I will be crowned king

Just as the siege of Huangcaolin was about to take a turn, another battle was taking advantage of the later light to take place outside the Yangfan City siege position.

"Boom——! Boom——! Boom——! Boom——!"

The golden-red gunfire, accompanied by the loud roar of gunpowder smoke, illuminated the siege position under the night, exploding large clouds of smoke in the countryside, and then splashed countless sparks flying in the sky.

Amidst the fireworks, hundreds of Clovis soldiers lined up in loose but orderly columns, like a black-red torrent of water, shouting messy slogans, and launched an attack on the back of the siege position amidst the sound of iron whistles and bugles. charge.

After several days of marching and bypassing roads, the lightly-armed Storm Division finally arrived outside Yangfan City. After setting up a camp in the forest for a day to rest, they launched a surprise attack from the north towards the siege position in the evening.

The reason why this time was specifically chosen was not only to allow the troops to rest and take advantage of the fact that the enemy had just finished the siege that lasted a whole day, so as to catch them off guard, but also because Anson discovered an unexpected surprise.

That was Bernard Morweis, who actually went to rescue the Wild Grass Forest stronghold!

Although he behaved confidently in front of his own people, it was impossible to say that he had no doubts - a small number of defenders, rich trophies, and the Wild Grass Forest stronghold looked too much like a trap, a trap waiting for him to take the bait.

This was another reason why Anson withdrew decisively, leaving only a small number of troops stationed. He really couldn't convince himself; an opponent like Bernard Molwes who was too cautious to be more cautious and liked to figure out the enemy's thoughts would Qian Chu placed the empty-defended base camp on the only path for a large-scale march.

As a result, when they arrived outside Yangfan City, Ansen, who had watched the battle for a day, was surprised to find that the troops in the siege position could not exceed 8,000 at most; the best evidence is that they only launched one siege in the whole day; except for firing guns into the air and Apart from firing artillery to embolden people, the total number of troops shown was only over 3,000.

It is a common phenomenon for the cowardly rabble to send only half of the troops to die under the strong fortifications.

Whether it was a hasty counterattack due to the fall of Huangcao Forest, or it was really a trap prepared for himself, it is an indisputable fact that there are only six or seven thousand defenders in the siege position!

Facing the Stormtroopers who suddenly appeared behind them and took advantage of the night to fight out from the hills and forests, the Imperial defenders on the position showed a panic that was very suitable for their rank - after all, the elites had been taken away by Bernard. Those who were left behind to threaten Yangfan City could be said to be rotten fish and shrimps, not to mention being slightly inferior.

Although the siege position had strong fortifications and a large number of artillery, all the light cavalry artillery was taken away by Bernard, leaving only the cumbersome twelve-pounder, sixteen-pounder and even eighteen-pounder cannon. , it is very inconvenient to rotate; plus it is a night raid, it is impossible to be accurate at all.

Even the artillery flames that lit up on the position at night directly exposed the firepower of the defenders, "assisting" the Storm Division soldiers to avoid the front and launch the offensive from the gap where the enemy's firepower was obvious.

Soon, the Grenadier Regiment and Norton Crosell's 3rd Infantry Regiment took the lead in entering the siege position with the help of artillery flames, and quickly cleared away some of the remaining enemies who were trying to lie on the ground or hide in bunkers for a cold shot.

Hundreds of grenades rushed to land on the heads of the panicked Imperial defenders, instantly destroying their last bit of morale.

After gaining a foothold slightly, some of the grenadiers took out the shotguns and daggers they carried, and began to advance along the trenches under the cover of their companions in groups of three or three behind them.

This is a copy of the "squad tactics" of the Guards Company to clear the way with grenades, sweep with shotguns, and cover with rifles - it is useless on the frontal battlefield, but once it enters the trench warfare of hand-to-hand combat, it can absolutely crush the enemies who are not adapted to this tactics. pressure.

Of course, the only people in the Storm Division who had the financial resources and manpower to "copy" were the soldiers of the Grenadier Regiment. Some soldiers even placed ax blades on the muzzles of shotguns and converted them into ax guns that could turn around and kill people after the shot was fired.

I accidentally came up with the idea together with a certain church judge, and the actual effect was surprisingly good.

Although the killing efficiency is not as good as that of a bayonet, and its portability is not as good as that of a gun butt, but seeing a comrade in the front row having his head chopped off by an axe, and his shoulders, chest and neck being squeezed into a shapeless mass of minced meat, it has a powerful impact on the enemy's morale. A six-pound solid round.

As more and more Storm Division troops joined the battle, the defeat of the defenders in the siege position became more and more obvious. Having lost their defensive advantage due to the surprise attack, they gradually began to reveal their true nature as a ragtag group.

But strictly speaking, this is not the responsibility of the soldiers. After all, most of them were just farmers, adventurers, vagabonds and even beggars more than half a month ago. They were simply forcibly recruited to become a glorious part of the imperial army.

The few line infantry and knight officers repeatedly tried to launch counterattacks and try to regain their positions; but in trench warfare, discipline and morale are not the most critical. Being able to keep the organization intact, obey orders and have stronger individual combat effectiveness The side that is more likely to win.

The stronger side in this regard is actually the Empire. The home battle and the strong individual combat skills of the knights are enough to offset the disadvantages caused by losing some positions.

But it is a pity that as an attacker, Clovis has another advantage that cannot be erased in addition to his organization level - that is the absolute crushing in numbers.

Taking advantage of the firepower points exposed by the imperial defenders before, and the "fixed radar station" composed of Anson's spellcasting range and superpowers as a conjurer, there was no secret in the arrangement of the small half of the siege position in front of him, and he could calmly gather advantages. Troops formed in various small-scale battles used more to defeat fewer, multi-directional and multi-level encirclement and annihilation.

Coupled with the part that was defeated at the beginning, in fact, the Storm Division is actually the side with the superior strength at the moment.

"Send the order - tell Fabian to postpone the attack after controlling the central front, and not to force all the enemies into huddled artillery forts or semi-independent solid fortifications like warehouses. The casualties in a fight would be too great."

Turning his head, Anson said to Jason Fruhauf behind him: "In addition to destroying the army besieging the city, we have more important things to do."

"yes!"

The cavalry captain who answered didn't ask any more questions, turned around and ran towards the battlefield on foot.

Following Jason's back, he cast his gaze towards the silent Sailing City in the distance - this besieged city had been exceptionally quiet since the start of the raid.

So...Louis Bernard, what on earth are you thinking about?

Anson pursed his lips slightly, showing an innocent expression like a child.

……………………

In the main study room of the Governor's Mansion of Yangfan City.

Listening to the sound of gunfire in the distance outside the city that seemed to slightly shake the glass windows, staring at the girl and the cuirassier battalion commander Sado in front of him as the "distinguished guest", the young knight's expression was extremely ugly.

If he was just doubtful before, then when Sado walked into the room... no, it should be the moment the girl named Polina appeared, he finally understood, everything.

"Sir Louis Bernard, please make your decision!"

Realizing that his plan might be exposed, Sir Sado finally stopped covering up, stepped forward and said solemnly: "Now as long as we gather the troops immediately and launch an attack on the siege position, we can immediately lift the siege of Sail City!"

"We have persisted for so many days, isn't it just to force Sir Bernard Morwes back, so that he can calm down again and negotiate more fairly with you, so that Sailing City can survive without any danger? Survive this disaster?"

"Yes!" Polina on the side also took the opportunity to chime in:

"Neither the City of Sails nor all of us can stop this brutal chief minister and his lackeys with our own strength; only by joining forces can we force him to give up force and talk to us as equals."

equality?

Louis stared at the girl from Gray Pigeon Castle in front of him. Polina trembled slightly, but soon she held her head high and faced the young knight's gaze. She also deliberately placed the "Declaration of Resistance" more conspicuously. Chest.

For some reason, suddenly there was a voice deep in her heart telling her that if Anson Bach were here at this moment, he would definitely do this.

"Whether you are alone and destroyed by the tyrannical executioners of the empire, or join forces with us to face the enemy - please make your decision!"

Holding back the trembling of her body, the girl shouted out the voice that sounded in her heart.

Louis sighed heavily.

"It is very late now. Unfortunately, our army has not made a plan to leave the city at night and attack the siege positions."

After a moment of silence, the young knight who met the two pairs of eyes said coldly: "I am very grateful to your army for the timely help, but unless everything is absolutely certain, our army will not leave the city defense easily."

"Sir Louis Bernard, please again..."

"This is the final decision I have made as the temporary governor of Sail City!" Louis directly intercepted:

"If anyone disagrees with my order and leaves the city without permission, then he will no longer be recognized by Sailing City and will be regarded as a traitor and enemy; if everyone objects, then you can remove me as the 'interim governor' ', replace it with a... puppet that is more in line with their wishes!"

The young knight who deliberately emphasized his tone stared at the opposite side: "What do you think, Sir Sado?"

The cuirassier battalion commander's mouth twitched slightly when his name was called, but he still suppressed his anger, stepped back half a step, beat his chest and saluted:

"As you command!"

Looking at Sado who left without looking back, Louis turned his attention back to the girl in the seat and said with a rather complicated expression:

"Miss Polina Frey, please tell your friends when you go back that I can negotiate with you on behalf of Sailing City, but not now, and will not - at least not now, we will not discuss whether to join the Confederacy."

"As for your vision of freedom, the empire's rule in the new world, and the ultimate ownership of Sailing City, there should be a more appropriate solution..."

……………………

In the Wild Grass Forest stronghold, Karl's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the reinforcements that suddenly appeared on the north side of the battlefield.

Rows of neatly formed Confederate soldiers, equipped with nearly uniform uniforms and weapons, slowed down their march to the rapid sound of bugles and drums, and all took off the rifles on their shoulders.

"Young men of Changhu Town, it's time for you to show off!"

Under the blue background star ring, Joseph, the former commander of the Long Lake Town militia and current commander of the Second Division of the Confederate Army, shouted loudly, turned around and took off his hat to salute his soldiers:

"Clovis's friends are in front, and the enemies of the empire are right in front of us! Attack - let them see the power of the fishermen and street vendors in Long Lake Town, bayonets on!"

"Fix bayonets——!!!"

Shouting slogans, they quickly gathered their formation and formed company-based dense phalanxes. Like a moving "bayonet jungle," they launched a straight attack in the direction of Alexei, who was breaking out of the encirclement.

Facing this "enemy army" that appeared out of nowhere, Bernard, with a face as deep as water, gave the order to attack. A fully lined private battalion turned around and spread out left and right, with three rows of dark guns aimed at them. The figure gradually approaches.

Although there was a huge disparity in strength, based on his understanding of the mob in the New World, the frontal firepower of one battalion was enough to deal with two or three times the colonial militia taking the initiative to attack.

Of course, you are right to think so. With the level of colonial armed forces and training, describing them as a mob is too tolerant... But across the street is the militia of Changhu Town. They are the most well-equipped among all the colonies of the empire. They are personally trained by the empire to prepare for the invasion of Clovis. Changhu Town Militia.

Rapid gunshots exploded over the position at the same time. As if they had reached some kind of tacit agreement, the Changhu Town militia and the Imperial Line privates raised their guns and fired almost simultaneously; the spurting lead bullets knocked down a dozen figures in the front row. , not causing many real casualties - both sides' bad marksmanship was exactly the same.

If nothing else happens, this kind of "firing guns in the air" like a foreigner will continue for a few more rounds, and then there will be a bayonet charge.

This is also the normal state of the imperial infantry without the support of artillery and cavalry. After all, their main task is to maintain the front, not to achieve results that make the knights have no sense of existence.

The problem is that it's not just the Imperials who are participating in this battle...

"boom--!!!!"

Deafening artillery fire rang out from the direction of the stronghold.

In order to avoid affecting Alexei who was breaking through to the east side of the position, Karl originally did not dare to fire directly on the flanks easily; but in order to block the reinforcements, an infantry battalion sent by Bernard walked out of the position directly and walked along the east and west sides. The line unfolded in the direction, and a vertical straight line spread out in front of the stronghold's gun port...

The whizzing six-pound solid bullets penetrated directly from the far left end of the line to the far right end; more than half of the entire battalion of line infantrymen did not even see what was happening, and were hit by the invisible black shadow. The head was smashed, the torso was torn open, the limbs were twisted... and turned into pieces of stumps and flesh scattered all over the sky.

Looking at the sudden disappearance of an entire row of figures in front of him, Joseph was stunned and froze on the spot, subconsciously giving the order to attack.

Five minutes later, the Changhu Town Infantry Regiment, which was strewn with the broken corpses of Imperial soldiers, successfully joined forces with Alexei.