open sea

Chapter 1173 Vanguard
Yuan Zizhang knew that when the troops marched, they would inevitably encounter secret sentries arranged by the French king's army.

Chen Jiujing's intelligence specifically mentioned these hard-working sentinels in France who had little ability to keep out the cold. Their dedication to their duties left a deep impression on the Baishan Battalion.

Unlike those big slobs in the Xiyong camp, who said they never fought in winter, they all stayed in the camp for winter, and only reluctantly went to war when the royal army crossed the Dordogne.

That is to say, the Baishan camp was taken care of by Chen Jiujing, and the Jurchen riders wearing the armor provided by the Spaniards would always cross the river in small groups to drag Wang Jun here. Otherwise, according to the European style of play, they might all return to the city by now .

But the front can only be like this. Since the climate in Bordeaux is slightly warmer than other places in France, there is no need to make a lot of winter clothes here. Linen robes and leather jackets can only protect against the cold but are not enough to arm the Sixth Battalion of Xiyong to go out to fight in the field. Combat attrition will be higher than combat casualties.

Chen Jiujing, who lacked a source of supplementary troops, was unwilling to take risks.

But this is not a problem for the Beiyang Banner Army.

Hundreds of Xu Jin's whole body is covered in dark blue cotton iron armor. Breathing makes the upper edge of the high-topped helmet connected to the neck emit breath visible to the naked eye. Like the Banner Army at the frontier, they have not marched in the cold for a long time.

The dense fog gradually dissipated, the temperature rose slightly with the red sun, and the surrounding sight widened. He chewed a small piece of dried North Asian bison beef, took a small sip from the water bag handed by the preacher, and tightened the cork. : "How long did it take us for this road?"

"An hour and a half."

Xu Jin unfolded the map while nodding his head, the cold can't bring trouble to his subordinates, the low temperature is just right for them,

This map of the North Shore comes from the Baishan Camp. The strokes are very thick, but it clearly marks the main roads and castles, setchas, and villages along the way, and it also lists the defenders of each castle, the population of the villages, the number of wells, and how many can be looted in summer and winter. The food marked out is all recent information, down to a pig.

Baishan Battalion General Kang Gulu's handwriting, such a map, squadron admiral Yuan Zizhang and guerrilla general Wang Youlin's eighteen hundred households have a copy.

The French royal army deployed a wide defense line on the Dordogne River, stationed nobles, and a large number of troops, each stationed at the castle, but the arrival of winter made it difficult for them to assemble, and the scattered garrisons also caused a sharp decline in the combat effectiveness of the troops in various places. When encountering a large army unlikely.

Therefore, Yuan Zizhang attacked in three routes, with [-] households advancing one after another on each route. On the one hand, he crossed the confrontation river to carry out routine fortified walls and cleared the fields, and on the other hand, he also completed the marching and fighting support work for the coming main force.

The standard marching speed of the Beiyang Banner Army's infantry, cavalry, artillery, and thousands of households is [-] miles a day, but everyone knows that the data written in the training outline and textbooks is always a theoretical value, and the actual actions are always related to the battlefield situation. matters outside the battlefield.

Chen Jiujing was able to provide enough manpower for the Ming army in Bordeaux for logistical support, but other matters still had to be done by the Zhengdong Army. They needed to have a good understanding of the enemy's situation, terrain, weather, and operating area, and be clear about what to do during the march. Favorable and unfavorable factors, overcoming natural and artificial obstacles along the way.

Only by knowing these accurately can we complete the calculations and arrangements for the next stage. Regardless of Fu Yuan, Yuan Zizhang or Wang Youlin, they strive for speed and speed, not rash advances.

"One and a half hours, almost here."

For half an hour, Xu Jin's troops only advanced 23 miles in the dense fog. Every time they traveled one mile, the six hundred households quickly spread out to check the terrain and the places where the enemy or their own could hide. After confirming that it was safe, they continued to advance. In each direction, each of the six hundred households of the breakthrough force and the banner troops under their command had different missions. They marched in a divided manner and were extremely cautious, so the marching speed was very slow.

Kang Gulu was much more daring than him. In half an hour, they took advantage of the thick fog to break into the coastal village where the French army was often stationed, and controlled the entire village before the peasant woman had time to ring the alarm bell.

They were extremely proficient in their work, and the Baishan Battalion became more and more like a native European army. The North Korean soldiers who arrived a moment later escorted them back to the south bank of the river.

Xu Jin's task is to investigate and record the camps suitable for setting up camps during the march, and there are people in the back who are responsible for digging wells, concealing whereabouts, stragglers, luggage assembly points, and temporary post stations.

Just like they used to train, set up a camp at intervals of 25 to [-] miles for short rest and meals during the march. Dozens of such spots will be set up on the march of hundreds or even thousands of miles. Several troops will get a rest and prepare firewood for cooking and solve water problems for the troops behind, and then fortify on the spot.

The troops in the back became the vanguard and continued to march with enough food and energy. If a large army assembled and marched, they would have to divide into multiple groups until they reached a suitable distance before the preset battlefield before regrouping for pre-war preparations.

"The army will use up all the supplies along the way. We have few soldiers now, but when Fu Shuai attacks, there may be [-] or even [-] troops passing by, and this road will not be enough."

Xu Jin checked the map, and explained to his deputy hundred households and the general banner under his command: "We all know the Battle of Feishui. You will all be generals in the future. It sounds good to say that the former army has lost the battle and the army will be defeated." Haven't arrived on the battlefield yet, only to cause more routs."

"That's why we have to divide our troops into three groups. The task this time is to march forward three hundred miles and set up ten camps and the first assembly point."

As he spoke, Xu Jin let out a cruel snort with ease, and finally said the last task: "At the same time, cooperate with General Kang Gulu to fortify the wall and clear the field, and knock down three bastard shells on the road."

The bastards in his mouth are castles. According to Chen Jiujing’s information, decades of wars between you and me have scorched France. There are more and more fortresses lined up by nobles in the land of the Fourth World War. It looks very scary and the defense is also true First-rate, fortunately, several castles along the way north from Bordeaux were captured by Chen Jiujing together with Heng Laosi of Navarre in the last religious war.

A heavy stone building represents a strong defense, but it also means that it is difficult to repair it in a short time after damage.

This will simplify the difficulty of subsequent attacks.

Just when Xu Jin was about to continue marching, a rider from Baihu who was using the same route as him but belonging to another route came galloping with a decayed old crossbow of a different shape, bowed down and clasped his fists and reported: "Xu Baihu, we are here We found this and a helmet in the woodland, and there was a simple fortification made of thatch and earthen wood next to it. When we found out, the people had gone far away, and they should be enemy scouts, and they found us."

Xu Jin took the crossbow and looked at it in his hand, frowning: "The nearest camp is [-] miles away from us according to intelligence, and there are [-] soldiers stationed there. Where are they going? The scouts use these things. The hunting bows made by Asian immigrants are better than them."

"It's time for our hundred families to get together."

(End of this chapter)