Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 169 Tunneling
The rivers in the vast wilderness all belong to dendritic river systems, with tributaries and main streams intersecting at acute angles.

The Hed people adapted to the terrain, building their city on a narrow, high plateau where two rivers meet. The city was surrounded by water on three sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, with only the northwest side being solid ground.

Although the two unnamed rivers have a rapid current, they are not too wide, and can be crossed by swimming or boating. The land around Bianli City is thus divided into three parts by the two rivers.

Therefore, the army of Plato that besieged the city was divided into three, with two detachments setting up camps on the south and northeast sides of the river to prevent the Hed people in the city from crossing the river and escaping.

The main force crossed the river and set up camp northwest of the earthen city, building walls and moats to block the land route. Meanwhile, temporary bridges erected by engineers connected the three locations across the two rivers.

Palatul's army had been besieging the city for nearly two months, and these arrangements had been completed long before the arrival of the Jaska contingent.

Although they did not launch a direct attack on the city walls, the Parat people were not idle during this period.

Under Major General Arpad's orders, the engineers never stopped digging tunnels under the city walls. Most of the timber brought back by the JASKA battalion was used by the engineers to reinforce the tunnels.

However, the progress of the tunnel was classified, and the officers of the JASKA squadron had no idea about it.

As auxiliary soldiers, their only responsibility was to dig trenches and guard them.

No one knows the decision-making process from above, but at least the generals have reached a consensus.

Two infantry battalions and one cavalry squadron of the Fifth Army Corps broke away from the main force and headed east. Following Brigadier General Sackler's orders, they would return to the west bank of the Styx to rebuild the pontoon bridge.

Apart from this, Palatine's army did not divide its forces further and focused all its efforts on attacking Bianli City.

……

The Paratists' attack began after noon, when the light was in their favor.

The Paratul generals were all seasoned professional officers, and they could immediately recognize the arrangements made by the Heds.

The Tucheng “Bianli” is long and narrow in shape and is roughly divided into three parts: west, central and east.

The main city is the highest point, and the east and west sides of the main city are fortified cities built by the Hud people.

Due to the erosive action of the river, the terrain on the north and south sides of the earthen city is steep, and the river also serves as a barrier. Attacking from these two directions would only result in heavy casualties.

The terrain to the west and east is relatively flat, but the eastern city is surrounded by water on three sides, making it equally difficult to attack.

Therefore, the west is the most vulnerable position of Bianli, and the Hede people will definitely deploy their main force in the western city. The battle for the western wall will determine the success or failure of this battle.

The Heds challenged them with a formidable array of troops, but having no clever strategies available, they could only grit their teeth and bear the brunt of the attack.

As the sun reached its zenith, Arpad sent messengers one last time to persuade them to surrender. The Hads, quite graciously, refused and did not attack the messengers.

The war drums thundered, signaling the Parat people's attack.

A mournful horn sounded from afar, and figures flickered on the city walls. Several city gates burst open, and the Heds began to enter the fortifications beneath the walls.

Led by the officers, the Parat people behind the ramparts roared in unison. The shouts rose higher and higher, and everyone who heard them felt their blood boil.

War cries echoed across the wasteland as the Platu army marched out.

Winters peered out of the trenches used to defend against enemy breakouts and watched as heavily armored Plato soldiers pushed dozens of shield wagons, providing cover for musketeers as they slowly approached the city walls.

Alaric's thousand-strong force once attacked Styx's camp with shield wagons, and now the Paratians were using the exact same tactic, which made Winters chuckle.

With time running out and the Heds' long-range firepower being weak, the higher-ups decided that there was no need to dig trenches to advance, and Brigadier General Sackler ordered a direct attack on the city walls.

Winters' troops were not part of the siege sequence; the Jessica Battalion was responsible for defending a section of the blockade line, so Winters could construct trenches according to his own plan.

He was already very experienced in this kind of work in the archipelago.

He laid out the trenches at six-meter intervals, without making them run horizontally, which saved time.

Scattering soldiers like salt makes them vulnerable to being overwhelmed. Winters widened each bend in the trench to accommodate two squads of ten, which he called the ramming bend.

Beside Winters, the militiamen also poked their heads out of the trenches, watching nervously as the attacking troops pressed toward the city walls.

Several plumes of white smoke rose from the city walls on the high ground, and Winters' heart tightened—Bello had not lied; the Heds really did have cannons.

The shells, accompanied by a thunderous roar, flew towards the trench where Winters was. The militiamen cried out in alarm and scrambled back into the trench.

Winters remained motionless as the shell whizzed past four or five meters above the trench and disappeared into the distance.

What's the point of shelling the trench? The gunners on the city wall were definitely aiming at the shield wagons, but their shots were way off target.

Winters couldn't help but shake his head. In his opinion, the Palatul's siege capabilities were just as poor as the Hed's siege defenses, both being third-rate.

A militiaman next to him got up from the ground and suddenly spoke up: "Why are you shaking your head, sir?"

Winters glanced at the militiaman who had asked the question: "What's your name?"

He has recently recruited a large number of militiamen, which has resulted in him not being able to recognize all the people.

"Ish, Ish from Ganshui Town." The militiaman was so nervous under the watchful eyes of the Blood Wolf that he was at a loss for what to do.

The other militiamen in Chongjiao were also stunned for a moment.

“I shook my head because attacking the city like that would be pure brute force.” Winters tried hard to remember the appearance and names of the militiamen in front of him.

He jumped back into the trench, brushing the mud off his hands as he said, "Stop looking, Bian Li won't be able to take it today. Pick up your shovel and keep digging!"

……

The shield wagons approached the earthen wall, the musketeers suppressed the archers on the wall, and the swordsmen and shieldmen leaped over the wooden railings, low walls, and moats below the city to fight the Hud people.

Winter days are short, and Plato's army fought a hard afternoon but still failed to clear the fortifications beneath the city.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Brigadier General Seckler had no choice but to order his troops to retreat to camp.

After sunset, Andrei and Mason gathered again in Winters' tent. This time, not only the two of them, but also Lieutenant Vineta from the front-line camp came to have a meal.

No fewer than ten people were crammed into the small military tent. They couldn't even stretch their legs out and could only huddle together in a cramped and uncomfortable position.

The atmosphere inside the tent was very lively, and some people even brought alcohol.

This was the first time Lieutenant Vineta and his comrades had gathered in such numbers since they were stranded in the land of galloping horses. Comrades from the same class, fellow countrymen, and old comrades-in-arms were reunited after a long separation, and they were almost ready to burst into tears on the spot.

A biting wind howled outside the tent, but the people sitting around the iron stove didn't feel cold at all.

Bud wasn't there, because it was his first night shift, and he was probably still counting stars in the trench.

"So all the sheep-riding guys are useless?" With only his own men in the tent, Andrei commented without restraint, "With this level of skill, I could do it too! It's just a matter of sacrificing lives anyway."

"Actually, the barbarians have a pretty good strategy. Triangular bunkers, multiple trenches, crossfire from both sides of the city—it's a headache for anyone. Just the fact that their cannons haven't exploded all afternoon shows they're no ordinary barbarians." Vitor from the artillery section swallowed a mouthful of distilled liquor and passed the bottle to his right.

To Vetor’s right was Winters. Winters took the bottle but didn’t drink it, then passed it to the right.

He sighed and said, "I've been digging trenches all afternoon, and I don't even know who we're fighting. Who's the commander of the city?"

“I think his name was… Yasin.” Vitor rubbed his temples, trying to remember. “The chieftain of the Red River tribe, the barbarians call him White Lion.” Andrei suddenly perked up. “White Lion? Winters hunted a giant lion! Its head was as big as a cartwheel! It weighed several hundred pounds!”

"is it?"

“It wasn’t me, it was a hunter who killed him.” Winters didn’t want to talk about this topic at all.

Berrian lifted the curtain and brought in an iron pot filled with steaming meatball soup.

It was cold, and the food would cool down quickly, so Berrian put the pot on the iron stove in the middle of the tent and continued cooking, while Winters casually added some firewood to the stove.

The food brought an end to the casual conversation. The group first scooped out the meatballs, then cooked noodles in the broth from the pot. In this wilderness on the edge of the "civilized world," the Venetians found a hint of home in the food.

After a hearty meal, Lieutenant Sanu of the cavalry licked his fingers and said, "I'm curious, where did those barbarians get their cannons? Do they know how to forge cannons? And gunpowder? Shells? Gunners?"

Andrei picked his teeth and sneered, "If the Tanirians can get their hands on cannons, why can't the Heds? Old Ma said that the inscriptions on the heavy cannons on Chiliu Island have all been scraped off."

Mentioning the fallen Marcello brought a wave of sadness to everyone.

Winters recalled the way Marcello walked towards him with two bottles of wine at the victory banquet as if it were yesterday.

Kona asked hesitantly, "You mean... someone might be deliberately providing artillery and technology to the barbarians?"

"No need for 'possible,' it's true! Even barbarians can defend a city now. Would you believe me if I said no one taught them? It must be the work of those mud-brick people from the United Provinces! They messed with us last year, and this year they're messing with the Parat people!"

“We can’t be so arbitrary…” Kona was still struggling.

Andrei glared and shouted, "There are forces around Palatul capable of forging heavy cannons—the United Provinces, the Venetas, and the Oathbreakers to the north. If it's not us, and it's not the United Provinces, then who else could it be but the Oathbreakers? Stop speculating! It's just the Mud Guys backing up the barbarians."

Lieutenant Mason looked somewhat embarrassed; Bud wasn't there, and he was the only person from the United Province in the tent.

Andrei quickly added, "Senior, Mud Guy wasn't talking about you."

Mason was even more embarrassed, his smile was bitter: "It's nothing, anyway, neither the United Provinces treat me as a United Provinces person nor the Paratul people treat me as a Paratul people. I'm neither."

The atmosphere suddenly turned sour.

“In Palatour, we are all strangers.” Winters tried to change the subject and steer the conversation back to military matters: “I think it’s normal that the Palatour people are not good at siege warfare. When they fight the Hed, they always rely on cavalry to dominate. Why would they need to attack fortified cities? Cavalry is too valued, so infantry is suppressed. Isn’t Alpad just one level higher than Seckler?”

In Paratú's army, Major General Arpad was a cavalryman, while Seckler, who was an infantryman, was only a brigadier general. The commander-in-chief, General János, was also a cavalry commander in the Sovereign War.

“I’ve already said all the harsh things, so I might as well get it off my chest.” Andrei, who had been sulking on the side, stubbornly tried to steer the conversation back on track: “Since everyone is here, I have something I’d like to discuss with you all.”

All eyes were on Andrei.

Andrei cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "I think that regardless of whether the Paratists win or not, we need to prepare as soon as possible..."

……

……

The first day of the siege went poorly, but on the second day, Brigadier General Sackler became even more determined and began advancing towards the city walls early in the morning, while the tunnel troops also worked through the night to excavate.

The walls of the earthen city were not high, but the Platu army lacked artillery—and even if they had artillery, it would not be very effective against the low walls made of earth and wood—so they could only use shield wagons to cover the area below the city before digging up and blowing up the walls.

The Harts added two bastions to the west wall, dug multiple layers of moats outside the city, erected low wooden walls, and deployed archers—mainly bowmen, with a few muskets—on and below the walls.

Plato's army's main objective was the two bastions; without taking down the two bastions first, they could not attack the city gate.

Sergeant Miller of the Fifth Army's Chief Battalion pushed the shield cart uphill, and when he finally reached the first breastwork, he was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

Due to the terrain, the breastworks below the city walls were positioned higher than each other, so they would not obstruct the line of fire.

Arrows from both above and below the city walls struck the shield carts, producing a series of muffled "thuds."

Miller's men raised their shields high, desperately hiding behind the shield wagons. Many of the Heds were still using bone and stone arrowheads, which were ineffective against plate armor, but no one wanted to gamble.

Moreover, the swordsmen only wore half-body armor, and the Herd archers specifically targeted their legs.

The sound of arrows whistling through the air was occasionally punctuated by the muffled thud of muskets—the sound that chilled the swordsmen to the bone.

They had reached within ten steps of the wall, but everyone hesitated to advance. Soldiers Miller gritted their teeth, raised their shields, and roared as they charged toward the breastwork.

An arrow struck Miller in the chest with a sharp crack, sending arrowheads and splinters flying. Miller froze for a moment, but continued charging forward.

Seeing the sergeant take the lead, the other Palatine soldiers gritted their teeth and followed suit. The musketeers set up their gun barrels on the shield wagons and began firing at the archers on the city walls.

After a fierce battle, the Heds were routed, and Miller led his men to clear this small section of the breastwork.

Arrows were still raining down from the city walls. Miller was hit in the right leg by an arrow, and his comrades in the same tent dragged him back to the other side of the breastwork.

The Paratul soldiers temporarily used the breastwork of the Hed to block the Hed's arrows.

Next, they need to fill in the trenches, then attack the next breastwork, fill in the trenches again, and attack the next breastwork before they can finally reach the city wall.

While Plato's soldiers were engaged in a fierce battle with the Heds outside the city, Winters was still leading his men to dig a Z-shaped trench extending from the city walls.

In his eyes, the soldiers of Palatine were fierce and brave enough, but the generals were too impatient and too careless, always thinking of taking the enemy in one fell swoop.

It should be noted that applying foam will not delay shaving, as there is an uphill road of more than 600 meters between the attack position of the Paratist army and the city wall.

Without finding a way to shorten this distance, how can we launch an effective attack on the city wall?

Moreover, Plato's generals still do not realize the importance of keeping the enemy trapped inside the city walls.

As an officer who had closely observed Antonio commanding siege battles, Winters noticed that his elder brother's first task in every siege was to find a way to lock the enemy inside the city walls.

During the middle of the Battle of Tacheng, Venetta soldiers even sneaked into the moat at night to retrieve artillery shells, while the Allied forces were trapped behind the city walls and could only watch helplessly.

Once the defending troops are unable to leave the city walls, the city is not far from falling.

But now that the Paratul army is attacking Bianli City, according to Bad, who was on night watch last night, it was the Hed people who secretly slipped out of the city gate at night to retrieve arrows and repair fortifications.

In this way, the siege would become a complete war of attrition, which is definitely not the situation that the attacking side wants to see.

So while the half-armored Plattus swordsmen were fighting the Heds under the city walls, Winters was busy digging trenches with his men.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica did not issue such an order, but he did not obstruct it either.

The lieutenant colonel went to see Brigadier General Sackler, and soon more laborers and militiamen were transferred to Winters to dig trenches.

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(End of this chapter)