What's wrong with building a steel torrent in a dungeon?

"I've told you so many times! Don't call me Miss outside." Kagraz said a little embarrassedly: "Don't keep me in suspense, what is it?"

"It's a rapid-fire gun!" said the orc.

"Rapid-fire gun!!" Kagraz was delighted. "We have copied it so quickly?"

"Of course." The orc said proudly, "Grey Harbor is very powerful now! I'm not exaggerating. If we can capture the dwarf's golem, we can also copy it for you."

This was of course a joke, but it also shows the orcs' feelings towards Grey Haven.

"I really didn't expect that." Zhu Chongba also said with a smile: "Huigang has become so powerful."

Sankara, who was standing by, wiped his saliva with envy after hearing this. It would be great if the Troll Empire could also prevent rapid-fire guns.

"But! We also know very well that imitation is one thing and originality is another." The orc touched his smooth head and said, "We orcs are very familiar with firearms, but when it comes to design... To be honest, even if we are given another hundred years, we can't come up with such an improvement plan."

"Don't underestimate yourself, uncle." Zhu Zhongba said, "Sooner or later, orcs will be able to master these technologies! By then, you will be able to improve the firearms tailor-made for orcs."

"Hahaha! Good luck to you." The orc laughed heartily, and then said, "This time, we brought a full 500 rapid-fire rifles, as well as bullets specially made for rapid-fire rifles. Don't worry, we have strictly tested them and will not pass off inferior products as good ones."

"We have always trusted the firearms produced in Huigang." Zhu Chongba said.

"But this number is a little too little." Kagraz said, "Only 500... We need to get the troops in the rear to work harder!"

"After all, this is the first batch. It took a lot of time to make the mold, build a new production line, and train workers. "The orc said, "But don't worry, after mass production begins, we will be able to manufacture very quickly. The Lord Beast King has issued a death order that all factories belonging to the Orc Empire will stop other production tasks and focus on producing rapid-fire guns. The production capacity is guaranteed."

After hearing this, everyone's heart was warmed.

You should know that in addition to firearms, the factories in Huigang also produce many industrial products and metal products.

For the poor Orc Empire, these are real money-making things, especially during the war, when the prices of various industrial products and metal semi-finished products have skyrocketed.

But the Orc Empire gave up this great opportunity to make money, preferring to free up production capacity to help the trolls produce firearms

The degree of unity among the various forces in the Vienna Alliance is much stronger than organizations such as the Northern Alliance and the Chinese Alliance that are brought together for their own interests.

Since subsequent rapid-fire guns will arrive continuously, Zhu Chongba did not equip them to the fire brigade as he did before, to support the key attacked areas.

He distributed these 500 muskets to various regiments, and tried his best to make the soldiers familiar with this new weapon. Anyway, the reinforcements of the elves had not arrived yet, and the expeditionary force had already lost the desire to attack, so there was basically no pressure on the defense line during this period.

Afterwards, just as the orc uncle said, rapid-fire guns began to be sent to the front line continuously. Not long after, each position formed its own rapid-fire gun brigade. In this way, Huang Shang no longer needed to run around and wander around to resist the enemy's attacks.

In addition to rapid-fire guns, along with various supplies came reinforcements to Orila City.

This batch of reinforcements was not large, only 800 people, but they were all old subordinates of Huang Shang and Zhu Chongba. They had fought with the city of Orila from north to south, fought monsters in the underground world, and fought undead in Orila Gele. They were all experienced warriors.

Although 800 people are indeed not enough for the entire northern defense line, and now the defense line is stable and no longer as precarious as it was at the beginning, these 800 people can be said to be the icing on the cake.

But their arrival also foreshadowed another point. The large reinforcements from Orila City were not far away, and more and more warriors would arrive in the Troll Empire in the future.

The clarion call for counterattack is not far away.

At the same time, the first batch of elven reinforcements also arrived at the front line.

However, the scene before them seemed a little different from the war they had imagined.

Is this the legendary trench?? No!! This is clearly hell!!

January 2024, the first reward accumulated to 01 Meow Cookies, more chapters, thanks to the boss @黑暗星辰皇

Chapter 373: Friendly Forces in Trouble (Rewards and Extra Updates)

Unlike the trolls of Grom, the elves' trenches were dug in great haste.

They had no time to prepare and could be attacked at any time, so they could only dig as quickly as possible.

Secondly, they had no experience in digging trenches. The elven officers had never studied trenches and had no idea what the structure of a trench was or what equipment it should be equipped with.

Third, there were no suitable tools. Not to mention the engineering shovel, there were not even many hoes. They could only make tools by cutting branches.

Under such circumstances, one can imagine the quality of the trenches dug by the elves.

When winter came and the cold air mixed with rain and snow drifted in, the trench suddenly became a dark and damp sewer.

Due to the lack of experience, there was not even a place for soldiers to sleep and eat in the trenches. At night, many soldiers could only lie down in their clothes on a slightly flat place. Next to their beds, there might be stinking puddles or rodents looking for food.

Originally, the elf soldiers thought that this kind of life would only last for a week or two at most.

After all, in their view, trench tactics were only a stopgap measure, and the upper echelons would eventually figure out a way to crack the opponent's tactics. If they really couldn't crack it, they would definitely order them to return to the empire and end the war.

I have to say, these elf soldiers are really too naive.

Because next, they lived in the trenches for several months.

After staying there for a long time, the elven soldiers soon encountered their first problem - disease.

Rotting dead companions, water contaminated by excrement and corpses, rampant fleas, mosquitoes, and rats, completely unventilated narrow terrain, and extremely crowded environment instantly turned the trenches into a petri dish for bacteria and viruses.

As a result, after the first month, a large number of elven soldiers fell ill and had to be sent to the rear, which made the hospitals in the rear overcrowded. Even precious divine magicians had to be withdrawn from the front line for treatment, further increasing the emptiness of the front line.

Fortunately, it is winter now. If we wait until summer comes, the humid and warm air will further aggravate the spread of the disease. By then, I am afraid that the Troll Empire will fall to us first without us having to attack.

The soldiers barely managed to get through the first problem, but were then ravaged by the cold.

The food for the lower-level elven soldiers was not very good. All they could get every day was cold bread. In the later stages, as people's enthusiasm for the war declined and donations decreased, most of the heavy pressure fell on the head of the Elf Queen, which further compressed food supplies. In the end, their rations actually contained a large number of fruits produced on the spot by divine magicians.

That thing can only be used to fill the stomach and barely maintain a living. If it was within the empire, it would be fine, but they are now at war! Even if the enemy does not attack, daily patrols and operations will consume a lot of energy, and these small fruits are not enough to eat.

At the same time, in order to prevent their positions from being exposed and attracting surprise attacks from flying thunder cannons, the use of open flames was strictly prohibited in the trenches. This prevented the elven soldiers from replenishing their calories for a long time, and in the absence of fighting, they could only huddle in a corner and shiver every day.

Under such dire circumstances, the elven soldiers became increasingly war-weary.

They were originally low-level elves who were forcibly conscripted. It was not easy for them to hold on until now without collapsing or fleeing (of course, most of the credit goes to the Supervisory Team). Seeing that the war would last endlessly, they didn't know when they could go home.

In this situation, they didn't even need the Elf Guild to instigate them, as they were already full of complaints! Some elven soldiers were dissatisfied that their officers had better food than their own and could live in large tents behind the trenches. They even shot at their own officers when they were desperate.

The entire elf camp is like a huge powder keg, which could explode instantly at the slightest disturbance.

Fortunately, at this time, the reinforcements of the Elf Kings finally arrived, which made the officers of the expeditionary army breathe a sigh of relief. If they didn't come, sooner or later, the soldiers under their command would say something like "The Heaven is dead and the Yellow Heaven should be established". With so many soldiers of the expeditionary army, it is very likely that the Southern Army will be directly overwhelmed.

However, after the new troops arrived, they did not help the front-line to repair the trenches and consolidate the defense lines. They did not even look at the expeditionary force, but impatiently launched a charge towards the enemy's trenches. As for the battlefield notes that the expeditionary force had spent a lot of effort to compile and the detailed explanations of the enemy's tactics, they were all treated as waste paper by them.

Faced with these arrogant officers, the expeditionary force remained silent from top to bottom and did not remind them of the horrible hell they were about to face.

After all, the Southern faction has always believed that the nine Elf Kings are not in the same system. When they were defeated before, the nine Elf Kings also used various languages ​​to ridicule and slander the New Leaf King and other generals of the Southern Legion.

The officers of the Southern Army had been waiting to see what was going to happen, so they were naturally unwilling to remind them. Of course, there were a few officers with a sense of justice and sympathy who spoke out, but their numbers were too small and their influence was not great, so they naturally could not cause much commotion, and in the end they could only watch as the friendly forces gathered their troops and launched an attack on the other side.

The final result is predictable. The Vienna Alliance soldiers, who were equipped with a large number of rapid-fire guns, easily repelled the elves' attacks time and time again.

Although on the surface these elf troops were all elite, they were so elite that they disdained to equip themselves with firearms! There was not even a single cannon from top to bottom. The so-called fire suppression was entirely dependent on the ancient tree.

However, the earth element condensed by the ancient tree was too large and its flying speed was slow. It was fine to use it against the city walls, but it was not very effective in bombing trenches made of cement and soil, and it was completely unable to suppress the Vienna Alliance soldiers crouching in the trenches.

Even if the divine magician team rushed forward with the protection of Shiloh, it was useless. The dense rain of bullets instantly dried up the divine power. Without the protection of divine power, the elf soldiers in the rear began to be ruthlessly slaughtered by bullets.

On that day, the elven troops launched at least five large-scale attacks, but in the end they could not even touch the iron nets in front of the trenches. In terms of results, they were even worse than the previous expeditionary forces! At least they had briefly occupied part of the trenches.

Faced with dense bullets, the infantry tactics of the Twelve Elf Kings were obviously outdated.

Before the invention of firearms, the elves' tactics were very old-fashioned and very effective.

They would let the divine magicians act as shield soldiers and guard the front, while the other infantry would gather behind the divine magicians' shields and use spears and bows to block attacks from the flanks. When the time was almost right, the densely packed infantry would suddenly charge forward and kill the enemy by surprise.

This tactic is very effective when facing the nations of the main plane, because other forces can rarely break through the attacks of divine magicians. Even if they can break through, they have to withstand the charge of a large number of infantry behind the divine magicians. The only way is to use long-range attacks to directly break down the divine magician's defense shield.

But looking at the entire main plane, which force's long-range power can match that of the elves? The elves' archery skills are unrivaled in the world, and the long-range ability of the elven ancient tree is even more unique and unmatched. Even the city crossbows and repeating crossbows made by the dwarves cannot keep pace with them, and can only be said to be barely able to compete with them in terms of numbers.

However, the emergence of firearms changed all this. It was no longer impossible to break the divine magician's defensive shield. The flying thunder cannon with a high arc could even fly over the divine magician's shield and directly into the dense military formation at the rear.

When the divine magician's defense shield was easily broken by firearms, the densely packed elves instantly became live targets. They were obviously still indulging in the previous tactics, forming a dense formation and charging forward recklessly. As a result, the soldiers in the trenches did not need to aim at all, they just raised their guns and shot in the direction with the most people.

After a few days of bloody fighting, the middle area of ​​the trenches was filled with the corpses of a large number of elves. These soldiers never understood until their death why their infantry tactics, which had been effective for hundreds of years, suddenly became ineffective. All their bravery became a weapon that accelerated their death.

In just the first three days of the battle, more than 6,000 soldiers of the elven army died, and more than 1,000 soldiers were seriously injured and lying on the battlefield, dying... However, in this situation, no one dared to risk the hail of bullets to save them, and could only watch them slowly close their eyes in the cold and pupils.

The second reward in January 2024 has accumulated 01 cat cookies and more updates. Thanks to the boss @黑暗星辰皇

Chapter 374: The Cry of Cannon Fodder

The intensity of the war was beyond the imagination of the Elf King. Although they also sent people to observe the exercises prepared by the New Leaf King, they roughly knew about the existence of rapid-fire guns and flying thunder cannons.

But an exercise is just an exercise after all!

Moreover, it was autumn when the New Leaf King returned to Green Miracle, and now it is winter. During this period, I don’t know how many rapid-fire guns were distributed to the Vienna Alliance, and how many flying thunder cannons were manufactured.

The power of a single rapid-fire gun is not that strong, and is even weaker than the previous models of muskets. With preparation, it takes several shots to break the defense of a divine magician. When divine magicians unite, they can create a stronger shield and share the damage.

But they really overestimated the power of the divine magician and underestimated the firepower of the enemy. If one bullet didn't work, they would use two, and if two didn't work, they would use four. Moreover, in the chaotic situation on the battlefield, no one could be sure what would happen in the next second, and there was no time for the divine magician to fully prepare.

After several failed attacks, the Elf Kings had to abandon their positions in the city of Gorom and try to break through in other directions.

Unfortunately, the configuration of trenches and firepower in each place was almost the same, and Zhu Chongba also prepared a large number of mobile forces. Once they found out where they were going to launch the main attack, the mobile forces would quickly move. As a result, the elves did not achieve any results except leaving behind a large number of corpses.

Since we can't break through the position, we can only passively defend.

At first, these elven soldiers were reluctant to enter the smelly trenches.

joke!

We are the noble, proud elite soldiers of the Elf Empire. How can we squeeze into the gutter where you peasants live? You cowardly elves deserve to stay where mice live.

They abandoned the trenches and chose to station their troops in front of the trenches, then used ancient trees and fortifications to set up several lines of defense.

With such a solid defense, they thought they could rest easy, but unexpectedly, that night they came under fierce attack from the enemy.

The flying thunder cannon came and went without a trace, launching attacks from directions they had never expected. Immediately after the bombardment, the assault troops charged, and the bullets poured down like a bucket, leaving the elves completely lost.

That night, they lost two entire lines of defense, four ancient trees were burned down, and only a charred and ruined area was left.

The next day, they gritted their teeth and repaired the two lines of defense, doubled the speed of the night patrol soldiers, and sent a large number of secret sentries to patrol the surroundings.

That night, the enemy did not launch an attack on their camp, but they harassed them everywhere and easily eliminated all the secret sentries sent by the elves.

The elves were not as familiar with the terrain as the trolls. Coupled with the possible artillery support at any time, the sentries had no room to react and were blown away, losing their combat effectiveness and having to flee in panic.

After losing the secret sentry, the troops of the Vienna Alliance once again launched a night attack on the elves' camp.

However, this time, due to the large number of soldiers defending and guarding, the attack of the Vienna Alliance troops was much less smooth than the first night. The elves successfully repelled the attack and held the defense line, which was barely considered a victory. But the cost of doing so was extremely huge. In order to hold their positions, a large number of elf soldiers were killed in vain by scattered shrapnel.

The fortifications were held, but they were built with the lives of the elf soldiers. If the situation continued like this, it would not take long for all these structures to be destroyed. Without anyone to guard them, the defensive positions would naturally become useless.

Later, the Vienna Alliance also discovered the huge shortcoming of this reinforcement force: the lack of firearms!

Although the expeditionary army had poor manpower and training quality, with firearms, they at least had the ability to fight head-on with the soldiers of the Vienna Alliance. However, the Elf King's troops were almost all traditional elf troops, and they still used bows, arrows, spears and other weapons.

Of course, this was not just because the Elf King was short-sighted. The dwarves' production was limited, and it was impossible to equip the entire Elf Empire's troops with firearms within half a year. It was already very good to be able to meet the needs of the expeditionary force.

After learning this, the soldiers of the Vienna Alliance became even more reckless, and even chose to launch attacks during the day. The elves, lacking effective means to fight the enemy, were defeated step by step and were no match at all.

With nothing else to do, they had to seek advice from the expeditionary officers and look through their battle notes to find possible tactics. After reading through them, they realized that the expeditionary army had basically tried all the tactics they had tried before, and they were completely ineffective. So much manpower was wasted in vain.

In the end, they helplessly discovered that the only effective tactic at the moment was a trench.

They had no choice but to endure the stench and crawl into the trenches.

But the trenches are not something that anyone can stay in, especially these pampered and privileged elves.

How could they tolerate the stinking ditches full of floating feces, the puddles soaked in blood, and the mountains full of fleas and rats? They were already crying for their parents after only staying there for a week.

The officers had no choice but to pull back the expeditionary forces that were still resting in the rear. They had them return to the trenches to defend the elite troops from the enemy's attacks, while they set up tents behind the trenches, claiming to be helping them guard the rear and rush to their aid in an instant when the enemy launched an attack.

This move instantly caused an uproar among the expeditionary forces.

We are all members of the Empire's army, why should you live in clean and sanitary tents like the masters, while we have to stay in dirty trenches? This is unfair.

It’s really unfair!

But the expeditionary force was composed of the lowest civilians in the empire, and there was no one among the upper nobles who could speak up, so no one would listen to their protests.

Happiness is a comparative, and so is suffering.

If it was just like before, and the expeditionary army was allowed to garrison in the trenches after taking a rest, they could still tolerate it for a while. But now with the comparison, the soldiers of the expeditionary army could no longer tolerate it! The flames of anger were rising crazily inside the expeditionary army.

The officers of the expeditionary force immediately realized that something was wrong and reported it to their superiors.

Unfortunately, the upper echelons of the expedition were undergoing major changes. The former commander-in-chief, King Newleaf, had been criticized by the entire Elf Empire for his consecutive defeats, and the loss in the naval battle had put Queen Lucy Antiriel in prison.

The Queen needed a scapegoat, so King New Leaf became the number one culprit for the entire failure of the Troll War and was forced to resign the title of commander of the expeditionary force.

With the resignation of King Xinye, the southern faction also completely withdrew from the expeditionary force, and the entire expeditionary force suddenly fell into a state of disarray and management chaos. The other elf armies even openly treated them as coolies and cannon fodder.

Anyway, you are the lowest and most inferior civilians in the empire. In the past, you were not even qualified to wear the uniform of the imperial soldiers. You could only be servants and followers to serve us elite soldiers.

Giving you a status now is already a great gift, you must learn to be grateful!! Hurry up and squat in the trenches to defend against the opponent's attack!