Chapter 237 Objective – Fort Biddle!
Chapter 237 – Target – Fort Bido!
“Raise your guns!”
“Ready!”
“Aim!”
“Fire!”
With the company commander’s order to open fire, a loud crackling sound rang out and a thick white smoke rose from the playground.
Joss endured the choking smoke and hastily retreated to the third platoon with his comrades in the same platoon, pulling out the paper-cased fixed ammunition and loading it with his hands and feet.
After some maneuvering, he pulled out a through-strip, inserted it into the barrel and poked it to compact the ammo, then held the gun with both hands and stood still for the next shot.
“Dumbass! You forgot to pull the through-bar out again! Do you want to shoot it all together?”
A low, hateful yell came from beside him; Sergeant Makarov, who was the squad leader, stood in the same platoon as him, and as a veteran was the first to finish loading his ammunition before habitually checking the loading steps of the others in his own squad. At a glance he saw that Joss had forgotten to draw out his through-bar.
“Sorry, Sarge!”
Joss slapped himself vigorously on the head in chagrin, drew out his through-bar under Makarov’s stern gaze, and waited with a nervous look on his face for the company commander’s order to fire.
……
Joss’s company had been given a firing drill in the morning, and he kept repeating the mechanical motions under the officer’s commands. At first he was excited when he touched the musket, Sergeant Makarov said that this kind of weapon could put a big hole on the enemy’s body just by moving his fingers, even if the enemy was wearing armor.
“A godsend!”
The first time he fired it, seeing the single hole punched out of the wooden board in front of him, Joss’ heart couldn’t help but exclaim.
But after a few training sessions, the initial feeling of excitement had disappeared, leaving only the care to not make any mistakes.
“Seojin shooting! Flush – go!”
Just as the company commander was planning to proceed to the next subject, a messenger ran from the playground blowing a whistle while shouting, “1st Battalion Muster, 1st Battalion Muster!”
The company on the drill immediately stopped the training of the moment and quickly formed up to head to the assembly area, and other personnel not participating in the training also rushed to the area after hearing the order.
“Sergeant, we’re not going to the front lines to fight, are we?”
Remembering the discussion he heard in the cafeteria during breakfast, Jos quietly asked Makarov beside him.
The sergeant answered him, “Maybe, maybe not, but as whatever orders come down, we have to carry them out.”
Everyone in the unit knew that Alda was already in the middle of a fight between two factions in the Northwest Gulf, and that sooner or later they would be sent into battle, and the sudden increase in training in the army since February confirmed that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
……
Two battalions were assembled, the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions totaling over a thousand men standing neatly in the playground. Also present were soldiers from the artillery and transportation companies.
Several officers walked up to the reviewing stand, and Jos recognized the two men at the head as Lieutenant Colonel Bryce, the commander of the 1st Battalion, and Major Joyce, the commander of the 3rd Battalion.
“Soldiers! The day to test the results of your training has finally arrived!”
Bryce looked very excited and his voice was surprisingly loud.
“As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, we’re about to engage in a fierce battle, with a stupid enemy delivering it to our door!” Surely there’s going to be a battle? The crowd at the bottom muttered in their hearts.
“First of all, let’s make our enemy clear, that’s right, it’s the Kent family that inflicted humiliation on us last year! This insidious clan severely humiliated Alda and Baildin last year, yet we forgave them in our generous nature of good neighborliness. But I didn’t expect that their patriarch, Maltz Kent, would treacherously usurp the dukedom this year and try to start a rebellion against the kingdom, which is an unforgivable crime!”
“We have formed a strong alliance with the territories of Larnaca, Stanlow, and Portree, vowing to destroy the Kent family and their henchmen! It is an honor that the brave 1st and 3rd Battalions have been chosen to be the first to go on the expedition, while the loyal artillery and transport companies have become our solid backing.”
“We will serve as sharp swords in the hands of the Lord Lord to stab the enemy’s heart ruthlessly! Let that bunch of scum left behind when Heavenly Father created the world know that we are not to be messed with, and let them tremble in fear at the sound of our name, like maggots in a sewer seeing sunlight!”
Lt. Colonel Bryce waved his large hand around as he spitefully addressed the soldiers.
“Now I order that all outgoing troops begin their preparations immediately, bring your marching supplies, weapons, and ammunition, and we’ll leave first thing in the morning!”
……
Throughout the day, the two selected infantry battalions were engaged in these intense preparations.
Early the next morning, all the officers and men of the expeditionary force once again assembled on the playground, and then left the town of Lakewood to head south towards Fort Biddle.
The townspeople cheered the marching troops with slogans such as “Teach the Emdenites a good lesson” and “Long live Alda” ringing through the streets.
The Council of State sent out propagandists with loudspeakers to shout in the streets every day.
“If we don’t take Bitoburg, the trade routes will be cut off, the goods won’t be sold, and you’ll all be out of a job!”
“The Emdenites will come in and take us all as slaves! Take our money and insult our sisters.”
The propaganda was primitive but effective, and after all, it was also aimed at the townspeople who were ill-informed and had just learned a few words in the literacy campaign.
Thanks to the opening of various factories in the past year, many of the townspeople who had become workers had their incomes greatly improved, and their quality of life had been greatly enhanced, so the thought that the Earl of What’s-His-Name might destroy everything in front of them was a bit too much for the people to bear.
So the top and bottom of the town unified their thoughts.
This time the operation was conducted by Bryce as the supreme commander, and despite his impassioned performance on the playground yesterday, he was still rather apprehensive until the moment before he set off.
This was the first time he had been in sole and full command of an entire army, not that he was worried about his own ability, the Alda army was well-trained and had advanced weapons, as long as they played up to the level they had been trained to be at on weekdays, not to say that they could decide the outcome of the entire battle, but there was no problem in defending themselves on the battlefield–Paul had always been striving to build a team that could be invincible even if the commander was mediocre. mediocre can still be invincible army.
What he was worried about was his own status – a wild knight with no official name, would he be ridiculed by the other lords and knights when he got there, and did the two titular counts of Alda and Bairdine no longer have any talents to offer.
Bryce recommended the chief of staff, Schroeder, to be the commander of this expedition, after all, this is a real knight, but was rejected by Paul on the grounds that Schroeder must sit on the staff to lead the whole situation.
The Count said to him: “Go on, Bryce! One must always have a first time!”
Bryce was very grateful for Paul’s trust in himself, and deeply felt that he had a great responsibility, because this was the first official appearance of Alda’s new army in front of the major territories, and the previous siege of the pirates and the pacification of the Bairdine rebellion had not attracted much attention in the Northwest Gulf.
The enthusiasm of the townspeople also infected Bryce.
“This Battle of Bido Fortress is a good opportunity to show off!”
His heart was no longer apprehensive, although the decision of the military council was to “try to aid our allies while preserving ourselves”, Bryce decided to put on an outstanding performance, he wanted to proclaim Arda’s new life to the other lords, and to make a name for himself as a Glamourman, so that they could no longer belittle this “exiled family”. Exiled Family”.
Riding on his horse, the lieutenant colonel raised his whip and pointed to the south, “Target – Fort Biddle!”
(End of chapter)