The Ordorf Bridge had collapsed, and the garrison at the bridgehead was nowhere to be found. In the morning mist, Kruger looked at the lonely, broken bridge surface on the river, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.
The centurions around them trembled with fear. After their failed attack late last night, they had all fallen into a deep sleep. No one had expected a surprise attack, so the sentry posts were unusually lax. The enemy hadn't launched a surprise attack, but they had managed to collapse the bridge. How it collapsed was still unknown, but everyone knew that the centurion on duty last night was probably dead.
The centurion, who was already a dead man in everyone's eyes, was now kneeling to one side, trembling. His hair was gray, his whole body was shaking, and his eyes were full of fear and regret.
Those around him couldn't help but look at the young centurion with admiration. This was what it meant to have your hair turn white overnight!
Kruger took a deep breath, about to say a few words to those centurions who considered him a dead man. A figure walked up to Kruger on his own. It was none other than the drastically changed Yom Soy.
The centurions looked at each other. Although Kruger had tried to keep some of the news of Yom's drastic change in temperament a secret, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Soon everyone heard about it.
Kruger frowned. At this moment, the last person he wanted to see was Yom, who claimed to be the founding emperor who had traveled through time.
“The bridge has collapsed…” Yom, wearing a heavy leather coat, uttered a pointless remark.
Kruger responded with a muffled groan.
Yom seemed to hear it, yet also seemed not to hear it. He took two steps forward, staring blankly at the broken section of the bridge, which stretched for more than ten meters.
Kruger was in a bad mood. He glanced at Emilton, who was curled up in a ball beside him, and his temper flared up instantly. He spat on the ground and then signaled to the guards to take the obstructive centurion away and kill him.
"Hey, what's going on?" Yom asked, puzzled, as the guard approached. Then he saw Emilton, whose face was ashen. "Alright, Kruger, let him off the hook. Haven't you noticed? This is actually to our advantage. Besides, this guy didn't make any mistakes in setting up the guards last night, did he?"
Kruger remained silent after hearing this, which made the guards who came forward quite embarrassed. They were caught in a dilemma, standing there very conspicuously.
After a long silence, Kruger waved his hand, signaling the guards to leave. He walked to Yom's side and said in a barely hushed voice, "I know what you're up to, humph. You say this is advantageous to us, so tell me, what advantages?"
Upon hearing this, Yom smiled slightly, "Why be so fixated on this bridge? You can control the enemy's main force here and then launch a direct attack on the capital. Wouldn't that be perfect?"
Kruger was taken aback; he didn't understand. If they were trapped here, wouldn't they still need people? How could they still have troops to attack the enemy's capital?
Yom shrugged. "To put it in detail, it's like this... like this... understand?" Yom leaned close to Kruger's ear and briefly explained his idea. Kruger's eyes brightened upon hearing this, and he nodded repeatedly.
Seeing Kruger's understanding expression, Yom smiled faintly and waved his hand, "Go ahead, if you do this well, why worry about not getting a reward?"
Kruger chuckled, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he asked in a low voice, "This plan is so good, who's going to take the credit?"
Yom paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly. "Let's do it first. We can consider the distribution of credit later."
Kruger nodded. He actually wanted the credit, but he vaguely felt that credit wasn't urgent. Whether Yom had escaped death and gained some insights, or was truly possessed by a ancestor, his words today had already demonstrated a portion of his strength. Perhaps, even greater fortune awaited him.
Thinking of this, Kruger glanced at Yom, who was staring into the distance again, and vaguely felt that he really had a... a leader's aura that he had never felt before.
Could this be the opportunity that God has given me? A thought flashed through Kruger's mind, and he couldn't help but have some bigger ideas.
On the other side of the river, Leon finally breathed a sigh of relief. With the bridge broken, he could finally gather his troops, calm himself down, and prepare for the next move.
The other side cooperated exceptionally well with his ideas, braving his dense rain of arrows for several days in a row to repair the bridge. Of course, each attempt ended in failure, but they did not give up. They repeatedly failed, yet they continued this seemingly pointless act. This couldn't help but inspire a sense of respect in Leon.
What's even more ingenious is that the enemy's main camp is stationed along the riverbank, showing no sign of leaving, clearly determined to cross the river and annihilate them. This is actually even better; dragging them out here is ultimately very advantageous for Leon.
For Leon, the only problem now is supplies. Although he suffered a major defeat, he still has nearly 20,000 men under his command. However, their overnight escape means their supplies will not last long. If Ordorf does not intend to replenish his supplies, then even if the bridge cannot be repaired, his defeat will be inevitable.
To his embarrassment, three days had passed, and it seemed they would run out of food by tomorrow. Meanwhile, there was no news from Ordorf, and no food supplies had arrived. Leon was forced to organize his soldiers to hunt and gather in the nearby woods to make do with their daily meals.
On the morning of the fourth day, Leon arrived at the riverbank and watched as another group of soldiers began to line up on the opposite bank, chopping wood, preparing ropes, and packing shields. He knew that the enemy was about to begin another round of bridge repairs. Leon signaled to the messenger to inform the longbowmen to be ready to give the repair crew on the other side a piece of their mind.
As Leon had predicted, around ten o'clock, the soldiers went back to eat, and after they finished eating, the same scene as the previous days would repeat itself.
Leon watched the soldiers disappear off the shore and saw wisps of smoke rising from their camp. Remembering his own hunger, he couldn't help but curse angrily.
After cursing, Leon stared at the enemy's sprawling camp and suddenly paused. He looked back at the sparse smoke rising from his own camp, then at the equally sparse smoke rising from the opposite camp. Leon remained silent, stunned, for a very long time.
The longbowmen passed by Leon and came to their positions. The defensive formations made of sandbags and planks at the bridgehead were lined up in a row, with their bows and arrows stuck in the ground. Then, leaning on their longbows, they began to chat casually with each other.
Today is just another day like yesterday.
But Leon couldn't relax. He had a bad feeling, but he didn't dare to think about it anymore or voice his worries.
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