Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 574 Siege (Twenty-Six)

The horsetail grenade is shaped like a goose egg or a teardrop, with one pointed end and the other rounded end. The rounded end serves as both the casting port and the ignition port.

It is called a horsetail grenade because there is an extra small pull ring on the pointed side, and a rope is attached to the grenade so that it can be tied to the pull ring, which looks like a horsetail.

At this moment, Tamas was holding the grenade body with his left hand and grasping the end of the "horse tail" with his right hand.

He nodded to Peter Bunier, who skillfully lit the fuse with a flint and steel.

Tamas then stood up from the trench and, as if using a slingshot, swung his arm and swung the horsetail grenade three times over his head until the heavy iron lump had absorbed enough force and began to whistle through the air.

Tamas released his grip.

The horsetail grenade, trailing its hissing fuse, disappeared into the night and flew toward the United Provinces' positions on the high ground.

Before he could even ask for it, the company commander had already handed him the next grenade.

The horsehair grenade from the Zhevodan Armory is a product that has undergone another iteration based on the iron-cased grenade, which had already been improved once.

The original iron-cased grenades all came with nets because they were too heavy to be thrown far without a sling-like throwing method.

Winters used the old-style grenades many times in the Taniri Islands and felt that they were very inconvenient to carry and use. On the battlefield, there was sometimes no space to even straighten one's arms, and one often had to throw them by hand.

When he came to power, he ordered the ordnance department to improve the old-style grenades.

Following His Excellency Montagne's advice, Berlion reduced the size of the grenade and compensated for the reduced explosive charge by making the iron casing thinner.

That's why the Battle of River Valley Village featured a new type of grenade that could be thrown by hand.

The horsetail grenade is essentially an older type of grenade with its "tail" cut off and then reattached.

why?
Of course, it's so that it can be thrown farther.

Just as Tamas hurled his second horsetail grenade at the breastwork on the high slope, a muffled explosion, unlike either a gunshot or a cannon shot, rang out on the United Provinces' position and spread in all directions.

The explosion was like opening a closed door, releasing something terrifying. Similar explosions began to ring out continuously on the high ground, startling both sides in the battle, who wondered what had happened next.

Tamas had no time to assess the effectiveness of the horsetail grenades; he was focused on swinging the rope, with no thought in his mind about "throwing the most grenades behind the breastwork in the shortest amount of time."

The sling-like throwing method makes the horsetail grenade extremely dangerous for both the user and the target.

The window for throwing the grenade is only open for a split second. If you're too late, the grenade will be thrown into the air; if you're too early, it will land right at your feet; and if you delay too long, you'll blow yourself up.

Tamas was intently watching for the right moment to strike, and the other soldiers in the trench were doing the same.

He didn't know how many horsetail grenades he had thrown, but suddenly realized that he had no more handy.

Tamas turned to look at the company commander.

Peter Bunier wiped his face, leaving two black soot lines on his cheekbones.

“We’ve run out of ammunition,” Peter Bunier said.

Tamas grabbed the short sword he had found on the enemy, and without a word, leaped out of the trench and charged up the high ground.

Peter Bunir was shocked and instinctively reached for the battalion commander's clothes, but missed. He opened his mouth wide, as if to shout something, but then immediately gritted his teeth and made no sound. He scrambled out of the trench and chased after him.

The other soldiers in the trench were taken aback at first, but then they picked up their weapons and followed the battalion commander and the company commander to charge toward the Allied forces' position.

Without whistles, drums, or shouts of battle, only the sounds of footsteps and panting, Tamas led his men, in the manner of the United Provinces, to "silently" storm the high ground.

Behind the breastwork, there was a scene of utter devastation.

The air of hell permeated the United Provinces' positions; the smoke from the dense explosions of the horsetail grenades was even thicker than the alchemical fumes released by the United Provinces themselves.

A man from the United Provinces lay by the breastwork, his arms and legs still attached, but his eyes, nose, and ears were covered in blood, and his clothes had several large red spots.

A matchlock gun rested limply against his knee, a horrifying piece of shrapnel embedded in its stock.

When the man from the United Province saw Tamas, he mistook him for an ally. He struggled to raise his head, making gurgling sounds in his throat, as if he were asking Tamas for help.

Looking at the equally pale and youthful faces of the people from the United Provinces, Tamas vaguely saw Gosha's face.

But Gosha was already dead.

Tamas gritted his teeth and plunged the short sword into the chest of the United Provinces man.

Did it end the other person's suffering? Or did it take their life?

Tamas was unaware of this, and he no longer cared about it.

Before the arrival of the United Provinces' reinforcements, Tamas led his men to quickly clear the high ground that was tilting down on their small fortified positions, and collected usable guns and ammunition.

Before Tamas and his men could turn their guns on the United Statesmen who were attacking their own fortifications, the United Statesmen on the riverbank had already noticed the anomaly and withdrew from the battle.

A small group of people from the United Provinces quickly regrouped and headed towards Tamas's location.

Tamas immediately abandoned the original plan. After the North Koreans threw a few horsetail grenades, he led his soldiers to retreat from the high ground by the way they came and then quickly moved south along the trenches.

In a back-and-forth, real and feint, Tamas's small group managed to outmaneuver the United Provinces without any resistance, easily breaking into the small, surrounded fortified position.

The first and second batches of soldiers who landed on the island, those who are still alive, are all inside this earthen enclosure.

Reunited on the battlefield, they felt both sorrow and joy.

A wounded soldier whose right arm was beaten so badly that bone was exposed, but who didn't cry out in pain for fear of disturbing his comrades, burst into tears when he saw Tamas.

Tamas was also fighting back tears.

Just then, Peter Bunier came over.

“Commander,” Peter Bunier’s gaze was initially somewhat evasive, but gradually became resolute, “You can’t stay here. While things are calm now, you should leave from the south. I will send someone to escort you.”

Tamas ignored the company commander and ordered the others, "Hurry up and take stock of ammunition and the wounded. Who still has any horsehair grenades on them..."

"Enough!" Peter Bunier stood in front of the old company commander, craning his neck, unusually assertive for once. "Don't worry about any of this! I'll handle things here!"

Tamas didn't say anything, he just glared at him.

Peter Bunier instinctively shuddered, but his feet didn't move.

A piercing whistle rang in my ears.

Below the high ground, the United Provinces have regrouped and reorganized their assault teams. This time, their offensive will be launched simultaneously from the left and right.

Above the high ground, two more military flags were raised behind the breastwork, indicating that the Allied forces from other directions had been brought over to fill the position here.

Now, even if we wanted to leave, it would be too late.

Tamas patted the company commander on the shoulder and walked toward the earthen enclosure.

Peter Bunier wiped away his tears and followed closely behind. "Thump!"

"Boom!"

"Dong dong dong dong!"

The rhythmic sound of war drums rang out on the battlefield, and Tamas finally heard the voices of the United Provinces people—not the screams and groans, but human voices.

"We are Ned Smith's Black Army, hey ho ho;

"We will surely eradicate tyranny, hey ya ho ho!"

"Spears forward! Forward! Forward! Forward!"

"A red rooster stands atop the monastery..."

A muffled chorus drifted from the United Provinces' position.

"Do they even deserve to sing this song now?" Tamas frowned.

"Huh?" Peter Bunier exclaimed in surprise, "You're asking me?"

The Allied forces' anthem was quickly finished, and the United Provinces launched another attack.

Tamas gripped the short sword in his hand tightly.

Just then, a gunshot rang out.

It came not from the front, but from the back.

A series of flashes lit up the river behind them as lead bullets pierced the water fence and flew toward the provincials on the riverbank, mercilessly reaping their lives.

Then another string, and another string...

"It's a ship!" a soldier shouted. "A ship is coming!"

It was as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted off Tamas's shoulders all at once.

He first felt dizzy, blood rushed to his head, making him unsteady on his feet.

“Lannis is here,” Tamas murmured to himself. He looked around at his soldiers and announced with relief, “Commander Lannis is here! Our mission is complete!”

Seven large ships emerged one after another in the darkness, sailing around the "horse-stopping post," with musketeers on board firing deadly lead bullets at the provincials on the riverbank.

The United Provinces were clearly unprepared for this, and they scattered in all directions to avoid it. The attack that they had managed to organize collapsed once again.

Inside the earthen fortress, the soldiers of the Tiefeng County Regiment, upon seeing this scene, erupted in thunderous cheers and shouts.

Some soldiers jumped onto the wall and shouted and pounded their chests at the high ground where the United Provinces were located, but they were immediately pulled down by the battalion commander himself.

“I’ll go find an axe,” Peter Bunier said, wiping away his tears, “to clear away the horse-stopping barriers and let the Fifth Battalion in.”

“No need,” Tamas smiled and shook his head. “The fact that the fleet has come to our aid means that Lannis has already landed.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a deafening roar echoed from within Margit Island.

……

[Lodwik's temporary command post]
"What's going on?" Lieutenant Colonel William Lordwick demanded.

……

[The artillery positions of the Montecukoli tribe]
"What?" Raymond Montecouccoli exclaimed in horror, "The Domonkos Monastery is lost?"

……

[East side of Margit Island]
Upon landing, Captain Leiden suddenly realized that the situation on the island had become extremely dire.

The sounds of battle were deafening at Domencos Monastery, and fierce fighting was also breaking out in the direction of the Bishop's Castle. His troops were isolated and without support, and he knew nothing about the situation to the south.

To retreat or to fight?
After much deliberation, Captain Leiden gritted his teeth:
"Contact Lieutenant Colonel Lordwijk—we're heading to Bishop's Castle!"

……

[A small fortification at the southern tip of Margit Island]
Amidst the cheering, celebrating, and weeping crowds, Peter Bunier was the first to notice something amiss with the direction of the pontoon bridge.

“Battalion Commander, the pontoon bridge,” Peter Bunier rubbed his eyes vigorously, trying to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He pointed to the river and said to the old company commander, puzzled, “It looks like it’s on fire…”

Tamas rushed to the wall.

The pontoon bridge, which extended to the middle of the river, had its front end engulfed in flames.

The unfinished pontoon bridge now looks like a giant torch across the Ten Arrows River.

The firelight illuminated the river, revealing the form of a monster.

That's a ship.

A warship.

It was not a warship converted from a barge, as the Tiefeng County Regiment possessed, but a real warship.

Tamas had never seen such a large ship before; compared to it, the seven warships of Iron Peak County looked like seven small children.

"Withdraw! Withdraw now!" Tamas rushed out of the enclosure, shouting urgently, "Signal! Tell the fleet to withdraw!"

Even without warnings from friendly forces on the shore, the new army sailors on the river had already spotted the enemy's warships.

The seven barges immediately dispersed, each boat frantically slapping its oars against the water in an attempt to change direction.

However, the enemy's warships had more, longer, and more powerful oars, which flapped up and down like two wings, quickly closing the distance with the new army's warships.

Then, it swung across the hull and opened the gun ports.

……

[A few days later]
[Somewhere in the Hed Wasteland]
[On the banks of the Jinliu River]
“I’m sorry, Colonel Gaspar, I can’t see you off to the end,” Winters bowed to Gaspar in apology. He then introduced the dark-faced Hed man behind him, “This is Koshhachi of the Chihe tribe. He will make sure you return safely to Jiangbei Province.”

“No need for such formalities, Captain Montagne. You have already done us a great favor,” Gaspar returned the greeting politely, a complex smile on his face. “Perhaps this is the last time we will ever meet. But as long as I live, I will always owe you a debt of gratitude.”

Winters didn't say anything more polite, he just nodded.

“Perhaps you wouldn’t mind telling me?” Gaspar asked curiously, “What exactly made you change your original plans?”

“I just received an urgent letter,” Winters said, a slight smirk playing on his lips as his gaze followed the surging Ember River toward the direction of Kings’ Castle. “The situation has changed.”

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