Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 569 Siege (Twenty-One)

While Lieutenant Colonel Lordwick on Margit Island was planning his offensive, the new army troops on the west bank of the Ten Arrows River were also making preparations to deal with the enemy's next counterattack.

On the riverbank, the devil Ons lay beneath the carriage of a thirty-two-pound cannon, holding a candle and examining the breech inch by inch.

The bronze cannon gleamed with an almost golden sheen in the candlelight. Molten candle wax dripped onto Ons's hands from time to time, but the "demon" didn't even blink.

Even with the tin canister as a cover, the damage caused by the shot to the cannon was still astonishing. Therefore, Major Mason stipulated that after each firing, the cannon barrel—especially the breech—must be inspected to ensure there were no deformations or cracks.

And because of the previous instances of barrel explosions, the artillerymen had to be extra careful when using these old machines.

After the visual inspection was completed, Demon Ons patted the gun mount, and the artillerymen next to him worked together to pull him out from under the gun mount.

The demon Ons didn't say a word, he just nodded and walked toward the next 32-pound cannon.

While the demon Ons personally inspected the cannon, the other gunners were busy cooling it down.

Barrels of flaxseed oil were poured into the cannon barrels to quell the fury of these bronze behemoths.

In contrast, the three six-pound long guns, which were squeezed to the edge of the position and looked inconspicuous, had a much simpler firing procedure.

These three six-pound cannons had been captured by the Iron Peak County Army the longest and used the most, so their characteristics were well-known. Therefore, the gunners were very adept at handling them.

No oil cooling is needed. Simply use a wet mop to clean up the gunpowder residue, then wipe it dry with a dry mop, and then you can reload the ammunition.

So while the 32-pounder is still in full swing, the 6-pounder is ready to fire again.

Meanwhile, below the riverbank, Tamas, the battalion commander of the Iron Peak County Infantry Regiment, was leading his men in a full-scale effort to recover the ferry.

Due to the influence of the water flow, the ferry's route between the two banks is not straight, but rather "diagonal."

The first group of soldiers who landed on the island started half a kilometer upstream from the landing point, but when the ferry turned back, they were swept half a kilometer downstream.

The "loss" of one kilometer, which is made up for by manpower alone, can only be made up for in the round trip.

Tamas and his men salvaged the stranded boats and sampans, carried them back to the riverbank, loaded them onto horse-drawn carts, and transported them upstream.

In the temporary command post, Gaisa Adonis watched the soldiers of the Iron Peak County Regiment climbing up and down both sides of the river embankment and unconsciously frowned.

"What's wrong?" Mason sensed the brigadier general's negative emotions and asked cautiously, "General."

“Nothing much,” Gaisa replied expressionlessly. After a moment, he sighed and said helplessly, “I’ve been through so much, but I never expected to be stumped by a small river.”

“General, Ten Arrows River is no small river,” Mason instinctively corrected. “Even looking across the narrow area between the two mountains, it is one of the larger rivers.”

Gaisa didn't respond.

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Mason quickly tried to cover it up: "Actually, there are many historical examples of battles where a river has decided the outcome. To name just one, the Battle of the Great Wilderness, in the end, was decided by a river..."

Gaisa gave a cold laugh.

The artillery major shut his mouth abruptly, and everyone else in the command post remained silent.

After a moment, Geza broke the oppressive silence. He looked out over Margit Island and asked with a hint of impatience, "Why is it so quiet on the island? Are all the United Provincemen dead?"

“That’s unlikely,” Mason replied, forcing a smile, and explained cautiously, “The enemy forces on the island number at least two battalions. Even by the most optimistic estimate, they still have at least eight full-strength hundred-man squads…”

Mason's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.

This time, it was Gaisa's turn to sigh. He crossed his arms, looked Richard Mason up and down, and asked regretfully, "Major, how did an honest man like you end up getting involved with Winters Montagne?"

“Well,” Mason scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, “it’s a long story.”

Geza was completely worn down. He took a deep breath, intending to talk about something else. Just then, the lookout's shout reached the command post:

"Lights! They're sending a signal from the other side!"

Upon hearing this, Gaisa rushed to the breastwork, and Mason and the other officers in the command post quickly followed.

Suddenly, a spot of light appeared on Margit Island.

From a distance, it looks like a small hole has been punched in a black canvas, letting the light from behind it through.

However, the signal lights on the opposite bank neither flashed nor moved; they were simply lit abruptly, completely violating any pre-agreed signal rules.

Just as the lookout was racking his brains to translate the signal, the spots on the black canvas suddenly multiplied from one to two, then from two to four, and in the blink of an eye, they spread into a horizontal line.

Only then did everyone in the command post realize—that wasn't a lamp, it was fire.

Moreover, it wasn't a fire burning on the surface, but a fire burning in the trenches.

Immediately afterwards, a person burning brightly leaped out of the "horizontal line" and ran towards the river.

However, a series of red flashes erupted in the darkness as provincial musketeers fired deadly lead bullets from the high ground, killing "Fireman" on the riverbank.

But it's hard to say whether this behavior is cruel or gives the fire person a release.

Soon, several more firemen climbed out of the trench and rushed toward the Ten Arrows River.

They plunged into the river, but the water could not completely extinguish the fire on their bodies; the eerie blue flames floated on the surface and continued to burn.

The fire people screamed in agony as they were swallowed by the dark river.

Mason watched all this with a heart full of anguish.

Gaisa Adonis broke the silence, uttering a single word with bitterness: "Alchemical fire!"

On the pontoon bridge, on the riverbank, on the river shore... the heart-wrenching screams coming from the opposite bank made everyone stop what they were doing. The soldiers stared at the fire that had spread into a wall on the island, at a loss.

“Keep working,” Gaisa said coldly.

Mason paused, but he pursed his lips and repeated the brigadier general's order, "Continue working."

The messengers rushed out of the command post, rousing the stunned people, "Get back to work!"

Soon, everyone came to their senses.

Engineers continued to move building materials onto the pontoon bridge, artillerymen continued to load ammunition into cannons, and soldiers on the transport ferries once again cracked their whips, driving horse-drawn carts with a screeching sound as they headed upstream to the attack position.

"Can your men hold out?" Gaisa turned to Mason and asked.

“They are our men, General,” Mason corrected earnestly, “and our soldiers have never let us down.”

Geza nodded and said nothing more.

The sound of hurried footsteps rang out as Tamas approached Mason.

"You want to go to the island?" Mason asked. "What about the west coast?"

“The West Bank doesn’t need me,” Tamas replied firmly. “They need me there.”

[The Lion of Veneta will only appear in the next chapter.]
(End of this chapter)