"How was the battle last night?" Qin Ze asked the communications soldier waiting at the door as he walked out of his tent in the morning, having already dressed.

"Your Majesty, the progress is very smooth. Our troops and the forces on the flanks of the main road not only repelled the enemy in the skirmish, but also several of our detachments have penetrated into the enemy's rear."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ze raised his hand to his brow and looked up. It was another bright and sunny day.

"Did you flank around to the pass in front of the main road?" he then asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty, and we have already circled around to a depth of more than a kilometer. However, just now, I received news that the enemy is urgently returning to defend, and it seems they intend to gather their scattered forces on the hillsides on both sides of the pass," the communications soldier said.

Qin Ze stroked his chin and said in a deep voice, "Then we'll just run into each other again."

"Yes, Your Majesty, our army has taken control of the areas on both flanks of the pass and is about to engage them in battle. Meanwhile, the artillery battalion on the main road set off for the pass at four o'clock in the morning and is expected to arrive at the safe zone controlled by our army around noon to deploy its lines and launch artillery bombardment on the pass."

Qin Ze nodded and said, "Alright, the troops on both flanks of the pass will cooperate in the operation, but before that, you must take care of those stragglers first."

The communications soldier immediately replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. Our casualties were not high in last night's battle. We have sufficient troops now, and if necessary, our troops can launch a flanking attack from behind enemy lines."

"The battlefield situation was chaotic last night, which gave us many opportunities to flank."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ze's eyes gleamed. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Although this pass seems to be an important stronghold for the enemy, I don't think it's necessary for us to deal with all our combat troops there."

How many troops are in the flanking position?

"Not many, only sixty-five combat detachments, more than two thousand people," the communications soldier replied immediately.

After pondering for a moment, Qin Ze said:

"More than a hundred mortars... at the right time, could launch an effective offensive by surprise."

"The attack on the pass doesn't require their participation; let them continue deeper, towards..."

At this point, Qin Ze pointed to Enzos Peak and continued, "Infiltrate there, find a hiding place, and wait for orders. Once our main force has advanced there and given the attack signal, coordinate your attack with us."

“Your Majesty, with them advancing so deep, I’m afraid we won’t be able to maintain contact with them. The location of the main peak is most likely the enemy’s main camp, which could lead to them being trapped there,” the communications officer said, frowning.

Qin Ze shook his head and said:

"No risk, no reward. If you're going to go deep into enemy territory alone, you have to go deep to the bottom. But if you're exposed during the advance, then fight on the spot."

"But before that, our frontline troops will take turns attacking, constantly drawing the enemy's attention. Also, you should know that we won the battle outside the main road last night, so the Goths will probably focus their attention on their key strongholds, and the defensive network outside the key strongholds will probably have to be contracted."

"Therefore, it is definitely worth trying to send a force deep behind enemy lines. At the right time, they will be able to disrupt the enemy's defensive deployment by surprise."

"Go, take this order over immediately, and then we'll see how far they can go."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The communications soldier immediately accepted the order and left.

Immediately afterward, Qin Ze summoned another messenger and said, "Have the artillery battalion set up its operational area near the pass and immediately begin shelling there!"

——

On the other side.

"Hurry! Hurry!"

In the valley, the Golgar infantrymen who had come down from the front lines were rushing back to defend their positions. In the fierce fighting last night, they had lost several positions in succession. At around nine o'clock this morning, a messenger from the rear brought an order from his superiors to return to their positions urgently.

Although the fighting continued, the military order was urgent, and the soldiers had no choice but to lay down their arms and gradually move toward the pass held by Zoye.

However, the retreat was very difficult. Due to the successive loss of positions, the enemy infiltrated from multiple places, which caused them to be attacked from multiple directions during the withdrawal. Although they wanted to avoid the battle, they could not get away at this point and had to fight and retreat. This also seriously delayed the mission of returning to the pass.

On the mountain pass, Kyle was no longer as confident or calm as before. He paced back and forth anxiously, his brow furrowed with barely concealed agitation.

The faint, sporadic gunfire continued unabated, making Kyle realize that the battle was far from over. The frontline troops had been bogged down in a quagmire by the enemy. If this was a stalemate with both sides gaining and losing ground, then he could accept the continued back-and-forth.

From the morning onwards, every message sent back from the front lines reported that their own positions had fallen, and the soldiers were suffering heavy casualties. In addition, more and more combat units were cut off by enemy combat groups that were outflanked. They were out of contact in multiple areas, and the lack of news meant that they would eventually be surrounded and killed by the enemy.

Therefore, after Dingle made that suggestion, although he was still unwilling to admit defeat, Kyle realized that the current situation was indeed unfavorable to his side. With no other choice, he finally ordered the communications officer to return to Pariston immediately to seek more assistance.

Although the troops there lacked supplies and would be unable to sustain themselves in a prolonged battle, the war was imminent, so they could only take it one step at a time and get through the immediate crisis first.

Fortunately, Verri had led his troops to the pass early in the morning, bringing with them a number of artillery pieces. This would strengthen the pass's defenses, and as long as it remained intact, the center of their defenses would at least be secure.

But that's not enough. What troubles Kyle the most is enemy infiltration. If the enemy gets around to the flanks or rear of his defensive strongholds, things will become extremely difficult. This is a fatal problem for his defensive system.

The only way to solve this problem is to build a tighter defensive network with a large force in the mountains and forests on both sides of the main road, blocking all directions of enemy infiltration. However, last night's battle showed that our side is no match for the enemy in the complex mountainous environment.

But the problem needs to be solved. If the enemy's infiltration is not stopped, every defensive battle will become extremely difficult. Kyle has no choice but to keep sending more troops. Two hours ago, he sent another division, but that is still far from enough. Kyle can only wait for reinforcements to arrive.

With anxious thoughts, time gradually brought the afternoon to pass.

"Boom boom boom!"

The sound of artillery fire echoed through the mountains. Although the sound came from afar, Kyle felt as if the sound was right next to his ears as it reverberated through the mountains.

"The cannon fire is so intense; they must be attacking our pass." Dingle, standing beside Kyle, frowned, his heart filled with unease.