Chapter 1538: Chapter 68: Siege (38)_2
“What antiques! No wonder they were abandoned, it’s remarkable they dragged them this far,” Major Ribek jumped off the wheel, turning to joke, “Gentlen, Colonel Lobres has captured a few ‘big fish’.”
“There are a total of seven carriages here, five heavy cannons,” the Centurion who ca to report earlier stepped forward to explain, “The axle of the carriage at the front broke, blocking the way, that’s probably why the rebels abandoned the cannons.”
The Centurion gestured vaguely towards the distance, “Further ahead, there are two more cannons. The carriages for those cannons are in good condition, but they were abandoned too. It could be that the rebel artillery at the front saw the ones at the back fleeing and decided to run as well.”
“And the ammunition?” Alda asked.
“The ammunition carriage is here too, all left behind.”
Alda pondered for a mont, dismounted, and personally climbed onto the carriage to inspect the cannons.
An officer who followed him up glanced at the gunlock and laughed, “The retreat was very hasty, they didn’t even spike the guns.”
Alda said nothing, but generally, when he didn’t express disapproval, it ant he agreed.
“Seven guns,” Alda mused, “That ans these are all the heavy cannons the rebels have.”
“The rebels have thrown away their last treasures,” another officer subtly flattered his superior, suggesting, “Should I send people to move these cannons back? Though they are useless antiques, they would still make quite the trophy.”
“No, forget about these relics,” Alda refused sharply, his voice cold, “We don’t have ti to seize them.”
“Whose soldiers are these?” he pointed at the soldiers bypassing the large carriage, and asked.
Lieutenant Colonel Jean Horn of the Sixth Battalion imdiately stepped forward, “They are my n.”
“Have your n stop advancing for now, push these carriages off the road so they don’t block the troops behind,” Alda slightly frowned and ordered, “Go and tell the artillery column behind us to bring the rebel gunpowder, we might need it at Silver Fish Ferry.”
“Yes,” Lieutenant Colonel Horn was still sowhat worried, “Then… just leave these cannons here?”
“Send soone back to Jade Crossing, get the sailors to co and retrieve the cannons after we’ve passed.”
“Yes!”
Alda turned again to the Centurion who ca to report, “Where’s Lobres?”
“Up ahead, Colonel…”
Before he could finish, the faint sound of gunfire suddenly ca from a distance.
The Centurion imdiately fell silent, and the other officers also held their breath in unison to listen.
More gunshots followed, though muffled by the forest into a sound like rain pattering on leaves. To the experienced soldiers present, it was unmistakably the sound of gunfire.
A ssenger soldier ca running, “Report!”
“Speak.”
“Colonel Lobres reports, ‘My unit has encountered enemy resistance and is engaged.'”
“Go!” Alda leaped onto his horse, “Let’s see what’s happening!”
A group of officers bypassed the roadblock and continued to gallop forward, overtaking the marching formations of the Sixth and Fifth Battalions, catching up with the supply carts of the Fourth Battalion. Suddenly, the surroundings opened up dramatically.
The forest, which had been blotting out the sun, abruptly receded to either side, revealing a vast expanse.
This expanse resembled a human ‘stomach’:
The path Alda and his group had traveled was the esophagus;
The path out was naturally the intestines.
The ‘stomach’ had three highgrounds barren of trees, covered only by grass and shrubs.
One was on the left of the path, two on the right.
The one on the left was larger, the two on the right smaller.
Like a stream winding around boulders, the road to Silver Fish Ferry gracefully veered between the three highgrounds and continued forward.
On the largest high ground on the left side of the road, rebel soldiers guarded behind low earthen walls, continuously firing at the soldiers of the Fourth Battalion in the roadside ditches.
At the foot of the slope, Musketeers under Lobres used trees as cover and retaliated.
The rebels’ fortifications were evidently incomplete—their walls were so low that even a chicken could jump over; the trenches before the walls were so shallow, as shallow as drainage ditches beside vegetable plots.
They hadn’t even had ti to collect their tools; picks and shovels lay scattered on the position. They were still racing against ti right until the mont of engagent.
But Colonel Lobres wouldn’t give them any more ti.
A shrill whistle echoed across the high ground, followed by the beat of drums urging a charge.
Perhaps Caspar Lobres believed the enemy had been sufficiently weakened;
But more likely, he didn’t want to be entangled with this small enemy force any longer.
He issued the order to assault.
The sword and shield bearers shouted, rushing headlong towards the rebel fortifications.
The Long Spearn laid down their super long spears, drew their swords, and charged up the high ground behind the sword and shield bearers.
lee combat always ends quickly, and this ti was no exception.
The gunfire on the slope fell silent, the rebels threw one round of explosives, then abandoned their position.
At the ‘Bend Gate’ of the ‘stomach’, the officers were witnessing the performance of Colonel Lobres’s forces:
The sword and shield bearers, Long Spearn, and Musketeers worked in seamless coordination, offering a delightful spectacle.
Seeing the rebels routing, the auxiliary cavalry that had been waiting at the foot of the slope—about half a squadron—decisively flanked them.
So battalion commanders saw this, just about to praise their cavalry Commander’s decisive action, when unexpectedly, the auxiliary cavalry’s backs had just disappeared around the bend in the road, and their faces reappeared to et the ‘audience’ not long after.
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