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MTL - I Will Be The Crowned King-Chapter 55 The gunshots that ended the rainstorm
At 3:12 in the morning, the siege of Thunder Fort.
Compared with the torrential rain that showed no signs of stopping, the offensive and defensive battle, which was once incendiary, began to show a more obvious trend.
At the beginning of the battle, the unprepared and unpredictable imperial defenders suffered heavy losses one after another—the city gate was lost, the fort was destroyed—plus the misjudgment of the commander of the initial forward position, nearly one-fifth of the force was consumed in milliseconds. In the meaningless defense of the city gate, he was overwhelmed in two rounds by the conscription army relying on the tactics of the sea.
The huge disparity of troops and the division of the garrison forces, the imperial defenders stationed in various garrison points were quickly cut off from each other by the thousands of levies that rushed into the fortress, and several smaller troops were even divided and surrounded for a time. And was wiped out after the commanding knight officer was killed.
But as the battle gradually intensified, the balance that marked the outcome of the battle shifted from the levy to the other side: despite being cut off from contact, the imperial defenders still had a complete command and organization system; before the officers were killed in action , the morale of the imperial soldiers is generally very secure.
In contrast to the levy, the organization had already completely collapsed the moment it rushed into the city gate. The mid-level officers could only control one company at most, and some even went so far as to not be able to find their own platoon leader. It wasn't even clear what the order was.
As for the highest-ranking commanders on both sides, they completely lost control of the army at the very beginning of the war—although for different reasons—it was impossible to perform any more sophisticated tactics, and could only wait for the outcome.
Under the premise that the top commander was also lost, the quality of the soldiers was the same rigid and rigid, and the discipline and morale were maintained by the whip army, the imperial defenders began to show their most powerful advantages.
That is the knight officers who have mediocre tactical literacy and superb combat literacy, who can fight for glory without fear of death and never consider the life and death of their subordinates.
These knights from humble backgrounds, who could not afford war horses and could only become infantry officers—all who could afford them became cavalrymen—the desire for military exploits far exceeded that of cavalry officers at the same level or even lower.
If it is a normal line of confrontation, from the platoon of guns to Xu Jin's shooting to the bayonet charge, their outdated knightly swordsmanship is meaningless;
But in the melee, these knights are almost invincible in the face of levies who have never received standard bayonet charge training!
Relying on the personal combat strength far beyond ordinary people, they survived the first round of the levied army's tactical charge; and although they did not receive any effective orders, these low-level officers followed the tradition left by the previous era. After facing the enemy head on, move towards the nearby flags desperately.
The levies that have lost their organization and command system cannot be stopped at all. Even if they think about it, one or two companies can't stop the decisive charge of the elite knight organization in the melee.
When the middle-ranking officers who had been picking peaches from the very beginning realized this, it was already too late - no matter how rigid the line of battle organized by the assembled Imperial defenders, it was not a group of skirmishers easily crushed.
But in the same way, the imperial defenders who lost their forts and heavy artillery had no ability to completely expel the levies from the fortress; they could only repel the levies' round after round of meaningless attacks and keep the front line intact. .
In the rainstorm, the two sides, who were helpless to each other, fell into a meaningless state.
"It can't be dragged on like this any longer!"
Inside the Thunder Fort, another chaotic attack was defeated in front of the imperial defenders' platoons of guns. Lieutenant Colonel Roman, who watched the defeated soldiers rush away, clenched his teeth unbearably and roared behind him:
"The Herald!"
"exist!"
An officer with bloodshot eyes flickered, and the next second he raised his chest and said loudly.
"Blow the trumpet and put the grenadier regiment in place!"
"…Yes!"
The messenger, who hesitated for a moment, instinctively obeyed the order.
The fierce rallying numbers tore open the rain curtain, and a phalanx against the retreating crowds squeezed neatly into the chaotic front line of the battlefield where the front line collapsed.
Their scale was extremely small, and they rushed back to the battlefield with only two companies; the soldiers were even more tired, and the thin military uniforms that had been soaked by the rain could not protect them from the wind and rain, and the boots under their feet were filled with muddy water. Many people even lost their boots.
But no matter how embarrassed it looked, the strong chilling aura and the arrogant military appearance at first glance still made many defeated soldiers stop, or at least avoid the front.
Because they are grenadiers!
It is completely different from the recruited soldiers who have only received less than three months of training, and was brought over by Ludwig from the Central Bank of China!
Looking at his subordinates who were fighting hard, Lieutenant Colonel Roman knew very well in his heart that it would be too reluctant to force them to enter the battlefield immediately after rushing on the road in a rainy day, and their combat effectiveness would definitely be greatly reduced.
But it is now three in the morning, and the sky will be bright at any time; once he can see clearly that the enemy in front of him can still maintain the front line, and the morale of the levies is low, he will not be surprised to be destroyed on the spot.
I have no choice!
With a resolute expression, Roman turned his back to the robes and pointed his sword at the enemy:
"Grenadiers - Advance!"
The grenadiers, holding their rifles aloft, changed from a target to a looser line, advancing towards the Imperial defenders' lines amid the torrential rain and the dispersing crowd.
The imperial defenders, who had just repelled a round of attacks, quickly sensed their presence; the knight officers wielding saber and long swords shouted loudly, urging their soldiers to start counterattack immediately.
"Bang-! Bang-!!"
The hurried and disorderly platoons of gunfire sounded, and an airtight smoke screen appeared in front of the imperial defenders array; the thin grenadier regiment was killed by one tenth in the blink of an eye.
But there was no trace of panic or hesitation on their faces, and not a single one of them even looked indifferently to the side of Pao Ze, who was pierced by a lead bullet, or hugged the wound and wailed and screamed, still advancing amid the sound of gunfire.
The calm attitude, as if strolling in the battlefield covered by the rainstorm, until the front.
"Grenadiers—in place!"
Following Roman's order, the grenadiers stopped, and the thin and long queue raised their rifles neatly like dominoes.
Almost at the same time, the imperial defenders on the opposite side had also been rectified, and the rifles on the not-so-spacious battle line were aimed at the grenadier regiment.
In an instant, the battlefield fell into a kind of dead silence, and both the attackers and the defenders were waiting for the moment when the other side opened fire.
Lieutenant Colonel Roman, with a grim face, raised the trembling saber above his head with his right hand.
"Boom!"
At that moment, the dead silence of UU Reading www.uukanshu.com was broken by a loud noise.
Um? !
Roman, who was staring at the enemy line, suddenly had an expression of disbelief on his face.
It wasn't the bombardment of artillery shells, but... the sound of the main gate of Thunder Fortress being slammed open.
It wasn't Kroger Bernard, the commander of the imperial defenders who rushed out of the gate, but...
1st Corps... Anson Bach? !
The dumbfounded Roman almost forgot to wave down the saber in his hand.
He wasn't the only one who was surprised... The moment they saw Clovis' blood and one-horned battle flag appear under the gate of the main castle, countless people were shocked and widened their mouths.
Regardless of the enemy or me.
"boom-!!"
A thunderous salvo exploded, and the defenseless imperial defenders behind them instantly fell countless.
In the thick smoke of gunpowder, An Sen walked out of the square, followed by Carl Bain, who was holding a big sword. He looked at the dozens or hundreds of bullet holes pointed at them in horror, as if he and this man were not afraid of death in the next second. The lunatic will be beaten into a sieve on the spot.
But he thought too much... The moment he saw the big sword in his hand, all the officers and soldiers had dull expressions on their faces.
That sword...
Is that Lord Kroger Bernard's Rending Greatsword? !
They...the scum of the Clovis Kingdom...
Killed Lord Kroger Bernard? !
Looking at the silent battlefield of Thunder Fort, An Sen raised the corner of his mouth confidently:
"In the name of the victor—I, Anson Bach, hereby declare—"
"Kroger Bernard is dead!"
"This city! It's owned by the Kingdom of Clovis—!"