Chapter 76 March
Bloody Highlands, the north wind howls.
On the endless plains, the howling wind blew the snow on the ground.
The air is dry, and the snow is as finely ground as flour. From a distance, it looks like a white sandstorm, or like a canvas with scattered white oil paint.
A team of dark men and horses stepped through the wind and snow.
The first horse's hoof sank deep into the snow, startling a crow that seemed to be looking for grass seeds, and let out a piercing scream, adding a little noise to the world where there was only the sound of wind.
“Damn thing.” Eric cursed bitterly, exhaled a white breath, stretched out his hand to pull off the ice on his beard and threw it to the ground.
“What the hell weather!”
Along the way, Eric didn’t know how many times he had scolded him like this, and it is conceivable that this will never be the last time. .
The air was bone-chilling and the wind was as hard as a knife.
Even after applying ointment, the exposed face and eyes still felt uncomfortable, even though Eric was "gifted". It was common to shed tears in the wind, and his face would often be covered with ice beads while walking.
With a focused gaze, Eric found that the crow that had been driven away before was sitting on the head of his horse. It looked smooth and smooth, and seemed to be living a very good life.
This made Eric a little angry. People can't eat well, but this bird that brings bad luck is so energetic!
“Get away!” I patted it casually, but when I missed it, the crow squawked and flew away.
"What a bad luck!" Eric kept these words in his heart.
It has been nine days since we set off, and three days have passed since we officially landed on the Bloody Highlands.
Starting five days ago, in order to hide his strength and better implement the plan to attack the east and attack the west, Eric was ordered to lead the team first, while Raven followed behind with his own soldiers.
For safety reasons, Raven sent the copied map to Eric together with Simon.
But life is like this, you never know which will come first, tomorrow or the accident.
Especially when traveling, especially when you have to lead hundreds of people to act together!
The day after they separated from Raven, they had to spend the night among the horses because a previously surveyed camping spot was filled with heavy snow.
The next morning, two people failed to wake up, and more than 20 people suffered from dizziness and fever.
On that day, they officially landed on the Bloody Highlands.
It was a sunny day.
Although eight of the huge packhorse team fell into the snow pit when they ascended to the Bloody Highlands, Eric was still in a good mood because there were no further casualties.
He sped up the progress and wanted to go a little further. As a result, at noon, more than 20 soldiers suddenly went blind and started shouting.
As a veteran, Eric knew what was going on. In the Iron Legion, this was called the "Dark Dream" because it appeared for no reason and would pass quickly like a dream. .
Baron Raven called it "Snow Blind".
Eric told the soldiers about the possibility of this situation, and also told them how to deal with it-don't panic, loudly ask for help from your companions.
But when all this really happened, more than half of the blind soldiers still fell into panic.
Some people claim that they have encountered a curse, and some people think that it was the horse thieves in the Bloody Highlands who poisoned them -
Although they have never seen the shadow of a ghost, let alone a human being.
In the panic, six or seven people even rushed on horseback.
Fortunately, Eric gave the order in time, and several captains and Simon also responded quickly, but there was still a guy who broke out of the team and fell into the snow valley with both men and horses.
The team will not stop just because one person is missing.
After two hours, the blind soldiers regained their consciousness, but the low morale of the entire army was not relieved.
One bad thing after another.
A strong wind seemed to never stop blowing on the Bloody Highlands.
As far as the eye can see, there is a vast white and gloomy sky and earth.
Many times, even if the war horse is indeed moving, it will give people the illusion that they are standing still.
For two days, even Eric occasionally wondered if they were going in circles.
At this moment, a black spot appeared in his field of vision.
The black spot quickly enlarged, and Simon, riding a semi-war horse that transformed into a monster, broke through the wind and snow and arrived in front of him.
He reined in the reins and saluted: "Sir Eric!"
Eric hurriedly returned the salute: "How is it, did you find anything?"
"The garrison site fifteen kilometers away is still there." Simon wiped off the ice marks on his face: "Although there is some light snow, the wind is not strong enough to get in."
Eric heard this lightly. He breathed out lightly: "...Thank you for your hard work."
After saying that, he turned back and shouted: " Cheer up and speed up! You can rest in another hour!"
After a short pause, the voices continued, but most of the soldiers were still numb, after all, Eric said "One hour" can be long or short, no one knows how long we have to go.
Only a few remain excited and energetic.
Among them was Vesdon.
He breathed and rode up to Eric, smiled at Simon: "Thank you for your hard work!"
Simon nodded with a straight face, and then rode off. At the back of the team, it was clear that they had not forgotten what happened.
Veston did not give up, but licked his face and rode his horse to follow: "Um...Simon, how long do you think it will take for us to find Heleti's lair?"
"It's hard to say." Although he doesn't like Vesdon, Simon still maintains a very high quality: "If it doesn't snow next time, we can probably reach it within six days, but if it snows..."
Weston asked: "What will happen?"
"..." Simon sighed and suppressed the impatience in his heart: "The heavy snow will cover many conspicuous things that can be used as signs. If Forced marching, getting lost, and taking long detours are all normal, and it is possible that the time will be doubled or even more."
"Oh... "Vesdon nodded with some distress: "I know, that..."
His hand reached into his cloak and groped around, and handed a piece of black dried meat to Simon: "It's a lot of work to explore the path. Thank you for your hard work, this... is for you."
Simon looked at Vesdon in surprise, with a suspicious light in his eyes.
When did this second young master change his gender?
"My mother prepared this for me before I set off." Vesdon misunderstood what he meant and quickly explained: "I didn't steal the supplies!"
Simon heard this, hesitated for a moment, and then took the dried meat: "...Thank you."
The team continued to march, and after two hours, they detoured and finally arrived at Simon's place before dark. Said place. This is a cave hidden in a mound. It can be seen that there are traces of artificial excavation. It was probably abandoned because the water source was exhausted.
The entrance of the cave is not big, just enough for two people to enter and exit side by side, and it is located in the leeward position, so there is only a small amount of snow in the cave and it is basically kept dry and tidy.
The soldiers dismounted and poured into the cave, while the war horses and pack horses were tied at the door.
"White, take a blanket and seal the entrance of the cave!"
Goyle ordered after everyone entered the cave.
"Yes!" White, who had just sat down and before taking a breath, immediately stood up and executed the order.
Since being punished by Baron Raven, White has become the "screw" in the team. He can be bossed around by anyone, and he does all the dirty work.
Although White was dissatisfied, he also knew that this was his own fault.
Who told him to be so mean-mouthed at that time?
Sealing the hole with nails and boards, the wind suddenly became much lighter.
But what White didn't notice was that the hole he had just sealed was immediately opened a little by a black beak, and then a dark eye blocked it.
There was a fire pit in the middle of the cave, and a bonfire was raised. Water bags were densely packed next to it. White threw his own water bag on top, then returned to his seat, wrapped in a dirty blanket and sat on the ground. Food was taken out.
The Baron never treats them badly when it comes to food, especially during this march. Everyone has a large piece of black bread and two pieces of bacon for every meal.
But White did not put them into his mouth. Instead, like other soldiers, he began to stare at the bonfire in a daze.
It’s not that they are not hungry, but they need time to wait for the campfire to melt the snow in the water bags.
For White, the most painful thing about this expedition was not walking in the snow, not the cold and dry air, not the hard work of marching.
But after experiencing a day of coldness and fatigue, I couldn't eat a hot meal.
It was nothing at first, but as the days got longer and I woke up every day, I felt that my body was getting stiffer and colder from the inside out.
Looking at the blazing bonfire, a trace of desire flashed in White's eyes. He wanted to lean next to the bonfire now and bake his stiff body.
But he can't do that.
Chief Eric and the three captains also stayed far away from the bonfire. They ate and drank the same as them. Even the most pampered Vestron didn't do anything special. How could White dare?
Outside the bonfire, a circle of bulging water bags gradually softened. After everyone had finished taking them, White took his own one - there was no mark on it, and it didn't really matter who it belonged to.
Tear a bite of the black bread hard, soak it in a mouthful of warm snow water to soften it, put it into your throat, and then use your teeth to tear off a piece of stiff meat and swallow it.
This way of eating can only be described as eating, which is boring, mechanical and boring.
The same food, the same way of eating, tastes the same.
Eric, five extraordinary people and one Vestron formed a small circle and were discussing with each other.
"Tonight, Goyle and Link are on guard duty." Eric looked around at everyone: "Tomorrow it will be Mosingan and me."
"We are getting closer and closer to Hleti's home. Work harder and stop changing shifts. If there is an emergency, someone among us must be in top condition."
Link flipped the water bag back and forth with his hands: "I will be alone tonight. I am the flame of fighting spirit, The cold doesn't hurt me that much. I will arrange for Gao Er and Mosingan tomorrow. You are the commander, so you have to get enough rest."
"I am the second level, and you are only the first level." Ke snorted: "My physical strength is much better than yours."
"Let me do it!" Weisidong volunteered: "I haven't stood guard yet, who can give me a try? I promise to be obedient!”
The air was a little awkward for a moment. At this moment, Simon said: "Link is right, Sir Eric, you are the commander and the only second level. You must be in the best condition to deal with emergencies."
"So, why don't I come to watch the night."
"No!" The other four officers rejected it in unison.
The sound was a bit loud, which immediately attracted the attention of the soldiers.
When the curious eyes dissipated, Eric lowered his voice: "Any one of us can stand guard, but you can't. The entire army is pointing at you to explore the way."
"If something goes wrong and you can't find the camp site in time, your morale will probably collapse."
This sentence makes sense, and Simon can only nod.
"Then let's decide." Eric ordered: "Tonight Link will take Visidong to keep vigil, and tomorrow it will be Gower and Mosingan. If there is no problem, from now on it will be you two groups who will rotate "
Everyone nodded in agreement, especially Vesdon, whose face was full of excitement.
After eating together, everyone dispersed and returned to their respective places. Eric was wrapped in a blanket and leaning against the wall, staring at the firelight in trance.
If he only knew before that no one had ever dared to enter the Bloody Highlands in winter, then now he has a deep understanding of the reason -
cold.
The Baron prepared enough cotton clothes, blankets and tents, provided sufficient nutritious food, and used a quarter of the packhorse team just for fuel.
But this is not enough.
The Bloody Highlands are so desolate that you can’t even see a tree even if you walk for dozens of kilometers, let alone cut down trees for fuel for heating.
This fire pit alone can use nearly 100 kilograms of firewood in one night to keep it burning, which is about the capacity of a pack horse.
It is very luxurious to be able to find a completely windless location like today. Most of the time they will be stationed in the leeward mountain col. A mere fire pit cannot provide much heat at all. No matter how thick the equipment is, it can only It can keep people from freezing to death.
If you want the whole army to have hot meals and ensure warmth in the cold climate, at least ten people need to share a fire pit. Ten fire pits will burn about ten horses a night. The capacity of the packhorse.
One-twentieth of the entire packhorse team’s capacity!
So in order to ensure that the fuel is not exhausted early, wood must be saved.
Even if they can't keep warm, as long as the fire is burning, they can keep these numb soldiers from collapse.
"The Baron's decision is indeed the right one. It must be done quickly without any delay." Eric murmured.
Winter marching is so difficult, it is even more impossible for Heleti to be prepared. This attack can be completely beyond his expectations, and the balance of victory will still favor their side.
“I don’t know where Lord Baron and the others have gone.”
The crow at the entrance of the cave rolled its eyes, suddenly flapped its wings, fluttered and flew into the air, looking at the cold wind like There was nothing, and it swept away to the southwest.
"Karma——"
......
(End of this chapter)