Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Colonel Bode Gates frowned and surveyed the battlefield.

The smoke screen released by the enemy before the battle has long been blown away by the wind. From the top floor of the church bell tower, you can see bridges, villages, roads, fields, spewing smoke, flickering firelight, spears hanging with pieces of meat and blood foam, and dragging A frightened horse running wildly behind the rider's corpse... Every detail of the battlefield is nakedly exposed.

The sound of gunfire could not be heard incessantly. The orderly soldiers who were waiting in the stairwell could not bear their curiosity. They stood on tiptoes and looked out from the window sill.

Through the smoke, he saw thousands of human beings placed in a fold of the vast earth, fighting risking their lives. It was spectacular, strange, and amazing—but nothing more.

In the eyes of Bod Gates, the battlefield is an open book.

By identifying flags, observing the color of clothing, and even distinguishing the difference between cavalry caps and feathers, he drew lines along the spear tips and hoof tracks to separate the two intertwined armies, abstracting the bloody battle of tens of thousands of soldiers into Attack and defense between a few square formations.

The colonel carefully assessed the strength and morale of each square formation, and calmly deduced the battle situation and the enemy's strategy.

Standing on the top floor of the clock tower and looking to the north, five light brown phalanxes were spread out on the golden field, advancing menacingly.

The Allied left wing, which had retreated to avoid the artillery fire, now actively faced the attack. The five phalanxes in Leiqun County and Bianjiang County were also arranged in a single line, moving forward quickly under the guidance of Skull Mecklen's silver-edged military flag.

On the northern battlefield where the two armies faced off head-on, the battle unfolded in a traditional way:

The hedgehog-like phalanxes kept approaching each other. As the distance between the two sides shortened, streams of white smoke came out from the inside of the spikes - that was the shooting of the musketeers who retreated into the phalanx;

The cavalry of the two armies with similar costumes circled and fought like snakes around the "hedgehog". Both sides spared no effort to drive their opponents away from the battlefield, and at the same time tried their best to lure their opponents to their "hedgehogs".

Some were injured, some were driven away, or some were in a panic. Some cavalrymen fell into the slowly narrowing gap between the "hedgehogs" and were shot to death with their horses and men indiscriminately.

Colonel Bode turned his attention to the hills on the other side of the Northern Division battlefield. The artillery set up there had turned its muzzles to aim at the coalition's left flank.

Among the naked gunners, Colonel Bode easily found the enemy's artillery commander. The artillery officer in the colonel's uniform seemed to be aware of the colonel's gaze. He turned to look at the church tower and took off his hat in greeting.

Colonel Bode quickly screened all the artillery officers with the rank of major and above in the old Plato Army system, but was still unable to identify the other party's identity.

Combining the enemy situation report sent by Winters Montagne this morning, the colonel has already made a judgment - if the opponent is not a captain who was promoted after a battle in the wilderness, then he must also be from the Eighteenth Century "who cares about friendly countries" United Republic of Provinces.

Bode felt a twinge of pain. No matter how many sophistry and excuses he made, from the moment the federal soldiers appeared on the battlefield, this civil war was no longer limited to the interior of Plato, but essentially became a civil war of the Alliance.

The colonel saw the six-sided Centurion battle flag with a horse pattern flying in front of the artillery position, which meant that the enemy right wing commander had an infantry group that had not yet entered the battle.

But even if the six centurions guarding the artillery positions were added, there was still one infantry brigade that was not exposed in the "Reorganized New Reclamation Army".

Colonel Bode stared at the hill where the enemy artillery was located, as if he wanted to penetrate the grass-covered soil to find out what was on the other side of the ridge.

If his guess was correct, there was a fully equipped infantry brigade hidden on the reverse slope of the low hill.

As a result, all eight infantry brigades dispatched by the "Reorganized New Reclamation Army" appeared on the enemy's right flank.

What about the center and the enemy left wing?

Colonel Bode's gaze went down the hillside and towards the center of the battlefield:

On the river embankment on the other side of the village, the regimental flags with diagonal crosses on a white background were flapping;

The baggage carriages went straight to the front line along the provincial road. The auxiliary soldiers and civilians unloaded the small-caliber revolving guns and full boxes of ammunition from the carriages, and then loaded the wounded onto the carriages and sent them back to the rear;

The two infantry brigades that had been repelled earlier were regrouping, and the two infantry brigades that were subsequently in place seemed ready to launch a new round of attack.

All members of Sanel Karoi's New Land Expeditionary Force—the four most powerful brigades of the Grand Council Army—appeared in front of the village and in the center of the battlefield.

Saner's personal flag was erected on a low hill at the end of the wheat field behind the battle line, far away from Colonel Bode's flag.

For the bargaining chips he exchanged for his body, Colonel Bode thought it was a good deal.

Although the enemy did not send heavy troops to besiege Hehe Valley Village, his plan would be possible as long as he could temporarily contain the opponent's most elite troops.

However, the battlefield that Colonel Bode was most concerned about was not the front, and the enemy he was most concerned about was not the New Reclamation Force.

The colonel turned to look south, and half of the "Sixth Army" appeared in his field of vision.

Unlike the valley village battlefield and the northern battlefield, which were already close to each other, the southern battlefield was unusually calm.

On the east bank of the nameless river, five infantry brigades under the flag of the "Seven Ancient Kings" did not try to occupy the width of the battlefield as much as possible. Instead, they formed a strange double line formation:

Two brigades are in front, controlling the river bank; three brigades are behind, ready to fight;

The three cavalry squadrons were merged into one large column, which was located further back than the infantry. There was no one in the saddle, the riders had all dismounted and were resting.

The formation of the "Sixth Army" showed that they had no intention of attacking, and the Baeksan County troops in front of them were already on the defensive.

The musketeers on both sides used the river embankment as a cover to shoot, and the water was filled with smoke. However, the right wing of the coalition forces and the left wing of the Congress army stopped at the river bank, and no one took the initiative to cross the river.

When a fierce battle broke out between Hehehe Village and the Northern Branch Battlefield, the stalemate on the Southern Branch Battlefield rapidly consumed the gunpowder, lead bullets and patience of both armies.

Colonel Bode took a deep breath. He has seen Saner's deployment clearly.

Overview of the overall situation, the enemy's right wing is dominated by the "Reorganized New Reclamation Army", equipped with three cavalry squadrons and all heavy artillery;

The five infantry brigades of the enemy's "Sixth Army" were sent to the left wing, accompanied by the remaining three cavalry squadrons;

In the end, Saner placed the four direct infantry brigades of the "New Reclamation Dispatch Army" in the center of the battlefield - he kept the most valuable spoils for himself.

The battlefield can therefore be divided into three parts: south, north and village.

A fierce battle is taking place on the northern battlefield at this moment, and the outcome is not yet decided;

The valley village in the middle section is littered with corpses, and a new round of fighting is about to break out;

Only the southern battlefield is still in the confrontation stage, with both sides occupying one side of the river and no one taking the initiative to attack.

However, each battlefield is by no means an isolated island isolated from each other. Colonel Bode's sight returned to the nearby area:

While the "hedgehogs" were crushing each other in the wheat fields to the north, a brigade on the enemy's right wing took the opportunity to break into the area connecting the North Division battlefield and the valley village, in an attempt to separate the coalition's left wing and center.

The only bridge over the river had been blown up and burned by the defenders, causing considerable trouble to this enemy force.

The soldiers in brown clothes had to wade across the river and climb the steep river bank with their bare hands. The speed of crossing the river was seriously slowed down.

The two centurions who were the first to board the west bank boldly launched a charge towards the valley village.

However, they rushed to attack and were repulsed by the Second Infantry Brigade of Leiqun County who retreated to Hehe Village, leaving more than twenty corpses on the road and in farmhouses.

Colonel Bode felt an unspeakable sadness in his heart when he saw the Leiqun County soldiers who had repelled the enemy hiding behind the wall and shooting at each other with the brown-coated soldiers hiding under the embankment on the other side of the road.

No captain in the former Plato Standing Army—even the most mediocre one—would have defended so passively. They will definitely seize the opportunity when the enemy's offensive is frustrated, take the initiative to attack, and drive the reckless enemy off the river bank.

"Ask Lieutenant Zuo Boyao!" Colonel Bode grabbed the messenger, pointed at the provincial road outside the village with the end of his severed arm, and ordered with suppressed anger: "Ask him! Ask him what on earth is he waiting for? Wait for the enemies to arrive?!"

The orderly soldier did not dare to neglect, turned around and squeezed past the other orderly soldier in the stairwell, and ran down the tower "thump thump thump thump".

"Go to Captain Lauzon!" Colonel Bode grabbed another messenger and waved his severed arm between the cavalry on standby in the west of the village and the enemy troops to the north: "If the enemy troops outside the village are repulsed, Let him send cavalry from Bianjiang County to support him, but he must not cross the river to pursue him!"

The second messenger raised his hand in salute and disappeared at the end of the stairs in the blink of an eye.

There was another rush of footsteps, and a soldier with his face covered in soot and blood appeared at the opening of the floor: "Sir, Lieutenant... Lieutenant, please evacuate immediately."

Bode turned his head, his eyes briefly resting on the soldiers, and then quickly returned his attention to the ongoing battle on the North Branch battlefield: "The wounded have been evacuated?"

The soldier thought for a while before he understood what the colonel was asking, and hurriedly replied: "Took them all away. Before the cannons could blast us just now, they were all loaded into trucks and taken away."

"Let Lieutenant Woods stick to his post." Colonel Bode's eyes did not leave the fields to the north for a moment. He replied coldly: "I will also stick to my post. Just tell him, go ahead."

The soldier nodded heavily, muttering the colonel's words, and ran down the stairs.

Bode stood by the window and watched the soldiers leave the church and run to the river bank. In a blink of an eye, he heard a series of horse hoofbeats coming from outside the village.

Immediately afterwards, the muffled sound of "dong dong dong dong" sounded again at the colonel's feet.

This time the person who climbed the bell tower was not a messenger, but a lieutenant. Compared with the messengers running between Hehe Village and the North Branch battlefield, the lieutenant's clothes can be said to be clean and tidy.

The lieutenant gasped and raised his hand in salute. He asked anxiously for instructions: "Sir! Colonel Gesa requests an attack."

Bode held up the window frame and stared at the battlefield south of the village without speaking.

The lieutenant did not dare to say anything or even take a deep breath. He stood on the stairs, waiting for the colonel's decision.

"Attack." Colonel Bode chewed the word wordlessly, repeatedly weighing the pros and cons.

Saner clenched his fists, exposing his fragile chest.

For this formation with heavy wings and a thin center, all cavalry should be concentrated and attack from the valley village high ground protruding from the battle line. First defeat the new land dispatch troops in the middle of the battlefield, and then separate the enemy's left and right flanks. As long as you look for opportunities to annihilate one wing, the other wing will be destroyed without attack.

But battles never go according to plan, let alone develop according to the wishes of the participants. It is like a mad bull, not only struggling all the time to throw the rider off his back, but also crushing the rider's knees and thighs.

"Cannon, cannon, cannon..." Colonel Bode turned and looked at the artillery position in the northeast.

The advent of artillery changed the balance of power and eliminated the Tri-Counties' tactical advantage as a defender - quite literally, it changed everything.

Saner set up the cannon on a hillock on the opposite bank, which was the second highest point on the battlefield, overlooking the fields to the east and north of the village.

If the Allied cavalry set out from the valley village to attack the troops of the New Reclamation Army, their flanks would be swept by hails of shotgun;

If the Union cavalry appeared on the Northern Division battlefield, they would also have to bear the rain of death poured from the high ground on the other side of the river.

It is no exaggeration to say that before the enemy forces cannons are pushed onto the battlefield, the first task of the three-county coalition is to win;

After the enemy pushed the cannon onto the battlefield, the three-county coalition's top priority became destroying the cannon before it was defeated by artillery fire.

The dilemma that has tortured every commander in history is also tormenting Bod Gates's heart at this moment.

When Saner invested heavily in the enemy's right flank, the "left hook" plan formulated before the war went bankrupt.

Even if Skull could repel the enemy in front of them, it would be difficult for them to attack the artillery position as long as the enemy's right flank maintained reserve forces.

Contrary to pre-war expectations, the enemy's left wing with only half of the "Sixth Army" was the weakest link on the enemy's front and the only battlefield where the coalition forces could have a strength advantage.

"Is my strategy wrong?" Bode thought over and over in his mind: "Should I change my 'left hook' to a 'right hook'?"

But he thought of the smile in the corner of Sanel's eyes and all the deceitful and dangerous actions of the other party in the past. He couldn't help but wonder: "Is there something I overlooked? Sanel's strategy is really what I saw." That way? Am I stepping into his trap?"

No one could give him an answer.

Because it is the mission of the military commander to hold the lives of the three soldiers in his hands and lead them into an uncertain future.

No one can bear this responsibility for Bod Gates, and Bod Gates must be responsible for everyone's life and death, for the victory or defeat of the battle here, and even for the earthquakes and tsunamis that will be caused by the result of the battle. Responsible.

One wrong step and your body will be shattered.

There was a loud sound from the church bell, and the Baishan County lieutenant who was waiting for the order was startled.

Colonel Bode turned around, clutching the end of his severed arm tightly, with fire burning in his eyes.

"I have made my decision," the colonel said.

The lieutenant subconsciously pressed his boots together and stood up straight.

"Order—Colonel Geza Adonis, use three brigades to attack the enemy forces on the east bank." Colonel Bode paused for a moment, then turned to stare at the eight heavy artillery pieces entrenched on the hillocks on the opposite bank: "Order ——Captain Lauzon, prepare to storm the enemy's artillery position."

[Sorry it took several days to update]

[Recently, it’s been raining really hard... which makes me speechless (face covering). Every time like this, there will be a lot of things at work]

[I was originally working hard to write something big during the weekend, but I ended up working an extra day on Saturday, so I only managed to write so much today...]

[I didn’t ask for leave because I was also squeezing time to write a few days ago, and I always felt that “I should be able to squeeze out an article today”, but in the end I found that it was dawn...]

[The passage transcribed in the book is "Gathering together the three armies and throwing them into danger is called a general's business." There is no literal translation, and the free translation may not be accurate, so please forgive me]

[Thanks to book friends for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]