Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 556 Siege (Part 8)

[West bank of the Ten Arrows River]
After the crossing on the Margit Island side fell, the crossing on the west bank of the Ten Arrows River was completely exposed to enemy fire.

The White Mountain County troops then abandoned the river crossing, retreated a distance, and re-established a stronghold behind the riverbank, facing off against the United Provinces' artillery positions.

"...That's the situation as you see it. The United Provinces burned down the ferry crossing, cutting off our supply and reinforcement routes to the island. Our men, the survivors, have all retreated into the Bishop's Castle..."

Woods lay on the reverse slope of the riverbank, explaining the situation to his senior.

Mason felt a little embarrassed upon hearing the term "United States People".

However, Woods Frank was completely unaware of this, his mind was entirely occupied with "how to rescue the troops trapped on the island", and he wanted to tell the other party everything at once.

He kept his eyes glued to the movements on the opposite bank of the river, his voice low, as if the enemy on the island could hear him:
"...The United Provinces didn't press their advantage and launch an attack on Bishop's Castle. I can't be sure if they intended to besiege it... There's not much food in Bishop's Castle. The United Provinces deliberately kept their food reserves to a minimum for one day... The rations we urgently sent up, calculated per capita, will barely last three days..."

Mason frowned slightly.

“Besides Bishop’s Castle, the United Provinces have completely taken control of Margit Island. They’ve set up lookout posts at Domencos Abbey, and there are fixed and mobile sentries along the riverbank,” Woods stretched out his arm toward the bushes across the river, trying to point it out to his senior. “Look over there, there are their hidden sentries too.”

Mason didn't actually see anything, but he pretended to see it clearly and nodded slowly, because he thought it would make Woods feel better.

“If we want to send supplies to the island, we can only do so after dark; only then will we have a chance,” Woods said, biting his fingernails. “I’ve prepared a raft, and I’ll try it out tonight… Of course, that depends on your permission…”

Mason carefully observed the situation on Margit Island.

The most striking feature was clearly the field artillery fortifications built by the landing forces of the Southern Area Army.

Soldiers from Baishan County said the fortress was built "in the blink of an eye" because there was nothing there before dawn, but after the sun came out, a fortress rose from the ground.

The pitted and ugly fortress was located on the riverbank, about 250 meters away from the river embankment on the side of the bishop's fortress and the new army's side.

Two hundred and fifty meters is not enough for a musket, but it is just right for a cannon.

They don't need to worry about ammunition. At this distance, filling the cannon barrel with gravel would be enough to wipe out anyone who's not thinking straight and tries to force their way across.

The temporary ferry crossing built by the infantry of Baishan County has been razed to the ground.

Anything that wasn't burned by the "magic fire" was dragged away by the provincial soldiers on the island to reinforce their field artillery fortifications.

Mason understood why Woods Frank was so anxious, because the provincial infantry on the island were continuously reinforcing their defenses.

The fortress at this moment is completely different from the one in the morning.

According to Woods, when the sun was just rising, the artillery position looked like a makeshift shack made of a few planks of wood.

When Mason arrived at the riverbank, the United Provinces infantry's artillery positions were already a troublesome stronghold.

The fort itself was widened and heightened to enable crossfire. The fort was surrounded by sharp wooden stakes to prevent climbing, and a ring of abatis was set up below it.

Even as the two were speaking, the United Provinces' fortifications were still "growing" at a visible rate. Behind the sidings, shadowy figures could be seen, with wet sand constantly being kicked up, indicating that someone was digging trenches.

Mason sighed inwardly—this army that called itself the "Alliance Army," regardless of whether it had changed its nature, at least hadn't lost its ability.

He recalled a phrase uttered by an imperial general, yet known to every household in the foothills and regarded as the highest praise by the soldiers of the United Provinces:

“If you let the ‘rebels’ stay in one position for too long, you will never be able to drive them out.”

"Senior?" Woods' voice snapped Mason out of his reverie. The former looked at the latter with pleading eyes, "Please allow me to lead tonight's supply operation."

“How could I possibly ‘allow’ it? General Geza is still in the camp, isn’t he?” Mason was in a real bind, not daring to budge for fear of giving others cause for criticism. “After the ferry fell, are you sure the Southern Army forces on Margit Island didn’t make any move against Bishop’s Castle?”

“From what I’ve observed on the west bank, there’s nothing,” Woods replied cautiously. “But I’m not sure if the United States are active on the east side of Margit Island. As you can see from the island’s topography—it’s high in the center and low on the east and west sides, so we can’t see any activity on the east side of the island from our side.”

“Then I don’t recommend sending people to the island rashly, nor do I recommend a probing landing,” Mason said bluntly. “The enemy is clearly trying to besiege the island and attack reinforcements. The remnants in the bishop’s castle are their bait to lure us in. Knowing it’s a trap, it’s not a wise choice to poke at it.”

“If supplies don’t get up there, the soldiers on the island will starve to death,” Woods said, biting his lip.

“It’s not that bad…” Mason didn’t know what to say.

“I understand what you mean,” Woods said sadly, “but if the United Provinces intend to use Bishop’s Castle as bait, they are very likely not to accept Bishop’s Castle’s surrender.”

Mason was speechless. After a moment of silence, he changed his approach and tried to persuade his junior, "How many companies are there in the Bishop's Castle now?"

Unlike some officers who have to mentally convert company, battalion, and regiment numbers, Woods adapted to the new organization very quickly, thanks in part to his contribution to the reorganization plan from the "old army" to the new army.

“Arthur took a company with him when he set out,” Woods replied. “After we took Bishop’s Castle, we gave him another company.”

"Full strength? Or not?"

"The army is full of soldiers, but there are only company commanders and no deputy company commanders."

Mason nodded. It was a common phenomenon in the New Army regiments that there were only officers and no adjutants, because the New Army was not only short of soldiers, but also short of officers.

Woods, worried that his senior might not understand, explained a few more words: "The 1st Battalion of the reorganized White Mountain County Infantry Regiment was actually the original White Mountain County 'Chief Battalion'. After taking Bazenaul and resting in Mirror Lake County, Colonel Gaisa... General drew elites from various battalions to fill its ranks."

"So you're saying the island's supplies can last for three days?" Mason asked again, "Is that based on full strength or partial strength?"

“Full strength…” Woods understood what his senior meant. His expression darkened, but he still perked up and explained, “But there are also nearly a hundred laborers in Bishop’s Castle who have been conscripted by the United Provinces.”

Mason let out a long "Oh," and said, "On the bright side, we have more manpower to defend Bishop's Castle." Woods' expression darkened further. "I can't be as optimistic as you. The people of Westlin Province generally see us as the Blue Blood faction making a comeback. Their aversion to us is only slightly less than their dislike for Magnus and the United Provinces."

Mason didn't know how to comfort his junior. After a moment of silence, he awkwardly tried to console him, "You, don't blame yourself. No matter what, you can't hold the ferry crossing. Even if you could hold the ferry crossing, you can't hold the ropeway, because... you don't have a boat."
-
[The camp of the White Mountain County troops]
[Central Command Tent]
Brigadier General Gaisa Adonis is receiving a briefing.

“Actually,” Mason stood awkwardly by the map table, for some reason he could never quite feel close to Gaisa Adonis, the exact opposite of Winters, “I also have no experience besieging a large city like Kingsburg, so my opinion is just one person’s view…”

“Alright, alright,” Geza frowned impatiently. “You’re better than a bunch of idiots like us, aren’t you? Stop with the nonsense, just say what you want. Do you think I’m going to put you in a military court?”

Woods quickly spoke up for his senior, looking quite nervous, "Major Mason personally visited all the batteries on the West Coast, conducting on-site surveys and assessments, and also offered many suggestions for improvement..."

Gaisa glared at his capable subordinate, but seeing that the latter's eyes were bloodshot and his lips were dry, he couldn't bear to say anything more. He waved his hand, signaling Winters's subordinates from the provincial government to continue.

Mason adjusted his mindset and pointed to the map, saying, "I think Captain Woods' strategy of 'besieging the new town and attacking the old town' is sound."

"The trenches and fortifications surrounding the new city may seem flimsy, but they are actually a complete system that supports each other. Fighting against them would not only be time-consuming, but would also inevitably result in a large number of casualties."

"And even if we break through the trenches, there are still city walls behind us; if we blow up the city walls, there is still the city behind us; if we capture the city, there is still the Ten Arrows River, the city walls of the old city, and the 'Kings' Fortress' behind us."

"It's like a shield covered with many layers of cowhide. Instead of drilling through the cowhide layer by layer from the front, it's better to start from the back."

Mason glanced furtively at his junior and said solemnly, "Therefore, I support Captain Woods' strategy. The plan to besiege the new town and attack the old town is perfectly sound."

Gaisa crossed his arms, his reaction indifferent.

"As for Margit Island," Mason hesitated for a moment, but finally told Brigadier General Gaisa Adonis in a firm tone, "it was fought without any problems."

"In the enemy's hands, Margit Island is a natural fortress that threatens our flanks; in our hands, Margit Island is a barrier that ensures our army can safely move troops between the east and west coasts."

"If we don't capture Magitek Island, our pontoon bridge will have to be moved at least six kilometers upstream, making it twelve kilometers wide in total; while the enemy can launch an attack from Magitek Island and disrupt any part of this twelve-kilometer-long transportation line."

"Therefore, our army must take Margit Island no matter what."

Mason's eyes showed deep reluctance. "As for casualties... casualties are inevitable. Next, our army should continue to commit more troops to Margit Island until we capture it!"

Woods looked up in surprise at his senior, whose negative attitude toward reinforcing Bishop's Castle led him to believe that his senior did not agree with attacking Margit Island.

Unexpectedly, Richard Mason uttered these startling words in front of Colonel Gaisa.

“That island is a trap. The United Provinces’ cannons are all aimed at it,” Gaisa said, grinding his teeth. “They’ve tied a trap, are we just going to bite the bullet and jump in?”

“No, that wasn’t a trap,” Mason slowly shook his head, his voice firm and resolute. “It was an open-book exam!”

"Chief Cornelius knows we have to attack Magitek Island, and we know he has to defend it. So there's no point in talking about traps or snares. They will do everything in their power to strengthen Magitek Island's defenses. All we have to do is respond to their moves."

"Can't counter their moves?" Gaisa asked with a stern face.

Under pressure, Mason replied, "Then we'll just have to force our way through."

Gaisa stared at the little guy from the United Province for a while, then suddenly laughed hoarsely, "Weren't you the ones who cherished the lives of ordinary soldiers the most? Now you're not so stingy at all?"

Mason sensed the brigadier general's hostility and realized that not only Woods Frank, but also Gaisa Adonis was under immense pressure.

“‘Only shed the necessary blood’ was Field Marshal Ned Smith’s instruction,” Mason replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. “And do you recall that General Cornelius only had four to six battalions under his command?”

He couldn't help but add, "Of course, that's on the premise that the information you obtained is accurate."

“Of course it’s accurate,” Gaisa said coldly, “more accurate than the number of hairs on my head.”

“So no matter how much preparation General Cornelius made in advance, it doesn’t change the fact that his forces are at an absolute disadvantage,” Mason’s words became clearer and clearer. “Therefore, if he wants to win this battle, he must achieve a very, very, very good casualty exchange ratio.”

"Considering the size of the forces we can deploy, and the critical point of morale collapse, a ratio of one to three is not even enough. It would take a ratio of one to five or one to ten for him to have a chance to win this siege."

Mason's vision became increasingly clear: "Such an exaggerated casualty ratio can only be achieved by relying on strong fortifications and fully utilizing firepower."

Mason hardened his heart and continued, "So I think that as long as Jason Cornelius is willing to leave the fortified area and fight in the field, even if we suffer a casualty ratio of one to two or one to three, we should resolutely commit our troops to continue exchanging blows with them."

“Margit Island is such a place. It seems to be a trap prepared for us, but in reality, it is also a death trap for the enemy. They left their strong fortified position and deliberately lured us there.”

Richard Mason stated unequivocally, "And what we have to do is fight this battle to the very end!"

The central command tent was completely silent; Woods Frank was utterly speechless.

Gaisa Adonis sized up the artillery major for a while, then suddenly asked in an unfriendly tone, "Kid, if I remember correctly, you're from the United Province too, right? Why are you so cruel to your fellow countrymen?"

Mason paused for a moment, suppressing his anger and grievances, and then asked with composure but force, "From the very first second of this conversation, you have been suspicious of me because of my background. So I would also like to ask you, aren't you also a Paratul? Then why did you fight so bravely in the River Valley Village?"

The smell of gunpowder in the tent was suffocating Woods Frank. He never imagined that his amiable senior, Richard Mason, could have such a stubborn side.

Woods Frank never expected that it would be his former boss who backed down first.

“Wrong, kid,” Gaisa said calmly as he sat down. “I never suspected you. I was just curious about you. How did a man from the United Province end up here and serve a Veneta?”

“Fate,” Mason lowered his eyelids.
“Fate,” Gaisa chewed on the magical word, recalling his own experiences, and couldn’t help but smile bitterly, spitting out a mouthful of bitterness, “Fate, what a damn thing.”

“General,” Mason saluted, “the Iron Peak County Infantry Regiment, the White Mountain County Infantry Regiment, and the Artillery Regiment will arrive at the camp tomorrow. Please allow the Iron Peak County Infantry Regiment to participate in the upcoming offensive.”

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