Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 429 The great alliance moves forward (1)

  [529 years of the imperial calendar]

  [Guitu Suburb/South Bank of Deren River]

   The sky was bright, and an army was slowly unfolding in the wilderness burned by the fire.

  Thousands of super long guns pointed diagonally to the sky, shaking rhythmically with short and powerful drum beats.

In front of the super long spear phalanx of the forest, the green square flags from the provinces in the piedmont, the blue pennant symbolizing the country of galloping horses, and the various flags representing the city-states of Veneta were proudly held high by the flag-bearers. hunting in the wind.

Ned Smith, riding a gray warhorse, walked slowly in front of the battle line, solemnly inspecting the flags of great significance on each side, and the soldiers who stood proudly under the flags - Senna, who rushed to the front of the mountain from all directions to fight Sri Lankan.

   It has been three months since the imperial soldiers once again appeared outside Guitu City.

For three months, the imperial army directly under the emperor and the servant army of the principalities, under the personal supervision of the emperor, launched round after round of fierce attacks on the west and north walls of Guitu City, but they still failed to break the defenders. Fortifications armed with forts, trenches, artillery and unyielding will.

After the soldiers of the Imperial Army were driven out of the blood-filled trenches outside the Daffodil Castle, the emperor finally changed his strategy, no longer attacking, turning to siege, intending to let hunger and despair replace the weapons in the hands of the soldiers to defeat A stubborn southern rebel.

  Guitu City was close to the sea and the Dren River, so the siege of the imperial army was also carried out on both the sea and the land.

  The "Great Fleet" established by Richard III painstakingly has blocked the mouth of the Dren River;

   On the south bank of the Deren River, an elite imperial force has also successfully landed, intending to completely cut off the connection between Guitu City and the outside world.

  Ned Smith looked at the young, fiery faces of the warriors. He knows very well that when the day ends, there will be many, many people whose eyes will never be the same again.

   He watched everyone carefully, remembering as many warriors as he could.

  There was no morale-boosting pre-war speech. After Ned Smith checked the flag, he galloped straight to the Chinese army.

   Because of the importance of the upcoming battle, it is no longer necessary to tell people.

  Every warrior who came here knew what the victory or defeat of this battle meant, and what they were about to face, but they still came to this wilderness without hesitation.

   They are willing, determined fighters who don't need someone else to infuse them with courage—that kind of behavior is an insult to them.

   Back to the center of the army, back to his own flag, Ned Smith put on his helmet, ready to order the march.

   But just before the order, he noticed that the knees of the young flag bearer in charge of his personal flag were trembling slightly.

   "Are you afraid?" Ned Smith's tone was mild: "Taylor."

  The young flag officer Taylor immediately replied: "Don't be afraid!"

   "It's okay, I'm scared too." Ned Smith said calmly: "But that doesn't prevent us from choosing to fight."

   The young flag officer swallowed a mouthful of saliva, thought about it, and asked tentatively, "General, can we sing?"

"What song is it."

"that song."

  Ned Smith looked out, the sky was a deep black blue, the outline of Guitu City in the distance was still blurred, and there was still a little time before the sun appeared on the horizon.

   "Sing it," encouraged Ned Smith. "Sing it out loud."

   Bannerman Taylor cleared his throat and sang the first lyric aloud:

   "The sun and the stars are ringing in unison!"

   "The earth swells with majestic songs!"

  Under the guidance of the flag officer's singing, the soldiers of the Chinese army also began to hum softly to the familiar melody:

   "The hope of humanity sings!"

   "A tribute to the birth of a new world!"

  Like a flame that sparked a blazing fire, everyone's emotions were aroused.

One by one the phalanxes sang, and even Ned Smith sang along. In the inspiring song, people temporarily forget the fear of death, forget the unease of the unknown, and sing hopefully:

   "The Great Alliance goes forward!"

   "The battle flag is flying high!"

   "Fight side by side for victory!"

   "A free new world!"

  In the end, everyone's singing came together, and the Senas let out a deafening roar:

   "All oppressed people unite!"

   "Rise up against the evil empire that enslaves you!"

   "The roar of the people will be like rolling thunder!"

   "Be as relentless as the tide and time!"

   The song is overshadowed by one sentence. This battle song, composed by Dimitri Shostakovich, written by Harold Rome, and sung by the Senas coalition, now reaches the sky and resounds on both sides of the Dren River:

   "The Great Alliance goes forward!"

   "The battle flag is flying high!"

   "Fight side by side for victory!!"

   "A free new world!!"

  …

   At the same time, on the sea east of the mouth of the Dren River, a fleet that arrived here under the cover of darkness was also waiting for the order to attack.

  Compared to the land siege relief force that came from all over the world, but the army was neat, this sea siege relief fleet, which was also cobbled together, looked strange:

Big boats, small boats, long boats, short boats, river boats, sea boats, sloops, three-masted boats, galleons, galleys... any type, style, and age of boats can be found in it, which can be called inland sea boats hodgepodge.

  This fleet that came to rescue Guitu City is not even worthy of being called a "fleet" in the strict sense.

   Because most of the ships in this "fleet" are arson boats transformed from small and medium fishing boats and sampans.

   And the truly experienced, profound, and capable naval forces are only thirty-three warships and sailors from Hailan and Hundred Flowers City.

   On the large sailing warship in the center of the fleet and the flagship of the fleet, the Triumph, a young captain in armor was reporting bad news to another old man in armor.

"General Pisani." The young man clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his grief and resentment: "The masts of Flora and the Nasriya have not yet appeared on the sea level, and the masts of the pirates in Taniria have not yet appeared. No, they probably won't come."

   "Traitor!" Another middle-aged captain beside the old man yelled angrily: "Treacherous bastards! Their souls must be eternally tormented in hell!"

  The old man was very calm: "I see, thank you, Captain Nareshaw."

  The deck of the Triumph was silent except for the low sound of the waves crashing against the hull.

  The sailors all heard the conversation that just happened between the captain and the fleet commander. Although they remained silent at their posts, their anxiety and despair had spread uncontrollably among the crew.

"General." After thinking about it, the middle-aged captain decided to speak: "The Flora and Nasriya didn't come, it's hard for us to defeat the emperor's fleet alone. The warship in your hand is the foundation of the sea blue. , without them, the other city-states will tear us apart."

He gritted his teeth and said desperately, "Let's withdraw! Before the Royal Fleet finds us, maybe it's too late. If it's really not possible, you can use those trash fish as bait to drag the Royal Fleet. Keep the warship, and it will take a long time to come to Japan. "

"Captain Mus." The old man held his sword and said slowly: "The fleet assembled here today is the largest fleet we can assemble. Even if we call back all the ocean fleets, we will not be able to dispatch more than we do now. There is more power. There is no future, only slow death. Therefore, whether the masts of the Flora and Nasriya will appear at sea level, we will lift the naval blockade of the Royal Fleet on the city of Guitu today. "

   Having said that, he put on his helmet and commanded majestically: "Raise my flag!"

  Nareshaw said nothing, ran into the cabin, and took out a folded red flag after a while. A bare-chested sailor, carrying a red flag, used both hands and feet, climbed up the mast in a few strokes, and hoisted the personal flag of Admiral Pisani to the top of the mast.

  The sea breeze unfolded the stacked flags and smoothed the folds of the bunting.

   A huge red pennant fluttered in the wind where all sailors of the fleet could see.

"Captain Nareshaw, if I die," the old man said calmly, "you will take over command. If you die, your chief mate will take over command. Even if all the warships sink, even if we only have sampans left. Boards and boats, the battle will go on until victory."

  Nareshaw answered with tears in his eyes, "Yes!"

   "Notify the fleet." The old man finally glanced in the direction of Hailan, and then ordered without hesitation: "Anchor!"

   The winch "crunched" and the heavy anchor was pulled from the seabed.

The sails were raised, the long oars entered the water, the arson ship was the forerunner, and the sea blue warship was the center. The fleet composed of all sailors who dared to resist the empire on the inland sea resolutely sailed to the royal family parked at the mouth of the Dren River. fleet.

   Facing the early morning sea breeze, Captain Nareshaw suddenly roared and sang the "boat song" that was also widely circulated among sailors:

   "Like the morning will meet the sun!"

   "Like a river must flow into the sea!"

   On the deck and in the cabin of the Triumph, the sailors and citizens waiting to meet the battle laughed and sang:

   "A new day for the Senas has come!"

   "Our children will live proud and free!"

   Soon, not only the Triumph, but all warships, armed merchant ships, and fishing boats that heard the song naturally joined the chorus:

   "The Great Alliance goes forward!"

   "The mast flag flutters in the wind!"

   "Fight side by side for victory!"

   "A free new world!"

The chorus of    even overwhelmed the sails, covered the oars, and was carried in all directions by the sea breeze.

   At the same time, the sun emerged from the sea level in the east, and a sword made of gold instantly dispelled the fog and darkness.

   "Like the morning will meet the sun!"

   "Like a river must flow into the sea!"

   "A new day for the Senas has come!"

   "Our children will live free and proud!"

  Songs from land and sea finally converged, and the sound of hooves and guns could not drown it out as the allied forces of Cenas launched a counterattack against the Imperial Army from sea and land at the same time:

   "The Great Alliance goes forward!"

   "The flag of righteousness flutters in the wind!"

   "Fight side by side for victory!!"

   "A free new world!!"

  …

  …

  [560 years of the imperial calendar] (now)

   [Bazenauer]

   Colonel Gaspar crouched behind the parapet, carefully observed the enemy troops who were ready for the next round of siege, and suddenly remembered the famous "Siege of Guitu City" during the War of Sovereignty.

   Three months after the start of the siege of Guitu City, the Senas coalition launched a counterattack from land and sea at the same time, incompletely lifting the land blockade and sea blockade of the Imperial Army on Guitu City.

The    coalition also paid a very high price for this: the Senas coalition, which had just been in its infancy, was seriously injured; the highly respected Admiral Pisani, who commanded the sea offensive, also died in the battle.

   However, the siege of Guitu City did not end there.

The siege lasted for another year and seven months. The empire besieged Guitu City and fought with the coalition forces in front of the mountain until the treasury was completely exhausted, the imperial army was completely exhausted, and the madman managed to Cha chose to retreat south of the Shady Mountains.

Colonel Gaspar made a secret comparison in his heart, and found that the siege of Bazenauer and the siege of Guitu were quite similar in some aspects - both port cities were besieged; Initiate a blockade.

   "But." Colonel Gaspar thought to himself, "I'm afraid Bazenauer won't last for two years... No, maybe he won't even last until tomorrow."

   "Boom!"

   "Boom!"

   "Boom!"

   "Boom!"

   In the distance, Red Rose's cannon spewed white smoke.

  The fortresses built by the citizens of Bazenauer, made of wood and dirt, were torn apart, literally "disintegrating".

  Sawdust and dirt rained down on Colonel Gaspar, who just lowered his body a little and continued to watch the movement of the besiegers.

  Bazenauer's terrain determines that it is not suitable for defense. It is a plain at the foot of the mountain. There is no danger between the mountain and the lake, and the terrain is getting lower and lower from the inland to the lakeshore.

   But Colonel Gaspar chose to shrink his forces to defend Bazenauer, and he also had his preparations.

   He towed all the barges ashore and dismantled them as materials for fortifications - anyway, they would be captured sooner or later if they stayed in the port;

He coerced and lured every man and woman who could work in Bazenauer. He planned the construction period and shift order reasonably. Before the arrival of the Red Rose army, he built a multi-layered trench, civil wall and triangle around Bazenauer. The "wall" of the fort;

   His infantry had collected a lot of food from the villages around Bazenauer in advance, and evacuated the old, weak, sick and disabled in the city;

   His cavalry has also left the city and is attacking the supply line of the Red Rose army;

  When he set out from Jiangbei Province, he also deliberately brought three times the normal reserve of gunpowder.

   He never thought about attacking. From the very beginning, his purpose was to exhaust the manpower and material resources of the siege side, until the latter voluntarily retreated and looked for opportunities to attack.

   He had a good chance.

   "Boom!"

   "Boom!"

   "Boom!"

   "Boom!"

   Outside the city, the siege cannons began to "play music" again.

   "Unfortunately, I didn't expect that the **** of the Great Council would be able to transport heavy artillery up - in such a short period of time." Colonel Gaspar swept away the dirt and sawdust from his body, thinking: "I still underestimate them."

  …

Outside the city, Colonel Sanel also secretly exclaimed: "I didn't expect that the group of idiots who followed Arpad also had good players. It's only been a few days? You actually made Bazenauer like an iron barrel... or it's too late. ."

   The road from Maplestone City to Bazenauer is not easy to walk, there are many hills along the way, and there is a mountain pass to turn over.

According to Colonel Gaspar's reckoning, if the siege side carried artillery with the army - especially the eight thirty-two-pounder guns that were bombarding Bazenauer at the moment, it would take them at least another week to reach Bazenau. Under the city of Seoul.

   But Colonel Sarnell arrived at Bazenauer a week early - and he was armed with heavy artillery.

   It wasn't that there was a problem with Colonel Gaspar's computing power, but that the heavy artillery of Colonel Sarnell and Colonel Chloe didn't go overland at all - they came from the water.

When Colonel Sarnell led the main force all the way to "recover" the towns and villages of Mirror Lake County, Colonel Chloe mobilized all the ships that could be found in Maplestone, carrying cannons, shells, gunpowder and other supplies downstream. Go straight to Bazenauer.

  Colonel Chloe originally planned to board the whole army and go to Mirror Lake overnight by water, and also made a surprise attack on the rebels in Bazenauer.

   However, Maplestone didn't have enough barges, and Colonel Sarnell didn't want to make the battle seem too easy to win - don't forget, "taking back" a rebel town is also a military feat.

   Coincidentally, when Colonel Gaspar thought of the siege of Guitu, Colonel Sanel also thought of the siege of Guitu.

"Continue to fight stubbornly, idiot." Colonel Sarnell stared at Bazenauer, whose shell had been ripped off by heavy artillery, and thought firmly: "Your bastion is not a daffodil castle, and it is also outside the city. Without your reinforcements - for me it's just a matter of time until Bazenaul is recaptured."

On the bastion, Colonel Gaspar was also staring at the troops outside the city: "Cannon can knock down walls and destroy towers, but it won't grow legs to take over fortifications. No matter how many shells, how much gunpowder you have, you In the end, the infantry must be sent to attack. Come on, traitor, want Bazenauer? Blood for it!"

   The commanders of the siege side and the defender side hummed the tune of "March of the Alliance" in unison.

  …

  [New reclaimed land]

   [Vogne County]

   Dismounted at the intersection and watched the Baishan County troops marching fast on both sides of the road. Colonel Bode could not help but recall the scene of the 6th Corps marching:

  The high-spirited soldiers took big strides and sang in unison. Sometimes the singing could reach a mile away, attracting villagers and passers-by along the way to stop and watch.

  The melody that the soldiers often sang haunted Colonel Bode's mind, and the old soldier hummed subconsciously.

Behind Colonel   , a lieutenant asked curiously, "Your Excellency—is it the March of the Alliance?"

   "Yes." Colonel Bird turned around and asked with a smile, "You can sing too?"

   The lieutenant who was assigned to Colonel Broad as a squire scratched his head: "When we entered the school, the first thing was to assign a bed, and the second thing was to learn this song."

   "Alright then, sing it to me."

The lieutenant    cleared his throat and shyly muttered: "The sun and the stars rang in unison, and the earth filled with majestic singing..."

   "Speak louder!" Colonel Bode patted the squire's shoulder and pointed to the soldiers of Baishan County who were on their way: "This song was sung during the march. It is so weak, how can everyone have the strength to travel?"

The lieutenant    swallowed his saliva, took a deep breath, and roared and sang: "The sun and the stars rang in unison! The earth swelled with majestic singing..."

   Colonel Bode turned his back in satisfaction.

   So when the lieutenant sang "The great alliance is marching forward! The battle flag is flying high! Fight side by side for victory! A free new world", no one saw the lonely eyes of the old soldier.

   [102, 492/100000]

   [The promise made at the beginning of the month, completed...Finally...I can no longer fight, woo woo woo]

   [The song that appears in this chapter is called "United Nationson the March", which was composed for the establishment of the United Nations at the end of the Second World War. Composed by a Soviet composer, with lyrics by an American poet]

   [However, it is generally translated as "March of the United Nations". Some people also call it "United Nations Anthem" - but this is not true, the United Nations does not have a "national anthem", and "United Nations Forward" is just a relatively recognized song that can represent the concept of the United Nations]

   [Because this march is powerful and the lyrics are good - especially the line "The roar of the people will be like rolling thunder! Be as relentless as the tide and time!"]

   [So, if the Senus Alliance wants to choose a national anthem on this plane, it can only be "United Nations Move Forward"]

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

   (end of this chapter)