Iron Powder and Spellcaster

[Year 529 of the Imperial Calendar]

[Suburbs of Guitu City/South Bank of Delen River]

At dawn, an army slowly spread out in the wilderness burned by fire.

Thousands of super-long spears pointed at the sky, swaying rhythmically with the sound of short and powerful drums.

In front of the forest of super long spear phalanx, the green square flags from the provinces of the Piedmont, the green pennant symbolizing the country of galloping horses, and the various flags representing the city-states of Veneta were proudly held high by the flag bearers. Hunting in the wind.

Ned Smith, riding a gray war horse, walked slowly from the front of the battle line, solemnly inspecting each of the military flags of great significance, as well as the soldiers who stood proudly under the military flags - soldiers who came from all directions to join the battle in the front of the mountain. Senas.

Three full months have passed since the imperial troops once again appeared outside Guitu City.

For three months, the imperial army directly under the emperor and the servant armies of the principalities, under the personal supervision of the emperor, launched round after round of fierce attacks on the west and north walls of Guitu City, but they were never able to defeat the defenders. A fortified city armed with forts, trenches, cannon and indomitable will.

After the imperial soldiers were driven out of the blood-filled trenches outside Daffodil Castle for an unknown number of times, the emperor finally changed his strategy, no longer attacking by force, but turning into a siege, intending to let hunger and despair replace the weapons in the hands of the soldiers to defeat the enemy. The unrepentant Southern rebels.

Guitu Castle is close to the sea and the Dren River, so the siege of the Imperial Army was also carried out on the sea and land at the same time.

The "Grand Fleet" built with painstaking efforts by Richard III has blocked the entrance to the Dren River;

On the south bank of the Dren River, an elite imperial force has also successfully landed, intending to completely cut off Guitu City's connection with the outside world.

Ned Smith looked at the young, fiery faces of the warriors. He knew full well that when the day was over, there would be many, many people whose eyes would never shine as brightly as they did now.

He looked at each one carefully, trying to remember as many of the warriors' looks as possible.

There was no pre-battle speech to boost morale. After reviewing the military flag, Ned Smith ran straight to the Chinese formation.

Because the importance of the upcoming battle no longer needs to be told to people.

Every warrior who comes here understands what victory or defeat in this battle means and what they will face, but they still come to this wilderness without hesitation.

They are willing, determined warriors who don't need others to inject courage into them - that kind of behavior is insulting to them.

Returning to the Chinese military formation and under his own military flag, Ned Smith put on his helmet and prepared to give the order to march.

But moments before giving the order, he noticed that the knees of the young flag bearer in charge of his personal flag were shaking slightly.

"Are you scared?" Ned Smith's tone was very gentle: "Tyler."

The young flag officer Taylor immediately replied: "Not afraid!"

"It's okay, I'm scared too." Ned Smith said calmly: "But this does not prevent us from choosing to fight."

The young flag officer swallowed his saliva, thought for a while, and asked tentatively: "General, can we sing?"

"What song is it."

"that song."

Ned Smith looked far and wide. The sky was a deep black blue. The outline of Guitu City in the distance was still blurry. There was still some time before the sun appeared on the horizon.

"Sing," encouraged Ned Smith. "Sing loud."

Flag Officer Taylor cleared his throat and sang the first lyrics loudly:

“The sun and the stars chime in unison!”

"A majestic song rises from the earth!"

Under the guidance of the flag officer's singing, the soldiers in the Chinese military formation also began to hum softly along with the familiar melody:

"The hope of humanity sings loudly!"

"A hymn to the birth of the new world!"

Just like a fire starting a prairie fire, everyone's emotions were aroused.

Singing came from the phalanx one after another, even Ned Smith was singing along. In the inspiring singing, people temporarily forget their fear of death and anxiety about the unknown, and sing with hope:

"The Great Alliance Forward!"

"The battle flag is flying high!"

"Fight side by side for victory!"

"A new world of freedom!"

In the end, everyone's songs gathered together, and the Sennasians let out a deafening roar:

“All oppressed people unite!”

"Rise up against the evil empire that enslaves you!"

“The roar of the people will be like rolling thunder!”

"Be as ruthless as the tide and time!"

The song was overshadowed by one sentence after another. This war song, composed by Dimitri Shostakovich and lyrics by Harold Rome, and sung by the Senas coalition, reached into the sky and resounded on both sides of the Dren River:

"The Great Alliance Forward!"

"The battle flag is flying high!!"

"Fight side by side for victory!!!"

“A new world of freedom!!!”

…

At the same time, on the sea east of the mouth of the Dren River, a fleet that arrived under the cover of night was also waiting for the order to attack.

Compared with the well-organized land rescue forces that came from all directions, this sea rescue fleet that was also cobbled together looked strange:

Large boats, small boats, long boats, short boats, river boats, sea boats, sloops, barques, galleons, galleys... ships of all types, styles and ages can be found in it, which is called an inland sea. A hodgepodge of ship types.

This fleet that came to relieve the siege of Guitu City was not even worthy of being called a "fleet" in the strict sense.

Because most of the ships in this "fleet" are small and medium-sized fishing boats and sampans converted into arson boats.

The only truly experienced, experienced, and capable naval forces are the thirty-three warships and their sailors from Hailan and Baihua City.

On the "Triumph", a large sailing warship in the center of the fleet and also the flagship of the fleet, a young captain wearing armor was reporting bad news to another old man wearing armor.

"General Pisani." The young man clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his grief, anger and unwillingness: "The masts of Flora and the Nasrians have not appeared on the sea level yet, and the masts of the Tanirian pirates have not appeared on the sea level yet. No, they probably won’t come.”

"Traitor!" Another middle-aged captain next to the old man yelled angrily: "Treacherous bastards! Their souls must be tortured eternally in hell!"

The old man was very calm: "I understand, thank you, Captain Nareshaw."

There was silence on the deck of the Triumph, except for the low sound of waves lapping against the hull.

The sailors all heard the conversation that had just occurred between the captain and the fleet commander. Although they still stood at their posts in silence, uneasiness and despair spread uncontrollably among the crew.

"General." The middle-aged captain thought about it before deciding to speak: "The Florans and Nasrians didn't come, so it would be difficult for us alone to defeat the emperor's fleet. The warship in your hand is the foundation of Hailan. , if we lose them, other city-states will tear us apart."

He gritted his teeth and said bravely: "Let's retreat! Before the Royal Fleet discovers us, it might be too late. If that doesn't work, you can use those miscellaneous fish as bait to hold back the Royal Fleet. Save the warship, and the future will be long. "

"Captain Moose." The old man held his sword and said slowly: "The fleet assembled here today is already the largest fleet we can assemble. Even if we recall all the ocean-going fleets, we will not be able to dispatch more ships than we have now. Stronger power. There is no long future, only slow death. Therefore, no matter whether the masts of the Flora and Nasria people will appear on the sea level, we must lift the naval blockade of Guitu City by the Royal Fleet today. "

After that, he put on his helmet and solemnly ordered: "Raise my flag!"

Without saying a word, Naresho ran into the cabin and soon took out a folded red flag. A shirtless sailor, carrying a red flag on his back, climbed up the mast using his hands and feet in a few moves, and hoisted the personal flag of Commander Pisani to the top of the mast.

The sea breeze unfolded the stacked flags and smoothed the creases in the bunting.

Where all the sailors in the fleet could see, a huge red pennant fluttered in the wind.

"Captain Naresho, if I die in battle," the old man said calmly, "you will take over the command. If you die in action, your first mate will take over the command. Even if all the warships sink, even if we only have sampans left, Board and boat, the battle must continue until victory is achieved.”

With tears in his eyes, Nareshaw replied solemnly: "Yes!"

"Notify the fleet." The old man took one last look in the direction of Hailan, and then ordered without hesitation: "Weigh anchor!"

The winch turned "creepingly" and the heavy anchor was pulled up from the seabed.

The sails were raised and the long oars were put into the water. With the arson ship as the forerunner and the sea blue warship as the centerpiece, the fleet composed of all the sailors on the inland sea who dared to resist the empire sailed resolutely towards the royal palace anchored at the mouth of the Dren River. fleet.

Facing the early morning sea breeze, Captain Naresho suddenly shouted and sang the "Barcarolle" that is also widely circulated among sailors:

"Just like the sun will surely greet you in the morning!"

"Just like a river must merge into the sea!"

On the deck and cabins of the Triumph, the sailors and citizen soldiers waiting for the battle laughed and sang:

"A new day for the Sennas has arrived!"

"Our children will live proud and free!"

Soon, not only the Triumph, but all warships, armed merchant ships, and fishing boats that heard the singing naturally joined in the chorus:

"The Great Alliance Forward!"

"The flag is flying in the wind!"

"Fight side by side for victory!"

"A new world of freedom!"

The chorus of the fleet even overwhelmed the sound of sails and covered the sound of oars, and was carried in all directions by the sea breeze.

At the same time, the sun emerged from the eastern sea level, and the sword made of gold instantly dispelled the fog and darkness.

"Just like the sun will surely greet you in the morning!"

"Just like a river must merge into the sea!"

"A new day for the Sennas has arrived!"

"Our children will live free and proud!"

The songs from land and sea finally converged together, and as the Senas coalition launched a counterattack against the Imperial Army from sea and land at the same time, the sound of horse hooves and gunfire could not drown it out:

"The Great Alliance Forward!"

"The flag of justice is flying in the wind!!"

"Fight side by side for victory!!!"

“A new world of freedom!!!”

…

…

[Imperial Calendar Year 560] (Present)

[Bazenauer]

Colonel Gaspar was lying behind the parapet, carefully observing the enemy troops who were preparing for the next round of siege, and suddenly remembered the famous "Siege of Guitu City" during the Sovereignty War.

Three months after the siege of Guitu Castle began, the Senas coalition launched counterattacks from land and sea at the same time, incompletely lifting the imperial army's land blockade and sea blockade of Guitu Castle.

The coalition forces also paid an extremely high price for this: the nascent coalition forces of Senas were seriously injured; the highly respected Navy Admiral General Pisani, who commanded the maritime attack, was also killed in this battle.

However, the siege of Guitu City did not end there.

The siege lasted for another year and seven months. While the empire besieged Guitu City, it fought with the allied forces in the mountain front until the treasury was completely depleted of reserves, until the imperial army was completely exhausted of its energy, and until the madman reasoned. Cha chose to retreat south of the Shade Mountains.

Colonel Gaspar secretly compared it in his mind, and found that the siege of Bazenauer and the siege of Guitu were quite similar in some aspects - both were port cities being besieged; the besiegers both had a superior force, and they attacked both from water and land at the same time. Initiate a blockade on.

"However," Colonel Gaspar thought to himself: "I'm afraid Bazenauer won't be able to hold on for two years... No, maybe he won't even be able to hold on tomorrow."

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

In the distance, Red Rose's cannon puffed out streams of white smoke.

The fortress built by the citizens of Bazenauer out of wood and earth was blown to pieces and was literally "falling apart."

Sawdust and soil fell like raindrops on Colonel Gaspar. The colonel just lowered his body lower and continued to watch the movements of the besiegers.

The terrain of Bazenauer determines that it is not suitable for defense. It is a plain at the foot of the mountains. There are no dangerous points between the mountains and the lake, and the terrain becomes lower and lower from the inland to the lake shore.

But Colonel Gaspar chose to shrink his troops to defend Bazenauer, and he also had his preparations.

He towed all the barges ashore and dismantled them as materials for building fortifications - they would have been captured sooner or later if they had been left in the port anyway;

He coerced and lured every working man and woman in Bazenauer, rationally planned the construction period and shift sequence, and built a multi-layered trench, earthen wall and triangle around Bazenauer before the arrival of the Red Rose Army. The "wall" formed by the fort;

His infantry had collected a large amount of food from the villages around Bazenauer in advance, and evacuated the old, weak and sick who were no longer of use in the city;

His cavalry has also left the city and is attacking the supply lines of Red Rose's army;

When setting off from Jiangbei Province, he deliberately brought three times the normal reserve of gunpowder.

He never wanted to attack. From the beginning, his purpose was to exhaust the manpower and material resources of the siege party until the latter took the initiative to retreat and then looked for an opportunity to strike hard.

He had a good chance.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Outside the city, the attackers' cannons began to "play music" again.

"It's a pity. I didn't expect the trash under the Great Council to be able to transport the heavy artillery - in such a short period of time." Colonel Gaspar swept away the dirt and sawdust from his body and thought to himself: "I still underestimated them."

…

Outside the city, Colonel Sarnell was also secretly amazed: "I didn't expect that the group of idiots who followed Arpad also had good hands. How many days have passed? They actually made Bazenauer look like an iron barrel... It's still too late. ”

The road from Maple Stone City to Bazenauer is not easy to walk. There are many hills along the way and there is a mountain pass to climb.

According to Colonel Gaspar's calculations, if the siege party brought artillery with the army - especially the eight thirty-two-pound cannons that were bombarding Bazenauer at the moment, it would take them at least another week to reach Bazenauer. Below the city of Naul.

But Colonel Saner arrived at Bazenauer a week in advance - and was equipped with heavy artillery.

It was not that there was a problem with Colonel Gaspar's calculation ability, but that the heavy artillery of Colonel Sarnell and Colonel Croy did not go overland at all - they came over the water.

When Colonel Sarnell led the main force to "recover" the towns and villages in Jinghu County, Colonel Chloe recruited all the ships that could be found in Maple Stone City, carrying cannons, shells, gunpowder and other supplies down the river. Down, straight to Bazenauer.

Colonel Croy originally planned to board the ship with all his troops, take the waterway overnight to Mirror Lake, and also give Bazenauer's rebels a surprise attack.

However, there are not enough barges in Maplestone City, and Colonel Sarnell does not want to make this battle look too easy to win - don't forget, "recovering" rebel towns is also a military achievement.

Coincidentally, when Colonel Gaspar thought of the siege of Guitu City, Colonel Saner also thought of the siege of Guitu City.

"Continue to resist, you idiot." Colonel Saner stared at Bazenauer whose shell was ripped away layer by layer by heavy artillery, and thought firmly: "Your crudely built bastion is not the Daffodil Castle, and there is no Daffodil Castle outside the city. Without your reinforcements - it would only be a matter of time for me to recapture Bazenauer."

On the bastion, Colonel Gaspar was also staring at the troops outside the city: "The artillery can knock down the city walls and destroy the towers, but it will not grow legs to occupy the fortifications. No matter how many cannonballs or gunpowder you have, you In the end, the infantry must be sent to attack. Come on, traitor, you want Bazenauer? Give your blood in exchange!"

The commanders of the siege and defenders hummed the tune of the "March of the Alliance" in unison.

…

[Newly reclaimed land]

[Wagne County]

After dismounting at the intersection and looking at the troops of Baishan County who were marching hastily on both sides of the road, Colonel Bode couldn't help but recall the scene of the Sixth Army marching:

The high-spirited soldiers strode forward and sang in unison. The songs could sometimes reach a mile away, attracting villagers and passers-by to stop and watch.

The melody that soldiers often sang lingered in Colonel Bode's mind, and the old soldier subconsciously began to hum softly.

Behind the colonel, a lieutenant asked curiously: "Your Excellency - is it the "March of the Union"?"

"Yes." Colonel Bode turned around and asked with a smile, "You can also sing?"

The lieutenant who was assigned to be Colonel Bode's attendant scratched his head: "When we entered school, the first thing we did was to assign beds, and the second thing was to learn this song."

"Okay, sing it for me."

The lieutenant cleared his throat and hesitated shyly: "The sun and stars resounded in unison, and a majestic song surged from the earth..."

"Louder!" Colonel Bode patted the attendant on the shoulder and pointed at the soldiers from Baishan County who were on their way: "This song was sung during the march. If it is sung so weakly, how can everyone have the strength to rush on the road?"

The lieutenant swallowed, took a deep breath, and sang loudly: "The sun and stars resounded in unison! A majestic song surged from the earth..."

Colonel Bode turned his back with satisfaction.

So when the lieutenant sang "The Great Alliance marches on! The battle flag is flying high! Fight side by side for victory! A new world of freedom", no one saw the lonely eyes of the old soldier.

[102,492/100000]

[The promise made at the beginning of the month has been completed... finally... I don’t have to fight anymore, woo woo woo]

[The song that appears in this chapter is originally called "United Nations on the March". It was a song composed for the establishment of the United Nations at the end of World War II. Composed by a Soviet composer and lyrics by an American poet]

[However, it is generally translated as "March of the United Nations". Some people also call it the "United Nations Anthem" - but this is actually wrong. The United Nations does not have a "national anthem", and "United Nations March" is just a song that is relatively recognized as representing the ideals of the United Nations]

[Because this march is powerful and the lyrics are good - especially the line "The roar of the people will be like rolling thunder! Be as ruthless as the tide and time!\