"How is this possible?!" Garlon exclaimed. This was the second time he had shouted this sentence today. The last time was before meal time, when a lieutenant who had escaped back to the Canyon Pass told him that the Assyrian army had already breached eleven stone walls.
This time, it was Metz's personal captain who reported the destruction of the gun carriage.
"It's true, General Garlon. At that time, I and several cavalrymen were less than fifty steps away from the gun carriage. However, the enemy's weapons were too powerful, and we had no way to deal with them at all." said the captain of the personal guard.
"You...you just said that General Leiden was captured alive by the enemy?" Garlon asked again.
"We are far away and can't see it clearly. It looks like it roughly, but we can't confirm it." The captain of the personal escort answered according to Metz's instructions.
"Where is your general now?" Garen asked.
"The general led his men into Olga Town, saying they would defend the town and await your next instructions, General Garlon." The captain of the personal escort replied.
"Nonsense! How can we defend the broken wall in Olga Town?" Garlon slammed his right palm on the table. "Without the gun carrier, how can we block the intersection?!"
"General Garon, please allow me to report. General Metz said that he was ordered to rush to the rescue, but failed to fulfill his duty. He is willing to defend Olga with 5,000 soldiers, and he is not afraid even if it means sacrificing his life for the country." The captain of the personal guard replied.
"Hold on to the death! Given the terrain there, you are doomed to die. You can't defend it at all. You, go back immediately and tell your General Metz to withdraw to the Canyon Pass immediately. Don't slack off or hesitate!" Garon almost shouted. The eleven stone walls were an important barrier on the north side of the Canyon Pass. If the stone walls were lost, the Assyrian army would have a smooth road ahead. Although the town of Olga was located on the node of the horse road, this large area was connected in all directions. The Assyrian army could bypass the town of Olga at any time. There was no need to pay attention to it. Moreover, with the Assyrian army's manpower and combat effectiveness, how could the 5,000 people led by Metz be enough?
"Yes, I will go back and convey General Garlon's order to General Metz. However, I would like to ask General Garlon to give me a letter. After all, this is a military matter. I am afraid General Metz will not believe my words alone." The captain of the personal guard was delighted and said quickly.
"Of course, just wait." Garen nodded and opened the drawer...
…
Mace and the three generals walked into a newly cleaned courtyard.
"Alas, Olga's peaceful days are probably over." A deputy general said with emotion as he took the chair brought by the soldiers and sat down.
"When you're at war, there's no peace anywhere you go." Another deputy general smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "I don't know what's going on in Kimo yet. I'm regretting moving my family to Kimo in the first place. What if something goes wrong..."
"Don't say such discouraging words." Meis waved his hand. "According to my analysis, the Assyrian army's expansion is not that fast. With their small force, they have only occupied half of Hurlit. Now they are so eager to attack our Canyon Pass, just to open the passage for a straight march. This is the same reason why the Hurrians attacked the Assyrian Red Valley Bay Fortress. Therefore, Kimo Province must be safe."
"I hope that's true." The deputy general sighed and shook his head again.
"General Metz, marching and fighting is our duty. Even if we have to sacrifice for our country, we will accept it. But if our families are in trouble..." the deputy general suddenly interrupted.
"You are the one who is talking about this." Meis interrupted the general unhappily, "Now is not the time to talk about family. I want to ask you, are you sure you can hold on to Olga Town?"
"I didn't." The deputy general was the first to shake his head. The situation had come to this point, so he just said whatever he thought without any reservations like before.
Mace looked at the two lieutenants: "What about you two?"
The two lieutenants looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Actually..." Mace suddenly sighed, and then continued, "I'm not sure at all. You can see that the enemy has a weapon that is more sophisticated and more powerful than a rifle in addition to artillery. And their crossbow is not inferior to artillery. No wonder General Leiden was defeated."
The three generals remained silent.
"I'm not exaggerating the enemy on purpose. Against them, let alone the four of us, even if we gathered the best generals of Tianfu, we would not be their match if our forces were equal. Don't forget that the former emperor Helenpetra and the unparalleled king Hatra were both good at leading troops." said Metz.
"In your opinion, General, we are in great danger." asked the deputy general on Metz's left.
"That's not the case." Mace smiled slightly. "Don't worry, everyone. I'm sure you all know who I am. I've never put anyone who follows or is close to me in danger. I've already sent someone to report to General Garlon. According to my analysis, General Garlon will definitely not let us stay here to the death."
"Huh? Why?" The general was stunned.
Mes laughed and replied, "The enemy has broken through the stone wall, so how can they lack a way to get to the Canyon Pass? The terrain inside the Canyon Pass is flat, so even if they bypass us and set up camp in front of the pass, they don't have to worry about us doing anything bad to them. Do you think that if you were the Assyrian army, would you fight another unnecessary battle in Olga Town? Leave some people to look after the stone wall, and the rest can just charge towards the Canyon Pass."
"That's right." The general nodded.
"What General Metz said makes sense. It makes a lot of sense. I was just worried..." Before the deputy general could finish his words, a deafening explosion sounded in his ears.
The four of them stood up immediately. Mace frowned and shouted to the guards who gathered around to protect them: "Why don't you go and see what's going on?!"
As soon as the guards finished their promise, two scouts rushed into the courtyard gate. When they saw the four generals, they didn't even bother to greet them, and hurriedly reported: "General, the enemy has thousands of soldiers in two groups chasing us. The left group has bypassed the valley and is approaching the town entrance, and the right group is less than two miles away from the town."
"So soon?!" Meis' heart skipped a beat and he raised his eyebrows. "The four of us will follow the agreement we made during the previous inspection and each guard a direction."
"Yes, sir." The three generals immediately responded and turned around, each calling on their followers to follow them.
"What's with the cannon noise?" Mace asked the scout.
"It's the enemy on the left that's firing, but they're not aiming at the town. Instead, they're aiming at the small hill about half a mile away from the town," the scout replied.
Meis was startled and asked, "Is there any sentry on the hill?"
"No, that little hill is bare. There is nothing on it. It's just a big mound of earth." the scout replied.
Mace frowned, rolled his eyes, turned around and shouted at the three generals who were about to leave: "Wait!"
The three generals ran back: "General Mays."
Meis hesitated for a moment and said, "You three go to your own guard positions first. Remember, don't attack proactively, because... because I think the Assyrian army doesn't seem to intend to fight us, but wants to talk to us."
"Let's talk?" The three generals looked at each other.
"This is just my guess, it should be pretty close." Mace nodded, "Everyone, what do you think our chances of winning are if we fight 5,000 against 5,000?"
The two lieutenants looked at each other, sighed and lowered their heads. Leiden occupied the stone wall checkpoint, with strong soldiers and artillery, but he was defeated miserably. How could they resist with the soldiers and weapons they had now?
"General Metz, do you even need to ask this? I'm not trying to discourage you, but let alone five thousand against five thousand, with the Assyrian army's combat effectiveness, two thousand would probably be enough to defeat our five thousand." The deputy general said helplessly.
The two lieutenants were stunned and subconsciously wanted to refute, but swallowed the words back when they came to their lips.
"Alas, after half a lifetime of military service, I am afraid that this time, I will have to say goodbye to my family and all of you forever." Metz pretended to sigh and shook his head slightly. His eyes were wandering, and he was secretly observing the three generals.
"General Metz must not be so discouraged. We...we may be able to fight." said a deputy general.
"A war?" Mace sighed, "Yes, a war..."
The deputy general was smart. After carefully considering Metz's words and gestures, he made up his mind and said, "General Metz, it's not right to insist on fighting when you know you will die!"
"Oh?" Meis turned his head to look at the deputy general, "Then what do you think we should do?"
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The deputy general's eyes met with Meis's, and he was more certain in his heart: "General Meis, it is not a wise and brave man to go on knowing that it is a dead end. Besides, we have many private soldiers under our command, and everyone has parents, wives and children to worry about. If the Assyrian army is really willing to negotiate and the conditions offered are not harsh, I think it is worth a try. Although it may be humiliating, it can not only save the lives of my brothers, but also prevent my family from being humiliated. The Assyrian army came all the way here, and I guess they must have been fighting and negotiating at the same time, otherwise, how could they be so fast? Perhaps, that's how they lost the White Shield Mountain."
The two lieutenants listened and looked at Metz, only to see that Metz nodded repeatedly. Then they knew what was going on.
"General Metz is the one who makes the decision. I will follow your lead." The two deputy generals expressed their opinions immediately.
"I think so too. Whether to fight or make peace is entirely up to General Metz." The deputy general bowed and said.
"Oh my." Mace scratched his chin and put on an awkward look. "I'm just guessing. I'm not sure what the Assyrian army's intentions are. But since everyone is eager to protect their homes and soldiers, I don't care what the Assyrian army thinks. I'll go up alone first. The three of you, follow the original plan. If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move either. I'll make a decision after I get some news. How do you think?"
"Excellent, excellent." The three generals replied.
"That's it for now." Mace waved his hand and walked to the scout waiting for orders. "Can you see which direction the enemy flag is heading?"
"General, that's where the cannon was fired," the scout replied...
…
"I just fired a few blank rounds, and General Mays understood what I meant and came here alone. He is indeed a hero." Wu Lai said with a smile, pointing to the big chair on the left, "Please sit down."
"Thank you, Lord, for inviting me to sit down." Mace bowed again and then sat down. He had heard that Wu Lai was young before, and he was even more impressed when he saw him today. Just think about it, from ancient times to the present, there has never been anyone in the continent who holds power at such an old age. Helen Petra could be considered one, but she was obviously a few years older than the man in front of him, and she was also defeated by this man.
"Although I don't have many soldiers now, I have enough firearms and ammunition. I have taken over all eleven stone wall checkpoints in one night. The Canyon Checkpoint will be my meal sooner or later. So, General Mays..." Wu Lai said, "Since you are here, then tell me your ideas, or what can you do for me?"
Mace was stunned, thinking, what about this? After thinking for a while, Mace nodded and said, "Lord, I came here to protect the lives of my people and avoid the separation of the whole clan. But since I am here, I will naturally obey your orders in everything. We will do whatever you ask."
"Do you really listen to everything?" Wu Lai smiled slightly.
"Of course." Mace nodded.
"Protecting your life and preventing the entire family from being separated, is this your condition?" Wu Lai asked again.
"Yes." Mace nodded again, but was startled again, wondering what Lord Wulai meant by asking this. "Is there anything else you want to add?" Wulai took the cup of water handed to him by Spotted Wolf and took a sip, then asked.
"No more." Mace shook his head decisively. The Lord Woolley in front of him was very intimidating. The questions he asked seemed simple, but were difficult to answer. Instead of thinking about it and feeling more and more suffocated, it would be better to just stop thinking about it and just hope to save his life.
"That's good." Woolley laughed. "General Mays is righteous. To be honest, all the cities in Hulet have been renamed as cities. Slavery has been abolished, the nobility has been abolished, and everyone is a citizen. Everything is equal. Even I have no right to do anything more for you. What I can decide is the battlefield."
"I can understand that. My lord, you care about the world and keep innovating. You have worked hard." Metz nodded and replied, feeling somewhat disappointed. He thought that he should be rewarded for leading the surrender with full sincerity.
"But I am willing to lend a helping hand, General Metz. Let you, General, make another great contribution on the basis of actively turning hostility into friendship. By then, there will be no need for me to say anything. The people will elect you to be in charge. Of course, I can't just sit back and watch. At that time, whether the general is interested in politics or continues to serve in the army, I will be your backer." Wu Lai said with a smile.
Mace was delighted and stood up and bowed to Wu Lai: "Mace, thank you for your kindness, Lord."
"No problem, you deserve it." Wu Lai nodded, and suddenly changed the subject, "But what I want you to do requires a lot of courage..."
…
At noon, the sun was shining brightly. Wu Lai strolled to the stream on the south bank of Olga Town to enjoy the scenery, while the town behind him was also bustling with people.
The spotted wolf accompanied Wu Lai all the way. After walking a short distance along the stream, they came to a beach. Although the beach was small, there were several smooth rocks lying across it. Wu Lai felt a little tired, so he simply chose one of the rocks and sat down. When the spotted wolf saw him sitting down, he quickly unscrewed the lid of the kettle and handed it to him.
"Lord, please drink some water." said the spotted wolf.
"Okay." Wu Lai asked as he took the kettle, "Have you arranged everything to light the beacon?"
"Set out at night and arrive at the designated location before dawn." The spotted wolf replied.
Wu Lai smiled slightly: "It's going better than I thought. I hope it will continue to go smoothly. Then, I can go back to Assyria to be with my children and experience the joy of being a father."
The spotted wolf was stunned for a moment, then sighed softly and nodded...