Chapter 237 Target—Bido Castle!
"Raise the gun!"
"Ready!"
"Aim!"
"Fire!"
As the company commander issued the order to fire, a loud crackling sound sounded, and a burst of thick white smoke rose from the playground.
Joss endured the choking smoke and hurriedly retreated to the third row with his comrades in the same row. He hurriedly took out the cardboard fixed ammunition and loaded it.
After some operations, he pulled out the purge rod, inserted it into the barrel of the gun and pressed it to compact the ammunition. Then he stood still with the gun in both hands and waited for the next shot.
"Idiot! You forgot to pull out the pipe again! Do you want to punch it out too?"
A low voice came from the side, and as the squad leader, Sergeant Makarov stood in the same row with him. As a veteran, he was the first to load the ammunition, and then habitually checked the loading steps of others in his squad. He saw at a glance that Jos had forgotten to take out his pipe.
"I'm sorry, Sergeant!"
Joss slapped his forehead in annoyance, pulled out the purge under Makarov's stern gaze, and nervously waited for the company commander's launch order. .
......
Jos's company had arranged shooting training in the morning. Under the officer's command, he kept repeating mechanical actions. When he first touched the musket, he was very excited. Sergeant Makarov said that this weapon can make a big hole in the enemy's body with just a move of his fingers, even if the enemy is wearing armor.
“Artifact!”
When he shot for the first time, Jos couldn't help but admire in his heart when he saw the single hole punched in the front board.
But after several training sessions, the excitement at the beginning has disappeared, leaving only the caution of not making mistakes.
"Xu Jin shoots! March together - go!"
Just when the company commander was about to proceed to the next subject, an orderly soldier came from the playground and blew his whistle while shouting: " The first battalion assembles, the first battalion assembles!”
The company on Cao Shang immediately stopped the current training and quickly moved to the assembly area. Other personnel who did not participate in the training also arrived after hearing the order.
"Sergeant, are we going to fight on the front line?"
Remembering the discussion he heard in the cafeteria during breakfast, Jos quietly asked Makarov next to him.
The sergeant answered him: "Maybe it is, maybe it is not, but no matter what order is given, we have to carry it out."
Everyone in the army knew that Alda was in the northwest The two factions in the Gulf are in a fight. Sooner or later they will be sent to the battlefield. Since February, the army has suddenly increased the amount of training, which has been confirmed without a doubt.
……
Two battalions were assembled, with a total of more than a thousand people from the First Infantry Battalion and the Second Infantry Battalion standing neatly on the playground. Soldiers from the artillery company and transport company were also present.
Several officers walked onto the reviewing stand, and Jos recognized the first two men as Lieutenant Colonel Bryce, commander of the 1st Battalion, and Major Joyce, commander of the 3rd Battalion.
"Soldiers! The day to test your training results has finally arrived!"
Bryce looked very excited and his voice was surprisingly loud.
"You must have guessed that we are about to engage in a fierce battle, and stupid enemies are coming!" Is there really going to be a war? The people below were muttering in their hearts.
“First of all, we must make it clear that our enemies are, yes, the Kent family who humiliated us last year! This insidious family severely humiliated Alda and Bailding last year. However, in the spirit of good neighborliness, we Their generous nature forgave them. But they didn’t expect that their patriarch Maltz Kent would rebelliously usurp the title of Duke this year and attempt to launch a rebellion against the kingdom. This is an unforgivable crime!”
“We! It has formed a strong alliance with Larnaca, Stanlow, Portree and other territories, and vowed to eliminate the Kent family and their henchmen! It is an honor that the brave 1st and 3rd Battalions were selected as the first batch to go out! Troops, and the loyal artillery company and transportation company will become our solid backing."
"We will stab the enemy's heart as the sword in the hands of the lord! The dregs left behind know that we are not easy to mess with, so when they hear our name, they tremble with fear, just like the maggots in the sewer when they see the sun!"
Lieutenant Colonel Bryce waved as he did so! Holding his big hands, he spoke to the soldiers while spitting,
"Now I order all the expedition troops to start preparing immediately. Bring your marching supplies, weapons and ammunition, and we will set off early tomorrow morning!"
...
For a whole day, the two selected Each infantry battalion was carrying out this intense preparation work.
Early the next morning, all the officers and soldiers of the expedition team gathered on the playground again, and then left Lake Center Town and headed for Fort Bido in the south.
The townspeople lined the streets to see off the officers and soldiers who went off to war. Slogans such as "Teach the Emden people a lesson" and "Long live Arda" resounded throughout the streets.
The Government Affairs Council sent propaganda personnel to fill the streets with loudspeakers every day and shout.
“If we can’t take Bidoburg, the trade routes will be cut off, the goods won’t be sold, and you will all be unemployed!”
“The Emden people will plunder us all if they come in. For slaves! Steal our money and insult our sisters.”
The propaganda method is primitive and effective. After all, the targets are the townspeople who have little information and have just learned a few words in the literacy campaign.
Thanks to the opening of various factories in the past year, the income of many townspeople who have become workers has been greatly improved, and their quality of life has also been greatly enhanced. When I think of that count, I think that he might destroy everything in front of him. Damn it, the people really can’t stand it.
As a result, everyone from top to bottom unified their thinking.
This operation is led by Bryce as the supreme commander. Although he was impassioned on the playground yesterday, he was still quite uneasy until the moment before departure.
This is the first time that he has commanded an entire army on his own. It is not that he is worried about his own abilities. The Arda army is fully trained and has advanced weapons. As long as it performs to the same level as in daily training, it will not be said that it can determine the entire army. The battle results, but there is no problem in protecting oneself on the battlefield - Paul has been working hard to create an army that can be invincible even if the commander is mediocre.
What he is worried about is his identity - a wild knight without a formal title. Will he be laughed at by other lords and knights when he gets there? Is it possible that there are no qualified talents left?
At the meeting, Bryce strongly recommended Chief of Staff Schroeder to be the commander of the expedition. After all, he is a genuine knight. However, Paul thought that Schroeder must sit on the staff and lead the overall situation. Reason refused.
The count said to him: "Go, Bryce! There is always a first time for everyone!"
Bryce was very grateful to Paul for trusting him and felt that he had a heavy responsibility because of this This is the first official appearance of Arda's new army in front of major territories. The previous encirclement and suppression of pirates and the suppression of the Bairdin rebellion did not attract much attention in the northwest Gulf.
The enthusiasm of the townspeople also infected Bryce.
“This battle of Biduo Fort is a good opportunity to show off!”
He no longer felt uneasy, although the decision at the military meeting was “on the premise of preserving himself. "I will try my best to assist our allies", but Bryce decided to perform an outstanding performance. He wanted to announce the new life of Arda to other lords, and use Graiman's reputation so that they could no longer look down on this "exile family".
The lieutenant colonel on the horse raised his whip and pointed southward: "Target - Fort Bido!"
(End of this chapter)