Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 564 Siege (Sixteen)
Margit Island
Ignoring the staggering, fear-ridden deserters, Raymond Montecouccoli sprinted through the trenches until he reached the outpost less than twenty meters from the explosion site.

With the "rebels" so close, Montecuccoli could not only hear the "rebel" soldiers shouting at each other, but also see the faces of the rebel soldiers on the small boats by the dim moonlight.

That's right, a ship.

When did the "rebels" get boats?

Why didn't the scouts find it?

It should be noted that before the "fence stakes" were erected, the Southern Area Army Command never stopped sending scouts out of the city, and even went so far as to take away officers' warhorses and give them priority to the scouts leaving the city.

But why didn't anyone notice that the "rebels" had transported so many ships to the front lines?

Montecoli lay by the trench, counting the small boats shuttling back and forth on the river, his teeth itching with hatred.

What the artillery lieutenant colonel didn't know was that the Southern Army's scouts had done everything they could, and even many in the "rebels" admired their tenacity and bravery.

But unless the Southern Army's scouts can break into the rebel convoy, uncover the carts, escape the "rebel" cavalry, and bring the intelligence back to Kingsburg alive...

Otherwise, the Southern Army Command would never have known that the rebels already had ships.

In order to conserve transport capacity to the greatest extent possible and to avoid being discovered by the scouts frequently dispatched by the Southern Army, a major in the rebel artillery specifically ordered the removal of the carriage boxes and railings from all the wagons. Then, he directly fixed the small boats collected in the rear onto the beams of the wagons, filled them with supplies, covered them with tarpaulins, and transported the boats and supplies to the front line without anyone noticing.

"Surprise is the key to victory in combat," a student in the artillery department firmly remembered the knowledge point taught by his teacher.

But right now, Montecukovic has absolutely no time for self-satisfaction.

To his left, a commotion erupted at the Domoncos Monastery—Lieutenant Colonel Lodwijk's troops were mobilizing.

But ahead of him, the "rebel" landing point was unusually quiet.

Gunshots, clanging metal, and dying cries came from further south.

Montecuccoli judged that after the rebels broke through the coastal defenses, they did not rush to advance towards Bishop's Castle, but instead turned their attention southward.

It appears that the "rebels" are clearing out their own strongholds and defenses at the southernmost tip of Margit Island.

In contrast, the actions of the "rebel" follow-up forces, though inconspicuous, were seen as far more dangerous by the artillery lieutenant colonel:

Rebels in small boats are frantically destroying the water fence south of the explosion site.

Meanwhile, on the opposite bank of the river, lights shone brightly and crowds thronged, as a pontoon bridge stretched toward Margit Island at a visible speed.

Raymond Montecouccoli immediately realized that the "rebels" were not in a hurry to rescue the remaining soldiers in the bishop's castle, nor did they expect to take Margit Island in one fell swoop with a small number of elite troops.
The "rebel" commander who planned this offensive was a man of impeccable prudence.

He wanted to establish a landing ground, a bridgehead, and a beachhead at the southern tip of Margit Island, first securing an invincible position, and then pursuing victory.

Just then, the sound of splashing footsteps came from the trench behind them.

Montecoli instinctively touched his thigh and realized he hadn't brought any weapons.

Fortunately, it was one of their own men who came—the artillery commander's adjutant, bodyguard, and gunner, each carrying a short, spring-loaded pistol with its fuse already lit, carefully approached them.

Montecuccoli moved so fast that before the three young men could react, the middle-aged man had already disappeared from sight. The rebels were just outside the trench. Montecuccoli made a shushing gesture, and the three young men immediately nodded.

The four men crouched in the trench. Montecochli pulled his adjutant to his side and whispered an order in his ear, "Go to the Domoncos Monastery immediately, find Lieutenant Colonel Lordwijk, and tell him that the rebels are launching a full-scale attack on the southern defensive positions. Tell him not to hesitate and to attack the rebel landing point immediately."

The adjutant nodded, stepped back a short distance, and silently crawled out of the trench, heading towards the monastery.

“Back to the battery,” Montecoccoli pulled the battery officer to his side again, “Gather everyone who can take up arms, engineers, artillerymen, my men, Lieutenant Colonel Lordwick’s men…everyone! And the cannons, bring the cannons over too…”

"What about the bishop's castle?" the officer on duty asked.

"Even if the rebels in the bishop's castle break out, ignore them!" Montecuccoli gritted his teeth. "The pontoon bridge is the key. Once it reaches the shore, we're all doomed!"

He grabbed the officer on duty by the collar, wishing he could etch his words into the poor young man's ears, "Remember! The cannon, even if you have to lift it with your arms, bring the cannon over..."

Just then, a series of sharp gunshots rang out from above.

From the direction of Domencos Monastery, Lieutenant Colonel Lodwijk's troops occupied the earthen slope on the bank and fired a volley of gunfire toward the "rebel" landing point.

Then came the second round, the third round...

Lead bullets rained down like hailstones, and the "rebel" soldiers on the riverbank jumped into the trenches.

Most of them did not carry muskets, so they could not fight back and could only cling to the inner wall of the trench to avoid fire from inside the island.

But the "rebels" showed no sign of panic. A powerful voice echoed through the trenches, ordering the "rebel" soldiers to collect the muskets of the defenders.

Upon hearing the order, the "rebel" soldiers immediately sprang into action.

The three men, Montecuković and his companions, inside the trenches also heard the rebel commander's orders clearly.

The artillery lieutenant colonel immediately realized that something was wrong. He snatched the revolver from the duty officer, then shoved the officer to hurry up and leave. He then stood at the entrance of the outpost, picked up the revolver, and aimed at the corner of the trench.

The officer on duty paused for a moment, saluted, and strode away.

The "rebel" soldiers, who were searching for weapons, immediately heard the footsteps of the officer on duty.

"stop!"

A sharp shout, delivered in a thick Paratist accent, came from the trench outside the outpost, followed by a figure rushing out from around the corner of the trench.

Montecoli gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger. A flash of red light, and the smoke instantly engulfed the entire trench.

Regardless of whether the shot hit or not, the artillery lieutenant colonel grabbed his guard and ran. Before reaching the next corner, he snatched the pistol from the guard's hand and fired a shot in the direction of the "rebel" soldiers.

Immediately, Montekukoli pulled his guard and retreated to the next outpost.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel William Lordwick arrived at the battlefield.

Behind him, the main gate of the Domencos Monastery was wide open, and soldiers from the United Provinces, carrying torches, poured out of the gate and rushed toward the landing site.

[Today was very short, I'm very sorry]
[Today's results: Neither win nor lose]