Chapter 218: The Swamp
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 218: The Swamp
After a flurry of mixed messages, ranging from "we're launching the campaign tomorrow" to "we're setting off this afternoon" and "the official sweep begins in a month," the British forces were ready to make their move.
First, they reorganized the defenses of their outposts. The troops stationed there, including the "Irish Peacekeeping Forces," were redeployed, replaced by fresh British recruits. The British then divided their consolidated forces into two columns, marching towards the largest non-peacekeeping zone in Ireland.
Despite the interference caused by a barrage of messages, it was challenging to keep a massive military deployment like this a secret. Information from informants within the peacekeeping and semi-peacekeeping zones, as well as the double-dealing "Irish Peacekeeping Forces," was supplemented by the reconnaissance units of the Irish Independent Army. Even the county brigades, district squads, and village guerrilla teams near British-controlled areas had heightened vigilance and were prepared to counter the British sweep at any moment.
In the peripheral regions of the base, which were frequent targets of rapid British punitive expeditions (the British, using their cavalry's high mobility, regularly raided these areas, attempting to gradually erode their defenses), the vigilance and alertness in terms of early warning were taken even more seriously than in other areas.
During the daytime, the men worked in the fields, and the women joined them to help. The guerrilla teams on duty watched the main roads, while the older children took the sheep out to graze, also keeping an eye on the vacant pathways, carrying out guard duties. (British cavalry, led by traitors, had repeatedly infiltrated the base from these minor roads to cause trouble.)
These children had been warned about the possibility of a large-scale British incursion into the base recently, so they were on high alert.
Early in the morning, Alice and a few of her friends took some sheep to a small grassy knoll north of the village. It was a well-located spot where they could also monitor the nearby roads.
A message tree stood on the knoll, visible when looking in the direction of the village.
Of course, the message tree couldn't be knocked down haphazardly because if the villagers saw the message tree fall, everyone would immediately relocate to the swamp shelter, and no farming would be done that day. It would be a false alarm.
So the children had their roles. When only one or two people approached, two older boys, Michael and Thomas, would go forward with spears to interrogate them, while the other children guarded the message tree. If something went wrong, they would immediately topple the message tree and sound the alarm to the village.
If more people arrived and they weren't prearranged allies, they would unhesitatingly topple the message tree and lead the sheep directly to the swamp shelter.
Upon reaching the knoll, they let the sheep graze in the field below while they kept watch. They discussed the taste of the French candy brought by the former district leader. Michael, filled with anticipation, said, "The old district leader told me that when we win, we can eat French candy every day, as much as we want..."
As they spoke, they daydreamed about a sweet future. At that moment, sharp-eyed Alice suddenly noticed something moving rapidly in the distance.
"Look, what's that over there?" Alice called out.
The children stood on tiptoe to look in the direction she pointed. There was definitely something moving quickly toward them.
"It's the enemy's cavalry! Quick, lower the message tree!"
By this time, the guerrilla team had entered the swamp through another passage. They quickly spotted the Peacekeeping Forces, clad in swamp shoes, waddling through the swamp like a flock of ducks.
"Hey, these Peacekeeping Forces have this stuff too?" whispered the team leader Hitchens, speaking in hushed tones to a squad member named Thompson.
The squad member nodded and then left to report to the old village leader, while Hitchens and another member, Wade, made their plans.
"Let's split up, Wade. You go left, and I'll go right. We'll approach them from both sides..."
"We'll encircle them from the left and right," Wade confirmed. "I understand."
"Good! We'll open fire from both sides. Remember, take one shot, then change position. After firing ten shots, we'll rendezvous at location one, and then we'll lead the enemy to location two. Got it?"
"Got it!"
At this point, over two hundred "Peacekeeping Forces" had entered the swamp. Team leader Hyde was being pressured by squad leader O'Kelly to lead the way. The swamp had poor visibility with tall and low water grasses, reeds everywhere. Occasionally, a disturbance in the reed bed would send a couple of wild ducks flying out.
Hyde was cautiously moving through the swamp when suddenly, there was a gunshot from his left. Simultaneously, one of the Peacekeeping Forces next to him let out a miserable cry, falling headlong into the muck.
This sent the other Peacekeeping Forces into chaos, and they turned to look in the direction of the gunshot, where a thick, pale-blue smoke seemed to be rising from the reeds. The sound of the gunshot and the shock made a flock of wild ducks take flight.
"Rebels! Rebels on the left, in the reeds! Open fire in that direction!" Hyde pointed to the reed bed, shouting.
The Peacekeeping Forces quickly turned their guns towards the dense reeds and opened fire, causing reed stems and leaves to scatter in every direction. However, no one noticed if anyone was hit when they fired. In fact, while they were shooting, they hadn't seen anyone there.
After this round of firing, Squad leader O'Kelly scrutinized the scene and realized that two more of their men had fallen on their side.
"I didn't see any of those Independent Army fellows shooting just now; are they pretending to be dead?" O'Kelly thought and planned to go over and give the two play-acting guys a good kick. However, at this moment, a gunshot rang out from behind them.
"Captain, Captain, the rebels are behind us!" Hyde shouted again.
Unlock exclusive early access to The Complete Novel (All the chapters) before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 218: The Swamp
After a flurry of mixed messages, ranging from "we're launching the campaign tomorrow" to "we're setting off this afternoon" and "the official sweep begins in a month," the British forces were ready to make their move.
First, they reorganized the defenses of their outposts. The troops stationed there, including the "Irish Peacekeeping Forces," were redeployed, replaced by fresh British recruits. The British then divided their consolidated forces into two columns, marching towards the largest non-peacekeeping zone in Ireland.
Despite the interference caused by a barrage of messages, it was challenging to keep a massive military deployment like this a secret. Information from informants within the peacekeeping and semi-peacekeeping zones, as well as the double-dealing "Irish Peacekeeping Forces," was supplemented by the reconnaissance units of the Irish Independent Army. Even the county brigades, district squads, and village guerrilla teams near British-controlled areas had heightened vigilance and were prepared to counter the British sweep at any moment.
In the peripheral regions of the base, which were frequent targets of rapid British punitive expeditions (the British, using their cavalry's high mobility, regularly raided these areas, attempting to gradually erode their defenses), the vigilance and alertness in terms of early warning were taken even more seriously than in other areas.
During the daytime, the men worked in the fields, and the women joined them to help. The guerrilla teams on duty watched the main roads, while the older children took the sheep out to graze, also keeping an eye on the vacant pathways, carrying out guard duties. (British cavalry, led by traitors, had repeatedly infiltrated the base from these minor roads to cause trouble.)
These children had been warned about the possibility of a large-scale British incursion into the base recently, so they were on high alert.
Early in the morning, Alice and a few of her friends took some sheep to a small grassy knoll north of the village. It was a well-located spot where they could also monitor the nearby roads.
A message tree stood on the knoll, visible when looking in the direction of the village.
Of course, the message tree couldn't be knocked down haphazardly because if the villagers saw the message tree fall, everyone would immediately relocate to the swamp shelter, and no farming would be done that day. It would be a false alarm.
So the children had their roles. When only one or two people approached, two older boys, Michael and Thomas, would go forward with spears to interrogate them, while the other children guarded the message tree. If something went wrong, they would immediately topple the message tree and sound the alarm to the village.
If more people arrived and they weren't prearranged allies, they would unhesitatingly topple the message tree and lead the sheep directly to the swamp shelter.
Upon reaching the knoll, they let the sheep graze in the field below while they kept watch. They discussed the taste of the French candy brought by the former district leader. Michael, filled with anticipation, said, "The old district leader told me that when we win, we can eat French candy every day, as much as we want..."
As they spoke, they daydreamed about a sweet future. At that moment, sharp-eyed Alice suddenly noticed something moving rapidly in the distance.
"Look, what's that over there?" Alice called out.
The children stood on tiptoe to look in the direction she pointed. There was definitely something moving quickly toward them.
"It's the enemy's cavalry! Quick, lower the message tree!"
By this time, the guerrilla team had entered the swamp through another passage. They quickly spotted the Peacekeeping Forces, clad in swamp shoes, waddling through the swamp like a flock of ducks.
"Hey, these Peacekeeping Forces have this stuff too?" whispered the team leader Hitchens, speaking in hushed tones to a squad member named Thompson.
The squad member nodded and then left to report to the old village leader, while Hitchens and another member, Wade, made their plans.
"Let's split up, Wade. You go left, and I'll go right. We'll approach them from both sides..."
"We'll encircle them from the left and right," Wade confirmed. "I understand."
"Good! We'll open fire from both sides. Remember, take one shot, then change position. After firing ten shots, we'll rendezvous at location one, and then we'll lead the enemy to location two. Got it?"
"Got it!"
At this point, over two hundred "Peacekeeping Forces" had entered the swamp. Team leader Hyde was being pressured by squad leader O'Kelly to lead the way. The swamp had poor visibility with tall and low water grasses, reeds everywhere. Occasionally, a disturbance in the reed bed would send a couple of wild ducks flying out.
Hyde was cautiously moving through the swamp when suddenly, there was a gunshot from his left. Simultaneously, one of the Peacekeeping Forces next to him let out a miserable cry, falling headlong into the muck.
This sent the other Peacekeeping Forces into chaos, and they turned to look in the direction of the gunshot, where a thick, pale-blue smoke seemed to be rising from the reeds. The sound of the gunshot and the shock made a flock of wild ducks take flight.
"Rebels! Rebels on the left, in the reeds! Open fire in that direction!" Hyde pointed to the reed bed, shouting.
The Peacekeeping Forces quickly turned their guns towards the dense reeds and opened fire, causing reed stems and leaves to scatter in every direction. However, no one noticed if anyone was hit when they fired. In fact, while they were shooting, they hadn't seen anyone there.
After this round of firing, Squad leader O'Kelly scrutinized the scene and realized that two more of their men had fallen on their side.
"I didn't see any of those Independent Army fellows shooting just now; are they pretending to be dead?" O'Kelly thought and planned to go over and give the two play-acting guys a good kick. However, at this moment, a gunshot rang out from behind them.
"Captain, Captain, the rebels are behind us!" Hyde shouted again.
Unlock exclusive early access to The Complete Novel (All the chapters) before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
Chapter 218: The SwampAfter a flurry of mixed messages, ranging from "we're launching the campaign tomorrow" to "we're setting off this afternoon" and "the official sweep begins in a month," the British forces were ready to make their move.First, they reorganized the defenses of their outposts. The troops stationed there, including the "Irish Peacekeeping Forces," were redeployed, replaced by fresh British recruits. The British then divided their consolidated forces into two columns, marching towards the largest non-peacekeeping zone in Ireland.Despite the interference caused by a barrage of messages, it was challenging to keep a massive military deployment like this a secret. Information from informants within the peacekeeping and semi-peacekeeping zones, as well as the double-dealing "Irish Peacekeeping Forces," was supplemented by the reconnaissance units of the Irish Independent Army. Even the county brigades, district squads, and village guerrilla teams near British-controlled areas had heightened vigilance and were prepared to counter the British sweep at any moment.In the peripheral regions of the base, which were frequent targets of rapid British punitive expeditions the British, using their cavalry's high mobility, regularly raided these areas, attempting to gradually erode their defenses, the vigilance and alertness in terms of early warning were taken even more seriously than in other areas.During the daytime, the men worked in the fields, and the women joined them to help. The guerrilla teams on duty watched the main roads, while the older children took the sheep out to graze, also keeping an eye on the vacant pathways, carrying out guard duties. British cavalry, led by traitors, had repeatedly infiltrated the base from these minor roads to cause trouble.These children had been warned about the possibility of a large-scale British incursion into the base recently, so they were on high alert.Early in the morning, Alice and a few of her friends took some sheep to a small grassy knoll north of the village. It was a well-located spot where they could also monitor the nearby roads.A message tree stood on the knoll, visible when looking in the direction of the village.Of course, the message tree couldn't be knocked down haphazardly because if the villagers saw the message tree fall, everyone would immediately relocate to the swamp shelter, and no farming would be done that day. It would be a false alarm.So the children had their roles. When only one or two people approached, two older boys, Michael and Thomas, would go forward with spears to interrogate them, while the other children guarded the message tree. If something went wrong, they would immediately topple the message tree and sound the alarm to the village.If more people arrived and they weren't prearranged allies, they would unhesitatingly topple the message tree and lead the sheep directly to the swamp shelter.Upon reaching the knoll, they let the sheep graze in the field below while they kept watch. They discussed the taste of the French candy brought by the former district leader. Michael, filled with anticipation, said, "The old district leader told me that when we win, we can eat French candy every day, as much as we want..."As they spoke, they daydreamed about a sweet future. At that moment, sharp-eyed Alice suddenly noticed something moving rapidly in the distance."Look, what's that over there?" Alice called out.The children stood on tiptoe to look in the direction she pointed. There was definitely something moving quickly toward them."It's the enemy's cavalry! Quick, lower the message tree!"By this time, the guerrilla team had entered the swamp through another passage. They quickly spotted the Peacekeeping Forces, clad in swamp shoes, waddling through the swamp like a flock of ducks."Hey, these Peacekeeping Forces have this stuff too?" whispered the team leader Hitchens, speaking in hushed tones to a squad member named Thompson.The squad member nodded and then left to report to the old village leader, while Hitchens and another member, Wade, made their plans."Let's split up, Wade. You go left, and I'll go right. We'll approach them from both sides...""We'll encircle them from the left and right," Wade confirmed. "I understand.""Good! We'll open fire from both sides. Remember, take one shot, then change position. After firing ten shots, we'll rendezvous at location one, and then we'll lead the enemy to location two. Got it?""Got it!"At this point, over two hundred "Peacekeeping Forces" had entered the swamp. Team leader Hyde was being pressured by squad leader O'Kelly to lead the way. The swamp had poor visibility with tall and low water grasses, reeds everywhere. Occasionally, a disturbance in the reed bed would send a couple of wild ducks flying out.Hyde was cautiously moving through the swamp when suddenly, there was a gunshot from his left. Simultaneously, one of the Peacekeeping Forces next to him let out a miserable cry, falling headlong into the muck.This sent the other Peacekeeping Forces into chaos, and they turned to look in the direction of the gunshot, where a thick, pale-blue smoke seemed to be rising from the reeds. The sound of the gunshot and the shock made a flock of wild ducks take flight."Rebels! Rebels on the left, in the reeds! Open fire in that direction!" Hyde pointed to the reed bed, shouting.The Peacekeeping Forces quickly turned their guns towards the dense reeds and opened fire, causing reed stems and leaves to scatter in every direction. However, no one noticed if anyone was hit when they fired. In fact, while they were shooting, they hadn't seen anyone there.After this round of firing, Squad leader O'Kelly scrutinized the scene and realized that two more of their men had fallen on their side."I didn't see any of those Independent Army fellows shooting just now; are they pretending to be dead?" O'Kelly thought and planned to go over and give the two play-acting guys a good kick. However, at this moment, a gunshot rang out from behind them."Captain, Captain, the rebels are behind us!" Hyde shouted again.Unlock exclusive early access to The Complete Novel All the chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
