"The Assyrians are so terrible." Garen frowned. The table was full of delicious food, but he had no appetite at all.

"Let's have dinner first. We have to call a meeting of the generals later." Leiden advised.

"How can we eat it?" Garlon glared at Leiden. "The enemy has already approached Olga Town. What does this mean? We are the only small area left in the entire southern border. That's not all. We are about to be attacked from both sides!"

"But there's no point in being anxious." Leiden was already unhappy, and seeing Garlon act like this again, he felt even more unhappy. He simply threw the lamb leg in his hand into the copper plate, "Garon, even Baidun Pass has been lost. Let alone the enemy taking over Southern Xinjiang, it wouldn't be surprising if they took over the entire Hulite Province. There have been so many battles in the past few years, and the empire's military strength has been greatly damaged. In Hulite, apart from Baidun Mountain, only our Canyon Pass has some troops. Kimo Province doesn't even have an army, and each city and place is doing its own thing. It would be strange if we are not defeated."

"Then what do you say we should do?" Garlon was really at a loss, otherwise he wouldn't have failed to notice Leiden's change in attitude.

However, Leiden's anger immediately subsided after he said that. After hesitating for a while, he said, "I think the Empire will definitely not sit idly by. Our best response at the moment is to defend it strictly and wait for reinforcements. Although our territory is small, in addition to 100,000 soldiers, we also have two towns and more than 20 villages. The food in the granary is enough for us to eat for two years with some surplus. If we organize the civilians to plant and open up wasteland, we will have no problem holding out for three to five years. Although there are not many shells and gunpowder, there is enough oil. The stone wall barrier in front of Olga is in good terrain. As long as there are no thieves, we can definitely hold on."

"You mean there might be a thief?" Garen was stunned.

"That's what I said. There won't be any internal thieves. From now on, no one in Olga Town and Pulian Town is allowed to have contact with the outside world, so the enemy won't be able to take advantage of any loopholes." Leiden replied.

"I'm worried that they will climb over the wall from somewhere else." Garen sighed and said.

"You can rest assured about this. The defense walls are built on steep ridges. The enemy doesn't have any place suitable for a large-scale attack. Our sentries have a good field of vision. As long as we don't relax, we will be able to discover the enemy's traces in advance. We have scattered so many barracks on the military roads, isn't it for rapid response and nearby defense?" Leiden said.

"Now that you've said that, I feel a lot more relieved." Garlon nodded, "Let's do this when we give the generals instructions. I mean, strengthen the alert and organize the civilians to plant."

"Also, we are going to separate. You and I will guard Canyon Pass and Olga Town respectively." Leiden said.

"That makes sense." Garlon nodded again, "I'll still guard the Canyon Pass, Olga, you go, what do you think?"

"Okay, let's do this." Leiden knew that Garlon would choose this. "You should eat something. If you are not in good spirits, the soldiers under you will be even more discouraged. You know, the morale of the soldiers is not very good right now."

"It would be great if I could win a battle now. Alas... the army attacking the pass is too shameless. They are just trying to tie us down and are not attacking sincerely at all." Garlon grabbed the wine glass.

You just know it. Leiden smiled bitterly in his heart, but he didn't show it on the surface. Instead, he nodded and reminded: "It's better to be careful. The initiative is in the hands of the enemy. He can turn into a real attack at any time."

"I'll be careful." Garlon said, and then he drank the wine in the cup. He frowned and said, "You have to be careful too. The one leading the troops in front of Olga should be that damn Assyrian lord. That guy carries his flag everywhere, as if he is afraid that others will not know that he is here."

"Yeah." Leiden sighed quietly. After the Battle of Kayiked, Wu Lai's ability to fight and conquer was world-famous. If he hadn't been blocked here, Leiden didn't want to confront Wu Lai.

"That man is a genius. Not only is he an excellent leader, but he is also full of tricks. I wonder what bad things he is planning now." Garen said with a wry smile and picked up the bread on the plate...

…

"Lord, the wind is blowing again." The spotted wolf ran to Wu Lai, who was dozing beside a huge rock.

"It's windy? Good, good." Wu Lai quickly turned over and got up. He had only tested it twice before and the wind stopped. However, judging from the test results, the kite was made well and flew very stably.

"Lord, how long of a rope shall we try this time?" asked the spotted wolf.

"Three miles." Wu Lai replied. In addition to considering the manufacturing condition of the kite, tonight's experiment was also a test of the wind force and the strength of the rope, so naturally he had to take it slow.

"Okay." The spotted wolf nodded, turned around and ran to the winch to give orders.

"Lord, let me try this time. I will help you hold this 'kite'. If you say run, I will run. My riding skills are no worse than that of a spotted wolf." Pu Tong said with a drooling face.

"That won't do. I still have to rely on you to lead the troops into battle. What if it falls?" Wu Lai said half-jokingly and half-seriously. The weight and size of this kite are not trivial. Although it can be lifted by manpower, if you want to run smoothly against the wind and run fast, you have to rely on horsepower. Among the six special company soldiers staying beside Wu Lai, only Spotted Wolf's riding skills are up to the task.

"I promise I won't." Pu Tong said with a bitter face.

"How can you be so playful? Let's put it this way. When the war here is over, I will teach you to make a kite that is more beautiful and flies higher than this one. By then, you will have nothing to do anyway, so after training the soldiers every day, you can take them flying kites for fun. How about that?" Wu Lai said as he walked towards the capstan.

"Okay." After hesitating for a moment, Pu Tong agreed reluctantly. Anyway, he realized that Wu Lai would not lend it to him for fun at this moment.

I'll make one tonight when I get home, Pu Tong thought as he followed Wu Lai.

After a while, seeing that Feng showed no sign of stopping, Wu Lai nodded, signaling the spotted wolf that it was time to start.

After checking the kite, Banlang immediately climbed onto his horse and, with the help of three soldiers from the special forces company, placed the kite on the horse's back. After making sure it was stable, he clamped his feet on the horse's belly, took a step forward, and trotted off into the night...

At midnight, the wind stopped again. Wu Lai, who already knew the consequences, excitedly led everyone back to the camp. Pu Tong, who had not played with kites all night, kept pestering Wu Lai with questions along the way.

"What do you want to do? Make a few for yourself?" Wu Lai's heart suddenly moved when he walked into the camp gate.

“Hehehehe.” Pu Tong scratched his head embarrassedly, “I think it’s quite fun.”

After thinking for a while, Wu Lai raised a smile and put his left hand around Pu Tong's neck: "Okay, since you want to make it, I will teach you how to make a triangular one, but you can't play alone. You have to pick out thirty soldiers to play with you, those with quick brains and nimble hands and feet."

"That's not good." Pu Tong was stunned. "Lord, didn't you say, 'Playthings can ruin your ambition'?"

"You still know 'playthings can lead to loss of ambition', obey orders." Wu Lai pretended to be serious, and Pu Tong quickly agreed with his chest puffed out, thinking that you have raised this matter to the level of an order, what else can I think of besides obediently? At the fork in the road, Pu Tong said goodbye to Wu Lai happily and went back to his own tent to plan the kite-flying event. Banlang happened to be on duty as the commander tonight, so he accompanied Wu Lai back to the big tent.

"Lord, you just asked Commander Pu Tong to pick some people to play kite flying with him. Is it related to the attack?" asked the spotted wolf bravely.

Wu Lai laughed and replied, "I used to be familiar with two words, but I haven't used them for a long time. I didn't expect them to pop up to me tonight. Guess what words they are?"

Spotted Wolf shook his head quickly: "Lord, you overestimate me. How could I have guessed that?"

"That's right." Wu Lai nodded and said seriously, "Let me speak in my hometown dialect. The first word is 'aerial reconnaissance', and the second word is 'air-ground coordination'."

"'Aerial reconnaissance'? 'Air-ground coordination'?" Spotted Wolf was stunned. "Lord, what do these two words mean?"

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

…

The mountain breeze blew up the hem of Leiden's cloak and made the tassel of his red hat tremble.

After putting down the telescope, Leiden turned around and said to several officers who were accompanying him to inspect, "Take a closer look. The layout of the enemy camp is very different from the usual ones. There are many roads, so the soldiers can be mobilized quickly. Look around it, the long and short trenches, fences, chevaux de frise, sentry towers, arrow towers, and artillery positions are very appropriate. It is a model of both offense and defense. Write them down for future marches and battles."

All the generals nodded in agreement.

Leiden continued, "Although we are now attacked from both sides, there is no need to be afraid. The enemy has been attacking the Canyon Pass for so long but still cannot advance an inch. On our side, there are high walls and cliffs blocking the enemy. You can see from the enemy's deployment that they are now planning to encircle us. What does this mean? It means that they are not sure they can break in."

"General, you are absolutely right. The enemy has been camping for three or four days. Apart from sending out some scouts to conduct reconnaissance every day, there has been no other movement." said a deputy general.

"Not only that." Another deputy general interrupted and said, "General, since yesterday afternoon, ox-horse convoys have appeared behind the enemy. Although they are too far away to see clearly, we can basically confirm that they are transporting supplies to the enemy."

Leiden nodded. "This just proves my guess. The enemy wants to use long-term stationing to block our exits in order to consume us. But don't worry, General Garlon and I have already discussed organizing civilians and auxiliary troops to plant food and reclaim wasteland immediately, and strive to achieve self-sufficiency next year. As long as this goal is achieved, we can hold on and wait for help, and wait to attack them together with the Empire's army."

"General, may I ask when the imperial army will arrive?" a deputy general couldn't help but ask.

"Don't worry. As you know, the enemy is rampant in Hurlit Province. Most of the southern border has fallen into the hands of the enemy, but the Empire will not sit idly by. I have a hunch that the Empire's reinforcements will arrive sooner than I expected." Leiden laughed and said, "What I just said is, first of all, to prepare for the worst, and secondly, I think this is also a good idea. The less we rely on the Empire's supplies, the less the enemy will be able to control us. What do you think, right?"

"Yes, yes, the general is absolutely right." The generals quickly agreed.

"In these difficult times, I hope you can fight the enemy together with me." Leiden nodded with satisfaction and said.

The generals quickly expressed their opinions. As they were talking, a deputy general suddenly pointed to the sky and asked, "Everyone, look, what is that?"

Everyone subconsciously glanced in the direction the general pointed, and then raised their telescopes.

After a while, a lieutenant asked the crowd hesitantly: "I think they are a few big birds, what do you think?"

"It should be. It's too far away, at least five miles away. I can only see a few small dots." said a deputy general.

When he put down the telescope, Leiden frowned and wondered if it was a bird, why would it hang there motionless? ...

Nine days later in the evening, Pu Tong and his regimental and battalion commanders were once again summoned to Wu Lei's tent. The difference from previous times was that the thirty soldiers who were selected to "play kite flying" were also present at the meeting.

"We have been here fourteen days now." Woolley sat down in the large chair behind the desk. "In these fourteen days, we have paralyzed the enemy and found a way to attack them."

"Great." Pu Tong slapped his thigh excitedly, and then was glared at by Wu Lai.

"I'm sorry, Lord. I forgot the meeting rules. There will be no discussion session in today's meeting." Pu Tong quickly stood up and apologized.

"Sit down." Wu Lai waved his hand and continued, "Before announcing the tactics, I must first explain to everyone that our offensive means are not invincible, unless the enemy is extremely stupid. So this attack is different from the usual ones. It must be carried out at night, and it must be a dark and windy night..."

A dark and windy night? Pu Tong was stunned after hearing this, thinking, does that mean we have to be on standby as soon as evening comes?