Blood tax

Harandil led the team to retreat to the entrance of the fortress. When he turned the intersection, he suddenly remembered and shouted to the still shivering dragoon squadron:

"Stand firm."

The horses were not retrieved, and all the gray-faced soldiers stopped mechanically, and then heard an order.

"Go forward, go!"

The squadron raised its head and moved forward. As they passed through the main gate of the fortress, a cheerful music suddenly sounded around them, and two squadrons of tall and burly Guards grenadiers lined up on both sides.

"Long live!"

"Victory - long live!"

Countless infantry, cavalry and artillerymen waved their hats at the returning dragoons behind the grenadiers, and gave out cheers that resounded through the sky - the whole army knew that they were charging on foot to the proudest cavalryman under the Eagle Flag of the Senate, without riding a horse. They set up their formation, like a rock in a stormy sea, standing firm in the turbulence of the onrushing cavalry, rescuing their besieged comrades, and fighting their way out of the siege with dignity.

The officers and soldiers were prevented from rushing forward by the grenadiers, so they stretched out their hands from the crowd one by one, patted the dragoons hard on the shoulders, and praised them loudly:

"Well done!"

The welcoming team stretched from the door to the ramparts of the central army. Those who could not squeeze through cheered at them from the ramparts of the bastion.

The dragoons who were lucky enough to survive one by one put their rifles on their shoulders, held their heads high, pursed their chapped lips, and took the most majestic and proud steps. The road inside the fortress is not long, but it is more satisfying than a lifetime. Even if the dragoons were asked to turn around and attack Beyelan's camp at this time and capture Xia Long, they would do it without hesitation!
……

When Harandil returned to the headquarters, the generals and congressmen rushed to shake his hand and praised his courage without reservation.

Beyeland's military strength gave everyone a great shock. If they were defeated in the first face-to-face confrontation, even if there were only a few squadrons, it would have a huge impact on the morale of the entire army and the Confederate Parliament. blow.

"The cavalry tactical manual needs to be re-issued. There is no time now. Commanders at all levels must first clarify the future combat principles to their units - the cavalry should be based on group charge, even if it sacrifices speed, it must use firm and fearless hand-to-hand combat. Charge against their enemies, pistols can only be used for melee and self-defense," Roland emphasized after everyone quieted down a bit, "The bayonet is a hero!"

Most people in the headquarters were nervous and excited. If defeated, the Senate would have them all crucified on the seaside road of Sebasto.

The meeting lasted for a while and then ended. Roland urged everyone to rest as soon as possible. Tomorrow will be a long day.

It took Harandil some time to find his tent. He lay on the cot for a while and felt that he couldn't sleep, so he moved a chair and sat at the door, staring at the soldiers patrolling the bastion wall in a daze.

……

Before daybreak, the troops were taken out of the camp.

The ramparts of the bastion were equipped with parapets to protect the soldiers. Pockets filled with soil were placed on the roads and slopes, one on top of another to prevent the enemy from ricocheting through the camp.

There are many wooden towers beside the city wall, all of which were made on the fly. The best skirmishers were already in position, ready to snipe.

Roland had 6.5 combat troops and 200 cannons. He deployed troops to the bastion, the crown-shaped obtuse-angle fort and the nearby triangular fort, deployed tight defenses, and established camps to the north and east of the fortress, leaving reserves. Each squadron was assigned a fighting position and distributed adequate ammunition and rations.

The military camp in Bijaland is also waking up. The soldiers seized the last moment to eat breakfast, clean their guns, and check their ammunition. The officers went back and forth inspecting the fortifications and the soldiers' equipment.

Roland patrolled along the parapet, inspected the condition of the artillery defenses, and chatted with the soldiers from time to time.

The infantry and cavalry all took cover, waiting for orders to enter the battle.

It was quiet all around, there were no drums or trumpets in the fortress, and there was no human noise. Apart from the occasional sound of horse hooves from the messengers passing by in a hurry, there was only the fluttering of the military flags in the wind.

Suddenly, a round of intensive gunfire tore up the silence, and the shells came with a low whine. All 150 of Beyeland's artillery, including 6- and 12-pounders and siege artillery, began to prepare for fire.

The Confederate artillery was silent. All the artillery was placed in the fort, the firing distance was marked, and the ammunition was loaded.

Roland took his staff and adjutants back to the heavily fortified headquarters. Heralds and psychic echoes connect him to all the troops.

There were bursts of gunfire in the air, and then dozens of shells were fired in pieces. The Beyeland artillery used solid shells to attack the walls of the bastion, and also prepared howitzers to bombard the interior of the fortress. In order to destroy the city wall, the Senate's artillery lowered its trajectory and hit the raised sharp-angle fortress with a bang, knocking down a piece of soil. Most of the shelling hit the thick sloping ramparts, emitting continuous muffled sounds, and the soldiers hiding nearby felt the earth tremble slightly. Some shells ricocheted off ramparts, parapets, and trenches, and despite advance partitions, Confederate soldiers were struck by the tumbling shells.

Several tents were hit and immediately burned.

Amidst the rumble of cannons, the headquarters felt awkwardly silent. Everyone who had been busy for several days suddenly had nothing to do and could only sit still. Brave observation posts were locating enemy artillery fire as targets for counterattacks.

Roland took out a small bag of cocoa-coated fried beans from his pocket, pinched a few and put them in his mouth and chewed them twice, when he suddenly heard a loud noise outside.

"One of our gun emplacements was hit," Werner Negri said. The adjutants saw from the observation port that a six-pounder gun mounted on the fort's emplacement flew up. The explosion detonated nearby ammunition, and iron balls and gun carriage wheels flew everywhere.

Amidst the shelling, drums and bugles sounded, and the eagle flag appeared under the dark clouds. Beyelan's legionnaires appeared in sight. They were wearing armor and carrying siege equipment. They had no shields and were covered with a faint halo.

Xia Long's commander led the troops to assemble and waited for the artillery to prepare firepower before launching an assault. Roland ordered: "Artillery fire!"

The artillery teams have been waiting for this order for a long time. After giving orders from each position, the gunners stood up at the same time, grasped the match rope tightly, pulled it sharply to the side, and launched a counterattack against Beyeland's exposed artillery position.

"Full artillery salvo!"

The dense roaring sound was like a hole in the sky, and the awakened giant roared greedily, eager to drink blood.

The red shells roared towards the enemy at a distance of 1000-2000 meters. The Beyeland battery was hit hard and burst into flames. The shells that landed on the ground bounced and rolled backwards.

The 12-pound cannons and 24-pound siege guns that performed anti-artillery missions were astonishingly loud. Every time they roared like heaven and earth shattering, the cannons retreated several meters in the smoke. As soon as the artillery stopped, the artillery crew immediately moved forward to push the gun back into place, inserted the clear-bore gun brush into the gun barrel and stirred it vigorously a few times, hooked out the charred and unburned powder bag fragments, and then dipped the gun brush in the bucket. Insert it into the barrel and clean it.

"The chamber is cleared!"

"Load a solid bullet, target distance is 1440!"

The gunner standing at the rear of the gun calculates the shooting angle and rotates the handle to adjust the gun to the correct elevation angle. Confederate gunners included former Beyeland veterans, traders, accountants, and even mathematicians, and elite troops could even use trebuchets to perform more accurate shots. The cannon designed by Roland is more accurate and faster to adjust, and has completely eliminated the old trebuchet. Not to mention that the shells and propellant wrapped in cotton cloth are bundled together, so the gun crew can complete loading in an instant.

"Correct ammo! Load!"

"Ready!"

The preparation for a series of dazzling artillery bombardments only took a few tens of seconds. A well-trained artillery crew could even fire up to 4 rounds a minute when firing rapidly.

"put!"

The gunner pulled hard on the matchlock. With a loud bang and a long flash of fire, the artillery was once again shrouded in white smoke, and it shot out backwards driven by huge recoil.

Three hundred cannons from the Confederacy and the Senate began to fire at full strength, announcing the beginning of the day!
……

"The enemy artillery begins to attack."

Xia Long, surrounded by his adjutants, observed the battlefield from the safe hills on the flanks.

His best generals, Kong Dai and Qiulin, had already led the two Beyelan regiments to complete their preparations, almost undisturbed by artillery fire. The soldiers carried sufficient equipment and unfolded it in an orderly manner, following the legion's eagle flag and rushing forward like a tide. The commanders of regiments, corps, and squadrons, together with their soldiers, marched forward quietly and indifferently.

"Roland is about to counterattack," Xia Long pointed toward the flickering fortress, "Intensify the firepower and find the enemy's gun positions!"

The adjutant immediately sent an order for Beyeland's wizards to take action, found the location where the opponent was firing artillery fire, and then immediately notified the heavy artillery unit.

As soon as the order was issued, the first round of Confederate artillery shells hit not far in front of the fort, splashing a large amount of soil, knocking over some infantry in formation, and causing a chaos.

"The rate of fire is not fast, and it cannot stop the advance of the legion." Sharon saw the shells fired by the Confederate artillery dragging smoke and flying over the advancing infantry in front, falling towards his camp.

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, the shells had already passed over the forts and hit some of the big camps!
The shell crossed the trench and exploded on the hastily constructed wooden fence. The wooden barriers originally used to protect the camp immediately turned into thousands of flying knives, sweeping out a shower of blood among the nearby troops.

A cannonball ricocheted through the camp and flew towards the team. He directly beat a centurion into two pieces, and then jumped up in a bloody mess and knocked over the squadron behind him, leaving stumps and pieces of flesh on the ground.

The Beyelan military camp without earthen forts was like a hell on earth, with blood and mutilated bodies everywhere, and the screams of the soldiers could be heard. Those injured sergeants who were hit by the iron ball all had their bodies and bones broken, and were extremely miserable.

The Confederate bombardment was slow and slow, giving the impression that they were controlling the temperature of the barrels. Depending on the round, some of the grenades fired exploded and caused different red and yellow smoke to rise, like a celebration.

"He's measuring range," Xia Long reacted on the spot, "This guy Roland!"

The Confederate artillery fired two rounds, found the shooting range, and immediately switched to a rapid fire of four rounds a minute!

Intense artillery fire hit the Senate's artillery team head-on. The sturdy and heavy gun mount simply fell apart after being grazed by flying cannonballs.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise from the Senate artillery team, and thick smoke shot straight into the sky.

A pile of ammunition was detonated, and the shock wave and debris of the explosion swept away the nearby artillery crews in an instant. The barrel was thrown high and then dropped hard, landing on the heads of the unlucky gun crew nearby, smashing them to pieces.

The runaway packhorses were scurrying around, mercilessly trampling on the wounded soldiers who had fallen to the ground.

"Consul, our artillery has suffered heavy losses!" General Macdonald shouted.

"I saw it, general, thank you for the reminder," Xia Long pressed his forehead and signaled to the herald, "Order Kong Dai and Qiulin to advance at full speed and launch a hand-to-hand assault as soon as they get close to the enemy's fortress!"