The moonlight was dim, and the stove in the tent crackled intermittently. Qin Ze slowly opened his eyes, feeling refreshed. After a good night's sleep, all fatigue had vanished.
He pulled back the blanket that had wrapped him tightly around himself, and slowly sat up from the chair. The guards in the tent immediately whispered:
"Your Majesty, it is already dark."
"Oh, it's nighttime..." Qin Ze picked at his ear and casually asked, "Has the military factory and the Goths behind us taken any action?"
"There's been no movement at all."
Qin Ze nodded slightly. "That means waiting for the right opportunity to act."
He then asked, "Have the cavalrymen we sent out scouted the surrounding terrain?"
"As per your orders, except for our rear areas which have not been explored, the area within a ten-kilometer radius of our current garrison location has been roughly ascertained."
"As for the Macedonian military factory, it is still under reconnaissance. It will take more time to bypass the factory and scout the terrain in front of them."
Upon hearing this, Qin Ze said while putting on his military boots:
"Hmm, no rush."
"Just take it one step at a time."
"Have you planned the next marching route?"
"It's all planned out. We're just waiting for your order, and our army can quickly deploy its lines."
Qin Ze nodded slightly, stood up and stretched, then walked to the tent entrance, where the soldiers on duty immediately lifted the tent flap.
As soon as the curtain was lifted, a blast of cold air rushed out. Qin Ze pulled the wolf fur coat he was wearing tighter around his neck and slowly walked out the door.
A bright moon shines in the night sky. It is a full moon, but the clouds that have accumulated in the night sky cover more than half of it. Therefore, under the moonlight, the ground is not very bright, but it is not too dark either.
After the Yan army was stationed there, apart from the outer perimeter forces continuing to keep watch, most of the soldiers rested during the day. Qin Ze was not worried about the people from the Macedonian military factory running out to attack, and he was even less worried about the threat from the rear. If the enemy behind dared to fight, they would have already led their troops to attack at noon.
If there was no attack, then they were waiting for an opportunity. What were they waiting for? They weren't waiting for me to lead my army to attack the Macedonian arms factory so I could take advantage of the situation, but rather for more reinforcements to arrive so I could gather more troops and fight a more certain battle.
Thinking of this, Qin Ze stroked his chin, and then calmly gave the order: "It's getting dark, it's time to move out."
"Go, break through the enemy's rear defenses."
At his command, several cavalry squads that were already prepared immediately obeyed and headed straight for the rear.
Qin Ze watched the direction they left in and pursed his lips.
——
Just after six o'clock in the evening, a cavalry force rushed to Klein's army camp.
"Chief of Staff Dingle's main force is expected to meet us at ten o'clock," the cavalry captain relayed to Klein and Lieger.
"Ten o'clock? Why so late?" Klein's already serious expression became even more furrowed upon hearing this news.
The cavalry captain, panting heavily, said, "They barely slept last night and have been marching at full speed. With the artillery battalion here, they can't really go fast."
Klein nodded silently.
Ligel, standing to the side, looked worried and said to him, "Klein, you said earlier that the Yan Army might be planning a siege and attack on our reinforcements, targeting us. But the reinforcements will be able to join us in a few hours. If they want to launch an attack, they won't have time to deploy their forces."
Klein shook his head and said, "If there's such a probability, then we can't rule it out."
"I need to convey my guesses to the Chief of Staff; I think he will make a better judgment."
After saying this, Klein summoned a lieutenant and ordered him to lead a group of men to the advancing reinforcements.
And this order had been issued less than fifteen minutes ago.
"Bang bang bang!" Sporadic gunshots suddenly came from afar.
Riegl's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "They're about to attack! Klein, you were right!"
Klein, however, shouted urgently, "Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!!!"
The soldiers immediately sounded the alarm and went into battle mode, while sporadic gunfire gradually came from all directions. Liger felt uneasy; he did not want to start a battle with the enemy before reinforcements arrived.
But just as they were on high alert, the sporadic gunshots grew fainter and fainter.
Moments later, the sentries on the outermost edge of the defensive line brought back accurate intelligence.
"Sir, it's not an enemy attack!"
"It was the Yan Army that sent small cavalry squads back to Foster Harbor from three directions. We discovered them, intercepted them, and after a brief firefight, they realized they couldn't break through our lines and fled back," the sentry said.
Once this information was confirmed, Claire's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
"Phew—" He was covered in sweat, but he exhaled a heavy breath.
Looking at Klein, whose face was covered in sweat, Riegl and Klein exchanged glances and suddenly couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The sentry, puzzled as to why the two officers were exchanging smiles, said, "Sir, we'll head back now. If anything else comes up, we'll let you know immediately."
Klein, still smiling, waved his hand and said, "Although they have withdrawn, it doesn't mean they will give up. Be careful of them making multiple breakthroughs. We must remain vigilant and defend the port at all costs. We must not let any enemy return to Foster Harbor."
"Furthermore, if they send another small force to break through, without even sounding the alarm for the entire army, all that commotion will drive us to the brink of collapse."
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