Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 93 Tower City

"Sir! No! It's the Federation that is going to fight Veneta, and we ordinary civilians are not involved... And there are not only the militiamen of the Red Sulphur Port, but also the guest soldiers of the Federation, we Red Sulphur Port people in the fortress. It doesn't matter if you say it..." A well-respected gentry from the Red Sulphur Port was in tears and begged Major General Layton.

  Layton's threat was never a lie. After hearing the locals in Red Sulphur Port who were sent to persuade him to surrender, he claimed that "the bastion garrison was also arguing, and the garrison begged for a day's grace before giving a reply", he immediately fulfilled his threat.

  The soldiers of the Legion of San Marco broke through the door and went from house to house to search for the families and relatives of the defenders according to the roster found in the hall of the conclave. Any Red Sulphur Hong Kongers who refused to identify relatives of the defenders were also taken away.

  The old and the weak, women and children were tied together with twine and driven like cattle to the front of the bastion to dig tunnels. San Marco soldiers began to bundle firewood, collect boats, and make pontoon components.

  Layton's attitude has been clearly communicated to the defenders in the bastion: If you do not surrender, I will fill the trenches with the bodies of your family members.

  Finally, the morale of the defenders collapsed when the Legion of Saint Mark pulled the heavy artillery from the broken walls in the bay to the front of the bastion.

   The Red Sulphur Port militiamen who wanted to surrender pushed down the Union's red dragon flag and lowered the drawbridge. The soldiers of the San Marco Legion immediately rushed into the bastion and killed the Union soldiers who still did not give up their resistance.

   Winters noticed: The officers of the surrounding San Marco Legion breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the red dragon flag fall.

   These officers, who are far more senior than Winters, of course know better what the price of the Legion of Saint Mark will be if the defenders resist resolutely.

The main force of the    Federation is still entrenched in the interior of Red Iwo Island. If the San Marco Legion loses its troops in front of this bastion, it is not impossible for the Federation to seize the fighter and push it into the sea.

   The one who knows the most is probably Major General Layton, but he doesn't seem to care much, and the other officers are similar.

   And now the surrender of the defenders is undoubtedly great news for the Legion of San Marco.

  With little effort, the Legion of St. Mark not only captured a strong bastion and completely controlled the port of Red Sulphur, but also obtained the gunpowder, arsenal and food reserves of the defenders.

   Winters suddenly remembered that Marshal Ned once said that "the point of siege tactics is to destroy the morale of the defenders".

   Looking at the cheering Legion of San Marco soldiers, Winters couldn't help thinking: "Is Layton making a gesture to put pressure on the defenders? Or does he really want to attack without caring about casualties? Well... Maybe both."

   Anyway, in this battle, Major General Layton won the Red Sulphur Harbor Fortress beautifully, that is his shrewdness.

After the safety of   Red Sulphur Port was ensured, Layton divided into two groups, one group attacked the artillery fort guarding the entrance of the bay, and the other was responsible for repairing the artillery fort in the middle of the bay.

   The offensive and defensive situation of the Red Sulphur Port has been changed, and the fortifications that Winters led to destroy, the San Marco Legion has to rebuild.

   Winters and his three warrant officers followed Lieutenant Colonel Field to assist Lieutenant Colonel in recruiting laborers from the local Red Sulphur Port and nearby villages, and continued to reinforce the city defense of the Red Sulphur Port.

The scouts that    sent out quickly found out the whereabouts of the enemy army. When the main force of the Federation learned that the Red Sulphur Port in the rear had been destroyed by the Veneta Army, a break occurred immediately.

The    Federation's direct troops, the local militia of Red Iwo Island and a small number of pirates gave up the coastal defense line and instead hid in the inland city of Red Iwo Island - Tacheng. These troops entering Tacheng accounted for the majority.

  The other small part—mainly the wandering soldiers who were born in pirates, broke away from the Federation’s main force and fled to the Red Sulphur Port instead.

   Without waiting for the scouts of the Legion of Saint Mark to act, these pirates surrendered to the Venetas voluntarily under the white flag. All of them insisted that they had important information, and hoped to exchange military intelligence for amnesty, and preferably a bounty.

   However, Layton scoffed at the information in these people and showed no interest at all. The pirates who surrendered to the Legion of San Marco were all put on death row and locked up in the construction site outside the Red Sulphur Port to dig trenches and do the hardest work.

  These surrendered pirates belonged to the most lively type of people, and they immediately saw their tragic future. Some pirates claimed to have important information and must meet the supreme commander of the Veneta army.

   "Want to see me? Some of those **** want to see me?" Major General Layton laughed angrily. His smile made people shudder: "Okay, let's meet then."

  The original meeting hall of the Red Iwo Island Council was changed to the headquarters of the First Reserve Corps, and originally only soldiers came in and out. And now, more than a dozen disheveled pirates were escorted into the legion headquarters.

   A group of legions including Winters looked around, and a dozen pirates stood tremblingly in front of Layton.

   "I am the commander of the legion." Leighton sat on the chair with his saber, and said coldly, "You have already seen me, what do you have to say?"

"Your Excellency... Your Excellency." The leading pirate licked his lips, knelt down suddenly, and plucked up his courage to say, "We are all forced to become soldiers of the Federation, and we are not willing... You are a pawn, go to fight the bandit army of the Federation, and please spare our lives! And we still have important information about the bandit leader Kidd!"

   "I don't want to hear it!" Layton stood up impatiently and waved to the guards to take these people away.

The wolf-like guards grabbed the pirates and dragged them out the door. The pirates headed cried and shouted: "My lord... Your Excellency spare your life... Captain Kidd said that reinforcements are coming... He will stick to Tacheng and send people to collect them around. Food... lord, lord, forgive me..."

  Layton's original impatient expression turned into annoyance, contempt and extreme impatience, and he strode towards the leading pirate.

The pirates headed by    thought they were saved, and begged even harder, swearing and swearing that they would definitely be coerced into the Federation's army.

  Layton smiled, and the leading pirate also squeezed a smile stiffly. The next second, Layton's saber inserted into the mouth of the leading pirate.

   "I said I didn't want to hear it, who allowed you to tell me?" Layton asked.

The pirates headed by    were killed on the spot, the other pirates were stunned, and the crotch of several pirates became wet in an instant.

   The officers of the Legion of San Marco on the side were also shocked, but Winters, Bud and Andre were not surprised at all.

   In the hearts of the three warrant officers who had seen Major General Layton's brutal skills and violent personality, it was quite normal for Layton to do such a thing. From Winters' point of view, the moment these pirates entered the hall, Leighton was already murderous.

"This group of cowards who see the wind and the rudder, living XX is a waste of food." Layton threw off the blood on his saber expressionlessly, not at the pirates, but at the officers around him. Backbone! Traitors never deserve respect!"

  Vinetta's officers all shuddered.

The   guards dragged the living and dead pirates out, leaving a few dark red and yellowish marks on the floor of the hall.

   "Scum is scum, it's scum everywhere." Layton snorted coldly and called the name of a military police captain: "Moritz!"

   "Yes! Sir!" Major Moritz, who was standing lazily in the back row watching the play, replied, and he didn't expect to suddenly call himself.

   "You are responsible for dealing with this group of pirate scum. Let the civilians on the island report them, and then find a place with a lot of people and hang them all."

   "Yes, sir." Winters saw that Major Moritz rolled his eyes in an imperceptible way, and continued to ask, "Aren't they keeping them to work?"

Layton raised his eyebrows, and said solemnly: "Pirates are all scum who can only steal and play tricks, and they can't work honestly. They are all hanged and sold to the islanders. If there are any prisoners behind, it's up to you. The gendarmerie is responsible for screening, and all pirates are killed."

   This is also a valid reason, which Major Moritz could not refute. He saluted, turned and left the hall.

   After dealing with such a farce, the military meeting of the Legion of San Marco continued. This is an enlarged meeting of officers, not only the colonel at the captain level, but also the lieutenant at the centurion level.

  Layton sat at the head of the table, his group commander sat in a circle around the map table, and the lieutenants stood.

"The Federation's troops retreated to Tacheng and are still collecting food. They should have the idea of ​​sticking to it for a long time. The idea is very good, but unfortunately it was me." Layton pointed to the map and set a tone for the army: "I decided to take the initiative. Attack, attack Tacheng. Tell us what you think."

   He said that he wanted the officers to "speak their minds", but he had already decided to take the initiative, and the others could only tinker on this premise.

  The colonists began to discuss specific action plans, and the lieutenants did not have a chance to speak. Soon, the specific plan was determined:

   The chief brigade of the San Marco Legion was responsible for staying at the Red Sulphur Port. The second, third, fourth, and fifth brigade were dispatched lightly, responsible for expelling the small unit of the Federation that was collecting food and grass near Tacheng, and compressing the space for the Federation troops to move.

   The remaining five battalions waited for all the baggage to be unloaded from the ship before heading to Tacheng, attacking Tacheng with the strength of nine battalions.

"Relax, the Tanis are very bad at fighting, and they can't hold the cannons for them." Layton ended the military meeting with a smile: "Maybe we don't have to do it ourselves, they will surrender. The meeting is over! "

   Winters followed the others out of the council hall.

Outside the    headquarters, Field asked the three warrant officers: "How is it? Do you want to go to the outpost with me? Or stay at the Red Sulphur Port and wait for the third army?"

Winters, Bud and Andre looked at each other. Andre was eager to try, but Winters shook his head and said with a smile: "I've fought enough wars, so I won't follow you to make merit. You Ask them both."

   "I also want to stay at Red Sulphur Harbor for a rest." Bud replied unhurriedly.

  Andre originally wanted to go with him, but seeing that the two companions were going to stay, he changed his words with regret: "Then I won't go either."

Field didn't force the three warrant officers. He laughed and said, "Your exploits last night are enough for many soldiers to earn a lifetime, so you should rest well... Don't worry, although Layton has a bad temper, he will never be greedy. your work."

   It was the afternoon now, and Field turned around and was about to mount the horse. Winters, Bud and Andre saluted Field silently.

  Field was about to raise his hand in return, when the roar of artillery suddenly sounded in the red sulfur port.

  Field was instantly alert: "Where are the guns firing?"

   On the water outside the Red Sulphur Port Wharf, a large fleet was slowly approaching, led by galleons and heavy galleys. The size of the Foster warship that the Legion of San Marco was on was dwarfed by the large warships approaching.

   A group of large warships folded their sails and were approaching the pier. Puffs of white smoke spewed from the side of the ship, followed by the sound of guns and thunder reaching Winters' ears.

   This fleet of salutes, Winters, is all too familiar, it is the reinforcements he thinks about day and night.

   Red Sulphur Port changed hands a day later.

  Veneta's Vengeance Fleet is here.

  …

  …

   Meeting, meeting, endless meeting, endless meeting.

   Bureaucracy is the cancer of mankind.

   Before Field could set off, he was called again to attend the joint meeting of the senior officers of the Legion of San Marco and the Legion of Great Veneta.

   Winters is not eligible to participate in this level of meeting, and he is also happy to relax.

  In the council hall, the atmosphere was very awkward.

   Even without knowing the slight differences in uniform decoration between the legions, it is clear from the facial expressions which officers belong to the Legion of San Marco and which legions belong to the Great Veneta.

  The military exploits of conquering the Red Sulphur Port are in hand. In particular, Major General Layton finally raised his eyebrows after sitting on the cold bench for many years, and even his voice was three points louder.

   On the other hand, Major General Serbian Ti just smiled gently, but the other officers were sullen and sat silently. If you do the hard work yourself, others will get the merits. Seeing the complacent virtues of the friendly troops, the officers of the Great Veneta Legion felt sour and annoyed.

   However, the commander of the Serbian Legion had a very high prestige in the legion, so the officers of Da Vineta also held back their sarcasm or said strange words, and everyone maintained a superficial harmony.

The commander of the Army of Antonio Serbia first had a few chats with Layton, and then turned to the topic: "Since the Red Sulphur Port has been captured, and our two corps have converged, we should now consider how to clear the interior of the Red Sulphur Island as soon as possible. enemy…"

Before the words were finished, the arrogant Leighton interrupted Antonio: "The troops of the Federation were frightened by me and fled into the tower city. Give it to us San Marco Legion, within a week, I will Take the Tower City!"

   "I know a little about the situation in Tacheng. I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve success in a short period of time with a single legion." Antonio said tepidly: "We'd better not attack and try to persuade the defenders to surrender."

"Tacheng is a small place the size of sesame seeds. Can the city defense be strong enough for the bastion of Red Sulphur Port? I can take the bastion of Red Sulphur Harbor in one day, but I still can't take down Tacheng?" Leighton confidently reached out and patted it Antonio's shoulder: "Don't you trust us? Don't worry, you will rest well in the Red Sulphur Port and watch us take Tacheng."

  Antonio subconsciously wanted to dodge, but he still refrained from letting Layton pat himself on the shoulder in a big way, with a polite smile on his face.

The officers of    Da Vineta saw that Leighton was rude, and a few violent tempers were about to erupt on the spot, but seeing Antonio's calm, he also gritted his teeth and endured it.

"The situation in Tacheng is more complicated, let's scout first..." Antonio thought for a while, but still gave Leidon some face: "...even if you want to attack, you can't just let your legion go on, but also give Leidon some face. Da Vineta has a chance to make a contribution.

"Okay, okay." Layton laughed, and he slapped his forehead: "Then why are we still talking nonsense? Let's go! Go directly to Tacheng, I want to see what this little Tacheng has. Hall of Fame!"

   Pulled Antonio on, and Leighton went there excitedly. When he arrived at the scene, he only said three words: "Eh? I'm shit! This..."

What's wrong?

  The natural and dangerous terrain is backed by mountains on both sides and condescending.

  The narrow attack surface makes it impossible for the attacking troops to expand.

  The nearly ten-meter outer wall is wrapped in volcanic rock, which is daunting.

   Outside the wall, ant-like crowds are digging trenches in full swing.

  Layton dismounted and dug a few times of soil. The soil below a finger-deep was also solid volcanic rock. He couldn't even dig in this **** place.

  Although Layton was recognized as a reckless man among the graduates of Layton and Antonio's class of Army Officers' Academy, his intelligence was not a problem.

  Tacheng is small, but it is definitely a hard bone that can break teeth—no, not bone, but granite.

  This...how the **** is this attacking?

   Thanks to the book friends who have voted for the recommendation before and the book friends who have voted for the recommendation recently. This chapter was not finished last night and was written during the lunch break today. It may not be updated tonight, because "Total War: Troy" is online today. Although I am not very interested in the Trojan War theme, as a player who has even played "Throne of Britain" for more than 100 hours, I don't want to. Miss the new work. Thank you everyone.

   (end of this chapter)