frightfiction Chapter 12 Autumn Campaign (2)
Chapter 12 Autumn Campaign (2)
Reconnaissance has always been an important task in a campaign. A successful reconnaissance mission can undoubtedly provide commanders with a great deal of intelligence. But beyond that, a fire reconnaissance mission can not only provide intelligence, but also give a rough estimate of the enemy's combat capabilities.
The hunters were created for this purpose. Selected from hunters and mountain people, the hunters were equipped with green uniforms, gray cloaks and long rifles to help them hide.
Alice carefully selected the best quality barrels from the batch-forged barrels, rifled them, and loaded them with Minié bullets. These early rifled guns had only appeared in their hands a few days ago. Alice also asked craftsmen to make several sniper scopes that could be mounted on long rifles for these hunters to aim at.
They not only served as scouts, but also as sharpshooters to some extent. A squad of hunters was usually paired with a squad of mounted messengers, with the two fighting positions less than 100 meters apart.
"Did you see it?"
"We see them. A scout team of about three people is coming towards us."
"Do you want to take action?"
The hunters lay prone on the hillside, their long rifles providing a significant advantage in terms of firepower and range. On the other hand, the scout squad and some of the elven mercenaries were not so lucky.
Although elves are skilled at making bows and crossbows, the hunters know that the Minié longswords in their hands are unique and powerful weapons that can be effective at distances that bows and crossbows cannot reach.
"Vincent, take Beth and Suta, I'll support you here. Try to capture one prisoner!"
"Roger that!"
The hunter known as Vincent abandoned his loaded rifle and, carrying two flintlock pistols and a dagger, led two other hunters through the bushes.
The elves, a race from the East, are proud and tall children of the forest, renowned for their combat prowess in the forest. Every elf is skilled in using a bow and crossbow, and the bows and crossbows they create are among the best in the world.
The elves use unique elven swordsmanship, and their marksmanship surpasses that of humans and demons. For the world, elven mercenaries are the best scouts.
But at this moment, the hunter squad, rigorously and brutally trained, was already in ambush before the elf squad. Armed with flintlock pistols, the three men could fire six rounds each, and with the hunter sniper constantly monitoring the battlefield, the elf squad was already a sure thing.
"I hate that lord!"
"Shut up, we took the money, we have to do the job..."
"Wait—I hear some noises—"
Vincent looked at the elven squad below his gun, pulled the trigger, and after an almost century-long delay, smoke billowed out—the flintlock pistol exploded with a deafening roar, followed by the other two hunters pulling their triggers as well.
"Enemy attack!"
"Ah ah ah ah ah--"
There was no doubt that someone had been hit. With three shots fired simultaneously, a female elf was struck in the abdomen. The bullet tore her abdomen open, leaving a horrific wound from the early large-caliber musket bullet.
boom!
On the other side, the hunter also pulled the trigger, and an elf was shot in the leg and fell to the ground instantly.
The hunters stood up, three dark gun barrels pointed at her.
"Drop your weapons! Hands up!"
The elf drew her scimitar, but against that mysterious weapon, she knew it wouldn't be very effective. In an instant, four loud explosions rang out, and the other two were rendered unable to fight.
What exactly is this?
She tossed aside her scimitar, and the hunters swarmed forward. A brilliant ambush brought Alice intelligence—it was true, just as the scouts had reported: the enemy was using a large number of temporarily conscripted men as their vanguard.
"It has always been like this, but it's no longer an era of comparing numbers."
She knew that wars in this era were still about manpower, but the newly established Amelansi Vanguard Army was already the army of the next era.
In this era, technology and industry are the most powerful forces, and firepower is the key to victory.
She looked back at the fortress, which the army had been repairing and building barracks on. At her feet was a field hospital that housed three doctors.
Of course, the most important thing is logistics. Out of the tens of thousands of people in the division, three hundred were assigned to the logistics team, with horse-drawn carts and handcarts filling the logistics.
Located in the north, Red Ridge lacks horses, so most of its logistics rely on handcarts. Alice estimates that only by settling down can this situation be changed.
"Sir, the hunters report that they have spotted the enemy's vanguard in the third district, numbering approximately five thousand men, and they are crossing Fengpo Ridge."
This was a narrow mountain area, about a kilometer from the fortress. Alice nodded. Judging from the quality of the enemy troops, the hunters should continue their harassment tactics to hinder their advance as much as possible.
"Order the hunter squad to conduct reconnaissance with firepower, and test their strength!"
"Yes!"
The orders from the rear reached the front, and the hunter squad immediately pulled the trigger.
boom!
A thunderous gunshot shattered the tranquility of the mountains. The hunter skillfully handed his rifle to his comrade, then switched to a loaded long rifle. Another shooter lying next to him pulled the trigger, doing the same.
They specifically chose well-dressed officers, regular soldiers, and supervisors, since most of them were clearly peasants. Once all the supervisors died, without a commander, their army would inevitably collapse.
"Someone is dead! What was that explosion about?"
"It's a magician! Run! Run or you'll be beaten to death!"
After a few shots, the hunter was pleased to see the rout of the troops. With their leader dead, the peasants below, who had no will to fight, would undoubtedly scatter like birds and beasts.
After all, they were not defending their own land, nor were they sacrificing themselves for anything. The hunters were instilled with the will of a modern army, and they knew that they would fight to revive a great nation of freedom and equality.
"Who is it, and where is it—?"
boom!
A soldier with a bit of courage brandished a rusty longsword and hacked down two fleeing farmers. He tried to figure out what was going on, but a gunshot sent everything hurtling toward collapse.
"Hit! Damn it, this weapon is something only a butcher could invent!"
The hunter captain murmured, then switched to a loaded long rifle.
"what happend?"
Lord Kut, dressed in an expensive oriental silk robe, questioned his officers, reminding them that just minutes before, the vanguard of the lowly had scattered and nearly wiped out his army.
"Sir, we've arrested and interrogated several people. They said there are mages on the other side, and those mages killed all the soldiers who were holding the line."
"And what about the enemy?"
"Reporting to you, sir, they said they did not see any enemies."
"No enemy sighted! No enemy sighted! There were thousands of people! Thousands of people and we didn't even see their faces! There were thousands of people, not thousands of pigs! Even if they were pigs, it would take three days and three nights to catch them all!"
Kurt scolded, then, after a final thought, slammed his fat hand on the table: "Fine! Send the whole army! Damn it!"