Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 788: Kill the General and Seize the Flag
Upon detecting the artillery fire, some enemy flags were torn down, and others began to waver. The officers were very pleased, feeling the bombardment had been very effective. Several thousand-household units near the commander's location began to inquire with Jessica whether they should launch the initial attack.

However, the Italians in the second row remained quite composed. Captain Francis was in his own group, while Manager Roberto stood by the captain, waiting for orders. Compared to the others, he was much calmer.

Roberto explained that one of the uses of these infantrymen is to draw enemy fire. A single shell could kill more people than it cost. Once everyone gets impatient and starts their attack, while it might indeed break the infantry's morale, the enemy's objective will have been achieved. Therefore, it's crucial to avoid impulsive, full-scale attacks, or we'll fall into their trap.

After hearing what he said, the others calmed down.

After several rounds of shelling, Zhu Wenku waved his flag and ceased firing. On the right, the cavalry formation began to move. Tang Sai'er personally led several dozen men, bypassing the soldiers in front, charging out of formation and heading straight for the allied army's main force not far away.

Some of the remaining enemies immediately returned fire. Tang Sai'er turned and brandished her spear, and her men scattered, forming small groups and charging towards different positions. Seeing their reaction, the enemy infantry's firepower also dispersed, with arrows sparsely following them and falling to the ground.

Enemy units in different locations reacted differently to these small squads. Some infantrymen maintained good order, preparing for the approaching squads and even calling for archers to fire and drive them away; but in other areas, still in chaos after the recent artillery bombardment, even as officers shouted for everyone to hold their positions and not retreat, some still nervously looked around to see how many were approaching.

In even more serious areas, some people had just gotten up from the ground, still trembling with fear. Seeing the cavalry seemingly charging towards them, they instinctively retreated to avoid them. The crowd pulled back, causing a gap in the battle line.

However, their officers reacted quickly, immediately summoning several nobles with mace-shaped scepters from behind, who smashed several of the fastest retreaters to death on the spot. The remaining infantrymen hurriedly ran back, temporarily holding the line.

Tang Sai'er herself took the lead and charged towards the central position of the military flag on the front line.

The allied forces didn't seem to take these few people seriously. Perhaps it was because their ranks were too scattered, and they hadn't specifically focused on dealing with this side. Only when Tang Sai'er rode to the front lines did someone shout, ordering the soldiers to engage. The soldiers in the front ranks immediately raised their spears and thrust them at Tang Sai'er in unison.

The enemy forces here are quite numerous, and their formation is relatively well-organized. Although Polish and Lithuanian infantry are generally not considered elite troops, their performance suggests they were specifically assigned here to protect the flag. No wonder they are so confident.

However, Tang Sai'er was already quite experienced in this situation. Before the infantrymen could charge, she had already turned her horse around, keeping the distance just outside the range of the spears, causing them to miss. A few bolder infantrymen, unwilling to give up, charged forward a couple of steps and chased after her, thrusting at her from behind again. Tang Sai'er dodged to the side, turned around, and with a spear thrust, felled the fastest runner. She whistled, and the dozens of riders also retreated. With no cavalry to cover the enemy lines, they could only watch them leave.

Back at the front, she had the flag bearer wave the flag to signal the others. Then, the cannons roared again.

This time, the firepower was even more concentrated than last time. Zhu Wenkui ran straight to the front lines, scolding the gunners for their lack of spirit and slow movements. Last time, they had a huge amount of gunpowder left unused, which could be explained away as routine combat, with no need for such waste. But this time, it was clearly a decisive battle; were they saving so much gunpowder for firecrackers during the New Year?

He specifically requested that no spare ammunition be left today. All the gunpowder given to them must be used up in this battle. Any artillery crew with any left will forfeit their special bonus for this battle!
His artillery instructors were recruited from all over Europe, and none of them had ever seen cannons used like this before. Urban was quite shocked and quickly tried to dissuade him. However, Zhu Wenku explained that if they won this battle, their communication with the various military districts in northwestern Rome would be unimpeded, allowing them to freely purchase gunpowder from there; if they lost, even if they kept the gunpowder, it would probably only be used for suicide...

Moreover, their biggest technological gap with countries like the Holy Roman Empire and Poland is not actually on the battlefield. In recent years, their biggest technological breakthroughs have not actually been in artillery.

What they truly invested the most effort in, and what brought them the greatest rewards, were the "dung heaps" that Guo Kang had created. Through years of experimentation, those saltpeter fields had begun to produce stable output. But according to Guo Kang, this was far from achieving the desired results.

According to Guo Kang, saltpeter fields, like farmland, require constant maintenance, and the yield of mature saltpeter fields is astonishing in comparison. Based on Seris's experience, one mu (approximately 0.16 acres) of farmland can produce about two to three hundred jin (approximately 100-150 kg) of grain, while one mu of saltpeter field can produce as much as one thousand to two thousand jin (approximately 500-6000 kg) of saltpeter.

Because in Seris, the peak of the saltpeter-making industry didn't occur during the Ming and Qing dynasties, but rather in the dawn before industrialization. At its height, 1000 saltpeter-making workers in the Taihang Mountains produced 700,000 jin of saltpeter annually. The price of saltpeter plummeted to 1 jin of millet for every 13 jin of saltpeter, yet even then, the profits were high enough to support a large number of private workshops that continued to expand production. Official records of production capacity even specifically mentioned the need to "reform" these workers, because the saltpeter-making workers had become so wealthy that they started to look down on their fellow villagers… Knowing these figures, Guo Kang was naturally very confident about future development.

Although they don't yet possess such advanced technology, the Black Sea coast offers abundant aquatic resources. The less valuable parts can be processed in nitrate fields to supplement their raw material supply. Coupled with proactive mineral exploration and nitrate mining, their gunpowder production capacity has the potential to continue increasing in recent years.

They started by trying it out, but since last year, Guo Kang has been actively promoting these techniques everywhere. Previously, Theodora and others thought he was spending his days with a group of priests playing with filth, wondering what he was thinking—perhaps only Slavs could understand. They simply couldn't control him and had to let him do it. In the past two years, the results have gradually become apparent, and much of the skepticism has lessened.

Therefore, Guo Kang and Zhu Wenkui's thinking was already somewhat different from others when planning the war. They were generous with the use of such precious gunpowder. Behind this was the immense confidence brought about by technological breakthroughs.

Urged on by Zhu Wenkui, and determined to keep their bonuses, the artillerymen immediately sprang into action, firing at a rate that was considered insane for the time. Round after round of shells flew along different paths toward the enemy lines, blasting one formation after another into pieces.

After several more rounds of fighting, Zhu Wenku ordered a ceasefire, while Tang Sai'er led several hundred men this time. Just like before, they scattered as soon as they broke formation, using a force several times larger to once again charge and probe the enemy.

Tang Sai'er, this time leading several dozen men, charged towards the military flag again. The enemy immediately mustered their remaining forces from the chaotic ranks to retaliate. Fearing they would charge directly into their formation, several noble officers, in desperation, personally led a group of men in a counter-charge. Cavalry mixed with infantry also rushed towards Tang Sai'er and her group in a chaotic frenzy. This time, Tang Sai'er did not choose to turn back, but instead spurred her horse forward, aiming directly at the leading officer. The officer raised his spear to meet her attack, steadying the tip as he thrust it towards her chest. Tang Sai'er immediately swung her spear, deflecting the spearhead to the right, then using the recoil, flicked it to the left, striking him squarely in the neck. A spurt of blood gushed out, and the man fell straight backward.

However, before he could fall to the ground, the others had already caught up. In an instant, seven or eight spears were thrusting at Tang Sai'er. She immediately got up, stepped onto the stirrups, and twisted to the side, avoiding several more threatening attacks. As for the others, she used her armor to take them on.

Even with the armor blocking the spear, the impact was still considerable on the trotting horse. Fortunately, Tang Sai'er was used to it. Instead of being stunned by the pain, she immediately counterattacked, wielding the spear with dazzling skill.

A nobleman on horseback directly in front of her was instantly pierced through the belly armor by her spear, blood gushing out immediately; she then pulled the spear back, smashing it into the head of an infantryman who had circled around behind her, causing him to scream in agony. Using the force of this, Tang Sai'er swung the spear to the side, the shaft striking the waist of a man wearing an extravagant outer robe, throwing him off his horse. Immediately, she pulled on the reins, and the warhorse reared up, kicking over an infantryman who lunged at her from the side.

Behind her, the other cavalrymen charged forward. These were all old comrades she had recruited and fought alongside, reliable fighters who directly repelled the enemy's counterattack. Seeing that her side had gained the upper hand, Tang Sai'er whistled again and continued her charge deeper into the enemy formation.

The enemy density here was much higher, and even after the shelling, many people were still guarding the area. They pushed and shoved each other as they approached her. Even the enemies who had been frightened away earlier regained their courage upon seeing so much support and began to turn back to fight.

Tang Sai'er didn't seem surprised; she simply continued wielding her weapon and leading her soldiers forward. The enemy grew denser and denser, gradually blocking their path. Some allied infantrymen reacted, directly attacking her warhorse and even reaching out to pull her away. Although her subordinates fought valiantly behind her, suddenly, enemies surrounded her from all sides.

The spears were too crowded to be used effectively in this area. Tang Sai'er decisively dropped them and drew two longswords. Her swords flashed, slashing at heads and necks, slashing at arms, cutting down the weapons and even the arms of a circle of enemies, preventing them from succeeding. For a moment, not a single person could get close.

After holding out for another quarter of an hour, the enemy finally began to falter. Those in the front ranks, unwilling to face her directly, retreated one after another. Soon, avoidance turned into escape. Tang Sai'er, as always, didn't even look at how many people were following behind, and just kept charging forward in pursuit of the allied infantry.

The enemy, already intimidated by the shelling, was now completely shaken. Many simply made way for her when they saw her, to avoid being attacked. She rode a few more steps forward and saw the large banner and the several nobles guarding it.

The leader was a tall man wearing an ornate helmet, armor that almost completely covered his body, and a colorful robe of unknown origin. Upon seeing Tang Sai'er, he lowered his mask, raised his lance, and charged forward. Tang Sai'er didn't have time to change weapons; she merely glanced at him, then released her right hand, waiting for him to charge.

The noble knight charged forward with a standard movement almost straight out of an old Hans textbook, lance held high. Just as the lance tip was about to reach her, she whirled around, reaching out to grab it. But her opponent reacted just as swiftly, instantly changing his thrust to a parry, the lance tip veering to the side, aimed directly at her. Tang Sai'er subtly twisted her body, dodging the lance tip.

However, at this moment, the knight, who had been holding the lance with one hand, suddenly pulled it back, his left hand also resting on the lance, and quickly withdrew it. The distance was no longer enough for another thrust, but he still twisted both hands sharply, spinning the lance in a wide arc, using the large counterweight at the back of the lance as a hammer, and with the speed of his horse, swung it down towards Tang Sai'er's face.

This time, Tang Sai'er didn't dodge with all her might. She simply leaned back slightly, letting the spear butt graz her helmet, slide down her breastplate, and strike her chest and abdomen. Taking advantage of the slight delay caused by the hit, she swung her sword horizontally from below, aiming for his open armpit, and thrust it in with a soft thud, penetrating more than a palm's depth. The knight released his spear, swayed a few times on his horse, and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ugh..." Tang Sai'er finally caught her breath and released some of the pain and nausea she had been holding back.

The knife was now out of her hand, leaving her completely unarmed. However, the others under the banner showed no intention of attacking; instead, they turned and ran, disappearing in a flash.

Tang Sai'er spurred her horse forward, grabbed the flagpole, pulled it out with a strong tug, and then hung it on the gun sling of the saddle, dragging it behind the horse.

Upon seeing the military flag fall, the Allied soldiers began to shout and flee in all directions. Her men also broke through the encirclement and gave chase.

"Boss!" someone shouted at her, "The enemy is collapsing! Should we call everyone to go after them?"

"No need!" Tang Sai'er waved her hand. "Let's go back!"

"what?"

Although somewhat puzzled, Tang Sai'er had already turned around first. She ran back a short distance, pulled a long spear from the body of an infantry officer lying on the ground, shook off the blood, shouldered it, and then turned around to call everyone to hurry back together.

(End of this chapter)