Chapter 256 The enemy’s new weapons
“I think this is a good place.” Eugene pointed down the mountain and said, “The road here is uphill. On the left is a mountainous area that is difficult for large troops to pass. Although the mountains on the right are It's not steep, but there are two large lakes there, which restricts the enemy's movement."
"The hill beside the lake is relatively steep, and a side position can be set up there to attack the enemy from the flank. The location can be used as a cavalry passage. "
This time the Southern Front Corps is focused on defense, so Eugene, who has experience in defensive warfare, was brought along, along with half of the staff.
Little Franz agreed to his plan and was about to issue an order when Frederick asked: "Why aren't the flank positions set up on a higher mountain on the left? It's steeper there too."< br>
Eugene immediately replied: "It is precisely because the mountain is too high. Once surrounded, the supply line will be cut off, especially the water source. Behind the hill on the right is the lake. The water source is guaranteed, and we are not afraid of being completely surrounded."
Frederick nodded, turned to a group of staff officers behind him who had different opinions and said, "You heard me, you can't just choose a position based on a book."
The Southern Front Army is built based on terrain At the position, a battalion of the cavalry regiment and scouts went out to conduct reconnaissance, the artillery began to determine the shooting area, and Frederick and Richard Nall were fishing by the lake.
Richard Narr told Frederick about their actions in Constantbul: "The army in Constantbul has been greedy for pleasure in recent years. The officers openly brought their mistresses to the military camp, and the mistress also Able to beat and scold soldiers."
"The Griffin Knights are managed by Phocas' brother-in-law, Siri. He was once only one step away from my level. In just a few years, I'm afraid he won't even be able to defeat you. .”
"At first, I wasn't sure I could attack the Griffin Knights without being discovered by him. I was discovered by him when I was doing makeup reconnaissance. He told me to chop the griffins into small pieces when I killed them. "
"In the end, he used the bones of 7 griffons to piece together the remains of 18 griffons and settled the account."
"The garrison in the city couldn't say anything. Our people bribed two military camp managers to transport the explosives in wine barrels."
"We also contacted the Royal Mage Group, but there was no progress. Many magicians there were. Coming from the Ghazi Empire, I suspect that Phocas is actually a puppet of the Ghazi Empire."
Frederick put the fish he caught into the fish guard and said in a deep voice: "The latest news. The Ghazi Empire has entered, and their maritime power will attack the mouth of the Mah River. An army of 10,000 people has arrived in Constantbul as mercenaries.”
"It is said that this army is the imperial guard of Emperor Ghazi. It is equipped with the latest weapons. It was originally intended to deal with the Kingdom of Kush."
This latest information comes from Mrs. Sophie's intelligence department and is timely. There is a bit of a problem with sex. The intelligence is that the so-called mercenaries have gathered, and when it arrived yesterday, these people had already landed in Constantbul.
Richard Nall frowned and asked: "I can't help with the battle at sea. Do you have any solution?"
Human beings bound by gravity must also be at sea. Flowing in the water, even if it can fly for a short time, is not enough for the sea.
Nowadays, the transport fleet is dominated by merchant ships with weak combat effectiveness. Most of the ships capable of combat have already entered the Mahe area, and they are all Hairedin's ships. How much fighting will they can have? It's clear.
Frederick replied firmly: "I believe Lilu."
For Frederick, the best way is to ask Baron Adicon for help, but at this time he was in the North Sea area. The pirate's head is beaten, and the fleet will be unable to fly for a while.
Now the Wesson Army's own maritime force consists of the flying merchant ship Tulip, the flat-top ship Lexington and Saratoga, and five gunboats converted from river ships. Lilu said that is enough.
Richard Nall no longer worried after hearing what he said. At most, all the ships would shrink into the Ma River, and if the enemy came ashore, they would be beaten to death.
“Where are the Praetorian Guards?” he asked, “What can you do?”
Frederick said disdainfully: "They should have no problem facing armies from other places. In front of us, hey, the chance of winning against you is smaller than mine." At the same time, at a ranch outside Constantbul Here, the Janissaries from the Ghazi Empire were demonstrating the new weapons they had brought to Phocas and his men.
I saw a few Guards soldiers cut open a tarpaulin bag, poured the black powder inside into the barrel of a gun with a caliber of about 90mm, and then put it into a The iron ball is wrapped in soft leather and pressed firmly with the plug rod.
After the loading person left, someone slightly adjusted the muzzle elevation angle through the screw, and then fired.
There was a muffled sound, white smoke spurted out, the entire sports car slid back two meters, and the screams of sheep came from 600 meters away.
Immediately, someone on horseback ran over and counted the dead sheep to estimate the casualties of people who were hit when they were lined up in a military formation.
Phocas had a bright smile on his face after hearing that this cannon could kill at least 30 people. This time the Ghazi Empire brought 20 of these bronze artillery pieces, which can shoot 3 times in two minutes. , this time he can kill almost two thousand enemies.
He waved his hand, and someone immediately brought a plate of gold coins. He first grabbed a handful and personally gave it to Arda, the officer of the Ghazi Empire Guards who was leading the team, and then had the men who had just fired the gun They called each person and gave a few.
Arda began to arrange the next project. The sheep were driven closer. This time, shotgun shells packed in tin cans were stuffed into the barrel. A large area of the sheep was knocked down in an instant.
Phocas smiled even brighter, grabbed a handful of gold coins and gave them to Alda.
In the third project, a thicker pipe was replaced, with a caliber of about 120 mm. The solid artillery shell collapsed a wall of the cabin 800 meters away.
In the fourth project, a group of soldiers with muskets came up, and a target made of hard boards was set up 50 meters away.
The structure of this kind of gun is similar to the folding air gun exported from Wesson. It has two 15mm barrels and a long bracket on the ground. The barrels are broken off and stuffed into the barrels. The projectile is sealed with a layer of soft skin on the outside, and a powder chamber at the other end is filled with gunpowder and then closed.
There is just a problem with the airtightness of the connection position. When the gun is fired, white smoke will be sprayed on both sides.
In order to prevent the white smoke from blowing out to the soldiers on both sides, the gap at the connection is facing forward, so those standing side by side will be fine.
These musketeers kept loading and firing under the command of the officers. It was obvious that they were very skilled. After a while, they beat the wooden boards into sieves.
"Very good!" Phocas was very satisfied when he saw the board full of holes. This kind of musket is much more powerful than the folding air rifle sold in Wesson. That kind of air rifle can only be used for hunting, and it can be used on the battlefield. It's not easy to use.
The battles of this era emphasized the integrity of the formation. If one party's formation was broken, the fate of being massacred would follow.
The new weapons brought by the Ghazi Empire this time are aimed at this characteristic. Artillery destroys enemy formations at long distances, muskets cause chaos to front-row enemies before engaging the enemy, and then infantry assaults to deal with the chaos. The enemy massacres.
Phocas’s men were also discussing on the sidelines, planning to buy some muskets for their own use.
Someone asked Alda: "How do you make the black powder you use?"
Alda shook his head and replied: "I don't know, only the royal alchemists can do it."
He I only know that the formula of this kind of fire powder was improved by someone in the palace, but I don't know anything about the rest and don't dare to ask.
That night, Phocas announced in the palace that the entire army would go north in three days to retake the Mahe area.
(End of this chapter)