Chapter 1540 Interlude
The airships that conduct reconnaissance missions all transmit information back through the forum. In addition to a certain degree of immediacy, the biggest benefit of doing so is convenience. Moreover, the need for confidentiality of information is not particularly high. This is something that the devil needs to worry about.
In fact, after the seven airships on the reconnaissance mission set off, the subsequent special airship rescue teams also set off one after another. The passage they took had been confirmed by the first seven airships. At the exit, there was no guard station on the devil's side.
Without a garrison, there is no risk of exposure. This facilitates the mass build-up of airships.
Besides, as long as there are enough supplies, the airship itself has the ability to fly for dozens of days. In other words, the airships participating in the subsequent rescue mission can pass through the cursed Wind Emperor Mountain Range early and assemble in the air on the north side of the mountain.
After waiting to confirm the rescue target, we can set out to rescue the trapped humans as soon as possible. Reduce variables caused by time delays or rush.
Because the airship unit conducts independent operations, the rear base camp does not directly command it, but leaves it to the frontline commander to decide everything. The only requirement is to save people, and then decide whether to detour through the Fengdi Mountains and take a safe route back to the rear depending on the situation.
In fact, such instructions also imply that there will only be one rescue operation. Otherwise, we should take the shortest path, which is to cross the Fengdi Mountains. Evacuate the first group of people to the rear in the shortest possible time, and then conduct the second wave of rescue operations.
But if the first wave of rescue is successful, will the Demon Alliance really let the human airship team go to rescue those trapped? Or will hidden dangers be eliminated in one fell swoop?
Many people have thought about this inference, but no one dares to say it. After all, marching and fighting in winter when roads are blocked by heavy snow are just very difficult, not impossible.
The candidates for the frontline commander of the rescue mission must be selected from among the officers of the Haider Empire. And this person is directly the full commander of the airship force of the Haider Empire this time, a veteran of the empire.
His understanding of how to use the airship army far exceeds that of any general on the defense line of the Wind Emperor Mountain Range. Moreover, except for him, no one can surpass the airship army sent by the Haider Empire to support him under his command.
In the rear, the airship troops of the Haider Empire would only take action if old Duke Kawei nodded his orders. Therefore, rather than appointing another commander on the front line and causing doubts among the bulls, it is better to appoint this one directly.
The veteran general who accepted the appointment did not gather all the airship rescue forces that had sneaked across the Wind Emperor Mountains into one location. Instead, they were organized into four teams, took four relatively easy passages, and gathered in four locations.
These four locations are also where the seven airships sent out for reconnaissance will rendezvous on their return trip.
Although he had considered whether it was possible for the devil to follow the evacuation routes of these seven airships and find the assembled large forces. However, it was determined that the seven airships carrying out reconnaissance missions had avoided combat and prioritized reconnaissance, which meant that their combat capabilities were still intact.
Even if it is impossible to land, it can help accommodate people on the ground who want to be evacuated, and it can also provide escort in the air. You must know that these seven airships will be dispatched because they are all outstanding talents and have superb ship maneuvering skills.
Not to mention whether a commander would allow it, the captains and their crew members of the seven airships would not be willing to waste such combat power. The desire of the soldiers to fight may be the most gratifying and distressing emotion for the upper echelons of the human coalition.
However, the veteran did not force the first seven airships on what to do, but gave a time limit. As long as they meet the main force before the time limit, they will be organized into the rescue team.
The reason for this arrangement was to fear that there would be an unexpected accident, or that the airship would be tracked by a demon.
It takes time to deal with emergencies, and it also takes some time to get rid of pursuers. If there was a real possibility of endangering the large force, these seven captains should have known better than to come to rendezvous and instead lure the pursuers in other directions. The old general thought so.
In fact, the various actions of these high-level officials are not just an inspection. Let's see if these civilian talents who have performed very well in battle are worth attracting or even absorbing.
This kind of behavior is already a small tacit understanding that needs no explanation for those powerful people, and it is something they do all the time.
Even if a certain talent already belongs to someone else, others can win over them with a higher status. This level of inducement is harmless regardless of whether it succeeds in the end.
Ezio, who is the subject of investigation, has no awareness of this.
The fraternity members who came from elementary schools still owe the magician ten years of debt. Even among the first group of people to leave the school, not even half of them have returned yet. Anyone who wants to win over should negotiate with the magician first.
Having said that, there are actually people who paid off their debts in advance and were freed from the magician. Whether you pay it back yourself or your new boss helps you pay it back.
But Ezio just used these as excuses. He never thought about becoming the subordinate or son-in-law of any noble lord. If he really wanted to, the Duke of Kawei family would have offered him an olive branch a long time ago. But he didn't agree either.
At the moment, he is focusing all his energy on the investigation mission. It is true that the Twin Griffins have many advantages, but he is not so proud that he thinks that the airship they operate is truly invincible.
Demons are not a race that can be easily reassured. If you are careless and the ship capsizes, you will have to pay for the entire airship, including your own life. This makes people laugh.
So even if the entire reconnaissance mission was completed from the beginning to the area they were responsible for, everything went very smoothly. It didn't even attract the attention of demons or orcs, or even cause a counterattack. The people on the Twin Griffins still held their hearts together and did not dare to relax for a moment.
Ezio plays the role of tightening everyone's nerves, constantly changing the direction that needs attention, and asking relevant people to report back. A bit nagging, but there was a calm enough voice to guide everyone amidst the tension, which was unexpectedly reassuring.
The most relaxed ones are the Marines who are on standby in the belly cargo bay at the rear. They have no mission on the airship, they just need to secure their bodies firmly to prevent them from being thrown away by sudden tactical movements and injuring themselves.
Minimize contact with the ground as much as possible. This is the tone set before departure. Since there is no guarantee that anyone will be rescued, don't give people too much hope. This is both torture to others and torture to yourself.
Therefore, the members of the Marine Corps suppressed their temper and recuperated their strength. None of them are newbies on the battlefield. Most of the people still followed Ezio. The people who survived the evacuation had long since tempered their character to the point where they were no longer like the young people of their age.
However, just as they were preparing to return to the meeting place after completing their mission, an incident happened.
Although it was the new moon, the snow-white world still reflected the faint starlight, making this moonless night appear extremely bright.
But even without the help of this weak light, under the magical effect of the Arcane Eye, everything that happens on the ground is still under the control of the Twin Griffins.
The people on the airship did not relax their vigilance and responsibilities just because the mission was over. The two people at the radar table were still monitoring the situation on the ground, for fear of making mistakes before. It was in this atmosphere that the two discovered the anomaly on the ground.
One of them said: "General, there seems to be a chase on the ground."
In fact, since they were both from elementary schools and fraternities, the two of them would be closer to Ezio. But in the military, in order to prevent people from different backgrounds from feeling distant, Ezio still asked everyone to use their military titles in formal occasions. That's why I got this reminder.
Ezio directly ordered: "Go to the map table."
The ground situation of concern was quickly displayed on the map table. Since the distance is still very far, the body's reaction is only replaced by light points, so not much information can be seen.
But it can also be observed that the light spots traveling on the ground are divided into two batches, front and back. Less of the former, more of the latter, it does look like a chase.
It is not difficult to confirm the situation, Ezio instructed: "Convert the real-life scene to night low-light mode, and zoom in to confirm."
It is not easy to change the Twin Griffin's arcane eye observation mode, and it will also affect many systems. It has not yet been integrated into an airship operated by fools, so switching between modes is always somewhat inconvenient. So this change needs to be ordered by someone.
Now that someone was in charge, the two people operating the radar table immediately switched the magic effects of the Arcane Eyes without saying a word. The display on the map table became the real scene on the ground, and after the conversion, the brightness of the weak light suddenly increased several times, at least people could distinguish the objects on the ground clearly.
The people chasing and being chased were all wrapped in thick winter clothes, and it was impossible to tell who they were. But it was obvious that the people chasing behind were all armed with weapons, and they were shooting forward without any arrows.
Such sparse arrow attacks do not seem to hurt people, but rather to remind those in front that there are pursuers behind them, so please try your best to escape. However, compared to the playful mentality, the people chasing behind felt a little bit out of their depth.
I don't know how long they have been chasing. Perhaps the throwing weapons were almost used, so he stopped shooting arrows.
However, the outcome of this chase battle can probably be predicted by the onlookers. That is, the people in front will be caught up because their speed is not as fast as the pursuers behind. As long as you don't explode the seeds or deliberately set a trap, it is almost inevitable to fall into the hands of the latter.
Based on the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Ezio quickly made a decision. He asked the captain, who was also standing by the map table, "Baron, how long will it take to go down and pick up the people?"
After looking at the altitude display and speed, the captain of the Twin Griffin from the Kavi family gave the answer: "Well, ten minutes."
"Then I'll leave it to you to command." Ezio quickly ordered, and at the same time said to other operators: "Transmit the ground situation to the rear cabin, and then open the rear cabin door."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ezio prepared to leave the command room. At the same time, he did not forget to give the last order. "Marines, prepare to attack."