The lookout point to the south wasn't far, but due to the rugged terrain and strong winds, it took Harris more than ten minutes to reach it. The view from there was much clearer, allowing for a more precise view of the barracks below.

At that moment, when he looked down through the wind and snow, he was startled, and his pupils contracted.

He saw that the open camp behind the pass was being bombarded by artillery, with flames shooting into the sky in many places. From this vantage point, he could see faint flashes of fire in the dense forest behind the barracks. Harris immediately knew that was where the enemy was hiding.

"Sir, there's artillery fire over there!" A soldier who was also watching shouted urgently, pointing down below. Harris looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a dark shadowy figure lurking behind a slightly elevated earthen slope. Just as he was observing, a burst of sparks suddenly appeared, followed by an explosion in the direction of the camp.

"Damn it! When did they get behind the pass?" The numbness had long since faded, and Harris was now reignited with rage.

He had accepted that the battle would be fought to the point of total annihilation, but the enemy's flanking attack would undoubtedly hasten the fall of the pass and cause the soldiers to die even faster.

Now, this sudden attack has thrown the barracks into chaos. Looking down, Harris could only see the troops inside the pass running around in disarray.

As for the enemy soldiers who launched the attack, he narrowed his eyes and looked closely. He found that they began to move to different positions after firing their shells, and their numbers did not seem to be many. They were just scattered in different areas.

Not only Harris, but the other soldiers also noticed the problem, and some shouted in panic:

"The situation is bad, sir!"

"These bastards are bluffing. They don't have that many people, but right now... it seems our people haven't found them yet."

As the soldier said, the garrison on the pass was thrown into chaos after the sudden attack from behind the camp. At this time, the eastern sky was already beginning to lighten, and the ongoing fierce battle had already attracted everyone's attention. The situation on the northern battlefield was dire, with the Yan army breaking through several sections in succession. The situation on the south side was slightly better, but the garrison there was also under great pressure because the consumption of ammunition was increasing exponentially.

As for the front, Kyle's troops still firmly held the important strongholds, but the enemy soldiers who charged forward headfirst seemed to have gone mad, actually weaving through the shelling as if they didn't care that they would become corpses in the next second. Under these circumstances, Kyle's artillery battalion even fired until the barrels overheated. Several cannons exploded due to the gunners' nervousness and operational errors.

After hearing the explosion behind him, Kyle, like Harris, initially thought there was something wrong with his ears. It wasn't until the communications officer rushed over and said that he had observed a large-scale attack by enemy forces behind the pass that Kyle belatedly realized a huge crisis was approaching.

In a positional battle, while fierce fighting raged on the front lines, the rear was attacked by enemy forces. This was undoubtedly bad news, especially for the soldiers who were holding their ground.

In this war in which all efforts have been made, the mountain pass is the most important core. It is a crucial area that cannot be lost. If the rear is breached, then all the defenses deployed on the front lines will be completely destroyed.

In his haste, he did not hesitate at all. Although the battle was raging at the moment, he immediately transferred some troops back to defend the area.

And this is exactly what Harris is seeing from the summit.

He saw squads of soldiers hurriedly withdrawing from the front lines to rush behind the pass to provide support and make amends. Not only were reinforcements sent from Kyle's side, but troops were also drawn from Piket's army in the south to return to defend the pass.

But when this scene came into view, Harris did not feel happy, but rather felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Because the people below had no idea that the enemy's attack was a complete bluff. Although there were no defenses behind the pass, the enemy forces they saw at the moment were not capable of posing a threat to the troops on the other three battlefields.

They were simply firing shells from various locations in a grand display, then hastily moving on, repeating the same tactic again, completely disregarding the casualties caused by the shells. They were simply creating a scenario for their own troops below that "our army has found another way to cut off your rear and is about to encircle and annihilate you."

"Sir... is it still not too late? Let's go down and inform them now!" At this moment, a soldier asked Harris urgently.

Harris shook his head stiffly, his heart already sinking to the bottom.

Even if one were to descend from the summit the moment an enemy attack is detected, it would be too late. Reaching the summit is difficult enough, but in this weather, a sudden descent could drastically alter the course of an ongoing fierce battle in less than half an hour.

Now, although the enemy's flanking attack did not pose a great threat, it has changed the course of the entire battle.

Looking down at the still-moving army, Harris turned away, trembling, unable to bear the horrific scene that was about to unfold.

"Let's check the explosives one more time. Our mission might need to be brought forward..."

——

Meanwhile, at the main base in the mountain pass, in the operations command center where Dylan was located.

"The situation is terrible, sir! The enemy has a large force and is attacking us from all directions. We haven't set up defenses in the rear, and they'll be attacking us soon!" His second-in-command, Hisoka, said anxiously to Dylan.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!