Volume 1: The Rise of Elanhill Chapter 0061 Veteran
"We can't leave the city for a decisive battle! The enemy has advanced so far in one day and one night, they must have some support. If we take the risk to attack them now, if we win, they may have follow-up troops, but if we lose, we will lose Volavor." Standing on the top of the city wall, looking at the black golden eagle king flag on the distant plain, the old general Franky pressed his sword and comforted his subordinates who wanted to fight.
His voice was kind, as if it had magical power. After hearing his analysis, the officers who were ready to fight to the death with the enemy under the city suppressed their desire to compete for credit.
"Let our people take this time to rest. The enemy may not launch an attack right away, but we must be prepared for defense, and there can't be any problems with the city walls!" Franky is experienced and is an old general who has been tested on the battlefield for a long time.
Looking at the immobile enemies in the distance with some concern, he had to add to his men: "If the enemy enters the range, use the long-range catapults behind the city wall to repel them."
Franky had a broad perspective, and he knew that the Elanhill troops under the city could not last long. Their desire to capture Wallavo in one go was actually the best proof that they wanted to enter the city and avoid the subsequent field battle.
Therefore, as a front-line commander, what he had to do was not to destroy the enemy and win credit, but to prevent the enemy from completing its battle objectives, which would mean the division won the victory.
As long as the enemy fails to capture the city, the Alante Empire will surely receive more and more reinforcements, and the enemy will have no choice but to retreat. If the Holy Demon Empire joins the battle, the situation will be more favorable to the Alante Empire. Franky knows very well that no mortal can be a match for the Holy Demon Empire's dragon knights.
Therefore, the current situation seems very difficult and complicated, but in the eyes of the old general Franky, it is actually simple and makes him feel a little boring. Any efforts of any mortal monarch to break the distribution of power are ultimately futile.
Even the arrogant Zorn arranged for a messenger to go to the border of the Holy Demon Empire before the southward war and handed over a document about the southward war with the Dosen Empire. It was clearly written on it that only the demands of the area north of the Dosen River were required.
"Boom!" Just when Franky felt a little bored, the Elanhill Phalanx in the distance revealed their trump card. A cannonball cut through the air and landed in the city of Wolavo with a sharp whistle.
The shell hit a house, smashing the roof tiles, then exploded in the house, knocking down two walls. Then the surrounding houses began to collapse with the vibration, making a low and suppressed rumble.
"What... is that?" Franky stared wide-eyed at the row of houses collapsing in the distance behind him with thick smoke. There was a tremor in his steady voice, and he subconsciously asked his adjutant in disbelief.
The adjutant, who was also speechless with shock, had no intention of answering Franky's question at this time. He looked at the house that was collapsing as the smoke spread, and the unforgettable explosion sounded in his ears.
"Boom!" Before the two men were shocked, the second shell hit the wall of Volavor. The explosion caused the entire wall to crack, but the thick wall still stubbornly did not fall down.
However, the soldiers on the city wall had turned pale after being frightened by two consecutive huge explosions. They were not afraid of the enemy rushing to their feet, because they had too many ways to fight against the enemy attacking the city.
But now, everything in front of them has surpassed their cognition. Now they have no idea what is happening, and the fear brought by ignorance is the real fear that goes deep into their bones.
"Boom!" Like the sound of the doomsday bell, the explosions continued. The third explosion also occurred in the city, and another innocent building collapsed, emitting billowing black smoke.
Franky had recovered from his shock by this time. He knew that the tactics he thought were foolproof seemed to have completely failed. The wall that was almost impenetrable seemed to be completely vulnerable in the eyes of the opponent.
"Could it be that the Holy Demon Empire has already sided with Elanhill? Could it be that the greedy monarch of Elanhill is willing to use more feed to feed the demons of the Holy Demon Empire?" In the billowing smoke, Franky stared at the black royal flag in the distance and sighed bitterly.
"Hold our position! No retreat allowed! We are the warriors of Alante! Death is like going home to us!" He suddenly shouted loudly to all the soldiers in front of him, and his morale-boosting voice drifted far away in the gaps between explosions.
"Boom!" But just a few seconds later, more fierce artillery fire completely suppressed the shouts from the city of Wolavo. The Elanhill troops under the city assembled 40 cannons, and the power of a salvo was simply beyond the ability of mortal flesh to resist.
"Boom!" As another round of volleys aimed at the city wall ended, the thick wall of Volavo finally broke and collapsed amid the explosion. The battlements rolled down to the bottom of the city, and the soldiers and their bodies on the wall were buried in the smoke and rubble as it collapsed.
Seeing that there was a gap in his city wall, Franky knew that this defensive battle was destined to become difficult. However, he did not regret his decision to refuse the other party's surrender. He knew that sometimes soldiers had to face the worst outcome calmly.
A towering catapult was torn apart by the shock wave of the explosion, and countless wooden supports collapsed and shattered. The soldiers under the catapults had already been in chaos. The huge wooden pry bar hit another catapult next to it, making a squeaking sound.
After three rounds of bombardment, the city of Volavor was already a scene of doomsday. This was also the first time that Ailan Hill had used such a brutal attack to occupy a large city since it began to move south.
"Sir, the enemy has not surrounded us. Let's retreat to the east!" Franky's adjutant's face was covered with smoke and dust. He pulled Franky's arm and persuaded loudly.
There was no way. After several rounds of artillery fire, the voices of everyone on the battlefield became extremely loud, because they had become accustomed to the deafening environment and their ears had long since become less sensitive.
The armor on the adjutant's body was no longer shiny and bright, and one could even see some blood splatter on it. The enemy was still several miles away, but the defenders on the city wall had already suffered heavy losses.
The explosion just now caused them to lose hundreds of people, and hundreds of people were slightly injured. If it weren't for the protection of armor, the loss of these soldiers might be even greater. The most important thing is not the loss of these soldiers, but the fact that the fortifications of Volavor have been almost completely destroyed.
"Clang!" Franky drew the sword from his waist, pushed away the adjutant who was holding his arm, and ordered loudly: "Reserve! Follow me to the collapsed wall! Line up! Get ready to fight! The enemy should be rushing over soon! We don't have much time left!"
The officers following him also drew their swords. The old general was very popular in Wolavo, so at this critical moment, more people were willing to stand up and support the elderly general.
On the hillside in the distance, Modler was riding on horseback, putting down the telescope in his hand. He turned his head to look at his adjutant and ordered: "Let the first battalion prepare for the charge! I only give them 15 minutes to seize the gap and attack the city wall!"
The adjutant immediately raised his chin and replied, "Yes!"
"Second order!" He issued the second order without waiting for the adjutant to leave, and then asked the adjutant to convey his order: "Second Battalion, prepare for battle! When the First Battalion completes its mission, I need them to immediately expand the victory and sweep away all the defenders on the city wall!"
As his order was passed to the troops, the infantry phalanxes began to revive one by one from their original standby status. Unlike the previous situation where each battalion had its own infantry phalanx, the infantry battalions were no longer piled together, and the infantry companies were the frontal phalanx combat units.
These long new square formations have about 50 people in each row, and there are only three rows in total. This arrangement allows the soldiers to effectively use the firepower of their weapons and pour bullets onto the enemy's head more quickly.
"Fix the bayonets!" The platoon leaders raised their chins and gave orders to their soldiers. All the soldiers stepped sideways, pulled out the long three-edged bayonets from their waists, and hung them neatly on their rifles.
The gleaming bayonets sparkled in the sun, and all the soldiers raised the muzzles of their guns as if they were holding rifles, so the bayonets immediately formed a forest of sharp thorns above their heads.
With neat steps, these square formations began to creep forward little by little. Their steps were neat, and the mass-produced high-quality military boots made a dull sound when stepping on the mud.
"Cunning Ailan Hill! We've been deceived!" Franky had heard about Ailan Hill's gift of the Red Cannon earlier, and he had also heard about the Red Cannon's powerful power. But he didn't expect that compared to those exaggerated descriptions, the boundless power of the Red Cannon was not even one ten-thousandth of the weapons in front of Ailan Hill.
"But! If you dare to come close to me! I will let you know what a cruel war is!" The old general stubbornly held his sword and stood behind the densely packed Alante Empire soldiers. Behind him, the green Alante King's flag was still stubbornly struggling in the black smoke.
