vstars Chapter 642 Guerrilla Fighting
Chapter 642 Guerrilla Fighting
Winter winds swept across the Rona Territory. The howling wind swept over the mountain ridges, swirling up the snow on the ground and forming white snow mists. The castle stood in the vast snowfield, its roof and corners covered with thick snow.
The inner fort is well-preserved, with thick and sturdy walls. With a little repair, a passable road was cleared out.
The Band of the Hawk spent the entire autumn repairing the castle, stuffing hay into the cracks in the walls and boarding up broken window frames and doorways to completely keep out the harsh winter outside.
Inside the castle's meeting hall, the iron stove was burning brightly, with firewood blazing intensely inside, and sparks occasionally flying up and landing in the ashes at the bottom of the stove.
Griffith stood to one side of the map, his gaze focused intently on it, while the captains of the Band of the Hawk and the leaders of the various settlements sat around the table.
The room was silent except for the crackling of the firewood burning in the iron stove and the occasional soft tapping of snowflakes against the window.
All eyes were on the map or on Griffith, awaiting his analysis and decision.
"Yuda has a large and powerful army, and currently three armies surround the mountain area, but they are not under each other's command."
Griffiths' voice broke the silence, his pace steady and his tone resolute.
He extended his finger, first placing it on the location marked where Rona led his army:
"The army of Rona is the largest and best equipped, but it is stationed at the mouth of a valley in the southern part of the mountain, which is the farthest from us."
His fingertip moved to the mark of Thorne's army:
"This army is stationed on the northwestern plains, which is the closest and has the most concentrated forces, but it still has a size of over a thousand men."
Finally, his fingertip stopped at the location of Anda's army:
"The Yoda army in Anda territory has the smallest number of soldiers, only five hundred, and they are stationed in the open area on the northeastern edge, so we can launch a probing attack on them first."
Jiedu frowned slightly and said:
"But they have formed an encirclement. If we attack one of them, the other two will likely come to our aid, and we will be attacked from both sides."
"will not."
Griffiths traced blank spaces between the three armies on the map with his fingertips.
“In winter, the mountains are covered with deep snow, making the roads difficult to travel. There are no fixed communication channels between the three armies, and information is transmitted very slowly. They are not under each other’s command and will not easily risk their lives to reinforce other armies.”
"Moreover, our goal is not to eliminate one of them, but to wipe out all three armies."
As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the conference hall.
"Eliminate them all?"
A settlement chief looked up abruptly, his voice filled with disbelief.
"The three teams combined have more than twice our strength."
Gorcas shook his head after hearing this.
"That's simply impossible."
The crowd echoed their agreement, believing that it would be a stroke of luck to eliminate even one of the armies, and that fighting against three armies at once would be tantamount to suicide.
"We don't have many opportunities left."
Griffiths's gaze swept over the crowd, his voice remaining steady.
"Winter is long, and supplies will only dwindle. If we don't take the initiative now, they will annihilate us without lifting a finger once we run out of food."
One of the leaders looked worried:
"Isn't this too risky? If we fail, we won't even have a way out."
"What if the other two detect our attack on one of them beforehand?"
Another leader raised a question.
"The possibility is extremely low."
Griffiths explained.
"We'll choose to operate at night, and we need to be quick, aiming to finish each battle before dawn. The heavy snow will conceal our movements and hinder their communication. By the time they receive the message, we'll have already moved and are preparing for the next attack."
He looked at the captains of the Band of the Hawk:
"The Eagle Corps is responsible for the frontal breakthrough, focusing on the camp gate and the central command tent. We must act quickly and decisively, without giving the enemy any time to react."
They then turned to the leaders of the settlements.
"When we attack the camp in Anda territory, the militia should coordinate to scout the camps in the areas of Rona and Thorne. At the same time, the militia detachments participating in the attack on Anda territory should flank from both sides to cut off their retreat and prevent anyone from escaping to report the news."
"After each battle, immediately clear the battlefield, take away all usable supplies, and quickly withdraw, leaving no clues for the enemy to follow."
Following Griffith's line of reasoning, the seemingly hopeless encirclement was transformed into a series of individual targets that could be overcome. The three Yoda armies, which appeared to be a threat, became their most fatal weakness.
Taking the initiative is risky, but compared to waiting to die, it is undoubtedly the only chance of survival.
"Let's proceed according to this plan."
One of the leaders was the first to express his opinion.
“Griffith’s judgment has always been accurate, so we’ll follow suit.”
The other captains and leaders nodded in agreement, and the heavy atmosphere in the meeting hall dissipated considerably, replaced by a resolute fighting spirit.
Griffith looked at everyone and nodded slightly: "Prepare tonight, depart at midnight. Attack the Anda territory camp, and be sure to win in one strike."
As night deepened, the mountainous area was shrouded in heavy darkness.
The cold wind was fiercer than during the day, howling as it swept through the bare treetops.
On the northern edge of the mountains, the Yoda army camp of Anda territory lay quietly in the snow, with tents scattered along the terrain and torches burning all around, the flickering flames casting shimmering shadows on the snow.
Inside the camp, several Yoda soldiers stood on their sentry posts, their necks hunched over. Thick winter clothes wrapped around their bodies, but they still couldn't keep out the biting cold wind.
They kept stamping their feet, cupping their hands to their mouths and breathing out air, their eyes fixed on the dark mountains in the distance, their eyes full of impatience and complaints.
"Damn weather."
A soldier gritted his teeth and cursed, his voice broken by the wind.
"Having to stand guard in the middle of the night, who came up with this terrible idea?"
"Who knows."
The soldier next to him spoke, his voice tinged with exhaustion.
"The higher-ups said they were worried about a sneak attack from the people in the mountains, but with their meager strength, they'd be hard-pressed to even protect themselves if they were trapped inside, let alone dare to come out?"
"That's right."
Another soldier chimed in.
"This godforsaken place is cold and remote, and supplies are inadequate. I really don't know how long I'll have to stay here."
"Stop complaining, just hang in there until you get a new job."
Someone whispered, but couldn't help glancing toward the warm tent.
The cold wind whipped up snowflakes that stung their faces like needles. The soldiers hunched their shoulders, their eyes darting back and forth between the dark mountains and the camp, their attention gradually fading.
Meanwhile, Jiedu was leading a reconnaissance team of several dozen people, lying in ambush in the snow outside the camp.
They were wearing captured Yoda armor, with helmets covering most of their faces, leaving only their eyes and mouths exposed, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake in the darkness.
Each person held a crossbow in their hand, the strings already fully drawn, their eyes fixed on the target on the watchtower.
Jiedu made a gesture, signaling everyone to get ready.
The reconnaissance team members immediately held their breath, leaned forward slightly, and put their fingers on the triggers of the crossbows.
"Three, two, one."
Jiedu silently counted in his mind, then suddenly waved his hand.
Two crossbow bolts were fired simultaneously, whistling through the air, and flew precisely toward the two soldiers on the watchtower.
Before the two soldiers could react, they were shot in the neck by crossbow bolts and fell inside the watchtower.
Seeing this, Jiedu waved again, and several reconnaissance team members immediately carried the ladders that had been prepared beforehand and rushed to the wooden wall to set them up. Then, two team members stepped on the ladders and nimbly climbed up the wooden wall, which was more than two meters high.
They landed lightly and without making a sound. After Jiedu got up, he led his team toward the gate. Once there, he drew his short sword instantly and lunged at the two guards at the base of the wooden wall.
The two guards were still chatting idly, completely unaware of the impending danger.
Only when the cold blade sliced through their throats did they stare in horror, unable to utter a sound, their bodies collapsing limply onto the snow.
After taking down the guards at the wooden wall, the team members quickly opened the latches on the camp gate.
The camp gates were fully opened, and Jetto whistled towards the outside of the camp.
A moment later, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the darkness in the distance.
The cavalry of the Band of the Hawk, carrying torches and riding fine horses, surged toward the camp like a tidal wave.
The horses' hooves pounded through the snow, making a loud, clattering sound that was especially clear in the still night.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
It wasn't until the cavalry approached and the tents were illuminated by torches that the other Yoda soldiers on the watchtowers finally reacted, frantically shouting at the tents below.
The Yoda soldiers inside the tent were awakened, hurriedly dressed, grabbed their weapons, and rushed out of the tent.
Chaos erupted in the camp, with shouts, footsteps, and the clash of weapons all mixed together.
Many soldiers had just rushed out of their tents when they were knocked to the ground by the charging cavalry. Their sharp swords sliced through them, and they were instantly killed.
Inside the central command tent, the commander of Anda territory had just been awakened from his sleep. He rushed out of the tent, his clothes disheveled, and his face turned deathly pale when he saw the cavalry rushing in and the sabers being brandished.
"Come here, everyone! Gather together and fight back!"
The commander roared, trying to organize the soldiers to counterattack, but the camp was already in chaos, with the soldiers fighting on their own and unable to form an effective defense.
The cavalry of the Band of the Hawk were well-trained and coordinated; wherever their hooves trod, Yoda's soldiers fell to the ground.
"Quickly! Take two cavalry squads to the camps in Thorne Territory and Rona Territory respectively to request reinforcements!"
Upon seeing this, the commander grabbed two of his personal guards and roared, his voice trembling with tension.
"Tell them we've been attacked and that they should send troops immediately!"
Upon hearing this, the two guards immediately gathered the few remaining cavalrymen around them, led out horses from the stables at the back of the camp, mounted their horses, and galloped off in different directions.