Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 451 The Great Alliance Marches Forward (Twenty-Four)
The unique navy blue military flag, rising just above the horizon, rekindled hope in the wavering soldiers of Baishan County.

However, Gaisa Adonis was not as optimistic as his subordinates, because he did not know how many Iron Peak County troops had come, or even whether they were actually Iron Peak County troops.

However, no matter who comes, no matter how many come, there is only one thing Gaisa has to do—continue fighting.

"Reinforcements have arrived!" Gesa ran through the ranks, shouting, "Hold the line!"

Officers and sergeants shouted and repeated the colonel's words. After a brief commotion, the various factions in Baishan County suddenly erupted in cheers of relief at their narrow escape, each shout louder than the last.

Similarly, the appearance of unfamiliar navy blue military flags just south of River Valley Village disrupted the entire deployment of the Parliamentarian army.

Colonel Sanel and Colonel Naji have exhausted their reserves. There will be no more ambushes or reinforcements. All available manpower has been committed to the battle.

The Parliamentarian army had lost all formation. Apart from the troops besieging the remnants of the White Mountain County army, every unit still in the chain of command was relentlessly pursuing the retreating left flank of the Allied forces.

It's like a wrestler who has fought a hard battle and finally forced the enemy to lose their balance, squeezing out the last bit of strength and pressing down every inch of their body to seize a complete victory.

In fact, the parliamentary forces had already secured victory; they controlled the battlefield, trapped the coalition forces, forced back the coalition's left flank, and penetrated the coalition's center.

It just needs a little time to digest the results.

A little time.

But at this critical juncture, the Tiefeng County Army appeared on the battlefield, and the Tiefeng County Army did not give it "a moment".

Before the New Reclamation Expeditionary cavalry, pursuing the remnants of the Allied forces, turned back, and before the Parliamentarian forces, flying the banner of the "Sixth Army," established their defensive line, the resounding beat of war drums had already echoed at the valley's exit.

The Tiefeng County army, numbering less than two battalions, quickly deployed into a formation wider than four battalions, and, to the beat of the marching drums, resolutely launched an attack on the Sixth Army Corps besieging Baishan County.

The terrain on the north bank of the unnamed creek is flat, and even the slight undulations are not enough to disrupt the formation of the Tiefeng County army.

Tamas, sword in hand, led the army at the forefront. Soldiers moved through the lines, mercilessly striking the stray recruits with their halberds.

Parliamentary light cavalry patrolling the perimeter of the battlefield continued to charge toward the Iron Peak County army with strange cries.

However, the soldiers holding high the navy blue military flag completely ignored the enemy's intimidation. Their marching speed was not affected at all, and they did not waste even a single bit of gunpowder on the attacking stragglers.

They simply moved forward, stepping to the beat of the drums, resolutely moving forward, and nothing but orders and death could stop them.

In a contest of will and courage, the Parliamentarian light cavalry were defeated. Every Parliamentarian light cavalryman pulled on his reins at the last moment before crashing into the wall of men, and fled.

Meanwhile, the Tiefeng County army continued its advance.

Not only the Parliamentary Army's light cavalry, but at this moment, everyone on the battlefield was drawn into the Iron Peak County Army's offensive.

Green-uniformed messenger cavalrymen galloped and weaved between the scattered units of the parliamentary army.

The parliamentary troops that had swarmed into the valley village poured out of the village in disarray.

The troops that had originally gone to pursue the fleeing enemy turned around and rushed back to the main battlefield.

The Sixth Army Corps, which was surrounding the remnants of Baishan County, was forced to split two battalions from the front line to block the Tiefeng County army that was attacking from the rear.

However, before the Sixth Army Corps could establish a second line of defense, the remnants of the Baishan County army launched a counterattack and relentlessly pursued the enemy forces who were attempting to retreat and regroup.

The Iron Peak County army continued its advance, and cavalry from the newly established settlements, carrying pistols, began to appear around them.

Unlike the light cavalry who only dared to harass and skirmish, the brown-clad pistol cavalry, though also charging straight toward the Iron Peak County soldiers, turned their horses sideways twenty meters away, fired their guns, and then rode off.

The real test began at this moment, and the Iron Peak County Army suffered its first casualties.

Gunshots pierced the drumbeats, lead bullets struck the human wall, and soldiers of the Iron Peak County Army kept breaking away from the ranks.

They either stumbled and fell to their knees, their backs involuntarily curling up in excruciating pain; or they collapsed without a sound, never to be heard again.

Tamas was greeted the most, and the council cavalry immediately spotted the brightly armored Iron Peak County officer walking at the forefront of the battle line.

However, intimidated by the large number of musketeers in the Iron Peak County army who were poised to attack, the Council cavalry, fighting alone, did not have the courage to charge straight into the front line and only dared to fire from both ends of the line and from a distance.

The lead bullet grazed Tamas's body and landed at his feet, kicking up clumps of dirt.

However, Tamas walked straight ahead of the column without looking to either side, his sword motionless, and he never gave the order to retaliate.

Aside from the sounds of drums, horses' hooves, and gunfire, the only other sound in the ranks was the soldiers' emotionless commands: "Maintain formation! Fill in the gaps!"

So the soldiers of Tiefeng County bypassed their fallen comrades and continued their advance.

"Thump—thump—thump-thump!"

"Thump—thump—thump-thump!"

"Thump—thump—thump-thump!"

The drumbeats of the advance were like the horns of doom; the enemy was just ahead. If they could run as fast as they could, they could immediately have a good, satisfying battle.

But the soldiers of the Iron Peak County Army continued to march, even as the pistol-wielding cavalrymen took turns firing lead bullets at them, and even as each step forward resulted in more blood loss, their pace neither quickened nor slowed.

The soldiers of the Sixth Army Corps had never seen such an enemy before. The Iron Peak County Army, like hot and silent magma, was more terrifying than any ferocious and fearless enemy they had ever encountered.

One hundred meters.

The musketeers of the Sixth Army Corps had already set up their muskets; while the Iron Peak County Army continued to advance.

Ninety meters.

The musketeers of the Sixth Army Corps could already feel the resistance returning from the firing levers; while the Iron Peak County Army continued to advance.

Eighty meters.

The musketeers of the Sixth Army Corps felt their throats dry and unconsciously swallowed; while the Iron Peak County Army continued to advance.

Seventy meters.

The musketeers of the Sixth Army Corps looked at their commander in alarm, anxiously awaiting orders; while the Iron Peak County Army continued its advance.

Sixty meters.

Lieutenant Thorin of the Sixth Army Corps had his back soaked with cold sweat. He had never seen the tactics of the Iron Peak County Army before. He could vaguely guess the Iron Peak County Army's intentions, but he couldn't think of any way to deal with them.

"Fire!" Lieutenant Thorin roared.

The musketeers of the Sixth Army Corps breathed a sigh of relief as they pulled the trigger. A series of flashes erupted from the edge of the square, smoke billowed in front of the square, and muffled thuds of many soldiers falling to the ground could be heard from behind the smoke.

But when the smoke cleared, the Tiefeng County army continued to advance.

Fifty meters.

"Free fire!" Lieutenant Thorin shouted sternly to the stunned musketeers, "Reload now!"

The musketeers snapped out of their daze and frantically searched for their gunpowder canisters and lead bags, but many of their fingers seemed frozen, making it difficult to even pour gunpowder into the barrels.

Meanwhile, the Tiefeng County army continued its advance.

Forty meters.

Thirty meters.

Under the enemy's terrified gaze, the Tiefeng County army stopped in their tracks and stood still.

"Three volleys!" Tamas turned and ordered. "Ready."

"Three volleys—ready!" the soldiers shouted, relaying the order.

The second and third rank musketeers from Iron Peak County quickly filled the gaps between the first rank musketeers, standing close together at an extremely dangerous distance, setting up their muskets and aiming at the enemy in front of them.

Ahead of them, the musketeers of the Sixth Army Corps were frantically pushing lead bullets deep into their barrels. This time, the Iron Peak County Army would not give them another chance.

Tamas retreated to the front lines, roaring as he issued his orders:

"Let them hear the thunder!!!"

In an instant, the gunfire that raged across the battle line converged into a deafening thunderclap, and the anger and hatred that had been building up until now transformed into a dazzling, blazing inferno.

The devastating volley shattered the frontal lines of the two Parliamentarian phalanxes.

More devastating than the casualties were the loss of the parliamentary army's morale and will.

Before the thunder had even subsided, the beast-like shouts of battle erupted.

A short-statured soldier from Tiefeng County was the first to rush out of the formation and leap into the Sixth Army Corps' formation, which was littered with wounded soldiers and corpses, heading straight for the lieutenant under the military flag.

It seemed as if countless Iron Peak County soldiers rushed out of the smoke, like a storm of steel and blood, engulfing the Parliamentary soldiers in a bloody melee they had never seen before.

The seemingly indestructible rock was shattered into a brown torrent, and the parliamentary army, attacked from both sides, groaned in agony and collapsed beyond saving.

"Don't stop!" Without even meeting the officers of White Mountain County, Tamas led his men to attack another council army phalanx: "Drive them away! Drive them over the other phalanxes!"

Just as Tamas's troops were fighting the Parliamentarian army, the main force of the New Reclamation Army cavalry finally returned to the battlefield.

As the figures of the Parliamentary Army cavalry officers appeared on the opposite bank of the river, the scattered soldiers who had been wandering near the Iron Peak County Army immediately found their leader, and the previously disorganized brown-clad cavalry quickly regrouped and lined up on the west bank.

The second line of defense, commanded by Bart Sharing, also changed formation, with each company turning and moving to the beat of the drums, establishing a defensive line on the southwest side of the Tamas unit.

The second battalion commander kept a close eye on the movements of the parliamentary cavalry, because no matter how much confidence he and Tamas had in their men, they could not change the fact that their troops were merely a light infantry force lacking cavalry cover.

Therefore, when the forces under Tamas had gained the upper hand, the forces under Bart Sharing did not immediately follow suit.

For Bart Sharing, protecting the flanks and rear of friendly forces from attack was more important than expanding the gains made in battle.

As Bart Sharing had predicted, while Tamas's forces and the remnants of White Mountain County attacked the enemy of the Sixth Army from both inside and outside, the cavalry of the New Reclamation Expeditionary Force were also ready to charge.

"Listen up, lads!" Bart Sharing walked past the companies, calmly inspecting the musketeers' equipment, and shouted encouragement: "Whether we win this battle or not depends not on the battalion commander's skill, but on our own ability! What's a few cowardly puppet troops? Only those who can hold off puppet cavalry deserve to call themselves the Blood Wolves! As for the trivial tasks..."

Bart Sharling stopped and looked at his men, laughing heartily: "Let the battalion commander do it!"

The Iron Peak County soldiers beside Bart Sharling also laughed.

As they were talking, the cavalry on the opposite bank started to move, leading their troops to split into two groups, one on the left and one on the right, to encircle the Tiefeng County army.

"Alright! Stand up straight, not a step back." Bart Sharing's smile vanished as he retreated into the human wall: "Three volleys! Ready!"

"Three platoons fire!" The soldiers relayed the order to all parts of the battle line in a relay-like manner: "Ready!"

For the Iron Peak County Army, half of whose soldiers were musketeers, devastating volleys were their ultimate means of resistance.

However, to date, no one has applied this tactic in actual combat—even Bart Sharing was not entirely confident.

“I know! You’re exhausted!” Bart Sharing walked past the soldiers, his tone devoid of any panic or hesitation, as if victory was already in his grasp: “So—fight hard! After this battle, I’ll let you sleep for three days and three nights straight!”

In the blink of an eye, the brown-clad cavalry had crossed the nameless stream from the ford, and the cavalry leading the charge began to accelerate.

The thunderous sound of hooves echoed along both banks of the valley, engulfing the battle lines of the Iron Peak County army. Although there were only a few hundred cavalrymen, they seemed to number in the thousands.

Including Bart Sharling, the Iron Peak County soldiers responsible for blocking the cavalry instinctively held their breath. The powder keg lid was already open, fingers were already on the firing rods, and there was only one chance for a volley; the slightest mistake could plunge the entire army into annihilation.

Bart Sharling stared intently at the brown-clad cavalryman, constantly calculating the distance in his mind.

Just before he was about to give the order to fire, the brown-clad cavalry suddenly changed direction and turned back towards the west bank.

The dust kicked up by the horses' hooves obscured Bart Sharing's vision, but when the east wind swept away the dust, Bart Sharing immediately understood the reason for the enemy cavalry's unusual movement:
A cavalry force from the northwest is charging along the west bank, fearlessly intercepting the parliamentary cavalry who have not yet crossed the river.

The cavalry's flag, raised high, bore the emblem of Baishan County.

"It's the cavalry from Baishan County!" Bart Sharing shouted. "The cavalry from Baishan County are still here! Attack! Attack! Attack!"

The opportunity was fleeting. Without waiting for his subordinates to relay the orders to all parts of the front, Bart Sharing snatched the flagpole from the standard-bearer, raised the flag high, and ran out of the battle line. As he charged towards the training ground, he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice almost piercingly sharp: "Attack!!!"

This time, without the need for sergeants and messengers to relay instructions, all the soldiers of Tiefeng County understood what the Second Battalion Commander's order was.

After a brief hesitation, the Iron Peak County army surged forward like a raging torrent, shouting as they followed Bart Xialing toward the Tushe Field.

Captain Loson, who commanded the cavalry of the West Bank's Leiqun County, was surprised to find that the infantry of the East Bank's Tiefeng County had launched a surprise attack.

After successfully luring the parliamentary cavalry back to the west bank, Loson has ordered a retreat and regrouping.

However, seeing a rare opportunity, Loson did not hesitate to pull on the reins and lead his men in another charge.

Without any prior communication, the Iron Peaks infantry and the Thunder Group cavalry executed a perfectly timed coordinated attack, trapping the disorganized Council cavalry at Tushe Field, upstream of an unnamed stream.

Bart Sharing commanded his musketeers to occupy the high ground on the riverbank, where they could shoot down the panicked brown-clad cavalrymen.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but as the White Mountain County banner sped across the river, Bart Sharling saw the Thundercrow County cavalrymen under the banner remove their helmets and bow to him.

……

[East Bank Earth Mound]
[Parliamentary Army Artillery Position]
“It’s all over,” Lieutenant Colonel Valery thought wearily. “It’s all over.”

The emergence of the rebels in Tiefeng County disrupted the Parliamentary Army's deployment, forcing the Parliamentary Army, which was already pursuing the fleeing enemy in Bianjiang County and Leiqun County, to turn around and refill the southern front.

If the enemies in Bianjiang and Leiqun counties choose to retreat, the council forces will still have a chance to defeat them one by one.

But will the enemy commanders who are in charge of Bianjiang County and Leiqun County take the opportunity to retreat?
Although Lieutenant Colonel Valé didn't recognize the senior student carrying the silver-edged military flag, he already had his answer after just a few exchanges today.

And at this moment, the enemy's large column, which was advancing towards the river valley village again, confirmed his answer.

The parliamentary army today is like a clumsy giant trying to turn around and grab the wolf that's biting its rear, but in doing so, it exposes its rear to another wolf.

"Turn the cannon around!" Lieutenant Colonel Varley pointed to the silver-edged flag in the distance and gritted his teeth as he ordered, "Reload."

The gunners stood motionless, their expressions blank. Finally, it was the gray-haired old gunner who nodded, and only then did the gunners resume their work.

They laboriously moved the cannons, repositioning the artillery aimed at the river valley village towards the approaching enemy to the southwest.

Valery closed one eye, stretched out his arm, and measured the distance to the silver military flag.

Just then, he heard someone behind him ask, "Hey! What are you doing here?"

A lazy voice replied, "They came from the main camp, delivering artillery shells."

Although the respondent spoke in a Paratist dialect, Lieutenant Colonel Varey recognized a slightly familiar accent.

He turned to look in the direction the voice came from, frowned, and asked, "Who sent you to deliver artillery shells?"

The respondent casually uttered an "Oh," took out a folded piece of paper, and walked over to hand it to Vale: "Sanel, this is an order."

“Sanel?” Lieutenant Colonel Varley was taken aback. “You mean Colonel Sanel? Why would he send you to deliver artillery shells…”

The respondent stopped talking and just kept walking toward Valé, who was almost in front of him in a few steps.

Lieutenant Colonel Varley looked around suspiciously and found that the unfamiliar riders had surrounded the artillery position. He shouted in alarm, "Halt! You're not here to deliver shells!"

Before he could finish speaking, the person who answered had already lunged at him.

Valery tried to draw his sword, but it was too late. His hand had barely touched the hilt when the other man's fist struck his face.

Vale was punched so hard he saw stars, screamed and fell to the ground. His throat was grabbed by his opponent, and he took several more heavy punches to his eye socket, nose, and cheekbone.

After venting his anger, the respondent finally stood up. He spat, revealing a pair of wolf-like sharp teeth, and grinned viciously: "I'm definitely not delivering cannonballs, you provincial bastard!"

But Lieutenant Colonel Valery could neither hear nor answer; he had been beaten unconscious, and only low groans could be heard coming from his throat.

Major Cyber ​​Carrington, a man with wolf-like fangs, put his hands on his hips, kicked the lieutenant colonel at his feet, and ordered, "Tie up this provincial bastard and don't let him get away."

Two riders immediately ran over, tied the lieutenant colonel up, lifted him onto the horse, and then rode away.

"Major." A rider in an old junior officer's uniform with a shaved head approached, his face grim as he looked at the gunner who had already been subdued, and asked, "Should we kill him?"

Seber waved his hand, walked up to the gunners, and demanded sharply, "You are all Paratists! Why are you helping the United Provinces kill Paratists?"

The gunners lowered their heads, none daring to answer or meet the gaze of the menacing figure before them.

“Speak up!” Seber shouted again.

Someone retorted in a low voice: "If helping the United Provinces kill the Paratists is wrong, then is helping the Paratists kill the Paratists acceptable?"

Cyber ​​roared, "Who's speaking?!"

“Sir.” The old gunner, Sergeant Sutt, with his gray hair, stepped forward and looked up to meet Seber’s gaze: “I was the one who ordered them to obey the orders of the provincial commander.”

“Old man,” Cypher asked with a sneer, “you want to take the blame and play the hero?”

The old gunner didn't defend himself, but just lowered his head and continued, "Their families are all in Maplestone City, they have no choice."

Cyber ​​grunted, ignoring the old man in front of him, and strode over to the cannon. He quickly scanned the battlefield, then turned back and asked, "Want to live or die?"

"Alive," the old soldier replied in a low voice.

"Don't want to die? Then from now on, you're our gunners." Without waiting for the old gunner and his men's reply, Seber walked towards the three still-usable cannons and shouted, "Aim these three cannons at those imposters flying the Sixth Army flag to the south! Bombard those bastards!"

The gunners all tentatively looked at the old gunner.

The old gunner closed his eyes in pain and nodded.

……

Meanwhile, on the battlefield in Baishan County where the Sixth Army Corps was fighting, the situation had reversed.

The Tiefeng County Army successively defeated a "veteran battalion" of the Sixth Army Corps and two weak "reserve battalions" that had previously been deployed to defend the riverbank.

The routed soldiers of the Sixth Army Corps fled in panic, being driven towards the valley village.

The Tiefeng County army, in coordination with the remnants of the Baishan County army, was secretly planning to encircle the remaining two veteran battalions of the Sixth Army Corps.

"Go find Sanel!" Colonel Nagy grabbed the messenger and yelled into his ear, "Tell him! Have him set up defenses in River Valley! The rebels are outnumbered! We'll retreat to River Valley to regroup! We still have a chance!"

Just as the messengers of the Sixth Army Corps rushed out of their formation, messengers from the New Reclamation Expeditionary Army cut through the fire and charged into the formation where Colonel Najib was located.

Because all the officers of the Sixth Army Corps had already changed into civilian clothes, it took the messenger quite a bit of effort to find him.

A messenger from the New Reclamation Expeditionary Army brought Sanel's orders, which were completely opposite to Naji's: "Colonel Sanel orders you not to retreat! Hold your ground!"

"Hold on!" Najib shouted, abandoning all decorum. "How the hell am I supposed to hold on?!"

The messenger from the newly established land expeditionary force instinctively flinched at the shout: "The colonel said reinforcements will be here soon!"

Najib was furious: "Reinforcements? Where are the reinforcements?!"

Just then, reinforcements arrived.

Along the provincial highway, between two intersecting earthen hills, emerged a "large army" bearing the flag of the Newly Reclaimed Land Corps.

But what kind of army was that!

There was no order, no formation, and no command.

A small group of people had weapons, another group had sticks and branches they had picked up, and the rest were simply unarmed.

The dark mass of soldiers resembled a pack of wild beasts, blindly following a military flag.

The hundred or so cavalrymen, like sheepdogs, waved whips, sticks, and scabbards to drive away those who lagged behind, and mercilessly killed those who tried to escape.

Najib only glanced at it before launching into a tirade of abuse.

"What reinforcements?! It's clearly Sanel driving his routed soldiers over like livestock! How the hell can they fight a war like this?!"

But after the outburst, a faint spark ignited in Najib's heart.

"This is the only way we can do it!" Naji muttered to himself, his eyes red. "The rebels are outnumbered! The rebels are outnumbered! Even if we can break through their formation! Even if... even if we can wear down one volley of their fire! There's still a chance! There's still a chance! A chance..."

In the White Mountain County contingent, Gaisa Adonis was also hurling insults.

If a spark of hope had been ignited in Najib's heart, then in Colonel Gaisa's heart, even the last flame of hope had been extinguished.

So he used the most vicious words to curse Sanel, curse Chloe, curse the bastard who commanded the Sixth Army, and even couldn't help but curse Colonel Bode and Winters Montagne.

Of course, Gaisa knew that the "reinforcements" that Sanel had brought were nothing but a rabble, and that Colonel Bode and Winters Montagne had already done their best.

However, Sanel had made it clear that he intended to use the routed soldiers to "fill the trenches," and his troops were far too few, plus the reinforcements from Iron Peak County were far too few. The only reason he had been able to hold out until now was because of sheer grit and courage.

Not to mention that the various tribes of Baishan County and Tiefeng County are now embroiled in a chaotic battle, with only one chance to win in one fell swoop and no opportunity to retreat and regroup.

Gaisa cursed again, leading his guards out of the main camp of Baishan County, across the chaotic battlefield, and headed straight for the location of the military flag of Tiefeng County.

"Who's in charge?" Gaisa didn't recognize the officers from Iron Peak County and asked bluntly, "Who's in charge?"

A reliable-looking, sturdy-looking armored soldier stepped forward and saluted.

"Take your men and retreat," Gaisa ordered without room for argument. "Go and meet up with Colonel Skull, and follow his orders from now on."

“I think,” the reliable-looking soldier paused, “no need.”

Gaisa was taken aback and was about to explode when he heard the other party report with a hint of excitement:
"Reinforcements have arrived, Colonel."

"Reinforcements?" Geza raised an eyebrow. "More reinforcements? How many?"

The reliable-looking soldier put away his smile and answered seriously, word by word: "One!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a mournful horn sounded throughout the valley.

A blood-red flag was planted on the southeastern hill.

Upon seeing that military flag, Colonel Najib couldn't help but swallow hard.
The ghosts of the Styx arrived at the battlefield.

[Additional Explanation: The "three-rank volley" tactic was theoretically designed by musketeers specifically to counter cavalry. However, the real world is pragmatic, so a three-rank volley can certainly be used against infantry, and there are many examples of this.]
[For example, in the Polish-Swedish War of 1621-1629, before Sweden formally joined the Thirty Years' War, there was such a battle (these two fought several times, all called the Polish-Swedish Wars)].
[October 1, 1626, the third clash of the Battle of Maye: Gustav II versus Sigismund III]
[The Swedish musketeers, occupying the high ground, fired a volley at the Polish infantry, but the Polish cavalry seized the opportunity and charged, routing the Swedish musketeers.] (Note: This is why it's best not to fire volleys indiscriminately/volleys are theoretically a tactic specifically designed to counter cavalry.)
[However, the Swedish army had pre-arranged another front on the high ground. When the Polish cavalry pursued the fleeing troops, they were met with a volley of fire from the Swedish musketeers on this second front. The Polish cavalry were forced to retreat and regroup.] [This battle ultimately ended with the Polish army withdrawing and the Swedish army emerging victorious.]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
(End of this chapter)