Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 566 Siege (18)
Before tonight, the new army had never used any weapon with a barrel diameter larger than a thumb.

As an "army of the Paratists," the New Army's artillery was also relatively unknown.

As a result, the Southern Army had come to accept that the "rebels" lacked artillery support.

However, starting tonight, the arrogant people of the United Provinces will truly realize that they are not facing a heterogeneous armed force, but another version of themselves.

Their enemies have received the same training and education as them, and are familiar with their organization, thinking, and tactics as they are with their enemies.

This is Ned Smith's legacy—the armies of the republics are no longer the distinct "armies of nations" of the Sovereign War era. Having absorbed each other's strengths, the differences between the armies of the republics are actually much smaller than they perceive.

The Southern Army needed to defeat not a bunch of noisy, flamboyant foreign cavalry wielding curved blades and charging around recklessly, occasionally letting out strange cries.

What they really need to defeat is another version of themselves.

So how could I dare to assume that I didn't have firepower more powerful than a smoothbore musket?

As the thunder roared across the river, William Lordwick painfully realized that he had made a grave mistake.

The tuition is just too expensive.

The "rebel" cannon, which was the first to roar, had its muzzle slightly higher. The lead bullets loaded into the cannon did not fall on the slope, but instead scraped over the top of the slope, taking only a few musketeers who had stuck their heads out too far.

However, the soldiers from the United Provinces stationed at the outpost atop the hill still felt firsthand the terrifying power of the rebels' artillery.

The leaden rain, accompanied by thunder and flames, shook the outer wall of the outpost, and the thatched shed on the top of the outpost was blown away to an unknown location.

Even the United Provinces, who knew nothing about cannons, realized in an instant that the "rebels" were bombarding them with some kind of terrible artillery.

Raymond Montecouccoli, who was struggling to lift a cannon southwards from the north of the landing point, was even more alarmed.

The terrifying roar coming from the other side could not have been made by an ordinary four- or six-pound object.

Montecoli felt dizzy—had the rebels really brought some ancient artifacts here?

The soldiers from the United Provinces had no time to think, because another equally deafening clap of thunder followed immediately after the first one.

This time, the gunner, nicknamed "Devil," thoughtfully made a slight adjustment to the wedge-shaped pad placed at the gun position.

Two tin cans shot out of the cannon muzzle one after the other, and then exploded as they flew over the river. A total of 600 lead balls were perfectly spread into two discs over a distance of 250 to 300 meters, and evenly scattered on the slope from the outpost to the trench.

Matchlock guns typically used no more than 15 grams of gunpowder, while a 32-pound bronze cannon from the old days would consume 16 pounds of gunpowder in a single regular shot.

A flesh-and-blood body cannot withstand the energy contained in sixteen pounds of gunpowder, even if a large portion of that energy is wasted and distributed among six hundred lead balls.

So when the leaden rain swept across the riverbank, Lordwick's second-best hundred-man squad was instantly reduced to pieces.

The breastplate and helmet were easily pierced like wet toilet paper, followed by the bones, tendons, and organs, and then the metal plate on the back.

Then, the third heavy cannon fired, the fourth heavy cannon fired, the fifth...

The flames flashed seven times, like the lid of hell being lifted seven times;

The thunder roared seven times, like seven death knells.

When the smoke cleared and the bells fell silent, Lieutenant Colonel Lordwick's second-best hundred-man squad, consisting of seventy-six well-equipped and skilled regular swordsmen and shieldmen, was no longer intact.

In an instant, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

Four double-loaded shots covered all the musketeers on both sides of the Ten Arrows River.

Immediately afterwards, cries and wails rang out.

Finally, the people of the United Provinces could not withstand the power of the heavy artillery, breaking their proud silence.

The first assault launched by the allied forces defending the island toward the landing zone was thus crushed.

But the "devil's" actions were not over yet.

As the United Provincial soldiers on the high ground climbed over the breastwork, attempting to drag away their still-breathing comrades, two more six-pounder cannons on the west bank mercilessly rained down a hail of lead. The United Provincial soldiers who had rushed out of their posts were immediately driven back, leaving behind several more corpses.

Even the fighting spirit of the United Provinces soldiers in the shallow waters was shaken by the cannon fire. They realized that continuing to harass the "rebels" was pointless, and the United Provinces soldiers broke away from the melee and swam downstream.

The soldiers from Tiefeng County on the large boat and in the water did not pursue them. The soldiers who swam across went directly to the island, while the large boat carried the wounded back to the west bank.

The battlefield fell silent for a moment, with both sides hiding behind breastworks and in trenches, panting heavily.

Only the Ten Arrows River continues to flow quietly, as if nothing had happened here.

But the scattered limbs and broken bodies on the high slope are undeniable evidence.

The temporary silence foreshadows that even more blood will seep into this land.

On the west bank of the river, Mason gazed at Margit Island in the darkness. The Southern Army troops on the island had all extinguished their torches, so he could not see what was happening on the opposite bank.

But he could imagine the terrible scene that would unfold on the riverbank.

He felt both reluctant and relieved that his "daughters," who were older than him, hadn't exploded.

For a heavy artillery piece capable of firing a 32-pound solid iron ball, a distance of 200 meters is too close, too close to allow the shot to disperse in the most ideal way.

Therefore, Mason ordered that each heavy gun be loaded with two rounds of shot at the same time.

This arrangement seemed somewhat risky beforehand, because during the Battle of Howling Valley, a heavy cannon exploded, proving that these veterans from the Sovereign Wars were not as invincible as people imagined.

In hindsight, it was a brilliant move. The method of loading one powder for two shotgun shells reduced the power of a single lead bullet, but it was just right at a distance of about 200 meters.

The pure mathematical calculations were validated in practice, and Mason should have been proud, but he felt no joy at all; instead, he was somewhat sad.

He looked at the brigadier general beside him, the nominal commander-in-chief, hoping to see some of the emotions he lacked in the man.

Unexpectedly, Gaisa Adonis also looked dejected and sighed softly.

……

Margit Island
[Outpost east of the landing point]
"What should we do next, sir?" Lieutenant Borko, who was also the most senior centurion under the current lieutenant colonel, tried his best not to show any panic or helplessness. "Should we request reinforcements from headquarters?"

“Go back to the monastery and bring back all the alchemical smoke and liquid fire,” Lordwik said calmly. “Prepare for the second assault immediately.”

"Now?" Borko was taken aback.

Lordwick gave the lieutenant a cold look. "Right now, can't you hear the commotion from the south?"

"South?" Borko listened intently, then shook his head. "Sorry, I can't hear anything."

“I can’t hear you either,” Lordwick said expressionlessly. “This means the rebels have cleared the fortifications on the south side and are about to turn back. The heavy artillery on the other side still needs to be reloaded, so now is the best time to launch a second assault.”

"Aren't you going to ask the Kings' Fortress for help?"

“If Jason Cornelius can’t see that Margit Island is in grave danger,” a hint of anger flashed in Lordwick’s eyes, “we might as well just die here.”

“But…” Lieutenant Borko wanted to insist a little longer.

Lordwik was too lazy to waste words with this displeasing subordinate. "Bring me the alchemical smoke and liquid fire. The rest is up to you."

Lieutenant Borko knew he had angered the lieutenant colonel, so he saluted and quickly left.

……

Meanwhile, at the southernmost tip of the new town, there is the "Castle" fort, which protects the water gate and the river embankment.

Jason Cornelius saw bodies floating downstream.

[The last few days have been too short, I'm very sorry]
[Compared to thirty years ago, the armies in the narrow mountain pass have become highly homogenized. Ned Smith's infantry structure is like a basic burrito. Although the various republics have added different toppings due to natural endowments, historical traditions, and other reasons, they are essentially still eating burritos.]
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