Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 101 Engineers
After the fixed end of the drawbridge on the triangular fortress was cut off, everyone on the bridge fell into the open space between the fortress and the city gate.

Fearing a surprise attack from the Venetians, the defenders dared not open the city gates to rescue the people.

This makeshift triangular fortress was actually just an earthen mound, without even a gate to enter or exit; the only access was a drawbridge connecting it to the city wall.

After destroying the drawbridge, the Venetians temporarily cut off the defenders' support and turned their attention to slaughtering the remaining Union soldiers inside the Triangle Fortress.

A dozen or so Union soldiers fled into a storage room deep inside the Triangle Fortress. The space was cramped, and for a time, the Venetians couldn't do anything to them.

Seeing his soldiers standing at the door, none daring to go in, Juan was enraged and roared, "Useless trash! What are you standing there for? Take off your armor and give it to me!"

A soldier immediately took off his armor, and the others hurriedly tied it on the centurion.

Don Juan was wearing his original officer's armor, with two layers of breastplates underneath, making him look particularly bulky and clumsy.

He pulled a short knife from his boot, and without saying a word, kicked open the wooden door.

The Tanirians inside the gate were also startled and instinctively pressed the serpent's lever. Two consecutive "thuds" followed, one from a gunshot and the other from a lead bullet hitting Juan.

The lead bullet pierced the outer breastplate, but this changed its trajectory, causing it to bounce off the inner breastplate and fly out from under the ribs.

Juan felt as if he had been hit by a sledgehammer, his internal organs churning and he almost suffocated, but he still managed to thrust at the nearby enemy with sheer willpower.

Seeing the centurion's actions, the soldiers behind him also rushed in, and the Tanirians were quickly wiped out in close combat.

Meanwhile, the defenders on the city wall also came to their senses. They clipped their heavy arquebuses to the breastwork and began firing at the enemy on the triangular bunker.

The city wall was three to four meters higher than the triangular fortress, giving the Tanilians a commanding view. The barrage of lead bullets rained down on the Venetians atop the fortress, making it impossible for them to stand firm.

[The triangular fortress in front of the city gate is 5-6 meters high, while the city wall of the tower city is 8-9 meters high depending on the terrain.]
But what happened next left the Union officers and soldiers on the city wall dumbfounded: a group of strange soldiers rushed up from in front of the triangular fortress.

They were called soldiers because they were all wearing gray military uniforms. It was strange because they weren't carrying weapons, but rather various tools.

The second batch of troops sent by Antonio and Leighton consisted of engineer battalions from the two legions.

The engineers, chanting slogans, used shovels, picks, and explosives amidst a hail of enemy fire to break down the pointed corner of the triangular bunker that pointed directly at the Vineta position, turning the original five- or six-meter-high earthen wall into a gentle slope.

Then the Venetta engineers carried buckets of soil and bundles of firewood up the gentle slope to the triangular fortress, like a genie in a fairy tale who brought a city overnight. Using sacks, soil, and firewood, the Venetta engineers built a temporary fortress on the triangular fortress, which, unlike the original structure, faced the city wall.

The Venetians' position on the triangular fortress was quickly consolidated, and the ranged weapons of the defenders on the city walls could no longer kill the Venetian soldiers inside the fortress.

All of this was accomplished under the guns of the Tanirians.

That night, the officers and soldiers of the Tanilia Federation understood for the first time what military technological superiority truly meant.

Military technology is not just about better firearms and artillery; it's also about superior concepts, training, and tactics.

The Tanirians could muster the courage to fight the Venetians to the bitter end, but they would never be able to execute the Venetian army's tactics tonight—a resolute and swift attack and efficient earthwork.

The siege lasted for nearly half a month, and for the first time, William Kidd began to feel a sense of despair.

……

……

The first day after the brief but fierce battle for Triangle Fortress.

For the first time, the Venetta army began a truly large-scale artillery bombardment of the city.

Heavy artillery hadn't been brought up yet; the cannons roaring at the front were all light artillery weighing less than six pounds. These cannons were unlikely to cause any real damage to the city walls; the shells only left white marks on the hard granite outer walls.

But the shelling has continued since early morning and hasn't stopped yet.

There are two reasons. First, while light artillery and mortars are difficult to destroy city walls, they are extremely effective against the breastworks on top of them. The Venetians focused their bombardment on the two crescent forts and the city gates in order to knock down those breastworks, leaving the defenders with nowhere to hide or take cover on the city walls.

Secondly, it is also necessary to put pressure on the defenders of Tacheng, making them unable to launch a counterattack against Triangle Fortress.

Because the Triangle Fortress was in such a crucial location, and so close to the city walls, even now, Venetian soldiers wanting to reach it have to pass through an open area within range of the Tannhau's guns and cannons.

The engineering battalion is working hard to extend the tunnel to the triangular bunker, but it is still about 100 meters short.

The triangular fortress was only seven or eight meters away from the city wall. If the Tani wanted to counterattack the fortress, he could simply use a long ladder to cross it.

The Venetians, however, wanted to reinforce the Triangle Fortress, but they had to cross a "kill zone"—what the officers called the open area covered by gunfire.

If Tani is determined to retake Triangle Fortress, the two battalions of infantry inside alone will definitely not be enough to hold it.

Therefore, it was necessary to use artillery fire to suppress the defenders on the city gate, so that they dared not stand there and could not organize a counterattack.

Meanwhile, the two battalions inside the triangular fortress were frantically raising it, using sheepskin bags and burlap sacks filled with mud to build a high wall on top of it.

The logistics chiefs of the Grand Vinetta Legion and the San Marco Legion were heartbroken. They knew that for some poor, ordinary people, sheepskin and linen were things that could be used as clothing, but now they were being used without hesitation to build walls.

Time was of the essence, and cost was no longer a consideration for Antonio and Leighton.

While the front lines were working hard, in the field camps where the two legions were stationed, Winters was hesitating whether to knock on the door.

"Slap!" The crisp, loud slap was clearly heard even by Winters outside the door.

From the corps headquarters in the center of the field camp came Major General Layton's furious roar: "Damn it! Why did you cut down the drawbridge?! Who gave you the audacity to act on your own?!"

"Slap!" Then came an even louder slap.

"Yes, sir!" Lieutenant Don Juan, staggering from the blow, said defiantly, "A troop of armored soldiers was about to cross the drawbridge! If we hadn't destroyed it in time..."

"Slap!" Before he could finish speaking, Lieutenant Juan was slapped hard across the face again and knocked down.

"Did I give you permission to speak?! Did I allow you to speak?!" Layton's rage intensified. "What were your orders before the attack?! Tell me! What were your orders?!" Don Juan quickly straightened his posture and shouted back, "Yes, sir! The primary objective is to drive the enemy out of the triangular fortress! Secondly, if conditions permit, control the drawbridge, sweep the walls, and seize the city gates!"

"What order gave you permission to cut down the suspension bridge? Who gave you permission to give that order without authorization!" Layton roared, "[Veneta's profanity]! You've ruined everything!"

“But…” Juan was still indignant after being slapped three times.

"Alright! I didn't call you here to give me a lecture!" Antonio interrupted Lieutenant Juan.

In Antonio's view, the young lieutenant wasn't entirely wrong; the battlefield situation was constantly changing, and those in the rear had no idea of ​​the dangers at the front. However, Juan was Layton's subordinate, and Antonio couldn't undermine Layton's authority in front of everyone.

He frowned and said to Juan, "Whatever you saw, you have no right to make this decision. Your battalion commander is on the front lines; it's his responsibility, not yours, to decide whether or not to cut the suspension bridge! Understand? You like to make excuses, don't you? Go back and submit a self-defense report... General Layton and I have a meeting soon, get out of here!"

After listening to the Serbian legion commander's words, Juan looked at Layton again.

"Get out!" Layton, still seething with anger, uttered a single word impatiently, his chest heaving.

Lieutenant Juan brought his boot heels together, saluted, and turned to leave the corps commander's office.

But as he walked out of the command center, he bumped into Winters, who was waiting outside.

Seeing Juan's swollen cheeks, Winters quickly saluted him. Don Juan simply nodded, nonchalantly wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve, and walked away with his head held high.

When Winters delivered the road construction headquarters' report to the corps commander's office, the two major generals were still talking about Juan.

"...That little beast, that stubborn mule, still won't give in! He just [swears] and deserves a beating!" Layton said bitterly.

"Come on. Weren't you just like this when you were twenty?" There were only two people in the office, and Antonio didn't hold back in exposing his classmate's past.

Layton snorted coldly, but didn't say anything more.

There was a knock at the door, and Winters brought in the report.

The two high-ranking officers of the legion were very concerned about the progress of Guzhi Road and demanded daily progress reports.

In the known world, there may be armies more valiant in combat than the standing armies of the republics, but there are absolutely no armies more adept at civil engineering and construction than the standing armies of the republics.

The road construction plan devised by the Road Construction Headquarters was very ingenious. It was neither a complete overhaul nor simply drawing a straight line between Chiliu Port and Tacheng on the map.

The engineering officers' hair was thinning, but the engineering plan was excellent: it made the most of the island's existing rammed earth roads while avoiding hills and streams, thus minimizing the amount of work.

The Guzhi Road, which is 33 kilometers long, has a base of large stones and clay at the bottom, a second layer of gravel and mortar, a third layer of sand, lime and clay, and a top layer of stones as a hard surface.

However, this road did not use higher-quality volcanic ash concrete; it was not even used until the mortar had fully hardened.

The road ahead is still under construction, but they've already started moving artillery behind it. As the road is advanced a little, the artillery is moved forward a little.

According to the engineering officers, the road's lifespan might be questionable, but they assured him that it would be fine for the next three to five years.

While Lieutenant Colonel Woban and the Tacheng garrison countered each other's moves and outwitted each other, the progress of the road connecting the two places was increasing rapidly.

But even on the day of the raid on the triangular fortress, the front line of construction was still four kilometers away from Veneta's camp. But time waits for no one; after these few days when the moonlight was at its darkest, the next time they thought they could wait until next month would be the next month.

Therefore, Antonio and Leighton made a decisive decision: without waiting for the heavy artillery to arrive, they used livestock to transport light artillery to the front line as an emergency measure. This is why they were able to suppress the eastern half-moon fortress with four mortars. The western half-moon fortress was equipped with four two-pound cannons, and the artillery that attacked the city walls uphill was not very effective. Instead, the bulky mortars made a difference.

Antonio flipped through the report without uttering a single casual remark to his nephew, while Winters stood at attention, waiting for orders. In the military camp, only the corps commander and probationary warrant officers held personal status.

Layton, sitting to the side, was unaware of the familial relationship between the two. After staring at Winters for a few seconds, he suddenly stood up, walked to Winters' side, and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Aren't you the warrant officer who broke the Red Sulphur Bay iron chain? Is it you? I'm not mistaken, am I? It's you, isn't it?"

Winters' face flushed slightly, and he stood at attention, replying, "Reporting to the General, it is I!"

"Kid, what are you doing doing road repairs?" Layton asked with a strange expression. He squinted and thought for a moment before saying, "Winters...you're Winters, right?"

Winters couldn't answer this question. He couldn't very well say that he didn't want to go to the front lines, could he? He could only reply, "Reporting to the General, I have received orders to transfer!"

Layton was clearly satisfied with the answer. He laughed and turned to Antonio, saying, "I say, General Serbiati, you're such an incompetent corps commander! You're wasting such good steel. You're sending such a fine front-line officer to build roads?"

After criticizing his old classmate, Layton turned to Winters, patted him on the shoulder, and said magnanimously, "You little rascal, want to lead troops under me? Let me tell you, after this battle with the Tannen, who knows when the next one will come. If you don't try to earn more merits now, you'll only ever be a colonel at best. You're still in your probationary period, right? Once you're officially commissioned and join my legion, I'll give you a centurion of the chief battalion! How about it? Want to come? Your name is Winters... uh, Winters Montagne, right?"

Without looking up from behind the desk, Antonio said, "Warrant Lieutenant Montagne, feel honored. General Layton remembered your name after only two meetings. Back in military school, he couldn't remember my full name even after two months."

“Montagne…Montagne…” Layton chewed on the surname, frowned for a moment, then smiled broadly and said, “This surname is good, Montagne is a good surname! There’s another Montagne in my class, but he’s a cavalryman…you, you’re an infantryman, right? It doesn’t matter…this means we’re destined to meet! You can come and lead troops under me!”

Winters recalled Don Juan's swollen cheek and thought to himself, "I don't want to get slapped every now and then." He played a word game: "Reporting, General! I'll go wherever the orders take me."

"Good! Good!" Layton assumed the young warrant officer had agreed. He patted Winters on the shoulder twice and said happily, "Good! Work hard under me! One day you'll be in my position."

Although Layton was nearly forty, he was still very strong, and his two slaps made Winters feel quite painful.

Winters saluted, and Layton didn't say anything more.

After reading the report, Antonio wrote down the order to be sent to the road construction headquarters on a piece of paper, sealed it with sealing wax, and handed it to Winters.

"The road is almost finished, and the remaining artillery will be deployed to the front line the day after tomorrow."

"Really? Great!" Layton was overjoyed to hear that the heavy artillery had finally arrived.

Antonio looked out the window and sighed softly: "The order to slaughter has been given. The hounds of war will ravage the Tanilians, and us as well."

Thank you to all the readers who voted for this book before, and especially to readers Justice and Purity is a Koala, Black Computer Accessories (sorry I was a bit slow yesterday), Tianshui has a Beauty, Ami, and Little Red Singing for their votes. Thank you everyone.

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(End of this chapter)