Retreat (3)

Although the Britain Army was very disciplined in its retreats and had extensive knowledge of them, especially when it had allies or auxiliary troops.

However, as troops gradually withdrew, the battle lines became increasingly difficult to maintain, and at this critical moment, the most crucial situation arose.

At this point, it was no longer possible to gradually shrink the defensive zone or withdraw troops bit by bit; any small withdrawal could very likely lead to a precipitous deterioration of the defensive line. Therefore, what the Britain needed to do now was no longer a small-scale retreat, but a total retreat. In a very short time, as quickly as possible, they needed to load as many people onto ships and leave before the enemy could react.

Achieving this goal requires extremely high port throughput capacity and troop organization capabilities. However, Dublin has some natural advantages.

Firstly, Dublin was Ireland's largest and most important port, with relatively good port facilities for its time, capable of accommodating a large number of ships at the same time. In addition, due to its relative isolation, the sea conditions in the Irish Sea were also better, allowing ships to carry more people.

Furthermore, after the war entered a stalemate, the Duke of Norfolk further expanded the Dublin Port, adding many more docks. The stated reason was naturally to facilitate troop reinforcements, but it's possible that the small docks built for the purpose of rapid troop reinforcements at that time were also intended for a rapid withdrawal of troops.

In this way, the first condition for a rapid withdrawal has been met; the remaining task is to organize the withdrawal quickly.

These past few days, the Duke of Norfolk has been busy meeting with the commanders of the "Security Army," speaking to them, encouraging them, and awarding them medals.

After Napoleon established his own system of medals, the Britain followed suit and created their own, one that was far more detailed than Napoleon's. Among the medals used by the military were the following.

First is the Royal Cross Medal, which is generally awarded only to members of the royal family and high-ranking officers serving in the military. A lower rank is the so-called "Distinguished Bravery Medal," which, judging from the name, should be awarded to those who demonstrate exceptional bravery on the front lines. However, in reality, this medal is primarily awarded to officers of the field rank. Privates and junior officers on the front lines have virtually no chance of receiving it.

A lower rank is the Military Merit Medal, awarded to soldiers and junior officers for bravery in combat. These medals are generally only awarded to the regular British Army; miscellaneous units like the "Security Army" would never even consider them.

The next level down is the so-called "shoulder insignia," which is a bronze oak leaf adorning the shoulder. In the British Army, this is a relatively common medal. However, in the "Security Army," it is generally only awarded to the most ardent traitors.

Overall, the British Army's medal system at this time was relatively complete, but it was marked by the petty-mindedness of the era: high-ranking medals were given to high-ranking officials, and low-ranking medals to low-ranking officials. Unlike a certain country in later times, where the highest-ranking medals were all given to the lowest-ranking, front-line soldiers.

This time, the Duke of Norfolk spent a considerable amount of money, awarding a large number of Military Merit Medal to the captains of the "Security Army," and some of the more outstanding ones, such as Captain Jarvis, even received a "Distinguished Bravery Medal," which made some of the genuine British Army quite dissatisfied.

"Where do you award medals to military dogs, especially high-ranking ones like the 'Distinguished Bravery Medal'?" said Tony Olgin, the Duke's valet.

"Ah, Tony, it's just a few brands. What's the big deal?" The Duke of Norfolk shook his head dismissively.

"But Duke, issuing these things requires the approval of Parliament and the King. If we were always winning, it wouldn't matter if we applied for so many medals all at once. But now... they will definitely have something to say."

The Duke smiled slightly and said, "Ah, Tony, you are so young and adorable. Who told you I had to apply to Parliament and the King? Is it really necessary to go through all that trouble?"

At this time, the large-scale awarding of medals, frankly speaking, could easily lead one to wonder if this was a death sentence. However, during the meeting, the Duke of Norfolk very seriously conveyed the evacuation plan to them, including the time and order of boarding. Of course, the Duke also required them to maintain strict secrecy and pointed out that if any of their troops made any changes, their evacuation order would be adjusted to the last.

Basically, those "die-hard traitors" all got a decent evacuation order. For example, Captain Jarvis got a very good spot; the genuine Britain soldiers behind him would be the first to evacuate tomorrow morning. After the soldiers evacuated, it would soon be Jarvis's turn. At that time, with the rallying cry as the signal, Captain Jarvis could lead his men to the dock to evacuate. There was a ship at the dock specifically reserved for Jarvis and his men. Once they were on the ship, they would be safe.

"Captain Jarvis, the retreat must be kept strictly confidential. We suspect there are rebel spies within your troops. Therefore, the retreat operation cannot be announced until the assembly call is heard. Before that, it must not be revealed to anyone," the Duke of Norfolk said earnestly.

Jarvis knew that there might not be any of his men still in contact with the "rebels"—after all, there were battle lines and barbed wire separating them. But there were certainly many who wanted to make contact with the "rebels"—he could tell from the way they looked at him these past few days.

They said over there that spying on important intelligence, just like stealing his head, would be considered a major achievement. If his men found out, who knows how many would try to claim a "major achievement"? If it weren't for the blood on his hands, Jarvis himself would have wanted to claim one.

"Your Excellency, I will certainly keep this a secret," Jarvis said, snapping to attention.

"If your soldiers see the other troops behind them retreating, how do you explain that?" the Duke of Norfolk asked again.

"Your Excellency, I told them they are retreating to the next line of defense."

In fact, there was another line of defense behind them. So most of the "Security Army" soldiers believed that they would first retreat to the last line of defense, resist for a while, and then retreat in general. But in reality, the most important function of the so-called last line of defense was to create this misunderstanding in them.

"Very good, Captain Jarvis, excellent!" said the Duke of Norfolk. "I hope to see you serving the United Kingdom again when we arrive in England."

"It is our greatest honor to fight for the United Kingdom," said Captain Jarvis.

Captain Jarvis, wearing a silver "Distinguished Bravery Medal," returned triumphantly to his defensive position. It was mealtime, and the Independence Army soldiers also needed to eat; this was a rare quiet moment during the siege.

During this time, Captain Jarvis ate his meal and carefully packed his personal belongings. He knew that no matter how things were arranged, chaos could easily erupt during the evacuation. Moreover, he didn't intend to stay on duty until the very end. If things got chaotic, who knew what might happen? If something went wrong and he couldn't get on the ship, it would all be over.

Captain Jarvis was in his room. He checked both revolvers, loaded them with bullets, and then cautiously looked out the window. There was no one there.

Captain Jarvis walked to the window, opened it, and peered outside. There was no one there. He pulled back in, closed the window, drew the curtains, and then opened a locked cabinet. Inside the cabinet was a safe. Captain Jarvis opened the safe and took out a long leather belt and a stack of gold coins.

Over the years, Captain Jarvis has made a considerable fortune through various means, including collecting protection money, reselling important supplies, participating in smuggling and anti- Jarvis operations, and even re-smuggling confiscated goods. He's never been particularly trusting of paper money, even Britain currency, so he converted some of his profits into gold coins and used the remainder to buy real estate and houses in Britain during his vacations. Considering his current situation, it's undeniable that Captain Jarvis has a knack for investing. However Jarvis's not entirely satisfied with his own success; he feels he would have been better off buying a house in France.

Jarvis picked up the belt; it was a special belt that was actually a long pocket that could hold small items.

Jarvis then carefully stuffed the gold coins into his belt, one by one, and then folded several pieces of paper—land deeds—into long strips and stuffed them in as well. He then removed his belt and put on this new one, gently patting it with his hand. The gold coins and other items were securely fastened inside without making a sound.

Jarvis stroked his belt with satisfaction; all his wealth was in there. Long before the siege, he had sent his wife to Britain. The higher-ups were very pleased, seeing it as a sign of loyalty to the United Kingdom. But to Jarvis, it meant nothing. He didn't really trust anyone, including that woman who was neither his wife nor his lover, so his money, his truly important possessions, weren't there; they were all here.

Because the belt was loaded with quite a few gold coins, it was a bit heavy. This heavy feeling, however, made him feel particularly at ease. He then put on his two loaded revolvers and went out to inspect the position.

Before they knew it, night had fallen. It was a full moon night, and the light was excellent, so Jarvis needed to arrange the defenses for the night.

He told his "Security Army" soldiers that tonight they would abandon their current positions and retreat to the last line of defense.

"The Britain next to and behind us retreated one after another. After they reached new strongpoints and secured the key strongpoints, around dawn, we were able to withdraw."

The previous retreats were basically the same, so most of the soldiers didn't suspect anything. Even those who were suspicious only wondered if the Britain would betray them when the last line of defense couldn't hold. What they didn't realize was that this so-called last line of defense wasn't meant to deal with the Irish Independence Army, but was a deception.

Around midnight, rustling sounds came from the flank and rear of Jarvis's "Security Army" position, indicating that the British Army were beginning to retreat. Jarvis then instructed his deputy to keep an eye on his men, and excused himself to contact the retreating Britain to arrange for the handover.

This was a common occurrence, so the deputy didn't suspect anything. He went to the back and, sure enough, saw the British Army retreating in an orderly fashion. Jarvis followed them towards the docks. However, he was stopped by the military police at the dock area. The military police told him that they, the "Security Army," could only retreat after the assembly call was sounded.

So Jarvis could only wait there, watching one group of Britain board the ship after another, watching one large and small boat after another dock and then leave the dock, and then another boat docked and another boat left the dock.

At the docks, wave after wave of the British Army arrived, then quickly boarded ships and left. The endless stream of the British Army seemed to continue until the four Knights of the Apocalypse sounded their horns, announcing the end of the world.

"Ah, Captain Jarvis, you're here early." A voice rang out.

Captain Jarvis turned his head and saw several people walking towards him. Jarvis looked closely and recognized them all; they were all certified "die-hard traitors" by the Independence Army, just like him. Although Jarvis felt that some of them didn't deserve to be called "die-hard traitors."

"What are you doing here?" Jarvis asked.

"Tch, why are you here? Why are we here?" retorted a die-hard traitor who also disliked Jarvis.

"Alright, that's enough, everyone stop making a scene," another die-hard traitor said.

"The military police will be boarding soon, and then it will be our turn," another man said. "But look, how many boats are left on the dock? There are clearly not enough boats to take all of us. If we don't come now, we might not get on any boats at all."

This person's words were exactly what everyone wanted to hear, so everyone fell silent.

Just then, a caravan of four-wheeled carriages arrived at the dock. It turned out to be the Duke of Norfolk, accompanied by a group of servants and his pet dog, preparing to board the ship.

As soon as the Duke of Norfolk stepped out of his carriage, he saw these "die-hard bastards." He gestured to the others and then led a few guards toward them.

"Governor, you've arrived too?" Jarvis immediately stood at attention.

"Yes, I have to go too. But Captain Jarvis, you must believe us, we will definitely be back!"

"Yes, Your Excellency, we will definitely return," Jarvis replied.

"Hmm, Captain Jarvis, your troops shouldn't be at the time to retreat yet." The Duke of Norfolk pulled out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and his voice became stern. "And you all, it's not time yet either. You should all return to your posts."

The military police nearby then gathered around.

"Your Excellency, you misunderstand. We're just here to assess the situation and ensure a smooth retreat later," Captain Jarvis quickly said.

"So you've finished your inspection? Shouldn't you be heading back now? Get back to your posts immediately," the Duke of Norfolk said sternly.

"We'll go back right away," Jarvis said quickly.

Then the group of "die-hard traitors" exchanged glances, saluted the Duke of Norfolk together, and then turned and ran away.

But they didn't actually go back to their troops; they simply turned a corner and stopped behind a house.

"Shall we go back?" someone asked.

"Go back my ass," Jarvis said. "Look how many boats we have left. There's no way we can fit all these people. If we take them on board, we might not even be able to get on ourselves! Nobody is allowed to go back!"

As he spoke, Jarvis pulled a revolver from his waist.

"Yes, no one is allowed to go back. We'll wait here for the assembly call." The others echoed this sentiment.

At this time, a faint light began to appear in the eastern sky, and the morning star had already appeared in the eastern sky. There were not many British Army left on the dock. The Governor of Norfolk and his large group had boarded a large ship, and then the ship left the dock. Now there were very few ships left on the dock. The military police also began to board the ships.

"The military police are all on the ship, but why hasn't the damn bugle call sounded yet!" a die-hard traitor said anxiously.

"Oh dear, all the military police have left! Oh dear, all the ships are getting ready to leave, are they not going to wait for us?"

"The bugler must have run away and forgotten to blow the horn!" Captain Jarvis said. "Oh dear, the last boat is also pulling in its mooring lines, let's hurry over there!"

At this point, there was only one ship left on the dock; the other ships were all heading out to sea, and there were no other ships waiting outside the harbor.

Several die-hard traitors ran towards the dock, by which time no military police were stopping them. They panted as they ran toward the last ship that was still untying its mooring ropes.

"Wait, wait for us!" they shouted as they ran.

But the boat didn't seem to stop and wait for them. Just as they were about to reach it, the boat had already pulled up its mooring lines and started to leave the dock.