Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 470: Crossing the Road

Claude was relieved to finally look at the three cruise ships from the distant United Hicks Kingdom fleet. In the course of two and a half hours of inspections, not without offshore carriers, such as the lazy sailors of several boats, who confiscated the messy marks left by the soldiers on deck and relaxed last night, the eye-catchers suspected.

Several other carriers failed to conceal the passage to the cabin, making it easy to suspect that many people were entering and leaving the cabin, not to mention that the glistening floors at the hatch alone were exposed to a great deal of tear. Fortunately, Old Sick succeeded in diverting the attention of the Hicks Marine soldiers and the Major Officer who came to inspect them, using several boxes of fruit wine to let them taste the wine, and waved a few random glances at a transport boat in the back, finally getting mixed up.

When the three cruisers left, Claude and Old Sick scolded the careless captains and sailors on the spot, almost joking about the lives of over 30,000 people in Thunder First Division. If that Major officer and those Hicks soldiers find something wrong, nobody is going to escape. Because Claude assured me that the artillery on the three cruise ships not far away had been targeted at his side of the convoy.

Once a freighter is exposed, even if Claude takes the Major Officer and those Marine soldiers hostage, it makes no sense that the three cruisers will not let go of the freighter fish for the lives of these dozens of Marine soldiers. The shooting will inevitably take place, and Claude can only order the freighter to wash ashore as much as possible and save as much as he can...

Fortunately, these two and a half hours of tests finally made it through, and Claude felt like he was worried sick enough to almost have a heart attack. Ordered each transport vessel to inspect itself and remove any possible exposure before regrouping to sail. However, such an encounter was never encountered again in the next two days, and even if the Hicks cruise ship was met, it was just a long way from greeting and walking away.

On 18 February 594, the coastal convoy departing from the port of Vibator sailed for eight days and seven nights before entering the destination of Rodex Bay.

Logistics officers at the Hicks General Logistics Base battalion near Rodex Bay City have been informed by cruise ships of the arrival of this convoy of buffalo merchants, so they have left enough berths near the coast. It's just a little far from the camp, but it's convenient for the evening.

Old Sick took Claude to the pier in front of the camp with his own transport boat, which was full of premium ingredients and some fruit and wine, some of which were personal gifts to the officers in charge of the Hicks Logistics Department. Several Hicks logistics officers gathered at the dock to wait for the ship to land before boarding, hugging Old Sick and saying hello. Then he got down to the cabin, flipped out their presents, drank their guards and sent them to the carriage.

When their gifts were taken away, the Hicks logistics officers consulted with Old Sick, who asked Claude to take out the books and introduced Claude's identity, which was nothing more than a financial accountant at the bison business. The next step is to reconcile the bill and bargain. This bargaining does not mean the sale price of the goods, but the price of what goods are sold and how much rebate these Hicks logistics officers can get...

Soon an agreement was reached between the two sides, and everyone was satisfied that the price had doubled again, with the only loss being the treasury of the Kingdom of Hicks, which required an additional double price for the transaction. A few bottles of fruit wine were opened to celebrate, and the Hicks logistics officers were very kind enough to invite Old Sick and Claude to the city for a nice evening celebration.

But Old Sick refused, and Old Sick said it was not too late to deliver the goods and get paid for them. At that time, he bought them, and tonight he had to go back to the convoy to keep an eye on them so that the greedy sailors wouldn't steal some good goods.

Unfortunately, on the way back, Old Sick whispered in Claude's ear that the deal was gone, that the business with the Hicks was really profitable, that they were paying very well, that their reputation was good, that it was only because of the treasury of the Kingdom of Hicks, and that everyone had a good profit. It's just that the Thunder Legion attacked at night, and the Hicks will never be seen again in the colonies on this side of the Nubian continent...

Claude couldn't help laughing and finally figured out what a buffalo dealer's behavior would be like doing business with the Rodex Bay colony and the Hicks. Instead of revealing his identity, these latent agents became very sophisticated businessmen. With a big customer like the Hicks, who doesn't like to make deals with them...

At 8.30 p.m., the cruisers of the three United Fleets of the Kingdom of Hicks that were out cruising also returned to the Gulf of Rodex, berthed at the United Fleet battleship position. Then a large number of sailors and joint fleet naval officers flocked down from three battleships to the lighted Hicks General Logistics Base battalion...

“The combined fleet docked in the Gulf with 78 warships and 28 ocean carriers, totalling 106 ships. Most of the naval officers and troops stayed in the General Logistics Base battalion ashore for the winter and did not stay on board. According to our observations, a small group of sailors from each boat arrived on duty, stayed on board for one day and did not disembark until around 9 a.m. the following day.

The same is true of the three cruise ships, which rotate every two days. I heard in the pub that the United Fleet officers and soldiers would draw lots and draw three bad guys at a time, and the next three rounds of cruises would be run by those bad guys. The only benefit is that the next three rounds of cruising these three bad guys automatically avoid drawing lots. Over a hundred captains draw lots as lively as the lottery, and many soldiers are crowded around and crowded...

Cruisers travel for two days at a time and need to spend the night at sea, so it's hard work for those captains. On one occasion, it was said that a lucky captain who had drawn a lottery had offered 30 gold shields to hire someone to cruise instead, and he won a lot that night anyway. It turned out that he was unlucky and lost all the money around him overnight and owed a huge debt. The captain who was later drawn would rather go out to sea to suffer than hire someone to replace him.

You're in luck this time. Those three cruisers are on their way home tonight, so you can wipe out the entire joint fleet. However, the dock where the United Fleet vessels docked was heavily guarded and inaccessible. There are a total of 13 stack bridges deep into the Gulf, with more than a dozen battleships or ocean carriers docked on each side of the stack bridge. These boats and stack bridges are connected by rope nets, on which they rely to get up and down.

The dock area is guarded by a Marine Corps battalion, except that most of their cats are in that row of wooden houses, guarded by a small team at the gate post. They will send four teams to patrol the stack bridges in the morning and afternoon, twice in the evening, at 10 o'clock in the evening and 4 o'clock in the morning, nothing moves for the rest of the day, they are also lazy in this cold weather...

My suggestion is that you should get close to the Joint Fleet berthing area from the sea, and the Hicks are loose on the surface, which may be related to their presence in the bay. Because if there is an attack, the lighthouse outside the bay will call the police and they will have enough time to react. So using a couple of small boats to the bottom of the battleship, you can avoid being spotted by the Hicks on duty soldiers on board, and then climb aboard to control the battleship easily... "

Senior officers of Claude's Thunder First Division are telling us that the man with the latest information on the Rodex Bay colony is the director of the Buffalo Shop in the city and the undercover agent lurking here in the war zone, and that he left town smoothly under the guise of handing over the convoy to Claude.

“Then we can use a couple of carriers to sneak up on the Joint Fleet berth at night and use the hook to get the soldiers to climb onto the ship so they can take over those warships and ocean carriers...” Berklin suggested next to him.

Claude shook his head: "We don't have to do this, it's February, the coldest season on the continent. At this point, boats parked in the bay condense a thin layer of ice on their walls because of the steam and cold weather. Every morning during this time, the sailors on board were clear about the thin ice layer on the deck to avoid slipping. So climbing onto the boat with hooks only adds trouble, and the ice that condenses outside the boat is hard to borrow, and accidentally slips into the water.

We can attack from the front dock, destroy the Marine battalion hiding in the wooden dormitory, and then climb onto the ship from the rope net connected to the stack bridge to destroy the guard unit on board. Major Derivique, your one, two, three battalions will assist Colonel McJake in destroying those Hicks guard units on the battleship. ”

Major McJake and Lieutenant Colonel Derivique each punched themselves in the chest, indicating acceptance of Claude's appointment. There will be no way for the two of them to cry out loud.

On the table is a hand-painted map of the Gulf, Muried pointing to another berth that corresponds to the United Fleet berth, with the same pattern of boats big and small: "General, what are we going to do with these offshore carriers, are we going to let them go? ”

This is the other berth in the Gulf of Rodex, which is full of offshore freighters from the colonies of the West Coast countries. Some of them have also just arrived, but most offshore transport vessels have been hired on a short-term basis by the Hicks to transport goods and soldiers for them.

For example, the three standing regiments transporting the Hicks landed from the fishing port towns in the direct territorial war zone as their masterpiece. It will also have about 300 offshore carriers, large and small, docked in the bay, connecting several large convoys, depending on their relationship, like a floating island on the surface of the sea.

Claude waved: "If during the fighting we caught these offshore carriers carrying supplies and soldiers for the Hicks, we could destroy them directly or seize them. But now they're just docked in the bay, and they're not loaded with Hicks material and troops, so we can't move them, so let them go, or we'll cause more trouble in the direct command area.

But even if we do not move them, we must be prepared for the Hicks to flee to hide on these offshore transport vessels after the battle against the enemy's General Logistics Base battalion has broken out. Lieutenant Colonel Anders, your fourth regiment has two battalions, one between the bay and the battalion, and one between the battalion and the city of Rodex Bay, to secure the enemy from escape.

This attack on the General Logistics Base battalion of the Hicks, each remembering your position, led Colonel Diaved's third regiment to raid from the main battalion gate, Colonel Berklin's first regiment to attack from the left battalion, the right battalion to Colonel Muriel's second regiment, Colonel Anders's fourth regiment to set up two blockade alert lines, with the remaining troops as reserves.

Colonel McJackie's 131st Battalion and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Regiment Battalion are responsible for solving the United Fleet's guard unit, Captain Blovik, your Lychex squadron is responsible for solving the camp's Rihiks' comms and comms hawks, and it is important not to let the news of the attack on the battalion reach the three battalion plugs of the Hicks in front. Because we're going to attack the Fonbicks Post Defense Front, unprepared enemies are easier to deal with than prepared enemies, as you all know. ”

Claude looked at the senior officers around him and said, "Is there a problem? If you have no problem, go back to your boat and get your men to arrange an attack plan. I won't need to tell you what to do. Finish early, rest early, and be careful not to show signs of suspicion among the Hicks at this critical time. Our attack is at 5: 00 am and we are leaving at 4: 00 to place our troops in the offensive position. If you understand, go back..."

The high-ranking officers silently hammered their fists in their chests and then walked out of the cabin like a party had broken up, scolding and laughing loudly and walking to their respective carriers. They all look like sailors or captains in plain clothes. Old Sikh appeared on the bow and bragged to two sailors about how smart he was playing that card. He swept across the three houses and ate all the bets at once, winning two silver tallers just one hand...

Several passers-by heard Old Sikh's voice and came to say hello, but Old Sikh refused their suggestion to go gambling and go to the tavern, pointing to a transport boat connected behind him, tweeting that after the delivery of the goods tomorrow, we would get together, everything seemed very normal and harmonious, nothing to doubt.

The night grew deeper and the bay of Rodex slowly became silent. The lights in the distant camp were also extinguished, and the noisy gambling noises on the floating islands built by the offshore freighters in the bay gradually subsided. The tranquil atmosphere covered the entire bay, the floating islands, the camp and the distant city pools...

“Wipe your face, wake yourself up, drink a bowl of hot soup, move your hands and feet, and finally check the weapons and equipment on your lower body. All set to line up at the hatch door. Attention, we are about to start the operation. It's dark outside. Keep your eyes open and keep your eyes on the team in front of you..."

More than a dozen lanterns were lit in the compartments of all the carriers carrying Thundering 1st Division officers and soldiers, illuminating the compartments unusually bright. Good thing there's a thick blanket on all the starboard windows to make sure the lights don't shine outside. An offshore transport vessel carrying a large convoy of more than 200 to 300 soldiers, at a time when all grass-roots officers were preparing for the final pre-war mobilization and inspection.

A dark shadow arrives at the pier from the ship and disappears into the night. It seems that after a long time, and a short moment, the crisp gunfire broke the tranquillity before dawn, and soon the gunfire broke into a single scene. The gunfire, crying and screaming, and begging for forgiveness broke into a single scene at the General Logistics Base battalion of the Hicks and the docking area of the Joint Fleet...

Far away, the fire in the city of Rodex Bay and the lights on the floating islands of those freighters in the bay are starting to get more...

The sky was already a little glowing, just after 6: 00, Claude received reports that the General Logistics Base battalion of the Hicks and the docking dock area of the Joint Fleet had been occupied by the troops, that the guard units on those ships of the Joint Fleet were basically knocked out of the net, and that there were currently screening the ships for enemies who had missed the net...

At 5 a.m. on 21 February 594, Holy Lights raided the General Logistics Base Battalion of the Hicks in the Colony of the Gulf of Rodex and the United Fleet stationed in the Gulf, raiding the General Logistics Base Battalion of the Hicks again within an hour, while capturing all the battleships and ocean carriers of the United Fleet.

On February 24, the First Division of the Legion of Thunder stormed the defensive front set up by the Hicks at Fombix Post with three regiments, killing the third expeditionary regiment of the Hicks stationed there with only minor casualties, capturing more than 56,000 enemies.

On 28 February, two regiments of the 1st Division of the Legion of Thunder arrived at the northern mountain border in a four-wheeled wagon, where the 4th Hicks Expeditionary Regiment, mistakenly believing that it was the rear armament supply convoy, easily allowed them to enter the camp. So the two regiments of Thundering 1st Division took advantage of this day to cooperate with the standby Thundering 2nd Division on the northern mountain border to launch a general offensive. After three and a half hours of intense fighting, the Hicks Expeditionary 4th Corps surrendered with a white flag and more than 40,000 people were captured.

On 3 March, two regiments of the Thunder First Division and the Thunder Second Division, as well as two local guard regiments stationed in the northern mountains, arrived at the eastern mountain border, launching fierce attacks on the Hicks Expeditionary Second Corps and the Snow Shame First Corps stationed there. The attack on the back caused the Hicks to lose their temper and the Second Expeditionary Regiment quickly collapsed, surrendering and fleeing. But the battle was delayed by the vows of the First Army of Shame to resist.

However, as the Rock II Division and the three local guard regiments guarding the eastern mountains launched a counterattack under the command of General Bitchklin, they were hit on both sides and lost the remnants of the Shame First Regiment and Expeditionary Second Regiment trapped in the mountains. After eight days of persistence, they ran out of food and eventually surrendered their weapons...