Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 561 Siege (Thirteen)

[Outside the Castle of Kings]

The biggest advantage of teaching on the front line is that you can practice on the spot.

So Houdel was very regretful at this moment. He did not pay close attention when the tribune Mason was demonstrating how to dig in a lying position.

Not only Holder, but probably few reserve officers could have imagined that the assignment assigned by General Manager Mason would be so exciting.

As soon as the class was over, the reserve officers were sent directly to the front line to practice the skills they had learned on the spot.

Houdel's class was taken by Baby Face back to the small fortress they had built three days ago.

Babyface handed everyone a tool, clapped his hands, and announced crisply, "Let's get started."

The doubts of some reserve officers, "Why do we have to do this kind of work ourselves?" were also refuted by the baby-faced man's nonchalant words, "In the future, we won't have to; now, we must."

At this time, the reserve officers gradually realized that the amiable General Manager Mason was actually the strictest one in the second school.

Because if other people's homework is not completed, they will only be penalized, but if Richard Mason's homework is not completed well, it may result in death.

Just now, when the general manager was crawling on the ground and squirming around, the reserve officers found it funny. Some even made rude remarks and mocked the general manager, saying he looked like a maggot.

By the time the trainees were driven into the trenches and really began to dig towards the walls of the Kings' Castle in the face of muskets and cannons, everyone wished they could turn into maggots and burrow into the ground.

Houdel is one of them.

At this moment, Houdel's clothes looked like they had just been pulled out of the water. The fabric at the back was soaked with sweat and stuck to his back, making him extremely uncomfortable.

The cloth in front was covered with mud, because the dry soil beneath him had also been turned into mud by his sweat;

The helmet was stuffy and hot, and kept sliding down, but Houdel didn't dare take it off;

Sweat flowed into his eyes, but Houdel didn't dare to wipe it off because his hands were also covered in mud.

On Houdel's left was a row of willow baskets filled with soil, and in front of him was a small cart with wooden boards nailed to it. These two things were his shelter.

Although he could breathe fresh air by just straightening up, Houdel didn't even dare to raise his head, and lowered his head as low as possible.

Although their trenches had just been dug and were at least two kilometers away from the city wall, the shadow of death still hung over everyone, making them feel suffocated.

……

As early as the first day when the new army broke ground for the city fortifications, the federalists immediately came up with a new strategy after discovering that the cannons could hardly pose a real threat to the attackers.

Instead of firing cannons during the day to intimidate the attackers, they sent in sharpshooters equipped with rifles at night.

The latter would quietly approach the trenches of the new army and lie in ambush until the sun rose and the siege began.

Then they would pull the trigger, take away any hapless officer, NCO, foreman, or anyone who had his head sticking out of the trench, and march back to the city in a swagger.

The officers of the new army knew clearly that the reason the federalists were not in a hurry to escape was to lure the pursuers into the effective range of the cannons on the city walls.

Therefore, even if the patrol cavalry arrived at the scene in time, they did not dare to pursue further.

The new army leadership had no good solution for the federalists' new tactics. They could only repeatedly emphasize discipline and strictly prohibit anyone from exposing their bodies outside the shelter.

If we only look at the number of casualties, the sharpshooters of the Federation only caused single-digit casualties to the new army.

However, they successfully disrupted the construction of the new army, slowed down the progress of the fortifications, and made the civilians and soldiers on the front line panic.

……

So at this moment, Houdel didn't know whether there was a federal man aiming at him in the killing zone between the siege trench and the city wall.

He could only lie close to the ground, leaning against the basket, and lower his head as low as possible.

Not only that, Houdel had to check while digging to make sure that the shallow trench he dug was straight.

Because when he walked into the corridor, the baby-faced man smiled and reminded him from behind:

"Be careful, don't go astray. If you go astray, you will die."

Although he knew that the baby-faced man was trying to scare him, Hou Del still couldn't help but be extremely alert.

The artillery deployed by the Federals on the city walls and fortresses had the capability of cross-fire.

Therefore, the trenches advancing towards the city wall cannot go straight forward, but must bend forward repeatedly - this is what Houdel learned when he besieged Maple Leaf Fort.

However, there were only a few hundred demoralized remnants in Maple Leaf Fort; and there were no cannons of the Federals on the walls of Maple Leaf Fort.

Everyone knew that the fall of Maple Leaf Castle was only a matter of time, so at that time, Houdel was neither afraid nor anxious, it was as if he was playing a game.

But this time is different, this time it’s for real.

The Federals' artillery was incredibly accurate, and they could hit the target almost accurately even from a distance of two kilometers.

It is conceivable that the further they advance, the more likely it is that the Federals' artillery shells will hit the trenches directly.

Therefore, the Tribune measured the angle of each trench that was advancing forward.

As the vanguard of the "digging team", Houdel's responsibility is to ensure that the trench does not deviate from the route planned by the tribune.

But this task was too difficult. After rolling in the mud, Houdel finally understood how difficult it was to "stay away from the path" as Baby Face said.

He could see almost nothing except the cart in front of him, the willow basket on his left and the soil beneath him.

Although he was on the ground, Houdel had the illusion that he was in a mine.

He could only bury his head and dig a few times with a shovel, then step back a short distance to make sure it was not crooked before continuing to move forward.

Claude, the second member of the excavation team, was about three meters behind Houdel. Compared to Houdel, who could only work by lying on the ground, Claude was in a slightly better situation and could half-squat.

Claude's task was to deepen and widen the shallow trench "dug" by Houdel, which was only wide enough for one person to crawl through, to a level large enough for one person to squat and walk.

Behind Claude came little Mazia, whose task was to deepen and widen the trench until it was possible to walk in it with a bent back.

His working environment is the most comfortable, but he has the heaviest workload and has to shovel the most dirt.

This "group excavation" model was developed by Richard Mason based on lessons learned after the siege of Maple Leaf Castle.

When Maple Leaf Castle was under siege, the speed at which the besiegers advanced their trenches had already stunned Old Felt.

At that time, the Tiefeng County Army's method of digging was that one squad was responsible for one trench. At the beginning, the trench was dug to a depth deep enough for one person to walk through. Two people would take turns digging forward, while the others would be responsible for widening and reinforcing it.

But Richard Mason still felt it was not fast enough, and with twelve people working in one trench, they could not fully display their talents and some of them were bound to be lazy.

So this time at the foot of the Castle of Kings, Mason began to try the digging mode of a three-person team.

Practice has shown that the efficiency of a group of three is no less than that of twelve people digging trenches together.

After the inspection, Mason felt very satisfied.

But Houdel, who is working hard on the front line, may not think so.

To be precise, Houdel's mind was blank and he had no ideas at all.

Not only Houdel, but also Claude, who usually talks a lot, now has no mood to chatter.

Not to mention little Majia, he had to use all his strength to barely keep up with the two people in front.

In the stuffy trench, the only sounds that could be heard were the three men's panting and the muffled sound of the shovel blades digging into the soil.

Houdel didn't know how long he had been digging. He mechanically shoveled the soil, stepped back, and then moved forward.

Until one moment, a pulling force came from Houdel's waist and abdomen, grabbing him tightly.

Houdel looked down at his belly button and found that the rope tied around his waist had reached its end and was tightening. Houdel was stunned for a moment, and after a while, he came to his senses and burst into tears of joy.

"It's the end!" Houdel turned and shouted to Claude, "The rope has ended!"

As Holder entered the tunnel, Baby Face tied a rope around his waist.

The tribune of Mason kindly limited the workload for each team, and as long as they dug enough distance, they could take a break.

When the rope reaches the end, it means the mission is accomplished.

When Claude and little Madia heard what Houdel said, they couldn't help but shed tears of happiness and collapsed in the trench.

After a while, the clay-like Houdel, Claude and little Madia returned to the fortress where they started.

  The next group of students who replaced them stepped into the corridor, bent over and carrying tools.
-

[Fort of Kings]

At the same time, on the top of the Kings Castle, officers of the Southern Front were also closely observing the new movements of the "rebels".

Jason Cornelius specifically summoned Lieutenant Colonel Montecuccoli back from Margit Island to reassess the progress of the "rebels" siege.

"I've only been on the island for a week," Montecuccoli, who had seen the fence posts passed down by word of mouth by the lower-level soldiers, asked in disbelief, "The rebels are making such a big fuss?"

Cornelius smirked.

"To be precise," Fritz stepped forward to explain, "it's three days. Three full days and one night."

"Three days?" Montecuccoli was dumbfounded.

"Yes," Fritz nodded. "After the Winged Lion Flag appeared, the rebels began to build siege works outside the new city..."

"What's the situation on Margit Island?" Cornelius interrupted Fritz and asked directly, "What actions have the rebels taken?"

"There were a lot of actions. We were building fortifications on the island, and they were building fortifications on the other side of the river, confronting us across the river.

“Not only do we repair fortifications during the day, but we also send people into the water at night to deliver supplies to the island.

"Lieutenant Colonel Lodewijk intercepted some of them, but a few small boats also slipped in," Montecuccoli pointed at the fortifications outside the city and smiled bitterly, "but compared to these, Margit Island is surprisingly peaceful."

"What do you think?" Cornelius asked meaningfully.

Montecuccoli hesitated for a moment, narrowed his eyes, and confirmed with Fritz, "You mean, the rebels started to build siege works after the 'Winged Lion Flag' appeared?"

"Yes," Fritz answered. "Both scouts reported the presence of the Winged Lion flag in the rebel convoy. The next day, the rebels began digging trenches outside the city. Prior to this, the rebels relied entirely on cavalry to block the entrances and exits of the Kings' Castles, so our scouts were able to infiltrate occasionally."

Montecuccoli thought for a moment and said slowly: “Only a Platonic person would be so arrogant as to think that cavalry alone is enough to surround a city.

"Now, the rebels have begun digging trenches and building high walls, switching from a dynamic blockade to a static blockade. This means that they have realized that their forces are too few for the Kings' Castle. Their attitude has begun to become pragmatic..."

"Are you trying to say," Fritz asked tentatively, "that the rebel commander has changed his strategy and plans to switch to a long siege?"

"Change of strategy?" Montecuccoli snorted. "I would rather believe that the rebels' baton has changed hands."

Montecuccoli pointed to the trenches that were spreading like roots from the fence posts to the Castle of the Kings, and frowned as he said to Cornelius, "During the Tanirian War, the Venetian Army dug zigzag trenches many times to approach the Tanirian fortress. I haven't visited the Venetian battlefield in person, but no matter how I look at it, I feel that it is this kind of thing..."

Cornelius nodded slightly in agreement.

Montecuccoli turned his head to look at Fritz again and asked, "When did the rebels begin to approach the city wall?"

Fritz coughed lightly, paused, and answered as calmly as he could, "This morning."

"This morning?!" Montecuccoli's glasses fell off his nose, he exclaimed, and fumbled on the ground in panic.

The next second, the glasses were handed to Montacuccoli - in Cornelius's hands.

Montecuccoli took the glasses, nodded at Cornelius, and without saying anything, put the glasses back on his nose, lay on the top of the city wall and observed carefully for a moment.

"If the rebels really started digging those serrated trenches this morning," Montecuccoli's expression became increasingly serious, "then at their current pace, they will reach the edge of the moat in less than 20 days, or at an optimistic estimate, 25 days..."

"Do you think," Cornelius asked calmly, "that the Venetta faction among the rebels has officially taken over the command?"

Montecuccoli was anxious and angry. "Why are you still thinking about that little Venetta kid? What does it matter who is in command? In a month at most, the rebels' artillery will be in our faces. We have to find a way to stop them!"

"Who will command the rebels is related to our success or failure," Cornelius asked with a smile, "Raymond, do you really think that the rebels are planning to attack the new city instead?"

"What can I do?" Montecuccoli said with anger, "Can the rebels still be led by me?"

"What about you?" Cornelius looked at Fritz.

"After the Winged Lion Flag appeared, the rebels really didn't make any major moves in the direction of Margit Island," Fritz said, trying not to include too much subjective analysis. "From their performance, it's possible that our defense on Margit Island was too perfect, so they gave up the plan to continue attacking Margit Island and tried to find a breakthrough in other directions instead."

Cornelius nodded and said something surprising: "I have the exact opposite opinion from you two. I think that the calmer the situation on Margit Island is, the more likely it is that the rebels will attack Margit Island. Therefore, we must let the local troops take over the New Town defense zone as soon as possible and reserve as many troops as possible for the battle on Margit Island."

"Are you sure?" Montecuccoli retorted bluntly in front of Fritz. "I'm not sure that Grove Magnus's rookies can hold their ground when the rebels' artillery is aimed at the city wall."

Although Fritz didn't say anything, his expression showed that he supported the artillery colonel's opinion.

"New City is not a good target. Even if we capture New City, there is still the Ten Arrow River waiting," Cornelius said calmly, "I don't believe that the rebel commander can't see this."

Cornelius looked at Montecuccoli and said, "You think the rebels' construction of siege works is a prelude to a large-scale siege, but in my opinion, the reason they built a wall around the new city is not because they want to come in from the new city, but to prevent us from leaving the new city."

"How do you explain those approaching trenches?" Montecuccoli asked, pointing to the root-like trenches extending from the fence-like siege fortifications.

"It's a great move," Cornelius said with a smile. "As long as they show their intention to attack the city head-on, regardless of whether they will eventually attack the new city, we will have to deploy more manpower in the direction of the new city. In fact, their goal has been achieved."

Although Montecuccoli was not convinced, he could not find any rebuttal, so he could only hit back, "What you said is just speculation..."

"Yes," Cornelius admitted frankly, "it's all speculation.

“First, although I saw the Winged Lion Flag, I don’t think the Veneta faction’s rebels took over the siege, because if the rebels were led by the Veneta faction, they would not come to attack the Castle of the Kings at all;

“So, I don’t think the rebels will easily abandon the soldiers on Margit Island, they are the elite troops of the local rebels.

“More importantly, giving up Margit Island is not just giving up a few veterans of the Centurion Corps, but also tantamount to admitting defeat and handing over the leadership of the rebels.

“The local rebels cannot afford a defeat, so they must take Margit Island even if many people die.

"Finally, no matter which faction is currently leading the rebellion, I don't believe they can't see the value of Margit Island."

"So," Cornelius concluded, "I think the rebels' 'offensive' outside the new city is just a feint. Their real target is still Margit Island."

"What if they just want to attack Xincheng?" Montecuccoli objected.

Jason Cornelius replied: "The chances are very low."

"What if they want to attack the new city?" Montecuccoli asked persistently, "Do we have enough troops to fight a trench battle with them?"

"No," Cornelius said calmly, "If they lose their minds and attack the new city without thinking, in a sense, it will be the worst case scenario for us."

"So," Montecuccoli asked word by word, "what if they want to attack the new city?"

  "Then," Cornelius sighed and smiled helplessly, "we have to find a way to dispel their irrational idea."
-

That night, the new army camp.

When Mason and Woods were reporting the progress of the past few days to Brigadier General Geisa Adonis, a cavalry officer suddenly broke into the tent and whispered something to the brigadier general.

A moment later, a dusty young man was brought in.

As soon as he entered the tent, the young man burst into tears:

"The people from the Federation are searching and confiscating property everywhere in the city. Please, General, seek justice for us. We are willing to help you enter the city as an insider."

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