Iron Powder and Spellcaster

When the city is besieged, people outside the city want to get in. No one knows what the people in the city think... but they definitely don't want people outside the city to come in.

After weeks of attrition, Winters set foot on the walled grounds for the first time.

No enemies were encountered and no traps were stepped on. The soil underfoot was very muddy, oozing with red liquid.

Bits of body and flesh were strewn everywhere, and six rounds of grenades destroyed not only the spirits of the Tanirians but their bodies as well.

Veneta soldiers rushed into the breach and killed all Tanirians who were still alive - they would not have survived, and a quick death was a special mercy.

Just as Lieutenant Colonel Vauban had estimated, the defenders had filled in thick mounds of earth behind the city wall. However, not all city walls have been reinforced in this way. It seems that there are mounds of earth only in locations that have been heavily bombarded.

Low and simple wooden shacks loomed in the sea fog, and the familiar buildings made Winters feel like he had returned to his hometown.

The slums here are no different from the slums in Hailan. The poor miners built wooden houses with barely enough shelter behind the city walls.

Many of the wooden houses have been demolished, and it is not difficult to imagine that they were turned into lumber for the defenders. More board houses should be outside the city walls, but those houses were cleared long before the Veneta people arrived.

Some low-rise bungalows were set alight by other troops who had breached the city walls, and the smoke from burning damp wood further reduced visibility.

Winters could no longer see where Second Lieutenant Juan was, but he could vaguely see the golden lion flag with a red background. Juan's centurions did not advance towards the city, but began to attack along the roots of the city wall towards the city gate.

Don Juan rushed towards the city wall like crazy. Major Moritz and his spell casters could not catch up with him no matter what. They saw that the golden lion flag in front of them was almost disappearing in the heavy fog.

"Be careful! Don't get separated! The Tanirians will not surrender so easily!" Moritz, who was leading the way at the front, said in a deep voice to the casters without looking back.

Several lieutenants drew their swords in their hands, less than one step away from each other, and moved forward in the heavy fog. Winters almost tripped over corpses several times. The thick sea fog looked extremely strange, and there were countless enemies lurking in it.

Second Lieutenant Pisani suggested: "Let's work together and use wind control to blow away this fog!"

"Save your magic power!" the major replied coldly.

At this time, Winters clearly heard the sound of scattered footsteps coming from the front right side, and some kind of special sound... the collision of various parts of the armor while running.

"Enemy attack!" Winters immediately shouted a warning.

The Veneta soldiers in front also noticed something strange, but they were not sure whether they were friends or foes. Several sergeants asked: "Who is it?! Password?!"

The only answer they received was a few arrows shot through the sound. A small group of Federation soldiers burst out of the thick fog in the narrow alleys of the slums and crashed into the queue of Veneta soldiers.

"Enemy attack!"

"There's Tani!"

There were a few shouts, and then the battlefield fell into a terrible silence.

This quietness is not quiet in the strict sense. From time to time, gunfire can be heard in the distance, and the dying soldiers beside them are crying. But apart from these white noises, the only sounds that can be heard are the crisp sound of the collision of weapons and the terrifying sound of weapons entering the human body. .

The Venetians and Tanirians who were fighting to the death could not make a sound from their throats. Their upper and lower teeth were clenched tightly, and the muscles all over their bodies were tense. Even their brains had almost lost the ability to think. They relied on instinct to fight. Killing each other.

Moritz said nothing and went straight into the battle group.

Obviously, if they cannot deal with the enemies in front of them, Moritz and his team will not be able to escape. Although they had deviated from their original mission, Winters and other lieutenants could only kill the group of Tanirians first.

With the assistance of this small group of officers with superior combat capabilities, the Tanirians, who had the advantage of the surprise attack, not only failed to defeat the rear of Juan's centurions, but were instead killed and retreated by the Venetas.

However, the sound of fighting here attracted more Union soldiers in the slums. Before Second Lieutenant Don Juan in front had time to turn around to support him, another group of enemies had already collided with Second Lieutenant Juan's front team.

Just as the enemy in front of Moritz and others fled back to the slums in panic, another group of Tanirian soldiers came from behind.

Moritz immediately took over the command of the rear column and shouted: "Go and join Don Juan!"

The soldiers could not recognize his identity, but subconsciously obeyed his orders. The rear of Juan's centurion fought and retreated, moving closer to the golden lion flag.

But at the same time, many figures appeared on the roofs of the slums, followed immediately by bows and crossbows. The defenders' crossbowmen climbed into the cabin and began shooting at the unprotected Venetans.

The Veneta people were pushing each other to avoid the arrows, and their organization was about to collapse.

Moritz turned back, and steel cones flew out from his left hand. Only then did Winters realize that the combat power that the major had shown in front of him was far from reaching his limit. When he let go and killed without reservation, his heart made of iron and stone trembled.

The Union crossbowmen on the boardroom were cleared in the blink of an eye. To ensure that Moritz was killed, he shot two steel cones at everyone. The union crossbowman was hit between the eyebrows, his brains were splattered, he didn't even have time to scream, and he died on the spot without pain.

From the perspective of the Tanirians who couldn't see clearly what Moritz had done, anyone who the man in front of them could reach out to would die suddenly on the spot.

Only devils have this ability. The Union soldiers who reacted shouted in horror, "Devil! Devil!" and fled deep into the slums, rolling and crawling.

Only then did the other lieutenants besides Winters understand why some people would say that the slightly thin and undisciplined man in front of them was the strongest magical force in the army.

Relying on this ultimate flying arrow skill alone, even if he packs other people together, it is not enough to deal with Moritz.

"Chasing?" someone asked the major.

"No pursuit!" Moritz replied decisively: "Go and join the front team!"

Moritz and others followed Lieutenant Juan all the way to the city gate. The casters disguised themselves as ordinary soldiers and killed any enemy who tried to approach Don Juan on the spot.

During this period, they saw no other signal flares. Second Lieutenant Juan's centurions cooperated with the troops attacking from the Triangular Fort to defeat the defenders of the city gate and quickly captured the Tacheng gate.

The whole process went incredibly smoothly, so smoothly that even the caster officers felt a little uneasy.

But the magician's battle is so weird, and the corpse cannot speak. It is possible that Moritz and others could not kill a single enemy magician, or maybe they killed all the enemy magicians.

The enemy is dead and all this can no longer be verified. The casters could only endure their uneasiness and continue to stick to Don Juan's side.

The sky has begun to get brighter, the sun is getting higher and higher, and the fog is gradually dispersed by the sunshine.

After more than two hours of fierce fighting, Tacheng suddenly became quiet. Winters could only hear the occasional sound of gunfire and the groans of the dying in the distance.

The casters, like the ordinary soldiers of Juan's Centurion, collapsed on the ground like dead people. It was they who acted as arrowheads and sword tips that allowed Juan's centurions to capture the heavily guarded gates so quickly.

The golden lion flag buzzed on the city gate, but the exhausted Veneta people no longer had the energy to continue the attack.

When the fog completely dissipated, what they saw in front of them made even the most determined Veneta people feel a hint of despair.

Winters heard the sentry crying, and he didn't understand what was happening until he stood on the top of the city and looked over.

Not far away, a dike wall made of earth wrapped around the "Count's Tower" in Tower City, and the flag of the Tanirria Federation was still planted on the castle.

William Kidd built another wall within the city wall, but the Tanirians still did not give up resistance, and the battle was not over yet.

…

…

For this general attack, the Venetas mobilized nine corps—nine full corps.

The two legions only had a total of twenty brigades, not to mention that many of the brigades had already lost their troops in the siege.

The top brass of the Veneta Army wanted a final word, but the Tanirians were incredibly tenacious.

This is the helplessness of living in this era. Tactically, offense overwhelms defense, but strategically, defense overwhelms offense.

Even the most adept troops can only turn the war into an endless digital exchange when encountering solid fortifications and tenacious defenders.

Thirty years ago, the Senas coalition used dozens of fortified towns to forcefully drag the Duke of Arlean to death and force the emperor to make peace. But today someone else used this trick on themselves, and all Veneta officers felt uncomfortable.

"Fight! Keep fighting!" Leighton punched the table at the military command meeting: "If we die, Tani guys will not die? [Vicious expletive]! Keep fighting! Let's see who can hold on to his last breath. !”

Leighton's anger could almost burn the air, but the school officers attending the meeting had no reaction. The brigade commanders avoided Leighton's sight and lowered their heads in silence.

The nine brigades responsible for the general offensive today were exhausted. Many brigades even suffered casualties of more than 30% of their soldiers. It is a miracle that the morale of the troops has not collapsed.

In normal times, I would have to praise him for his skill in running the army. However, these brigade commanders are silent now, not because they are stingy with the lives of their soldiers, but because they clearly know that their brigade has reached its limit. If we continue to forcefully drive the soldiers to attack the city, I am afraid there will be a mutiny on the spot.

The other brigade commanders who did not participate in today's attack were also silent. No one knew what they were thinking... Maybe it was because today's brutal battle gave them a little palpitations.

"General Leighton is right, the victory of the battle depends on which side can hold on for one more minute." The commander of the Serbian Tibetan Army said coldly with a black face: "No matter how much blood we shed, William Kidd's people will only There will be more bleeding. We can't let the Tanirians have a chance to breathe. I don't need to explain this to you. When the war comes to this, it depends on who has a harder heart and a more ruthless heart. Even if we all go to hell. It doesn’t matter, as long as we can send William Kidd down first! Are you... not as good as the pirates and slave traders under William Kidd? "

The atmosphere in the conference room gradually heated up with Major General Serbetti's words. All the school officers gasped, clenched their fists, and looked at the two corps commanders.

"No rest, we will attack the city all night tonight! I will not let William Kidd even have time to pee." For the first time, Major General Serbetti did not discuss with Leighton in advance. Gan Gang arbitrarily issued an order to the two legions: "There is no need to keep the reserve team. The four brigades of the general reserve team will focus on the attack! Report the centurions from each of your brigades that still have combat capabilities and form a temporary brigade to take charge of the second wave of attacks. Act now! I will take action within an hour. Hear the charge whistle! If you don’t hear it, I will kill four of your captains!”

Layton on the side was shocked by these words, but he still refrained from saying anything. Only then did all the school officers realize that General Antonio Serbetti, who seemed more rational, might actually be the crazier of the two army commanders.

Since the beginning of the siege of Tacheng, the Veneta Army has maintained a reserve of four full brigades at all times. This reserve was never intended for a siege, but was used to guard against possible Union reinforcements.

We cannot count on the enemy's defeat in a war. Putting the reserves of four brigades into attacking the city means that the two legions are already in ruins.

If there is an oversight in the Veneta Navy and even a small coalition reinforcements are allowed to land at Red Sulfur Port, it will be a disaster for the Grand Veneta Army and the San Marco Legion.

But the Legion Commander has made up his mind to do whatever it takes, and everyone else just has to obey.

The numbers of the remaining centurions were quickly gathered, and Second Lieutenant Don Juan's centurion was among them.

"Conti! You bring a temporary brigade!" Layton clicked on a school officer, and then another person: "Field! You bring one too! And..."

"Legion Commander..." Someone interrupted Layton and reminded him with difficulty: "...Lieutenant Colonel Field, was killed in action this morning."

After being reminded for the fifth time, the parchment in Layton's hand fell to the ground.

…

…

Winters and Moritz stood silently facing the body of Lieutenant Colonel Field.

The lieutenant colonel's face was covered by a military flag, but he could no longer breathe.

"Lieutenant Colonel Field is gone. He will never talk to me, laugh, or race horses again... Has he just disappeared?" Winters felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Let's go." Moritz took Wen Tesla away: "This is just Field's body, not Field."

The first red flare came from Lieutenant Colonel Field, and the second red flare came from another fallen Lieutenant Colonel Petrarch.

When Moritz and Winters rushed to the second red flare, the mysterious magician in the city had killed Lieutenant Colonel Petrarch and most of the witnesses and escaped into the fog.

"If we..." Winters' eyes were a little hot: "...if we could arrive in time, wouldn't it be..."

"Don't even think about such a thing! Don't even think about it at all!" Moritz stared angrily, grabbed Winters' shoulders, and shouted sternly: "You, me, Field, we will all die, but It's a matter of time. Field died, and part of us died with him. But he has no pain, no regrets, and no sadness. No matter what you think, it will not affect him. Understand? Don't feel guilty for the dead, then It’s just that living people are self-satisfied, there is no need for this.”

Three school officers were killed in today's siege. The causes of death were damaged organs and massive internal bleeding. The autopsy results, on-site investigations and testimonies all pointed to the secretive magician.

The strategy of countering enemy magicians with highly mobile squads of spellcasters proved to be a complete failure.

However, the Joint Command also discovered that using elite spellcasters as the tip of the offensive blade was surprisingly effective.

That afternoon, nine spellcasters including Moritz received new orders.

They will serve as the arrowhead of the main offensive force and take the lead in attacking the embankment wall.

Thank you to the previous book friends who voted for recommendation. Thank you to the book friends Tian Lens, The Same Week, Your Life Has the Most, There Are Beauties in Tianshui, Black Computer Accessories, and Justice and Purity Is Koala. Thank you all.