Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 177 A Small Improvement

As the saying goes: Don't disturb a lion's sleep, and don't cause trouble where there is none.

There is also a proverb: You can't touch a tiger's backside.

What the JASK team did last night can no longer be described simply as "groping someone's butt".

They set the tiger's rear end on fire, cut off a large chunk of flesh, and kicked its testicles hard before leaving.

On the watchtower, Winters calmly stuffed steel nails into the leather sheath of his arm armor, casually remarking to Budd, "The Herds have quite the temper."

"Isn't that obvious?" Bard replied irritably, "Why did you steal their idol?"

“It’s not that I wanted to steal it, you weren’t there,” Winters said with a heavy heart. “These guys’ eyes lit up when they saw such a huge lump of gold. I said, ‘Don’t touch it, leave it there.’ But they wouldn’t agree!”

The two men saw tens of thousands of Hart's cavalry—who, even a fool would know, were the main force of Teldun's army—surrounding the bridgehead in layers, and it seemed they were about to attack the city immediately.

The golden statue used for sacrificial rites was stolen, and the Hed people were furious and desperate to take it back immediately—which is understandable, but they chose the wrong place to start the war.

Although the bridgehead of the Jessica tribe is small, it is by no means an easy nut to crack.

This earthen and wooden building is situated on a high vantage point, with its back to the riverbank.

The surrounding area was open and bare, with only a small patch of trees that Winters and his men had cleared away. The ground was completely bare, with nowhere to find shelter.

The fortress walls were integrated with the wooden bridge spanning the confluence of rivers, allowing the defenders to advance or retreat at will.

Moreover, the bridgehead is very narrow on all four sides, so no matter how many enemies there are, they cannot deploy.

There were already two hundred-man squads stationed here. After the JASKA battalion arrived, they continued to modify and reinforce the existing fortifications.

They had far more time than the Sackler tribe, so what stood in the way of the Heds was not the rudimentary defense of the Sackler camp with its low walls and shallow moats.

Instead, it consisted of trenches over two meters deep and wide, continuous barricades, five bastions (four large and one small), and double-layered stockade walls of varying heights.

While it cannot compare to those meticulously designed, costly, and awe-inspiring star-shaped fortresses, breaching this defensive system would still require the Heds to pay with hundreds or even thousands of lives.

As the horns sounded, the distant Hart cavalry rallied and began their advance toward the fortress walls.

"You really dare to come?" Winters gasped. "Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Bard glared at Winters, jumped off the watchtower, and headed toward the southwest corner bastion he was in charge of.

When Alaric, who spoke fluent Common Tongue, led his men to attack the Styx camp, he used at least several dozen shield wagons as cover.

Winters found it hard to understand why the Teldun cavalry, who barely had any shields or even armored wagons, dared to launch such a large-scale attack.

A thought suddenly popped into his head: "Could it be that the Hed people... don't understand who the egg is and who the stone is?"

On the northeast corner of the fortress, Mason stared intently at several stacked reddish-brown stones 750 meters away.

Seeing the stones buried behind the wall of Hed people, Mason roared, "Fire!"

Five six-pound cannons fired in succession, solid iron balls flying accurately into the crowd, piercing through bodies and carving out five deep bloody furrows.

The Heds were clearly unprepared for the defenders' artillery. To bolster their morale, they advanced slowly in dense formation.

However, the surrounding open ground had been marked by Mason, and with such a dense formation, there was absolutely no possibility of missing the target.

Five shelling attacks, though limited in their destructive power, had already shaken the morale of Hart's army. Not because of casualties, but because they could not bear the psychological pressure of being attacked passively.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer. One horseman charged forward, and all the Herders followed suit in a frenzy.

The formation of Teldun's army was thus broken.

When the Heds charged within 500 meters, the two 12-pound cannons that had been waiting roared like thunder.

The shells hurtled through the crowd, hitting the ground and bouncing back up, mercilessly reaping lives one after another.

"Well done!" Mason's frustration vanished, and he was very satisfied with the shelling's effectiveness.

Leading the way... nothing beats the fun of artillery! The lieutenant, brimming with confidence, ordered his men: "Change to shotgun shells!"

Upon receiving the order, the group of "gunners" hurriedly began loading grape shells wrapped in rope nets and paper bags.

The cannons that Lieutenant Colonel Robert wanted but didn't have, Lieutenant Colonel Jessica not only had... but seven of them.

Lieutenant Mason, who dreamed of returning to his old ways, was eager to take over the artillery of Bianli City. Jessica nodded, and he immediately took the five best-preserved light long guns and two cannons into his service.

The former weighs only half a ton, but has a caliber of over thirty and an excellent range. The latter weighs about one ton, has a smaller caliber, but is superior because it can fire twelve-pound shells.

Mason had weighed and packaged the gunpowder for the shooting well in advance; he also personally determined the shooting angle.

The other so-called "gunners" are nothing more than tools, only responsible for firing, resetting, cleaning the breech, loading, and firing again.

As early as the defense of the Styx Camp, Mason had already trained several artillerymen as "utility soldiers." Now, with the old "utility soldiers" as the backbone and new ones added, the artillery corps has been greatly expanded.

And so, an academic artillery officer who had raised pigs for several years, along with dozens of self-taught laborers, used the Hed's cannons to bombard the Heds—even the cannonballs were scavenged Hed shells.

The brutal battlefield scene is inexplicably tinged with a touch of magical realism.

Winters, however, had no time to ponder the absurdity of the situation; he was waiting for the Heds to come within fifty paces.

If they only had muskets, the Heds could slowly advance to within a hundred meters, calmly form ranks, and then launch an attack on the city.

However, once the defenders acquired artillery, the Huds had to attack from 500 meters away.

Even 500 meters away isn't safe; the maximum range of a six-pounder cannon exceeds 3,000 meters—but at that distance, it's better to catch it well than to aim accurately.

In less than a minute, Hart's cavalry had charged within fifty meters. The cannons had only managed to fire one volley before being reloaded at a rapid pace.

Behind the stockade wall, all was silent.

The JSKA battalion was no longer a rabble firing indiscriminately to bolster their courage; all the musketeers were awaiting orders.

The bridgehead's defenses consist of four layers, from the outside in: barricades, trenches, breastworks, and stockade walls.

The Hed people stopped in front of the barricades. Some dismounted and drew their bows and arrows, while others began to pull down the barricade posts.

"Now! Fire!" Winters roared through a megaphone.

He pulled the trigger repeatedly, and with a "click, click," the spring ignited, and two lead bullets flew out of the muzzle in succession. A Red Feathered Hed leader next to the barricade fell to the ground.

After Berleon's repairs, the twin-barreled rifle was once again able to fire accurately.

As Winters pressed the firing lever, the musketeers on the bastion fired, and a series of shots rang out, sending lead bullets flying.

The closest Hud people were killed on the spot, while the surviving Hud people lay on the ground to avoid the attack, trying to use the barricades, which were only as thick as an arm, as shields.

After the volley of fire, the battlefield returned to silence.

"[Hard] Stand up!" Amid the smoke, a Hed leader shouted angrily, "[Hard] Their muskets can only be used once! Pull out the stakes!"

The Heds got up from the ground amidst the beatings and curses, and the shooting seemed to have really stopped. They then began to pull out the barricades.

They were met with a second volley, and the cursing leader of the Hurd was killed by two lead bullets.

"Second team! Load!" Winters waved his flag and shouted, "Third team! Ready!"

The drummer next to the centurion struck out a urgent, life-threatening beat, urging the musketeers to move.

After firing, the musketeers retreated to reload, while another squad of musketeers hurriedly moved to the wall, set up their guns, and aimed. Before this, the militia musketeers would fire a volley of shots and then fire freely.

However, Winters discovered that many musketeers dared not fire their guns, and once free fire began, they could barely fire a few lead bullets throughout the entire battle.

Therefore, Winters divided all the musketeers into ten teams, which took turns firing in alternating volleys.

It's immediately clear who fired the gun and who didn't.

"Third team! Fire!" Winters roared.

The war drums stopped abruptly, and Charles swung his mallet, striking the gong with all his might.

"Bang!" The sound of the gong pierced through the noise of the battlefield; it was the signal to open fire.

The third team of musketeers pressed the firing lever and fired a volley.

A corps commander stood beside each firing position to take notes. Military law had been read aloud beforehand, and anyone whose gun failed to fire would be severely punished after the battle.

"Third team! Load!" Winters immediately followed up with the order: "Fourth team! Ready!"

The drummer began to beat the drums again. To the high frequency of the drumbeats, one group of musketeers retreated, and the next group of musketeers took their place.

This tactic is not simple. Each musketeer must reload within the time limit of nine rounds of firing, and also be wary of accidental injuries and accidents.

With the help of drums, gongs, and their voices, the ten teams of musketeers took turns, albeit clumsily.

Winters was not satisfied with the chaotic state of his subordinates.

In his view, the militia is still too clumsy, and with more training, this rotational firing tactic will become much smoother.

"Fourth team! Fire!" Winters' voice was a little hoarse. He thought to himself, "I need to find someone to give me the commands."

Centurion Montagne was still dissatisfied, but the Heds felt quite differently.

In the past, it took a lot of time for two-legged people to reload their muskets before they could fire them.

The Hud people of the Keteldon tribe were surprised to find that the two-legged men in the earthen fort in front of them never stopped firing their muskets.

Gunfire continued incessantly, and lead bullets rained down, wave after wave, keeping the Hud people outside the barricades from raising their heads.

Finally, a large number of Hart archers arrived at the front line.

These archers, all clad in double or even triple layers of heavy armor, crossed the barricades and approached the moat, firing arrows at the Paratists on the wall.

Several musketeers immediately leaned too far out of the parapet and were killed by arrows.

The Hed's heavy bows and arrows had reduced power at longer distances. However, this gave them the advantage of being "unstoppable" at close range.

Especially the crescent-shaped arrow, which can even slice the wrist off the arm.

Winters was not surprised at all to see Herd's heavily armored archers approaching.

After more than a dozen fierce battles of offense and defense, Winters knew every tactic the Hurd team used like the back of his hand.

It is no exaggeration to say that among the surviving Vinnetta officers, probably no one knows the Heds' signature skills better than Winters Montagne.

These archers were undoubtedly handpicked, valiant warriors, capable of wearing double layers of heavy armor, drawing powerful bows, and possessing superb archery skills. They were specifically tasked with sniping and suppressing the Paratul musketeers.

Winters smiled slightly.

Elite troops? I'm going to take on the elite troops.

"Galloping Horse!" Winters roared, his magically amplified shout instantly drowning out all other sounds.

Upon hearing the signal, a large group of musketeers suddenly stood up from the breastwork behind the trench, shouting in unison, "Uukhai!"

They had been hiding behind the wall for a long time, waiting for this moment.

"Fire!"

The musketeers behind the breastwork, almost face-to-face, unleashed a brutal volley of gunfire at Hart's elite troops.

From the heavily armored archers to the breastwork, there was only a trench between them, a distance of no more than four meters.

If he can't even hit the target, then the shooter has every reason to commit suicide.

As agreed, the artillery, which had been holding back, also opened fire at the same time.

Countless lead pellets flew and crisscrossed along the edge of the trench, and the Hed people ate their fill of lead, iron, and grapes.

Winters felt a sudden wetness on his cheek. He touched it and realized it was blood splattered from below the city.

As the smoke cleared, only one in ten of Hart's heavily armored archers remained by the trench. Some were still alive, but only because no one was aiming at them.

The drums and gongs continued to beat, and volleys of fire were fired at the enemy below the city walls, one after another.

It was just a small improvement, but it greatly increased the killing efficiency.

The Heds, their morale shattered, fled in disarray.

With almost no casualties, the first attack was repelled.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica, who was in charge of the central army, ordered his men to summon Winters.

After meeting, Jessica handed the lieutenant a glass of strong liquor without saying a word. His face showed no emotion: "Send some reliable men to reinforce the barricades and drag away all the corpses. Don't let the Heds play the trick of piling up corpses to attack the city again."

“It’s already been sent.” Winters didn’t refuse the alcohol and downed it in one gulp.

The two were silent for a while.

Jessica suddenly praised, "Well done."

It was rare for a lieutenant colonel to praise someone, and his attempt to force a kind expression only made him look rather odd.

"Ah."

Jessica gave up trying and reverted to her usual indifferent tone: "Your alternating firing tactic is quite interesting."

Winters wiped his cheek and said, "It's not my invention; rotating firing has existed since ancient times. Ancient javelin throwers took turns throwing their javelins, and archers would also form formations to fire in turn."

“What in this world is truly original?” Jessica chuckled and shook her head, pouring the lieutenant another glass of wine. “Everything is improved upon based on other people’s work. Since you improved this tactic, it’s yours. Montagne tactics? Montagne system?”

"Let's just call it 'rotational firing'; I don't want it to be called that."

"why?"

"The old marshal's improved square formation was just called the large square formation, wasn't it?" Winters said quietly. "Although it sounds arrogant, I seem to understand the old marshal's feelings a little bit... I'm glad, but I'm also afraid. I'm afraid that one day in the future, someone will use this system on us as well."

Jessica patted the lieutenant's arm without saying anything.

There is a map in this chapter, it's being drawn. If you've read this far but don't see the map, please come back to this chapter later to look for it.

Thank you to all the readers for reading, subscribing, recommending, voting, and donating, as well as leaving comments. Thank you everyone, Bihart.

Thank you to readers AI039, 误删吾行, ubjj, and 梨花空巷 for their generous donations. Thank you everyone!
感谢书友寒冬的祥云、净世炎、溯游从心、黑椒碳烤青鲤、飞翔的小吊、七花八烈、苏打鸟、qamda、南海阵云、蓝清影、吃瓜骑士、书友2020100210111478、身有胸气AK47、Tassadar000、春风何豫人、92酱萌萌哒、落叶飞花逐流水、eweqwrqw、阿布23333333、祭颅者、书友20190207214120011、proudboy、花蝶封月、梨花空巷、DA1922、栗子有毒、高耀隐、往事雷书、XAXAX、鹿其S、爱小说的熊猫、书友20180322215939719的月票，谢谢大家；

Thank you again to every reader. Thank you all.



(End of this chapter)