Under the cover of night, the Canyon Pass was filled with a solemnity that was completely different from the past, or perhaps it could be said that it was filled with a strong sense of tension and uneasiness.

Metz felt the uneasiness while riding his horse in the night, and he became even more nervous.

He even felt a little annoyed about why he agreed to let Wu Lai go back to Canyon Pass, because he felt that even if he didn't agree, Wu Lai wouldn't force him, but he just...

No wonder he has achieved so much now, because he can always make others follow his ideas. After thinking this in his heart, Meis turned his head and glanced at the spotted wolf who was half a horse's length behind him - he was the "little general" assigned to him by Wu Lai. After Meis led the 4,000 Assyrian troops behind him into the main defense area of ​​the Canyon Pass, he would lead the completion of the remaining combat tasks.

This was the first time that Spotted Wolf led so many people, so many that he himself was a little unsure. But Wu Lai told him, I have confidence in you.

Wu Lai was not just encouraging him blindly. After Pu Tong was injured, the only people he had available were those few captains. However, these captains also had no experience in fighting this kind of battle. Compared with them, Banlang was even calmer and more composed, which was especially important after entering the Canyon Pass. Therefore, Wu Lai would rather let Banlang carry out this mission.

The 4,000 Assyrian soldiers behind Meis and Banlang had naturally changed into the uniforms and weapons of the Tianjuan Army. In order to make it look more like the real thing, some soldiers even pretended to be wounded soldiers, and the marching column was also quite disorganized...

Shortly after midnight, Metz led his team to the gate of the main defense area of ​​Canyon Pass.

"This was originally a training ground, very spacious. Now there are six camps here, blocking this passage." While the guard was reporting, Mace lowered his voice and said to Spotted Wolf, "My camp is the second one on the left. I will be received soon. You lead the people there first. Do you see the three camp gates over there?"

The spotted wolf nodded: "I see."

"General Spotted Wolf, there are row of fences behind the three camp gates, like alleys, separating the soldiers of the three camps to avoid chaos in wartime. You go through the middle camp gate, which leads directly to my camp. There are no more than a hundred soldiers left behind, and they are all old and weak. Just show them my token. If you are worried about them, you can tie them up or kill them. It is up to you. There are my three female relatives in the big barracks in the middle, so please take good care of them." Metz spoke in great detail. He was not very clear about Spotted Wolf's identity, but seeing that he followed Wu Lai almost all the time, and this time he was ordered to enter the heart of the Canyon Pass, he subconsciously became respectful.

"Okay." Spotted Wolf nodded again. Needless to say, he felt warm inside when Metz called him "General".

"General Spotted Wolf, after you lead your men in, close the camp gate as usual. There are four arrow towers and two observation towers in the camp. You can arrange the personnel however you want." Meis continued, "It will take me some time to come back after I go in, and I may be kept overnight. So if I don't come back tonight, I will definitely come back after dawn. You don't need to worry, nothing will change."

"I understand." Spotted Wolf smiled slightly, "General Mace, please rest assured. I have promised the lord that I will ensure your safe return, whether it is your women or yourself."

"Actually, female relatives are not that important." Mace laughed and ended the conversation.

After waiting for a while, the gatekeeper returned and Garlon really wanted to summon Metz.

"Wait a moment." Mace smiled at the spotted wolf and spurred his horse to follow the gatekeeper. After watching him enter the gate, the spotted wolf turned his horse and led the team to the second camp gate on the left. He attracted a lot of attention along the way, and some people even came forward to greet him, but he ignored them all.

…

"Lord, this is too...too...inappropriate, isn't it?" Pu Tong said weakly.

"You are the one who is inappropriate. Why are you running here instead of recuperating in the rear?" Wu Lai asked with a smile. He had just fallen asleep when this guy came to Olga Town. He didn't know what he was thinking. He was obviously covered in wounds and trembling even when he spoke, but he was still concerned about the battle situation. Wu Lai was really touched.

"I haven't finished the treatment for a day, I, I...ah..." Pu Tong grimaced in pain before he could finish his words. He quickly moved forward with difficulty so that his sitting position would not touch the wound too much.

"You might as well just lie down on the bed." Wu Lai smiled bitterly and shook his head, asking, "What do you mean by inappropriate? Spotted Wolf leading the troops?"

"No." Pu Tong waved his hand. "You mean you let him... them take the risk to go deeper, Lord. I personally... I personally don't think it's necessary."

"Why is it unnecessary?" Wu Lai asked with a smile.

"It's not like we can't take it down." Pu Tong coughed for a while, and his breathing finally became smooth.

"Of course we can take it, but the Gorge Pass is 23 miles long from east to west and 10 miles wide from north to south. It was built as solid as a rock during the period when Hulite was in control. After Tianjuan occupied it, he recruited 170,000 civilians and spent two and a half years to build it. It is much stronger than before. Attacking it by force is much more difficult than eleven stone walls. This is one reason. Second, the enemy's granary is located inside the pass, and the water source is even more abundant. If we don't think of other ideas, what awaits us is a protracted confrontation. Moreover, the enemy has a lot of troops and horses. Under the attack from both sides, it is hard to guarantee that they will not try to break through. If we don't use some special means, how can the enemy stay in the pass obediently?" Wu Lai said, "Pu Tong, with the current manpower we have, even with the addition of an independent division, I'm afraid we won't be able to completely block the enemy's escape, right? Once they break through, they will harass everywhere like horse bandits. Hulite, which has just started to improve, will definitely be in turmoil. Who knows, it may also severely undermine the confidence of Hulite civilians in the new policy and us."

"What the lord said makes sense, but I also heard that according to the lord's arrangement, you plan to... lead the army straight in personally? Lord, you have never been so careless all the way here, right?" Pu Tong asked.

"Yes, I plan to take the remaining troops of your Sixth Division and take a detour, avoiding part of the enemy forces and heading straight to the canyon pass. I will set off at dawn." Wu Lai replied.

"Lord, that's too dangerous." Pu Tong said quickly.

"I don't feel dangerous. I understand what you mean. You are afraid that I will be surrounded by the enemy, but don't forget, there is also the Independent Division. When I march quickly, they will follow me by taking the main road, and then pretend to attack. How can the enemy troops that I have bypassed have time to look for me? Even if they do, it doesn't matter. I will make a surprise attack and attack them together with the Independent Division. If they don't care, I will go straight to the pass and block the army inside so that they dare not go out for the time being. Don't forget that the Vultures have been ready to fight for a long time." Wu Lai said with a smile.

Pu Tong pondered for a moment, then smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Lord, my brain must have been stunned by the bombardment. Who on the mainland can defeat you in marching and fighting?"

"You're flattering me too much." Wu Lai walked to Pu Tong, leaned over to look at him, and said, "You have dark circles under your eyes. You should go and rest first. This Olga town is surrounded by streams and trees and has a nice view. I give you special permission to recuperate here."

"As you command." Pu Tong nodded cheerfully, and said with some regret, "What a pity. I have followed you in battles all the way, and now that the decisive battle is imminent, I..."

"Pu Tong, the decisive battle is not just one battle. Every battle between us and Sares, Bailey, Iner, Pompey, Oddo and others is part of the decisive battle. If any battle is not fought well, it will affect the overall situation. You regret it, but I regret it more than you. You also said that I haven't had enough fun fighting all the way." Wu Lai couldn't help but patted Pu Tong's shoulder, which made the guy grin.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, ah, Lord, you hit my wound." Pu Tong said with a sad face...

…

After seeing off Metz, Garlon fell into silence. Leiden was defeated and captured, Metz's reinforcements were thwarted, and the enemy troops increased their troops at the Stonewall Pass. This series of events weighed on his heart like a huge rock, making him confused.

"What should I do?" He thought helplessly. Just now, he almost wanted to order a meeting of all the generals, but he didn't know what to say. The arrangements had already been made, such as increasing defenses and patrols. He had even explained several times how to deal with the enemy's attack. What else could he say? Tell everyone that Leiden was captured, and that Metz failed to reinforce and was chased by the enemy for several miles during the retreat. Even the deputy general and the deputy general were killed? Garon suddenly felt a strong sense of fear and loneliness in his heart. In the past, he could discuss anything with Leiden, or vent his anger on Leiden when he was angry, but what about now? Leiden could not come back. The war had already reached this point. The Assyrians would never let Leiden go, no matter how high the price was.

"How about I give it a try?" Garlon denied the idea as soon as it popped up in his mind. "No, if it were me, I would not let the enemy commander go just for the sake of money, because this is no longer an ordinary fight, but a battle of life and death..."

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

After a long sigh, Garlon placed the sword he had been holding for a long time heavily on the table and waved to the attendant beside him: "Go, get some wine."

The escort officer hesitated for a moment, swallowed back the words he was about to say, turned around and walked out of the hall.

At the same time, in the Metz military camp, under the command of Spotted Wolf, a hundred soldiers quietly set up mortars and camouflaged them...

…

At dawn, the vulture was awakened by the sound of footsteps. In fact, the footsteps were quite far away, but the vulture had developed this habit over the years, no, it should be called instinct.

As he sat up, Vulture had already grasped his sword in his left hand. After listening carefully, he loosened his hand because he had recognized the source of the footsteps - Xiler. Although Xiler's foot injury had healed, he was still slightly disabled. When he was running or walking fast, it was inevitable that one of his feet was heavy and the other was light, so the sound he made was naturally the same.

Vulture immediately got out of bed and put on his shoes. As soon as he put on his boots, Xiler pushed the door and walked in.

"Commander Vulture, beacon fire! Beacon fire!" Xier's face was full of joy.

"Beacon? What beacon?" Although he had already guessed it almost right, Vulture still asked.

"This is the lord's beacon signal! It was just lit!" Xiler excitedly grabbed Vulture's arm.

"It is! Great! Great!" Vulture clenched his fist happily, not even bothering to put on his clothes, "Come on, take me to see it."

"Okay." Xi Liel laughed and hugged the vulture's neck. "Let me tell you, I almost cried with excitement when I saw it."

"Of course. If it were me, I would do the same. Our lord is really powerful. It hasn't been long since we attacked Canyon Pass. Xileer, once Canyon Pass is conquered and the passage is opened, you can go back to your hometown."

"That's right, that's right." Xi Liel smiled like a flower.

After the vulture ran out of the corridor, it immediately saw the two smoke columns on the horizon, one black and one gray rising straight up, which were very eye-catching.

"Yes, that's right, it's the beacon calling us to attack." Vulture excitedly punched the arrow stack, turned around and shouted to the regiment leaders who followed him, "Quick! Gather the troops! Pull out the main gun! Pull it out!"

"Hehe! That's enough for them. That cannon, tut tut tut." Xileer was so happy that he just shook his head. The "main cannon" mentioned by Vulture was a heavy cannon shipped from Assyria a month ago. Not only was its range much higher than that of ordinary cannons, but its power was more than five times stronger. Although the shells were heavy and the firing rate was slow, did such a cannon still rely on intensive artillery fire to win? After the regiment and battalion commanders ran away, Vulture tightened his belt and pointed at the Canyon Pass in the distance: "Xileer, how about we go there to drink tonight?"

"Of course." Xierer clapped his hands and laughed.