Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 424 Preparing for Battle (Part 1)

  [Gyeongho County]

   [Bazenauer]

"boom!"

  The damp springboard hits the trestle.

   "Go! Go out! Don't stop!"

  The soldiers carrying weapons on their shoulders and carrying bags involuntarily narrowed their eyes. While trying to adjust to the harsh light outside the cabin, they left the deck and set foot on the pier.

   The name of the county seat of Mirror Lake County, "Bazenauer", is derived from Hedd, which means "lake with abundant water and grass".

   As early as the era of the rule of the Heard tribes, Bazenauer was already a densely populated and agriculturally developed land. In the heyday of the Heder tribes, tens of thousands of serfs fled from Palatu and came to this small plain surrounded by mountains and rivers to farm and work for the Khan King of the grasslands.

After   Plateau conquered the "new land" again, Bazenauer's status and wealth skyrocketed. With the waterway extending in all directions, it became the trade and transportation center of the new land.

  Since the outbreak of the civil war, with the interruption of traffic and the decline of trade, there is no longer an endless stream of merchant ships in the port of Bazenauer, and there is no longer a bustling motorcade on the outskirts of Bazenauer.

   Except for the swarms of water birds and the lonely fishing boats, no one has come to visit the port on the shore of this "Lake with abundant water and grass".

   However, at this moment, the pier in Bazenauer was full of people, and the past was deserted.

   All berths that can dock large ships have been occupied. People, baggage, and livestock were dumped out of the cabin and poured onto the dock in a disorderly manner.

   Even though the port of Bazenauer is already the largest port in the new land, it is still stuffed with water.

  At the same time, outside the port, there are more flat-bottomed barges coming from Jiangbei waiting for berths.

  “咴咴咴…”

   At the exit of the trestle, a beautiful and sturdy black horse with no stray hairs except for the lightning pattern on its forehead uttered a piercing cry, and suddenly stood up.

The soldiers next to    couldn't dodge in time and were swept into the water one after another. The soldiers nearby hurriedly retreated, pushing the soldiers who had not yet stepped out of the trestle to retreat.

  The crowd of people was like an invisible wave spreading outward. Only two sounds of "thump" and "thump" were heard, and soldiers were also pushed down at the end of the trestle.

   The jet-black steed had no idea how much chaos it had caused, its blindfolds fell off, revealing a pair of pale yellow eyes full of fear and anger.

  The horse lost his temper and stubbornly refused to step down from the trestle. No matter how much the groom comforted him, it would not help.

  Bazenauer's wharf consists of two trestle bridges that extend into deep water, because the pampered and beloved warhorse lost control and was paralyzed in half at once.

  A mid-sized, well-mannered colonel pushed the soldiers away, walked through the crowd, and strode toward the jet-black warhorse.

Not only did the sergeant not have the sideburns common among Plato officers, but even the stubble was neatly shaved; his natural silver hair was neatly combed back and tied with a simple dark ribbon. into a neat ponytail. Apart from the ribbon, he has no accessories on his body.

   He walked in front of the dark horse, pulled out his short spear, and methodically pushed open the lid of the medicine pond and buckled down the flint. Before the others could react, he had already killed the runaway warhorse without blinking an eye.

   "Put the horse corpse into the lake, don't waste your time." The colonel took out a handkerchief, wiped the short gun stained with black dust, and loudly woke the soldiers who were still watching the fun: "Go on!"

  The blocked channel was dredged, and the river of people, horses and supplies resumed its flow.

"Colonel! Colonel Gaspar!" A lieutenant defied the crowd, squeezed in front of the officer with difficulty, and saluted profusely: "Major Culkin brought the mayor and representatives of Bazenauer with him. I'm waiting for you to meet me!"

"Tell Culkin I don't have time to chat with politicians right now." Colonel Gaspar replied politely but ruthlessly: "Tell the mayor and get him ready—I'm going to commandeer every one of Bazennaur's able-bodied men and women. He'll protest, and then you bring him to see me alone."

The lieutenant    knew his superior's character very well, and he saluted without saying a word, then turned around and left.

   Colonel Gaspar, who remained at the pier, called the logistics officers responsible for the transportation of the cargo, took over the pier without any explanation, and began to arrange the work with ease:

   "You! Find a small boat and notify all the barges behind - all the cargo barges to retreat outside the port for standby, and the transport horses and barges have priority to dock. What are you waiting for? Turn back and set off!"

   "Soldiers and war horses should not mix and disembark. Soldiers go to the east pier, horses go to the west pier, each side, and don't interfere with each other. This matter - you and you are responsible, go now!"

"You! Go to Captain Pegra and have his hussar squadron be dispatched now. If Pegra's squadron's horses have not yet been unloaded, send my order to let the barge carrying Pegra's squadron's horses unload first. ."

   "Clear the warehouse, set up sentries, and store our baggage separately! Suspicious people who snoop on the warehouse will be arrested first and then tried!"

   "Clean up the barracks and demarcate the boundaries in units of centurions. Whether officers or soldiers, all members are strictly prohibited from renting in civilian homes without authorization!"

"Speed ​​up the progress!" Colonel Gaspar summed up heavily. He turned to look at the vast Mirror Lake, with deep lines on his eyebrows, because he didn't know whether Hongchuan's river fleet could withstand the puppet government. Jinliujiang navy: "Every time you unload one more ship, the possibility of our survival is one more point."

  The logistics officers took their orders and rushed to their assigned posts.

The lieutenant    sent to deliver the letter brought a well-dressed, round man back to Colonel Gaspar, who immediately started crying when he saw the Colonel:

"My lord! Colonel Gaspar! I'm an unlucky **** who was pushed out. I really can't fulfill your request! Bazenauer has never had the old example of conscripting all the citizens, and it is impossible for the representatives of the citizens to agree. They don't dare to make trouble in front of you, and they will pour their anger on me. Please have mercy! My lord! The most I can give you..."

   "Mr. Mayor." Colonel Gaspar stopped the other party's crying, he nodded slightly, and said politely: "There are three things you need to know."

   "First of all, according to the conclusion I have just made on the spot, the city defense of Bazenauer is vulnerable. In fact, you have no city defense at all."

   "Secondly, the puppet governments of the castles will not sit by and watch Bazenauer fall. Sooner or later, there will be a battle in Bazenauer."

   "Finally, due to the limited transport capacity, I only have 2,000 infantry and 300 cavalry. As for whether the follow-up troops will arrive as scheduled, I don't know."

The mayor of   Bazenauer swallowed his saliva involuntarily. The colonel had too much information and he couldn't fully digest it for a while.

"By the way, there is one more thing you need to know." Colonel Gaspar added indifferently: "Although there are only four brigades, we will fight to the last person. So if you don't want your family, house and Wealth is destroyed by war, please go and gather the citizens now."

  …

  …

  [Maplestone City]

  [Maple Leaf Castle]

"Our fleet intercepted the fleet of the Hongchuan rebels." As soon as the participating officers arrived, Colonel Sarnell immediately announced the good news to everyone: "Except for a small number of fish that slipped through the net, other rebels Military ships were either sunk, captured, or fled."

   The spirits of the other officers present could not help but cheer up.

   Prior to this, Jinghu County had been in the hands of the "New Reclaimed Land Expeditionary Army".

  New Reclaimed Land Expeditionary Army, as the name suggests, is the number of the troops dispatched by the Great Council of the Kings to the New Reclaimed Land Province.

   Last winter, the "New Reclamation Expeditionary Army" who came to assist the New Reclamation Corps in defending against the Telltown Division did not leave immediately after the Telltown Division was repelled, but instead settled down in Jinghu County.

The   New Reclamation Army also had several frictions with the Expeditionary Army, and both sides suffered casualties.

   In the end, General Adams chose to settle down and withdraw the troops of the New Reclamation Corps from Mirror Lake County.

After    was the Maplestone Incident, General Adams died, the troops directly under the Legion were disarmed, and Maplestone and Maple Leaf Fort fell into the hands of the new reclaimed army.

  Although Colonel Sanel in the battle report said that the New Reclamation Corps was vulnerable, but he knew very well in his heart that the most important reason for him to be able to capture Maplestone City at a small price was to cooperate with the inside and outside and surprise the enemy.

  Looking at the entire newly reclaimed province, there are far more people who are hostile to the Great Council of the Kings and Castles than are loyal to the Great Council of the Kings and Castles.

   And because of Adams' suicide, everyone who was disgruntled with the Great Council of the Kings was making a move.

In fact, although the gunfire has not really sounded, the outpost battle has already begun: unidentified rangers are haunting each other on the trails, intercepting couriers and sentries; local troops in various counties have blocked the borders one after another, and set up checkpoints on the avenues. any suspicious pedestrians.

Seeing that the new reclaimed land is about to come, in order to ensure that Maplestone City is safe, Colonel Sarnell sent a dozen batches of messengers to the King's Fort to ask for help, and on the other hand decisively transferred most of the advance army to Maple Leaf Fort. Leaving a small number of troops in Jinghu County to maintain law and order.

   It’s just that although this deployment is safe, it leaves Jinghu County in a state of weak defense for a short period of time.

   Colonel Sarnell believed that as long as the reinforcements from the kings' castles arrived, the defense problem of Jinghu County could be easily solved. So, the risk is worth taking.

   Yet he underestimated his enemy. His enemy was not Kevin J. Adams, who smoothed out the edges and corners in the stable life of the new land. His enemy was Arpad Duyoom, the famous general of Plato's best at capturing fighter planes.

   Colonel Sanel, who was lucky, confronted Plato's most aggressive swordsman. Just as he showed his flaws, the opponent stabbed him without hesitation.

  Fortunately - Sanel couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief - fortunately, the surface troops of the Kings Forts were supported and trained by the Interprovincial Navy, and their strength was not what they used to be.

   No matter how powerful Arpad is, as long as he can't defeat the fleets of the kings, he can only stand on the north shore and stare blankly.

   Colonel Sarnell cleared his throat and planned to say something to boost morale, but there were people who made the situation worse.

   "How many fish slip through the net?" Colonel Chloe Toril asked solemnly, "Colonel Sarnell."

Major   Sarnell narrowed his eyes and was silent for a moment. He said, "Thirty to forty barges, how big they are... No details."

   The smiles of some of the participating officers gradually faded, and the atmosphere of the venue became a little dignified again.

"According to the most common flat-bottomed cargo ship in the new land, one can transport about 80 soldiers and their equipment." Colonel Chloe Toril refused to give up, and continued to bite the "fish that slipped through the net". Let go:

"That is to say, we may have to face 5 to 7 brigades of enemies. Considering that cargo supplies also need to be transported, the actual number should be smaller, but it is also a force that cannot be underestimated - and there is a premise that The figures given in the battle report are correct, there is no concealment or false report."

   "Yes." Colonel Sarnell nodded slowly.

  At present, the troops in Maplestone City can be roughly divided into two factions:

The    faction is the dispatching army of the new reclaimed land, the direct line of the great council of the kings and castles, a total of four infantry brigades and six full cavalry squadrons, commanded by Colonel Sarnell;

The other faction is the direct-administered unit of the former New Reclamation Corps headquarters. Adams actively expanded the army. After disarming and surrendering, it was reorganized and reorganized. There were ten infantry battalions in total, with a real "corps" size. The commander was Chloe Tory. Colonel Earl.

  The latter is currently stationed in Maplestone City. The former is stationed in the sturdy Maple Leaf Fort, overlooking Maplestone City from a high place.

   Among them, the "New Reclamation Corps" underwent a round of cleaning, and the original officers were either imprisoned, killed, or fled. As a result, the troops directly under the Corps, which were already in a state of serious lack of organization, even lacked grass-roots officers.

   The "Legion Headquarters" had to temporarily appoint a large number of "honorary officers" - "free men" who were willing to spend money to buy an officer status.

   Therefore, the "Reorganization of the New Reclamation Corps" is still in a state of reconstruction and is slowly recovering its combat effectiveness.

   By the way, the units directly under the Legion Headquarters were originally equipped with cavalry units. However, when he was reorganized, all the horses that Adams had accumulated were confiscated by the dispatching army, so the current "Reorganized New Reclamation Corps" was a pure infantry unit.

   But no matter what, the reorganization of the New Reclamation Corps is still an important part of Maplestone City's armed forces. If the war breaks out tomorrow, Colonel Sanel will have to rely on them to defend Maplestone City.

   Therefore, although Colonel Chloe Toril made Sarnell unhappy, Sarnell had to show an attitude of equality and respect.

   "Colonel Chloe." Sarnell asked cheerfully, "What do you think?"

Colonel Chloe propped his forehead, stared down at the table, and said to himself: "The main force of the Arpad rebels are the veterans of the Fifth and Sixth Legions. But [galloping horses] and [kings] expedition last year. The Hurd barbarians suffered heavy losses. After returning to China, they fought again and again. They have never been able to get a real reconstruction. They just kept replenishing new recruits. In other words, except for some veterans as the backbone, the rebels' troops are no better than our elite. How many."

  Sanell said calmly: "So what?"

  Chloe raised his head and looked straight at Sanel without saying a word.

   [I shouldn't be able to write a complete small story today, so I'll break it out of chapter first, and apologize to Orz]

   [Supporting roles appearing in this article]

   [Colonel Gaspar: A handsome silver-haired man with a ponytail, it needs to be explained that although he does not have a beard, he is a genuine Paratus, not a Veneta]

[Major Culkin: Going to the new land alone to persuade Bazenauer to surrender and lead the wise debater (lobbyist) of Jinghu County (and, in fact, he brought a few guards, not strictly speaking alone) ]

   [Captain Pegra: Captain of the Hussars under Gaspar]

   [Colonel Sarnell: Commander of the New Reclaimed Land Expedition Army, loyal to the Great Council, because of the "tricky acquisition of Maplestone City (New Reclaimed Land, he has become a popular person in the eyes of Speaker Magnus]

   [Colonel Chloe Toril: The former officer of the New Reclamation Corps, who has now changed his sect to be loyal to the Great Council, reorganized the commander of the New Reclamation Regiment, thinking that he is protecting the people of the New Reclamation. Because of witnessing the tragic suicide of General Adams, I was mentally shocked and became a little abnormal]

   [77, 285/10, 0000]

   [Thanks to book lovers for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, rewards and comments, thank you all]

   (end of this chapter)