Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 446 The great alliance moves forward (18)

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  Among the "rebel" cavalry who wantonly slashed and killed the defeated troops, Lieutenant Colonel Varley saw the wounded cavalry officer who destroyed half of his troops.

   And Luo Song was also in another "pseudo army" phalanx that had not been destroyed, and at a glance he found the conspicuously dressed Colonel.

   In the chaotic battlefield, he saw at a glance the leader of the rebel cavalry who had destroyed half of his troops. And Luo Song also found the conspicuous colonel in the puppet army that had not been destroyed.

"There! The Union provincials are there - let me go!" Luo Song was furious, broke free from his subordinates who were trying to force him to retreat, raised his hand and pointed at the artillery officer in the Union provincial uniform: "Go to Bianjiang County. Cavalry! Let them move closer to us! Go to Petofi! Let him go and bring me back the rout of the enemy! Go back to the remaining phalanx! Go! Go!"

   "Senior, Pei Duofei is gone." The answer was low.

  Luosong lost his mind for a while, and immediately pushed the person who answered: "No! If he is gone, you can go! What are you waiting for? Go!"

   The second lieutenant who received the order wiped away his tears, raised his hands to salute, and immediately led two messengers to reorganize the 3rd and 4th cavalry squadrons.

Luo Song pulled out his dagger, cut a section from the edge of the sash, bandaged his bleeding left eye with three strokes and five divisions, and kept giving orders in his mouth: "The first and second squadrons, assemble! Regroup! Find Fei. Sergeant Lun, his men brought nails and long hammers, and nailed these four cannons to me first!"

   Hearing the order to crucify the cannons, the sergeant hesitated: "Sir, maybe we can use these cannons."

   The wound was pulled during the dressing process, and Luo Song let out a suppressed growl in pain. He turned his head abruptly, and cursed with a ferocious expression: "Let you be crucified! Go and crucify me! Can the cannon be used? I can use it? If you can't use it, just destroy it for me!"

   The sergeant did not dare to say more, and set off to give orders.

  Luosong panted heavily, pulled the reins, and quickly glanced at the battlefield with his still intact right eye.

   Above the earth mound, people shouting horses neigh in chaos.

  The brown-clad soldiers threw away their armor and fled desperately to the east, south and even west.

   The hussars of Leiqun County, who had charged forward, were like shepherds driving livestock, trying their best to block the fleeing enemy.

Under the    earth hill, the left flank of the coalition forces and the right flank of the "puppet government army" retreated to the east bank once again fought fiercely.

Colonel   Skull's silver-bordered military flag slowly pressed forward, intending to defeat the remaining soldiers on the enemy's right flank in one go.

   The two infantry brigades of the "New Reclamation Expeditionary Army" that came from the puppet army to support the right flank had already repelled the Second Infantry Brigade of Leiqun County, which followed the cavalry across the river bay.

   After driving the latter back to the West Bank, the two battalions of the New Reclamation Expeditionary Army did not try to rescue the artillery positions, but rushed directly to the side of the coalition left flank.

   At the same time, the other two infantry battalions of the New Reclamation Expeditionary Force once again launched a fierce attack on Hegu Village.

The bell tower of the    River Valley Village Church was submerged in the firelight, gunpowder smoke and shouts of killing, like a lonely boat struggling in the stormy sea, and it may capsize in the next second.

   To the south of Hegu Village, Hakusan County troops are also fighting with the enemy's left flank.

   But the pervasive gunpowder and the smoke from the burning of the houses in the river valley blocked Luo Song's vision, making it difficult for the captain to see how the battle was going there.

   After a long and short period of waiting, confrontation, and testing, this battle, which has not yet been officially named, began to heat up.

   There are **** battles everywhere, no one is there, gunshots, hoofs, screams... Countless sounds are intertwined, bombarding everyone's eardrums.

  The soldiers became numb in the frenzied fight, and the world collapsed into the weapons in their hands and the enemies in front of them.

   Stabs, stabs, cuts necks, splits chests—for the average soldier, consciousness and reason are luxuries that are not conducive to survival.

  The trumpeter behind Luo Song played the assembly horn desperately, his cheeks were sore and his throat was on fire. Only a small number of the heavy cavalry returned to the team.

   And the special lances of the returning heavy cavalry have been broken in the previous charge, leaving only the sword in hand.

  Luosong stroked the sweaty neck of his beloved horse, turned the horse and looked at his subordinates.

His subordinates include children from officers' families, re-recruited retired soldiers, and standing army riders who have fled back to their hometowns... Many of them are reluctant to fight, but they still follow him all the way here, and are ready to launch an attack on the enemy again. Preparation for the charge.

"The hussars are moving." Losson's voice was hoarse and low, and he stated word by word: "As soon as they drive the enemy and disrupt the remaining phalanx, we will take advantage of the situation to defeat them, and then we are fighting Colonel Skool. The enemy army, and then the enemy army at River Valley Village."

Captain    took a steel helmet taken from the remains of his subordinates, buckled it on the top of his head, and pulled down the face guard: "In the end, we will be here to end all the wars and suffering in the new land."

   Meanwhile, at the other end of the mound, the phalanx where Lieutenant Colonel Chris Warley was temporarily disengaged from the battle as the "rebel" cavalry retreated and regrouped.

   However, Lieutenant Colonel Vallei had no time to breathe, because more and more rout soldiers who had run down the mound were being driven by the rebels and turned to flee to the only remaining parliamentary army formation on the mound.

   The light cavalry of the rebels chased and slashed all the way behind the defeated soldiers, while the heavy cavalry of the rebels was already ready to attack.

  The rout soldiers who ran at the front rolled and crawled, and burrowed into the human wall from under the spear forest. Some veterans grabbed their collars and dragged them behind them.

   Under the protection of the phalanx, they suddenly calmed down. Some slumped on the ground, crying and laughing; others were so frightened that they twitched and drooled as if they were suffering from a serious illness.

"Don't let them in!" Lieutenant Colonel Varley shouted and ordered. He strode to the edge of the phalanx, picked up a broken soldier from the ground, and forcibly shoved a broken spear to the latter: "Stand up for me! Get your weapon! Or get out!"

  The spearmen in the outermost circle got the order of the lieutenant colonel, and waved their spears to stop the defeated soldiers. But where can you stop it? The routed soldiers, who just wanted to escape into the safety zone as soon as possible, still desperately squeezed through the spear forest, even if they were cut with blood by the spear blade, they didn't realize it.

  Valley's heart skipped a beat, snatched the arquebus from the soldiers next to him, stepped out of the human wall, stood between the gun barrels, turned his head and ordered: "Musketeer! Fire at all those who approach the phalanx!"

   Having said that, the lieutenant colonel raised the gun body slightly, and pressed the firing rod with a slanted finger in the air.

   A cloud of white smoke spewed out from between the gun barrels, and other musketeers who could shoot followed suit.

  The continuous sound of gunfire and gunpowder stopped the momentum of the defeated soldiers, and the defeated soldiers who still had a trace of rationality circled around the flanks of the phalanx.

   At this moment, Lieutenant Colonel Valey saw the rebel heavy cavalry start in the distance.

Valey grabbed the flag from the shoulders of the flag-bearer, strode toward the southwest corner of the phalanx facing the enemy's charge, jumped on the reloading cannon, and slammed the flag on the gun stand: "Stand on! It's the same as running away. die!"

   Somehow, his roar was louder than the maximum volume a human can make, and it even overwhelmed the noise of the battlefield.

  Chris Valle stood in a place where everyone could see, with his back to the rushing enemy cavalry, and facing the faces inside the phalanx.

   "We must win here!" Regardless of whether the soldiers could understand it or not, Lieutenant Colonel Valle shouted in despair: "Otherwise the republics will be dragged into war!"

  …

  [River Valley Village]

Lieutenant   Woods leaned behind an earthen courtyard wall outside the church square, and shot at the Grand Council Army that appeared at the end of the road.

   When he finished his shot, he handed it over and took another loaded gun. In the farmhouse beside him, several wounded soldiers whose clothes had not yet dried their blood were scrambling to pour gunpowder and lead into the barrels of their guns.

  Woods' clothes were also covered with large chunks of blood, but it wasn't his blood, it was Erno's blood.

The 32-pound solid shell easily smashed the sheepfold that temporarily served as the bulge. Woods was plucked from the rubble and broken wood by his subordinates, and Ernault remained there.

  The damage to the river bank wall by the shelling of the parliamentary army was not serious, because the eight heavy guns were not aimed at the short parapet that Woods had temporarily modified—they were aimed at the **** itself.

The soil **** between the highland and the river beach where River Valley Village is located is steep and gentle. In the previous reinforcement work, Colonel Geisa Adonis personally led people to excavate the bottom of the soil slope. Steep slopes, steep slopes become steeper slopes that are more difficult to climb.

   But under the bombardment of heavy artillery, their efforts were all in vain.

  The cannonballs fired from the mounds on the other side directly smashed the steepest river bank down, and the collapsed soil and gravel formed several gentle slopes from the river beach to the highlands.

   The terrain advantage of the defenders was gone. The soldiers of the New Reclamation Army, who launched the third attack, marched on the soft soil, shouted and rushed to the high ground, driving the defenders out of the parapet along the river.

   This time, no cavalry could come to support, because all the cavalry of the coalition had already entered the battle.

   But the new reclaimed army, who had suffered a big loss, became overly cautious. Xian Deng's sword and shield fighters did not rush into the village, but only occupied the parapet and farmhouse along the river.

   As soon as it was confirmed that the defenders had been repelled, the officers of the New Reclamation Expeditionary Army ordered the Musketeers and reserve troops left behind on the east bank to cross the river, and ordered the First Deng troops to widen the gentle **** caused by the shelling.

The    came and went, giving Woods valuable time to regroup.

He set fire to the farmhouses and sheds outside the church, and continued to delay the enemy with the fire; he overturned carriages, hewed down walls to block roads, piled up furniture, hay, and dead horses, turning the church and the surrounding square into a makeshift fortress.

  The village was ablaze, and the sky was covered with smoke. Woods leaned against the courtyard wall, aimed at the shadowy enemy at the end of the dirt road, and firmly buckled the launch rod.

  The figures in the distance fell down, but one fell, and new ones made up, as if there were endless enemies hiding behind the smoke screen.

   But Woods doesn't matter that much, just aim, shoot, pick up another arquebus, aim and shoot.

  The parliamentary army, which established a strong "bridgehead", began to try to attack the church square. But the fire was so big that they had to detour from east and west.

   This was right in Woods’s arms. The lieutenant assigned his musketeers to every house and behind every courtyard wall, blocking the enemy army layer by layer, so that the parliamentary army commander couldn’t figure out how many troops were guarding this high ground for a while.

   But River Valley Village is really too small, too small, and no matter how Lieutenant Woods exerts his talents, it will only delay the loss of time.

   The officers of the New Reclaimed Field Expeditionary Army, who had suffered a few sap, quickly tasted the taste. Instead of slowly sending musketeers to suppress and test, they directly sent troops to charge the houses and walls that were spitting flames.

   During the melee, the houses and courtyards were cleaned up one by one by the troops dispatched from the newly reclaimed land. Woods led the soldiers who could still fight to retreat to the church square.

  The situation was extremely critical. Woods, who returned to the church, immediately met Colonel Bode, who had never left the top floor of the clock tower.

   But in the conversation between the two, it was Colonel Bode who spoke first.

Colonel    saw the blood on the lieutenant's clothes, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you injured? Lieutenant."

   "Report, sir, no." Woods replied succinctly: "This is someone else's blood shed for me."

   Colonel Bode sighed softly.

"Please evacuate as soon as possible." Woods hoarsely stated the current situation with a hoarse voice: "It's only a matter of time before the village falls. The ammunition has been exhausted, and most of the soldiers are wounded and lost their weapons. To outflank us. Before they encircle, I will send you to **** you to Colonel Geisa's office."

   Colonel Bode was noncommittal: "I am evacuating, how about you?"

   "I'll stay here." Woods replied calmly: "Inflict as much damage to the enemy as possible."

Colonel    looked at Lieutenant Woods, and in the lieutenant's eyes he saw something new, something... something he had never seen before in a lieutenant:

   "Hate."

   The thick smoke from the burning of the house blocked the view on the clock tower. The colonel stared out the window, as if he could see the two armies fighting in the distance through the smoke.

   "I won't evacuate, Lieutenant." Colonel Bird, turned to look at Lieutenant Woods: "At the same time, I order you to stay here as long as possible until the last person."

"Yes." Woods raised his hand and saluted, but restrained his objection: "But allow me to remind you, Colonel, that you are exposing the entire army to unnecessary risks. Your decision now may lead to the loss of the entire battle. fail."

   Colonel Bode was unmoved. He smoothed his gray hair and said calmly, "It's okay, Lieutenant, it doesn't matter if you lose this battle. The point is to fight until the last moment."

   As soon as he said this, Woods, who did not hesitate to accept the order to fight to the last person, couldn't help but feel a little dazed: "I...I don't understand, what did you say?"

"From the moment I sent Geisa Adonis to attack, our mission is no longer to win this battle." Colonel Bode's voice was cold, and he laughed contemptuously: "Sanell is a Not easy guy. I still can't think of what his backhand is. But I guess, he must have the certainty of victory, so he dared to take the initiative to fight us."

Lieutenant    Woods listened carefully without saying a word.

Colonel Bode stood in front of the window, overlooking the battlefield that carried thousands of lives and deaths. Fearless strength erupted from the broken and thin body: "However, no matter how much preparation he has, no matter how many tricks he has. He can win this battle. The battle, and I want him to lose the next battle."

   "This is my strategy, Lieutenant." Bode Gates turned around and looked at Woods coldly: "Do you understand?"

   [A book friend mentioned before that [the pound of cannonballs refers to lead, so the weight of iron cannonballs is actually smaller than the pound], which is wrong]

[Although the rules of artillery caliber, power, and specification are very confusing to replace the weight of the artillery shell, although the actual mass of the pound is different in each country, this [weight] refers to [the iron of XX weight is cast into a spherical solid shell] . Only on bullets it could possibly refer to lead]

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

   (end of this chapter)