Turning the Tables (2)

Several black dogs, each carrying a wooden stick they'd found somewhere, slowly made their way into the swamp, probing forward with the sticks. Afraid of sinking into the mud, they would first forcefully shove the sticks into the puddles until they felt firm enough to continue. Each time they pushed the stick in and pulled it out, it took a lot of effort and time. As a result, after half a day, they hadn't even gone ten meters.

"You bastard!" the Britain officer roared. He jumped off his horse, drew his revolver, and walked to the water's edge. The "Security Army" officer, bowing and scraping with a fawning smile, followed him eagerly.

"Sir, sir, what are your orders?"

The Britain officer, with a volley of gunfire, shouted, "Tell your men to stop dawdling and get ahead! Otherwise, I'll have them opened fire!"

"Yes, yes, yes, I understand, I understand." The officer of the "Security Army" nodded and bowed repeatedly. Then he turned around and shouted at the few black dogs who were still cautiously scouting ahead, "The officer said you're too slow! Move forward quickly! If you keep dawdling like this, I'll have someone shoot..."

The black dogs in front were still dawdling.

"Damn it!" the British Army officer cursed, turning around to order his soldiers to prepare to fire.

Upon seeing this, the officer from the "Security Army" quickly shouted, "Stop dawdling! Sir, he's about to shoot! Let me tell you, he's a ruthless killer, a heartless wolf in sheep's clothing, he..."

Before the words were even finished, the "Security Army" soldiers immediately threw down their sticks and ran forward...

"These rabbits..." The "Security Army" officer shook his head, turned around, bowed and nodded to the British Army officer, giving him a thumbs up. "Sir, you've got the solution!"

"You Ireland are all worthless! You won't budge until you're whipped!" the British Army officer said with disdain.

"Yes, yes, yes, you're right, sir! Those Ireland are all worthless; they won't learn to work unless they're given a good beating!" The "Security Army" officer nodded in agreement.

"Damn it," the British Army officer said, "You say 'they're Ireland,' so aren't you Ireland?"

"Look at what you're saying, how could I be Ireland? Sir, you see, my body is indeed Ireland, but my heart is loyal to the United Kingdom..."

The British Army officer said, "Captain Jarvis, I really didn't expect this..."

Just then, a long, agonizing scream came from ahead, "Ah... Help! Help! Please, help me out, please help me out..."

Everyone looked over there and saw—no, a black dog—half its body was submerged in the mud, the water already up to its chest.

The black dogs nearby scrambled to the side, but one of them tripped and then cried out, "For the sake of the United Kingdom, lend a hand to your brother!"

However, the "United Kingdom" argument was clearly unconvincing. Besides, pulling someone stuck in the mud is no easy feat. Even if only one foot is knee-deep, let alone the entire person submerged, it takes considerable effort to pull them out. Furthermore, those black dogs in the "Security Army"—don't be fooled by their constant "brotherhood"—it's all just talk. At this point, who cares about "brotherhood"?

So the remaining men turned and ran back. But this time, the Britain officer was displeased.

"Don't run back! Go back, go back! Otherwise, I, I represent the United Kingdom, and I'll kill you all!" Captain Jarvis drew his pistol and fired a shot into the air.

Hearing the gunshot, the black dogs stopped in their tracks. One of them cried out, "Captain, please spare us! Keep going, people are going to die..."

"Damn it!" Captain Jarvis roared. "The commander said, people die in war! If you don't go and die, do you expect me to? If you don't go, won't the commander execute me? Before the commander executes me, I'll kill you first."

At this point, Captain Jarvis snatched a rifle from a nearby "Security Army" soldier and fired another shot at the soldiers who had half-runned back. The shot splashed water near one of the soldiers' feet.

So the soldiers turned around and prepared to go inside.

"Call them back," the Britain officer suddenly said. "It's indeed dangerous in here; it's not worth sending our soldiers to risk their lives for a few villagers."

"Yes, yes, yes..." Captain Jarvis quickly nodded and bowed, "The commander is so kind! The commander is such a good person!"

Then Captain Jarvis turned around and shouted to the black dogs still standing in the mud, "Come on up, come on up and thank the commander for his great kindness. If it weren't for the commander's benevolence..."

The black dogs quickly climbed ashore, covered in mud, and then Captain Jarvis led them to thank the British Army officers.

Several black dogs covered in mud stood in front, emitting a stench that filled the air. Before they could speak, the British Army officer took a step back and said, "Get out of the way!"

"Thank you, sir. Now get out of here!" Captain Jarvis said quickly.

Just then, the cries of the two black dogs stuck in the swamp came again. "Captain, Captain... help us out! For... your sake, help us out!"

"Captain Jarvis," the British Army officer said, "What do you suggest we do?"

"Sir, these two are unlucky. They're trapped and can't be saved. How about we give them a quick death and then leave?"

"Nonsense, how could we not save them? Get a rope, tie it around their bodies, and then have a horse pull on it. I refuse to believe we can't get them out."

"Sir, you're so kind! Let's do it this way!" Captain Jarvis said, then turned to his men and said, "Go and get two ropes."

"Captain, pulling like that will kill him," the subordinate whispered a warning.

"You think I don't know?" Captain Jarvis replied in a low voice, "We're all going to die anyway. It's rare for the boss to be in such a good mood, so let's make him happy... understand?"

"Understood. As long as the officer is happy, who cares if they die..."

And so... the bodies of those two unfortunate fellows were finally dragged out.

Meanwhile, the Irish First Division of the Irish Independence Army was using a swampy passage to quietly break out of the British Army encirclement. Then, except for a small detachment left to keep watch, the entire division was advancing rapidly toward the vicinity of Dublin.

The Irish First Division's objective was certainly not to capture Dublin. Even if the British Army rear was vulnerable, this vulnerability was relative. Dublin was far beyond the reach of the Irish First Division's mere thousand men. The Irish First Division's objective was the series of supply depots surrounding Dublin.

These outposts were Britain strongholds in the rural areas surrounding Dublin, and key locations for storing and transferring supplies to support the British Army during this sweep. Destroying these targets would prevent the Britain army from holding their positions for long.

The Duke of Norfolk believed these supplies should be quite safe in the outposts, as all indications suggested the rebels lacked the ability to breach fortifications. Of course, the troop strength in the outposts had decreased significantly, but on the other hand, the rebels were also under attack from a large army. These outposts were located in relatively safe rear areas and didn't require much protection.

General Joyce's first target was the Yellow Poplar Ridge Depot, a crucial node supporting British Army logistics. Destroying it would reduce the logistical efficiency of the entire British Army "punitive force" by at least one-third.

Given the importance of this juncture, it was natural that the defenses would be more stringent. However, according to intelligence gathered through reconnaissance, the Britain were clearly unaware that they would become a target of attack, and much of their defensive preparation was merely superficial.

In the past, this outpost was garrisoned by a full five hundred British Army, equipped with six cannons, and fortified with trenches and high walls, making it indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack. But now, a large contingent of the British Army has been transferred to "suppress" the base, leaving the garrison here with less than one hundred British Army, plus more than two hundred "Security Army," greatly weakening the defensive strength.

Because it undertakes a heavy task of transporting supplies, a large number of Ireland laborers, who have been forcibly conscripted, have to come and go here every day. It can be said that there are so many loopholes here that it's almost embarrassing to call them loopholes.

Joyce sent a group of scouts dressed in high-quality replicas of the British Army uniforms provided by the France, posing as British Army arriving to collect supplies. At the entrance to the supply depot, they had one man in a captain's uniform stall a Britain lieutenant for a chat, while another man in a lieutenant's uniform slapped a black man who was about to examine their identification several times. The black man was spun around like a top, then had to get up, his face bearing two clear handprints, and repeatedly bow and apologize to his "commander." And so they entered the supply depot without any trouble.

What followed was remarkably simple. When the main force of the Irish First Division approached, both the Britain and the Irish thought it was their own troops—they had no idea they would encounter such a large contingent of "Ireland rebels" in this place. In addition, a group of "rebels" had already infiltrated the supply depot, and these rebels were currently arguing with the British Army commander stationed there—a captain—about the "orders given to them by their superiors."

As the main force of the Irish First Division continued to approach, someone noticed something was amiss and asked a question. The quick-witted Britain was then shot dead. Inside the supply depot, with that first shot, the garrison commander was riddled with bullets by his "colleague," with whom he had been arguing. Simultaneously, scouts began firing at the enemy and throwing Little Melon. Caught off guard, a large number of Britain fell.

With this coordinated attack from within and without, the supply depot fell into the hands of the First Division of the Independence Army in just about ten minutes.