Shengsen's envoy Lei Jiawen!"
The guard at the door stretched his throat and shouted loudly.
¡°This gentleman¡¯s name means ¡®decisive person¡¯.¡±
A quasi-elf who had previously served as a translator and had spent many years in the Eastern Empire stood up and explained to Jiawen, who did not understand the Eastern language well. Several other elves and half-elves stood up after him.
Seeing this, the yellow turban guard hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Your Excellency has only summoned the envoy and his interpreter. Please wait here."
¡°It¡¯s really adding insult to injury.¡±
A sneer appeared at the corner of Jiawen's mouth. The attitude of those Taipingdao officials before was not like this.
The trade with Shengsen has brought great benefits to the three provinces on the Taiping Peninsula. It is the biggest source of profit for the governor of Guozhou and the deputy governor of the province, not only the customs tax and the seizure of contraband. This made the warlord rich.
"This is an outrageous deception, Lord Tribune!"
"It doesn't matter. Let them perform."
Every elf knows that interests and politics are two different things. When Honlinasti still ruled the entire continent, the old immortals in the Elven Capital began to play politics - until they lost the entire Elf Empire, they were still playing with the clever and wise politicians. A game of power that knows how to play.
Jiawen understood that the other party¡¯s statement was conveying a message: the other party already knew the news about the fall of Jiawen Feige, and planned to use it to seek benefits.
She waved her guard to stay in the room,He got up and followed the guard out of the door with the translator.
The entire Fangdibao government office is heavily guarded, which reflects the true nature of this place as a military fortress. However, those Yellow Turban soldiers who barely put on a majestic posture did not look like battle-hardened warriors, but rather like government servants who barely put on their military uniforms - just like the "guard" who led the way in front of her.
After passing through the wide square decorated with drums, shields, coats of arms, stone lions and other decorations, you will reach the official government hall of Fangdibao. In front of the main hall, two yellow scarf warriors holding great halberds blocked the way.
"Hurry up and take off your weapons, Xidi people!"
Their halberds collided, making a crisp metallic collision sound. They were actually large guns made of iron.
"They ask you to hand over your weapons"
Hearing the euphemistic translation from the quasi-elf who was proficient in Eastern languages, Jiawen sighed softly and took off the protective dagger from her waist.
"I'm afraid there's no such word as please, right?"
Before anyone around her could show a proud smile, she threw the dagger with its scabbard into the center of the crossed halberds of the two Yellow Turban soldiers! The power of this throw was so clever that the expressions of the two strong men changed drastically. The halberd in one's hand swung away, and the halberd in the other's hand simply fell to the ground.
The female elf smiled, and her sensitive ears heard the whispered words "Didn't you say she came to ask for reinforcements, Master?"
She shook her head and raised her voice deliberately: "If I want to assassinate your governor, even without weapons, can anyone in this courtyard stop me?!"
Being able to become one of the ten tribunes of the Holy Forest as a female prostitute, Jiawen Alvarez is extremely confident in her abilities. She knew from the beginning that reinforcements from the Taiping Dao Kingdom could not be obtained by being humble!
She was answered with a thump on the hardwood. Jiawen had heard of that kind of impact; people in the Eastern Empire seemed to call it a "gavel", and its function and effect were a bit like a big bell in a church.
"Bring in the female envoy of Xidi!"
There was a slightly frustrated voice coming from inside.
¡°They asked you to come in to discuss¡ª¡ª¡±
"There is no need to translate like this. While I was waiting, I found an inaccurate listening and interpreting magic from the magic net, so I'll make do with it. I guess I don't need an accurate translation today."
Jiawen completely ignored the three yellow scarf soldiers around her, finished speaking as if no one else was around, crossed the high threshold and walked into the main hall of the government office.
The owner of this place, Deputy Governor Zhu Juezhi, is sitting behind the desk at the end of the main hall. His desk and seat are all obviously raised to provide an advantage over the people in the hall.
Like most Taoist citizens of the Taiping Tao Kingdom, Anti-Di General Zhu Juezhi has a brown face, beard, and skin as rough as the hot sand of the archipelago. He does not look much like a yellow race from the Eastern Empire. However, these people all claim to be "true messengers of the righteous way" and talk about "must recapture the giant deer". This inconsistent and high-sounding style is very similar to the Eastern bureaucratic empire that governs the country with morality.
Now, the most powerful man in the southern part of Fuxi Province was staring at Jiawen's flawless, statue-like face and secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. One of his wives and concubines was a sub-elf with a quarter of elven blood, which he was very satisfied with; but in front of this 100% pure-blood elf, the mixed-blood elf could only eclipse.
He could see that this woman who led the elf army and held a high position behaved politely, cautiously and arrogantly, and she obviously came from a large family - similar to the few in the Taiping Tao Kingdom that lasted for hundreds of thousands of years and had county titles that could be traced back to The kind of big family in Middle-earth. For a warrior like Zhu Juezhi, such a woman from a big family would never dare to think about it.
Just when he was in a daze for the other party's beauty and temperament, Jiawen spoke.
"I am Jiawen Alvarez, the eldest daughter of Calicut Alvarez, the tribune authorized by the elven people and the Senate."
The quasi-elf interpreter translated word for word: "This tribune is Lei Jiawen, the daughter of Lei Lituo."
Zhu Juezhi came back to his senses after hearing the name "Leili Tuo", which was unforgettable for the Taiping Tao Kingdom.
"Oh, my general is Zhu Juezhi. May I ask what the tribune wants to do when he leads his army?"
General Fangdi left a step for the opponent. According to his and his master's speculation, the elf's unprecedented defeat was a good opportunity for him to expand his power and compete for power. If the elf is going to ask for his reinforcements to take back Guozhou, then he doesn't care about biting off a chunk of flesh from these pointed ears It would be even better if he has a chance to bite the lady in front of him.
"This time I came to bring the goodwill and advice of the Senate and Jiawen Feigna. 1A powerful Intre Free Army captured Jiawenfegna a few days ago and defeated our local garrison. With the strength of this army, it is entirely possible for them to continue attacking Fort Di. Therefore, I came with my army, hoping to help you, General Zhu, guard this city until we can bring in more fleets and reinforcements to defeat the enemy. I hope you, General, will not act without authorization. This Nancoman army is not a militia, but a powerful army that has experienced bloody battles on the mainland. It is by no means an opponent that the General's troops can defeat. "
"There is a red barbarian army, attacking the city and the ground, and they are invincible in all directions"
Due to the language barrier, Zhu Juezhi listened to the translator relaying Jiawen¡¯s meaning with a smile at first, but as he listened, he felt something was not right. Even if modified by translation, this is not a well-intentioned advice at all, but a face-to-face humiliation.
General Fang Di has spent more than forty years in the military. He once led the new army under Luo Ruide, and also participated in the holy war against the East. His achievements have been outstanding over the years. Such fiery words that slap him in the face are really shocking He couldn't stand it.
"What do you mean, little girl, that not only can we not defeat the Red Yi army, but we can't even defend this defense fort?"
"Exactly. That's why I came here with good intentions to provide an elf reinforcement to the general. As long as the general provides our people with appropriate rewards and supplies, we will defeat the incoming Entre army. Okay. What reassures you, General, is that we will not ask for more rights for our services. Even if Jiawen Feigna comes as a new governor, it will have nothing to do with our services."
The quasi-elf in charge of the translation twitched his ears slightly, but he still translated these words according to Jiawen's meaning.
As he expected, Zhu Juezhi grabbed the tea cup on the table with his veined hands only halfway through hearing it.
"That's enough. Send the guests off."
In the official customs of the Eastern Empire, once the host picks up the tea cup, it means that the guests can leave.
¡°We have many generals and governors in Taiping Dao Kingdom, and the tribune Lei can lead your army to sell himself for money. But in our defense of Dibao, we don¡¯t need your army to help defend.¡±
Jiawen sighed softly and said with a smile: "I do have good intentions"
"Then the interpreter, tell her the meaning of the word "see off guests!"
When serving tea to the guests, General Zhu couldn't understand his hatred. He threw the tea cup with all his strength and smashed it to pieces on the ground.
Seeing this, Jiawen put her hand on her chest, bowed slightly, and still calmly exited the door.
After the two elves disappeared outside the door, the master on the side frowned, coughed twice, and stepped forward to remind the master: "Sir, although this girl is arrogant, there is no need to be as knowledgeable as her, right? We must not fall for it. This is the way to provoke generals."
"Of course I know." Zhu Juezhi sat back on the chair and said in a deep voice, without a trace of anger on his face, "This woman wants to provoke us to fight with the newcomers from Guozhou, and her intention is too obvious. I How could they fall into such a childish plan? The Xidi people have pointed ears and long eyebrows, and have shallow minds. They look like animals. It¡¯s just as expected.¡±
"Then why, sir, do you want to quarrel with me in front of everyone?" Master asked cautiously.
"Hahaha, although this woman is determined to inspire the generals, what she said revealed all her trump cards. It is true that the Red Yi Army is brave and good at fighting, and it is also true that her army is almost at the end of its rope, so she came up with this idea of ??selling herself as a mercenary The art of war comes. She keeps saying that local reinforcements will arrive, which shows that they actually do not have any foreign aid in the short term."
Zhu Juezhi was in a very good mood and tapped the gavel on the table gently.
"She strongly emphasized that the Red Yi people will go north, but it can be seen that the Red Yi people actually have no plans for me. The Red Yi army must be cautious now when they go on expeditions, stand alone, and seize new lands. We might as well Seize this opportunity and directly sign a new peace treaty with the brave and capable Red Yi Army. Wouldn't that be much better than entangled with these Xi Di?"
"Use barbarians to control barbarians, sir, you really see it clearly!" The master was convinced after hearing this, "No wonder we have to drive these Xidi people out."
"If we use them, the negotiations with Hongyi will be hindered. Maybe there will be a night attack by Dingyuan Marquis. Why bother?" Zhu Juezhi became happy and looked like a The scholar also dropped his book bag, "It's just a pity that we don't have the chance to kiss this beauty."
The master laughed in unison, and the other soldiers in the hall also laughed along with their general.
At this time, Jiawen Alvarez was walking out the door with a few listless guards.
The guards all heard the message sent by Zhu Juezhi to the guards, and also knew that their troops would no longer be able to stay in this city. They were all in a very low mood, and they were in a state of despair.??The market cannot arouse the slightest interest from everyone.
But Jiawen herself seemed to be in a good mood. She often stopped in the market to buy some interesting accessories or Taipingdao-style magic items.
She is not leading a real Saint Sen Legion, and people do not have the obedience of real soldiers. Finally, after a group of people left the market and got rid of the pursuers on Taiping Road, someone couldn't help but asked: "Your Excellency, the Tribune. We will be forced to leave here soon, and they have not promised us anything." Any reinforcements, is that okay?¡±
The female tribune replied easily while changing her newly purchased hair accessories: "No reinforcements? Yes, they didn't promise me, but we have already received reinforcements."
"But I don't think General Zhu is a risk-taker." Even the quasi-elf who served as the translator raised objections.
"This General Zhu will lead his troops." Jiawen smiled, "This General will never pay attention to our warnings and threats, but he will not lead his troops to attack Jiawen Feigna. He will only I will take the army on the road to protect myself, and at the same time show it to the new owner there, and try to get some bargains back through negotiation. A very safe plan that can make the most profit. I'm afraid he is laughing at me now."
Several guards couldn't help but nodded. Zhu Juezhi's judgment is indeed very reasonable and sound, and it is the worst plan for Shengsen.
"Then what's the problem, your lord the tribune?"
"The problem is that the new owner there may not necessarily make the same judgment as him." Jiawen lowered her head and replaced her bracelet, "And we won't give them the chance to think so. Hanging alone overseas, There is no fleet in the harbor, and all the enemy troops outside the citywill they be patient and negotiate with the army outside the city?"
She held the replaced bracelet tightly, and the communication magic contained in the bracelet glowed slightly with green light. The communication magic contacted another famous tribune, who now commanded a powerful squadron.
"Even if you have patience, your patience will not last long. By then, it will be our chance. I hope you will fight hard."
"But what if the Intre Army wins?"
This question didn¡¯t even cause Jiawen a moment¡¯s hesitation. She already had the answer.
"Of course that would be better. If they can defeat the anti-Di army in the west of Fuzhou, then the Taiping Tao Kingdom will have only one army that can defeat them."
People fell silent.
That can only be the Qingniu Mansion Yellow Turban Army led by his successor Zhang Futu - once trained by Clad Lopez and known as the main force of the 660,000-strong Guard Army.
"Now let's prepare to go north to Qingniu Mansion."
*********
January 30th Winter
West Qianlonghai (westd
agonsea) near the Yellow Turban Taiping Road, the westbound ocean of Guohai Province
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Five days after Jiawen Feige changed hands, an unexpected naval battle was taking place in the West Qianlong Sea.
No one expected that on this sea blown by the south wind, two hostile fleets traveling opposite each other with crosswinds would suddenly encounter each other. They all thought that their actions were unpredictable, but the wind and current always played tricks.
One of them is the fifth and seventh mixed fleets of the Free Navy that rushed to reinforce the main fleet after the surprise attack. They sailed from east to west and planned to cross the headland of the Shankti Peninsula and enter the East Intere Sea within six days.
The other team received the urgent report from Jiawen Alvarez and decisively decided to leave the main fleet of the Two Seas Fleet and rush back to regain the lost ground.
A full eight hours have passed since the two forwards discovered each other. Since ancient times, the timetable for large-scale naval battles has been extremely long, so long that it can drive ordinary people crazy.
The situation is even worse when the commanders-in-chief on both sides are well-known and experienced naval admirals. The sailors need to control the ship's navigation for several hours, the gunners have to fill the cannons with shells and gunpowder round after round, and the ship's mages and priests work to the point of exhaustion. If someone has the time to observe the structure of the magic network in the West Qianlong Sea, they can see huge thread-like nodes near the battlefield. All the magic power has overflowed, and the magic cannon, wind direction control technique and the aura of magic items are intertwined. Colorful clumps of threads.
"The left vanguard detachment has disengaged from the enemy fleet! Please give instructions, Your Excellency, Fleet Commander!"
"The main force of the enemy fleet has broken through with all its strength, and the right wing detachment requests pursuit!"
Countless orders were smashed into the magic network through direct communication magic and transmitted to the flagship of the fifth fleet commander, the half-elf Leonard Kekavi. Every mage on the ship is busy copying and transmitting orders. Many orders have beenThere was no time to complete all the formalities.
In addition to these combat orders, there is only one order that is repeated over and over again through the communication network.
"The ships of the Seventh Fleet will return to the normal route after the engagement. To repeat, if the ships of the Seventh Fleet are engaged in a fight with the enemy, they will resolutely attack them in accordance with the regulations of the Free Navy. If the enemy ships try to escape, they will be After the attack, return to the normal route"
That was the order issued not long ago by Commander Kazan Fisher, Commander of the Seventh Fleet Squadron. It was this order that brought the entire fleet's operations into a stalemate.
"Have you not contacted His Excellency Wei Taiping's flagship yet?"
The reorganized commander of the Fifth Fleet, the half-elf Kekawi, did not join in the chaos. He was pacing back and forth impatiently in the fleet's command cabin, waiting for a report from the magician on duty responsible for ultra-long-distance communications.
For him, this contact is far more important than the ongoing naval battle.
"It's been three days. No response has been received from the mages and priests on board the ships of each squadron of the Seventh Fleet. It should be blocked by a unified silence order. The detailed contact of the magic network cannot be located, and the known large numbers on the fleet are The capacity of magic items has been sealed, and high-level spellcasters have not taken action."
"General silence order."
This combat doctrine was also invented by Wei Taiping and was first used in the naval battle in the Far East. Use all the precious magical power on board the ship to reserve combat magic, recharge magic weapons, create scrolls, reinforce the hull and magic cannons. Of course, you cannot let the opponent detect the direction of the main force of the fleet.
Unlike land warfare, naval warfare is an absolute competition of hard power. An army may collapse overnight for various reasons, but between fleets there is only a competition of endurance and training. A naval battle often lasts for days and nights, with hundreds of ships chasing and fighting within hundreds of nautical miles. Regardless of victory or defeat, regardless of status, even the fleet commander may die at any time. In order to maximize the combat effectiveness of a fleet in such a war, the General Order of Silence was created.
"In this casethen we don't need to contact him anymore. Contact the ship of Deputy Commander Darrow Salami, and notify all battleship officers above the rank of colonel. Everyone is waiting for orders at any time."
Leonard inserted his fingers into his hair and combed it vigorously, as if he wanted to sort out everything that had happened in the past few days.
He has one last hour to make a decision. After this time, even if all his fleets turned around and chased, they would not be able to catch up with the elf fleet, which was full of sails and speeding down the wind.
Looking back now, although the decision to return immediately four days ago was unanimously agreed by everyone and planned in advance, it was an out-and-out gamble.
The half-elf still remembered the scene when he said goodbye to Lessa Helmont on the dock.
At that time, the volunteers who arrived in a small yellow scarf sailboat had just finished landing. After hearing the news that the leader of the Hengqu Sect, Zhang Shiyi, the leader of the Haidong Zhang Sect, had once again raised the banner of the Hengqu Sect, the volunteers who believed in the Hengqu Sect crossed the sea from all over Haidong Province and came to Guozhou and gathered at the Zhang Sect's battle flag. under.
In the middle of these chaotic Hengqu Volunteer Army, Leonard found Lesa Helmont, who was still wearing a pure gold dress. The "Alchemist of Pure Gold" was tempted by the conditions promised by the eldest daughter of the Zhang family, and was inspecting the strange magic props that represented the ancient and modern alchemical achievements of the Taiping Tao countries.
"Vice Admiral Kazan Fisher and I have decided to lead the fleet to support Marshal Wei Taiping. It's going to be -< >- soon, so I wanted to say goodbye to you."
"We are about to sail again. Take care along the way, and if you see any strange magic materials, remember to buy them from me, Mr. Captain."
Looking back, it seems that every time she met Lesa, the alchemist lady always made some mistakes. But maybe top alchemists are like this.
"After we set sail, we may not see any more ships coming to this port within a few weeks. If an enemy fleet really attacks, or an enemy army besieges the city, you must take care of yourself."
"Ah, don't worry. I am using the technology of the Golden Golem to improve the loading speed of the new magic cannon. If your fleet wants to install it next time, you can contact me and I will quote you a good price. Don't look for it. Those accountants that Bonnie hired, that girl is too shrewd to deal with."
Because he didn¡¯t want to say anything unlucky, Leonard didn¡¯t express the thoughts deep in his heart.
At that time, he really didn¡¯t feel that Jiawen Feige would be threatened. The elven army has been defeated, and the remaining soldiers have fled far away. The Hengqu Sect army coming from the Taiping Dao countries is getting stronger day by day. From a common sense point of view, that "Intraeus" would never allow another fleet to be sent back to the main site on the eve of the decisive battle.Newly capture that port
But this has actually become a reality.
"How could the other side make the decision to divide their troops at this time? It's really stupid. Even we know that we need to rush for reinforcements before the war, but they actually decide to divide their troops?"
Such thoughts cycled over and over in my mind. The half-elf shook his head, trying to drive this thought out of his mind. Now there is no point in complaining about the enemy being reckless or playing cards irrationally. Perhaps because he felt that the two elven sea fleets had entered a dead end, the commander of the rearguard fleet might want to cut off his tail and escape
This means that Lessa and all the surprise attack troops in Jiawen Feigna are in danger.
Leonard really wanted to light up his dozens of ships and go his own way, chasing the tail of the opponent's fleet to Jiawen Feige. If this powerful elf fleet is allowed to pass, the surprise attack force there is likely to repeat the mistakes of the previous Saint Sen Army.
But he can't do it alone. Without the assistance of the ships of Kazan Fisher's seventh fleet, even if he catches up, he will not be able to annihilate the huge elven fleet. Instead, he may be defeated by the opponent.
"Your Excellency Commander, Major General Darrow Salami's flagship has been connected."
The voice of the garrison mage interrupted Leonard's recollection. He nodded and walked quickly to the communication magic crystal. Another magician of about three levels was trying his best to maintain the connection between the communication crystal and another communication crystal. These advanced magic items are so expensive and impractical that they are only found on Admiral-class ships.
"Commander Kekawi." The face of the deputy commander of the Fifth Fleet was not clear in the crystal. "Is it about Vice Admiral Fisher's order?"
"Do you think we can still make him take back this order, General Salami?"
Leonard didn¡¯t ask how Darrow guessed his intentions¡ªbecause it was too obvious. The flagship of the Fifth Fleet has been delaying in forwarding the notification from the Seventh Fleet.
Darrow looks fatter in the crystal ball, looking more like a maritime businessman than an admiral than before. His hesitant expression could be seen clearly through the crystal.
"Although it is inappropriate for me to say thisbut what you should ask is not me, but the part of you that is a naval admiral. To convince another admiral, you can only use the admiral's method."
Although Darrow Salami is known for his gentleness and business skills, this does not mean that he is an incompetent naval general. These words extinguished the impetuous emotional flames in the half-elf's heart.
"To convince a naval general, do you have to use the naval general's method"
"You are a much better admiral than me, so you should be better at it."
Leonard Kekaway took a deep breath. He understood that his deputy was advising him in a subtle way.
As a naval admiral, Leonard knew exactly what Marshal Taiping's general silence order meant. Concentrating force is the first lesson every naval commander must learn. If the Seventh Fleet loses in the Grand Fleet decisive battle, Jiawen Feige will also fall.
Maybe he can defeat this elf fleet trying to break through with his outstanding command ability, but if the big fleet fails in the decisive battle, what's the point?
"I understand. I'm sorry. Thank you. Here's the order, all ships of the Fifth Fleet should pay attention. If the enemy ships fight, they will resolutely attack them in accordance with the regulations of the Free Navy. If the enemy ships try to break away, they will return to the normal route after the engagement."
Sorry, Lesa. I believe you can defend that city.
The half-elf said in his heart.
Then he called back the ship¡¯s mage who was responsible for long-range magic communications.
"Stop contacting Marshal Taiping. Contact Major General Dubray Gauho and Governor Nemen Solayton of Jiawen Feigne. Before February 4th, a fleet of nearly two hundred ships will approach. ¡¡±
Leonard stopped here, hesitating.
¡°Do you have any more, Your Excellency?¡±
"I'm sorry that I can't stop it. I hope you will fight hard. It's over."
The half-elf shook his head, said the last sentence, turned around and walked onto the deck.
His flagship also began to lose its sails in the wind and no longer pursued the retreating enemy fleet. After a long time, the sound of cannons on the sea gradually faded away.
*********
February 1, deep rainy season
? Yellow Turban Taiping Dao Kingdom, Guozhou Prefecture (formerly Jiawen Feigna Concession), Xixing Province
Free Army Joint Operations Force Provisional Staff Headquarters
*********
"All senior officers should know this news, and mid-level officersMaybe I haven¡¯t been officially notified yet, so I¡¯ll read it again. "
Nemen Thoredon stood in the middle of the staff office and slapped the message in his hand on the table.
"Report from Vice Admiral Leonard Kekavi. His fleet has broken away from the enemy fleet."
"The enemy fleet is about a hundred warships of various types, and its commander is the famous conqueror Kotuz. It cost about twenty warships to break through. It is expected that this elf fleet will arrive at us in three days in front of me.¡±
"The choice of our fleet is to give up the pursuit and join the large sea battle that is presumed to have broken out."
"The conclusion is that we will be under continuous bombardment by an elven fleet before February 4th. And now outside our city, there is a Taiping Dao army with a number of 25,000 people, who may be hostile. "
All the mid-level and senior officers looked at the commander of the military police in silence. Nemen Thoredon was not the highest-ranking officer among them all, but he was the only high-ranking officer with coordination authority over all the coalition forces.
Since most of the units in the Intre Army were newly built and there were not many reliable units, Naimen coordinated with the two new division commanders for a long time to form this unusually large and complex joint surprise attack force.
In addition to the National Military Police, the 14th "Zhuhai Division" and the 9th National "Dragon Spear Division" each sent an elite regiment-level unit of more than a thousand people, Zhang Shiyi devoted all his resources to organizing 2,000 Hengqu private soldiers And the fleet, Bonnie Seifer also transferred an extremely elite magical reinforcement battalion from the 13th "Miracle Division" to join this speculative surprise attack. Counting Zhang Shiyi and Major Tai Lei, the battalion commander of the 13th Division, there were five commanders with ** command authority present, and as many as 20 intermediate commanders.
Although these troops are not elite, commanding them is a big problem. After capturing Guozhou, Zhang Shiyi's troops expanded rapidly, and various departments of the Free Army also used the property obtained from plundering the elves to recruit local auxiliary troops to liberate the combat troops-this made the command problem worse.
The entire staff was silent in the low pressure, and the air seemed to freeze.
"The situation we are facing is even worse than the elven army that guarded here before. There is not much time left for us, so we must come up with a battle plan today." Naimen broke the silence again, "I I don¡¯t think you need me to repeat the request made by the army outside the city.
The one with the highest military rank was naturally Major General Dubray Gauho, but this senior general did not have the confidence to command such a large and chaotic army. He hurriedly distanced himself: "I suggest that the young Governor-General should make the decision. Only My sea divisions cannot defeat the huge Taiping Army outside. It is better to use negotiation to force them away."
Colonel Cliff continued his speech, but he was more responsible: "I think there is no choice. Three days will definitely not solve the negotiation problem with them. Once the Elf fleet arrives in three days, there will be no need to negotiate. At the beginning, everyone else Call me 'Rabid Dog' Cliff Even though he has become a 'Finger-Broken Mad Dog' now, he should be able to charge into battle with no problem."
There were two division commanders who took the lead, and the rest also expressed their opinions. Faced with such a huge and unexpected threat, people put forward various opinions, ranging from launching a sneak attack, standing still and waiting for help, to renting a ship to evacuate. Only Zhang Shiyi and her officers remained silent.
Naimen noticed this. After another Free Army officer finished expressing his opinion, he intervened: "So, Zhang Qushuai, what's your opinion?"
Today, Zhang Shiyi dyed a red cloak that was exactly the same color as the Intre Army uniform. Under the cloak, he wore an oriental-style close-fitting nail-studded armor with several pieces of shiny metal armor embedded in it. It was also very formal. A yellow hair tie. The officers around her were dressed in various ways according to their military branches. The officers of the Musketeers were wearing armor-free uniforms like the Free Army. The officers of the Pike and Volunteer Army were wearing armor and cloaks like the Eastern Army. As for wearing a few pieces of armor outside the military uniforms, The ones wearing tablets and gauntlets and those wearing broad robes and long-sleeved Taoist uniforms were obviously magic warfare officers.
"Now that I hear it, I feel that everyone has basically unified the information and plans, right?"
Hearing Zhang Shiyi¡¯s summary, Naimen nodded slightly and asked, ¡°Unification?¡±
"Yes. First of all, we have no reinforcements. Then, there are enemies on both sides of the sea. There are only three options we can choose, escape, avoid war, and meet the fight. To escape, we can choose land or sea, and to avoid war, we can choose negotiation, bribery, or bargaining. Make peace or surrender, and you can choose a sneak attack or an open battle, right?"
Although Qu Shuai, the daughter of Zhang family in Hengqu, is young, she speaks Keman very well and is very organized.Everyone¡¯s opinions are summed up very clearly. The generals of the Hengqu Army who followed her nodded secretly, thankful that the Hengqu Sect had a successor.
Naimen followed up the topic in a timely manner: "Actually, after the discussion just now, everyone believes that the only feasible options are negotiation, bribery, sneak attacks and frontal combat. The question now is which option to decide in the end."
"Now we do not have a unified commander. Like you, I have lived in the free countries for many years, and I like this country very much. What I like most about this country is that there is no 'superiority' situation. Under such circumstances, these countries can function normally and have defeated powerful enemies one after another. Isn¡¯t the situation we are facing now very similar to that faced by free countries? Why can¡¯t we use the same method to solve it? ?¡±
Naimen understood what Zhang Shiyi wanted to say: "You mean voting? But traditionally, voting in the Free Army is only used within the staff, and voting is not used to solve problems among our various Free Divisions"
"Our coalition is basically a Free Army unit without a higher-level headquarters. At least my Hengqu Army and I are not opposed to voting. Just vote based on the number of people here."
"Then our Miracle Division also agrees to vote." The Thirteenth Division has only one captain here, and the order she received was to advance and retreat together with Naimen and Zhang Shiyi.
"If you all agree, so do I." Commander Cliff said on behalf of his Dragonlance Master.
Everyone¡¯s attention is focused on Major General Gao Huo, who has the largest regular army. The major general frowned: "We have the most officers, so there is no reason to object."
Naimen nodded: "Then let me preside over it. We are very pressed for time. This is the first time for the joint action force of our Free Army and Hengqu Army -"
Zhang Shiyi interjected: "It's too long. How about calling it 'United Army'?"
"Okay. The Joint Army Staff is voting for the first time. Colleagues who agree to attack, please raise your hands; those who agree to negotiate, please do not raise your hands"
Since most people have served as staff officers, voting on tactics is quick and efficient. Although this was the first time this method was used without a higher-level headquarters, it went very smoothly.
"Then, this is our plan. Before the enemy fleet attacks, we will face the provocative anti-Dispatch forces head-on and defeat them openly to deter more potential enemies."
Naimen made the final decision after statistics.
"In this way, it doesn't matter even if there is no fleet. I hope you will fight hard."
His eyes swept across the entire place. Some people's eyes are eager to achieve success, some people's eyes are calm and silent, and some people's eyes are slightly fearful. Zhang Shiyi and his eyes collided in mid-air; for some reason, what Naimen saw in those beautiful eyes seemed to beexpectations for the future?
The girl who commanded the Hengqu Army smiled at him, suddenly gave a Free Army-style military salute with her right hand, then took off her yellow headscarf and threw it into the air.
"The United Army will win!"
This enthusiasm infected everyone, more military caps and helmets were smashed to the ceiling, and the cheers even alerted the guards outside the door.
"The United Army will win!"
This is the eighth day after the Free Army captured Guozhou Prefecture in a surprise attack.
The most decisive major battles in world history are often not the result of deliberate design, but a series of unexpected events led by seemingly wise and rational decisions; of course, at this moment, all participants have no idea of ??their future. Know.
p.s. Happy Jihad Day!
p.s.2. The volume of Trade Winds printed by book friends has received great reviews and is now on sale. Readers who haven¡¯t bought it should go buy it now! People who have bought it say it is good, indicating that the printing quality, weight and combat effectiveness exceed that of ordinary tiles, and can be passed down to future generations! You can buy four books, one for reading, one for collecting, one for preaching, and one for self-defense! There is also a mysterious surprise in the epilogue of the book! - Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report
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