I will be crowned king

"Which legion is currently on standby in the north of the city and can immediately reinforce the two attacking legions?"

Without any hesitation, Philus immediately turned to look at the other legion commanders. If it hadn't been for what had just happened, his calm tone would have made others mistakenly think that he was asking about the style of today's dinner.

But the atmosphere was depressing enough for everyone to know that the commander-in-chief was serious.

"I'll go." Without waiting for others to react, Arthur Herred took the initiative and said, holding the handle of the saber at his waist with his right hand: "My troops are stationed on the northeast side of the town for defense. We can be the first to block the attack. The rebels in the headquarters fortress will then cover the rest of the jihadi army as they withdraw from the battle."

"Humph, you don't need help from other troops. Anyway, you just need to attract the attention of the rebels on the opposite side... Leave it to me!"

The young "Dragon Roar" glanced at Fernando with disdain, then nodded solemnly to Ludwig, confidently wiped his nose with his right thumb, threw off his cloak, and strode away.

The impassioned figure of the lone hero taking the initiative to shoulder everything did not attract any moved eyes, but only insignificant sighs.

After all, the "Red Hand Bay Confrontation" was not news for a long time, and Ludwig specially used newspapers to publicize it throughout the Holy War. Everyone knew what this talented young man wanted to do. ——One hundred percent prepared to challenge Louis Bernard for a duel.

But it doesn't matter. No one expects him to be able to reverse the situation anyway. A little effort with the opponent to buy some time is enough.

William Cecil, who had been silent for a long time, saw that no one around him spoke, so he silently walked behind Ludwig: "I will rush to the port to arrange the evacuation of the fleet. You have to be careful alone."

"Yes." Ludwig nodded slightly and whispered without looking back, "Go ahead. Remember to pay attention to safety on the way. I will find a way to deal with the messy people waiting for you."

Ludwig had discussed the evacuation of the fleet with the high command in advance. The task was to meet the two Jihadi Legions who were rushing to Changhu Town. At present, the main maritime force of the Jihadi Army, the Empire's "Grand Fleet", was responsible for maintaining the route. A safe mission, otherwise they would have to stay anchored in a certain port for a long time to suppress resistance - especially Black Reef Port and Sail City - only Clovis's royal fleet was still able to move freely.

In this case, no matter how suspicious Philus was, he could only give Clovis the privilege of free movement. After all, whether the army of more than 50,000 people could rush to the battlefield as soon as possible, all hope lies on the shoulders of William Cecil. ; If the final delay leads to the failure of the Battle of Beluga Harbor, the Clovis people also have an unshirkable responsibility.

Ludwig also knew this very well, so he had no intention of tricking the Holy See on this matter. The real back-up was actually...

"boom--!!!!"

A deafening loud noise exploded above the heads of several people. Amidst the violent tremors, the chandelier hanging on the square of the vault was swaying, and the end of the clamp in the wall broke with a "pop!"

There was no hesitation at all. Several people who were no strangers to the battlefield immediately looked for a bunker to hide from. Ludwig, who reacted the fastest, even had time to hug Felus, who was stunned for a moment, and threw him to the ground. .

"Artillery attack—everyone, get down!"

A harsh crackling sound instantly penetrated everyone's eardrums, and hundreds of chandelier fragments mixed with dust exploded in the center of the hall, turning the luxurious log tables, chairs, and bluestone floor tiles into a mess all over the floor.

One shell after another landed on the top of the White Whale Harbor Parliament House and the surrounding streets, bombing them indiscriminately. It took a full five minutes before they finally stopped.

When everyone coughed and climbed up from the dust everywhere, and looked around in fear, there was almost no intact corner in the entire hall, and the air was still filled with a burning smell - there was actually a pile of solid bullets on the opposite side. It's filled with explosive bombs!

"Is this...over?"

Felus, who was still frightened, looked up at Ludwig, who was still blocking his side. He was obviously the one he was most wary of among all the legion commanders, but he looked so reassuring at the moment.

"No, not yet!"

Ludwig, who looked solemn, gave a chilling answer: "According to Clovis's conventional artillery tactics, the initial rapid fire is just to disrupt the enemy's deployment, adjust the coordinates by the way, and then..."

"Then what?"

"Then we need to determine the coordinates and strike accurately!"

"..."

Philus' pupils suddenly shrank, and the air-piercing scream sounded in his ears again.

……………………

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, five minutes of rapid fire is not enough, and we have to keep firing. It feels like a waste."

On the fort of the headquarters fortress, Captain Jaroshenko, commander of the artillery battalion of the Storm Legion - and the only one - looked at the billowing smoke of the White Whale Port Assembly in the distance, and kept sighing, almost writing his heartache on his face. On the face: "Can't we just discuss it with the commander-in-chief and just settle it?"

"Then what can we do? Major General Ludwig dismantled all the twelve-pound cannons we left here and replaced them with the imperial people's favorite eight-pound cannons!" He wiped the stain on his forehead. Khan, Chief of Staff Carl Bain said angrily:

"You also know that almost all of our artillery shells are prepared for the six-pounder cannon. The barrel of the eight-pounder can't be fired far. If you stuff too much, you will worry about exploding the barrel. Moreover, these damn Imperials even put the artillery on the carriage. If you dismantle the gun barrel and fix it, you can’t move it away, and you can’t even use it for defense – I said why didn’t they fire the gun when we were attacking the city!”

"Besides, these are the artillery shells of the Jihadi Army, and they are not our own ammunition depot reserves. Why are you distressed?"

"What I feel sorry for is not these shells, but the buildings in the town - the commander-in-chief spent so much money to build them. I'm afraid we won't be able to keep them after this battle." He sighed, biting a guide in the corner of his mouth. So, he lowered his voice and muttered in a low voice:

"Besides, even the enemy's artillery shells can be worth a lot of money if they find a good sale..."

Carl's mouth twitched as he listened. It seems that the Storm Legion's tradition of always thinking about how to make extra money will never be changed.

However, this thought only flashed through his mind. Things related to the future should be left to Anson Bach. For now, as long as he completes his job, he will pay him his salary.

"What are you doing? Didn't you see that the ammunition boxes behind the artillery are almost empty? Why don't you move them quickly!"

The irritated chief of staff turned his head and shouted at the busy Jihadi Army prisoners behind him. The Jihadi Army flag officer, whose hands and feet were shackled and with a white flag wrapped around his head, was startled and quickly took three steps and two steps. He took a few steps and ran barefoot with a few followers.

"The current situation is like this. I will leave all the prisoners, the artillery battalion and the fifth infantry regiment to you. The task is also very simple. Defend the headquarters fortress until you can no longer hold it."

"Of course you don't have to worry about being besieged by the enemy, because I will set off with the remaining main force soon, and cooperate with Louis Bernard's Sailing City Army to encircle and annihilate the Fernando Army on the opposite side. This should help you divert the attention of many enemies. .”

"The only thing you need to be wary of is whether there will be troops coming out to support the retreat in the town of Beluga Harbor. If nothing goes wrong, they will most likely besiege the headquarters first, and then repeatedly fight against us. I must set off immediately without delaying for a minute. , otherwise once entangled, you will definitely not be able to get rid of it, so the safety of the headquarters and whether the initiative in this battle can be maintained depends entirely on you, Carl Bain, I believe in you, take care!"

Well, these are the original words of Anson Bach. The last few sentences were said while running away without even looking at himself.

Leaving his adjutant behind and running away with the main force... Although they have known each other for a long time and have some understanding of his character and way of doing things, Carl Bain, who has a professional instinct, can't help but feel a sense of self. The illusion that I will be scapegoated soon.

"Chief of Staff, the enemy may attack at any time, we should quickly deploy the city defense!"

While he was still complaining, Yu Lian, the excited commander of the 5th Infantry Regiment, had already run over: "I have sent people to repair part of the damaged city wall, sent skirmishers to station above the sentry tower and the city gate, and also Is there anything you need to add?”

"No, you did a good job." Karl waved his hand feebly, with a wry smile that was a bit at a loss: "Lieutenant Colonel Julien, don't be so nervous. The enemy won't take the initiative to attack us for a while. of."

"well?!"

The commander of the Fifth Infantry Regiment was shocked when he heard this answer: "I can't attack, why is that?!"

"This...the reason is a bit complicated. You just need to believe that we are safe for the time being...for the time being." Karl sighed:

"In short, because we have recaptured the Beluga Port Headquarters, the most urgent thing for the Jihadist Army now is to withdraw the legions that are still besieging the August Military Factory, the Shooting Army Camp and the Supreme Council as soon as possible, otherwise There is a risk of being flanked by us."

"And that bastard Anson Bach...I mean the commander-in-chief has led the main force to attack the flanks of the Fernando Army. At this time, if you are the commander-in-chief of the Jihad Army, what will you do?"

"I?"

Julien thought for a moment, and then said uncertainly: "I will probably organize a small army to besiege the headquarters fortress, but I will not actually attack, and at the same time evacuate the frontline troops to a safer and more secure position as soon as possible:?"

"Why?"

"Because the headquarters has been lost, there is a possibility of being attacked by the New World Army from both sides if we want to recapture it. Moreover, although this place is dangerous, if the army is not in the city, the threat it can pose is actually not that deadly. The priority should be to preserve the effective forces. Target; after all, the strength of the Jihadi Army is more than twice ours. After establishing a firm foothold, it is not easy to take down a fortress that is destined to have nowhere to escape...ah!"

Before he finished speaking, Julien, who was talking to himself, suddenly realized: "Chief of Staff, I understand!"

"That's good, that's good..." Karl, who was smiling apologetically, looked stiff. Well, he summarized it in a few sentences in more detail than he had thought about for a long time. Is this the difference between ordinary people and nobles?

But having said that, although the main force of the Crusaders will probably not take any action against the Beluga Port Headquarters, there is one exception - the Judgment Knights.

They are equipped with equipment that far exceeds that of ordinary armies, and their members are at least talented people who have awakened the power of blood. Although they are not large in number, their strength cannot be underestimated.

According to Fabian's description, this is a small-scale elite infantry regiment capable of penetrating the Red Hand Bay position head-on. Without protection, under cover of night, and with the support of a company of guards, it is capable of killing the entire Storm Legion.

Such strength was really beyond the imagination of Karl's self-confessed lack of knowledge, but he saw what the soldiers of the Grenadier Regiment called a "land cruiser": steel armor, direct-fire guns, repeating rifles, and the sound of fire when running. The "rumbling" roar...

To be honest, he didn't think he could stop those fire-breathing steel monsters with just the little money he had on hand.

However, Fabian also mentioned that these land cruisers should actually be used as weapons to cover and assist infantry. When acting alone, their power is relatively limited, and it is not difficult to target them - as long as they are fired accurately, a six-pounder cannon can hit them. Wear its armor.

Moreover, the Knights of Judgment also suffered considerable losses in the Battle of Red Hand Bay. Without the cooperation of other holy war armies, there is a high probability that they will not launch any offensive alone... which somewhat relieved Karl.

"Uh... Chief of Staff, our judgment may be slightly biased."

The sudden words interrupted the chief of staff's thoughtful thoughts. He turned his head suddenly and saw Julien with a solemn expression pointing at the messenger on the city wall who was blowing the rally call desperately and rushing towards this side.

“Boom——!!!”

A heavy roar exploded and reverberated in the air, and the masonry above the headquarters gate cracked, causing waves of dust to fly in all directions.

As if he vaguely realized something, the horrified Karl suddenly felt thunderous roars ringing in his ears. He seemed to be outside the gate of the August Military Factory, and countless steam cores were emitted by the blessing of boiling boilers. Howls of excitement.

Not only that, the "thunder" seemed to be getting closer and closer, becoming more and more cheerful... Even the ground under his feet and the surrounding forts were trembling.

He turned around suddenly and found that Geroshenko and Julien had similar expressions on the side. The artillerymen who were busy firing and the prisoners who were carrying ammunition boxes also stopped what they were doing, and stopped tremblingly, looking at the headquarters. 's door.

“Everyone—all in place!”

Shaking off the helplessness in his heart, Carl Bain, whose expression was extremely ugly, took a deep breath, and in a voice that everyone could hear clearly, he roared like a chief of staff:

"Get ready to meet the enemy——!"