Lesson 9-2 Royal espionage
Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde. But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids.
So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed the Danish army. Now Alfred began along series of skirmishes -- and within a month the Danes had surrendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage!
force /fɔːrs/ 武装部队、兵力
assemble /əˈsembl/ 集合、组装;装配;收集;
trivial /ˈtrɪviəl/ 微不足道的;不重要的
horde /hɔːrd/ 部落;一大群人
prolonged /prəˈlɔːŋd/ 长期的;持久的
be fit for 适宜于
commissariat /ˌkɑːmɪˈseriət/ 军需供应
irregular /ɪˈreɡjələr/ 不规则的;无规律的;紊乱的;
harry /ˈhæri/ 不断袭击;反复进攻、骚扰
patrol /pəˈtroʊl/ 巡逻;巡逻队;
halt /hɔːlt/ 使停止前进，使停止，
assail /əˈseɪl/ 攻击;袭击;
skirmish /ˈskɜːrmɪʃ/ 小冲突;小规模战斗
surrender /səˈrendər/ 投降;(被迫)放弃，交出
episode /ˈepɪsoʊd/ 一段经历、一个事件
epic /ˈepɪk/ 史诗;叙事诗;壮举
