Chapter 223: Naval Cannon Fireworks Under the Night
The sound of the pirates' celebration drowned out the response of the soldiers. All the pirates were still immersed in the joy of their celebrations.
Bang!
The sudden gunshot caused all the natives to freeze, and time seemed to stop for a few seconds.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Imperial Guard soldiers didn't give the pirates time to react. Seeing the surprised pirates, they immediately opened fire.
Fortunately, the soldiers' training was very effective, and with the pirates caught off guard by the sudden attack, they became easy targets.
"Protect all citizens!" The squad leader shouted, ordering all the soldiers to gradually move toward the tied-up Australasians.
"It's our army? Thank God, thank His Majesty!" Hearing the familiar voices and seeing the familiar soldiers, the captured Australasians were overjoyed and began thanking God and Arthur frantically.
On the other side, the pirates weren't as lucky.
The Imperial Guard soldiers' training was not in vain. Each soldier fired dozens of rounds every day during training. Though not all of them were sharpshooters, at least they could hit their targets.
Although there may have been some deviations, in real-life situations, firearms were not a joke. A hit would cause serious injury—forget about losing combat ability; their lives would be at risk.
"We are soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard, and we've come under His Majesty's orders to rescue you. You are safe now!" The squad leader smiled as he ordered the soldiers to untie the captured individuals.
"Thank His Majesty, long live His Majesty!" Every one of the rescued Australasians joyfully said.
"Are all of you here? Is anyone missing?" the squad leader asked.
"Everyone's here, officer. These damn natives planned to execute us after their celebration today. You came just in time. If you'd been any later, we would have met our maker," the leader of the hostages said.
"Rest assured, you are safe now. Our fleet and more troops are waiting outside the island. The government and His Majesty are very concerned about this matter and have ordered the army to eliminate all the pirates," the squad leader comforted them.
For these people, who were truly facing life and death, the most important thing now was to comfort them and help them get over the trauma.
Now that the squad leader knew all the hostages were accounted for, he felt at ease and ordered all the soldiers, "Everyone, move towards the coast. Let's get the people onto the warships first."
The pirates couldn't escape the island. The primary mission was to protect the lives of these people.
The warships were the safest place, with the fleet and many soldiers providing protection. The pirates couldn't pose a threat to the warships.
Outside the island, after hearing the gunshots from the island, Minister Kent immediately ordered all soldiers to start their operation.
Although the pirates on the small islands hadn't attacked Australasia, how could they be sure there wasn't a threat?
The best way to protect citizens was to eliminate anyone or any force that could pose a threat to them. These pirates were certainly one of the targets.
Of course, Minister Kent wouldn't waste soldiers on a direct assault on the island. Who could guarantee that these pirates were merely a disorganized group?
Any additional casualties among the soldiers would be unnecessary, as far as Minister Kent was concerned.
Although Australasia's navy consisted of small and medium-sized ships, the range of their naval cannons was several kilometers, enough to bomb the islands surrounding the bay.
Before the operation, Minister Kent had ensured all warships carried enough ammunition for potential bombings of the islands.
Naturally, the largest island would still require a ground assault. After all, not only were there captured Australasians on the island, but there were also Imperial Guard soldiers who had infiltrated.
Minister Kent's face grew grim as the gunfire on the island had lasted for a while but had now stopped almost completely.
This indicated two possibilities: either the Imperial Guard soldiers had successfully completed their mission, or for some reason, they had been forced to stop firing.
If it was the latter, it would not be favorable for Minister Kent.
However, he chose to trust the abilities of the Imperial Guard soldiers. After all, these were elite troops from the British Army, who had undergone extensive training in Australasia and had also trained with German experts and soldiers. Their combat ability was on par with that of Germany's elite units.
Minister Kent disembarked and followed the soldiers to land on the island.
After about ten minutes, the Imperial Guard soldiers met up with Minister Kent and brought him news that relieved him.
Since all the captured Australasians had been successfully rescued, Minister Kent had no further concerns and immediately ordered everyone to board the warships. Using the naval cannons, the fleet began bombarding all the islands until most of the ammunition was spent.
The bombardment lasted for half an hour, with each island taking at least forty shells from the Australasia fleet.
The largest island was even worse off, as it became the primary target of the fleet. After taking over a hundred shells, the island's appearance changed dramatically.
Because it was nighttime, the exact details of the island were unclear, but if it had been daytime, Minister Kent would have seen that the once lush island had turned into a yellow-black ruin, with smoke billowing and gathering into a mist.
Minister Kent had ordered soldiers to carry at least three grenades each. These grenades, produced by the Royal Military Factory, were powerful siege weapons filled with gunpowder, steel pellets, and scrap iron. The blast radius was only 1-2 meters, but the lethality was significant, capable of affecting a larger area.
Grenades had been in existence for hundreds of years, but as firearms evolved, they became somewhat obsolete. However, with the advent of machine guns and increasing use of trench warfare during the world wars, grenades once again became a vital part of military arsenals.
Arthur didn't wait until grenades were widely recognized by other nations to begin their production. Australasia's grenade production was already well underway, and the Royal Military Factory had two types: one was the wooden-handle grenade, and the other was an egg-shaped grenade.
Since Australasia's population was sparse, each trained soldier was highly valuable. The soldiers were not familiar with the terrain and environment of the islands, which made them vulnerable to pirate ambushes and traps.
In such situations, grenades became an excellent tool for assault, allowing soldiers to deal with enemies in areas where large artillery couldn't reach. Although it might cost more military funds, it was better than unnecessary casualties.
Under Minister Kent's leadership, after the soldiers were rearmed, they once again began landing on the islands.
(End of Chapter)
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