When the bell rang, the whole camp seemed to be boiling up.
Van'er rushed out of the tent and followed the crowd to the top of the wall, entering his combat position. This process had already been practiced countless times. Even if there was no one to command them, everyone knew what they had to do next.
Just like last year during the Months of Demons, in a state of alert, only a small number of patrols were arranged on each section of the wall. Scattered demonic beasts could be dealt with by two or three people. If the lookouts saw a large-scale attack of demonic beasts, they would sound the alarm.
On the horizon, a dark shadow was approaching. Van'er roughly estimated the number of enemies, which was about a thousand or so. If it was one year ago, it would definitely be a difficult battle. As a long gunner who was responsible for buying time for the flintlock team, he had to alternate with the reserve members in order to persist until the end.
But now, the strength of the town had undergone earth-shaking changes.
Cat's Claw opened the cover of the cannon and shook off the snow. Rodney checked the field artillery barrel, confirmed that there was no foreign object inside, and then began to load the ammunition. Although the current wall had been changed to be made of mud, its height and width had increased. Moreover, there was an artillery platform every 100 meters, which greatly improved the defensive firepower.
The aisle was wide enough for four people to pass side by side. During the battle, the first row was for the flintlock team, and the second row was for the recruit loaders. The latter was responsible for loading the bullets into the cartridge and then handing them to the official soldiers in front.
"Don't they find it annoying?" Rodney yawned. "Every year during the Months of Demons, they would come here crazily. Even if they attacked the town, it wouldn't do them any good, would it?"
"It's just right for us to practice," Narson laughed. "Compared to a fixed wooden target, the demonic beasts are more interesting to shoot."
"Speaking of target practice, I recently heard an interesting rumor related to our artillery team," Jop said with a mysterious face.
"What rumor?"
"I heard from other artillery teams that people who can shoot accurately will be incorporated into an elite artillery team and take on a new task," he paused. "Do any of you know more inside information?"
"Elite artillery team?"
"Even you, who claims to be knowledgeable, don't know, how can we know more."
"Maybe someone was bored and made it up."
Van'er was the only one in the gunner group who didn't say anything. After hearing Jop's words, he couldn't help but frown. Someone actually bragged about this matter?
A week ago, Lord Iron Axe had visited him and told him that His Royal Highness planned to develop a new type of artillery, which was completely different from the field artillery currently used. It would not be given to the First Army to use, but would be installed on the ships, making them capable of long-range attacks. The new cannon would be operated by the best member of the artillery team. If you wanted to join, you could apply to Iron Axe.
Of course, Van'er agreed without hesitation. This was obviously an opportunity for him to advance further in the army. According to Iron Axe, His Royal Highness had high expectations for this new army, and it was even possible for it to separate from the First Army and become a brand-new army. If one could make a great contribution, the newly built warships would be named after the person with the most outstanding contribution.
What kind of glory was that? If there was a warship named Van 'er, he would be satisfied for the rest of his life. Thinking back to when he was just a handyman in the mining area, he always boasted that he was extraordinary, but in the end, he couldn't even save his brother's life in the slums of the Stronghold. But now, he didn't need to boast that the army didn't need to worry about food and drink, and that his uniform was thick and warm. Even if he returned to the neighborhood, his neighbors would know his name.
All these changes were brought about by His Royal Highness.
Thinking back to the time when he joined the Militia for an egg, it was simply the wisest choice in his life.
In addition, Iron Axe also asked him if he had any suitable candidates to recommend, so that he could also apply for them. In other words, these young boys might get the opportunity to stand out, but they were too jumpy, and it was better to wait until they were a bit more mature. And if they made a great contribution, would those warships also be called Jop or Cat's Claw? That's just too awful … Rodney and Nelson could still be considered.
As for the fact that some people couldn't help but leak this information to their subordinates, they had to report to Iron Axe. After all, it was very clear in the regulations class that any information about the First Army, unless there was a clear request from the higher ups, could not be spread without authorization.
"Don't shout, now all of you should focus on the battlefield," Van'er coughed twice, interrupting the discussion of the members of the artillery team, "Don't forget, Sir Iron Axe repeatedly stressed in class, any mistake may lead to an irreversible failure."
"Yes!" Everyone said in unison.
Because the killing efficiency of solid iron balls was too low, when dealing with groups of demonic beasts, they would wait until the other side was close enough to shoot with grapeshot bullets.When the ferocious-looking wolves took the lead to cross the 100 meter line, the bombardment began.
The heat wave rolled up the snow under the muzzle, and the loud roar made Van'er's ears hurt. In the distance, black blood suddenly rose, and the demonic beasts suddenly fell. Whether it was the wild boar or the bear, their fur was not enough to withstand the close range bombardment of iron balls.
"There's a big guy over there," Cat pointed to the left, "a red-skinned wolf!"
A group of people quickly moved the artillery carriage, adjusted the muzzle to the target direction, and reloaded. In theory, there was no need to aim the grapeshot bullets, as long as they fired in front of them, they would be able to sweep down a large number of enemies.Moreover, the newly built mud wall was higher than the stone wall, and the wolves could not threaten the top of the wall. The priority to attack the flexible demonic beasts was only for the purpose of target practice.
Next, it was finally the turn of the long-restrained flintlock team. In order to ensure a hit rate, they always waited until they were within 50 meters before shooting.
The sound of the revolving rifle was not as uniform as that of the flintlock, but was dense and continuous. White smoke floated up from the top of the wall, and the choking smell of gunpowder made him sneeze.
"These idiots, their power is obviously very small, but when they shoot, the smoke is more than anyone else," Jop complained.
"But in the end, the battle is still decided by the artillery," Rodney agreed. "It was the same when dealing with the Knight, and it should be the same when dealing with the demonic beasts."
At this moment, a rapid bell sound came from the direction of the lookout post, which was an early warning of the discovery of hybrid demonic beasts.
Van'er squinted his eyes and looked forward, only to see two huge black shadows slowly moving forward in the smoke. Judging from their size, they should be Siege Beasts with heavy shells.
"What did I just say?" Van'er grinned. "Now it's time for us to show off, change to the pointed solid bullets."
In order to deal with enemies with high defense, the Munitions Factory had developed a new type of shell that could penetrate the enemy's shell at a distance of about 200 meters. If the previous attack on the wolf type demonic beasts was a warm-up, then this was the official shooting.
"Do a good job," Van'er clapped his hands and said, "Let the other artillery teams see who is the most elite artillery soldier."