I will be crowned king

To be honest, Sophia's impassioned speech, coupled with Queen Anne's personal appearance on the stage, did not achieve the desired effect. At least it was not what they expected: "the soldiers were filled with indignation, the nobles were united, and the people admired the royal family. The rebels looked at the wind and descended." It's a world of difference.

Originally, the reason why the Privy Council remained silent in this chaos, and even acquiesced in the "outsider" Queen Anne's temporary qualification to represent the king as regent, was because they knew that the situation had reached the breaking point; if they stood up to oppose it now, then It was to give the rebels from the front to the Privy Council a chance to kill them all.

Moreover, even a fool can tell that Ludwig, the Storm Legion and Her Majesty the Queen have reached some kind of tacit understanding. If they stand up to oppose it at this time, the eight thousand Storm Legion soldiers in the square can justifiably disband the Privy Council with arms. , and the rebels don’t even need to do it themselves.

Putting aside the Storm Legion, which was originally on the side of the royal family, the militiamen fighting guerrillas with the rebels everywhere in the city almost all have shotgun clubs. In addition, the community has been looted, and the morale is even higher than that of the Whitehall Street police. , there is no need for additional encouragement at all; 80% of the rebels who have already burned, killed, and looted the top did not know what the mutiny was for, and they acted purely on instinct.

So in fact, no matter what Sophia and Queen Anne said, it would not have any impact on the subsequent battle to suppress the mutiny; but whether there was this speech or not was crucial.

Whether Queen Anne publicly announced the edict of Carlos II, and whether Sophia Franz appeared in public and formally announced her appointment as Minister of War was crucial to the upcoming establishment of the War Department.

It's just that neither the Queen nor Sophia herself realized this because the information they obtained was biased, and Anson and Ludwig deliberately avoided this issue. They were still immersed in the joy of "ending the mutiny with their own hands." , and have even begun to plan how to deal with the rebels after the war, and can reach a mutually compromised exchange of interests with the Privy Council.

…………………………

"Artillery—shoot!"

As Carl Bain roared angrily, the violently vibrating six-pounder infantry gun sprayed out orange-red flames, exploding large swaths of smoke and dust on the fortifications at the other end of the street.

Using multiple artillery guns to fire rapidly in the middle of the narrow street at the same time, the density of firepower of the Storm Legion directly stunned the rebel soldiers hiding in the bunker. No matter how hard they tried, they still couldn't figure out where the colonial garrison got so many. Artillery?

Of course, they don't understand how a legion with only 8,000 people dares to attack them with a total strength of nearly 300,000 people?

However, just when the rebels were confused, the 2nd Infantry Regiment, holding the red and black King Clovis flag, had already stepped on the explosive spot and launched an attack on them in a skirmish line.

A mere two or three platoons of soldiers quickly passed through the messy streets under the cover of thick white gunpowder smoke, until they were less than twenty meters away. The rebels who had avoided the artillery fire realized later that they had already reached the opposite side. In front of your own eyes.

Generally speaking, in street battles, since it is impossible for both the enemy and ourselves to form a line, let alone any detour space, they can only attack from the front in columns. The number of people and firepower density are almost the only advantage ranges: the maximum number of troops can be invested in a short period of time. , and the side that continues to increase its troops will definitely win.

Even the rebels themselves thought so: Although they were slightly shocked by the intensity of the Storm Legion's firepower, there were only less than two infantry battalions on the opposite side, and less than one company was engaged in combat; There is only one battalion, but with the narrow battlefield and the relatively complete fortifications, it is not a problem to block about three times the number of troops.

Then...then they discovered that things seemed to be different from what they expected.

"boom--!!!!"

At the moment when the two sides engaged in battle, a deafening bang suddenly exploded on both sides of the street. The choking smoke and dust were mixed with countless gravel and rubble, hitting the rebel soldiers like raindrops.

Before the smoke cleared, the rebel soldiers who had their heads smashed and bloodied opened their eyes in horror - behind the shattered wall, there were three rows and one company of infantry standing, hundreds of them. The black gun muzzles were aimed at them in the bunker from both sides of the street at the same time.

The next second, a storm of lead bullets hit, and the smoke-filled streets immediately burst into heart-wrenching wails and screams.

"The enemy is across the street and they've blown the wall through!"

"We are under enemy attack on the flank, everyone should take cover!"

"How on earth did these guys do it?!"

The rebel soldiers who suffered a head-on attack had no time to figure out what was going on - not only were they surrounded on three sides, but the Storm Legion soldiers who had blasted through the brick walls of the apartment buildings on both sides of the street had taken advantage of the chaos to seize the fort in the stronghold.

Trapped in narrow streets and temporarily built fortifications, the rebels obviously did not think of having to guard against flanks, let alone enemies that suddenly appeared "off the map."

But the Storm Legion has fought this kind of battle countless times.

Eagle Point City, White Tower City, Carindia Port, Black Reef Port, Gray Pigeon Castle, Slave Catcher Port, Winter Torch City... Obviously what they are least good at is siege warfare, but the melee and street fighting in the city have long been a problem. In the DNA of the Storm Legion, there is no need for deliberate command at all, and the soldiers can immediately realize what they should do.

The stunned rebels obviously didn't know that, and they didn't even expect that the Storm Legion of only 8,000 people would dare to counterattack; the defense line had been lost after one assault, and even the forts were gone. As long as they didn't want to become artillery. On a moving target for shooting practice, the only option is to retreat.

Of course, even if they were surrounded on three sides, as Clovis's most elite standing army, the rebel soldiers still showed qualities that were different from the conscripts: after being frustrated, the soldiers immediately launched a counterattack organized by the officers to cover the wounded. When retreating, don't forget to bring weapons. After the three lines are formed into ladders, they withdraw from the battlefield in an orderly manner, leaving no chance for the opponent to encircle and annihilate them.

But for the Storm Legion, that was enough.

"Don't clean the battlefield! Repeat the order, don't clean the battlefield. Everyone returns to the team immediately after the battle is over. Don't delay me for a minute!"

Alexey, who was shouting loudly, dragged his sword, and the sharp blade kept exploding sparks on the ground: "Time, time, time, what we lack most now is time - where are Jason's cavalry reinforcements, aren't they ready yet?! "

"Then I'm afraid you have to wait a little longer." Karl came up from the side, busy sketching on the map with a pencil in his hand: "You are too far away, and he has to reinforce Norton's Third Infantry Regiment before he can get here. , it will take ten minutes at the fastest.”

"ten minutes?!"

Alexey's eyes widened: "I can organize another attack in ten minutes, they are cavalry!"

"That's true, but the level of our Storm Legion... or all of Clovis's cavalry is probably at a certain level. You also know very well that you really can't ask for too much."

Karl himself couldn't help but twitched his lips: "What's more, this is a street battle. The cavalry's target is too big and there is no room for detours. It is difficult to act alone. You have only two options left now. First, stay where you are and wait for the response. Your cavalry..."

"I choose second place!" Alexey answered without hesitation. He was stunned for a moment before he realized: "What is second place?"

"The second thing is..."

"Waaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Before the chief of staff could finish speaking, a messy brown burst out from the street in front, rolling up wisps of smoke and dust, plus hundreds of people chasing madly behind, also following the figure of "Wow——!", directly from the rebel defense line ran over his face.

Across the entire street, showers of gunshots rang out one after another, and the flames of gunfire and grenade explosions continued to shine in the thick smoke.

"...Ahem, cough, cough, this is the second one."

Looking at the chief of staff's extremely friendly smile, Alexey suddenly felt a trace of guilt for his ill intentions.

After being stunned for half a minute, he turned around and found that the soldiers and officers were also looking at him silently; a group of people looked at each other in silence.

"What are you doing standing still? Come and assemble!" Put away his saber and completely resigned to his fate, Alexei picked up a Leopold rifle and loaded it himself: "The Second Infantry Regiment formed four columns to cover the reinforcements of the guard company from the flanks. "

"Remember, our first task is not to defeat the enemy, but not to be thrown away by Lisa. Do you hear me clearly?!"

"Clear--!!!!"

"Click!" squeezed the gun bolt, and Alexey waved the gun:

"Set off!"

Watching Alexei Dukaski leave, Karl, whose eyes were filled with respect, placed a strong cross on the map in his hand.

Similar battles are being staged simultaneously in many streets outside the Osteria Palace.

Facing the Storm Legion, which was experienced in street fighting, the rebels, who were short of troops and unprepared on the front line, were caught off guard. The seemingly iron-clad encirclement was dismantled in less than half an hour.

Seeing the good news coming one after another from the front, Queen Anne, who was guarding the Privy Council, finally let go of her original anxiety. She looked at Sophia Franz who couldn't hide her pride and excitement, and couldn't help but shake her head with a wry smile. .

This child... is completely inseparable from that too-young general.

However, from the Queen's point of view, it is not a bad thing. At least it is finally clear that the real mastermind and executor behind this so-called "New War Department" should be Anson Bach himself. Sophia's role in it is more similar to that of one side. banner.

This made her somewhat relieved. After all, she held her biggest secret in her hands. The person who knew the truth of the incident was not Ludwig, but the young brigadier general who was surrounded by mysteries.

But compared to the two of them, the Privy Council, which has its own evil intentions and is not at all so optimistic.

First of all, the Storm Legion did achieve some results, but there was an element of sneak attack in it. Taking the opponent by surprise does not mean that it will be so smooth in the future, nor does it mean that a mere colonial army can fight thirty people alone. Ten thousand troops.

What's more, the Storm Legion's victory reports are full of words such as "defeat", "repulse", and "conquer", and almost no mention of any key information such as the number of enemies annihilated, the names and number of captured officers.

The members of the Privy Council were not all idiots who did not understand military affairs. They soon realized that the Storm Legion had only broken through the rebel encirclement and failed to cause too many casualties to the opponent. To exaggerate, it is possible that the opponent chose to retreat on their own initiative. , even the army structure is still very complete.

This kind of "good news" is not entirely false, at least it is unconvincing; anyone with a little bit of military knowledge will immediately realize that the Storm Legion, which is short of troops and attacking on multiple fronts, may soon face at least ten times the Their rebels were crushed head-on!

In the crowded Privy Council Hall, the conservative MPs looked at their reformist colleagues with sneers, as if they had seen their mournful expressions.

A quarter of an hour, two quarters of an hour, an hour... No officer sent a battle report, which made the conservative nobles who were already hostile to the Storm Legion even more proud.

In comparison, the reformist MPs obviously lost their initial self-confidence, and a tense atmosphere began to spread among the crowd.

In the oppressive silence, Viscount Bogner looked thoughtfully at the ceiling above his head, as if he didn't care about the situation, and was more concerned about whether the chandelier above his head would fall.

Another half hour later, when the silence was gradually broken by whispers, a royal guard suddenly walked into the Privy Council Hall, walked quickly through the crowded crowd, knelt on one knee in front of the Queen's Seat: "Your Majesty, Anson... Brigadier General Bach sent a report on the battle situation at the front."

"Speak!" Queen Anne didn't even notice that her voice was trembling slightly, in anticipation and fear of what the other party was going to say next.

Countless pairs of eyes that instantly fell silent stared at the little royal guard: "Information to Your Majesty and the Minister of War: The Storm Legion has completely destroyed the rebel siege network outside the Osteria Palace. Your Majesty, Osterli The Royal Family of Asia and all the Privy Council members no longer need to worry about any danger!"

"In addition, the Storm Legion has successfully recaptured Red Brick Street, Boleyman Street, Frederick Street and many other communities. A large number of rebels have become large and organized and surrendered. Your Majesty, please immediately organize the royal guards and redundant Whitehall Street police. Handle matters related to the custody of prisoners.”

"As for the number of surrendered soldiers, officers, and names, since our army is advancing rapidly, we really have no time to take care of it. We can only give approximate figures. The specific content can only be compiled through the hard work of the Whitehall Street police. I ask your Majesty and the Minister of War for your forgiveness. "

"Under the majesty of His Majesty and the leadership of the Minister of War, the rebels were terrified, but our army never fell into a bitter battle, and the front pointed..."

"...destroying everything!"