Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 287 Evacuation

Ten days later, Claude appeared at Major Skerry's office, reporting in detail what he had heard.

“… several regiments on the front line are now said to be defenceless and no one is willing to attack the Principality of Kanas, even those officers gathered to discuss the news of the truce. I borrowed the hawk from Captain Duriolo's local guard battalion in Squirrel Village and sent a confidential letter to the Front Line Command, reporting on our Ranger Battalion, requesting reinforcements and supplies, but it took three days to receive a reply. It said that we knew, asking us to insist, the rear will make adjustments to give us the Ranger Battalion operational guidance and support, reply here..."

Claude put the Front Line Command reply on the table, Major Scully picked it up, just like Claude said, and he missed the sign, knowing what was inside Front Line Command, and he was suddenly exasperated: “This is useless, you see the Front Line Operations Staff signed under the letter, which means that nobody took your report seriously and didn't implement it into a specific department. The reply merely indicates that the General Staff is aware of your situation, but it is up to them to decide how to solve the specific problem.

This is the most common method of procrastination, and it is not clear to them when the commander above has instructed them, as a staff officer, that they have considered your matter and reported it, indicating that they have not committed misconduct. But the problem is that the Grand Prince is not in Front Line Command right now, but returns to Wangdu. Our Rangers' Four Battalions are under the authority of the Front Line Command, which requires instructions from the Grand Prince or a formal order from the Front Line Command. Those staff officers debriefed us and didn't know if they were stuck in that folder. It was not clear whether they had been seen by the commander acting as Prince Hansburg presiding over the Front Line Command... ”

Major Skerry was angry, but he couldn't help it. If a Ranger Battalion is stationed in Squirrel Village, it doesn't matter to wait for a while, it's always their turn. But at present, the first battalion of the Rangers is besieged by the enemy, and the food is less than half a month old. In reply to the letter, the first battalion of the Rangers insisted that everyone should commit suicide. If you really stick to the castle, Major Skerry believes that by the time the commanders of Front Line Command think of the Ranger Battalion, everyone here will be starving to death.

If the battalion were still at war, perhaps the situation of the first Battalion of Rangers would soon receive a response from the Front Line Command, stating that there was a saying whether the battle was withdrawn or not. According to the Claude report, however, it is now inevitable that both the officers and officers of the Front Line Corps and the Commander of the Front Line are mindful of the armistice negotiations and ignoring the situation of the first Battalion of Rangers.

Moreover, in its reply, the Front Line Operations Staff also denounced the reason why a Ranger Battalion did not report the loss in time. Even if the Eagle's message was uselessly suppressed by the enemy's Prairie Gold Sculpture, it should send capable personnel across the enemy's defensive front to report to the Front Line Command in a timely manner. Because the Front Command sent five falconry eagles to a battalion of Rangers, none of them returned, which led the Front Command to believe that a battalion of Rangers deep into the Kanas Prairie and occupying an area had been overthrown, just like the Blue Feather Regiment, which had been raided on the prairie...

Major Skerry only laughed bitterly with his own head, and now he understands why the Grand Prince has always treated the staff of the Front Line Command and the exaggerated generations of his own deputy. Many of them are recognized as temporary Junjie, and are hailed as the rear of the army. But the great prince was less willing to promote these people, and instead, like Lieutenant Colonel Ledfank and himself, those who always buried their heads in silence were easily favoured by the great prince.

It turns out that it's really the same thing to talk in the back and fight in the front. No wonder the Grand Prince likes to talk to grassroots officers and veterans in the army, because that's how he gets the most real picture. Like those front-line command staff reprimands in this letter, it's easy to say, but how hard can they know? This side is besieged by the enemies of the dominant forces, and the battle is in a hurry, but it is possible that they should send their own elite veterans to the top to report why there is no message?

“Are we really negotiating a truce?” Major Skerry muttered.

Claude wondered if Major Skerry was questioning himself, which seemed more like talking to himself. But he replied, "Yes, that's what Captain Duriolo said. He said that Prince Hansburg's rush back to the King was all about speaking to His Majesty, refusing to negotiate peace, and allowing him to mobilize his troops to attack the three regiments in the prairie of the Principality of Kanas, who were ambushed, and the Blue Feather Regiment was overthrown. His Majesty, however, summoned the Prime Minister, the Duke of Creeus, into the palace overnight, and after a night of discussions with the Grand Prince, he returned to his house, claiming that he was ill. The Kingdom began truce negotiations with the embassy of the Kingdom of Nasseri, the Principality of Kanas.

It is now said that the soldiers of all the regiments on the front line are aware of the news of the truce and the talks and are awaiting the announcement of the end of the war. The soldiers were defenceless and demoralized, and even officers of the IUCN refused to send soldiers to Kanas Prairie for reconnaissance. Soldiers said that the war was coming to an end and why did they scout with the enemy? No one is willing to die now, under duress almost mutiny... ”

Major Skerry could only shake his head with Claude. First, he lost. He could have used snowflake revenge to inspire the soldiers' morale. As a result, he received the message that the truce and talks would end the war. It would be difficult to raise it once the morale had dropped. The truce and peace talks are the best news for all the soldiers, who have been at war for more than four years and who have begun to be somewhat feeble and who are unwilling to return to their homes to meet their loved ones.

Now Major Scully understands why Claude only brought back three men, Mike and Big Grimes, leaving that squad of elite veterans with Muriel. It was feared that the veterans of the group would spread the news of the truce and peace talks when they returned to the castle, so that the soldiers of the 1st Battalion of Rangers had no will and determination to persevere.

“So all the fronts are still fighting here?” Major Skerry asked with a grin.

Claude nodded.

“We only have 13 days of grass now.” No matter how much we save, we won't survive the rainy season in March, "Major Skerry said. It is impossible for the latter to provide us with any logistical supplies and reinforcements in such a short period of time. ”

Major Skerry looked seriously at Claude, looking at the letter in Yang's hand: "Are you sure that the exit path is safe? ”

“I can assure you.” Claude said.

Major Skerry nodded and finally resolved: "Defend for another week, prepare for all retreats, make all remaining grass from one week dry for use on the road, expand the range of defensive enemy scouts, and do not allow the enemy to detect signs of a breakthrough. ”

Claude had no idea how difficult the evacuation decision made by Major Skerry at that moment was and how much it affected him. Claude was merely acting as a subordinate executing his superior's orders: "Aye, sir. ”

There's so much going on, Claude's so busy, more than two hundred tanks of ashes of the dead soldiers, more than a hundred wounded, all of which have to be brought back. Claude had to negotiate only with Major Skerry so that the Marquee Squadron could set out three days early, led by Maggie and Big Grimes, to set up a temporary camp at the point of entry into the mountains to pick up the wounded and those ash cans that came in the back.

Another four days later, Captain Codwalk escorted the battalion's logistics and medical staff at the treatment centre with the remnants of the 4th and 2nd battalions, along with some necessary supplies, under his guidance, to depart overnight. Major Scully's third battalion and Claude's first pair, as well as a squadron of artillery, remained in the castle. They need to be stationed for another day until dark to evacuate.

In the evening, at daylight, Claude personally launched a probative attack on the village with a squadron of Diavids, using the 100-metre effective range of firing with the precise aim of the Obash III rifle in his hand to snipe the enemy's guard posts and reconnaissance personnel stationed in the village, causing the enemy panic that a battalion of soldiers would attack their defensive positions and would have to send a large number of additional defensive personnel at night.

At that time, soldiers from the first Battalion of Rangers used the side gate of the castle to quietly leave the Castle of Count Cleveland, which had been stationed for almost eight months, leaving only an empty house and walking to the mountains under cover of the night.

Major Skerry was the last one to leave the castle. He opened his notebook and wrote a large line on it: At 1 a.m. on February 11, 581, Holy Light, he withdrew from the Castle of Count Krillause due to the exhaustion of grass...

The enemy did not detect an anomaly until noon the following day, when several bold soldiers approached the castle and took more than an hour to confirm that a battalion of guerrillas had been evacuated from the castle. The enemy then dispatched a team of scouts to follow the traces on the snow and to confirm where the first battalion of soldiers had retreated. Only when enemy scouts from this unit traced their way to the entrance to the mountain, they were ambushed by a broken squadron of Diavids, who were lucky enough to escape back to the two wounded, and when they arrived again with a large convoy of horses, it was already evening, leaving them with only an empty makeshift camp.

The enemy commander looked up at the sky and again at the snowy mountain forest, sighing and ordering the army to return. He was convinced that the enemy had found its way back in the mountains, otherwise the entire army would not have withdrawn so simply.

February is the melting season, but for mountains, melting ice and snow can take a while longer than the snow accumulation on the grasslands. The first Battalion of Rangers proceeded along the corridors temporarily opened by Claude and others in the mountains, and from time to time stopped to reinforce the roads on the logging bridge in order to allow the horses carrying the goods to pass. After seven days and seven nights of torturing, many of the wounded had finally arrived at the camp site of the Merried Squadron at the entrance to the hill without any casualties.

“Give us a bite to eat first, we're starving.” The first sentence of Claude's meeting with Muriel was to eat, and all the food had been eaten up a day earlier, and Claude, the latter of them, had climbed the last mountain path hungry.

Muriel had already sent a team to pick up the food, and he was carrying a lot of food, but the food had been robbed by the people in front of him, and Claude, who had broken the back, was going to destroy the temporary passage that he had set up, so he was moving slowly and had to go hungry.

This Muriet was already ready, first a large bowl of hot and warm broth filled the stomach, the whole person warmed up, then ate two large bowls of porridge, a large piece of meat steak, Claude poured on Muriet's marching bed and slept heavily, couldn't even take care of cleaning his body, now he can finally sleep peacefully.

It took Claude almost ten hours of sleep to wake up in a good mood, looking for some hot water to wipe off his body, and Mike came in to report that Major Skerry had something to discuss with him. Major Scully waited until now because Claude slept so deeply.

Claude walked out of the tent and grabbed the snow and wiped his face, pretending to have washed his face, while also making himself more sober.

At Major Skerry's tent, Captain Codwalker was found there. After saluting his greetings, Major Skerry said he was ready to leave immediately and take the 2nd 3rd 4th Battalion to the former garrison of the 1st Battalion of Rangers, where the town of Rosa was stationed. As he had already heard, the original cantonment camp over there was still empty, perfect for a Ranger Battalion to spend the rainy season of March there.

Claude's first battalion, on the other hand, was stationed in Squirrel Village to assist Captain Duriolo of the local guard battalion in guarding the crossing and preventing the territorial nobles of the Principality of Kanas from entering Squirrel Village again. This hillside entrance position, guarded by Squadron Muried, would also need to be abandoned if the battalion were to withdraw, and the camp would not be suitable for the rainy season, nor would it be necessary to maintain it.

Claude knew that Major Skerry had put him in Squirrel Village, and many knew that he had found a hunter girl in Squirrel Village to be his girlfriend. It was Major Scully's good intentions and there was no need to refuse, Claude was happy to follow orders.

However, the cantonment camp next to Squirrel Village has been occupied by the local guard camp and Claude is not ready to fight for it. Anyway, now that Squirrel Village is large, Claude has unnecessarily requisitioned some houses in the village, and took advantage of the half month before the rainy season, he raided the village to build many simple houses and rain shed, the requirements are not high, first spend the March rainy season.

The next time it rained heavily outside, Claude was either nestled in the house watching books borrowed from Sheila or running to the Witch Forest and Sheila's Ghost while the rain was smaller. By the time April arrived, good news had finally arrived that the armistice peace agreement had been signed between the kingdoms of Ovieras and Nasseri, the Principality of Kanas, and that the war, which had swept the entire eastern part of the continent for four and a half years, had finally ended.

The soldiers cheered and cheered, both at the local guard battalion and at the 1st Battalion, throwing their hats into the sky. Claude was smiling at the scene of happiness in front of him, but saw Captain Duriolo, the battalion commander of the local guard battalion, rushing in. He gave Claude an incredible piece of bad news: “Major Scully, the battalion commander of the Ranger Battalion, was arrested on charges of desertion and malfeasance, abandoning Kingdom territory...”