at the same time.

After capturing the Heinrich military base, Qin Ze allowed the troops who had participated in the battle to rest and recuperate, while sending another army to clear the mountain roads that had been destroyed by the Goths.

The road was not completely destroyed. The Goths had left in such a hurry that only a few hundred meters of the road were blocked by rubble and trees. The pass leading into the mountains was relatively more severely damaged, as it was covered by a lot of soil and rocks.

The cleanup operation began early this morning. During the process, the soldiers did not encounter any attacks from the Golgothas, which convinced Qin Ze that they had all fled deep into the mountains.

Because of this, he had to be even more vigilant about the upcoming marching route. On the map, the Enzos Mountains were connected by a road called the "Cornflower Road," which was the only official route of the Goths. According to the map, the Cornflower Road was very short, less than 20 kilometers long.

If traveling quickly on flat ground, even in the dead of winter, one could easily traverse the entire route within half a day. However, the Cornflower Avenue is located in a mountainous area and is not a straight road, but rather a winding and tortuous one. Although he did not know what the route would be like once he entered, looking at the towering peaks of the Enzos Mountains, Qin Ze knew that the journey would be fraught with difficulties.

Perhaps this is a foreign version of Yanlu Mountain. Unfortunately, it was the Goths who occupied the advantageous terrain. Mountain warfare has always been the most difficult battle. The defenders can firmly hold key passes by taking advantage of the higher terrain. With the support of firearms, their defensive strength increases almost linearly.

For the attacking side to win a mountain battle in this terrain, having advanced weapons alone is not enough, because the power of artillery will be greatly reduced due to the terrain. At this time, it is more important to rely on the high mobility of troops.

On vast plains, cavalry is the most mobile type of soldier. However, placing them in mountainous terrain would be like tying their hands and feet. In contrast, infantry can have greater mobility in mountainous terrain. But if a large group of people rampages along a route, the enemy can launch artillery fire from higher ground, which will inevitably cause heavy casualties and even cut off the army. No matter how many troops there are, as long as the defenders have enough weapons, they can continuously wear down the enemy.

Considering these difficulties, Qin Ze did not immediately send his soldiers into the mountains to fight, but instead made a detailed deployment.

Therefore, during the two days of the 22nd and 23rd, Yan Jun only slowly cleared the mountain access road, and it was not until the evening of the 23rd that the mountain access road was completely cleared.

Based on this, Qin Ze deduced a relatively clear piece of information.

Since the Goths who had already entered the mountains did not create further explosions to damage the mountain roads, it can be confirmed that they did not intend to block the road, but rather had prepared an ambush force in the mountains, waiting for their own army to enter.

After clarifying the enemy's objectives, Qin Ze, who was using the military base as a temporary command center, dispatched the first detachment to advance into the mountains the following morning. He did not accompany them.

This first unit had only 30,000 men.

——

Around noon on the 24th.

The Enzos Mountains, the Brulin Pass.

Dingle, who was lying in ambush there, received an urgent message from down the mountain.

"Sir, the Yan people have entered the mountains! But they didn't bring many troops. According to our rough observation, there are only about 20,000 to 30,000 people."

"They're moving very slowly and cautiously," the communications soldier said urgently.

Although this force is not large, everyone has already witnessed the strength of their enemy's fighting power, and the enemy's total force is definitely more than this number.

After the communications soldier finished speaking, Verri immediately shouted angrily, "Good! Well done!"

"Wait until they reach the ambush point! Open fire! Wipe them all out! These damned bastards, it's time for them to pay for their sins!"

Before he could finish speaking, Dingle, with a stern face, stopped him, saying, "No, we cannot launch an attack now."

"This is not the main force of the Yan Kingdom. They are just here to explore the route. Launching an attack at this time will expose our ambush location. Even if we can inflict considerable casualties on them, as long as some of them escape back, their main force will directly attack our ambush location. We have already witnessed the strength of the Yan Kingdom's troops. They use heavy forces to break through checkpoints and seize passes. With the troops we leave at each ambush point, it will be difficult to defend against them."

Upon hearing this, Verri gritted his teeth and said, "If we don't attack when they have fewer troops, are we going to wait until they have more troops before attacking?!"

Ever since the military base fell, Verri has been consumed by rage, and in this damp and cold mountain, he is itching to inflict a brutal massacre on his enemies.

The troops stationed in the mountains have now been dispersed, each led by Harris, Zoe, and others, and have been placed in different ambush locations.

Upon seeing Verley's angry expression, Dingle patiently advised, "Don't be impatient, General Verley."

"You must believe that the Yan people will definitely bring all their troops into the mountains."

"We've only seen one of their troops, so it's not the best time for us to launch an attack. We need to wait until they have enough troops to enter the mountains and pass through our multiple ambush points before we can launch our attack."

"At that time, the various ambush points will launch attacks one after another, cutting their army into several pieces. They will be unable to defend one part at a time. We can then attack them separately and achieve the greatest victory, eliminating the most enemies!"

After speaking, Verley gradually calmed down, but still said, "But this is also very risky."

"We have no idea how many troops they will send next, and with each step they take, we lose sight of a section of the road."

Dingle nodded and said:

"Yes, there are risks, but we occupy the high ground, so we have a better view than they do. If necessary, we can launch a preemptive attack."

"But definitely not now."

"Let's wait and see what they do next."

"Alright." Verley immediately shouted, "Investigate again and report back. We absolutely cannot let the Yan people disappear from our sight!"

"Yes, sir!" The communications soldier hurriedly left.

More than two hours later, news came back that surprised everyone.

"Sir! The Yan people suddenly disbanded before they even reached our first ambush point!" the communications soldier who rushed back said in a panic.

"Disbanded...disbanded?" Verri was stunned upon hearing the news.

"Yes, dismissed, sir!"

"Without any warning, they suddenly scattered and rushed into the mountains and forests." The communications soldier looked panicked, because this meant they had lost sight of the enemy.

“Dingel, then this…” Verli looked at Dingel with a stiff expression.