Chapter 1093
Difficult Choices
Chapter 1093 Difficult Choices
"Military division, what... what should I do?" Wan Meng was in a daze at the moment, not knowing how to deal with the unexpected situation.Losing so quickly and so thoroughly, this result brought him the worst blow in recent years. If it weren't for Pu Xueguang and a group of subordinates by his side, he would even have the heart to run away.
Pu Xueguang's situation was not much better than his. He never thought that the Wanjia Army would be so vulnerable in front of this opponent he had never met before.Their view of the battle was not as good as that of the tower, so they didn't see the battle process clearly. They only saw the firecrackers firing indiscriminately, and the two infantry and cavalry units of their own side collapsed almost at the same time.The various schemes proposed to Wan Meng earlier turned into a joke in the face of the opponent's tyrannical force. The combination of horses and horses, the front and rear pincers, collapsed without even splashing the slightest splash.
However, although Pu Xueguang didn't know how he lost, he knew that he couldn't show panic at this time, otherwise Wan Meng would definitely think that he felt guilty because of the failure of his plan.Immediately, Pu Xueguang pretended to be calm and said: "Don't be panicked, the master, in my opinion, the Haihan people are probably using some kind of sorcery!"
"Evil... sorcery? Can the military master have a countermeasure?" Wan Meng was even more confused when he heard it. He only saw the flames and smoke on the battlefield from a distance. As for whether it was a firecracker shooting or something else, But there is no definite judgment.He himself has no culture, and he is more willing to believe that it comes from some kind of supernatural power for the situation that cannot be reasonably explained in his cognition.
Pu Xueguang said: "I haven't figured out the origin of their sorcery, and I can't think of a way to crack it for a while. However, this kind of evil way must have loopholes. After we spend some time to investigate slowly, we will eventually find its weakness. Before that, it is not advisable to fight recklessly with him, so as to avoid unnecessary losses.”
"Yes, yes, the military adviser is right. I also think it's not appropriate to fight recklessly. It's better to observe the situation first." Although Wan Meng didn't go into battle just now, he was really shocked by this one-sided battle with an unknown outcome. Moreover, more than half of the troops he brought to Fushan County have been lost just now. If he still leads the rest of the people out to fight, it is not bloody, but stupid.Even if they wanted to take action, they would have to wait until the next batch of reinforcements arrived.
Pu Xueguang had stayed in the rebel camp for a while, and had seen the power of firecrackers in combat. He was basically sure that his opponent was using firecrackers. How to do it, but he can't figure it out based on his knowledge, and can only attribute it to "sorcery" for the time being.It's no wonder that the opponent's dozens of horsemen dared to run outside Fushan County to engage in wanton activities. With such fighting methods, they can indeed go anywhere without fear.
In two or three hours, the second batch of reinforcements dispatched to Fushan County will arrive, and Pu Xueguang estimates that there will be at least 500 people.This group of people originally wanted to increase their chances of winning more, but after the short confrontation in the morning, he was not sure about the next move.The other party came with several ships in the morning, and it was obvious that reinforcements would arrive. The hope of defeating the other party on the frontal battlefield became even slimmer.
At this time, some people who escaped from the battlefield finally returned to the slums outside the county seat. Fortunately, the Haihan people seemed to have no intention of coming to chase them down. After hastily cleaning the battlefield, they escorted the captives back to the camp by the river.Wan Meng and Pu Xueguang quickly asked these men what happened on the battlefield just now.
However, these people had just narrowly escaped death, and they were all in a state of despair. They only remembered that when the other party was still a few meters away, the weapon flashed in their hands, and someone on their side was injured and fell down, completely unaware of what happened.Apart from turning around and running away, there seemed to be no other more reasonable way to respond.
Only one of them clearly remembered that the weapon used by the opponent's cavalry was indeed some kind of musketeer, and the reason he could be sure of this was that he was a musketeer himself.However, the blunderbuss he carried only fired once during the battle, and he didn't know if he hit the target. Before he could load the ammunition, his own camp could no longer withstand the opponent's shooting and collapsed.In the confusion, he caught a horse that had lost its owner, and then escaped smoothly.
"Nonsense! How can there be such a one-man-operated bursting firecracker in the world!" Wan Meng did not believe the description of his subordinates. Although he was not a weapon expert, he had so many people under his command, and he had sporadically passed various weapons over the past few years. A lot of firearms have been obtained through this channel, and there are even a dozen of earthen guns, but the only burst firearm that can be carried and operated by a single soldier is the three-eyed gun.Even if these Haihan people bought some three-eyed guns somewhere, it is impossible for everyone to have them. After all, I have never heard of any cavalry in the world who equipped everyone with such a clumsy weapon as three-eyed guns. of.
Pu Xueguang was more careful, and patiently asked the man about the firing frequency and lethality of Haihan's weapon. However, the situation was too chaotic at the time, so he didn't pay attention to these details.None of the people who were shot in this battle escaped, and when the opponent cleaned up the battlefield, all the corpses and wounded were carried away by captives. The damage power caused by this weapon cannot be verified.
Although it is not clear what kind of weapon the opponent used, Pu Xueguang can basically confirm that a large part of the reason for this defeat is that his family suffered a disadvantage in terms of weapons and equipment.As for the tactical level...Wan Jiajun doesn't have many tactics to speak of, they are all Cheng Yaojin's three-axes, and they just know how to do it when they are in battle.And because of the limited terrain, Pu Xueguang, who lacked observation of the fighting situation, couldn't realize how big the real gap between the two sides was like Huang Qu on the top of the city.
Wan Meng finally waited patiently for Pu Xueguang to finish asking, and then asked unwillingly: "Military Master, if you lose this battle, you will lose, but if you let this group of people do whatever they want, the foundation of the Wan Family Army in Dengzhou will be loosened." Yes. Think about it carefully, what else can you do to deal with them!"
"Big boss, I think that you probably have to use the mountain cannon to defeat this group of people." What else could Pu Xueguang do, even if he used infantry and cavalry, it would not work. Really can't think of any other tricks that can be used.It's just that after this trick was used, Wan Jiajun had no other tricks at all. Pu Xueguang didn't know whether it was wrong or right to do so, so he could only use it to perfunctory Wan Meng first.
"Yes, yes, there are mountain cannons in the cottage!" Wan Meng calmed down a little: "Then he ordered the town cannons from all the forts to be gathered together and transported to Fushan County. No matter how powerful the Haihan people are, they will eventually It's still flesh and blood, and it won't be broken into pieces even if it's shot down!"
Wan Meng once again made wishful thinking and put it aside for the time being. He was really right in saying that although the Haihan army is powerful, they are still flesh and blood after all.Although he defeated his opponent without any suspense in this short battle, it was not without paying a price.
When Liu Xian led the cavalry to charge in front of the Wanjia army, the gunners and archers in the opponent's camp were not idle, and also launched an attack, but their number was too small to pose an effective threat to the cavalry company. .However, two people and two horses were still injured at that time, and they soon lost their combat capabilities. If they hadn't quickly defeated their opponents with their weapon advantages, the battle damage would probably have increased further.
Fortunately, neither the man nor the horse's injuries were fatal, but both of the horses were injured on their legs. It's hard to say whether they can recover to a healthy state in the future, and it took a lot of work to get them out of the battlefield. In the end, the military doctor with the team requisitioned two tents and temporarily converted them into stretchers, and asked the prisoners of war to forcefully carry the two horses back to the river.
Although he won the battle, Liu Xian's face was extremely gloomy. Because of the loss of the two riders, he would definitely be reprimanded by Harukon when he turned around.Amakusa Shiro and Sun Zhen came to see his appearance, and they were also a little puzzled. Sun Zhen asked: "Isn't this just a small injury, and neither the man nor the horse died. Do you care so much about it? This is your cavalry battalion. First victory!"
Liu Xian replied: "The opponents are just a group of bandits. It is reasonable to win, and there is nothing to show off about it. It's just that I lost two horses in such a small scene. How can I explain to Chief Ha?"
Amakusa Shiro said: "On the battlefield, casualties are inevitable. How can there be no losses? Our special warfare battalion is known as the invincible division. It has been invincible for six years in the army. With such a proud record, guess what the special warfare battalion suffered?"
Although he is the same company commander, Amakusa Shiro's military experience is much deeper than that of Liu Xian. Coupled with the prestige of the special warfare battalion, he did not dare to speak nonsense, so he could only politely say: "With the special warfare battalion's ability, the battle damage must be inevitable." Very low. In terms of actual combat, the cavalry battalion should learn a lot from friendly troops."
Amakusa Shiro shook his head and said: "Even if the strength is superior, fighting will eventually kill people. Now there are more than two hundred soldiers from the Special War Battalion buried in the Sanya Martyr's Shrine, and the number of retired soldiers due to injuries is no less than 1. Yes. Chief Qian recruited the first batch of soldiers in Heitu Port to form this army, but now there are less than 30 soldiers still serving in the army."
Liu Xian was surprised and said: "It turns out that so many brothers in the Special War Battalion died in battle!"
Amakusa Shiro said: "When using troops overseas, my special warfare battalion takes the lead most of the time as the vanguard, and damage in battle is inevitable. In other words, if the brothers hadn't sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, the special warfare battalion would have the invincible division." Honor. How can you become an elite teacher if you don't go through the test of life and death! If you care more about life and death in battle, you will be more timid in actions in the future, and even afraid of fighting! Lieutenant Commander Liu, I think this is the truth You should understand!"
After listening to these words, Liu Xian came to his senses like enlightenment, clasped his fists to Amakusa Shiro and said, "I'm confused! Mr. Liu, thank you Brother Amakusa for your advice!"
Amakusa Shiro also replied: "I don't dare to give advice. In my opinion, Lieutenant Liu is only on the battlefield for the first time, and maybe he is not used to it. If he leads a few more battles in the future, his heart will gradually harden."
The growth history of the Special War Battalion can almost be regarded as a microcosm of the development history of the Haihan Army. After its establishment, this unit went south to north and participated in most of the important battles in the expansion of Haihan. Its military achievements are too numerous to enumerate , And also cultivated batches of outstanding soldiers, even the executive committee acquiesced that this unit is the trump card division in the Haihan Army. Whenever there is an important mission, it must first consider handing it over to the special warfare battalion.However, the loss of personnel in the growth process of this army is also inevitable. While achieving brilliant results, it also suffered casualties that cannot be ignored.
Considering the frequency of combat, the casualty ratio of the special warfare battalion is already very low compared to the contemporary army. Although Qian Tiandun cherishes the lives of his soldiers, he never deliberately instills in them the need to control them in battle. The idea of war damage is to avoid fear of war in the hearts of soldiers after a long time.Amakusa Shiro has stayed in the special warfare camp for so many years, and the number of battles he has experienced is far from comparable to that of Liu Xian, and he has a more thorough understanding of life and death on the battlefield.
After Amakusa Shiro enlightened Liu Xian, he got back to business. Just now, when the cavalry fought against each other on the periphery, several immigrants also pulled out sharp knives from their belongings to try to make trouble, and injured two soldiers who were not prepared.However, this method was immediately suppressed by force, and the few people who tried to make trouble were quickly settled by the surrounding soldiers with bayonets.Afterwards, the soldiers conducted an interrogation on the remaining immigrants, and found out several gangsters who had hidden weapons but did not dare to act.
Sun Zhen immediately conducted an emergency interrogation. After knocking out the heads of two captives, the remaining suspects all confessed their origins and intentions.After Amakusa Shiro returned with the captives, Sun Zhen reported the relevant situation to him, and then the two came to communicate with Liu Xian.
Liu Xian was also slightly surprised after hearing this: "The Wanjia Army actually sent so many people to lurk in. Some people have been arranged to board the ship before. I don't know if they have been thoroughly investigated."
Sun Zhen replied: "Someone has been sent to re-examine everyone's belongings on the ship. If there are their accomplices, they should not be able to escape."
Liu Xiandao: "Speaking of which, the Wanjia army still has some skills. When I led the troops into the formation, I found that they would form a coordinated formation of infantry and horses. The cavalry also knew how to seize the opportunity to attack, but the combat level was too low. It’s just a mere shape. But I remember the battles of the Haihan Army in the past, and it seems that I have never encountered a bandit armed with this ability.”
"Most of the people I met in the past were pirates. Naturally, there is no cavalry tactics to speak of. This Shandong is a place full of thieves, and the number of roads is different from that of southern pirates." Sun Zhen answered Liu Xian's question: "But This group of people provoked us, and this is asking for trouble, I think their leaders must also be distressed, should they avoid us after taking this trouble, or bite the bullet and continue to fight with us."
(End of this chapter)
"Military division, what... what should I do?" Wan Meng was in a daze at the moment, not knowing how to deal with the unexpected situation.Losing so quickly and so thoroughly, this result brought him the worst blow in recent years. If it weren't for Pu Xueguang and a group of subordinates by his side, he would even have the heart to run away.
Pu Xueguang's situation was not much better than his. He never thought that the Wanjia Army would be so vulnerable in front of this opponent he had never met before.Their view of the battle was not as good as that of the tower, so they didn't see the battle process clearly. They only saw the firecrackers firing indiscriminately, and the two infantry and cavalry units of their own side collapsed almost at the same time.The various schemes proposed to Wan Meng earlier turned into a joke in the face of the opponent's tyrannical force. The combination of horses and horses, the front and rear pincers, collapsed without even splashing the slightest splash.
However, although Pu Xueguang didn't know how he lost, he knew that he couldn't show panic at this time, otherwise Wan Meng would definitely think that he felt guilty because of the failure of his plan.Immediately, Pu Xueguang pretended to be calm and said: "Don't be panicked, the master, in my opinion, the Haihan people are probably using some kind of sorcery!"
"Evil... sorcery? Can the military master have a countermeasure?" Wan Meng was even more confused when he heard it. He only saw the flames and smoke on the battlefield from a distance. As for whether it was a firecracker shooting or something else, But there is no definite judgment.He himself has no culture, and he is more willing to believe that it comes from some kind of supernatural power for the situation that cannot be reasonably explained in his cognition.
Pu Xueguang said: "I haven't figured out the origin of their sorcery, and I can't think of a way to crack it for a while. However, this kind of evil way must have loopholes. After we spend some time to investigate slowly, we will eventually find its weakness. Before that, it is not advisable to fight recklessly with him, so as to avoid unnecessary losses.”
"Yes, yes, the military adviser is right. I also think it's not appropriate to fight recklessly. It's better to observe the situation first." Although Wan Meng didn't go into battle just now, he was really shocked by this one-sided battle with an unknown outcome. Moreover, more than half of the troops he brought to Fushan County have been lost just now. If he still leads the rest of the people out to fight, it is not bloody, but stupid.Even if they wanted to take action, they would have to wait until the next batch of reinforcements arrived.
Pu Xueguang had stayed in the rebel camp for a while, and had seen the power of firecrackers in combat. He was basically sure that his opponent was using firecrackers. How to do it, but he can't figure it out based on his knowledge, and can only attribute it to "sorcery" for the time being.It's no wonder that the opponent's dozens of horsemen dared to run outside Fushan County to engage in wanton activities. With such fighting methods, they can indeed go anywhere without fear.
In two or three hours, the second batch of reinforcements dispatched to Fushan County will arrive, and Pu Xueguang estimates that there will be at least 500 people.This group of people originally wanted to increase their chances of winning more, but after the short confrontation in the morning, he was not sure about the next move.The other party came with several ships in the morning, and it was obvious that reinforcements would arrive. The hope of defeating the other party on the frontal battlefield became even slimmer.
At this time, some people who escaped from the battlefield finally returned to the slums outside the county seat. Fortunately, the Haihan people seemed to have no intention of coming to chase them down. After hastily cleaning the battlefield, they escorted the captives back to the camp by the river.Wan Meng and Pu Xueguang quickly asked these men what happened on the battlefield just now.
However, these people had just narrowly escaped death, and they were all in a state of despair. They only remembered that when the other party was still a few meters away, the weapon flashed in their hands, and someone on their side was injured and fell down, completely unaware of what happened.Apart from turning around and running away, there seemed to be no other more reasonable way to respond.
Only one of them clearly remembered that the weapon used by the opponent's cavalry was indeed some kind of musketeer, and the reason he could be sure of this was that he was a musketeer himself.However, the blunderbuss he carried only fired once during the battle, and he didn't know if he hit the target. Before he could load the ammunition, his own camp could no longer withstand the opponent's shooting and collapsed.In the confusion, he caught a horse that had lost its owner, and then escaped smoothly.
"Nonsense! How can there be such a one-man-operated bursting firecracker in the world!" Wan Meng did not believe the description of his subordinates. Although he was not a weapon expert, he had so many people under his command, and he had sporadically passed various weapons over the past few years. A lot of firearms have been obtained through this channel, and there are even a dozen of earthen guns, but the only burst firearm that can be carried and operated by a single soldier is the three-eyed gun.Even if these Haihan people bought some three-eyed guns somewhere, it is impossible for everyone to have them. After all, I have never heard of any cavalry in the world who equipped everyone with such a clumsy weapon as three-eyed guns. of.
Pu Xueguang was more careful, and patiently asked the man about the firing frequency and lethality of Haihan's weapon. However, the situation was too chaotic at the time, so he didn't pay attention to these details.None of the people who were shot in this battle escaped, and when the opponent cleaned up the battlefield, all the corpses and wounded were carried away by captives. The damage power caused by this weapon cannot be verified.
Although it is not clear what kind of weapon the opponent used, Pu Xueguang can basically confirm that a large part of the reason for this defeat is that his family suffered a disadvantage in terms of weapons and equipment.As for the tactical level...Wan Jiajun doesn't have many tactics to speak of, they are all Cheng Yaojin's three-axes, and they just know how to do it when they are in battle.And because of the limited terrain, Pu Xueguang, who lacked observation of the fighting situation, couldn't realize how big the real gap between the two sides was like Huang Qu on the top of the city.
Wan Meng finally waited patiently for Pu Xueguang to finish asking, and then asked unwillingly: "Military Master, if you lose this battle, you will lose, but if you let this group of people do whatever they want, the foundation of the Wan Family Army in Dengzhou will be loosened." Yes. Think about it carefully, what else can you do to deal with them!"
"Big boss, I think that you probably have to use the mountain cannon to defeat this group of people." What else could Pu Xueguang do, even if he used infantry and cavalry, it would not work. Really can't think of any other tricks that can be used.It's just that after this trick was used, Wan Jiajun had no other tricks at all. Pu Xueguang didn't know whether it was wrong or right to do so, so he could only use it to perfunctory Wan Meng first.
"Yes, yes, there are mountain cannons in the cottage!" Wan Meng calmed down a little: "Then he ordered the town cannons from all the forts to be gathered together and transported to Fushan County. No matter how powerful the Haihan people are, they will eventually It's still flesh and blood, and it won't be broken into pieces even if it's shot down!"
Wan Meng once again made wishful thinking and put it aside for the time being. He was really right in saying that although the Haihan army is powerful, they are still flesh and blood after all.Although he defeated his opponent without any suspense in this short battle, it was not without paying a price.
When Liu Xian led the cavalry to charge in front of the Wanjia army, the gunners and archers in the opponent's camp were not idle, and also launched an attack, but their number was too small to pose an effective threat to the cavalry company. .However, two people and two horses were still injured at that time, and they soon lost their combat capabilities. If they hadn't quickly defeated their opponents with their weapon advantages, the battle damage would probably have increased further.
Fortunately, neither the man nor the horse's injuries were fatal, but both of the horses were injured on their legs. It's hard to say whether they can recover to a healthy state in the future, and it took a lot of work to get them out of the battlefield. In the end, the military doctor with the team requisitioned two tents and temporarily converted them into stretchers, and asked the prisoners of war to forcefully carry the two horses back to the river.
Although he won the battle, Liu Xian's face was extremely gloomy. Because of the loss of the two riders, he would definitely be reprimanded by Harukon when he turned around.Amakusa Shiro and Sun Zhen came to see his appearance, and they were also a little puzzled. Sun Zhen asked: "Isn't this just a small injury, and neither the man nor the horse died. Do you care so much about it? This is your cavalry battalion. First victory!"
Liu Xian replied: "The opponents are just a group of bandits. It is reasonable to win, and there is nothing to show off about it. It's just that I lost two horses in such a small scene. How can I explain to Chief Ha?"
Amakusa Shiro said: "On the battlefield, casualties are inevitable. How can there be no losses? Our special warfare battalion is known as the invincible division. It has been invincible for six years in the army. With such a proud record, guess what the special warfare battalion suffered?"
Although he is the same company commander, Amakusa Shiro's military experience is much deeper than that of Liu Xian. Coupled with the prestige of the special warfare battalion, he did not dare to speak nonsense, so he could only politely say: "With the special warfare battalion's ability, the battle damage must be inevitable." Very low. In terms of actual combat, the cavalry battalion should learn a lot from friendly troops."
Amakusa Shiro shook his head and said: "Even if the strength is superior, fighting will eventually kill people. Now there are more than two hundred soldiers from the Special War Battalion buried in the Sanya Martyr's Shrine, and the number of retired soldiers due to injuries is no less than 1. Yes. Chief Qian recruited the first batch of soldiers in Heitu Port to form this army, but now there are less than 30 soldiers still serving in the army."
Liu Xian was surprised and said: "It turns out that so many brothers in the Special War Battalion died in battle!"
Amakusa Shiro said: "When using troops overseas, my special warfare battalion takes the lead most of the time as the vanguard, and damage in battle is inevitable. In other words, if the brothers hadn't sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, the special warfare battalion would have the invincible division." Honor. How can you become an elite teacher if you don't go through the test of life and death! If you care more about life and death in battle, you will be more timid in actions in the future, and even afraid of fighting! Lieutenant Commander Liu, I think this is the truth You should understand!"
After listening to these words, Liu Xian came to his senses like enlightenment, clasped his fists to Amakusa Shiro and said, "I'm confused! Mr. Liu, thank you Brother Amakusa for your advice!"
Amakusa Shiro also replied: "I don't dare to give advice. In my opinion, Lieutenant Liu is only on the battlefield for the first time, and maybe he is not used to it. If he leads a few more battles in the future, his heart will gradually harden."
The growth history of the Special War Battalion can almost be regarded as a microcosm of the development history of the Haihan Army. After its establishment, this unit went south to north and participated in most of the important battles in the expansion of Haihan. Its military achievements are too numerous to enumerate , And also cultivated batches of outstanding soldiers, even the executive committee acquiesced that this unit is the trump card division in the Haihan Army. Whenever there is an important mission, it must first consider handing it over to the special warfare battalion.However, the loss of personnel in the growth process of this army is also inevitable. While achieving brilliant results, it also suffered casualties that cannot be ignored.
Considering the frequency of combat, the casualty ratio of the special warfare battalion is already very low compared to the contemporary army. Although Qian Tiandun cherishes the lives of his soldiers, he never deliberately instills in them the need to control them in battle. The idea of war damage is to avoid fear of war in the hearts of soldiers after a long time.Amakusa Shiro has stayed in the special warfare camp for so many years, and the number of battles he has experienced is far from comparable to that of Liu Xian, and he has a more thorough understanding of life and death on the battlefield.
After Amakusa Shiro enlightened Liu Xian, he got back to business. Just now, when the cavalry fought against each other on the periphery, several immigrants also pulled out sharp knives from their belongings to try to make trouble, and injured two soldiers who were not prepared.However, this method was immediately suppressed by force, and the few people who tried to make trouble were quickly settled by the surrounding soldiers with bayonets.Afterwards, the soldiers conducted an interrogation on the remaining immigrants, and found out several gangsters who had hidden weapons but did not dare to act.
Sun Zhen immediately conducted an emergency interrogation. After knocking out the heads of two captives, the remaining suspects all confessed their origins and intentions.After Amakusa Shiro returned with the captives, Sun Zhen reported the relevant situation to him, and then the two came to communicate with Liu Xian.
Liu Xian was also slightly surprised after hearing this: "The Wanjia Army actually sent so many people to lurk in. Some people have been arranged to board the ship before. I don't know if they have been thoroughly investigated."
Sun Zhen replied: "Someone has been sent to re-examine everyone's belongings on the ship. If there are their accomplices, they should not be able to escape."
Liu Xiandao: "Speaking of which, the Wanjia army still has some skills. When I led the troops into the formation, I found that they would form a coordinated formation of infantry and horses. The cavalry also knew how to seize the opportunity to attack, but the combat level was too low. It’s just a mere shape. But I remember the battles of the Haihan Army in the past, and it seems that I have never encountered a bandit armed with this ability.”
"Most of the people I met in the past were pirates. Naturally, there is no cavalry tactics to speak of. This Shandong is a place full of thieves, and the number of roads is different from that of southern pirates." Sun Zhen answered Liu Xian's question: "But This group of people provoked us, and this is asking for trouble, I think their leaders must also be distressed, should they avoid us after taking this trouble, or bite the bullet and continue to fight with us."
(End of this chapter)