Chapter 439： Route choice

Marin's approach quickly resolved Woolf Esbrand's worries. After receiving the reply, Woolf Esbrand decisively selected eight thousand elite and prepared to go south with Saqqara.

At the same time, he will leave two thousand veterans to stay in the Principality of Schleswig. However, in order to prevent the two thousand people who ran away from the enemy to counterattack, Saqqara decided to recruit 6000 civilians in the private sector again to assist the two thousand veterans left behind to defend the city.

The specific arrangement is-leaving 500 veterans and 3,000 civilians to assist in the defense of the city of Schleswig, the capital of the Principality of Schleswig. In Ribe City, 500 veterans and 1500 civilians were left to assist in defense. Several other important towns have also deployed some veterans to lead the strong defense.

Woolf Esbrand does n’t want every city in the Principality of Schleswig to be able to hold it. As long as several strategic points, such as Schleswig and Ribe, are not lost and the Danes can be held back, it is considered successful. And he and Saqqara, together with 18,000 troops went south, assisting the main force of Marin, and fighting to defeat the Bossa coalition.

It's just that on the marching route, they have some difficulties. Because, Marin asked them-not only to complete the task of entering Lübeck, but also try to keep the Bossa coalition from finding their tracks.

Because, if these 18,000 people are facing the 50,000 Bossa coalition, they will certainly not have any good fruit. After all, the Bossa Allied Forces are not only large in number, but also old, weak and sick, and they are all elite. Especially the 20,000 Swiss mercenaries who did not lose to Marin's men in spear fighting, even more powerful.

Therefore, these 18,000 people not only have to go south for reinforcements, but also have to avoid the sight of the Bossa coalition forces. It is best to be able to quietly go around the rear of the Bossa Allied Forces and suddenly launch a surprise attack ...

Looking at the map, Woolf Esbrand and Sakala both scratched their heads. According to the normal way, go south from the Principality of Schleswig, pass the eastern half of the Principality of Holstein under the control of Lübeck, and then go directly to the city of Lübeck ...

This route is the shortest and the most normal route. But Woolf Esbrand felt that this path was the most impossible. Why? Because the commander of the Bossa Allied Forces is not a fool, he will definitely arrange a lot of scouts on this road. As long as you find the traces of the army, don't hurry to report?

After all, one of the leaders of the Bossa Allied Forces, but the "Zhuge Trelie" III known as "German Little Zhuge" ...

If the other party is not guarding against reinforcements from the north, it will not be Frederick III. It was hard to imagine trying to go this way and then complete the sneak attack.

Therefore, Woolf Esbrand, who is better at planning, directly denied this route. However, the eight thousand people who are currently staying in the border areas of the Principality of Schleswig and Holstein as deception can make good use of it.

For example, let them march toward Lübeck with great fanfare, to attract the attention of the Saxon Scout cavalry, to cover up the real army ... This move is called "sounding east and west" ... At the beginning, Woolf Esbrandt After Germany surrendered to Marin, he had learned the tactics of Marlin for a while and knew this tactic. Therefore, the eight thousand people who were originally used to deceive the Danes may wish to use their residual heat again, and before the dissolution, deceive the Bossa Allied Forces ...

As long as the Bossa coalition found this militia used for deception, that's fine. It's a big deal for these eight thousand people to surrender without a fight. When they win, these people will definitely return to their own hands. Moreover, the gift of 8,000 prisoners to the other party also consumes the other party ’s food and wastes part of the army to take care of it ...

After the other party found out that it was a fake reinforcement, the real force had already detoured to the rear of the Bossa coalition. Then, launch a night raid ...

Speaking of night raids, Sakara ’s experience should not be too rich. When Marin taught the tactics of his officers, there were many tactics for night raids. For example, Saqqara learned to surround the enemy by fragmentation, which is an important principle.

In short, no matter how good the enemy's defense is, as long as the camp is broken, there must be a period of confusion for the other party. Taking advantage of this period of time, quickly interspersed the siege to isolate the enemy's large camp, so that the enemy forces could not concentrate their forces, then the night raid was stabilized.

In the face of unarmed troops, night raids can easily make the other party blow up battalions without having to do anything. Even if you encounter a defense force, as long as you are divided and surrounded in time, the other party will not be able to turn the waves. Anyway, the first mover will always prevail. Unless, the number of troops attacked at night is far less than the enemy. Otherwise, the attacked party will always be at a disadvantage. Unless, the opponent can be sure that the enemy will attack at night, and lay traps, while allowing the soldiers to sleep all night, waiting for the enemy to throw a net.

However, this situation is very rare in Europe. Because there is no such strategist ...

After all, warfare in ancient Europe was used to confronting each other, and most of the knights had their own brains. Being able to know how to guard against night raids is considered a resourceful general. As for using the other party's night raids, instead of pitting one another, it is rare in China, not to mention the ancient Europeans with fewer brain circuits.

Why does Marin value Woolf Esbrand? For this person, he even went to lobby in person. It is because this person, Woolf Esbrand, is a rare European tactic that uses flooding to defeat a tenfold enemy. When Marin taught the "Thirty-Six Strategies" to Woolf Esbrand, Woolf Esbrand was shining through his eyes ...

Saqqara was just a young man. Although he learned a lot of military knowledge from Marin, he still didn't have the cleverness of Woolf Esbrand. After all, Woolf Esbrand is a middle-aged man, thinking more about Pisa Kara ...

...

After denying the route directly south, Woolf Esbrand and Saqqara began to choose a new route. If you want to go behind the Bossa Allied Forces, go east from the Principality of Holstein and take the Principality of Mecklenburg to go directly behind the Bossa Allied Forces. After all, the big camp of the Bossa Allied Forces is mainly southeast of Lübeck. Because the river channel in the southeast of Lübeck is the narrowest. Moreover, the Bossa Allied Forces are currently intimidating the local people to fill the river, in order to facilitate the Bossa Allied Forces to attack the city.

But this way, Woolf Esbrand also denied ...

Why? Because the Principality of Mecklenburg was influenced too much by the electorate of Brandenburg. Even the principality of Mecklenburg may not really be in one heart with the electorate of Brandenburg. However, due to the strong pressure of the Brandenburg Electorate, there must be nobles who secretly surrendered to the Brandenburg Electorate within the Principality of Mecklenburg. At that time, when the army passed the Principality of Mecklenburg, if nobles who secretly surrendered to the electorate of Brandenburg secretly reported to the Bossa Allied Forces, they would be defeated ...

So, this road will not work ...

So, the rest is the detour from the west ...

But the problem is that when detouring from the west, the army needs to cross the wide Elbe River, which requires a lot of ferries. Moreover, the army could not leave the Hamburg-controlled area. Because, inside Hamburg, there must be spies from the Bossa coalition. Once found whereabouts, it will not work.

Therefore, if you take the western route, you need to first transport large military ships to the west bank of the Elbe. Then, a little south of Hamburg, where the bosses of the coalition forces had not noticed, they started to cross the river and march towards the direction of the coalition forces of the coalition ...

However, at present, Woolf Esbrand and Sakala only have twenty or thirty ships in hand, and can only transport two or three thousand people at a time. The 18,000 army is estimated to have to be shipped many times, which is a waste of time ...

Woolf Esbrand was looking at the map and thinking, and Saqqara said-the ship was not enough ...

After a long time, Woolf Esbrand suddenly said:

"Who said the boat is not enough?"

Saqqara was a little stunned, but said:

"I only have twenty or thirty troop carriers in my hand, of course it is not enough! Could you go to Emden to transfer ships to troop troop? In that case, you must first obtain the order of Lord Duke, and then send someone to Em It ’s a waste of time to embark and transfer ships ... ”

"No, we don't need to transfer ships from home!" Woolf Esbrand said firmly.

"Where did you get the boat?"

"You forgot? Hamburg, our ally! They are the Hanseatic cities with hundreds of merchant ships. Now when the fighting is tense, let's go to Hamburg to borrow a hundred ships to transport troops. It shouldn't be a problem ... … "

"But ... would you go to Hamburg to borrow a boat, would you be detected by the other party's spy?"

"No, we quietly contacted the Hamburg parliament to keep them secret when they dispatched the ships. The sailors and captains driving the ships did not know the mission when they went to sea. What can the spy find out?"

"Moreover, I studied the map and found that in the Principality of Saxony-Lauenburg south of Hamburg, there is an 'Elbe-Lübeck' canal. If our troops take the boat directly, follow this 'Elbe-Lüe' The Baker 'Canal goes directly to Lübeck, so it's even more convenient ... "

"The Principality of Saxony-Fort Laurn? Master Woolf, aren't you kidding? That's Saxony ... isn't it with the Elector of Saxony?"

"No, you are wrong! Although the Principality of Saxony-Fort Laurn also has the word" Saxony "in its name, it has little to do with the electorate of Saxony. It is the Wetting family that ruled the electorate of Saxony and the Principality of Saxony, The ruler of the Principality of Saxony-Lauenburg is the Askani dynasty, not a family. "

"In the past, the rulers of the Principality of Saxony-Wittenburg, now the princes of Saxony and the Principality of Saxony, were also of the Askani dynasty. They and the Askani family of the Principality of Saxony-Lauenburg One family, which was later divided into two countries. Only, by 1422, the part of Saxony-Wittenburg was inherited by the people of the Wetting family. Since then, the Principality of Saxony-Lauenburg and Saxony-Wittenburg are not a family In fact, even if it is a family, the two countries have been separated for more than two hundred years, and the sentiment has long faded. What ’s more, the two countries now belong to two families? "

"And, as far as I know, the relationship between the Principality of Saxony-Lauenburg and the Saxony aristocracy is not very good, but it is closely related to Lübeck and Hamburg. Because, 'Elbe-Lübeck, which belongs to the Principality of Saxony-Lauenburg The Canal ', the biggest customer, is the merchants of Lübeck and Hamburg. The toll collection through this canal is one of the most important financial revenues of the Principality of Saxony-Fort Laurn. Baker and Hamburg are closer, and they are not close to the two Saxony countries that also have the name of Saxony. "

After all, Woolf Esbrand is very old and has a lot of knowledge, which has given Sakara a good knowledge of history.

Saqqara frowned and said after thinking about it:

"That is to say, this Principality of Saxony-Lauenburg is a friend of Lübeck and Hamburg. Should our army pass through their territory?"

"It should be, and we don't have to get the consent of the Principality of Saxony-Lauenburg. We drove the fleet with 18,000 troops directly into the Principality of Saxony-Lauenburg. It doesn't matter if the other party doesn't agree. That ’s right. Anyway, they ca n’t stop it. When the time comes, I will send the squadron of scouts ashore to intercept the eastward horsemen. ”

"What kind of scout squad? Can you ensure the successful interception?"

"I was assigned to me by Lord Sauer. There are 50 people in total, all of whom are light cavalrymen riding Arabian horses. Moreover, everyone wears three clockwork muskets, specially designed to kill the messengers on horseback. Those people Immediately using the clockwork musket shooting technique is superb, the horse riding is also excellent, fast, good endurance, used to intercept the enemy messengers and scouts, it is really suitable! Our second legion, There are only 50 such elite scouts in total. "

"Hiss—" Sakala took a breath, then said jealously:

"Why doesn't my English legion have such elite? With such elite troops, how convenient is it to intercept enemy messengers! It is also convenient for the army to sneak attack!"

"Come on, how long has your English legion been formed? There is no official designation, where can such elite scouts be equipped? It is said that the Duke's headquarters, there are 200 such interception elite scouts. After all, they are flying Shooting and killing enemy messengers on the horse ’s horse also requires very good skills, and most people do not learn it. Therefore, the number of reconnaissance cavalry dedicated to killing enemy messengers has been very small. The main reason is that immediately The shooting skills are too difficult. Most people are not sure about the speeding horseback. They may not be able to intercept the enemy ’s messenger ... Because the number is too small, I worry that the 50 people who take the normal route in the middle will not be able to intercept the spies. I chose the west route. After all, the other party must have placed a lot of secret agents near the middle road ... and if you take the west route, the other party has fewer spies and the interception is easier ... "

"Okay ~ www.novelhall.com ~ You are so lucky. So, how can we ensure that when we pass the river near Hamburg, we will not be discovered by the enemy's criminals? You know, there must be other criminals in Hamburg."

"This is simple. Our fleet chose to pass in the middle of the night when it passed the Elbe River near Hamburg. At the same time, let the Hamburg Parliament declare a curfew and not let people go out at night." Woolf Esbrand After thinking about it, I said.

"It's a good idea. Once the curfew is imposed, the other party's spy will not be able to check out the news in the middle of the night. If he dares to come out, he will be arrested!"

"Of course!"

"However, the plan to borrow a boat from Hamburg and then take the Elbe and the" Elbe-Lübeck "canal has to be approved by the Duke. And to borrow a boat from Hamburg and suggest a curfew for Hamburg, it is best to coordinate with the Duke. , You and me, but not so big ... "

"That's true, I will write a report here!"

"Okay, after writing, I also signed ..."

...