The bright moonlight shone on the winding mountain path, and the ground seemed to be covered with frost. The soldiers helped each other and struggled forward. Gunshots could still be heard from the forests on both sides of the road, which meant that they were still in danger. But no one had the strength to run anymore. Just walking forward step by step had already exhausted all their strength.
It felt like ice picks were piercing the soles of their feet, each step bringing excruciating pain. Their exposed bodies seemed to have lost all sensation. The soldiers were panting heavily, yet every breath they exhaled was a cold, white mist. Before 10 p.m., the team of more than 400 people had been reduced to half.
As the moon rose higher and higher, almost reaching the center of the night sky, footsteps gradually approached from ahead. Exhausted and completely dazed, Zoe barely managed to muster her energy and look ahead.
After recognizing who was approaching, Zoe gave a helpless, bitter smile:
"It's too late...it's already over."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zoe's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
——
"Sir, the pass has been captured by the enemy. What should we do now?"
"well."
"According to those who retreated, the enemy attacked the pass today with a large force. Not only did the enemy launch artillery bombardment on the main road, but enemy troops also launched simultaneous attacks from the mountains and forests on both sides of the pass. The troops that General Kyle had arranged to defend the pass in the mountains were badly defeated. They have been completely suppressed by the enemy, or rather... strictly speaking, they were forced to retreat..."
"I see."
"Sir, what should we do now? Should we try to retake the pass tomorrow, or...?"
"Stop asking me so many questions! I'm thinking! Shut up!"
"I'm sorry, sir."
Hearing the faint voices, Zoe slowly opened his eyes. As he did so, a strong chill swept over his entire body from the inside out, and he couldn't help but curl up and tremble.
"Huh? Zoe, how are you?" Hearing the chattering of his teeth, Verri turned his head and saw Zoe trembling violently in the blanket. He quickly went over to him.
Zoe's face was as white as a corpse, but his lips were as black and purple as if he had been poisoned. Seeing him like this, Verri frowned deeply, feeling helpless.
He received news of the battle that took place at the pass early in the morning from the soldiers who returned from the pass to report the situation. He immediately ordered the troops to speed up their march, but the mountain roads were difficult to traverse, and the troops were carrying heavy artillery, so the marching speed could not be increased. By 2 p.m., as the soldiers who returned to report the situation continued to bring bad battle reports, Verri's heart sank to the bottom.
If the troops continued to advance at top speed, they could indeed reach the pass by four or five o'clock. However, rushing there did not mean they could immediately engage in battle, and it might even cause more people to get stuck in the mud. Therefore, after assessing the risks, he ordered the troops to stop advancing and regarded the pass as a stronghold that had to be abandoned.
After that, he temporarily assembled a light infantry unit from the army and rushed to the pass. The purpose was not to provide support, but to see if they could help some of the retreating guards at the pass. At the same time, if they encountered enemy pursuit, they could also intercept them in time.
In this way, Zoe and the other wounded soldiers who had been evacuated were brought back to their current temporary camp halfway up the mountain.
"Where...where is this?" Zoe, wrapped in a blanket, suddenly asked, trembling.
"It's a temporary camp. Sorry, Zoe, we're a little late, Yan people..." Verri looked ashamed.
However, before he could finish speaking, Zoe suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve, her voice weak but extremely urgent as she asked, "How far is it from the pass...?"
Verley paused for a moment, then said, "It should be less than five kilometers."
As soon as he finished speaking, Verri shuddered, because Zoe suddenly leaned forward, his eyes bloodshot, which looked particularly ferocious on his pale face, making him look like a demon.
"How many reinforcements did you bring? What are you going to do next?!" Zoe's voice grew increasingly urgent.
For some reason, sweat suddenly broke out on Verri's temples. He said somewhat flusteredly, "Five artillery battalions, these are General Dylan's troops. They only arrived at the pass yesterday. We were originally preparing to..."
"What are you planning to do next?!" Zoe interrupted him before he could finish speaking, but he immediately started coughing violently.
Verri was filled with anxiety. He quickly stepped forward and gently patted Zoe's back, while turning to the soldier and shouting, "Bring me the water!"
The soldier quickly offered him a water bottle, but Zoye pushed it away, coughing intermittently as he said, "The pass has been taken. Are you going to lead reinforcements to retake it, or are you going to retreat immediately?!"
Hearing this, Verli was somewhat at a loss, stammering, "This...I...I haven't thought about it yet. The situation is unclear right now. The Yan Kingdom has committed a lot of troops to today's battle, so it will probably be very difficult to retake the pass..."
Before Verri could finish speaking, Zoe suddenly shouted:
"Then evacuate immediately!"
"We must retreat now! The pass is the best defensive position on this stretch of road. If we can't hold it, your current location will only make things worse. Retreat immediately!"
“Those damned Yan people are still in the mountains… cough cough cough.” At this point, Zoe coughed violently, so violently that he couldn’t even straighten up.
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