It was just as the sun was about to set and night was about to fall.
As Phile rode on his horse, he watched the bustling crowd pass by. The refugees, men, women, and children, all looked utterly dejected.
The woman with a headscarf was holding a child in her arms, trying to comfort the toddler. The children were sobbing intermittently. The men looked dejected and were sighing. Everyone's face was filled with confusion and fear. The incident had happened so suddenly that they didn't even have time to pack their bags and could only flee their homes in a panic.
While escaping home without being hunted is certainly fortunate, the uncertainty about tomorrow or the more distant future leaves one feeling lost, helpless, and fearful.
The army before them may have looked imposing, but as residents of Pariston, they had already tasted the bitterness of defeat from the front lines several times. Therefore, even with these mighty cavalrymen right beside them, they did not have much expectation.
Philip keenly sensed the emotions the refugees were displaying. In the past, whenever the army appeared among the civilians, they would excitedly cheer for them. But today, he only felt a clear sense of pessimism spreading among the civilians.
This pessimistic mood even affected him to some extent.
Since the Empire formally unified the continent of Salisno, there has been no such refugee crisis for a long time, let alone in the heart of the Empire's province of Pocamia.
To some extent, it seems that civilians are gradually losing faith in the military.
"Okay, stop watching."
“They will be properly arranged, and we should continue on our way!” Halson called out to Phil.
Phil snapped out of his brief daze, nodded, and said:
"The Yan people did not pursue, it seems they are deploying their lines."
Halson touched his face and said with a cold look, "If I'm not mistaken, they are consolidating their gains and using Pariston as a stronghold to the east of Enzos, so that follow-up troops can gradually emerge from Enzos."
"Let's talk on the way!"
"drive!"
With a loud shout, led by Halson, the cavalry resumed their advance, and Phil immediately turned to Halson and said:
"That's what I think too, but we definitely won't be able to fight tonight."
Halson turned to look at the cavalry, frowned, and said, "We've been traveling at high speed for the past two days, and the men and horses are exhausted... It's definitely not a good time for battle."
"Fortunately, these people have already evacuated Pariston, so we don't have to force ourselves to fight, but reconnaissance is still necessary."
"We need to confirm how many troops the Yan Kingdom has dispatched, where they have deployed their lines, and whether they have infiltrated the province via other routes."
Phil nodded silently.
Halson continued, "There's a fork in the road two kilometers ahead. I think we should split into two groups, expand our reconnaissance area, and each lead our troops to Pariston to conduct reconnaissance."
Philip responded:
"Yes, but if we split our forces, we can't rashly engage the Yan people. If we encounter them suddenly, without knowing their strength, it could be very..."
Halson interrupted, "It depends. I don't really believe they can send a large number of troops to Pariston; that's unrealistic."
Upon hearing this, Phil frowned and said, "We cannot let our guard down before conducting a thorough reconnaissance. Our previous troops suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Yan people."
Halson sneered: "I understand that, but do you think Enzos's battle was fought for nothing? The Sixth Army's deadly struggle with the Yan people happened just a few days ago. No matter how well the Yan people prepared for this war, it's impossible for them to reassemble a large army in such a short time."
"Trust me, you can't go wrong!"
Phil still looked hesitant. After glancing at his expression, Harrison couldn't help but roll his eyes and said:
“I’ll take the main road, and you take the side road. If you don’t find any Yan people infiltrating other places, you can lead your troops back to the main road. By then, I should have already deployed the forward positions.”
"General Saski's main force is only one or two hours behind us. We'll formulate a battle plan after I bring you firsthand intelligence."
After listening to his words, Phil nodded and said, "Okay, but... the chances of encountering danger are higher if you take the main road. You have to be careful, and if you do encounter one, you absolutely cannot start a fight rashly."
"Do I need you to teach me how to fight?" Halson snorted.
"All right....."
Then, a moment later, when they reached the fork in the road, Phil led another cavalry unit and separated from Halson's forces.
——
Meanwhile, Pariston...
Looking at the topographical map hanging on the wooden frame, Qin Ze rested his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought.
The center of the map is circled in red, which is Salivia, the capital of the Delta Federation.
It was located at the border of Bokamia and Balsas province, while Paliston, where it is now located, is the western border of Bokamia, which is equivalent to the starting point.
Although this starting point is separated by an entire province of Pocamia before reaching Salvia, it is not a long distance. Although Pocamia Province is the core of the Delta Federation, it is not vast. According to the map, the eastern and northern regions of the Delta Federation are much more expansive.
In fact, the province of Pocamia was once the Kingdom of Golt. However, as the Kingdom of Golt gradually rose to power, its territory expanded and became vast, eventually becoming the only empire on the continent of Salisno.
Now that they have reached the core of the Delta Federation, Qin Ze knows that although the journey ahead is not far, they will inevitably face a fierce counterattack from the Goths.
Therefore, after summoning his army out of Enzos this morning, he did not rush to march, but instead assembled his troops in the area around Pariston.
Now that the army is ready, he plans to leave Pariston tomorrow, and the only route he can take is the main road.
Having already annihilated the Golt army multiple times, Qin Ze believed that they were now severely weakened. In the flat terrain shown on the map of Pocamia, highly mobile cavalry would be a crucial weapon.
Driving along the main road towards Salibia would be the most convenient option, but that would mean passing through several cities in the Pocamea province.
Today, the cavalry approached Pariston early on, but did not pursue those who fled.
As for the reason...
Qin Ze turned his gaze away from the map, stepped out of the tent, and looked at the deserted town, muttering to himself, "The time should be almost ripe."
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