From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

"Major Bonaparte, what's going on?" Major Trifali asked quickly when he saw Lawrence and the first wave of attacking soldiers returning to the entrance.

"Took the bait."

Lawrence simply replied, and then ordered to the musketeers:

"Everyone lines up in three rows, squats down in the front row, and shoots when ordered!"

Except for those who were killed in battle or seriously injured and unable to retreat, the soldiers of the fourth battalion have all returned to the entrance.

At the same time, in this path with cliffs on both sides, the neat footsteps of the pursuers and the echoes getting closer and closer can also be heard.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats, the footsteps were getting closer and closer, and the shadows of the halberds in the hands of the Swiss mercenaries could even be seen around the corner.

Just as the mercenaries turned the corner and faced the soldiers of the fourth battalion, Lawrence made a decision immediately:

"First row! Shoot!"

Without giving the other side any time to react, as a puff of smoke rose, one-third of the mercenaries in the first row had fallen, and the rest were not fatally injured because of the protection of their breastplates.

"Damn, this equipment is really good."

Lawrence couldn't help but curled his lips.

In his original expectation, even a musket should have a good hit rate when shooting on such a narrow road. One shot could knock down at least two-thirds of a row of mercenaries.

"The second row fires! The first row and the third row exchange positions for loading, and the third row obeys the order and fires!" Lawrence continued to order.

Taking into account the thick armor of these mercenaries, in order to prevent them from taking advantage of the interval of firepower output to charge the musketeers, Lawrence adopted a three-stage attack tactic to output continuous firepower.

Soon, during three rounds of shooting, the progress of the Swiss mercenaries was greatly hindered, and at least twenty of them fell to the ground due to injuries or death.

After three rounds of shooting, although Lawrence had ordered reloading, there was still a gap before the first firing of the musketeers was completed. The mercenaries would not miss this gap and accelerated their pace towards the fourth battalion. .

"Mount bayonets! Those holding swords are at the front and engage in hand-to-hand combat!" Lawrence pulled out his dagger and pointed at the invading mercenaries and ordered.

In such a narrow space, it is difficult for the halberd soldiers to exert all their advantages, because the cutting function of the halberd is almost non-existent, and if it is used as a spear, its weight is much higher than that of an ordinary spear. Not convenient.

This is why Lawrence specifically allowed the knife-wielding soldiers to engage in hand-to-hand combat at the front. After being approached, the broad-bladed knives in the hands of the soldiers of the fourth battalion were undoubtedly more flexible weapons.

During a bloody battle that lasted for more than ten minutes, the entire narrow passage echoed with the sounds of steel colliding and soldiers wailing and shouting.

By the time the Swiss mercenaries retreated, the path, which was only a few dozen meters long, was already filled with blood.

"Those who can still fight will continue to pursue me, Lieutenant! You can take a few people to stay behind to help the wounded."

Seeing that the mercenaries had begun to retreat, Lawrence hurriedly ordered Lieutenant Seth, and then personally joined the pursuit.

These soldiers have simple bandaging supplies in their backpacks. Although these treatments are in vain for the seriously injured, they can still save some soldiers from the door of death.

The retreating Swiss mercenaries were gathering towards the longhouse they were guarding, with Lawrence and Trifali leading their men in hot pursuit.

After the bloody battle just now, there were only about ten mercenaries left, but more than thirty soldiers of the fourth battalion were seriously injured. This is close to a one-to-one battle loss, and it is still the fourth battalion that has the most serious injuries. The result of terrain, weapons, and numerical superiority.

Outside the longhouse at Sheephorn Bay, Lawrence had already led his men to surround the entire house, and ordered the musketeers to load their ammunition and be ready for another battle at any time.

As for the defenders of Yangjiao Bay, their morale had already been low and they were scattered in all directions. When they saw the soldiers of the fourth battalion coming to pursue them, they suddenly had no intention of resisting. They either threw away their weapons and ran away, or they knelt down and begged for mercy. Lawrence also unceremoniously captured these surrendered soldiers.

Even so, the dozen mercenaries retreating in the longhouse are still a problem. If they resist to the end, it may take another bloody battle to completely defeat them. Thinking about it this way, it would be the best choice if you can persuade him to surrender.

"I am Major Laurence Bonaparte, commander of the 4th Battalion of the Corsican Defense Forces. You have no possibility of escaping. If you surrender voluntarily, I promise to save your lives."

Lawrence shouted into the longhouse.

It was not until five or six minutes passed that the window of the longhouse was opened, and then a halberd tied with white cloth was stretched out, indicating that they accepted surrender.

Lawrence also breathed a sigh of relief. It was the best result to avoid unnecessary casualties.

Then, the door of the house was opened from the inside. The mercenaries had thrown their halberds aside and walked out with their bare hands surrounded by a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was wearing a shirt, he was a little fat, and his belly was bigger than the restraints of his belt. Although he had surrendered to Lawrence, his eyes were looking at Lawrence unabashedly, as if he had the aura of a superior.

Before Lawrence could speak, he took the lead and said:

"Major Bonaparte, I hope you will keep your promise. My family and my country will be happy to pay a large ransom for my life."

His voice was calm and did not change at all due to the current situation.

Lawrence smiled and nodded, turned to Major Trifali and ordered:

"Major, take someone to tie up all the prisoners of war, and then go to their warehouse to see what goodies they have. Oh, this house also needs to be searched thoroughly."

Lawrence said, pointing to the longhouse in front of him, and then said to the middle-aged man:

"As for you, let's talk. I like to talk while walking."

The man nodded silently and followed Lawrence's departure.

"Then you should introduce yourself," Lawrence said.

The man looked at the road ahead and said in a deep voice:

"Tiro Belland, General of the Republic of Genoa."

Tilo Belland? ! Lawrence thought he had heard this name somewhere, and after thinking for a while, he remembered it.

So Lawrence couldn't help but looked at General Belrain with some surprise and said:

"I have heard this name, the supreme commander of the Genoese Army in Corsica. I thought you had been staying at the Fortress of Ximu."

"I'm just here to inspect Sheephorn Bay." General Belrain replied calmly:

"How did the Corsican army get this news? In order to avoid being noticed, I only took the Swiss guards with me on this trip."

"I said it was the blessing of the goddess of luck, would you believe it?" Lawrence shook his head and smiled. He did not expect that this big man who temporarily lived in Sheephorn Bay would be the supreme commander of the entire Genoese Army.

General Belrain glanced at Lawrence and said:

"But I do admire your courage. As early as dawn, the defenders of Ximu Fortress will come to pursue you. You can't run back to Bastia with these prisoners and wounded."

After hearing this, Lawrence chuckled twice, then stared into General Belrain's eyes and said softly:

"I thought so too, but after meeting the general, I no longer thought so."

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