“Your Majesty, we have been following that defeated army for a day, and they have only traveled less than eighteen kilometers.”
“If they continue at this marching speed, our troops can catch up with them within two days without speeding up,” said Wu Sihai, a scout who came to Qin Ze’s side.
As a member of the reconnaissance team, he and his comrades caught up with the fleeing troops two days ago. However, in order to avoid their tracks being exposed, they only followed from a distance while spreading outwards along both sides of the main road to investigate the surrounding environment in case of a possible enemy ambush. After all, no one knew whether the fleeing troops walking so openly on the main road were just a decoy.
Upon hearing his words, Qin Ze looked at the snowflakes slowly falling under the night sky and said, "It's not too slow, after all, it's been snowing for the past two days, and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon."
Wu Sihai immediately replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. Furthermore, according to our observation, these defeated soldiers did not make any preparations beforehand. They decided to evacuate on short notice that night, and their supplies seem to be insufficient."
"During their march, people kept shouting for them to speed up. Today they have covered eighteen kilometers, which should be their limit."
Qin Ze stroked his chin: "If the snow continues, their marching speed will probably slow down even more. If they still need to travel, some people may fall behind."
Upon hearing this, Wu Sihai immediately said, "Your Majesty's prediction was very accurate. In fact, some of them have already fallen behind, or rather... to be precise, they should be called deserters."
"Today, several dozen Golgar infantrymen quietly broke away from the ranks, sneaking into the woods on both sides of the main road."
Upon hearing this, Qin Ze raised an eyebrow: "Have you tracked them down?"
"Yes, we've already sent people to track them down."
"Capture a few people and interrogate them to find out their army's next destination."
“They had many opportunities to scatter and escape along the way, but they continued to walk along this road toward the Nzoz Mountains. It didn’t look like a complete rout, but more like they were heading to a certain location to carry out a mission.”
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Go and rest. We'll set off again tomorrow morning. If you receive any news tonight, send someone to report back to me." Qin Ze stood up.
"yes."
Wu Sihai agreed, took off his felt hat, and left while brushing off the snow.
Qin Ze stood up and looked at the road ahead in the night. The ground was covered with a layer of snow, and the snow showed no signs of stopping. This was definitely not good news.
According to the map, the Nzos Mountains are clearly a pass, so there is a high probability that Gothic troops are stationed there. If that is the case, the Goths occupy higher ground, and to get out of the mountains, their troops must be defeated.
Mountain warfare has always been the most dangerous and difficult type of battle.
Although maps exist, they still differ significantly from real-world terrain. If the enemy controls advantageous terrain, they can easily defeat a larger force with fewer troops, thus narrowing the gap in weaponry.
Thinking of this, Qin Ze frowned and muttered to himself, "But at least, this harsh weather treats everyone equally..."
——
On the other side.
"From this moment forward, anyone who dares to leave without permission will be treated as a deserter! If discovered, they will be executed on the spot!!"
Inside the camp of routed soldiers, Tachino stood with his hands on his hips, roaring angrily at the soldiers in front of him.
The soldiers, exhausted, sat around the campfire, listlessly responding to his instructions. Seeing their lack of reaction, Tacino grew increasingly furious.
"Did you hear me?!"
Upon seeing this, the soldiers shouted, "We heard you!"
Tacino scoffed, then said, "Do you think bad weather can bring us down?!"
"Get your act together, everyone! We have to leave as soon as the sun comes up tomorrow! We can't afford to dawdle any longer!"
"You are soldiers! You should have the resilience of soldiers. This little difficulty is nothing that you can't endure!"
Hearing this, Captain Barney, who had been temporarily promoted to Tachino's second-in-command, couldn't help but chuckle. He kept a straight face and tried his best not to let his true thoughts show.
As one of the first to escape the munitions factory, he clearly remembered what Tacino said when he incited the soldiers to run away with him.
Obviously, it couldn't have been a "tactical retreat"; it was just a grandiose facade. In essence, it was simply an escape.
But now, as the one who initiated the escape, General Tacino has to stop his soldiers from fleeing, which is utterly ridiculous.
Thinking of this, Barney turned to look at the other officers and found that they all had tense faces, while Tachino still looked righteous and indignant, which made Barney feel a little admiration for him.
"Barney!" Tachino suddenly called out.
Lost in thought, Barney snapped out of it and quickly replied, "Yes, sir! What are your orders?"
"Keep a close eye on the team tomorrow! No one is allowed to desert again! If I find anyone has escaped, you'll be in trouble!" Tachino said sternly.
'Damn it, you've only been a general for a few days, and you haven't even learned how to command troops, but you've already picked up the airs and demeanor that others have cultivated over decades without any instruction.' Barney thought to himself, but still replied loudly:
"Yes, sir!"
Then, Barney turned to the soldiers and said:
"Gentlemen! We're not far from the Heinrich Military Base! If we speed up, we can definitely arrive within ten days!"
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