I Will Be The Crowned King Chapter 13

The sun was setting in the west, ravaged by artillery fire, and the devastated siege position was lit up with a little bit of fire.

Walking through the muddy trenches, Anson's eyes kept swept across the soldiers who were lined up with rifles on their sides; on those thin faces that were definitely not high-spirited, there was not a single bit of those who were about to be defeated. despair.

Neither discouraged nor fighting spirit, there is a stiff and numb breath from head to toe, and there is a sense of indifference in the expressionless eyes; that sullen look seems as long as the military camp can have dinner on time tonight, tomorrow will be dead or alive. don't care.

Just after passing the level of Brigadier General Ludwig, Anson, who was a little relieved, returned to his tent with mixed feelings.

He slowly sat down at the table and lit the kerosene lamp in the way he remembered; under the dim light, Anson fell into a deep state.

Three days... He needs to come up with a plan to capture Thunder Fort within three days.

Not only for Ludwig's victory, he also hopes to leave this place of right and wrong as soon as possible and return to the absolutely safe capital. It is not only the imperial people who want to kill himself in the opposite fortress, but also someone hiding in the capital. Guy in the barracks.

Judging from the on-site situation at the time, the other party already knew the amateur interest of "Qian Anson"; he deliberately started before the enemy was about to attack, indicating that this person did not want to be discovered.

In addition, the gun of "Former Anson" was still in the holster when he was killed, which proves that the incident happened suddenly, and even...the two are very likely to know each other.

Therefore, this person is most likely related to the "Old God Sect".

Only under this circumstance did the "former Anson" who suddenly broke into the tent and saw his diary didn't immediately draw a gun; even before the other party killed him, he didn't show the slightest vigilance, and was quietly kill.

An underground pagan and magical organization, and a peripheral member who is full of interest in this organization - that is, himself - sneaked into the army, what is it for?

No matter what the reason is, he must leave as soon as possible, and at the same time have enough ability to protect himself - whether it is the church, the army, the power of blood, magic, or the "vision" that he obtained when he traveled!

Distraught, Anson took out a piece of letter paper from the corner of the table—he wouldn't write anything in his diary again until the matter was settled.

Since it is a plan, it is natural to first list the advantages and disadvantages of the enemy and us:

The biggest advantage is of course the number of troops - from Ludwig's tent, Anson saw the clear organization of the Levy for Thunderburg, including six missing private regiments and one full grenadier regiment, and an artillery company with eight artillery pieces. And a company of light cavalry responsible for information and reconnaissance missions, with a total strength of nearly 5,000 men.

Among them, the artillery company and the cavalry company are the "organized" regular army, and the four private regiments are the "shares" of other officers in the Thunder Fort Army; the fully organized grenadier regiment and two infantry regiments are all funded by Ludwig himself. Formed - a personal "shareholding" of nearly one-half, the son of the archbishop is obviously not short of money.

But the disadvantage is also obvious - the Thunder Fort occupied by the enemy is a military station and a transfer warehouse, which stores a large amount of baggage. Especially heavy artillery, as long as the enemy's ammunition is not exhausted, it can completely offset the shortage of troops.

If Ludwig can really make up his mind and attack the Fort Thunder Fortress from the front; I am afraid that before they stand under the fortress, at least two-thirds of the entire army will collapse and die.

"You still need to say this?!"

With a crisp "Crack!" sound, the plan written on the letterhead was slammed onto the sand table by Ludwig, and there was a bit of embarrassment in Anson's glaring eyes:

"I know everything about Thundercastle, so I don't need you to tell me!"

"But it's really important to know the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy and ourselves, and really face the situation head-on." An Sen looked at him calmly: "The current situation is like telling us that those who still want to attack will die."

The slightly calm Ludwig pondered for a while:

"You mean... defensive counterattack?"

Anson blinked and did not answer the question immediately:

"General, how many imperial troops do you think there are in the fortress?"

"About two thousand, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing!"

With a chuckle, Anson shrugged: "I just feel that after the last raid, hundreds of people were lost and a knight was lost; the inferior imperial army dare not leave the fortress easily, it is impossible to give us a defensive counterattack. opportunity."

"what do you want to say in the end?!"

Ludwig, who had just calmed down, instantly widened his eyes.

"I want to say... Now that we know the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, we should use the tactics that can best utilize our strengths and at the same time contain the enemy's artillery attack." Anson said unhurriedly:

"The enemy dare not leave the fortress easily, we should make good use of this."

The moment he finished speaking, Anson saw a flash of light in the eyes of the black knight.

Ludwig looked down at the sand table, his eyes kept wandering between the siege position and the Fort Thunder Fortress, and hesitantly said to Anson: "Do you want to use digging to advance and use trenches to shorten the attack distance?"

This should be the most ideal and most implementable plan among all the plans.

Looking at the entire page of the letter, An Sen's expression became more and more calm, but his heart was like a sponge from thunderstorms, rolling up waves of monstrous waves.

He has seen the artillery bombardment of this world: the powerful cannons and howitzers may easily change the terrain, but they cannot pose a substantial threat to the trenches, and the mortar with projectile trajectory will always be a big problem.

Relying on trenches to advance is the best way to curb the power of enemy artillery fire; by pulling the front line into the trenches under the fortress walls and entering the blind spot of heavy artillery, the superiority of troops can be fully displayed.

But... this is just an imagination.

After witnessing the sky-high artillery fire of the Imperial Army in Thunder Fort that day, Anson could almost imagine in his mind the soldiers who were frightened by the sound of the artillery, fleeing, rushing out of the trenches and being blown to pieces.

Because they are human beings, they are fearful and able to stand up, brave and cowardly living people; they will not hide in the bunker motionless with the click of a mouse, or dig trenches under gunfire because of an order. .

This must be taken into account.

To advance with trenches, it must not just be an extension of the siege position - they don't have that much time - but also consider the threat of fire from the walls of the fortress, so there must be countermeasures.

The solution Anson can think of at the moment is to build one or two temporary artillery bases close to the fortress to suppress the enemy's artillery fire as much as possible.

On the other hand, the enemy's shells are not infinite, and there is no source of replenishment, which is a small advantage.

"What kind of advantage is this?!"

With frowning, Ludwig said coldly: "One month... at most one month, no matter the price, no matter how many people die, I must retake Thundercastle! I don't have time to wait for those imperial scum to run out of cannonballs, get out and surrender by yourself! "

When the voice fell, his clenched fist slammed heavily on the table, and the entire sand table was shaken.

Anson took a deep breath, talking to the hysterical guy was exhausting:

"As you said, the enemy will not surrender easily until the ammunition is exhausted; they also know very well that it was only last night that such an isolated fortress was captured, so the enemy will certainly try to prolong the battle as much as possible."

"Trenching is exactly the kind of tactic that looks like it's going to take a long time - it's just a guess, but if the enemy finds that we're not attacking on purpose and are instead focusing our energy on fortifications, they probably won't take it lightly." disturb 'us."

Anson looked at Ludwig very seriously.

He has to grasp even such a "life-saving straw" as himself. Anson can completely imagine how desperate the archbishop's own son is at the current situation, and how he wants to capture Thundercastle as soon as possible, and tell everyone who is ready to see his jokes. prove yourself.

But the plan he came up with was obviously not something that could be realized overnight.

The two of them stood facing each other in the ventilated tent, not even noticing that the brazier for heating had long since gone out.

"Is there no other way?" Ludwig obviously wanted to continue struggling.

"Yes." An Sen nodded slightly:

"But I promised you that when I decide to accept your appointment, I will give you a plan that will definitely capture the Thunder Fortress—this is my answer."

"Attack in a foggy day, raid fortresses, tunnels, internal defenses, etc. in the middle of the night." Said plainly, An Sen opened his right hand and placed it directly above Thundercastle in the sand table: "Full of uncertainty, more serious A tactic that lacks feasibility is not a plan at all, it is more like a gamble.”

"What you need is a sure-fire, hearty victory... isn't it?"

Ludwig didn't speak, but his hands, which were tightly clenched into fists, were trembling slightly, and the blue veins were protruding more and more on the back of his pale hands.

"Can you win?"

A simple word, almost something Ludwig bit his teeth out of.

He is also not sure whether he, who has no other choice and is unwilling to ask for help from the rear, really should believe that this "life-saving straw" that has kept his position and gave him hope at the moment of his despair can really reverse the situation. .

"I can win." An Sen nodded his head with a certain tone:

"Definitely win!"

I will definitely win... In the small tent illuminated by kerosene lamps, An Sen almost laughed when he thought of this place.

The only effect of this kind of exaggerated propaganda to fool Party A is to cheer up the brigadier general who is desperate and is about to lose his confidence.

Think about it and know, how is it possible?

Perhaps the enemy would put down their vigilance at first, thinking that they had given up the idea of ​​retaking Thundercastle immediately; but as long as the imperial defenders were not blind, it would not be difficult to find the trenches quickly approaching the fortress.

Even if he had to take the risk of casualties, in order to delay the advance of the trenches, the Imperial Army in the fortress would definitely go out to fight. As for his own counterattack strength... Anson really didn't have much confidence.

Except for Ludwig's own three private regiments, the rest of the troops are the "property" of the commanders under his command; the weapons and ammunition are good, and the soldiers who died in battle have to pay for them to re-raise themselves, and send them to them if they are seriously missing. military salaries will also be reduced.

Such troops are fighting against the wind, hiding in the bunkers and shooting against the enemy; expecting them to be adaptable and resisting the enemy's raids, it is best to die as soon as possible.

The number of enemies in the city will not exceed 2,000, so there must be at least two corps with combat effectiveness, which can immediately resist the action when the enemy launches a surprise attack.

This is his own plan, and the most critical core task, Anson, is of course ready to be completed by himself.

"no problem!"

Ludwig said without hesitation: "From tomorrow onwards, I will let Roman lead the grenadier regiment to patrol the position. If necessary, the eight cannons in the artillery position can also be deployed to establish forward artillery fortresses."

"As for your first corps...the source of troops can't be replenished for the time being, but I can promise you first, as long as there are recruits from the rear who arrive on the battlefield to replenish you first, what else do you need?"

Very good, we finally talked about the pre-budget issue.

An Sen breathed a sigh of relief, it was great to have a party A who was not bad.

"The shortage of troops is not the most serious problem, but the most serious problem is the lack of weapons and equipment." Anson said sternly: "I asked battalion commander Carl Bain when I came, and everyone in the regiment has a rifle and no spare weapons; the weapons are old There are so many kinds of old ones, some don't even have bayonets, and…”

"A rifle of the same specification, equipped with bayonet and ammunition, plus a full set of infantry equipment... I'll prepare." Ludwig interrupted lightly: "What else?"

"Well... You should know that the Imperial Army can quickly break through the defense line and capture the Thunder Fort. Apart from artillery, UUkanshu.com relies on elite cavalry, and grenades are the best weapon against cavalry..."

"Grenade? Well, it's a little troublesome, but it shouldn't be difficult to solve. I'll let the logistics transfer some of the supplies from the Grenadier Regiment to you. You don't have to worry about it."

Ludwig, who was fully focused on the sand table, said solemnly, but when he raised his head, he found that Anson was still standing there, frowning slightly, and his expression was a little unhappy:

"…and?"

"Well...and...about the replenishment..."

Anson tried his best to sound earnest: "Um... If possible, can you deploy a skirmish company to supply us as soon as possible?"

Ludwig took a deep breath, the atmosphere seemed to be getting a little cold with his expression:

"You should know that I came to you specially because I didn't want to bow my head to the people in the army?"

"knowledge."

"Then you also understand that the equipment of a skirmish company is different from that of an ordinary private, so you need to apply for it, right?"

"…clear."

"Very good, I will write to apply for the replenishment of the skirmish company." Ludwig nodded slightly, his expression a little ugly: "If there is no accident, it will be solved within two days - confirm again, except for these you don't Would you like it?"

"Uh…"

An Sen pursed his lips, and said quickly with some embarrassment: "Then... Since you have made up your mind to set up artillery bases in the forward positions, can you allocate an artillery piece to our regiment? It's not too good, just a small infantry cannon..."

Looking at Ludwig's incomprehensible expression, Anson stopped abruptly before he finished speaking.

The dark-faced knight in black slowly raised his right hand and pointed to the door:

"go out!"

"Yes!"

Chapter end