industrial lord

Chapter 733 Flames in the Trap
The "quill pen military strategists" have their own magazine. One guy often submits articles that seem reasonable under pseudonyms such as "Bald Logistics Minister" and "Tactical Pig". The most popular one is "Rolling Theory".

Aside from the Weisen Army and its staunch allies, many military units are equipped with guns that cannot fire in rapid succession, making the reduction of firing intervals a hot topic of research.

The three-stage firing method evolved from crossbow shooting, but this was a static military formation, so the "rolling attack" came into being.

The troops were divided into three to five rows. The first row fired and then reloaded, the second row moved forward to fire, and so on.

Today, this tactic has been further upgraded. For example, armies using folding shotguns have developed prone shooting and supine loading techniques, while armies using double-barreled shotguns fire only one bullet at long range for suppression, and fire two bullets at close range, or save one bullet to deal with cavalry.

Sende was well-versed in the magazine and admired this tactic immensely, and had been training his mercenaries extensively over the past two years.

The four companies lined up in four rows. The first row aimed and fired, then reloaded in place. The last row then stepped forward five paces and fired.

The port walls and arrow towers were immediately riddled with splinters and rubble. Two defenders were hit and fell, while the rest huddled behind the walls.

Sende excitedly ordered: "Attack in ten steps!"

After another round of firing, the next rank of soldiers moved ten paces in front of the firing team and began firing at the top of the wall.

Stone fragments flew everywhere from the top of the wall again, and someone who tried to look up was so frightened that they immediately shrank back.

A smile appeared on Send's face. At this rate, they would soon be able to take over the port walls.

He felt that taking the port so easily was too boring, so he ordered: "Companies 2 to 4 spread out to provide cover, and Company 1 will charge to the city gate to establish defenses!"

He then said to the three magicians, "I ask you to break down the city gate later."

They always had to make a big splash so they could claim credit after the battle.

The mercenaries weren't nervous at all when they saw that the other side only had a dozen or so people while they had five hundred. They just treated it as a show for their boss.

There was no movement on the wall, except that someone tried to hold up a mirror to observe, but it was immediately smashed by several veteran soldiers with good marksmanship.

The first company launched an attack on the city gate in a horizontal formation; it was more of a drill than a siege.

As they approached, the dozen or so seemingly terrified defenders on the city wall suddenly sprang into action. Their movements became extremely swift; they lit the oil-soaked rockets they had prepared beforehand, drew their bows, and instead of aiming at the charging soldiers, they fired in unison at several inconspicuous, shallow ditches at the base of the city wall.

Send felt a surge of disdain. What era are we living in? Still playing with rockets, and they can't even aim properly.

The rocket landed precisely, and in an instant, flames shot into the sky from those gullies!
Judging from the intensity of the fire, it was no ordinary flame; it was violent and swift, with thick black smoke following the white smoke.

Sunder was sweating profusely. He had heard that some people made granules from grease, slime, and poisonous plant powder, then mixed them with fire powder granules. When ignited, these granules burned rapidly, producing high temperatures and toxic fumes.

Beneath the ground in front of the city gate, fire trenches were buried, forming squares about half a meter in size. The fire walls that rose almost instantly were more than a meter high, with raging flames, oppressive heat, and thick smoke that instantly engulfed the dozens of mercenaries at the forefront.

A bloodcurdling scream rang out!

The soldiers, engulfed in flames like human torches, writhed and howled in agony. The scorching heat and toxic smoke made it impossible for soldiers outside the fire circle to get close enough to rescue them.

Baron Sende's smile froze on his face as he stared in disbelief at the sudden, hellish scene.

He lost dozens of soldiers but didn't even get close to the city wall!

What infuriated him even more was that the dozen or so soldiers who set the fire turned around without hesitation and slid down the ropes on the inside of the city wall after lighting the fire trenches.

In the harbor, out of sight of Sunder, several small boats were moored by the water. The garrison soldiers quickly boarded the boats and rowed to the opposite bank, disappearing into the forest on the shore.

The whole process was clean and efficient, as if it had been rehearsed countless times.

The fire burned for nearly an hour before gradually subsiding.

Baron Sende's face was ashen as he looked at the charred and twisted corpses and the chaotic battlefield, his anger burning fiercely.

He suppressed his horror and anger, and commanded the remaining soldiers to extinguish the embers. Finally, at dusk, he used magic to blast open the undefended port gate.

The port was deserted and deathly silent.

Although it came at a heavy price and the process was extremely ugly, the port was eventually captured.

Looking at his small flag fluttering in the north wind amidst the ruins of the port, Baron Sende's vanity and sense of luck resurfaced.

He ordered his soldiers to rest in the warehouses and cabins that still looked relatively intact, and sent someone to report the victory to Rudolf via radio—although the report was full of exaggeration.

Rudolf quickly replied, verbally praising Send and ordering him to guard the port.

The mercenaries collected the remains of their fallen comrades, made simple repairs to the gate, and searched the entire port. By the time they finished, it was already dusk.

The port was deserted, many warehouses were so empty that not even rats could be found, and the houses and shops were empty of tables, many of them burned down.

The best building was the tax collector's house, a traditional three-story wooden building with many arrows and throwing axes nailed to its exterior.

Send led the remaining men of the 1st Company into the tax collector's building, the 2nd and 3rd Companies moved into the surrounding shops and houses, the 4th Company was stationed at the dock, and the 5th Company guarded the city wall and was stationed near the city gate.

Exhausted mercenaries poured into the building, ate a quick dinner, and soon fell asleep in disarray.

Baron Sende also began to rest. Although he was still uneasy, the excitement of the conquest and the fantasy of future rewards temporarily overwhelmed his fear.

In the dead of night, the port was deathly silent, save for the footsteps of patrolling soldiers and the sound of the wind. Suddenly, dozens of dark figures silently emerged from several inconspicuous corners—perhaps the attics of abandoned houses, or the cellar entrances of empty shops.

They dispersed like ghosts, carrying tinder, and skillfully crept around key wooden buildings and houses piled with large quantities of dry wood and hay.

Some shadowy figures sneaked into the houses where the soldiers lived, kindly locking the doors and windows from the outside and preparing gifts for them.

The flames were quickly ignited, and with the help of the dry wind, they instantly turned into a raging fire.

The flames greedily licked at the wooden house, and the fire spread at an alarming rate.

The patrolling mercenaries were on their way to put out the fire, but the vengeful demons were lurking in the surrounding darkness. Arrows shot from behind, followed by a flash of blades, and then silence fell. Not a single one survived.

When Baron Sende was awakened by the screams and scorching heat outside, the entire port was already engulfed in flames!
"It's on fire! Put it out!"

"Run!"

Explosions suddenly rang out one after another. Soldiers who broke down doors and pushed open windows triggered grenades, and were either killed or seriously injured.

The piercing screams, the crackling of burning wood, and the soldiers' desperate wails mingled together.

The firelight illuminated the night sky and reflected Baron Sende's face, contorted with extreme fear.

Under the cover of three magicians, he rushed out of the cabin and headed towards the harbor against the wind, where the fire was less intense upwind.

Sende watched helplessly as his army struggled and fled in the inferno, only to be swallowed by collapsing buildings or flames.

People who escaped the fire gathered at the port, where the cold river water gave them a sense of security.

But slaughter followed.

A dozen or so men had been lying in wait there, and they could see Sender and his magicians clearly in the firelight, with a dozen four-barreled shotguns locked on them.

First, a gunshot rang out, followed by a series of gunshots.

The firelight illuminated the sky, and the fiery red sky could also be seen from the camp of the Rhine Alliance army.

"Quickly!" Rudolf roared, "Send reinforcements immediately!"

This was his first military order, and it was being carried out by his own people; if it was messed up, the consequences would be dire.

Count Shu Yun Stiga hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! This could be a trap by Yurmand to ambush our reinforcements!"

Count Pistor also said, "Your Majesty, the enemy's situation is unclear, we cannot act rashly!"

At this moment, Becher, the head of the Royal Mage Corps, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I will go myself."

Rudolf quickly replied, "Okay, thank you for your help. Please be careful."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the God of Law had made his move; ambushing him would not be an easy task.

Then someone else stepped forward and said, "I'll go too, but I'm worried it might be a trap."

Archduke Palatine, another god of the Rhine Alliance, had kept a low profile in this war, operating only within his own Griffin Legion and not attending military conferences, but now he has also stepped forward.

Rudolf quickly said, "Please be careful, Uncle."

In a deep forest far from the port, a couple saw two fire dragons circling above the port.

Someone said to Yulmand, "Two of them have come at once; we can't handle them."

Yulmand shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Never mind then."

The man said, "Why don't we go to their military camp and see if we can make some money?"

“No,” Yulmand shook his head and said, “Intimidation has to be done one step at a time, accumulating until it finally overwhelms us.”

"I will still have to trouble Lord Preben next."

Preben, the swordsman of the Kingdom of Danma, who had met Frederick once after the Battle of the Elbe, said, "Don't be polite. Unless it's Richard Nar or Master Psyche coming in person, I can still hold my own in a one-on-one fight."

"I'm worried," said Yulmand with some concern. "Richard Nar has disappeared and we don't know where he is."

"It's not impossible for him to appear behind us now," Preben said helplessly.

Yulmand turned around instinctively.

Fortunately, there was no one else in the dark woods.

“Don’t say such scary things next time,” he said.

There are no living people left in the port now. Only some of the 5th Company of the Sende people who were stationed near the city gates saw that things were not going well and fled the city. The people sent by Yulmand had also long since withdrawn.

He thought the Rhine Alliance would send a team of royal knights to support him, and he was prepared to ambush them, but unexpectedly two Archmages came. He had no choice but to give up and go back to the castle to sleep.

(End of this chapter)