As the sun sets, the afterglow of the setting sun reflects the deserted Standerton. As the war is about to break out, all the coal mines in Standerton have been stopped, and all the merchants, workers and residents have evacuated. The originally bustling and lively street displays are particularly deserted, and the officers and soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms and live ammunition.

It was dinner time, but Yi Zhengxing had no appetite for the sumptuous dishes. I have to say that the food was really good, with beef stewed potatoes, braised whale meat, a plate of kimchi and a plate of peeled eggs. This was a rare sumptuous place on the battlefield.

Faced with these dishes, Yi Zhengxing tasted the same as wax. Since he got on the boat and went to sea, he had eaten these kinds of food, all of which were canned products. After filling in a few bites, he put the bowl and got up and walked in the yard.

The situation in Transvaal was worrying, and as the commander-in-chief, he was naturally anxious. He knew very well that every decision and every order he made was related to the life and death of many people, which he had never experienced before, not to mention that he knew clearly how important the Transvaal gold mine was to Yuanqi. He even had some doubts. If the old man was a little too hasty, he had let him serve as the commander-in-chief.

Soon, his thoughts turned to Johannesburg. What was the intention of the old man insisting on not allowing Fort John to undergo a large-scale evacuation? Can't we see that the situation in Fort John is very dangerous? Is it blind confidence in the Boers' combat power? Or has other intentions? What will happen if Fort John is lost?

"Your Highness——." Feng Zicai quickly chased after him, "The whistle detector came to report, and found the enemy whistle detector thirty kilometers away..."

"It's coming so fast." Yi Zhengxing frowned, "Have the enemy accelerated the marching speed?"

Feng Zicai nodded, "It should be to cooperate with Kimberly's actions."

"Can the marching speed change on the Kimberley side?"

"No, it still maintains a speed of twenty-five kilometers a day."

Twenty-five kilometers a day, it will take at least half a month to reach Fort John at this speed. By then, reinforcements should have arrived long ago. Yi Zhengxing breathed a sigh of relief and pondered for a moment before he said, "For General Feng, is it necessary to delay the German marching speed?"

Feng Zicai said slowly, "No need. One fast and one slow will help us defeat each one..." Seeing his expression of wanting to speak but stopping, Yi Zhengxing smiled and said, "General Feng has something to say, but it doesn't matter."

"Your Highness——." Feng Zicai hesitated for a while, but still couldn't help saying: "The German vanguards accelerated the marching speed, and the distance with the main force will inevitably be widened..."

Yi Zhizu glanced at him, "Is General Feng trying to swallow the 6,000 German strikers in one bite? Are you sure?"

"The German 6,000 vanguards were two days away from the main force, so they were alone and did not carry heavy artillery." Feng Zicai said slowly: "With proper deployment, you can concentrate your superior forces and swallow them in one go."

If you really can swallow the German 6,000 vanguards in one bite, you can not only give the German army a warning, but also reduce the gap in the forces between the two sides. How could Yi Zhengxing not be moved? Besides, Feng Zi dared to make this suggestion, so he should be quite sure. He immediately turned around and said, "Return to the command center."

The brigade of cavalry traveled from two directions along the Kimberley-Cape Town railway line. The railway was difficult to repair in a short time, but wired telegraphs could be quickly repaired. The British and Italian troops dispatched a large number of cavalry to patrol along the way. The wired telegraph repair workers divided into four routes to repair them with all their efforts. In just two days, the wired telegraph from Cape Town to Kimberley resumed communications.

In summer, it was early in the morning, and it was less than six o'clock. It was already bright. Hundreds of German sergeants in sky blue uniforms rushed out of the temporary camp in a fan shape. They had to check whether there were any ambushes from the army before the army set off. After all, it was less than forty kilometers away from Standerton, so they had to be careful.

An hour later, no trace of the enemy was found twenty kilometers ahead of him. The brigade of cavalry and infantry who had breakfast began to move forward. Six thousand vanguards advanced rapidly in two directions, because before sunset today, the vanguards must see Standerton.

At 11 a.m., the army stopped advancing and rested on the spot. The division commander Hasler rode a calloped horse and held a telescope and slowly observed it. Chief of Staff Frank urged the horse to follow, "It is less than twenty kilometers away from Standerton. The provoy should be within ten kilometers of Standerton, but he has not found the enemy provoy. This is a bit strange."

Hasler knew his current situation very well. His troops were more than 70 kilometers away from the main force, which was considered to be alone and deep. He had to be careful. It was precisely because of this abnormal situation that he ordered the stop to advance.

Hasler slowed down his order: "Let the provoy continue to move towards Standerton, and the reconnaissance range on both sides will be expanded to twenty kilometers."

The German whistle cavalry, who were advancing carefully, encountered a small group of patrolling cavalry when approaching Standerton. The dull and messy gunfire instantly broke the silence on the plateau. After a brief fire exchange, the German whistle provoked and dropped five or six bodies and quickly withdrew from the battle. The Boer cavalry stopped just after a little pursuit.

Hasler was relieved when he encountered an enemy provocate, and asked about the situation roughly. He immediately ordered to go forward for five kilometers and then camp and garrison. It was really a bit far away from the opponent's 20 kilometers, which was not conducive to close reconnaissance. As a vanguard, he had to investigate the situation of the Qing army stationed in Standedton before the arrival of the main force. The distance of fifteen kilometers was not far or near, which was quite suitable. No matter how close it was, he might be driven away by the opponent.

Qing army camp, command center.

Feng Zicai pointed at the sand table with his hand pole, "The German army camped fifteen kilometers away, and the range of the sentry detectives was ten kilometers. When the army went deeper alone, they were considered bold."

He was indeed bold, Yi Zhizu nodded slightly. Fifteen kilometers were nothing to the cavalry and could arrive in a quarter of an hour. For infantry, it only takes an hour and a half to march. It would be normal if the two armies confronted each other. As a vanguard who was alone, he would be a little bolder.

After pondering for a moment, he spoke: "So bold must be based on something. It is probably a bit tricky to swallow it in one bite."

"It's nothing more than weapons." Feng Zicai said in a deep voice: "The marching speed is so fast that it's impossible to carry a large number of artillery, it's nothing more than mortars or machine guns, and it can be completely wiped out!"

Yi Zhengxing knew very well that he had no practical experience. When he saw Feng Zicai insisted, he no longer hesitated and immediately said, "Then let's do it as planned."
Chapter completed!