Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 553 Siege (Part 5)

Margit Island
Domencos Monastery
"Where are we?" Lieutenant Colonel Montecochli asked anxiously from the top of the clock tower, standing on its steps.

“They’ve turned off all the lights,” the young warrant officer, acting as lookout, replied timidly. “I can’t see anything.”

Upon hearing this, Montecoli irritably punched the stone wall beside him.

If it weren't for the fact that the artillery lieutenant colonel couldn't see clearly, he really wanted to pull the warrant officer down and stand on the top floor himself to see.

Years of drawing and reading at his desk severely damaged Montecuccoli's eyesight; he could only see colors from a distance.

This is also why many people think the head of the artillery section is difficult to get along with when they first meet him—Raymond Montecouccoli is nearsighted and doesn't like wearing glasses, so he always squints when looking at people. Combined with his unapproachable face, it would be strange if he could leave a good impression.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from below the clock tower, followed by a commotion.

Montecoli was shocked and immediately dragged the still-stunned warrant officer from the exposed top of the tower back into the stairwell.

He had originally intended to blow out the signal light, but hesitated after lifting the cover. In the end, he left the conspicuous signal light on top of the tower, while he and the warrant officer hid under the floorboards.

But the man hid, and the enemy's bullets didn't come, nor did any battle cries ring out.

After waiting for a moment, Montecuccoli cautiously peeked out, but saw no sign of the enemy—of course, even if there were, he probably wouldn't be able to see them clearly.

"What's going on?!" Montecoli climbed to the top of the tower and angrily shouted down.

A moment later, a lieutenant's voice came from below, "Private John said he saw a figure, but he must have been seeing things."

“Which John?” Montecouccoli roared. But before the lieutenant could answer, the colonel sighed, “Forget it! Tell him to look carefully before he fires next time! All the musketeers, listen up, fire at close range! Shoot carefully! Don’t let the rebels fool you again!”

When he said the last sentence, Montecuccoli's fists were almost clenched until they bled.

Previously, they failed to defend the Bishop's Castle because they were tricked into firing the crucial first volley.

The rebels who landed on the island crept up to a spot a hundred paces from the fortress and suddenly lit many torches.

The tense sentry instinctively pulled the firing lever, and the other musketeers followed suit, firing in the direction of the flash. Even the gunners were prompted to plunge their red-hot iron rods into the powder chambers.

After a spectacular salvo, only the cannon personally commanded by Montecuccoli remained firing on the bishop's castle.

The "defeated" enemies were nothing more than fake targets made of resin and wooden sticks.

After the defenders had wasted their most lethal volley, the "rebel" assault team got up from two hundred paces away and launched an attack on the bishop's castle.

The trenches, which were still a long way from completion, only caused the rebels a little trouble.

Therefore, before the first rebel even climbed into the fortress from the cannon muzzle and witnessed his men firing lead bullets into the air, Montecuccoli was already certain that the bishop's castle could not be held.

Therefore, he immediately activated the backup plan and ordered the troops to break out separately.

They said they were breaking out separately, but in reality they were just running away over the walls—the trenches of the bishop's castle couldn't stop those who wanted to come in, just as they couldn't stop those who wanted to leave.

Fortunately, the "rebel" forces that landed on the island were not large in scale, had no cavalry, and their attention was mainly focused on the bishop's castle. They even intentionally or unintentionally gave the garrison a way out, so Montecuccoli's "breakout" went relatively smoothly.

After escaping the bishop's castle, Montecuccoli gathered the soldiers who had become separated from their direct superiors and retreated safely to the Domencos Monastery, located south of the bishop's castle and in the center of Magitek Island.

Domencos Monastery is a nunnery that has been on the island of Magit since the Paratus officially converted to Catholicism, hundreds of years ago.

After Cornelius approved the construction of a fort on Magitek Island, the Domencos Monastery was requisitioned by the Southern Army, and the nuns were "invited" into the city, where almost all the Protestant provincials occupied the place.

Because the commander himself had specifically stated the rules, the soldiers from the United Provinces did not intentionally damage the monastery.

However, the Southern Front Command favored the Domencos Monastery because it was a sturdy stone building with a high elevation and good views. With slight modifications, it could become a suitable fortified stronghold and could also support the Bishop's Castle.

So the people of the United Provinces remodeled the Domencos Monastery to military standards, raising the walls, widening the canals outside the walls, and drilling gun holes in the monastery walls.

Because the bishop's castle was not yet completed, the supplies and ammunition allocated to it were temporarily stored at the Domencos Monastery. In fact, the number of troops deployed to the Domencos Monastery was even greater than the number currently stationed at the bishop's castle.

In fact, the fall of Bishop's Castle was part of the operational plan devised by the Southern Front Command, and Domencos Monastery was the key location that could not be lost.

If the "rebels" launch a large-scale landing on the island, then according to the contingency plan, Montecuccoli will cede the unfinished bishop's castle to the "rebels" and retreat to the Domencos Monastery to hold out for reinforcements.

At that time, the bishop's castle will become a hot potato, and the rebels will face a dilemma.

If the rebels decisively abandon the bishop's castle, there will be no loss, only some damage. Montecuccoli will take back the bishop's castle and continue construction right under the rebels' noses.

If the rebels are unwilling to give up the bishop's castle, then the bishop's castle, which is just an empty shell, will become a millstone to grind the rebels to pieces.

Therefore, Lieutenant Colonel Montecouccoli was not surprised by the fall of Bishop's Castle.

What truly caught Montecuccoli off guard was how early the "rebel" offensive had begun.

All indications suggest that the "rebel army" outside Zhuwangbao is currently roughly between one and two battalions, supported by two to three companies of light cavalry, without artillery support. Such a small force is insufficient to even block the city gates, let alone attack them.

However, the rebels dared to attack, dared to land on the island, and dared to rush towards the bishop's castle.

Montecoli felt neither fear nor awe towards this; instead, he felt a little sad and regretful.

Reading praises of the courage of the Platonic cavalry in books is one thing, but experiencing firsthand how brave the "border people" were is quite another.

The courage of the Paratites, the cannonballs of the United Provinces... these resources, which should have been used against the Empire, were instead used against each other. Montecuccoli felt immense regret at the thought.

At the same time, the thought of the "rebels'" tricks at the foot of the bishop's castle filled Montecuccoli with shame and indignation.

He had read many records of luring musketeers into firing volleys in military history—in the early stages of the uprising, royalist cavalry were particularly adept at repeatedly feinting charges to provoke militia musketeers into firing volleys at ineffective distances, followed by a real charge that easily crushed the militia's formation.

After Ned Smith took over the piedmont militia, this never happened again.

Montecoli never imagined that such a thing would happen again under his command.

They weren't even lured by cavalry, but rather tricked by a small group of infantry.

He wasn't injured throughout the fight, but his face was burning with pain.

Even if he was unwilling to admit it, he had to admit that the United Provinces Army had been resting on its laurels for too long, habitually taking the glorious achievements of its predecessors as its own.

But Raymond Montecouccoli has no intention of giving up.

“The reinforcements from Kingsburg don’t know we’ve nailed all the cannons shut, so they’ve extinguished their torches,” Montecuccoli picked up the signal light and solemnly handed it to the warrant officer acting as lookout. “There are no stars or moon tonight. This is no longer a clock tower, but a lighthouse. This light is the only thing that can guide the reinforcements—no matter what happens, don’t let it go out.”

The warrant officer, bewildered but cautious, took the signal light and held it protectively in his arms.

"Why are you holding the lamp?" Montecoccoli was so angry he almost laughed. "It's facing outwards."

The warrant officer suddenly realized what was happening and turned the signal light back towards the direction of the Fort of Kings.

“Signal,” Montacuccoli patiently instructed the warrant officer, trying to control his temper. “A flashing light is more noticeable than an everlasting one.”

Following the lieutenant colonel's command, the warrant officer rhythmically shook the signal light handle up and down.

Montecoli nodded and walked down from the top of the tower. "Let me know if anything happens."

"Where are you going, sir?" the warrant officer asked instinctively. As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately realized he shouldn't have asked that question and shrank back.

However, the artillery lieutenant colonel was unusually patient tonight, not at all like someone who had just suffered a defeat.

“We’ve all survived, and we’re still terrified,” Montecukovli replied calmly. “I need to go down and make sure everyone understands that we haven’t lost the battle yet.”

The warrant officer paused for a moment, then raised his hand in salute. "Yes, sir!"

"Signal."

The warrant officer quickly put his hand down and continued cranking the signal light handle.

“Warrant Officer…Warrant Officer Kemp,” Monteco paused, then asked out of the blue, “Do you think we’ll win?”

“Definitely!” Edwin Kemp answered reflexively.

Montecoli smiled noncommittally and patted the warrant officer on the shoulder. "Keep that confidence going."

Then, without looking back, he walked down from the lighthouse.
-
Meanwhile, on the riverbank opposite Margit Island, Woods Frank was standing in knee-deep water, directing the follow-up troops to "board the boats."

It's called a boat, but it's really just a few rafts.

However, the soldiers of White Mountain County had already strung a rope between Margit Island and the west coast, so the efficiency of raft transport might not be much worse than that of the rowing boats going upstream from Kingsburg.

The wounded evacuated from the island sent a message to Woods: "Lieutenant Alanie reports to you that he has successfully rescued many conscripted laborers, but the cannons in the fortress have all been nailed down by the United Provinces."

"I understand," Woods nodded, and told the others to carry the wounded man back to shore.

Although the outcome of failing to capture usable cannons was not hard to predict, Woods' heart sank a little when all hope was truly dashed.

For the new army, the most important thing to avoid is turning the battle on Margit Island into a protracted war.

Looking out over Margit Island, shrouded in darkness and deathly silence, Woods silently prayed:

"If you can hear me, Senior Mason, come quickly."
-
About forty kilometers southwest of Zhuwangbao, on the provincial highway within the territory of Sanchahe City.

Richard Mason, who was fast asleep in the carriage, suddenly sneezed.

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