Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Before tonight, the new army had never used any barreled weapon with a caliber thicker than a thumb.

As a "Platonic army", the new army's artillery was also not well-known.

So much so that the Southern Army had already tacitly assumed that the "rebels" lacked artillery support.

However, starting tonight, the arrogant federal people will truly realize that they are not facing a heterogeneous armed force, but another self.

Their enemies have received the same training and education as them, and are familiar with their organization, thinking and tactics, just as they are familiar with their enemies.

This is the legacy of Ned Smith-the armies of the Republics are no longer the "armies of various countries" that were very different during the Sovereign War. After absorbing each other's advantages, the differences between the armies of the Republics are actually much smaller than they think.

What the Southern Army needs to defeat is not a group of noisy, flashy, waving arc-bladed long swords, only knowing how to rush around, and occasionally making strange noises.

What they really need to defeat is another self.

So, how dare I assume that "I" don't have more powerful firepower than a musket?

When the thunder exploded on the river, William Lodewijk painfully discovered that he had made a big mistake.

It's just that the tuition fee is too expensive.

The muzzle of the "rebel" cannon that roared first was slightly higher, and the lead bullets loaded in the barrel did not fall on the slope, but scraped from the top of the slope, taking away only a few musketeers whose heads stuck out too much.

However, the federal soldiers in the outpost at the top of the slope still felt the terrifying power of the rebels' cannons very intuitively.

The lead rain with thunder and fire shook the outer wall of the outpost, and the straw hut on the top of the outpost was directly overturned to nowhere.

Even the federal people who knew nothing about cannons realized in an instant that the "rebels" were bombarding them with some terrible cannons.

To the north of the landing site, Raymond Montecuccoli, who was using all his strength to lift the cannon to the south, was even more shocked.

Because the terrifying roar coming from the other side was definitely not something that could be made by ordinary four-pound or six-pound guns.

Montecuccoli felt dizzy for a while - did the rebels really invite some antique here?

The soldiers of the Federation Province had no time to think, because another equally loud thunder exploded right after the previous one.

This time, the gunner called "Devil" carefully fine-tuned the wedge-shaped pads on the gun position.

Two tin cans jumped out of the muzzle one after another, and then exploded while flying across the river. At a distance of 250 to 300 meters, a total of 600 lead bullets perfectly expanded into two round cakes, evenly scattered on the slope from the outpost to the trench.

The charge of a matchlock gun usually does not exceed 15 grams, while a 32-pound bronze cannon from the old times consumes 16 pounds of gunpowder for a regular shot.

It is impossible for a flesh-and-blood body to compete with the energy contained in 16 pounds of gunpowder, even if a large part of this energy is wasted and distributed to 600 lead bullets.

So, when the lead rain swept across the river bank, the second-best centurion in Lodewek's hands was instantly broken into pieces of broken limbs.

The breastplate and helmet were easily pierced like wet straw paper, followed by bones, tendons, organs, and then the iron sheet on the back.

Then, the third heavy cannon fired, the fourth heavy cannon fired, the fifth...

The blazing flames flashed seven times, like hell opening its lid seven times;

The thunder also sounded seven times, like seven death knells.

When the smoke cleared and the bells died down, no one of Lieutenant Colonel Lodewijk's second-best centurion, seventy-six well-equipped and skilled regular army swordsmen and shieldmen, was still intact.

For a moment, the battlefield fell into a strange silence.

Four double-loaded shots covered all the musketeers on both sides of the Ten Arrow River.

Then, cries and wails rang out.

Finally, the federals could not withstand the power of the heavy artillery and broke the silence they were proud of.

The first attack launched by the federal troops defending the island on the landing site was crushed.

But the "devil's" action was not over yet.

When the federal soldiers on the high ground climbed out of the breastwork and tried to drag away their comrades who were still breathing, two six-pound long cannons on the river bank on the west bank mercilessly fired lead rain.

The federals who rushed out of the outpost were immediately beaten back, leaving behind several more bodies.

Even the fighting spirit of the federal soldiers in the shallow water was shaken by the cannons. They found that it was meaningless to continue to interfere with the "rebels", and the federal soldiers left the melee and swam downstream.

The soldiers of Tiefeng County on the longboat and in the water did not pursue them. The soldiers who swam across the river went directly to the island, and the longboat carried the wounded and sailed back to the west bank.

The battlefield became deserted for a while, and both sides hid behind the breastwork and in the trenches, gasping for breath.

Only the Ten Arrow River was still flowing quietly, as if nothing had happened here.

But the broken limbs and arms on the high slope were undeniable evidence.

The temporary silence foreshadowed that more blood would seep into this land.

On the riverbank on the west bank, Mason looked at the dark Margit Island. The Southern Front troops on the island extinguished their torches, so he could not see the situation on the other side.

But he could imagine what a miserable scene it would be on the river beach.

He was both reluctant and glad that these "daughters" who were older than him did not explode.

For a heavy artillery that can fire 32-pound solid iron balls, a distance of 200 meters is too close, too close to allow the shotgun to spread to the most ideal state.

So Mason ordered each heavy artillery to be loaded with two shotgun shells at the same time.

This arrangement seemed a bit risky beforehand, because in the Battle of the Howling Valley, a heavy artillery had exploded, proving that these veterans of the Sovereign War were not as indestructible as people imagined.

But in hindsight, this was a brilliant move. The loading method of two shotgun shells for one gunpowder reduced the power of a single lead bullet, but at a distance of about 200 meters, it was just right.

The pure mathematical calculation was verified in actual combat. Mason should have been proud, but he was not happy at all, but a little sad.

He looked at the brigadier general next to him, the nominal commander-in-chief, and thought he would see some emotions that he lacked in the other party.

Unexpectedly, Geza Adonis also looked lonely and sighed softly.

…

[Margit Island]

[Outpost east of the landing point]

"What should we do next, sir?" Lieutenant Borkao, who is also the most senior centurion around the current lieutenant colonel, tried his best not to show panic and helplessness, "Should we ask for help from the headquarters?"

"Go back to the monastery and bring all the alchemical smoke and liquid fire," Lodewijk was extremely calm, "Prepare for the second assault immediately."

"Now?" Borkao was stunned.

Lodewijk glanced at the lieutenant coldly, "Right now, can't you hear the movement in the south?"

"South?" Borka listened carefully and shook his head, "Sorry, I can't hear anything."

"I can't hear it either," Lodewijk said expressionlessly, "This means that the rebels have cleared the fortifications in the south and are about to turn around and kill back. The heavy artillery on the other side needs to be reloaded, and now is the best time to launch a second assault."

"Don't ask for help from the Castle of the Kings?"

"If Jason Cornelius can't see that Margit Island is in danger," Lodewijk's eyes surged with anger, "We might as well die here."

"But..." Lieutenant Borka wanted to insist.

Lodewijk was too lazy to talk nonsense with this unpleasant subordinate, "Bring the alchemical smoke and liquid fire, and the rest is up to you."

Lieutenant Borka knew that he had angered the lieutenant colonel, saluted, and left quickly.

…

At the same time, at the southernmost end of the new city, the "castle" turret that protected the water gate and the river bank.

Jason Cornelius saw the bodies floating down from upstream.

[The last few days have been too short, I'm very sorry]

[Compared to thirty years ago, the army of the two mountain narrow lands has been highly homogenized. Ned Smith's infantry structure is like a basic burrito. Although due to natural endowments, historical traditions and other reasons, the republics have added different side dishes, but in essence they are still eating burritos]

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