Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 566 Siege (XVIII)

Before tonight, the new army had never used any barreled weapon with a caliber thicker than a thumb.

As a "Platonic army", the new army's artillery was also not well-known.

To the extent that the Southern Front had already conceded that the "rebels" lacked artillery support.

However, starting from tonight, the arrogant people of the Federation will truly realize that what they are facing is not a heterogeneous armed force, but another themselves.

Their enemies have received the same training as they have, have gone through the same education as they have, and are as familiar with their organization, thinking, and tactics as they are with their enemies.

This is Ned Smith's legacy - the armies of the republics are no longer the "armies of various countries" that were completely different during the Sovereign War. After absorbing each other's advantages, the differences between the armies of the republics are actually much smaller than they think.

What the Southern Army needs to defeat is not a group of noisy, flashy foreign cavalry who are waving curved swords, charging around recklessly, and making strange noises from time to time.

What they really need to defeat is another self.

So, how dare I assume that "I" don't have more powerful firepower than a musket?

As the thunder exploded on the river, William Lodewijk painfully discovered that he had made a big mistake.

It’s just that the tuition is too expensive.

The muzzle of the "rebel" cannon that roared first was slightly higher, and the lead bullets loaded in the barrel did not fall on the slope, but scraped past the top of the slope, taking away only a few musketeers whose heads stuck out too much.

However, the federal soldiers in the outpost at the top of the hill still felt the terrifying power of the rebels' artillery very intuitively.

The lead rain accompanied by thunder and fire made the outer walls of the outpost tremble, and the thatched hut on the top of the outpost was directly overturned to nowhere.

Even the people of the Federation, who knew nothing about cannons, realized in an instant that the "rebels" were bombarding them with some terrible artillery.

To the north of the landing point, Raymond Montecuccoli, who was using all his strength to lift the cannon south, was even more shocked.

Because the terrifying roar coming from the other side of the river was definitely not something that an ordinary four-pound or six-pound thing could make.

Montecuccoli felt dizzy - could it be that the rebels had really invited some old antique here?

The federal soldiers had no time to think, because another thunder, equally loud, exploded right after the previous one.

This time, the gunner, called "devil", considerately fine-tuned the wedge-shaped pads at the gun position.

Two tin cans jumped out of the muzzle one after the other, and then exploded while flying across the river. At a distance of two hundred and fifty to three hundred meters, a total of six hundred lead bullets expanded perfectly into two round cakes, evenly spread on the slope from the outpost to the trench.

The charge of a matchlock gun usually did not exceed fifteen grams, while a thirty-two-pound bronze cannon from the old days would consume sixteen pounds of gunpowder for a regular shot.

It is impossible for a flesh-and-blood body to contend with the energy contained in sixteen pounds of gunpowder, even if a large portion of that energy were wasted and distributed among six hundred lead bullets.

So, when the lead rain swept across the river bank, Lodewijk's second-best centurion was instantly beaten into pieces of broken limbs.

The breastplate and helmet were pierced as easily as wet tissue paper, followed by the bones, tendons, internal organs, and then the iron sheet on the back.

Then, the third heavy artillery opened fire, the fourth heavy artillery opened fire, the fifth...

The flames flashed seven times, like hell opening its lid seven times;

There were seven thunderclaps, like seven death knells.

When the smoke cleared and the bells died down, no one of Lieutenant Colonel Lodewijk's second-best centurion, seventy-six well-equipped and skilled regular army swordsmen and shieldmen, was still intact.

For a moment, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

Four double-loaded shots covered all the musketeers on both sides of the Ten Arrow River.

Then there were cries and wails.

Finally, the people of the Federation could no longer withstand the power of the heavy artillery and broke the silence they were so proud of.

The first attack launched by the garrison troops on the landing site was crushed.

But the "devil's" actions are not over yet.

When the federal soldiers on the high ground climbed out of the breastwork and tried to drag away their comrades who were still breathing, two six-pound cannons on the riverbank on the west bank fired a rain of lead mercilessly. The federal soldiers who rushed out of the outpost were immediately beaten back, leaving behind several more bodies.

Even the fighting spirit of the Federals in the shallow water was shaken by the cannons. Finding it meaningless to continue interfering with the "rebels", the Federal soldiers withdrew from the melee and swam downstream.

The Tiefeng County soldiers on the longboat and in the water did not pursue them. The soldiers who swam across went directly to the island, while the longboat carried the wounded back to the west bank.

The battlefield became deserted for a while, and both sides hid behind breastworks and in trenches, breathing heavily.

Only the Ten Arrow River is still flowing quietly, as if nothing has happened here.

But the broken limbs and arms scattered all over the high slope are undeniable evidence.

The temporary silence foreshadows that more blood will be shed on this land.

On the riverbank on the west bank, Mason looked at the dark Margit Island. The Southern Front troops on the island had extinguished their torches, so he could not see the situation on the other side clearly.

But he could imagine what a tragic scene it would be on the riverbank.

He felt sorry for it, but was also glad that these "daughters" who were older than him did not explode.

For a heavy artillery that can fire 32-pound solid iron balls, a distance of two hundred meters is too close, too close to allow the shotgun shells to be spread in the most ideal state.

So Mason ordered each heavy gun to be loaded with two shotgun shells at the same time.

This arrangement seemed risky at first, because during the Battle of Wailing Valley, a heavy artillery piece exploded, proving that these veterans of the Sovereignty War were not as indestructible as people imagined.

But in retrospect, this was a brilliant move. The loading method of two shotgun shells per one part of gunpowder reduced the power of a single lead bullet, but at a distance of about 200 meters, it was just right.

The pure mathematical calculations were verified in actual combat. Mason should have been proud, but he was not happy at all. Instead, he felt a little sad.

He looked at the brigadier general beside him, the nominal commander-in-chief, and thought he would see some emotions in the other party that he lacked.

Unexpectedly, Geisa Adonis also looked lonely and sighed softly.

……

  [Margit Island]

[Outpost east of landing point]

"What should we do next, sir?" Lieutenant Borkao, who was also the most senior centurion beside the current lieutenant colonel, tried his best not to show panic and helplessness. "Should we ask for help from the headquarters?"

"Go back to the monastery and get all the alchemical smoke and liquid fire," Lodewijk said calmly, "prepare for a second assault immediately."

"Now?" Borkao was stunned.

Lodewijk glanced at the lieutenant coldly. "Right now, can't you hear the movement in the south?"

"South?" Borkao listened carefully and shook his head. "Sorry, I can't hear anything."

"I can't hear it either," Lodewijk said expressionlessly. "This means that the rebels have cleared the fortifications in the south and are about to turn around and attack. The heavy artillery on the other side still needs to be reloaded. Now is the best time to launch a second assault."

"Aren't you going to ask for help from the Castle of the Kings?"

"If Jason Cornelius can't see that Margit Island is in danger," Lodwijk's eyes were filled with anger, "we might as well die here."

"But..." Lieutenant Borkao wanted to insist a little longer.

Lodewijk was too lazy to waste time talking to this subordinate who didn't agree with him. "Bring me the alchemical smoke and liquid fire. The rest is up to you."

Lieutenant Borkao knew that he had angered the lieutenant colonel, so he saluted and walked away quickly.

……

At the same time, at the southernmost end of the new city, the "Castle" turret protects the water gate and the river embankment.

Jason Cornelius saw bodies floating down from upstream.

  [I'm so sorry that the last few days have been so short]

[Compared to thirty years ago, the armies of the two mountains and narrow lands have become highly homogenized. Ned Smith's infantry structure is like a basic burrito. Although the republics have added different side dishes due to natural endowments, historical traditions and other reasons, they are still eating burritos in essence.]

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