Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 428 The Great Alliance Marches Forward (Part 1)

[Imperial Calendar Year 529]
[Suburbs of Guitu / South Bank of the Delun River]
As dawn broke, an army slowly unfolded in the fire-ravaged wilderness.

Thousands of extra-long spears pointed diagonally to the sky, swaying rhythmically to the sound of short, powerful drumbeats.

In front of the forest of super-long spear formations, green square flags from various provinces of the piedmont, blue triangular flags symbolizing the land of galloping horses, and a variety of flags representing the city-states of Venetta were proudly raised high by the flag bearers, fluttering in the wind.

Riding a grey warhorse, Ned Smith slowly walked past the front line, solemnly inspecting each of the significant military flags and the proud soldiers standing beneath them—the Senas who had come from all directions to fight in the foothills.

Three months have passed since the Imperial army once again appeared outside Guitu City.

For three months, the imperial army, directly under the emperor, and the vassal armies of the various duchies, under the emperor's personal supervision, launched wave after wave of fierce attacks on the western and northern walls of Guitu City. However, they were unable to break through the city's fortifications, which were armed with fortresses, trenches, cannons, and the indomitable will of the defenders.

After the Imperial soldiers were driven out of the blood-soaked trenches surrounding Narcissus Castle for what seemed like the umpteenth time, the Emperor finally changed tactics, abandoning the direct assault and opting for a siege, intending to let hunger and despair replace the weapons in the soldiers' hands to defeat the stubborn Southern rebels.

Guitu City is located next to the sea and the Delun River, so the Imperial Army's siege was carried out simultaneously on both land and sea.

Richard IV’s painstakingly built “Grand Fleet” has already blocked the mouth of the Dren River;
Meanwhile, on the south bank of the Deren River, an elite imperial force had successfully landed, intending to completely sever the city of Guitu's connection with the outside world.

Ned Smith looked at the young, passionate faces of the soldiers. He knew very well that when the day ended, many, many eyes would never again shine as brightly as they did now.

He carefully observed each person, trying to remember as many of the soldiers' faces as possible.

Without any morale-boosting pre-battle speech, Ned Smith inspected the military flags and then rode straight to the center of the army.

The importance of the upcoming battle needs no further explanation.

Every warrior who came to this place understood what the outcome of this battle meant, and they all knew what they were about to face, but they still came to this wilderness without hesitation.

They were voluntary, determined fighters who did not need anyone else to instill courage in them—such an act would be an insult to them.

Returning to the center of the army formation, to his own banner, Ned Smith donned his helmet, and prepared to order the advance.

But just before giving the order, he noticed that the knees of the young standard-bearer holding his personal flag were trembling slightly.

“Are you scared?” Ned Smith asked gently. “Taylor.”

The young standard-bearer, Taylor, immediately replied, "I'm not afraid!"

“It’s okay, I’m scared too,” Ned Smith said calmly. “But that doesn’t stop us from choosing to fight.”

The young standard-bearer swallowed hard, thought for a moment, and tentatively asked, "General, may we sing?"

What song is it?

"That song."

Ned Smith gazed into the distance; the sky was a deep, dark blue, and the outline of the distant city of Guido was still indistinct. It would be some time before the sun rose above the horizon.

“Sing,” Ned Smith encouraged. “Sing loudly.”

Standard-bearer Taylor cleared his throat and sang the first line of the song loudly:
"The sun and the stars resounded in unison!"

"A majestic song rises from the earth!"

Led by the flag bearer's song, the soldiers in the central formation began to hum along softly to the familiar melody:
"Let the hope of humanity sing out!"

"A hymn to the birth of a new world!"

Like a single spark igniting a raging fire, it stirred up everyone's emotions.

One after another, the marching contingents burst into song, even Ned Smith joined in. In the uplifting melody, people temporarily forgot their fear of death and their anxiety about the unknown, singing with hope:
"Great Alliance, forward!"

"The battle flag flies high!"

"Fight side by side for victory!"

"A free new world!"

Finally, all the voices merged together, and the Senasians roared in unison:

"All oppressed people, unite!"

"Rise up against the evil empire that enslaves you!"

"The people's roar will be like rolling thunder!"

"Be as ruthless as the tides and time!"

The song grew louder and louder, this war song, composed by Dmitry Shostakovich, with lyrics by Harold Romer, and sung by the Cenas allied forces, now soaring to the heavens and echoing along the banks of the Dren River:

"Great Alliance, forward!"

"The battle flag flies high!!"

"Fight side by side for victory!!!"

"A free new world!!!"

……

Meanwhile, on the sea east of the mouth of the Dren River, a fleet that had arrived under the cover of night was also awaiting orders to launch an attack.

Compared to the well-organized land-based relief forces, which came from all directions, this naval relief fleet, also cobbled together from various sources, appeared quite bizarre:
Large ships, small ships, long ships, short ships, riverboats, sea ships, single-masted ships, three-masted ships, large sailing ships, galley ships... you can find ships of all types, styles, and eras in this collection, making it a veritable hodgepodge of inland sea ship types.

The fleet that came to relieve the siege of Guitu City could not even be called a "fleet" in a strict sense.

Because the vast majority of the ships in this "fleet" were small and medium-sized fishing boats and sampans converted into arson vessels.

The only truly experienced, well-established, and combat-capable naval force consists of thirty-three warships and their sailors from Hailan and Baihua City.

On the large sailing warship "Triumphal" in the center of the fleet, which is also the fleet's flagship, a young captain in armor is reporting bad news to an elderly man in armor.

“General Pisani.” The young man clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his grief and resentment: “The masts of the Flora and Nathrians have not yet appeared on the horizon, nor have the masts of the Tanilian pirates. I’m afraid they won’t be coming.”

"Traitors!" another middle-aged captain beside the old man roared in fury, "Disloyal bastards! Their souls will surely suffer eternal torment in hell!"

The old man remained remarkably calm: "I understand, thank you, Captain Nareshaw."

The deck of the Triumph was completely silent, with only the low rumble of waves crashing against the hull.

The sailors had all heard the conversation between the captain and the fleet commander. Although they remained silent and steadfast at their posts, a sense of unease and despair was spreading uncontrollably among the crew.

“General.” After thinking it over, the middle-aged captain finally decided to speak: “The Flora and Nathrians have not come. I’m afraid it will be difficult for us to defeat the Emperor’s fleet on our own. The warships in your hands are the foundation of the Azure. If we lose them, the other city-states will tear us apart.”

He gritted his teeth and said recklessly, "Let's retreat! We might still have time before the Royal Fleet discovers us. If all else fails, we can use those small fry as bait to stall the Royal Fleet. As long as we preserve our warships, there's always tomorrow."

"Captain Mus," the old man said slowly, his hand on his sword, "the fleet assembled here today is the largest we can muster. Even if we recalled our entire ocean-going fleet, we wouldn't be able to deploy a stronger force than we have now. There's no future, only a slow death. So, regardless of whether the masts of the Flora or the Nasrians appear on the horizon, we must lift the Royal Fleet's naval blockade of Guitu City today."

Having said that, he put on his helmet and solemnly commanded, "Raise my flag!"

Without a word, Naresha rushed into the cabin and soon retrieved a folded red flag. A bare-chested sailor, carrying the flag, scrambled up the mast in a few moments and hoisted the personal flag of the Pisani fleet commander to the top.

The sea breeze unfurled the folded flags and smoothed out the creases in the flag fabric.

A huge red pennant fluttered in the wind, visible to all the sailors in the fleet.

“Captain Naresha, if I am killed in action,” the old man said calmly, “you shall take command. If you are killed in action, your first mate shall take command. Even if all the warships are sunk, even if we are left with only sampans and small boats, the battle shall continue until victory is achieved.”

With tears welling in his eyes, Naresha answered emphatically, "Yes!"

"Notify the fleet." The old man glanced one last time in the direction of Hailan, then gave the order without hesitation: "Weigh anchor!"

The winch creaked and groaned as it turned, pulling the heavy anchor up from the seabed.

With sails raised and oars dipping into the water, a fleet composed of all the sailors on the Inner Sea who dared to rebel against the Empire, led by fire ships and centered on blue warships, resolutely sailed toward the Royal Fleet anchored at the mouth of the Dren River.

Facing the morning sea breeze, Captain Naresha suddenly roared out the "ship's song" that was widely circulated among the sailors:
"Just as the morning will inevitably greet the sun!"

"Just as rivers inevitably flow into the sea!"

On the decks and in the cabins of the Triumph, sailors and citizen-soldiers, awaiting the battle, laughed and sang:

"A new day has dawned for the people of Senas!"

"Our children will live proudly and freely!" Soon, not only the Triumph, but all the warships, armed merchant ships, and fishing boats that heard the song naturally joined in the chorus:
"Great Alliance, forward!"

"The flags are flying high in the wind!"

"Fight side by side for victory!"

"A free new world!"

The fleet's chorus even drowned out the sound of sails and oars, carried away in all directions by the sea breeze.

At the same time, the sun rose from the eastern horizon, and a golden sword instantly dispelled the fog and darkness.

"Just as the morning will inevitably greet the sun!"

"Just as rivers inevitably flow into the sea!"

"A new day has dawned for the people of Senas!"

"Our children will live freely and proudly!"

The songs from land and sea eventually merged together, accompanying the Senas alliance's simultaneous counterattack against the Imperial army from both sea and land; the sounds of horses' hooves and cannons could not drown it out.

"Great Alliance, forward!"

"The banner of righteousness flies high in the wind!!"

"Fight side by side for victory!!!"

"A free new world!!!"

……

……

[Imperial Calendar Year 560] (Present)
[Bazanaur]
Colonel Gaspar lay prone behind the breastwork, carefully observing the enemy troops who were ready for the next attack. He suddenly recalled the famous Siege of Guido during the Sovereign War.

Three months after the siege of Guitu began, the Senas alliance launched a counterattack from both land and sea, partially lifting the Imperial army's land and sea blockade of Guitu.

The coalition forces also paid an extremely high price for this: the newly formed Senas coalition forces were severely weakened; and the highly respected Admiral Pisani, who commanded the naval offensive, was also killed in the battle.

However, the siege of Guitu City did not end there.

The siege lasted for a full year and seven months. The Empire besieged Guitu City while engaging in a tug-of-war with the Allied forces in the foothills, until the national treasury was completely depleted, until the Imperial army was completely exhausted, and until the madman Richard chose to retreat south of the Shade Mountains.

Colonel Gaspar secretly compared the two sieges and found that they were quite similar in some ways—both were port cities under siege; the besiegers had a numerical advantage and launched a blockade from both water and land.

“However,” Colonel Gaspar thought, “Bazner probably won’t last two years… no, maybe not even until tomorrow.”

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

In the distance, the Red Rose's cannons spewed out plumes of white smoke.

The fortress that the citizens of Bazenaul had hastily built with wood and mud was bombarded to pieces, literally "collapsed".

Wood chips and dirt rained down on Colonel Gaspar, but he simply lowered his body further and continued to watch the attackers' movements.

Bazenaur's topography makes it unsuitable for defense; it is a plain at the foot of mountains, with no natural barriers between the mountains and the lake, and the terrain gradually decreases from the inland to the lake shore.

However, Colonel Gaspar's decision to consolidate his forces and defend Bazenaul was also part of his preparations.

He hauled all the barges ashore and dismantled them to use as building materials—they would have been seized sooner or later if left in the port anyway.

He coerced and lured every able-bodied man and woman in Bazenaul to work, rationally planned the construction period and shift order, and built a "wall" around Bazenaul before the Red Rose army arrived. The wall consisted of multiple trenches, earthen and wooden walls and triangular forts.
His infantry had already collected a large amount of food from the villages around Bazenaul and evacuated the old, weak, sick and disabled who were of no use in the city.

His cavalry had also left the city and were attacking the Red Rose army's supply lines;
When he set off from Jiangbei Province, he specially brought three times the normal amount of gunpowder.

He never considered attacking. From the beginning, his goal was to exhaust the attacking side's manpower and resources until they withdrew on their own initiative, at which point he would seize the opportunity to strike them hard.

He originally had a very good chance.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Outside the city, the attackers' cannons began to "play music" again.

"It's a pity that the incompetents under the Grand Council were able to transport heavy artillery up here—in such a short time." Colonel Gaspar brushed the dirt and sawdust off his clothes and thought, "I underestimated them."

……

Outside the city, Colonel Sanel was also secretly amazed: "I didn't expect there to be a capable person among those idiots who followed Alpad. It's only been a few days? They've already repaired Bazenaul like an iron barrel... I'm still too late."

The road from Maplestone to Bazenaul is not easy to travel, with many hills along the way and a mountain pass to cross.

According to Colonel Gaspar's calculations, if the attacking forces were to bring artillery with them—especially the eight 32-pound cannons currently bombarding Bazenaul—it would take them at least another week to reach the city.

But Colonel Sanel arrived in Bazanaur a week early—and was equipped with heavy artillery.

It wasn't that Colonel Gaspar's calculations were flawed, but rather that Colonel Sanel and Colonel Chloe's heavy artillery hadn't traveled by land at all—they had come by water.

As Colonel Sanel led his main force to "recapture" the towns and villages of Mirrorlake County, Colonel Chloe requisitioned all the ships that could be found in Maplestone, loaded them with cannons, shells, gunpowder and other supplies, and sailed them down the river to Bazenaul.

Colonel Chloe originally planned to have the entire army board ships and travel by water overnight to Mirror Lake, thus launching a surprise attack on the rebels in Bazenaul.

However, Maplestone City did not have enough barges, and Colonel Sanel did not want the battle to appear too easy to win—don't forget, "recapturing" a rebellious town is also a military achievement.

Coincidentally, when Colonel Gaspar recalled the siege of Guido, Colonel Sanel also thought of the siege of Guido.

“Keep putting up a stubborn resistance, you fool.” Colonel Sanel stared at Bazenaul, whose outer shell had been torn off layer by layer by heavy artillery, and thought with certainty: “Your crudely built bastion is not Narcissus Castle, and you have no reinforcements outside the city—for me, it is only a matter of time before Bazenaul is recaptured.”

On the bastion, Colonel Gaspar was also watching the troops outside the city: "Cannons can breach walls and destroy towers, but they won't grow legs to occupy fortifications. No matter how many shells or gunpowder you have, you'll eventually have to send in infantry to attack. Come on, traitor, you want Bazenaul? Pay with your blood!"

The commanders of both the attacking and defending sides spontaneously began humming the tune of "The Alliance March".

……

[Newly reclaimed land]
[Vogne County]
Dismounting at the crossroads, Colonel Bode watched the White Mountain County troops marching rapidly on both sides of the road, and couldn't help but recall the scenes of the Sixth Army's march:

The spirited soldiers sang in unison as they marched forward, their voices sometimes carrying for miles, attracting villagers and passersby to stop and watch.

The melody that the soldiers often sang lingered in Colonel Bode's mind, and the old soldier subconsciously began to hum along softly.

Behind the colonel, a lieutenant asked curiously, "Sir—is that the 'Union March'?"

“Yes.” Colonel Bode turned around, smiling, and asked, “You can sing too?”

The lieutenant, who was assigned to be Colonel Bode's valet, scratched his head: "When we enrolled, the first thing was to be assigned beds, and the second thing was to learn this song."

"Alright, sing it for me."

The lieutenant cleared his throat, stammering shyly, "The sun and the stars resounded in unison, and the earth surged with a magnificent song..."

"Louder!" Colonel Bode patted his squire on the shoulder and pointed at the White Mountain soldiers who were hurrying along: "This song is sung during marches. If it's sung so weakly, how can anyone have the energy to keep going?"

The lieutenant swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and roared into song: "The sun and the stars resound together! The earth surges with a majestic song..."

Colonel Bode turned away with satisfaction.

So when the lieutenant sang, "Great Alliance, march on! Battle flags fly high! Fight side by side for victory! A free new world!" no one saw the old soldier's forlorn eyes.

[102,492/100000]
[The promise made at the beginning of the month has been fulfilled... Finally... I don't have to fight anymore, sob sob sob]
[The song featured in this chapter is titled "United Nations on the March," a song composed to commemorate the founding of the United Nations at the end of World War II. It was composed by a Soviet composer and the lyrics were written by an American poet.]
[However, it is generally translated as "The United Nations March." Some people also call it "The United Nations Song"—but that's actually incorrect. The United Nations does not have a "national anthem." "United Nations March" is simply the most widely accepted song representing the ideals of the United Nations.]
[Because this march is powerful and the lyrics are excellent—especially the line, "The people's roar will be like rolling thunder! It will be as merciless as the tide and time!"]
Therefore, if the Cynas Alliance were to choose a national anthem for this plane, it could only be "United Nations, March Forward!"
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
(End of this chapter)