The small hill where the river turns ten miles south of the Valeland is bustling with activity.

A "fierce" offensive and defensive battle was going on on a cliff about six feet high on the west side of the hill. The defending side was composed of six soldiers from Bass's first squad, and the attacking side was a dozen soldiers from the other three squads.

Soldiers, the Bass "city defense army" held long forked wooden sticks and forked the simple climbing ladders that the "siege army" approached time and time again. The soldiers on the "city wall" kept lifting the hard clods of soil.

Throw it down. Although the people below kept blocking with their shields, all the "siege" soldiers had their faces covered with dirt.

More than 20 steps below the "city wall", the soldiers of the sentry team, led by Ron, also used arrows wrapped in rags to throw at the "city wall". The shooting skills of several sentry riders were not good, let alone

Shooting upwards, so nine out of ten shots will be missed...

More than a hundred steps away from the "siege" battlefield, the newly arrived doctor Thomas and the "kitchen steward" Spencer were treating the wounds of several soldiers. Although this "offensive and defensive battle" was just a training exercise, the arrows and clods of soil were

Flying around, sticks and wooden forks flying wildly, there will always be a few unlucky guys beaten by clods of dirt, with bruises on the nose and face, or scratched skin and sprained feet.

Thomas, the doctor, cleaned the wound of the soldier whose head was smashed by a clod of soil in front of him and tied a rag to stop the bleeding. He glanced at the "battlefield" where the "killing" was not far away, and curiously asked about the burning "battlefield".

Spencer the Water: "Hey, Kitchen Steward, what are you doing, sir? Good soldiers must be tortured like this. So many people were injured before they even went to the battlefield. I have never heard of such a training method."

."

Spencer threw the firewood in his hand to the ground, tilted his head and said fiercely to the doctor: "Old guy, I told you not to call me kitchen manager, my name is Spencer!!!"

The white-bearded healer shrugged.

Spencer glanced over there and continued: "Speaking of my lord, he is amazing. It is said that he is a descendant of a declining noble. He has been to the Holy Land, participated in holy wars and witnessed big scenes. His military training methods

Of course, you can't be the same as ordinary people. This is called ~ uh ~ it's called ~ the blood shed during training is the life left in battle ~"

Spencer recalled it carefully: "Yeah! Yes, that's what it means."

The white-bearded doctor chewed what Spencer said, shook his head and continued to bandage the wounded soldiers: "What's the weird truth? Soldiers usually bleed all their blood and go to see God long ago, so they still have a chance to go to the battlefield~~"

Spencer couldn't answer for a moment.

The white-bearded doctor continued: "Say, man, how come you, a strong man, come to the kitchen to cook? The food you cook is not very good either?"

Spencer's self-esteem was trampled on again. He stood up and retorted: "You damn quack, the food I cook doesn't taste good. You have the ability to starve yourself. Besides, I'm not a cook. I have many jobs."

Treasury management, medical soldiers, and soldiers, do you think ordinary people can do them???"

The white-bearded doctor smacked his lips and stared at the sparkling Spencer, "I can do any kind of work, just do odd jobs~"

Spencer's expression became even more sinister. The white-bearded doctor saw his fists clenched and said quickly: "Don't forget what Lord Odo said. You are now my apprentice. If you dare to hit me, I will tell Lord Odo immediately."

Spencer couldn't get angry, so he picked up the bucket and walked to the river, muttering, "The old immortal's mouth really stinks, no wonder he was kicked out here~"

…………

On the "offensive and defensive battlefield", Art stood on the edge of the cliff and pointed his bow at the "siege commander" Odo who was organizing the soldiers to raise their shields to cover and set up the ladder to climb the city. Odo was so busy directing the soldiers to cover the climb to the city that he even forgot about his head

and body were already exposed outside the shield. When a pain came from his chest, he suddenly realized that he had lost the shield. He beat his chest in anger, but according to the prior agreement, he was considered "dead in battle". So a fierce battle

The "offensive and defensive war" came to an end due to the death of the attacking commander...

…………

In the open space under the hill, the soldiers of the patrol team were sitting on the ground in a mess, eating a bowl of broth and gnawing on the rye bread in their hands.

Art's voice sounded amidst the sucking and chewing sounds of the soldiers: "Today is the fifth time we have trained the attack and defense of the castle. As everyone has experienced, no castle can be captured easily. During this period, the attack and defense have been very difficult."

The soldiers have tried various methods, but not many can defeat them by force.

Of course, battering rams and trebuchets can play a greater role in sieges, but a strong castle cannot be collapsed by a few stones or a piece of heavy wood. Not to mention the reasons for these siege weapons themselves, think about it

, can the defenders of the city allow the enemy to use these siege equipment with peace of mind? Today we use clods of earth and light arrows wrapped in cloth, but on the battlefield we just use rolling stones and logs and hot oil from fire pots...

"

"...So there are two effective ways to attack and defend a strong city under normal circumstances: First, for the siege party, it is a siege. The defending party is besieged in the city, and food and materials cannot be continuously supplied for a long time.

Due to lack of supplies and low morale, they naturally could not defend the city. Just like the city of Aosta and Fort Kalk in the Aosta theater, the Lombard army did not forcefully attack the city, but surrounded Aosta and cut off the outside world.

supply of supplies, starving the city defenders to death.

The second is to break into the interior of the castle. Just like our battle to recapture Alsburg, send an elite army to sneak into the fortified city, disrupt the enemy's deployment from the inside, and then respond from inside and outside."

Art picked up the wooden bowl and took a sip of the hot soup to moisten his throat, and continued: "Then similarly, as a city defender, if you want to hold on to the city, you need to do two things. One is to ensure that the city has sufficient food and supplies, and that the soldiers and weapons are sufficient.

With excellent armor, as a city defender, it has a clear advantage when the enemy attacks. But if the enemy besieges the city, it must be ensured that there is more food in the city than the enemy. The enemy is also a human being, and they are usually recruited.

The army is unwilling to stay and fight after its military service expires. If the defender can persist until the enemy's military service expires or the food is exhausted, it will be a victory.

The second is to prevent submarine attacks. When a castle is too strong, the enemy will definitely find ways to sneak into the city and cause chaos, so patrols must be strengthened to deal with unexpected enemy situations..."

The soldiers nodded in understanding, but Tuba, the captain of the fourth team, closed his mouth and put down the tableware in his hand, and asked softly: "Sir, if I am the attacker, how can I make the defenders run out of food? On the other hand, I

How can the defender guarantee that the enemy will be deprived of food?"

Art turned his head and glanced at the newly promoted team leader with approval, and loudly said to everyone: "Tuba is a good question. Both the offensive and defensive sides want to exhaust each other's food supplies, so how can they do it? For both the offensive and defensive sides,

Everyone must learn to build support outside the city, just like the Fort Kalk held by Baron Balian is a support for the city of Aosta;

Similarly, the roadside manor checkpoint outside Kalkburg is a support for the Lombard army. One of the functions of Kalkburg is to disturb the Lombard army's food supply, and the main function of the roadside manor is to cut off Kalkburg.

In addition, cavalry or infantry must be sent to raid the enemy's supply areas, just like the ruined villages we saw when we entered the Aosta war zone..."

……………………

When the valley is bustling with activity, the wooden castle in the valley is also busy.

The army is about to go on an expedition, and the wooden castle is also preparing for the expedition. From military rations, bread and bacon, to robes, cloaks, and military boots, to wooden bowls, spoons, and buckets, all equipment and materials must be prepared.

Fortunately, the patrol team has been fighting non-stop for more than half a year, seizing and buying large quantities of grain, cloth, tools and raw materials from outside to bring back to the wooden castle. In addition, there are two craftsmen, Cooper and Old Bud, as well as wooden forts.

A group of half-year-old children and peasant women were mobilized from the fort. After a month of work, the materials for the army's expedition were basically ready——

Thirty sets of black robes, cloaks and belts, short boots, water bladders and cutlery, thirty sets of modified saddlebags, thirty-five oak bucklers, forty long (short) spears, fifteen broadswords and twenty short swords

Swords, ten long and short battle axes (leaf hammer, chain hammer), fifteen sets of armor (leather armor) and helmets of various colors, as well as one hundred and fifty rye loaves weighing about one pound and one thousand pounds of shelling carried with the army.

Wheat, six military tents, wood saws, shovels and other tools, and a four-wheeled carriage.

The old carpenter's wife picked up a bag made of air-dried rattan, covered with thick linen and a small amount of cowhide, plus two cowhide shoulder straps, similar to a saddle bag, and looked at Emma, ​​who was sewing it stitch by stitch.

Asked: "Emma, ​​isn't this a saddlebag for mules and horses? Can it be carried on a soldier's back?"

This thing called a marching rucksack was designed by Art. When the soldiers marched long distances south some time ago, the personal cooking utensils, bedding, dry food, and scattered materials they carried were casually wrapped in rags and hung on short spears.

Wear it or tie it around your waist, looking like a bandit.

After returning to the wooden castle in the valley, Art personally directed Emma and several skillful peasant women to sew more than thirty simple "marching rucksacks" based on the backpacks of previous lives. This kind of rucksack is actually a backpack hung on a horse.

The saddle bag only has two shoulder straps added, but it uses rattan as the frame, which has a much larger capacity, and several additional sheath ropes are sewn on the rucksack so that soldiers can carry individual soldiers who cannot fit into the rucksack.

Weapons and shields were strapped to the backpack and carried.

However, for soldiers wearing armor and carrying heavy loads, this kind of backpack can only be used to carry a small amount of personal items such as tableware, dry food, millstones, quilts, and of course shields and helmets can also be strapped to the backpack and carried, but other

The baggage must still be handled by dedicated soldiers to avoid affecting the soldiers' operations.

"My man said, don't underestimate this thing. It looks like a saddlebag carried by an animal, but it can indeed hold a lot of things. It is also reliable and easy to carry on the back, and it will not affect the soldiers' marching operations.

You tell me why we have never thought of putting things used by animals on people. Master Art is really a strange man..." Emma tied the thick wire in her hand into a solid knot, picked up a knife and cut off the excess.

thread...

In the carpenter's workshop, Bard is using homemade dye to paint Art's coat of arms on his cloak and wooden shield with the help of several peasant women. The old carpenter's painting skills are not exquisite, but it is still a mark to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy and confirm their identity.

Enough.

In the wooden castle warehouse, the old butler Cooper is also busy. The newly joined down-and-out businessman Salt has already entered the role. Cooper is taking Salt in the warehouse to select products that do not occupy a lot of space and can be sold at high prices in various places in the north.

Cargoes such as raw silk satin, spices, tea, salt and other goods are of course the first choice, followed by wine, linen, olive oil, dried fruits and other goods. According to the plan discussed in advance, the caravan accompanying the army only carried five carts of goods this time, so it brought

All goods shipped are carefully selected.

As the only person in the Valley Citadel who could read and write Common Chinese, Salt enjoyed very high treatment. Not long after he joined, he was appointed as the steward of the Citadel by Art, enjoying the benefits of Lawrence and Scott.

The same salary and benefits. This salary is far less than what Salter gained when he was doing business, but now that he is penniless, he feels lucky to be able to get this high-paying and decent job.

"Old Butler, I have seen our carriages. They are basically wooden carts without iron. If a single horse is used to pull goods over a long distance, it can pull up to 800 pounds of goods at a time. If it is possible to use two horses or two mules to pull goods,

, it can pull fifteen hundred pounds at a time. If it is any heavier, the carriage will not be able to bear it. There are not many horses and livestock in the wooden castle now, so we can only use a single horse and a single mule to pull goods, so we will not bring heavy goods with us for the time being."

While using a sharpened charcoal tip to write on the birch bark, Salter said to the steward who was counting the goods.

The old butler looked at the goods piled up in the warehouse and nodded to Salter: "Sarter, you are a business traveler. You have the final say on these things. I am just helping you count the goods."

Salter raised his head and glanced at the old man who was respected by everyone as the chief steward of the wooden castle. His self-esteem and sense of honor were greatly satisfied. He was not looked down upon in the wooden castle in the valley because of his status as a businessman. On the contrary, it was because he was literate and knowledgeable about goods.
Chapter completed!