Finally, three days later, during a half-hour midday break, he received a message from General Vannes after settling all his soldiers in. General Vannes ordered them to proceed immediately to the vanguard for a brief meeting.
Meetings like this during a march were hardly uncommon in the army. Marshal Lothar often held them too. But this was unusual for General Vannes, who had always been autocratic and domineering. In the past, he had received direct instructions and orders from General Vannes, not notices. Yet this time, the general had actually summoned them all. Something must have happened.
He had no time to dwell on it. Upon receiving the notice, he immediately hurried to the vanguard camp. General Vannes's command tent was furnished quite simply, not merely because of the limited time, but also because the general did not care about such things at all. Looking around, he found a large table without even a stool, so he simply stood.
Within minutes, almost all the mid- and high-ranking officers had arrived. Nearly all of them were Vannes's subordinates and knew something of his temperament, so they were accustomed to the sparse furnishings and readily stood beside the table.
A little while later, heavy footsteps sounded at the entrance, accompanied by the clatter of metal. General Vannes had arrived.
General Vannes still wore the same suit of armor, yet even after such a long, grueling march, he looked as fresh as ever. His mustache, in particular, had not changed in the slightest.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting. I was just arranging for the scouts under my command to gather information nearby. I hope the news is not what I imagine it to be."
General Vannes's words puzzled everyone. What news could command so much of his attention? Although Vannes had yet