Iron Powder and Spellcaster

For the governments of the alliance countries and even the military of various countries, it is almost impossible to deprive an officer of his military status.

Things have to start from the inception of the alliance.

At that time, the large and small nobles in the republics were unwilling to have their privileges banned, and they all took up banners and armed separatist regimes.

For a time, war broke out in the Gulf Land, and the nascent alliance was as precarious as a candle in the wind.

It seems that the republican regime is about to usher in its end just after its birth.

But the Senas Alliance still had an army, an army led by Ned Smith. At that time, there were no distinctions between the republics, and the Senes only called that army the Union Army.

Political power comes from the barrel of a gun. At that time, aristocratic rebel parties everywhere had not yet realized this: the Alliance Army itself was the rebel party with the strongest fists in the land.

Facing the Alliance army that was forged in blood and fire, even the Butcher Duke of Arléans was defeated and committed suicide in the end. Who else on the shore of the bay is the opponent of the Alliance army?

Cannons flattened towers, tunnels shattered castles, and all armed separatist nobles were easily suppressed and annihilated by the Allied forces.

As the openly rebellious earls were hung up on the city walls one by one by the Union army, the remaining old ruling class finally understood that to fight with force was to seek death.

So they relied on the intricate local forces and took the initiative to enter local parliaments and began to play party politics.

In those years, the political ecology of the republics was very funny and absurd.

The aristocratic forces gradually occupied local councils, and the large cities where the new republican power was located were like isolated islands in the ocean.

The so-called democratically elected members are just the old aristocrats changing their clothes, while the military has become the mainstay of the democratic republic.

Calls such as Account for the crimes committed by the Union Army during the Sovereign War! and Judge Ned Smith! came one after another.

On the shores of the Gulf of Senas, there is a sense of the countryside surrounding the city, the peaceful evolution of political power, and the return of the emperor.

Based on the consideration of protecting the army, and also the fear that the old aristocratic forces would control the army to counterattack after seizing power, the governments of the republics gave their own armies a considerable degree of decentralization in those years.

The Union Army of that period was indeed the last barrier for the fledgling Republic.

The old aristocratic forces tried to reverse the course of history time and again, but in the end they were crushed by the military forces of the republics.

The Supreme Council of Quang Lien Province was forcibly banned by the military three times, and the story of the bombarding of the State Palace is still spread by word of mouth among the citizens of Guyana.

But this strong medicine also had many sequelae, one of which was that the United Provincial Army finally formed its own system, so that it cannot be replaced today.

The constitutional amendment that except for crimes of treason and espionage, officers shall not be deprived of their military status was also passed at the same time.

As long as an officer did not commit treason or act as a spy, no matter what he did, even if his improper command ruined thousands of soldiers, he could not be kicked out of the army.

This was the ultimate protection for Union officers.

But this amendment also indirectly leads to a result: no matter how severely an officer offends a big shot, the other party cannot expel him from the military.

So there are only two places for junior officers who don't like the senior officers to go:

Either they will be sent to overseas military zones and become glorious overseas dispatched troops;

Either he would be transferred to the War History Department, sit on the bench and write war history.

These two items are unwritten customs of the armies of all republics.

The overseas dispatched troops are military agencies directly under the alliance government and are not under the jurisdiction of any participating country. Going there means losing one's identity as a soldier of the Republic, and there is always no return.

Later generations of historians who do not understand the hidden rules will always find it very strange when they read the history of the Union Army during this period.

Compared with the imperial war history which extols its virtues and boasts its martial arts, the war history written by the Alliance Army is dark and sarcastic, with a sinister tone, and the sourness between the lines is about to liquefy into reality.

And our Lieutenant Colonel John Jessica is also a particularly hated type among officers hated by senior officials.

So twelve years ago he was transferred from the Plato Army to the Overseas Military Headquarters, where he was responsible for compiling war history.

…

When they met for the first time, the three second lieutenants certainly didn't know about Lieutenant Colonel Jessica's legendary life of going and coming back again.

But after hearing the lieutenant colonel say that he had just returned home from overseas, Bud immediately figured out what was going on.

Bader reminded softly: Sir, this Second Lieutenant Montagne and this Second Lieutenant Cellini are from Veneta. And I am from the United Provinces.

People from Veneta came to serve in Plato? Lieutenant Colonel Jashka asked doubtfully: Is it that instead of saying 'where you come from, you go back to', the Lu Academy has been divided and distributed?

Come on, it seems that this person really doesn't know what's going on. Bud briefly explained the ins and outs to the lieutenant colonel.

I have also heard about the discord between the United Provinces and Veneta overseas. After hearing the story, the lieutenant colonel also lamented: You are really unlucky to be caught in the cracks.

…

After disbanding the queue, the lieutenant colonel immediately checked the arsenal again.

Because they did not need to be responsible for combat, after arriving at Shuangqiao Camp, Winters and others discussed and collected the weapons and equipment of the three centurions for unified storage.

The temporary weapons depot was located in a wooden house and was guarded by an experienced captain, Malcolm, who led his men.

As early as when they gathered just now, Malcolm could tell that the new captain was not an easy commander to get along with.

After the disbandment, he hurriedly rushed to the arsenal with the militiamen of his account and brought cleaning tools, preparing to tidy up the warehouse.

When Lieutenant Colonel Jessica and three second lieutenants walked to the weapons warehouse, they happened to encounter the militiamen cleaning up the weapons warehouse.

Seeing his men sharpening their guns in battle, Winters and others couldn't help but blush.

The lieutenant colonel waved his hand nonchalantly: No need to work, the weapons depot is not a banquet hall.

Winters asked the captain of the warehouse to get a list: The lances, halberds, swords, shields and muskets of the three centurions, as well as the ammunition, are all here.

Mixed? Jessica's eyebrows raised.

It's a mixed bag. Winters nodded.

Normally, each centurion in a legion would be equipped with the same weapons and equipment. The Halberdiers only have halberdiers, and the Musketeers only have musketeers. They will only be mixed at the brigade level.

This design is for legion-level battles. Soldiers using different weapons can be formed separately, making it easier for the commander to arrange troops.

However, the auxiliary centurions, such as the Wolf Town Militia, which mainly do chores such as escorting and building roads, and act independently most of the time, can only be mixed at the centurion level.

Lances, muskets, heavy halberds and swords and shields, four to three to two to one. Winters took the list and handed it to the lieutenant colonel: Only the captain of ten is issued a half-armor, and the others are given a helmet. There are six more Ten kilograms of lead, twelve barrels of gunpowder and some scattered debris are all here.

The super spearmen, musketeers and halberdiers are all equipped with one-handed swords, and the sword-and-shielders are equipped with a small iron shield in addition to the one-handed sword.

The musketeers also had molds for pouring lead bullets, and Winters also collected them because he was afraid that the militiamen would not be able to keep them well.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica took the list without looking at it and asked directly: Did the first musketeer only issue one kilogram of lead, or did you use it until each of you only had one kilogram left?

Each musketeer is issued only one kilogram.

Have you ever done any training?

The militia has no training. Winters thought for a moment and replied: But we have conducted several trainings on our own, using gunpowder and lead brought from the source of the troops.

Okay. Lieutenant Colonel Jessica's face remained normal, without much emotion revealed: Look at things.

Opening a wooden box, there was a strong smell of oil. The box was full of one-handed swords, each of which was oiled and wrapped in cloth.

Very good. The lieutenant colonel nodded: Look at other things.

Other boxes containing weapons were also checked in turn. Everything was carefully kept. The iron tools were oiled, camphor was placed on the side of the long poles, and the weapon parts were well wrapped.

John Jessica looked satisfied until the case containing the muskets was opened.

The one-eyed colonel's expression seemed to be a smile but not a smile: Hook gun?

Yes, sir. We were given hook guns. Winters replied awkwardly.

The lieutenant colonel took out the top hook gun and couldn't help but laugh a few times: This thing is probably older than me, right?

I don't know. Andre replied sullenly: But he must be a few years older than us.

…

The hook gun is actually a fire door gun, an improved fire door gun.

Early muskets did not have butts. Until a gunsmith had the idea to add the wooden butt of a crossbow to the firearm, the muskets could only be fired with the hand.

However, it was difficult to hold it steady when shooting with hands. In order to disperse the recoil, the gunsmith began to add a small iron hook to the barrel.

In this way, the user can hook the musket to objects such as city walls, carriages, and shields.

Therefore, this kind of musket got its name hook gun.

At least in the early stages of the Sovereignty War, both sides continued to use hook guns.

But war gave rise to more advanced designs, and more advanced designs proliferated during the war.

With the popularization of gun stocks, long barrels and snake-shaped firing rods, muskets have gradually evolved from the wooden stick and iron pipe of early door guns to today's shape.

By the late stages of the Sovereignty War, both sides were fully equipped with more advanced matchlocks and cannons to kill each other.

No one uses or manufactures hook guns anymore. In other words, this weapon has been out of the stage of history for at least thirty years.

That's why the lieutenant colonel asked such a question.

The swords, shields, and super-long guns equipped by Winters' three-man team were all of the legion's uniform specifications, but the muskets issued were all obsolete models.

There is nothing to complain about. Most of the militiamen operate on the inside, dealing with a few highway robbers at most.

It's enough to scare people with two guns that can go off. In terms of actual combat, it is better to use two crossbows.

…

Shaking his head slightly, the lieutenant colonel put the hook gun back into the wooden box, pointed at the gunpowder barrel and said, Open it and take a look.

The lieutenant colonel specifically wanted to check the powder barrels stacked on the bottom floor. Malcolm, who was in charge of the arsenal, found a crowbar made of hardwood and carefully opened the powder barrels.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica poured out the entire barrel of gunpowder in one go. The gunpowder was in the shape of beautiful black particles without any delamination.

Not bad. The lieutenant colonel rarely patted the captain of the warehouse on the shoulder: The gunpowder is well kept.

Malcolm scratched his head and said sheepishly: It was Centurion Montagne who asked me to turn the powder barrel upside down once a day.

Jessica glanced at Winters in surprise and nodded slightly.

Winters was also a little embarrassed. In fact, he learned this trick from the Veneta Navy.

No more, let's leave it at that. The lieutenant colonel patted the gunpowder powder on his hand and said casually: Take people to the legion arsenal and replace the super long guns with ordinary spears or halberds. Change the hook guns into matchlocks. gun.

Winters was stunned for a moment: Uh... can we just go and change it?

Just go and change it.

Why change? Andre couldn't help but question: They are all ordinary spears or halberds, how to arrange the formation?

Soldiers like this are not worthy of using super long guns. Jessica's tone was very calm, as if she was saying that the weather was very good today.

Andre suddenly became angry. Not only Andre, but also the militiamen in charge of the warehouse looked annoyed.

Not convinced? The lieutenant colonel looked at Andre, raised his eyebrows slightly, and then looked at the militiamen beside him: Not convinced?

Andre snorted and looked to the side. The surrounding militiamen lowered their heads.

After a brief contact, Winters somewhat understood Lieutenant Colonel Jessica’s character:

The officer had something to say, and perhaps he meant no harm, but there was no sound harsher than the truth in this world.

You guys, grab the super long rifle and follow me out. The lieutenant colonel ordered a few militiamen in charge of the warehouse. He picked up a super long rifle and walked out of the arsenal first.

Several militiamen stood there stupidly, not knowing what to do.

Andre frowned and urged: Don't be afraid, go and do whatever I ask you to do.

Captain Malcolm gritted his teeth and walked out holding a super long gun, and other militiamen also picked up their long guns and followed.

Eight militiamen stood in a row outside the arsenal, their guns pointing toward the sky.

Take the gun! the lieutenant colonel ordered.

The militiamen followed the centurion's instructions and neatly flattened their spears, with the shafts held to the height of their necks.

The five-meter spear was pointed forward neatly, looking somewhat majestic.

Not bad. Lieutenant Colonel Jessica said, Not completely untrained.

After saying that, the lieutenant colonel also raised his spear in the same posture.

The next second, the one-eyed veteran ran straight into the militia queue with a long gun.

The tip of the gun passed over the tip of the gun and approached each other's chests. Blood was about to appear, but the lieutenant colonel did not dodge.

Malcolm was startled and stepped back hastily.

The lieutenant colonel refused to give up and stabbed Malcolm's throat fiercely from top to bottom with his spear.

In panic, the captain dropped his spear and avoided the fatal blow. However, there was a gap in the queue, and the lieutenant colonel rushed into the forest of guns.

The lieutenant colonel also threw away his spear and drew his saber. He grabbed the gun barrel of another militiaman with his left hand and slashed at him with a knife in his right hand.

The sudden attack left the Wolf Town militia at a loss. It was not until the blade was closed an inch above his head that he came to his senses, took a few steps back and fell to the ground.

In ancient times, when we were fighting in formation, throwing away a spear was not punishable, but throwing away a shield was a capital offense. The lieutenant colonel put the saber back into its sheath and asked slowly: Do you know why?

The clearing was quiet for a moment.

When no one answered, Lieutenant Colonel Jashka asked and answered himself: Because the function of the spear is to kill the enemy, and the function of the shield is to protect the comrades beside him. Throwing away the spear means that one person will kill the enemy with less people, but throwing away the shield will make the whole team worse. All fronts were broken.

Winters roughly understood what the Lieutenant Colonel wanted to say, and he saw that Bud and Andre were also thoughtful.

The super spear front has no shields, so the spear in each of your hands is a shield for your comrades. Jessica picked up the super spear and said coldly to the several militiamen in front of her: The retreat of a coward may cause the entire phalanx to collapse. The collapse. Only veterans with double military pay are worthy of standing in the front row holding a spear, but you are not worthy now. Aren't you still convinced?

None of the militiamen answered, and Malcolm hung his head in shame.

The lieutenant colonel smacked his lips, turned around, threw the spear to Winters, and said flatly: Once the formation is lost, the super long spear is not as useful as a dagger. Give them weapons that can fight alone, and we don't expect them to form a formation anyway. Fight.

Yes, sir. Winters saluted.

By the way, there's one more thing. The lieutenant colonel turned to leave, then turned back and asked casually: Why are there so many Dussa people on the roster?

On weekends, I write very slowly.

It seems that I only get inspiration when I sit on a chair on a weeknight and watch the dial getting closer and closer to twelve o'clock.

Thanks to the book friends who voted for recommendation before;

Thanks to Captainjavk and Jiang Xuediaoweng for their monthly votes;

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