Chapter 2037
Chapter 2037
Chapter 2037
Because the shape of the Spanish sailing ship is too obvious, if it is spotted by the Haihan Navy during the long voyage between the South China Sea and Liaodong, it will definitely be pursued mercilessly.However, the destinations for the colonial authorities to provide military aid to foreign countries are the sea areas where Haihan’s naval activities are frequent. Therefore, in order to minimize the risk of being discovered by Haihan, the arms and personnel from the Philippines to these destinations are provided through intermediaries. Chinese sailboats to carry out secret delivery.
But the problem is that this middleman is not a simple role. These underground forces who call themselves maritime merchants are willing to take risks to bridge the gap between the parties. Of course, they also have their own interests.For example, the military aid provided by the colonial authorities to foreign countries, they also want to share a share of the benefits.
This sharing of benefits is not just about earning the price difference from the arms trade, but means that while the Spaniards provide military assistance to other forces, they must also provide them with equal support for weapons, equipment and personnel training.In other words, these maritime merchants who acted as middlemen were also the objects of military assistance from the colonial authorities.
In fact, Bayano has never quite understood why the Governor-General trusts these unidentified intermediaries so much that he agrees to so many conditions.Although these sea merchants have good hands and eyes, they have never revealed their true identities to Bayano, which makes it difficult for Bayano to establish enough mutual trust with them.
But this is also the only news channel for Bayano to get in touch with the Philippine colonial authorities. No matter how much he distrusts these intermediaries, he can only give them the secret letter he wrote and send them to the distant port of Cebu.And within a few months of the news going back and forth between the two places, he basically had nothing to do and could only wait on the Liaodong side.
The demands made by Azig are indeed reasonable, but it is not easy to realize them. The only way Bayano can help the Qing army now is to slightly exaggerate the effect of military assistance. Perhaps the colonial authorities can slightly increase the supply of weapons and equipment.
And the other side of this confrontation did not feel that they had won a big victory.In fact, this is a military operation with the largest number of casualties of the Haihan Army since the end of the Korean War last year.Moreover, the one who performed this mission was one of the elite in the army, the Marine Corps, which was regarded as the ace amphibious force by the Ministry of National Defense, but it was still inevitable that there would be a relatively large number of casualties under the pursuit and encirclement of the Qing army.
This was not because Tom Wang underestimated the enemy when dispatching troops, nor was it because Sun Bing was too reckless when he decided to launch an attack.This operation needs to go deep into the enemy's rear. In order to seek concealment and not send too many troops, there is a relatively large risk, but compared to the expected results, it is worthwhile.Even if Sun Bing was asked to make a new choice, he would definitely choose to do it, and would not let go of such a rare opportunity, but he really did not expect that the retreat process would be so tragic that he almost couldn't get away up.
According to the retreat route planned in advance, the fleet did not head east to return to the Korean Peninsula after leaving the shore, but quickly turned southwest and headed for Jinzhou.
When formulating the evacuation plan, Sun Bing, as the commander of the operation, of course also considered the need to treat the wounded nearby, but it would undoubtedly take too long to cross the entire Yellow Sea and return to the Datong River base. The medical conditions on board are limited, which is not conducive to the recovery of the wounded. cure.Therefore, it is wisest to go directly to Dalian Bay, the Golden State under Haihan's control, after retreating.
At that time, Sun Bing did not expect that the casualties of his side would be so serious. The deck of the troop carrier was almost full of wounded soldiers, and the few military doctors and medical soldiers on board were all too busy to deal with it. Wounded soldiers are treated.
The two wounds on Sun Bing's body have received basic treatment, the arrowheads were pulled out, the wounds were disinfected, and then bandaged with gauze and trauma medicine.Although the injuries on his arms and legs were not serious, fortunately none of his tendons or major blood vessels were injured, but he was temporarily unable to move and needed to rest for a period of time before he could recover.
It's not that he hasn't been injured in battle since he joined the army, but the situation this time is undoubtedly more dangerous. If the injury on his arm was more serious, he might have been stabbed to death on the spot.But no matter what, he finally left that beach alive, which made Sun Bing feel very lucky.Just thinking of the casualties this time, he couldn't feel at ease.
After the ship left the coast, Sun Bing immediately ordered the platoons to count the number of people and count the missing and casualties.Although this combat operation was considered to have achieved its goal, the price paid was really high, and Sun Bing had a rough idea of this, and how to explain to Wang Tom after returning would also be a very troublesome task.
The shortest voyage from the retreat point to the wharf in Dalian Bay is more than 20 nautical miles, which is quite a short distance. The fleet arrived at the destination before dark.
After receiving the news, the officials who rushed to the pier to meet the troops were Wei Lin from the Military Intelligence Bureau and Liu Shang, who was in charge of the local civil affairs propaganda affairs. The local chief executive, Sha Xi, is currently handling official business in Lushun, so he will definitely not be able to come for a while. .The chief military officer, Chen Yixin, went to inspect the defense line of the isthmus in the north, and probably won't return until nightfall at the earliest.
Most of the people who disembarked from the two troop carriers were wounded, and many of them were even carried off by stretchers. Wei Lin and Liu Shang were a little dumbfounded by this scene.They had long been accustomed to the scene of the Haihan army returning in triumph, and they rarely saw such a tragic scene. For a while, they couldn't help but think that this army was withdrawn from the front line after being defeated.
Seeing Commander Sun Bing being carried off on a stretcher, both Liu Shang and Wei Lin were shocked.The Marine Corps had been stationed in Jinzhou for quite a while, and Sun Bing was already considered a senior officer in this special force, so naturally many people knew him.
The two hurried forward to inquire about the situation, but Sun Bing immediately struggled to sit up from the stretcher, motioned to the soldiers carrying the stretcher to put him down, and explained to Liu Wei, "I was shot by an arrow in my left hand and left leg. There is nothing I can do, I can only lie on a stretcher."
Liu Shang said with a worried expression: "So many people were injured, could it be that this operation went wrong?"
Sun Bing didn't try to hide it, nodded and said: "I encountered some troubles when I was retreating, and I was chased seven or eight miles away by thousands of Tartars. Fortunately, there was a boat to pick me up at sea, otherwise these brothers would have to tell me where they were. .”
Liu Shang didn't know about Sun Bing's secret mission, but Wei Lin next to him knew the inside story very well. After the patrol team was attacked earlier, he was the one who followed up the follow-up investigation.The marines had been lurking in the Qing army-controlled area in the north for a long time. This time, they suddenly withdrew from the north in disgrace. It was obvious that they had exposed their whereabouts and could no longer lurk in the area.However, in front of Liu Shang, an outsider, Wei Lin couldn't ask how the mission was completed, so he could only comfort Sun Bing in Jinzhou with a few words of comfort.
Sun Bing lay back on the stretcher, remembered something again, and said to Wei Lin: "I have captured some Tartar prisoners, you should go and receive them quickly. If it takes a long time, I'm afraid something will happen."
As soon as Wei Lin heard it, he knew that the situation of the captives should not be ideal, so he immediately took someone to hand over.Usually, the captives captured by the combat troops are handed over to the Military Intelligence Bureau for follow-up interrogation. Looking at the tragic situation when the marines returned this time, it is obvious that it took a lot of trouble to catch them alive and bring them back.
Sun Bing and other wounded were sent to a nearby field hospital as soon as possible after disembarking, where their injuries will be further treated.As for the statistics of casualties, there were more accurate numbers later.
There are a total of 27 missing persons in battle. These people failed to board the ship. There is no doubt that they are already in danger. They should be included in the list of victims in the official combat report.In addition, five people on board were seriously injured and died before returning to Golden State, so the number of victims should be 32 so far.The number of wounded is relatively large. Two-thirds of the survivors have injuries of varying degrees, and more than a dozen of them are seriously injured. Even if they can be treated successfully, most of them will have to retire due to injuries.
However, the battlefield hospital in Jinzhou has the strongest medical force in Haihan in the north. When Dr. Morgan was stationed here, he specially trained a group of surgeons for the battlefield hospital.Most of the medical staff who were transferred to North Korea last year returned here before the end of the year, so there is no doubt about the level of treatment that the wounded can receive locally.
When Liu Shang went to arrange logistics for the marines, Wei Lin followed Sun Bing to the field hospital.The prisoners had already been brought back to the military intelligence station for interrogation by his subordinates, and he still had to learn more about the situation from Sun Bing.
"Fortunately, we did not disgrace our fate. We have already wiped out the Tartar musketeers." Sun Bing said calmly, "But a few escaped alive, and their commander was among them."
Welling immediately thought of why the marines retreated back to Golden State in such embarrassment: "So you defeated the Musketeers first, and then were chased all the way to the beach by the enemy army?"
Sun Bing nodded and said: "There is no other way. The place where we fought was about ten miles away from the Tartar camp at Jinshitan. To reach the retreat point, we had to climb over a large mountainous area, but the Tartars came to intercept us instead. It should be closer. I didn't expect that there would be thousands of people when they were dispatched... If we can buy an extra hour or two, maybe we can retreat back unscathed."
Sun Bing spoke calmly at this time, but it was not difficult for Wei Lin to imagine the critical situation of the marines being chased by the Qing army on the front line.Under such a huge disparity in strength, the Marine Corps, with only a few hundred people, was able to get rid of the pursuit and retreat to the sea, which is considered to be a very good performance.Just looking at the bandages on Sun Bing's hands and feet, he knew that this battle would not be easy. After all, in past battles with the Qing army, it was rare for the opponent to gain the upper hand like this.
However, being able to eliminate the musketeers of the Qing army is definitely a surprise. The purpose of sending the marines was to find out the situation of the muskets, but Sun Bing simply took the opportunity and wiped them out. The goal, this indeed saved a lot of trouble for the Haihan military, and it also eliminated a hidden danger that made the Liaodong garrison uneasy.
Wei Lin asked: "Brother Sun, can you find out how the opponent got this weapon and where did the instructor come from?"
Sun Bing said: "The instructor looks like a Westerner, and he doesn't understand the language of the Tartars. He has always needed a translator to communicate with others. He must have only arrived in Liaodong not long ago. As for how they got their weapons, it probably depends on your Military Intelligence Bureau to investigate carefully. I understand. I have obtained all the witnesses and material evidence for you, if you still can't find out the other party's details, then you can write a report to Sanya yourself!"
Wei Lin laughed and said, "I don't think that if Brother Sun has detailed information, I will write it into the report together later, and I will ask for credit for Brother Sun by the way!"
Sun Bing sighed and said, "I don't care, but it's a pity that many brothers were lost in this battle. If the plan was more thorough in advance, maybe so many people could have been prevented from dying."
Wei Lin put away his smile and persuaded him: "If the earthen jar is not broken from the well, the general will inevitably die in battle. It is our destiny to die for the country and wrap his body in horse leather. These brothers will be able to enter the Hall of Martyrs in the future and be enshrined by the people of the whole country for a long time. It's not in vain for them to fight to the death in Liaodong! My condolences to Brother Sun, and you must come forward to make overall arrangements for the aftermath and compensation."
Sun Bing nodded and said: "This is a matter within Mr. Sun's job, so there is no need to say more. By the way, when can I see General Chen?"
Wei Lin said: "General Chen went to inspect the defense line of the isthmus today. When you arrived in Hong Kong, I sent someone to the front line to inform the general. You should be back tonight. You may already be on your way by this time."
As Wei Lin expected, Chen Yixin hurried back in a carriage after receiving the news.Regarding the secret operations of the marines in the enemy-occupied area in the north, Chen Yixin naturally knew about it, and he had always kept in touch with Wang Tom through telegrams.
Before this, Chen Yixin was not very optimistic about the prospect of the operation, because this kind of reconnaissance operation that sneaked into the enemy's rear was extremely risky. It was already good to be able to confirm the existence of the Musketeers. It would be too risky to forcibly attack under the enemy's nose , and the probability of success is limited.
So Chen Yixin once suggested that Wang Tom should send troops directly to fight a traditional amphibious warfare after confirming the whereabouts of the Qing Army Musketeers, and use a large force to forcefully eat the opponent, or why not expose his whereabouts at all, continue to lurk in the local area and wait for the opponent The next time you go out to perform a combat mission, send back key information, and let the Jinzhou garrison come forward to eliminate this musketeer team.
But in the end, the actual situation did not seem to develop as Chen Yixin expected. The Marine Corps did make a move, but it was a small group of people lurking in the local area who took the initiative.The news he received at the isthmus defense line did not include detailed battle conditions. The orderly only said that the marines who had withdrawn to Jinzhou seemed to be in bad condition. This made Chen Yixin quite worried, and immediately changed his original itinerary and rushed back.
(End of this chapter)
Because the shape of the Spanish sailing ship is too obvious, if it is spotted by the Haihan Navy during the long voyage between the South China Sea and Liaodong, it will definitely be pursued mercilessly.However, the destinations for the colonial authorities to provide military aid to foreign countries are the sea areas where Haihan’s naval activities are frequent. Therefore, in order to minimize the risk of being discovered by Haihan, the arms and personnel from the Philippines to these destinations are provided through intermediaries. Chinese sailboats to carry out secret delivery.
But the problem is that this middleman is not a simple role. These underground forces who call themselves maritime merchants are willing to take risks to bridge the gap between the parties. Of course, they also have their own interests.For example, the military aid provided by the colonial authorities to foreign countries, they also want to share a share of the benefits.
This sharing of benefits is not just about earning the price difference from the arms trade, but means that while the Spaniards provide military assistance to other forces, they must also provide them with equal support for weapons, equipment and personnel training.In other words, these maritime merchants who acted as middlemen were also the objects of military assistance from the colonial authorities.
In fact, Bayano has never quite understood why the Governor-General trusts these unidentified intermediaries so much that he agrees to so many conditions.Although these sea merchants have good hands and eyes, they have never revealed their true identities to Bayano, which makes it difficult for Bayano to establish enough mutual trust with them.
But this is also the only news channel for Bayano to get in touch with the Philippine colonial authorities. No matter how much he distrusts these intermediaries, he can only give them the secret letter he wrote and send them to the distant port of Cebu.And within a few months of the news going back and forth between the two places, he basically had nothing to do and could only wait on the Liaodong side.
The demands made by Azig are indeed reasonable, but it is not easy to realize them. The only way Bayano can help the Qing army now is to slightly exaggerate the effect of military assistance. Perhaps the colonial authorities can slightly increase the supply of weapons and equipment.
And the other side of this confrontation did not feel that they had won a big victory.In fact, this is a military operation with the largest number of casualties of the Haihan Army since the end of the Korean War last year.Moreover, the one who performed this mission was one of the elite in the army, the Marine Corps, which was regarded as the ace amphibious force by the Ministry of National Defense, but it was still inevitable that there would be a relatively large number of casualties under the pursuit and encirclement of the Qing army.
This was not because Tom Wang underestimated the enemy when dispatching troops, nor was it because Sun Bing was too reckless when he decided to launch an attack.This operation needs to go deep into the enemy's rear. In order to seek concealment and not send too many troops, there is a relatively large risk, but compared to the expected results, it is worthwhile.Even if Sun Bing was asked to make a new choice, he would definitely choose to do it, and would not let go of such a rare opportunity, but he really did not expect that the retreat process would be so tragic that he almost couldn't get away up.
According to the retreat route planned in advance, the fleet did not head east to return to the Korean Peninsula after leaving the shore, but quickly turned southwest and headed for Jinzhou.
When formulating the evacuation plan, Sun Bing, as the commander of the operation, of course also considered the need to treat the wounded nearby, but it would undoubtedly take too long to cross the entire Yellow Sea and return to the Datong River base. The medical conditions on board are limited, which is not conducive to the recovery of the wounded. cure.Therefore, it is wisest to go directly to Dalian Bay, the Golden State under Haihan's control, after retreating.
At that time, Sun Bing did not expect that the casualties of his side would be so serious. The deck of the troop carrier was almost full of wounded soldiers, and the few military doctors and medical soldiers on board were all too busy to deal with it. Wounded soldiers are treated.
The two wounds on Sun Bing's body have received basic treatment, the arrowheads were pulled out, the wounds were disinfected, and then bandaged with gauze and trauma medicine.Although the injuries on his arms and legs were not serious, fortunately none of his tendons or major blood vessels were injured, but he was temporarily unable to move and needed to rest for a period of time before he could recover.
It's not that he hasn't been injured in battle since he joined the army, but the situation this time is undoubtedly more dangerous. If the injury on his arm was more serious, he might have been stabbed to death on the spot.But no matter what, he finally left that beach alive, which made Sun Bing feel very lucky.Just thinking of the casualties this time, he couldn't feel at ease.
After the ship left the coast, Sun Bing immediately ordered the platoons to count the number of people and count the missing and casualties.Although this combat operation was considered to have achieved its goal, the price paid was really high, and Sun Bing had a rough idea of this, and how to explain to Wang Tom after returning would also be a very troublesome task.
The shortest voyage from the retreat point to the wharf in Dalian Bay is more than 20 nautical miles, which is quite a short distance. The fleet arrived at the destination before dark.
After receiving the news, the officials who rushed to the pier to meet the troops were Wei Lin from the Military Intelligence Bureau and Liu Shang, who was in charge of the local civil affairs propaganda affairs. The local chief executive, Sha Xi, is currently handling official business in Lushun, so he will definitely not be able to come for a while. .The chief military officer, Chen Yixin, went to inspect the defense line of the isthmus in the north, and probably won't return until nightfall at the earliest.
Most of the people who disembarked from the two troop carriers were wounded, and many of them were even carried off by stretchers. Wei Lin and Liu Shang were a little dumbfounded by this scene.They had long been accustomed to the scene of the Haihan army returning in triumph, and they rarely saw such a tragic scene. For a while, they couldn't help but think that this army was withdrawn from the front line after being defeated.
Seeing Commander Sun Bing being carried off on a stretcher, both Liu Shang and Wei Lin were shocked.The Marine Corps had been stationed in Jinzhou for quite a while, and Sun Bing was already considered a senior officer in this special force, so naturally many people knew him.
The two hurried forward to inquire about the situation, but Sun Bing immediately struggled to sit up from the stretcher, motioned to the soldiers carrying the stretcher to put him down, and explained to Liu Wei, "I was shot by an arrow in my left hand and left leg. There is nothing I can do, I can only lie on a stretcher."
Liu Shang said with a worried expression: "So many people were injured, could it be that this operation went wrong?"
Sun Bing didn't try to hide it, nodded and said: "I encountered some troubles when I was retreating, and I was chased seven or eight miles away by thousands of Tartars. Fortunately, there was a boat to pick me up at sea, otherwise these brothers would have to tell me where they were. .”
Liu Shang didn't know about Sun Bing's secret mission, but Wei Lin next to him knew the inside story very well. After the patrol team was attacked earlier, he was the one who followed up the follow-up investigation.The marines had been lurking in the Qing army-controlled area in the north for a long time. This time, they suddenly withdrew from the north in disgrace. It was obvious that they had exposed their whereabouts and could no longer lurk in the area.However, in front of Liu Shang, an outsider, Wei Lin couldn't ask how the mission was completed, so he could only comfort Sun Bing in Jinzhou with a few words of comfort.
Sun Bing lay back on the stretcher, remembered something again, and said to Wei Lin: "I have captured some Tartar prisoners, you should go and receive them quickly. If it takes a long time, I'm afraid something will happen."
As soon as Wei Lin heard it, he knew that the situation of the captives should not be ideal, so he immediately took someone to hand over.Usually, the captives captured by the combat troops are handed over to the Military Intelligence Bureau for follow-up interrogation. Looking at the tragic situation when the marines returned this time, it is obvious that it took a lot of trouble to catch them alive and bring them back.
Sun Bing and other wounded were sent to a nearby field hospital as soon as possible after disembarking, where their injuries will be further treated.As for the statistics of casualties, there were more accurate numbers later.
There are a total of 27 missing persons in battle. These people failed to board the ship. There is no doubt that they are already in danger. They should be included in the list of victims in the official combat report.In addition, five people on board were seriously injured and died before returning to Golden State, so the number of victims should be 32 so far.The number of wounded is relatively large. Two-thirds of the survivors have injuries of varying degrees, and more than a dozen of them are seriously injured. Even if they can be treated successfully, most of them will have to retire due to injuries.
However, the battlefield hospital in Jinzhou has the strongest medical force in Haihan in the north. When Dr. Morgan was stationed here, he specially trained a group of surgeons for the battlefield hospital.Most of the medical staff who were transferred to North Korea last year returned here before the end of the year, so there is no doubt about the level of treatment that the wounded can receive locally.
When Liu Shang went to arrange logistics for the marines, Wei Lin followed Sun Bing to the field hospital.The prisoners had already been brought back to the military intelligence station for interrogation by his subordinates, and he still had to learn more about the situation from Sun Bing.
"Fortunately, we did not disgrace our fate. We have already wiped out the Tartar musketeers." Sun Bing said calmly, "But a few escaped alive, and their commander was among them."
Welling immediately thought of why the marines retreated back to Golden State in such embarrassment: "So you defeated the Musketeers first, and then were chased all the way to the beach by the enemy army?"
Sun Bing nodded and said: "There is no other way. The place where we fought was about ten miles away from the Tartar camp at Jinshitan. To reach the retreat point, we had to climb over a large mountainous area, but the Tartars came to intercept us instead. It should be closer. I didn't expect that there would be thousands of people when they were dispatched... If we can buy an extra hour or two, maybe we can retreat back unscathed."
Sun Bing spoke calmly at this time, but it was not difficult for Wei Lin to imagine the critical situation of the marines being chased by the Qing army on the front line.Under such a huge disparity in strength, the Marine Corps, with only a few hundred people, was able to get rid of the pursuit and retreat to the sea, which is considered to be a very good performance.Just looking at the bandages on Sun Bing's hands and feet, he knew that this battle would not be easy. After all, in past battles with the Qing army, it was rare for the opponent to gain the upper hand like this.
However, being able to eliminate the musketeers of the Qing army is definitely a surprise. The purpose of sending the marines was to find out the situation of the muskets, but Sun Bing simply took the opportunity and wiped them out. The goal, this indeed saved a lot of trouble for the Haihan military, and it also eliminated a hidden danger that made the Liaodong garrison uneasy.
Wei Lin asked: "Brother Sun, can you find out how the opponent got this weapon and where did the instructor come from?"
Sun Bing said: "The instructor looks like a Westerner, and he doesn't understand the language of the Tartars. He has always needed a translator to communicate with others. He must have only arrived in Liaodong not long ago. As for how they got their weapons, it probably depends on your Military Intelligence Bureau to investigate carefully. I understand. I have obtained all the witnesses and material evidence for you, if you still can't find out the other party's details, then you can write a report to Sanya yourself!"
Wei Lin laughed and said, "I don't think that if Brother Sun has detailed information, I will write it into the report together later, and I will ask for credit for Brother Sun by the way!"
Sun Bing sighed and said, "I don't care, but it's a pity that many brothers were lost in this battle. If the plan was more thorough in advance, maybe so many people could have been prevented from dying."
Wei Lin put away his smile and persuaded him: "If the earthen jar is not broken from the well, the general will inevitably die in battle. It is our destiny to die for the country and wrap his body in horse leather. These brothers will be able to enter the Hall of Martyrs in the future and be enshrined by the people of the whole country for a long time. It's not in vain for them to fight to the death in Liaodong! My condolences to Brother Sun, and you must come forward to make overall arrangements for the aftermath and compensation."
Sun Bing nodded and said: "This is a matter within Mr. Sun's job, so there is no need to say more. By the way, when can I see General Chen?"
Wei Lin said: "General Chen went to inspect the defense line of the isthmus today. When you arrived in Hong Kong, I sent someone to the front line to inform the general. You should be back tonight. You may already be on your way by this time."
As Wei Lin expected, Chen Yixin hurried back in a carriage after receiving the news.Regarding the secret operations of the marines in the enemy-occupied area in the north, Chen Yixin naturally knew about it, and he had always kept in touch with Wang Tom through telegrams.
Before this, Chen Yixin was not very optimistic about the prospect of the operation, because this kind of reconnaissance operation that sneaked into the enemy's rear was extremely risky. It was already good to be able to confirm the existence of the Musketeers. It would be too risky to forcibly attack under the enemy's nose , and the probability of success is limited.
So Chen Yixin once suggested that Wang Tom should send troops directly to fight a traditional amphibious warfare after confirming the whereabouts of the Qing Army Musketeers, and use a large force to forcefully eat the opponent, or why not expose his whereabouts at all, continue to lurk in the local area and wait for the opponent The next time you go out to perform a combat mission, send back key information, and let the Jinzhou garrison come forward to eliminate this musketeer team.
But in the end, the actual situation did not seem to develop as Chen Yixin expected. The Marine Corps did make a move, but it was a small group of people lurking in the local area who took the initiative.The news he received at the isthmus defense line did not include detailed battle conditions. The orderly only said that the marines who had withdrawn to Jinzhou seemed to be in bad condition. This made Chen Yixin quite worried, and immediately changed his original itinerary and rushed back.
(End of this chapter)