As the night passed, Qin Ze woke up earlier than he had in the previous days. The communications soldier, who had been waiting, immediately reported the battle report from the previous night. Qin Ze listened to the report while dressing. When he stepped out of the tent, he found that the sky was still dark. The distant eastern sky was only a gray-white. The wind was blowing hard. He could hear the howling wind outside while he was still in the tent.
"The situation has changed..." he murmured, then ordered, "We need to speed up our march today; we must hurry."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the messenger replied and immediately went to relay the order.
Before long, the army was ready, and Qin Ze mounted his horse and rode along the main road with the army.
Looking at the winding road ahead, Qin Ze frowned slightly. The wind had been blowing all night, and although it was now dawn, the sky was still overcast, and the temperature in the air had dropped considerably. If the weather turned cold, it would definitely be detrimental to the army's next move, because with the victory in last night's battle, their troops had advanced several kilometers, and the road had changed from continuous undulations to a uniform upward winding path.
The higher they went, the closer they got to the main peak, which was certainly good news. However, the cooling weather was a significant problem in the highlands. Although the bad weather would also affect the Goths, they had already occupied the main peak and must have taken appropriate measures to protect themselves from the cold. Our side, on the other hand, did not have such conditions, especially the troops that had penetrated deep behind enemy lines. The cooling weather would severely test their survival ability, and they only had enough rations for five days.
Therefore, it is imperative to capture the main peak as soon as possible before the weather worsens, thus securing the best position in the entire Enzos. Once captured, our side will have complete initiative in this battle, because the path leading down from the main peak is the same as the path down the mountain, making it easier for the Goths to detect any ambushes they may have laid in the main road.
In other words, capturing the main peak essentially means that our side has won the battle in the Enzo Mountains!
However, given the strategic importance of this location, Qin Ze knew that the Goths would definitely defend it with a large force. Nevertheless, in the battles over the past few days, many Goths had already been eliminated. Such casualties would be unbearable for the Goths, especially in terms of their morale.
The proud Goths are known for their warlike nature, but after a month of repeated defeats, even the most warlike people could not maintain their high spirits, especially in the harsh and cold mountain environment.
Even Qin Ze himself felt unwell after entering the mountains. He would only feel slightly excited for a short while after each great victory report was delivered. But more than anything, he wanted to get out of Enzo Mountain as soon as possible. According to the map, once he left Enzo Mountain, he would arrive at Pokamia Province, which had the most towns in the Delta Federation. Once he got to the flatter terrain there, the environment would not be so bad.
Before that, if the long and arduous battle in the Enzo Mountains was fought well and enough Golts were eliminated, Qin Ze believed that the journey ahead would be much smoother.
Just then, a communications soldier rushed over from the front.
"Your Majesty, news has come from the front lines that the enemy troops seem to have abandoned all their positions in the mountains and forests on both sides of the main road and are rapidly withdrawing."
Upon hearing this, Qin Ze raised an eyebrow. Although they had achieved a great victory in the mountains and forests, and the Goths had been forced to retreat, which made last night's battle a great success, the Goths still had remnants of their forces resisting in the mountains and forests. However, these might be reinforcements sent by the Goths. In any case, they had not abandoned their defensive network in the mountains and forests. But now they were saying that they had abandoned their positions and chosen to withdraw.
Qin Ze stroked his chin and pondered, "It seems we need to concentrate our forces and deploy a tight defense at key passes..."
Thinking of this, Qin Ze continued in a deep voice, "Since they are retreating, that's fine. We'll speed up our advance. However, when we scout the area near the main peak, we must be careful and vigilant. They may have concentrated their forces there."
"Go and convey the message."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" A messenger immediately accepted the order and left.
Qin Ze looked up and saw the towering main peak clearly in the distance. Under the dim sky, the higher he went, the whiter it became. The sun of the past few days had not yet melted the snow on the peak. Below the main peak, there were several large platforms that looked spacious. If he was not mistaken, that should be where the Goths' army was assembled.
"This is a bit troublesome... I'm afraid we'll have to send a large number of troops to conquer it... A direct attack is definitely not an option; we'll have to launch a flanking attack from an unconventional route..." Qin Ze murmured.
——
"Sir, we're back."
At the summit, inside a cave in the mountain, a group of Gothic soldiers, their faces red from the cold, carried their packs in. A fire was burning in the cave, but it wasn't very strong. As soon as they entered, the men by the fire immediately stood up to help their returning comrades unload their packs.
"Cough, cough, cough." Accompanied by coughing, Harris, who was hunched over by the fire, raised his slightly pale face and asked, "How is the battle going now?"
Upon hearing his question, a soldier who had already put down the package took out several pieces of wood from the package and immediately walked towards him.
"Not good, sir..." the soldier said, his eyes dim, as he put wood into the fire.
Upon hearing the answer, Harris maintained his calm expression, as if he had been mentally prepared before asking the question.
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