Chapter 73 The First Alone Expedition (5K)
"Sir, based on the information provided to us by the city hall and the investigations conducted by my subordinates these days, we are directly south of us, from the foot of Shipup Mountain to Lando Pier. There are almost four jackal lairs in the distance." In
the meeting room of the manor, Nicholas stood in front of the table and was giving a report to Romo.
Lomo sat on a chair and listened silently. In front of him hung a map of the Volo River Valley. On the south bank of the Volo River corresponding to Sardine Villa, from Stone Puppet Mountain in the east to Lando Pier in the west, the specific locations of four jackal lairs are marked in sequence.
In addition to Nicholas, brothers Vincent, José and Louis were also standing nearby.
Now the knights have reached more than thirty people, and Qiao Si has also become the captain of the knights. Vincent was appointed deputy leader.
As a member of the Knights, Nicholas still served as the leader of the militia.
The entire Knights were divided into two brigades. The captains are Mark Riffey and Coleridge Heller, who have just been promoted to second-level knights.
Mark is the original serf of the manor and has followed the housekeeper Barron since he was a child; Coleridge is a refugee who escaped at the beginning of the year. They all participated in the Battle of Shaker Town. Although their qualifications are not as good as those of Vincent and others, they are also very reliable old bankers.
Since the two of them were promoted to the second level of knights and appointed as knight captains, Luomo called them to attend the war meeting.
As newcomers attending the meeting for the first time, the two of them stood behind Vincent, looking a little reserved.
"Which of these four jackal forces will attack first? Nicholas, what do you think?"
Luo Mo stared at the Kanyu map and asked.
Although Nicholas' promotion to the second-level knight was not as fast as that of Qiao Si and Vincent, he had shown very good adaptability and command ability in previous battles.
Based on this characteristic, Lomo consciously guided him in the direction of the combat staff.
Therefore, as soon as the combat meeting began, Lomo arranged for Nicholas to chair and speak.
Nicholas was obviously well prepared for this. He pursed his lips and said: "I think we should attack the second jackal lair from Shipuppet Mountain first." As he said,
he put his finger on the map and said: "Go west from Shipuppet Mountain. , we named these four nests No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4. Nest No. 1 is backed by Shipup Mountain, with complex terrain and rugged mountain roads. Once the pursuit goes too deep and goes deep into Shipup Mountain, A tug-of-war and a positional war will form. If you advance or retreat too much, you may be attacked by Lair No. 2;" "
Layer No. 3 is closer to the south end and is also the strongest lair. In addition, the road is far away. If you attack them first, , there is no guarantee of victory; as for Lair No. 4, although they are not strong, they are close to Lando's Pier. As we all know, Baron Lando is not willing to deal with us, and we don't know if they have colluded with Lair No. 3 and rashly attacked No. 3. The lair is far away from the army, and unexpected situations are likely to occur."
Seeing that Luo Mo was listening carefully, Nicholas suddenly became more confident and said in a deep voice: "Therefore, attacking lair three is the best choice. . Not only can it attack as quickly as possible, but if the attack fails, it can calmly retreat to the north bank and then formulate the next attack plan. Moreover, after capturing it, it can also establish a station near Lair No. 2 as a springboard to do something. Eat away the land of Nest No. 1 bit by bit. By then, even if they retreat to the mountain, we can still wait for work at the foot of the mountain. Over time, we can always annihilate them all. Unless they jump over the Stone Puppet Mountain and completely leave Woluo from the southeast side River Valley."
"If these two gnoll lairs are annihilated, we can turn west and deal with lairs No. 3 and 4. At the same time, the entire southeastern region will be our territory." After finishing speaking
, After all this, Nicholas saw that Luo Mo was still deep in thought, swallowed his saliva and said, "Sir, do you think what I said is right?"
Luo Mo was noncommittal, turned to Qiao Si and asked, "What do you think?"
Qiao Si Feeling that Nicholas was really verbose, he waved his hand and said loudly: "Sir, we now have two apprentice magic knights, five second-level knights, and the bonus of potions. In my opinion, these four lairs should not be ours It’s better to start from No. 1 and sweep past the opponents one by one. This is both efficient and convenient for Butler Barron to follow and clear up wasteland.” “How did
you analyze that they are not opponents?” Luo Mo asked.
"Well," Qiao Si scratched his head and said, "The bounty for the leaders of their four lairs is only higher than that of the leader of the No. 3 Blood Hammer Jackal we met back then. Judging from the strength of that Blood Hammer back then. , I think they have nothing to be afraid of."
Luo Mo smiled slightly, turned to Vincent and asked: "What do you think?"
Vincent tilted his head and thought for a long time, first looked at Qiao Si, then looked at Nicholas, and pondered for a long time. , finally said: "I think what Nicholas said may make sense. We are attacking on the road, and we are definitely not as familiar with the terrain as they are. In the first battle, we must strive for victory. We must wedge the first nail into the south bank. , can we gain a firm foothold and then consider the next attack."
Luo Mo looked at the two Louis brothers again and said: "What do you think?"
The two Louis brothers looked at each other and smiled at Luo Mo together: "Sir, the two of us Now since I became an apprentice magic knight, I always feel that I can crush everything. It may not be accurate to analyze the war situation with my current mentality. In a word, we all listen to you, sir. We will fight whoever you ask us to fight! "
What about you two?" Romo asked the two newcomers Mark Riffey and Coleridge Heller again.
These two people didn't expect that Luo Mo would ask him questions. Their mouths were half-opened, and they couldn't say a word.
Luo Mo waved his hands to the two people, telling them not to be nervous, and looked at the Kanyu map again. In fact, he also felt that it would be safer to attack the No. 2 lair first.
Obviously, Nicholas gave the soundest advice. The most rare thing is that he can also consider factors other than Baron Lando and his own inability to deal with this situation. It is enough to show that he is a thoughtful and comprehensive person.
This is a rare talent. The only drawback is that the knight's promotion is too slow due to his poor physique.
He pondered for a moment, looked at everyone, and issued an order in a loud voice: "According to Nicholas's idea, you will formulate a plan. I will not participate personally this time, and everything will be handled by you. After the plan is formulated, Nicholas will be commanded by the militia. , Qiao Si leads the knights. The overall command of the battle is given to Qiao Si. My request is to knock down the No. 2 lair and kill all the jackals inside." "Yes, sir!" Everyone immediately straightened their bodies
. , said loudly.
In the next few days, collective mobilization began in the manor. This time it was a surprise battle, so preparations were quick.
On the second day after formulating the battle plan, Qiao Si had already arranged to take the invisibility potion and shuttle back and forth across the Volo River for non-stop reconnaissance.
Everyone has been training hard in the manor for several months, and they are full of excitement and passion. They have long wanted to show off their training results.
Now that Luo Mo has given them this opportunity, all of them are eager to try.
Moreover, they all know that Luo Mo's reward for winning the battle is very generous.
Now there are several daily necessities shops opened in the manor. The rewards obtained from these battles can be taken to the shops to buy some beautiful clothes and jewelry for my wife and children, as well as delicious candies and bacon.
Barron and Pope were responsible for preparing munitions and ships for them. They were very excited when they saw that such a magnificent team was about to go on the expedition.
Last year, Barron was still worried about the Jackal's attack. Who would have thought that this year they would be able to take the initiative to attack the Jackal's lair.
Three days later, the Cavaliers' advance team set off on time. Led by brothers Vincent and Louis, there were also five knights.
They would take advantage of the darkness to cross the river in a small boat in advance, and then start a battle with the gnolls first, attracting the gnolls' attention and buying time for subsequent troops to cross the river.
Lomo personally sent them to the Woro River and watched their boat cross the Woro River and disappear into the jungle on the other side.
The next day, Qiao Si and Nicholas also took their respective teams and set off by boat.
According to the plan, brothers Vincent and Lewis should have already started to contain the Jackals. In order to provide timely support, Qiao Si and Nicholas acted very efficiently and quickly.
Wait until everyone has boarded the boat to cross the river. Lomo also prepared his own weapons in the castle. He summoned Barron over and said softly: "I'm going to leave with Calcifer for a few days. You have to claim that I am studying enchantment and alchemy in the castle." "Where is the
master going?" Barron asked with some confusion.
However, as soon as he asked this question, he suddenly realized something and said quickly: "I understand, Master." "
Yes." Romo nodded, took Cassif's hand next to him, and motioned for her to follow him.
After drinking the inferior invisibility potion and water walking potion together, the two quietly left the manor.
Although the rights were handed over to Qiao Si and Nicholas, this was their first time to go on an expedition alone, so accidents and mistakes would inevitably occur.
So Romo decided to follow them quietly with Calcifer. in order to observe their respective performances.
Although this kind of supervision is a bit inappropriate, it is very necessary for Luomo. He can use this to figure out many things. Not only his personal tactical qualities, but also his personal character can be clearly seen in this battle.
With Romo's speed, although he started at the rear, he quickly caught up with the team of Qiao Si and Nicholas.
After catching up with the team, he began to slow down and followed silently.
The troops marched non-stop and soon entered a dense forest from the silt on the south bank.
This piece of land used to have a human territory, and the owner of the territory was named Harvey. But as early as three years ago, Harvey Manor was wiped out by the Jackals. At that time, Lord Harvey watched his one-year-old daughter being picked around by the gnolls with knives, and then he chose to attack the gnolls desperately, and was eventually killed by the gnolls.
When the troops passed by the former Harvey Manor, they looked sideways and saw that the castle had almost become a white field, with only a few broken walls remaining.
"My wife used to be a serf in Harvey Manor." Nicholas said with some emotion: "Her parents were killed by jackals three years ago. When she escaped from Harvey Manor to our manor, she wore linen pants that were in tatters. Her farts can't even cover her thighs. Who would have thought that today, three years later, she would be able to wear cotton clothes and a mink fur coat."
Qiao Si sneered from the side: "This is why you chose to attack the No. 2 jackal lair first. The reason? After saying so much to the lord, it’s not just that you want to avenge your wife.”
Nicholas was stunned for a moment, stared into Qiao Si’s eyes, and asked: “Are you angry that you didn’t attack first as you suggested? Lair No. 1?"
"Hmph." Qiao Si snorted coldly, acquiescing.
Nicholas said solemnly: "When I made the battle plan, it was never for selfish reasons. Besides, even the lord agreed with my plan, why are you complaining?" Qiao Si became a little angry and said: "I am the
knight The leader of the regiment, the commander-in-chief of the army. Why should you make the plan?"
"You are the commander-in-chief? Where do you put the lord?" Nicholas said coldly.
"Don't dig a hole for me with such words! I am competing with you, not with the lord!" Qiao Si's face changed and he emphasized: "I am definitely more loyal to the lord than you are." "
Then , even the lord agreed to the plan, why are you unhappy? Just because you didn't follow your request?" Nicholas said, staring at Qiao Si.
Qiao Si looked a little panicked at this moment and immediately said: "Because I am stronger than you! You, a person who was promoted to the second level so long after me, why should you let me listen to your plan." Nicholas saw that Qiao Si had been struggling with this
, He retorted: "If whoever is stronger has the final say, then we should all listen to the two Louis brothers. It's not your turn yet." When
Qiao Si heard this, he was not discouraged, but shook his head with confidence. Clenching his fist, he said: "I will definitely be promoted to a Dharma Knight! By then, these two brothers will also be stepped on by me."
Nicholas shook his head slightly and sighed: "Qiao Si, although you are more talented than Vincent and I. Okay, but you are too focused on your own development. Let me advise you, you should consider the whole knights and fight the battle in front of you." Qiao Si said with some disapproval: "What's wrong with focusing on your own development?
You See, isn't the Lord trying his best to improve himself?"
Nicholas snorted coldly and said disdainfully: "Do you really think you are qualified to compete with the Lord?"
Regarding this sentence, Qiao Si suddenly felt irrefutable. , immediately fell silent.
As they were walking, they suddenly saw the bodies of two jackals appearing in front of them.
The two people's expressions darkened, and they immediately raised one hand to signal the team behind them to slow down.
The group of people drew their weapons, bows and arrows and began to advance cautiously.
After traveling some distance, Qiao Si and Nicholas found a knight covered in blood leaning under a tree. It was the former army scout they sent there.
The knight's face was covered with blood, and he was clutching his chest tightly. When he saw his own people coming, he immediately grinned.
"Bennett Dean, what's the situation ahead?" Nicholas immediately leaned down and asked.
"Captain, two brothers, Vincent and Louis, lured the leader and two deputies of the Jackals to the south. A dozen more Jackals also followed, and now the lair is empty." The whole name was Bennett
. Dean's knight said with all his strength.
Nicholas immediately stood up and shouted: "Two militiamen, come and take care of him. Others, run forward with me!" "Captain, there's no need!" The
knight waved his hand, spat out a mouthful of blood, and said with a smile: "I can't survive! But I have killed a few jackals, which is enough! After I go back, please ask the old butler Barron to take care of my wife and son. However, even if you don't tell me, I know that the lord will Be considerate of my family."
Nicholas saw blood coming out of his chest, soaking the grass under him, and it was obvious that he could not survive.
He held the knight's hand tightly and said: "Brother, don't worry. I will definitely help you carry the message."
As he said, he waved his hand and waved the team to continue moving forward.
Soon Bennett was the only one left in the jungle.
He saw that there was too much blood coming out of his chest, so he simply stopped covering it. He rummaged through his pockets with both hands and took out the pipe shakily.
Seeing that the pipe was stained and soaked with blood, Bennett immediately seemed a little annoyed and depressed. If I had known, I would have just asked Nicholas for a pipe.
Damn it, you didn’t even have to smoke before you died?
Due to excessive blood loss, Bennett felt weak all over. When his consciousness was slowly blurring, he suddenly noticed signs of being squashed in the grass in front of him.
He immediately thought that someone had taken an invisibility potion and was standing in front of him.
"Who is it!" The knight raised the dagger with his right hand and prepared for the final battle.
I saw a figure gradually revealed, it was a pretty woman wearing a cloak and a mask covering her face.
"Are you the mute woman next to the lord?" Bennett looked at Calcifer, his eyes widened suddenly, and new hope arose in his heart.
(End of chapter)