Iron Powder and Spellcasters

  Chapter 488 Rebuilding the Country (3)

  Hearing the address of "Master Fegney", Father Kaman subconsciously tightened his nerves.

  Although there was hardly any change in his standing posture, everyone could feel that he had become a predator who would kill strange youths at any time.

   On the contrary, Winters only hesitated briefly, and soon relaxed.

  Because he remembered where he had heard the name "Fegni"—yesterday, at the siege camp, the "chief mason of Maple Leaf Castle who was kidnapped by Major Felt" by Senior Mason.

   "You are the apprentice of the stonemason Fegney who is in charge of maintaining Maple Leaf Castle." Winters asked.

   "Yes." The young man replied, "I am Master Feigni's apprentice."

   "Felt caught your teacher, didn't he take you?"

   "When the rebels came, I hid."

   "Hiding until today?"

   "Mr. Mikesh found me." The young man whispered.

   "I found you." Winters asked mercilessly, "Or have you been hiding until today?"

  The young man lowered his head and stopped talking.

  Mikesh Kelemin is the leading rich man in Fengshi City, the head of the headquarter, and the main promoter of Fengshi City's change of flag after the Battle of Hegu Village.

  But Winters has hardly dealt with this old man—because since Winters entered Maplestone City, Mikesh has not shown his face in public. It is said that he is seriously ill and cannot see people.

  Winters certainly knows what kind of "disease" Mikesh Keremin has.

  He has long been familiar with this.

  However, he was not in a hurry to force the "elites" of Maplestone City to choose sides, so he didn't take any special actions, but just sent some flowers and fruits there according to the local etiquette of Maplestone City.

At the juncture when the New Clay Freemen's Conference was about to open and the Red Rose flag was still flying on Maple Leaf Fort, Michesh Kelemin sent a man who "said to have a way to take Maple Leaf Fort" to His Excellency Montagne. mason apprentice.

  Winters couldn't help being a little surprised by such an abnormal initiative to show affection.

  However, compared with the calculations of the wealthy merchants in Maplestone City, Winters is now more curious about the skills of the apprentice stonemason in front of him, and he even boasted that he can help him capture the strongest fortress in the new reclamation province.

   "Do you know Maple Leaf Castle very well?" Winters took his map bag from the hook and asked the mason apprentice.

"yes."

  Winters took out a few sheets of white paper from the map bag, and took out a ruler and graphite strip: "How much do you know?"

  The stonemason apprentice had a sore nose and replied: "Master Feigni took me in when I was ten years old. From that day on, I followed the master to take care of Maple Leaf Castle."

  Winters didn't talk nonsense, and directly put the white paper, ruler and graphite strip on the small round table in the center of the living room: "Draw it for me."

The apprentice stonemason named Messer Jack was stunned for a moment. He leaned over the small round table, picked up a ruler and graphite strip and drew a picture frame first, and then drew stroke by stroke on the white paper that became the "drawing". stand up.

  The young man drew very methodically. First, he stacked the papers together, poked the holes with a needle to position them, and drew the baseline. Then he returned to the first paper and started to paint from the underground structure.

  Winters watched carefully from the sidelines, asking questions from time to time, and the young stonemason apprentices answered fluently.

  The schematic diagram of the underground structure was only half drawn, and Winters had already seen that the apprentice mason in front of him was indeed capable despite his young age.

  Winters even gave him a straightedge without a scale on purpose, but he still drew well, obviously "prepared."

  The more he observed, the more Winters admired the young mason apprentice. From the question and answer just now, it can be seen that although the latter is instinctively fearful, he answers the questions in a very orderly manner.

  So, when the apprentice mason finished drawing the underground structure of Maple Leaf Castle and picked up another piece of paper to draw the above-ground structure, Winters stopped him.

   "Messer Jack, right? You don't need to draw anymore—when will you become an apprentice?" Winters exclaimed, "I will build a lot of roads and bridges in the future, and I need a good hand like you."

  The young man froze in place, not knowing how to answer.

   "You can take my words as an invitation, not an order." Winters was not in a hurry, and asked instead: "Tell me, what can you do to make Maple Leaf Castle fall."

  To be honest, Maple Leaf Castle's underground storage space is bigger than Winters expected. If every one of them is full, then the more than 500 mouths in the fortress can be kept forever, at least until the teeth fall out, it will not be a problem.

   Furthermore, if every warehouse is full, then Maple Leaf Fort is a must-get treasure for the coalition forces.

  Hearing what the blood wolf said, the young man asked hesitantly: "Then my master..."

  Honor Winters Montagne, who has been regarded as a ferocious beast countless times, is too lazy to defend himself.

  He asked bluntly, "Has your teacher committed any crime?"

   "Rebel against you..."

  Winters interrupted the other party: "Being coerced doesn't count."

"That…"

  Winters asked back: "No, why are you worried that he will die in my hands?"

   "But they said..."

"Instead of listening to what others say about me, why don't you hear what I have to say?" Winters said a few more words: "Since your teacher didn't commit a crime, why should I punish him? I think , just like an indiscriminate butcher and tyrant?"

  Youth fell silent.

Winters paused for a moment, then added grimly: "But bullets have no eyes, and Maple Leaf Castle has been besieged for more than a month. I can't guarantee that your teacher is still alive. But in any case, the longer the war drags on, the greater the risk of his death." The higher. So, tell me, what can you do to solve Maple Leaf Castle."

  The young man was silent for a moment, brought the schematic diagram of the underground structure to the top again, and pointed to one of the areas.

   "Reservoir." Winters had just asked the mason apprentices about the purpose of the underground areas, and immediately answered. He frowned and asked back, "Why, you want to tell me that the water tank in Maple Leaf Castle is dry?"

  The young man showed a trace of panic: "You already know?"

"Mr. Messer." Although Winters was disappointed in his heart, he still politely told the mason apprentice: "The first time I surrounded Maple Leaf Fort, I ordered to cut off the route for the defenders to fetch water from the river. But more than a month has passed. , They did not die of thirst. Obviously, there is no shortage of water in Maple Leaf Castle."

The young man licked his dry lips and decided to start from the very beginning: "My lord, when Maple Leaf Castle was first built, my master drilled seven wells in the castle site, and the water coming out of each well was muddy. I can't drink it. But the location of Maple Leaf Castle can no longer be changed, so in desperation, a new piece of land was remarked and a water storage pool was dug out."

  Winters nodded slightly, signaling the young man to continue.

"Although there is a water storage tank, the water can only be carried on the shoulder. So when the Maple Leaf Castle was expanded twelve years ago, my master dug another underground channel to lead the river water into the castle. From then on, it can be directly drawn from the underground channel. Water pours into the cistern."

   Talking too much in one breath, coupled with being too nervous, the young man's mouth is a little dry, and his voice is a little hoarse.

   Seeing this, Winters poured a glass of water for the mason apprentice.

The young man drank the water gratefully, and continued: "But because the underdrain well is too convenient, no one uses the storage tank over time. The storage tank has also become an 'empty room', and some people began to put some garbage in it. things.

  A year ago, General Adams ordered the transfer of the Legion's supplies from the city into the fort as much as possible. There were too many things stuffed in Maple Leaf Fort, and the warehouse was not enough, so the water storage tank was simply cleaned out, and it was filled with gunpowder and other things that were afraid of the tide. "

"So there is no water in the storage tank of Maple Leaf Castle, and it is impossible to have water. Even if you want to refill the water, you can't find space to transfer the supplies in the storage tank." The young man told the deathbed of Maple Leaf Castle: "The people in the castle must The underdrain well is still being used. As long as the underdrain is destroyed, Maple Leaf Fort will be destroyed."

  As soon as this remark came out, even the little Priskin, who knew nothing about military affairs, showed joy.

   But Winters was noncommittal, and asked the apprentice mason: "It was twelve years ago that the culvert was dug. How old are you now?"

   "Twenty, my lord."

   "You said you were taken in by your teacher when you were ten years old." Winters asked solemnly: "Then you were not present when the culvert was dug. Can you find the water inlet of the culvert?"

  Youth didn't expect the blood wolf to be so keen. He bit his lip, lowered his head, and remained silent for a long time. But when he raised his head again, there was no fear in his eyes, only determination.

   "Yes." Mercer Jack gritted his teeth and replied firmly, "I will definitely find it."

  Winters sized up the mason apprentice for a moment, and called the orderly: "Go and tell Richard Mason tribune now, and stop any further negotiations with Maple Leaf Castle until Mr. Messer has news."

   "As for you, Mr. Mercer." Winters looked at the young man: "Find the culvert, and you will be the chief stonemason of Maple Leaf Castle in the future."

  …

  [Maple Leaf Castle]

  In the early morning, Major Alder Felt woke up from his sleep with a smile. He refreshed himself, washed up, and prepared to continue negotiations with the rebels today.

  The sentinel sent news that there was a change on the Anya River.

Major Felt went to check immediately, and saw two large boats fixed together by wooden beams moored on the side of the river near Maple Leaf Fort, and there were more than a dozen small boats tied around the big boat, and people dived into the river from time to time. Resurface.

  Major Felt and the soldiers watched in confusion for a while, and suddenly turned pale with shock: "It's broken!"

  He immediately ordered someone to find the chief stonemason Fegni who was detained in the castle for questioning alone.

   Not long after, the door was slammed open, and Major Felt's anxious shout echoed in the corridor: "Quick! Fill everything that can hold water!"

  …

   On the other side, the siege party also encountered difficulties.

  Finding the water inlet of the underdrain was a hundred times smoother than expected, but how to block it was a big problem.

  Everyone proposed methods such as "filling with sand" and "overturning stones", but they were all rejected one by one by the Mason tribune who was in charge of the scene.

"The sand is light, poured in from the river surface, and I don't know how far it will be rolled out when it falls to the bottom of the river." Mason patiently explained to his subordinates: "Stones will inevitably leave gaps to cover the water inlet. Although it can reduce the amount of water inflow, it cannot Completely cutting off the waterway will instead become a protective shell for the water inlet."

   Discussions came and went, and finally everyone came to the same conclusion: there is no other good way, but to use gunpowder and blow it up.

   Blasting can be regarded as a traditional craft of the Tiefeng Army, which is used the most and practiced the most.

  However, this was the first time that underwater blasting had happened, and the engineers under Mason all made difficulties.

   "If it's on the ground, plug the coffin into it, and everything will be done for it." Someone whispered: "But underwater... gunpowder is most afraid of water, and it must be underwater..."

"Asphalt can prevent water, so paint it inside and out. Wrap the outside with oiled paper and tarpaulin, and then paint with asphalt. Keep it safe so that no drop of water seeps in." Another engineer officer immediately proposed a solution, but he was also muttering: "Waterproofing is not difficult, but how do you send the gunpowder to the place and how do you detonate it?"

   At the back of the crowd, one hand was raised timidly.

   Mason looked intently, and it was the apprentice stonemason who led people to find the water inlet of the underdrain—Messer Jack.

   "Mr. Messer." Mason asked very politely: "Do you have any good ideas?"

  In an instant, everyone's eyes were on Mercer Jack. Everyone looked at the young mason apprentice with suspicion, expectation, and envy.

   "My master..." Mercer Jack swallowed hard, "He has a unique skill that can work underwater. Maybe it will come in handy this time."

  Mason frowned slightly: "What...unique skill?"

  The mason apprentice gritted his teeth: "The caisson!"

  …

  The "gunpowder coffin" for underwater blasting will be ready soon—the most prosperous business in the new land is the coffin business.

  The "caisson" mentioned by apprentice masons cannot be made for a while, and there is no ready-made one.

   But time was running out. The Maple Stone City Church had a bronze bell that had already been cast but hadn’t gone up to the tower. After asking the mason apprentice’s opinion, Father Kaman came forward and borrowed the big bell.

   On the big ship moored above the water inlet of the underdrain, Mercer Jack was stripped naked, with only a rope tied around his waist and a small oilcloth bag hanging around his neck.

  Other people on the boat quietly watched the apprentice mason making preparations for entering the water, and all cast respectful glances.

   This is not at all risking one's life, this is simply sending one's life to death. The bronze bell weighs a thousand kilograms, and it depends entirely on its own buoyancy and the balance of the cables pulled above it. If it overturns slightly, it is not a "caisson" but a "sinking coffin".

   Not to mention, how to operate in the big clock that can barely accommodate it? How to escape after ignition?

   "Mr. Messer Jack." Mason couldn't bear it: "We owe you a big favor."

   "Mr. Mason." The young mason apprentice shook his head: "Please tell Mr. Montagne that I did this voluntarily."

   After saying that, the young man bit a dagger in his mouth, folded his arms across his chest, and jumped into the water from the deck.

  Following a few knocks from the bronze bell, the winch began to rotate, and the bronze bell tied with the "gunpowder coffin" also began to sink slowly.

  …

   At noon, what Major Felt was most worried about happened.

  As the low roar came from the direction of the river, a huge water column rose up on the river. A lot of river water was even blown into Maple Leaf Castle, pattering like a rain.

  The "well water" on which the defenders of the whole fort depended for their livelihood became turbid.

   "It's over." Major Felt's eyes darkened: "It's all over."

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  (end of this chapter)