Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 570 Siege (Twenty-Two)

Kneeling on one knee on a rowboat made of three planks, Tamas used his oars to push the boat away from the temporary dock and set sail for Margit Island.

More than forty soldiers boarded twenty-three small boats and followed their battalion commander as they sailed away from the west bank.

Before the battle began, not counting the specially built large boats, the Iron Peak Regiment had a total of sixty small boats, so they transported the entire company to the island in one go.

But going there is easy; returning is difficult.

Some small boats ran aground at the landing site, stuck between the "horse-stopping stakes" and the riverbank, unable to move.
On some small boats, the soldiers responsible for bringing the boats back were unfortunately killed by the United Provinces. The out-of-control boats were thus swept far downstream by the river and were difficult to recover in a short time.

There are also some small canoes, which are meant to be used only once.

So when they set off for the first time, there were clearly sixty small boats, but before the second departure, Tamas counted them again and again, and never counted to twenty-five.

There is a severe shortage of ships, and there is also a severe shortage of manpower.

Not every soldier in the Iron Peak Regiment was a swimming champion. The soldiers in each battalion who could swim had long been selected to either reinforce the First Company or be assigned to various large and small boats to serve as temporary "sailors".

Major Mason originally kept a number of skilled swimmers as reserves.

However, when the United Provinces climbed over the horse-stopping posts and launched a surprise attack on the large boat, the reserve force was also dispatched.

Therefore, the forty-odd soldiers who crossed the river this time were likely the last batch of reinforcements that the west bank could provide before the pontoon bridge was completed.

Tamas knew this, and he made sure that the warriors who went with him knew it too.

But he knew very well that this "risk notification" was meaningless—no soldier would back down in the face of battle.

What he should have done was not to tell his subordinates about the risks they were about to face, but to ensure that his subordinates did not take unnecessary risks.

But he wasn't sure if he could do it.

So, during the final roll call before departure, Tamas felt as if a stone was pressing on his chest, and guilt prevented him from looking the soldiers in the eye.

Fortunately, once he set off, he stopped thinking about these things.

From the moment he climbed onto the rowboat, only one thing remained in his mind—to get ashore.

As the bow of the boat continued to part the river water, Tamas gradually approached the center line of the river channel.

The firelight on the island was already clearly visible, and the same was true on the other side.

Therefore, Tamas lowered his body and slowed his paddling motions to delay his exposure as much as possible.

Behind the initial blast site, a military outpost was ignited by alchemical fire.

The wooden roof of the garrison was burning brightly, like a giant torch, illuminating the nearby river surface clearly.

Therefore, we cannot use the original login point this time.

Fortunately, before the United States could retaliate, Woods Frank's winches proved their worth, easily removing a large number of "horse-blocking posts" and tearing a gap in the United States' water defenses.

However, there is also a problem:
In Major Mason's operational plan, using large boats and winches to destroy the horse-blocking posts was a prerequisite for building the pontoon bridge.
The large boats and winches performed their tasks admirably, so the breach in the United Provinces' water defenses was torn open right across from the pontoon bridge.

Although the pontoon bridge is still quite a distance from the other side, the United States government is very likely to send more people to this location.

So, should we land through the new breach? Or should we go through the blasted landing point? Or should we drag the cable across again and create another breach?
If we drag the cable across, will there still be enough time?

When caught in a dilemma, Tamas couldn't help but think: If Your Excellency were here, Your Excellency would make a decision in a second, and I would only need to obey.

But now, Tamas has to make the decision himself.

He decided to use the new gap created by the winch to reach the shore.

He wasn't sure if his judgment was right or wrong.

So he decided to be the first to set off, ahead of all his subordinates.

Everything seemed to be going well; the current was slowing down, and the riverbank was already in sight.

But Tamas remained vigilant, and the closer they got to Magitek Island, the more tense they became.

Suddenly, a brief but bright red flame burst forth on the high slope behind the riverbank.

Without hesitation, Tamas flipped himself into the water, and the makeshift rowboat capsized in the process.

While Tamas was still in mid-air, a series of red flames bloomed on the United Provinces' positions, one after another, almost forming a line.

A brief flash of light illuminated the billowing smoke, followed by bursts of gunfire that spread in all directions.

Almost at the same time, the lead bullet also flew to Tamas's side.

Tamas hid underwater, unable to see anything, only hearing the continuous "plop, plop" of lead pellets hitting the water. Tamas wasn't worried about his safety; the lead pellets wouldn't slide far in the water before losing their power.

What he was worried about was the wooden barrel tied to the back of the rowboat, which contained a deadly thing; if it leaked, everything would be over.

So as soon as the sound of the lead weight hitting the water stopped, Tamas immediately surfaced, pulled out the dagger strapped to his calf, and cut the rope between the rowboat and the barrel. Then, biting the rope, he struggled to swim to the riverbank.

"boom!"

A thunderous roar, ten times louder than the gunfire of the provincial guerrillas, came from behind Tamas.

The new army's cannons roared in response to the chorus of the provincial musketeers.

Hailstones flew over Tamas’s head and slammed into the United Provincials’ positions.

Tamas could even hear the whooshing sound of air being cut through right next to his ear.

After about five breaths, a second roar followed.

Five breaths later, a third roar.

Tamas understood that the artillerymen were covering the infantrymen's landing on the island.

He gritted his teeth and swam even more desperately towards the other side.

At the same time, sporadic gunfire could be heard from the trenches along the riverbank.

And smoke was rising from the trenches, initially thin but quickly becoming thick.

The soldiers of the Iron Peak Regiment on the island were also doing their best to cover their comrades landing on the island.

Tonight, the wind is blowing from the northwest, and most of the smoke released by the soldiers in the trenches is being pushed into the island, spreading between the New Army's trenches and the breastworks of the United Provincial Army.

Although not perfect, it still obstructed the view of the people from the United Provinces to some extent.

Under the cover of smoke and artillery fire, Tamas swam to the shallow waters.

As soon as his feet touched the soft riverbed, Tamas rushed forward a few steps, then grabbed the rope he was holding in his mouth and dragged the barrel behind him toward the riverbank.

They hadn't dragged the person out of the water before the bucket got stuck.

Without the help of buoyancy, the watertight wooden barrel filled with the deadly stuff instantly became incredibly heavy, almost costing Tamas his life.

Fortunately, two figures crawled out of the trench on the riverbank and ran to Tamas's side.

Without needing to speak, the three worked together, wading through mud and across the riverbank. Lead bullets occasionally landed around them, but they still managed to carry the wooden bucket into the trench without any serious injury.

Having finally arrived at the "front line," Tamas collapsed to the ground, panting heavily and coughing uncontrollably.

It was at this moment that the soldiers who were helping him carry the wooden bucket recognized who it was.

"battalion commander?"

"Is that the battalion commander?"

"Battalion Commander Tamas is here!"

Shouts rang out from the trenches.

"Why have you come?" Peter Bunier, who rushed over immediately, asked with a sob in his voice, then added, "You've finally come."

“There are more people behind,” Tamas said, not bothering to offer any words of comfort to his best company commander. He naturally took over the command and quickly issued orders, “They also have ammunition barrels. Help them get ashore.”

"Yes!" The warriors around Tamas raised their hands in salute.

Just then, a piercing warning came from the end of the trench.

"They're here!" the sentry shouted hoarsely. "The provincial bastards are sneaking up under the cover of smoke!"

"Oh no!" Peter Bunier shouted anxiously, "Wind direction! The smoke helped them! It's all my fault! I..."

"Axe!" Tamas interrupted Peter sharply, struggling to sit up.

A short axe was quickly handed to the battalion commander.

With a swift stroke of his axe, Tamas cleaved a gap in the sealed barrel, then broke the planks at both ends of the gap with his bare hands.

The soldiers then discovered that the wooden barrels were filled with "horse tail grenades".

[I'm so sorry for taking so much time off lately and for not updating as often. I'm really, really sorry, Orz]
[Thank you so much for your patience and understanding, readers! Orz]
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[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
(End of this chapter)