European modulation mode

Step 4: Pull out the cleaning rod from under the barrel and tamp the bullet and black powder in the barrel.

Step 5: Take out the gravel and iron sheets and rub them against each other to produce sparks to ignite the fuse.

Step 6: Fix the fuse on the fuse clamp.

Step 7: Pull the trigger to trigger the mechanism. As the fuse falls, the gunpowder pool cover pops open, and the burning fuse goes directly into the firearm, igniting the gunpowder and triggering the shot.

Step 8: After shooting, due to the power of the explosion in the gunpowder pool, the fuse is bounced off the fuse clamp and now lies on the floor burning quietly. You need to pick it up again, fix the fuse, and then repeat the first step.

As early as eight years ago, Aenarion solved the problem of loading gunpowder into the barrel by wrapping black powder and bullets together with oil paper. This is the most experience-testing step in musket shooting. Too little gunpowder will have no power, and too much will easily cause the barrel to explode.

Without the matchlock, the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth steps are merged into one step. That is, pulling the trigger, the shooting process is directly reduced by half! Aenarion has not practiced with muskets in recent years, so he asked an auxiliary soldier to come. His matchlock can complete a shot in 30 seconds. After omitting so many steps, this soldier can complete a shot in 18 seconds with a flintlock, which greatly improves efficiency!

If he is a very elite veteran, this time can even be increased to one shot every 15 seconds, and he can complete a terrifying four shots in one minute!

The gun factory cheered and rejoiced at the success of the research! They spent another three days adjusting the details. Finally, this brand-new flintlock rifle had a caliber of 19 mm, a length of 8 cm, and a weight of 156 kg. It was named "Thunderbolt". All the matchlock factories in the empire immediately stopped production, and the workers began to work overtime to manufacture the new Thunderbolt flintlock rifles and replace the front-line troops in batches.

In Aenarion's conception, the combat power of the legion soldiers was extremely exaggerated, even somewhat inhuman, and there were a large number of wizard units that could not be explained by science. Therefore, it would be sufficient to replace the musketeers in the legion with flintlock soldiers, and no one else needed to be changed.

As for those auxiliary soldiers who are limited in strength than ordinary humans, they should abandon all spears and super spears and replace them with flintlock rifles to greatly improve their combat effectiveness. A battalion of 600 spearmen and 400 musketeers can all be replaced with musketeers. With this thing, the spear phalanx can be swept into the dustbin of history.

As for the training regulations, Aenarion immediately made reforms according to the changes in equipment. All soldiers had to practice both spear stabbing and musket shooting.

A few days later, a new problem was placed before Aenarion: lack of money. 20% of the monthly tax revenue was used to pay officials' salaries, and 60% was used for military expenses. The remaining amount was not much. Recently, Belgrade had to be rebuilt into a bastion, and the cracks in Adrianople blasted by the Iron Hands also had to be repaired, all of which cost money.

To manufacture so many flintlock rifles at once to upgrade the weapons of the entire legion, and also to manufacture matching black powder and bullets, and to replace the auxiliary soldiers, who account for 60% of the total number, with musketeers... the cost is indeed quite high, and it is roughly estimated that it will cost 12 million dinars of silver coins.

Aenarion frowned, and a plan came to mind. I remember that Shinra suddenly showed interest in firearms.

He immediately wrote a letter, praising the Queen of Holy Rai, and then complaining about being poor, saying he had no money.

Daenerys frowned slightly and subconsciously wanted to tear up the letter. Get out, I don't have any money.

But she looked down and saw that Aenarion was not there to borrow money.

He is willing to sell the matchlock muskets independently developed by the Roman Empire, as well as the Ottoman matchlock muskets seized from the Janissaries during several wars. The original price is 120 dinars silver coins each, but I will give you a preferential price of 100 dinars silver coins each. You have to pay for the shipping fee yourself. I have quite a few in stock here. I wonder if you are interested in buying one?

When it comes to this, Daenerys was very interested. She had the money, so she immediately negotiated the price, quantity, time and other details with the Eastern Roman envoy. Then, in her capacity as the Holy Roman Emperor, she ordered the Duke of Venice to take ships and money to Constantinople, and purchased a total of 50,000 muskets at the price of 5 million dinars of silver. 30% of these were newly replaced by the soldiers, and the remaining 70% were all spoils of war and spare parts piled in the warehouse.

With this money, the deficit for replacing weapons was barely enough. Aenarion replaced a batch of muskets, just like the Holy Roman Empire sold a batch of muskets. In view of the fact that Ranie began to give up and enjoy the good life of the emperor's concubine, the Habsburgs in Vienna had no idea about the birth of the flintlock. A total of 80,000 muskets were purchased in total, and the firearms unit in Maximilian's mind was established as quickly as possible - although it was a somewhat backward version.

Of course, as long as they didn't fight the Romans, they were still ahead of the times.

Chapter 402: The Seventh Balkan War

Factories in the Roman Empire worked overtime, and steel and timber factories in major cities worked hard to produce weapons for the army. They were excited and eager to contribute to the construction of the empire.

Not to mention the honor and rewards that victory in war brings to the soldiers, it is also of great benefit to the people.

When Aenarion became Augustus, peasants began to cultivate private land. They were no longer tenants or serfs, but had their own land and savings.

After the empire conquered the Thracian Plain, the price of grain in the entire empire was finally brought down. The empire was no longer dependent on imports and was no longer threatened by Venice. Even the Roman farmers were happy about the drop in grain prices, because they could not sell their grain at all as it had all been maliciously squeezed out and bought up by Venetian merchants. Now at least things were normal.

After the empire reclaimed thousands of acres of fertile land and a large number of livestock farms in Crimea, meat frequently appeared on people's tables, and it was normal for meat to appear on the tables of even civilians.

When the empire won a great victory over the Janissary states and forced them to cede land and pay compensation, people's lives became better. The peasants who had not yet been allocated land near Constantinople also had their true belonging there - there was no other way, the land near Constantinople belonged to the great nobles.

In short, Aenarion used this basic concept of constantly making the pie bigger and then generously distributing it to everyone to tie all classes and forces of the entire empire on one boat. Everyone understood that they could eat well and be full if they followed him, so they were united and even the common people were full of enthusiasm. Although this kind of thing is easy to say, they also have a very glorious, grand and just goal which is also easy to say: to restore the Roman Empire.

With the efforts of everyone, Aenarion completed the military reform in one and a half years. All the auxiliary soldiers in the fifty battalions were transformed into musketeers and equipped with flintlock rifles. At the same time, they were trained in musketry, shooting, and formations.

On September 1458, 9, all Serbian nobles held a referendum and finally announced with a terrifying proportion of over 15 percent that Serbia was willing to become a province of the Roman Empire.

At this time, the total population of the Roman Empire reached nine million. Serbia had the New Brdo silver mine, which was second only to the Laurion silver mine in Athens. The Serbian Black Knights were even more notorious. These factors raised the national strength of the Roman Empire to a new level! The only thing missing from the Balkans was the Sofia region in Bulgaria. The remaining Janissaries were also completely panicked. Even if they were combined, their size was far from enough to compete with the rising Roman Empire!

So, ask for help? How dare these Ottoman traitors go back to ask the Ottoman Empire for help? The Holy Roman Empire also gave up the Balkans and turned its guns to assist its younger brother, the Teutonic Knights, in managing the Baltic coast and taking a bite of Poland.

As for Poland, there was nothing they could do to help. First of all, it was a Catholic Christian regime. Secondly, all nobles could participate in their parliament. The nobles had incredibly great power and could even influence the king's decision. If a few nobles disagreed, the entire proposal would not pass.

Therefore, you cannot expect all the Polish Christian nobles to agree to mobilize their troops to march more than a thousand kilometers south, cross the Transcarpathian Mountains, and cross the Danube to attack their fellow Christians for a group of Muslims. The most important thing is that the other side is quite good at fighting. Not only are they tough guys, but you will not get any benefits from them either.

In desperation, the Janissary States discovered an opportunity: after Serbia became a province of the empire, 20% of the nobles who voted against it launched a separatist rebellion. Perhaps this is our only chance!

In October 1458, Bulgaria, the Ogre Kingdom declared war on the Roman Empire. Firouz, Chagatai Khan led two Janissary Legions to attack the Thracian Plain in the south.

Having invaded new Roman territories from the previous war, the army once again headed for Adrianople.

The Kingdom of Wallachia, the Kingdom of Macedonia, and the Kingdom of Albania also declared war on Rome. The three kingdoms, the three Janissary Legions, including the Golden Dwarf Army accompanied by Skander, used the excuse of ensuring Serbia's independence to send troops into the territory of the Kingdom of Serbia to assist the rebels and strike hard at the Roman Empire from two directions!

The situation on the peninsula has once again become tense.

Starting from 1453, six large-scale wars broke out in the Balkans over a period of six years.

The first Ottoman siege of Constantinople ended with the assassination of Mehmed II.

The Second Girimani Rebellion tore half of the Ottoman territory into pieces, turning it into the Janissary States, and the Roman Empire was divided into Macedonia and Western Thrace.

The third minor conflict between Chagatai and Philus turned into a major war that engulfed the entire peninsula.

The fourth time, Rome and the Janissaries attacked together, dividing up Girimonia's Thracian lands, and the Empire gained the entire Thrace.

The fifth time, Leman Russ colluded with Venice and launched troops against Rome both by land and sea. The empire recovered the entire Aegean Sea and destroyed the Kingdom of Macedonia.

In the Sixth War of the Serbian Succession, the Holy Roman Empire led a group of Janissary States to attack Rome, but all were defeated and forced to cede territory and pay compensation.

And now, the Seventh Balkan War has broken out again.

"Citizens of Rome! Soldiers! Generals!!!"

Aenarion stood in the Forum of Trajan, rallied the army and the people, and gave an impassioned pre-war speech.

"This war has been going on for too long. We have fought from Athens, Thessaly, Constantinople, and every village in the Roman Empire until today. But we did not come to plunder, nor did we take up arms to conquer! Nor did we leave our homes to fill the treasuries of the emperors and nobles!"

What leads us here is not despicable motives, but the noble will of God and the will of successive Roman emperors, which drives us to restore the former glory of the empire and pursue ideals that are nobler than ourselves!

The fire burning in our veins is brighter than gold, brighter than the palace of a king. Future generations will stand in awe of the great achievements you will create. Bards will sing praises of your bravery, strength and courage. A new monument will be erected in the square of Constantinople, engraved with the names of all the Roman heroes. We will be remembered as heroes forever by the Roman Empire!!!"

Aenarion passed through the crowd holding the Imperial Eagle standard high, and all the Roman soldiers cast fanatical glances at him.

"And our enemies are evil, filthy and obscene. You have witnessed the cruelty and greed of the Janissaries under the walls of Theodosius in 1453. You have seen their betrayal and double-dealing in Adrianople in 1455! You walk on the land they have plundered and listen to their crazy laughter! Our fallen compatriots now want to destroy our homes and steal our land again!"

"But they will fail! They will be torn to pieces by our steel and faith! They fight to satisfy their greedy rule! And we are fighting for our hometown, our empire, and for all our relatives and friends who need to be protected to stay away from this great terror! For God! For the empire! For Augustus!!!"

"For God! For the Empire! For Augustus!!!"

The Roman soldiers were inspired by the Emperor's passionate speech. They raised their flintlocks and phoenix halberds and let out terrifying war roars like a tsunami. The noisy atmosphere almost tore the sky apart!

"Now, who is willing to join me in bringing death to those invaders? Who is willing to join me in the Northern Expedition to recover the Roman homeland? Who is willing to hold the eagle flag of the empire and let its scarlet shadow once again cover the sky above the Danube???"

Aenarion's impassioned words stirred the anger in the hearts of all the soldiers, and the army burst into a roar like a tsunami. All the soldiers were angry and fanatical, but they lined up in neat rows. They walked out of the capital under the welcome of the people of Constantinople, and followed the emperor to march towards the front line!

Chapter 403: Sir, times have changed

Night attack, group land; 949③'6①'③5 Aenarion divided the army into two parts, and Warmaster Llane led the three legions of the First Legion Dark Angels, the Second Legion Varyag, and the Thirteenth Legion Ultramarines, twenty battalions of auxiliary soldiers, plus the local Serbian knights to quell the rebellion, and go to war with the three hostile forces that entered Serbia to assist in the rebellion. You are not required to win a glorious victory, but you must hold on to it and prevent the situation in Serbia from deteriorating and collapsing.

He himself, with his direct Third Legion, the Emperor's Sons, and twenty battalions of auxiliary soldiers, headed north to first deal with Philus, the leader of the Tenth Legion, and Chagatai, the leader of the Fifth Legion, who were threatening the Thracian Plain! Almost all the soldiers of the entire Roman Empire came out!

Soon, the two legions met in Aetos. Aenarion had only 10,000 legionnaires and 20,000 auxiliary soldiers, while Philus had 8,000 Janissaries, 40,000 conscripts, and Chagatai had 2,000 imperial guards and 20,000 Turkish ogre herdsmen, a total of 70,000 soldiers, more than twice the number of Roman soldiers.

Philus has some

Doubtful, Aenarion ordered Llane to take a large number of troops from across the country to defend Serbia. She could understand. After all, if the emerging Roman Empire suffered a defeat in Serbia or showed a slight decline, the Holy Roman Empire would definitely show its fangs again and re-enter the Balkans to support the Serbian rebels.

She could also understand that Aenarion himself came with a small army to defend Thrace. Adrianople was impregnable, and Aenarion personally brought a legion to guard it. She might not be able to break it, but her goal was to recover the land ceded last year and to tie down the enemy's forces here. She didn't think she could defeat the heavily garrisoned Adrianople.

However, after Aenarion arrived in Thrace, he did not defend Adrianople. Instead, he went out of the city and went north for hundreds of kilometers, with an army of 30,000, to confront his own 70,000 coalition forces in the wilderness of Aetos?

This is something that Filuse couldn't understand. Who do you think you are? Subutai?

"Chagatai Khan, you lead your Turkic ogres to attack Aenarion's flanks. My Iron Hands Legion, which is good at defense, will block them in the center. With such a numerical advantage, there is no need to consider tactics. Use the simplest hammer and anvil tactics to defeat them! I want to capture Aenarion alive and make him into my stone figurine!"

Philus briefly arranged the tactics and confidently led the three armies to take up positions.

Aenarion also made a simple arrangement. Twenty battalions of auxiliary soldiers formed a wide and thin square to block the Iron Hands, while the Third Legion was divided into two parts to resist the ogres on both wings.

Under the guidance of their flags, the soldiers of both sides gradually moved forward, and the Roman military musicians in every battalion began to sing loudly, interweaving the majestic and melodious trumpet sounds, the loud and rapid war drum sounds, and the high and shrill cymbals sounds into a magnificent Roman war song, which boosted the morale of the soldiers. With the help of the magic of the bards, the attack, damage and defense of the entire army were comprehensively enhanced.

As the two armies drew closer, Philus found that she didn't understand Aenarion any more. The musket was indeed a terrible weapon, but with every shot, the burning matchlock would be bounced off. This structural defect prevented the musketeers from forming a dense formation and they could only disperse. It was okay at a distance, but once a close combat broke out with the densely formed infantry, the skirmishers would be in a desperate situation of facing multiple enemies attacking at the same time. Therefore, they needed a large number of spearmen to provide cover. Even with bayonets, they could not engage in close combat on the front battlefield.

But the Roman auxiliary soldiers were actually armed with muskets, and the spears disappeared from their battle sequence? Moreover, all the musketeers were tightly packed in formation, marching towards him?

Philus was a little confused. Twenty thousand musketeers was an intimidating number. They couldn't defeat them from a distance and could only get close to the enemy as quickly as possible.

She immediately called in veterans from the Morlock warband. These Viking giants were once a pirate warband in the Black Sea, and were later recruited by her. All of them were half-giants two or three meters tall, wearing extremely heavy triple armor and holding two-handed giant axes. They were her most powerful assault force.

Next came the Slavic snake soldiers. These Slavs transformed into giant pythons, venomous snakes, and hybrids. They could not run faster than horses like werewolves, nor did they have extremely strong explosive power like leopards, but they would be densely covered with snake scales, and their defense ability was comparable to scale armor! In addition to the armor they already had, their defense ability was terrifyingly high. These Janissaries also had to hold shields and hammers to fight, which made their defense ability soar even higher. The two strongest infantry forces in Philus's hands were mixed together and charged forward.

Of course, in the front row, three teams of conscripts should be placed as meat shields. Isn't it Aenarion's Thunder? Isn't it three-line shooting? I am familiar with this.

"It's too far, wait a minute!"

When the enemy entered within 200 meters, some musketeers wanted to shoot, but were immediately ordered to stop by the centurions and thousand men. They formed a standard three-line formation and waited for the enemy to arrive in a dense formation within 90 meters, until they could even see the whites of their eyes, before they finally received the order to shoot.

"Fire!!!"

With a deafening roar, a large number of musketeers immediately pulled the trigger, and countless lead bullets flew out of the gun barrels in the flying flames and smoke, tearing through the sky like lightning, and exploded in the enemy's chest! Drilling fiercely into the target's armor and flesh, hitting out a gorgeous firework composed of blood, broken flesh, and flying iron filings.

At this distance, it was very easy to shoot a target the size of an army, and more than 80% of the soldiers successfully hit the target.

Moreover, because they were in a dense formation, their firepower was much denser than the volleys of matchlock guns. The Iron Hands only felt that the enemy's bullets were like raging waves, and like a dense swarm of locusts covering the sky and the sun, whistling towards them! The conscripts in the first row, who were used as human shields, fell backwards suddenly. The dozen hideous blood holes on their bodies were like fountains, spurting blood out. A large number of bullets even penetrated the human body and injured the soldiers in the second row! The screams, wails, and cries of pain resounded through the sky!

"Fire!!!"

Before the Iron Hands could react, the second row of soldiers also aimed and opened fire six seconds later, dealing them another devastating blow. Then, six seconds later, the third row of soldiers also fired, resounding like a nightmare! Three consecutive shootings killed and wounded over a thousand people in an instant, and almost all of the three rows of meat shields fell in a pool of blood. The firepower was dense and powerful.

The ferocity shocked Firus greatly.

The remaining conscripts were also stunned by the horrific shooting. Eighteen seconds ago, they had drunk wine and marched on the front line under the promise of the Janissaries. Eighteen seconds later, they heard three deafening thunders exploding in front of them! They saw three rows of dazzling flames and choking smoke erupting in front of them, and then dozens of transparent holes were shot in the bodies of their brothers. Warm blood splattered all over their bodies, and the air was instantly filled with the disgusting smell of rust.

The wounded soldiers looked around and saw that of the thousands of conscripted soldiers who had just been walking abreast, more than 80% were now lying on the ground, each one of them had been beaten beyond recognition by muskets. Some were shot in the head, and the huge impact force blew off their entire skulls, leaving their white brains exposed to the air, falling out of their broken skulls along with their collapsed bodies, splashing ripples in the blood plasma.

The horrific casualties made even the Janissaries feel a little nervous. The morale of the conscripted soldiers was directly shattered. After a volley, they let out sharp screams, dodged the Iron Hands behind them, and fled to both sides with the Roman legions in front!

The Iron Hands had no time to deal with the deserters. Even if they were in a three-line formation, it would take time. Generally speaking, they fired a round every ten seconds, so after the first round of shooting, they had 30 seconds to reload. However, the enemy might be a little nervous and afraid, and actually increased the firing rate to six seconds. It was impossible for the first row of soldiers to reload a matchlock in 18 seconds. Even the Janissaries were not that fast! We must take advantage of this gap and move forward immediately!

In order to maintain neat formation and unleash maximum power in close combat, the Janissaries could not run. Even though they were well-trained and the Viking giants had big strides, they could only walk 2 meters per second. In the 18 seconds of three-line shooting, they advanced 36 meters.

"Fire!!!"

But at this moment, the first row of soldiers omitted the loading of gunpowder and fuse and were able to complete the loading in eighteen seconds and continue shooting!

This time, countless bullets exploded on the bodies of the Iron Hands at a distance of 64 meters. The power of the bullets at this distance could even penetrate the shields and hurt the snake-men and beastmen. The performance of the Iron Hands was not much better than that of the conscripted soldiers. There were corpses everywhere and heavy casualties. However, under the protection of shields and armor, casualties were reduced. Six or seven hundred people fell in a pool of blood, their bodies were riddled with holes, but the morale of the soldiers in the back row was not broken. They still stepped on their corpses and continued to move forward with the thunder of Aenarion imprinted on them!

However, these elite soldiers were also extremely frightened. How did they load their muskets so quickly?

Philus' heart was bleeding. The new firearms of the Roman army had disrupted all the rules of the old era. Six or seven hundred elite Janissaries had died in such a meaningless place. But if they retreated now, the casualties would be even greater. Moreover, after six rounds of shooting, the distance between the two sides was only 28 meters. They had no choice but to fight on!

"Everyone! Charge! Charge now!!!"

Looking at the Iron Hands rushing towards them, the auxiliary soldiers were calm and fired the last round of shots at a distance of less than 20 meters. The effect of shooting at this distance was even more terrifying. The shields and armor shattered, and the broken armor and scale fragments, along with the bullets, pierced into their flesh and blood, smashing their internal organs. Dozens of bloody holes were made in the bodies of a large number of soldiers, and they fell backwards to the ground, never to get up again.

Some people were hit by bullets in the arms and thighs. The huge impact force of the bullets directly pulled their arms and thighs off their torsos. Their limbs were instantly torn off inside the armor, making a weak muffled sound. Blood gushed out through the gaps in the armor like a waterfall. The whole person fell to the ground in severe pain and could never stand up again.

By the time the Iron Hands rushed to the face of the auxiliary legion, their own side had suffered more than two thousand casualties in seven rounds of shooting in just forty-two seconds!

Chapter 404: Besieged on all sides

"Kill them all!!!"

The Iron Hands veterans, who were shot and covered in blood and wounds on the way to the charge, roared in anger. They finally walked through this road of death and engaged in close combat with the enemy. One by one, the Viking half-giants swung their axes and chopped three auxiliary soldiers in half with one sweep. A snakeman soldier took a tattered shield and hit hard, directly smashing the head of an auxiliary soldier. The war hammer in his right hand also smashed the second head into his chest. Blood splattered all over the sky like a fountain.

When the enemy got close to them and they were unable to shoot, these flintlock soldiers immediately implemented the second training rule: bayonet combat. After inserting the bayonet, the flintlock, which was originally 156 centimeters long, became two meters long. They did not need to master too many skills. They just stood together with their comrades and stabbed with the advantage of the weapon's length.

Soldiers were seen huddled together, with flintlock rifles with bayonets inserted in their hands raised high, forming a dense forest of steel spears, which continuously stabbed towards the enemy's heart with the force of a tsunami. Even the bayonets of the second and third rows of soldiers could support the attack of the first row of soldiers, forming an advantageous situation of outnumbering the few on the narrow battle surface.

The combat capability of the auxiliary soldiers could not be compared with that of the Janissaries, but it was not easy to break through the dense spear wall formation. Moreover, the enemy had been hit by seven volleys before rushing over, and suffered extremely heavy casualties. Although they had the advantage in hand-to-hand combat, it was impossible to break through the auxiliary soldiers' line in a short period of time.

The most crucial thing is that they are just auxiliary soldiers. Being able to achieve this is already far beyond expectations. Aenarion's legion soldiers have not yet been dispatched, but then again, this group of Janissaries is also outrageous. They can actually rush over under such terrifying firepower and quickly gain the advantage in hand-to-hand combat.

"Chagatai! Chagatai! I've got their center. Send your ogres out immediately!"

Philus was so distressed that she didn't even bother to call her ally by his title. She quickly raised the flag and sent a signal for the friendly forces to take action. However, no matter how she sent the signal, Chagatai ignored her and still stayed on the two wings with his ogres and centaurs.

Aenarion smiled with a look of success, ordered the flag bearer to raise the purple double-headed eagle flag symbolizing Augustus three times in succession, and gave his familiar, Chagatai, the order to attack.

After seeing the order, the pale horse immediately gave the order, everyone, charge towards Philus.

"Alright! Khan! I can't wait any longer! Guys, follow... Wait, what the hell? Who are we charging at?"

"Attack Firus? Isn't Bulgaria our ally?"

"what?"

The Turkic ogres were confused, not knowing what their Khan meant. Didn’t we follow Philus to fight the Romans? Rebellion on the battlefield?

"Are you questioning my orders?!"

Chagatai glanced coldly at the ogre, and the pressure of the Lord of the Legion was released instantly, as if the air was frozen and people could not breathe. The horrifying gaze made him feel like he was falling into an ice cave. The bloated beast, three or four meters tall, was so scared in front of this half-man, half-horse monster that he was sweating profusely. He didn't dare to fart and rolled away in shame to command the warriors of his tribe to launch an attack.