Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Terton's gun emplacement.

The firing interval of the artillery was getting longer and longer, and the accuracy was getting worse and worse. Hong Lingyu, who was supervising the battle, was very dissatisfied and used the whip without hesitation.

"Why the hell don't you understand!" The small-eyed slave in a smooth leather robe repeatedly explained to no avail, and angrily cursed Hong Lingyu: "If it explodes, it will be all over!"

A slave dared to be so rude to a samurai. He must have taken the wrong medicine.

But Little Eyes' identity is rather special. He is the servant of the roaster. In other words, he is the personal property of the fire-warmer, and no one dares to kill him.

Hong Lingyu's expression became more gloomy, and he turned to look at the interpreter.

The little-eyed slave glared and shouted at the interpreter: "Translate for him!"

The gunners, wrapped in tattered military uniforms, remained silent and watched the farce with cold eyes.

Except for three of the gunners who were surrendered, the rest were captured Plato soldiers.

The prisoners who had a more submissive attitude and had never escaped were selected by the roasters and organized into a separate battalion. The small-eyed slaves who had become [Honorary Tertonians] taught artillery skills, and finally the current Tertun Artillery Corps was formed. .

The small-eyed slave used to be an ordinary artilleryman of the Fifth Legion, but now he is the favorite servant of the Fire Lord. He can be said to have "reached the sky in one step".

However, the roaster obviously did not fully trust his new slaves, so he sent extra people to supervise the artillery operations.

The Hong Lingyu standing in front of the [Honorary Slave] is the second son of the previous War Supervisor.

The previous war supervisor's left leg was broken by a shell from the knee down. He could not stop the bleeding and died soon.

The interpreter, Duo Duosuosuo, relayed the words of the little-eyed slave to Hong Lingyu, and deliberately translated the curse words in it.

Hong Lingyu was furious, and without caring about anything else, he hit the slave with small eyes with a whip in the face and kicked him down violently.

The small-eyed slave was staring at stars as he struggled to get up, but another boot was placed heavily on his chest.

Hong Lingyu pulled out a scimitar, put it against the neck of the little-eyed slave, and said a few words fiercely.

The interpreter quickly translated: "The Great Khan asks you to fire off cannons, so just fire off cannons. If you dare to find any excuse to evade, I will chop off your head."

The desperate little-eyed slave seemed to be grasping at straws: "The Great Khan! I want to see the Great Khan! [Hidden] King Khan!"

Hong Lingyu understood the last word and patted the opponent's cheek with a scimitar: "[Hud language] You can't see the Great Khan anymore! The Great Khan is not here at all."

…

At the same time, Mason behind the city wall was also checking the condition of the third-generation artillery.

"It's scrapped." Although Mason was reluctant to part with it, he still made a decisive decision: "Send it back to the workshop."

"It can be used a few more times." Demon Ance said calmly: "Other wooden cannons can't hit solid bullets far."

Mason's attitude was firm: "No, the seams have cracked. Send it back to the workshop for re-forging."

Demon Anse stopped talking and led his men to push away the wooden cannon.

The number of artillery pieces of the Telduans was far from enough to destroy the entire city wall, so they aimed at the Arrowhead Fort on the west side of the city wall.

The Arrowhead Fort of Gévaudan is a triangular fortress protruding from the city wall into the trench. It is a primitive bastion structure that can flank enemies entering the trench.

The new triangular fort is generally independent of the main body of the fortress. Even if the triangular fort falls, it can continue to rely on the main body of the fort for defense.

However, due to the tight construction schedule, Gevaudan's Arrowhead Fort and the city wall were integrated as a whole.

Arrowhead Castle falls, and the city wall will be breached immediately.

The shelling that lasted from early morning to afternoon battered Fort Arrowhead, and its steep walls collapsed into gentle slopes.

The Terdun people were maneuvering in the trench, and they could vaguely see the swaying feathers. They quietly watched the artillery display its power and did not take the initiative to attack the city wall.

Mason didn't mind if the opponent kept bombarding him like this.

The Teltown people seemed to be counting on the artillery to completely destroy Arrowhead Fort, but as soon as it got dark, Mason would immediately send out manpower to repair the city wall.

Through continuous [ricochet bombardment], Mason successfully forced the Teltown artillery to retreat to a distance of two hundred meters. As the distance increases, the hit rate of Teltown's artillery also decreases.

Even the least confident militiaman has to admit that this is skill, not luck.

Ricochet shelling is a solid artillery shell that bounces continuously after hitting the ground, just like using pebbles to float in a pond.

Although it looks a bit funny, most of the shells can eventually fly into the barbarian's gun position by accident.

When shooting directly at the target, even if there is only a slight difference in the shooting angle, gunpowder loading, and shell weight, the trajectory of the shell will be severely deformed.

Shells that fly over the enemy's head do no damage, and shells that land in front of the enemy may get stuck in the mud.

But when Mason aimed at a distance in front of the enemy and increased the charge to lower the trajectory of the projectile, things changed subtly:

The soil is firm in winter, allowing shells that hit the ground at a small angle to be "deflected";

In this case, as long as the cannonball falls into a certain area in front of the enemy, the bouncing cannonball can also cause damage;

And [hitting a certain area in front of the enemy] is far simpler than [hitting the enemy directly].

Mason has opened a new door...but the threshold is a bit stumbling.

Because if you want the iron ball to bounce, the trajectory of the cannonball needs to be as straight as possible, that is, the speed of the cannonball must be fast.

Currently, the only way Mason has mastered to increase bullet speed is to load more gunpowder.

As a result, after being used less than twenty times, the third-generation wooden cannon with the best quality was scrapped at a rate far exceeding Mason's expectation.

Demon Anse led people to deliver the wooden cannon to a row of simple wooden sheds by the river.

This is Gevaudan's weapons workshop. Although it is winter now, there is no chill inside the workshop.

The blacksmiths wearing only single clothes were sweating profusely, and the dull sound of forging hammers was endless.

Dagancha was wearing a leather coat full of holes made by iron filings, and was forging a large yellowed iron ingot on a water-powered forging hammer.

Seeing that the eldest brother had beaten the iron ingot into a flat cylinder, Dagangcha's two younger brothers immediately lifted up a chisel-like tool and fixed it directly above the iron pillar.

With the continuous pounding of the forging hammer, the iron pillar penetrated up and down. Then the chisel was removed and replaced with an iron rod to drive in.

The hot wrought iron ingots are "strung" on iron rods, and then continue to be forged into iron pipes.

The three Goncharov brothers said nothing during the whole process, but their tacit cooperation was like a giant with six arms working.

After the entire process was completed, Dagoncha sent an iron pipe about one foot long and one inch thick back to the furnace for reheating.

This iron pipe needs to be [fused] with three other iron pipes of the same size to finally obtain a longer diameter gun barrel.

Seeing the demon Anse, Dagancha asked directly: "What's wrong?"

"Cracked." Demon Anse simply replied: "It's scrapped."

The front was shelling, the rear was hammering, and neither side had the energy to chat.

"There's no way." Dagancha gurgled down a large pot of salt water and breathed heavily: "The barrel of the gun will have problems sooner or later."

"Where is the thing that the tribune asked you to prepare?" Demon Anse frowned and asked.

Dagancha's face turned pale: "We are ready...but who dares to use it?"

"You don't have to worry about it." Demon Anse replied coldly.

…

On the other side, at the Tertun people's artillery position, the small-eyed slaves were forced to reload the artillery.

The small-eyed slave struggled to push the cannonball into the barrel. The other prisoners watched indifferently as the slave worked for his new master. No one stepped forward to help.

The prisoners merely pretended to be busy while being scolded and whipped, and stayed as far away as possible.

The four long cannons of the Teltown Department were purchased from the Red River Department. They were the same four guns that Mason had used in the past. They had all been crucified and then sunk in the river - they were indeed second-hand daughters.

Nailing the cannon not only blocked the fire door, but also caused imperceptible cracks and deformation in the barrel, which had to be reinforced with iron hoops.

The cannonball was astringent when it entered the chamber, which was a sign of danger.

The small-eyed slave checked the cannon body again and found that the high temperature had caused the black paint to become a little sticky, and the iron ring holding the cannon body also had small silver cracks.

"This cannon doesn't work anymore." The little-eyed slave was completely panicked and no longer had the same air as before. He looked at Hong Lingyu and begged: "This cannon really can't be used anymore!"

Although she couldn't understand what the little-eyed slave was saying, Hong Lingyu could understand what the little-eyed slave meant.

Hong Lingyu was furious, slapped the little-eyed slave, took the ignition pole, and pressed it on the fire door.

Mason, who was behind the city wall, saw two clouds of white smoke rising from the enemy's gun emplacement in the distance. The shells only flew a short distance before falling weakly to the ground, and faint screams could be heard.

"Your Excellency, what happened to the barbarian?" a militiaman asked in confusion.

"Maybe it was an explosion." Mason frowned slightly.

The Terdun people's artillery position was filled with smoke, and both the gunners and the Terdun soldiers supervising the battle were all shaken and dizzy.

A huge gap appeared in the barrel of the explosive cannon, and the collapsed fragments shot out like lead bullets.

The largest fragment came into contact with Hong Lingyu's forehead at a negative distance, denting the latter's skull and then disappeared.

The explosion of the barrel was like a trumpet blast. Qingqi carried the news in all directions, and the Telton army started to move.

The war drums rumbled, and the four carriages took off their camouflage, each pushed by six or seven people, and advanced side by side towards the triangular fortress whose outer wall collapsed.

Behind the large cart there were several small carts loaded with soil. The Terdun archers in the trenches also leaned out and fired arrows at the city wall.

"Drum roll!" Mason ordered: "Everyone comes to the city!"

The snare drum sounded, and the militiamen hurriedly ran out of the bunker and climbed onto the wooden frame behind the city wall.

Seeing the barbarian suddenly baring his fangs, and the smelly blood dripping from the fangs, the militiamen with playful faces who had just gotten used to low-intensity shelling battles were instantly out of breath.

There was silence on the city wall, and the militiamen stared at the Tertuns approaching with dry mouths.

After listening to Mason's explanation of tactics, the militia captains realized that in the end, the barbarians still used their special skills.

The Teltun people used the resources at hand and adopted a "hybrid" siege method: approaching with trenches, using limited artillery to focus on destroying the wall, and then using their usual tactics-carrying, filling trenches, and climbing the city. .

"Mute? What are you afraid of? Do you think fighting is for fun?" Mason patrolled along Fort Arrowhead and scolded the silent militiamen: "Even if you stand on a hundred-meter-high wall, you can't escape risking your life! From now on, all of you! Are dead! Only if you win can you be qualified to live!"

The Telton people's carriage entered thirty meters, and the two wooden cannons on Arrowhead Castle roared.

The small iron pellets wrapped in parchment left the barrel and scattered into pieces in mid-air.

Most of the shot was blocked by the car, and a small part passed through the gap between the two cars.

One of the Terton men let go of the cart's hands with a cry of pain, and another pair of hands immediately took over.

"[Herd] The gods are above!" Hong Lingyu [Tahei], who was commanding the carriage, roared: "[Herd] The thunder of the two-legged man is gone! Hurry!"

The militiamen behind the city wall heard the barbarians roaring "wu ka ha", and the pace of the carriage suddenly accelerated, rushing towards the city wall.

Suddenly, a militiaman covered his eyes and screamed, took a few steps back and fell off the wooden frame, with an arrow shaft stuck between his fingers.

The stretcher team hurriedly ran over to take away the militiaman who had been hit by an arrow, but he had already expired.

There were a few more clang sounds of bowstrings, and the soldiers on the carriage fired their arrows without mercy, killing the Gévaudan militiamen who were staring blankly.

"Damn it! Idiot!" Captain Ivan, a tall, thin, silent man, suddenly burst out. He yelled and cursed, and gave the militiaman who was standing stupidly beside him a big slap in the face with his backhand: "What the hell are you doing? Are you waiting to be slaughtered? Beat him!" "

There was no time for the new recruits to adapt to the bloody scene, and those who recovered began to fight back one after another.

A quarter of an hour ago, the militiamen were still watching Tribune Mason's jokes and hiding in their bunkers listening to the sound of cannons. Many people thought "this is just the way to fight a war";

The next quarter of an hour, when the militiamen thought they had become accustomed to fighting, they saw the true violence of war, and many people were already dead.

Arrows and lead bullets were flying in the air, gunshots and wails were heard one after another, but the siege was far from the most brutal stage.

"What are you doing here?!" Mason rushed to Arrowhead Fort and ordered the gunner who was loading: "Take the cannon and go! Go to the side and shoot!"

Two groups of gunners were busy carrying wooden cannons and moved towards both sides of Arrowhead Fort, while the carriages had already reached the edge of the trench.

The distance between the two sides was less than six meters, separated only by a trench, and each could even see the tip of the other's trembling beard clearly.

The hard bows and heavy arrows of the Terton soldiers were surprisingly accurate at this distance. Some of the Gevaudan militiamen even only exposed half of their bow-holding hands at the crenellations, and would be pierced by an arrow the next moment.

Seeing that the militiamen on Fort Arrow were suppressed, Mason pushed and kicked those militiamen who were hiding behind the wall and did not dare to raise their heads: "Stand up! Go to the gunner's position! Go to both sides! Go!"

Relying on the cover of carts and archers, the Telduans continued to pour soil and firewood into the trenches with small carts.

There were also Teltun men with pickaxes who used ropes to descend silently to the bottom of the trench.

"The barbarians are pulling out wooden stakes!" The sentry on the side of the triangular fort warned hoarsely: "They are digging the wall!"

"Liquid fire!" Mason yelled, "Anse!"

Hearing the sound of the snare drum as they entered the city, Demon Anse, who hurried back to Arrowhead Castle from the workshop, immediately led people to carry out boxes of clay pots from the bunker.

Terdun Hundred Cavalry Commander [Ta Hei], who was at the forefront, saw black objects being thrown out from behind the city wall one after another. The black objects shattered when they hit the ground, like pottery.

A soldier with amazing archery skills shot a clay pot in the air, causing liquid to spill out of the pot.

Tahei, who realized what the other party was going to do, was so horrified that he rushed out of the carriage and shouted in despair: "Come up [in Hud language]!"

It was too late, several torches were thrown into the trench, and a layer of blue flame spread across the bottom of the trench.

Another bundle of hay was thrown into the trench. These hay burned even more violently than ordinary hay, and the moat instantly turned into a sea of ​​flames.

Richard Mason picked up the hay wrapped in gunpowder and threw it out of the city one bundle after another until the smoke billowed and the smell of burning filled the air.

The inhuman screams of the dying people quickly disappeared, and the Tertun people's attack was temporarily blocked by the fire, but they did not withdraw as the defenders expected.

The Tertun people were nailed to the edge of the trench, using heavy armored archers to suppress the militiamen on the city wall who did not dare to raise their heads or retreat.

The thick smoke obscured his vision. Mason moved to the side of the arrow and finally saw clearly what the Teltown people were doing - using the cover of the thick smoke and the carriage, they were actually trying to dig trenches beside the moat.

At the same time, a line of beacon smoke rose into the sky - it was the old city on the north bank.

[This chapter is updated on Tuesday]

[Sorry, I cut it in half... I originally wanted to finish (this part of the plot) in one go and create a chapter of more than 10,000 words, but I failed...]

[So the big chapter is postponed to today (Thursday)]

[Sorry again] [Also, I haven’t had time to copy the acknowledgments recently, I will make up for it when I find time]

[A very interesting record about wall-digging and siege tactics comes from the "Complete Book of War and Defense" in the late Ming Dynasty]

[Shen Hongzhi said. Six years after the apocalypse. Jianyi Nuerhachi attacked Ningyuan City in Liao Dynasty. Ning Qiandao Yuan Chonghuan used Western cannons. And attack them horizontally from the moon city and the corner platform. The prisoners did not dare to approach the city, so they attacked the corner platform. Lean against the wall with your cards. People cut the wall from under the sign. Guns and cannons cannot reach it. In an instant, the city was dug into a hole as big as a city gate. Feitong judged Jin Qiqiu. Use thousands of enemies to burn them. The city will collapse. I know that the corner platform should be slanted and long. If it is long, it can take care of the city itself. If the city is tilted, the corner platform can be protected]

[Jiaotai refers to the fortresses at the four corners of the city, and Moon City refers to the small city outside the city that protects the city gate. In addition, there is also "horse face", which refers to the protruding part of the city wall. Among the three, there are square and round ones, all of which have dead ends]

[The evolution of siege tactics in the Later Jin Dynasty is also very interesting. The Jurchen tribes themselves knew how to build strongholds, so they were no strangers to siege tactics. In the Later Jin Dynasty, it went from "carriages and ladders to approach" (a melee between Jurchen tribes), to "spies seizing the city gate" (Fushun), to "digging the city" (the battle of Qinghe City, after digging the wall and stacking corpses on the city), and finally Started to rely heavily on "artillery" (Dalinghe, Songjin), which is simply a typical case of the proliferation of military technology and its impact]