I will be crowned king

The sun was setting in the west, and the devastated siege position, ravaged by artillery fire, was lit up with dots of firelight.

Walking through the muddy trenches, Anson's eyes kept glancing at the soldiers passing by in formation with rifles on their sides; there was no sign of defeat on the thin, muscular faces that were definitely not high-spirited. despair.

They were neither discouraged nor had any fighting spirit. They had a stiff and numb aura from head to toe, and a kind of indifference in their expressionless eyes. They looked so confused that as long as the military camp could serve meals on time tonight, they would be dead or alive tomorrow. None of them cared.

Anson, who had just passed the level of Brigadier General Ludwig, was slightly relieved and returned to his tent with a somewhat complicated mood.

He slowly sat down at the table and lit the kerosene lamp as he remembered. Under the dim light, Anson fell into deep thought.

Three days... He needs to come up with a plan to capture Thunder Castle within three days.

Not only for Ludwig's victory, he also hopes to leave this place of right and wrong as soon as possible and return to the absolute safety of the royal capital - it is not only the imperial people in the opposite fortress who want to kill him, but also someone hiding in Guy in the military camp.

Judging from the situation on the scene at that time, the other party already knew about "former Anson's" amateur interests; he deliberately took action before the enemy was about to attack, indicating that this person did not want to be discovered.

In addition, the gun of the "former Anson" was still well placed in the holster when he was killed, which proves that the incident happened suddenly, and even... the two people were very likely to know each other.

Therefore, this person is most likely related to the "Old God Sect".

Only in this case, the "former Anson" who was suddenly broken into the tent and saw his diary did not immediately draw the gun nervously; even the moment before the other party killed him, he did not show the slightest bit of vigilance, and was quietly killed Beat to death.

What is the purpose of an underground pagan and magical organization, and a peripheral member who is full of interest in this organization - that is, himself - sneaking into the army?

No matter what the reason is, he must leave as soon as possible, and at the same time have enough ability to protect himself - whether it is the church, the army, the power of blood, magic, or the "vision" he gained when he traveled through time!

The distraught Anson casually pulled out a piece of letter paper from the corner of the table - he would not write anything in his diary again until the matter was resolved.

Since it is a plan, it is natural to first list the advantages and disadvantages of both the enemy and ourselves:

The biggest advantage is naturally the strength of the troops - from Ludwig's camp, Anson saw the clear organization of Thunder Castle's levy force, including six missing private regiments, a full grenadier regiment, and an artillery unit with eight artillery pieces. company and a company of light cavalry responsible for delivering messages and reconnaissance missions, with a total strength of nearly 5,000 men.

Among them, the artillery company and the cavalry company are "organized" regular troops, and the four private regiments are the "shares" of other officers in the Thunderburg Army; the full grenadiers and two infantry regiments are all funded by Ludwig himself Established - his personal "shareholding" is nearly one-half, and the archbishop's son is obviously not short of money.

But the disadvantages are equally obvious - the Thunder Castle occupied by the enemy is a military depot and transfer warehouse, which stores a large amount of baggage. Especially heavy artillery, as long as the enemy's ammunition is not exhausted, it can completely offset the lack of troops.

If Ludwig could really make up his mind to attack the Thunder Castle Fortress from the front, I am afraid that before they could stand under the fortress, at least two-thirds of the entire army would collapse and be killed.

……………………

"You don't need to say that?!"

With a crisp "snap!", Ludwig slammed the plan written on the letterhead onto the sand table. He glared at Anson with a bit of embarrassment in his eyes:

"I know everything about the situation in Thunder Castle, I don't need you to tell me!"

"But it's really important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy and ourselves, and to truly face the situation head-on." Anson looked at him calmly: "The current situation is telling us that those who still want to attack by force should give up."

Ludwig, who was slightly calmer, pondered for a while:

"You mean...defensive counterattack?"

Anson blinked and did not answer the question immediately:

"General, how many Imperial troops do you think are in the fortress?"

"About two thousand, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing!"

With a chuckle, Anson shrugged: "I just feel that after the last raid, hundreds of people were lost and a knight was lost; the imperial army with its inferior strength will not dare to leave the fortress easily again, and it is impossible for us to defend and counterattack. of opportunity.”

"what do you want to say in the end?!"

Ludwig, who had just calmed down, instantly widened his eyes.

"I want to say...now that we know the advantages and disadvantages of both sides, we should use tactics that can best utilize our advantages and at the same time curb enemy artillery attacks." Anson still said unhurriedly:

"The enemy dare not leave the fortress easily, we should take advantage of this."

The moment he finished speaking, Anson saw a flash of light in the eyes of the black knight.

Ludwig lowered his head and looked at the sand table, his eyes constantly wandering between the siege position and Thunder Castle Fortress. He hesitated to Anson and said, "Do you want to use digging to advance and trenches to shorten the attack distance?"

……………………

This should be the most ideal and implementable plan of all.

Looking at the letter that had been filled with a whole page of content, Anson's face became calmer and calmer, but his heart was like a sponge in a thunderstorm, rolling up huge waves.

He has seen the artillery bombardment in this world: powerful cannons and howitzers may easily change the terrain, but they cannot pose a substantial threat to the trenches, and the aiming of mortars with projectile trajectories is always a big problem.

Advancing by trenches is the best way to contain the power of enemy artillery fire; by pulling the battle line into the trench under the fortress wall and entering the blind spot of heavy artillery, the strength advantage can be fully demonstrated.

But...this is just an imagination.

After witnessing with his own eyes the lavish artillery fire of the Imperial Army in Thunder Castle that day, Anson could almost imagine in his mind the soldiers who were frightened by the sound of artillery and fled in all directions, rushed out of the trenches and were blown into pieces.

Because they are human beings who can stand up despite being afraid, who can take the lead bravely but also be as timid as mice; they will not hide motionlessly in bunkers or dig trenches under artillery fire just because of an order or the click of a mouse. .

This must be taken into account.

To advance with trenches, it must not be just an extension of the siege position - they don't have that much time - but they must also consider the threat of fire from the fortress walls, so countermeasures must be taken.

The solution Anson can currently think of is to build one or two temporary artillery forts close to the fortress to suppress the enemy's bombardment as much as possible.

On the other hand, the enemy's artillery shells are not unlimited, and there are no sources of supplementation, which is a small advantage.

……………………

"What kind of advantage is this?!"

Ludwig, who frowned, said coldly: "One month... one month at most, no matter the price or how many people die, I must take back Thunder Castle! I don't have time to wait for those imperial scum to use up their cannons, get out and surrender!" "

As soon as he finished speaking, he slammed his clenched fists on the table, shaking the entire sand table.

Anson took a deep breath. It was very tiring to talk to a hysterical guy:

"As you said, the enemy will not surrender easily before the ammunition is exhausted; they also know very well that it will only be a matter of time before such an isolated fortress is captured, so the enemy will definitely drag out the battle as much as possible."

"Trench advancement is a tactic that seems to take a long time - this is just a guess, but if the enemy finds that we are no longer deliberately attacking, but instead investing energy in defenses, they will probably not easily 'Bottom' us."

Anson looked at Ludwig very seriously.

Even if he has to grab a "life-saving straw" like his own, Anson can completely imagine how desperate the archbishop's son is about the current situation, and how much he wants to capture Thunder Castle as soon as possible and show off to everyone who is ready to see his joke. prove yourself.

But the plan he came up with was obviously not something that could be realized overnight.

The two people stood in the airy tent with their eyes facing each other, and they didn't even notice that the brazier for heating had been extinguished long ago.

"Is there no other way?" Ludwig obviously wanted to continue struggling.

"Yes." Anson nodded slightly:

"But I promised you that when I decide to accept your appointment, I will give you a plan that can definitely capture the Thunder Castle Fortress - this is my answer."

"Attack in foggy days, raid fortresses, tunnels, internal countermeasures in the middle of the night... and so on." Speaking calmly, Anson opened his right hand and placed it directly above Thunder Castle in the sand table: "Full of uncertainty, more Tactics that seriously lack feasibility cannot be called a plan at all, but more like gambling."

"What you need is a sure, hearty victory... right?"

Ludwig didn't speak, but his hands that were clenched into fists were trembling slightly, and the veins on the backs of his pale hands became more prominent.

"Can you win?"

A simple word that Ludwig almost bit out between his teeth.

He was not sure whether he, who had no choice but refused to ask for help from the rear, should really believe that this "life-saving straw" that saved his position and gave him hope at this desperate moment could really reverse the situation. .

"We can win." Anson nodded heavily and said with certainty:

"We will definitely win!"

……………………

He will definitely win... Inside the small tent illuminated by a kerosene lamp, Anson almost laughed out loud at the thought.

The only effect of this kind of exaggerated propaganda to deceive Party A is to cheer up the brigadier general who is desperate and about to lose confidence.

Think about it and you know, how is this possible?

Perhaps the enemy would lower their guard at first, thinking that they had given up the idea of ​​retaking Thunder Castle immediately; but as long as the Imperial defenders were not blind, it would not be difficult to spot the trench fortifications that were rapidly approaching the fortress.

Even if they have to bear the risk of casualties, in order to delay the advancement of the trenches, the Imperial Army in the fortress will definitely come out of the city to fight; as for his own counterattack strength... Anson really doesn't have much confidence.

Except for Ludwig's own three private regiments, the remaining troops are the "property" of the various regimental commanders under his command; the weapons and ammunition are okay, but if the soldiers die in battle, they have to spend their own money to raise them. If there is a serious shortage, they will be issued to them. military pay will also be reduced.

Such troops are fighting with the wind, hiding in bunkers and shooting at the enemy. It is best to give up on this idea as soon as possible if they are expected to adapt to changes and resist the enemy's surprise attack.

There will be no more than two thousand enemies in the city, so there must be at least two combat-capable private regiments capable of immediate resistance when the enemy launches a surprise attack.

This is his own plan, and Anson is of course prepared to complete the most critical core task by himself.

………………

"no problem!"

Ludwig said without hesitation: "Starting from tomorrow, I will let Roman lead the Grenadier Regiment to patrol and guard the position. If necessary, of the eight artillery pieces in the artillery position, two cannons can also be deployed to build a forward artillery fort."

"As for your first regiment...the supply of troops cannot be replenished for the time being, but I can promise you first that as long as new troops from the rear arrive on the battlefield to replenish you first, what else is needed?"

Great, we finally talked about the issue of early budget.

Ansen felt relieved in his heart, it was great to have a Party A who was not short of money.

"The lack of troops is not the most serious problem. The most serious problem is the lack of weapons and equipment." Anson said seriously: "I asked Battalion Commander Carl Bain when I came here. Each person in the regiment has a rifle and no spare weapons; the weapons are old. There are many kinds of old people, some people don't even have bayonets, and..."

"A rifle of the same specifications, equipped with a bayonet and ammunition, plus a full set of infantry equipment...I'll prepare it." Ludwig interrupted lightly: "What else?"

"Well... you should know that the imperial army was able to quickly break through the defense line and seize Thunder Castle. In addition to artillery, it relied on elite cavalry, and grenades are the best weapon to resist the cavalry..."

"Grenade? Well, it's a bit troublesome but it shouldn't be difficult to solve. I will let the logistics allocate some of the supplies from the Grenadier Regiment to you. You don't have to worry about this."

Ludwig, who was paying full attention to the sand table, said in a deep voice. He raised his head and found Anson still standing there, frowning slightly and looking a little unhappy:

"……besides?"

"Well...there is also...about the replacement of personnel..."

Anson tried his best to sound sincere: "Well...if possible, can you deploy a company of skirmishers to supply us as soon as possible?"

Ludwig took a deep breath, and the atmosphere seemed to become a little colder with his expression:

"You should know that I came to you specifically because I didn't want to bow to the Army people, right?"

"Know."

"Then you also understand that the equipment of the skirmisher company is different from that of ordinary privates, and you need to apply for it, right?"

"……clear."

"Very good, I will write to apply for the replacement of the Skirmisher Company." Ludwig nodded slightly, with an ugly expression: "If nothing else happens, it will be solved within two days - confirm again, other than these, you You don’t want it anymore, do you?”

"Well……"

Anson pursed his lips and said quickly with some embarrassment: "Well...since you have made up your mind to deploy artillery forts at the forward position, can you allocate an artillery piece to our regiment? It doesn't have to be too good, just a small infantry gun..."

Seeing Ludwig's extremely ugly expression, Anson stopped abruptly before he finished speaking.

The dark-faced knight in black slowly raised his right hand and pointed to the door:

"go out!"