Episode 934: The Imperial March 2 – Assault return, running on the ground. (22)


    Lee Si-ae, who returned to themand center, shared her thoughts with her subordinatemanders.


    “I want to keep doing it the way I am now. What do you think? “I don’t think it’s time to attempt an assault into enemy territory yet.”


    Most of the subordinatemanders nodded at Lee Si-ae’s words.


    The enemy’s defense power was not lost yet. No, it still maintained proper defense.


    Unless they were fools, there was no one who would charge towards the well-held enemy lines.


    “In particr, we have not yet properly verified the power of the new artillery pieces. It is premature to charge.”


    The power of the new artillery was proven to some extent by destroying the walls of Mn, but it was not perfect.


    Now was the time to verify how powerful it would be on t ground, especially against well-constructed trenches.


    While everyone seemed to agree with Lee Si-ae’s decision, themander of the assault force wearing a ck uniform intervened.


    “It may seem presumptuous, but wouldn’t it be a good opportunity?”


    “season? how?”


    When Lee Si-ae showed curiosity, themander of the assault force shared his thoughts.


    “ording to the scouts’ report, enemy reinforcements are approaching. I think it would be a good idea to break the morale of the enemy by striking them properly before doing so. Or you could just crush it.”


    “So you’re saying you’re going to use the new artillery to attack that trench line?”


    Themander of the assault force immediately responded to his fellowmander’s point.


    “The artillery bombardment alone has its limits. The most certain thing is for our soldiers to upy the enemy camp.”


    “But charging toward the enemy’s trench lines involves taking heavy losses. “To solve this problem, it is best to take your time and attack it with artillery.”


    “Isn’t the problem that we don’t have a sufficient number of artillery pieces to make such a gradual move? Have you forgotten that a trench is different from a castle wall?”


    Themander who was disputing the words of themander of the assault force looked embarrassed.


    No matter how high and thick the wall was, if it copsed, it was over. No, there was a problem that the higher and thicker it was, the more difficult it was to recover if it copsed.


    But the trenches were the opposite.


    Even if it copsed, it could be restored if given a little time. No, it was also possible to create another trench by connecting a trench line to the hole created by the shell.


    In order topletely copse such a trench line, it had to be pounded so densely and for such a long time that recovery was impossible.


    And this method was very difficult even for the imperial army, which was crazy about artillery.


    No matter how densely the bombardment was fired, errors continued to ur as long as the firing angle and direction were adjusted by human hands. Also, there were limits to persistent bombardment over a long period of time because the heated gun barrel had to be cooled while using arge amount of gunpowder.


    The conclusion was to advance as much as possible and then charge the infantry.


    Themander of the assault force continued speaking, pping his hand on his ck uniform.


    “Why are our assault troops here? This is to break through that trench! It doesn’t matter if it’s new or old! “As long as the artillery fires properly attack the enemy’s trenches, we can prate straight through!”


    “Aren’t you afraid of having to see the enemy’s gun fire right in front of you?”


    “That’s why there are assault vehicles and the uniforms of the assault troops are ck.”


    The armor te of the assault vehicle was sufficient to block enemy gunfire. And there was a rumor going around that the reason the stormtroopers wore ck uniforms was ‘to hide the flowing blood.’ Of course, there was more talk going around that it was ‘to hide urinating’.


    Hearing the words of the assault forcemander, allmanders, including Lee Si-ae, had the same thought.


    ‘Water came in, right? ‘You are rowing very diligently.’


    The enemy had already conceded first strike. The assault force, which had been only looking for opportunities, could not miss this opportunity.


    “Whoa~.”


    Lee Si-ae sighed and grumbled inwardly.


    ‘What a damn tradition of the Imperial Army…’


    – Since the Challenger-ss front appeared in the Imperial Navy, there are no sane people among those who took on new weapons and sses for the first time.


    It was a tradition that was not a tradition passed down regardless of the imperial army or navy.


    From the challenger-level front to the assault return line, themanders and soldiers who were in charge of the new weapons for the first time were a nuisance that everyone recognized.


    And in the army, it started with the long sword corps and continued into the assault corps.


    ‘But the problem is that what he said wasn’t wrong…’


    Lee Si-ae had a headache. The trenches, which had always been a strong barrier for the imperial army, had now be a liability.


    Lee Si-ae was keenly aware of how troublesome the ‘trench dug by a sane military unit with the right intentions’ was.


    ‘But to deploy a unit that hasn’t even been verified yet… is it a good opportunity to verify it?’


    While Si-ae Lee was struggling to make a choice, it suddenly became noisy outside.


    “What’s going on?”


    As Lee Si-ae frowned at the suddenmotion, the adjutant went out.


    The deputy returned a short timeter and reported the situation.


    “There is a disturbance within the Florentine army.”


    “turmoil? why?”


    “They are making a fuss saying they will attack first.”


    “what?”


    * * *


    When the Count of Roen of France arrived as a messenger, Florentine and Swiss armymanders and soldiers were also around.


    Through them, Count Roen’s proposal spread to the Swiss and Florentine camps.


    And the reactions of the soldiers who heard the rumor were divided into two. To be precise, the reactions of the Swiss and Florentine troops were different.


    “Aren’t you crazy?”


    “That’s right.”


    The Swiss army’s reaction was simr to that of the imperial army.


    -Why attack when the enemy is still alive and well? I need to lose some momentum before I go in.


    However, the reaction of the Florentine army was the opposite.


    When they heard the rumor, some generous people brought a wooden box, stood up there, and began to raise their voices.


    “We proud people of Florence! Listen to me! Comrades who learned and trained together, listen to me!”


    As the eyes and ears of colleagues around him gathered, the speaker added more force to his voice.


    “People,rades! “A messenger from the French army came and went just a moment ago!”


    The speaker who reported in detail the conversation between Count Roen and Lee Si-ae raised his voice with an indignant voice and expression.


    “People,rades! Aren’t you angry! Isn’t that embarrassing! This is thend of us Italians! It was we Italians who decided on war! But why do we have to sit back and watch? Should we be spectators to the great feat of ‘Italian unification’? People,rades! Think Mn! Have the idiots of Mn surrendered to us? Surrendered to the Empire! Where is this shameful thing? Still, can we say that they are Italian men who inherited the blood of great Rome? Do you think the women of Florence, Venice, Rome, and Naples will smile at you!”


    “Ooooh!”


    The Florentine soldiers stood up in excitement at the words that stimted their pride as men.


    It’s not that it wasn’t, it was because something simr happened in Mn.


    The soldiers, who were very excited, went to the officers and asked them to take the lead. For the officers who desperately wanted to umte merit, it was like ‘the sweet rain at the end of a drought.’


    “I will dly submit to your threats! Follow me!”


    This happened several times, causing amotion near themand center where Lee Si-ae was currently staying.


    * * *


    “These guys or those guys…”


    Lee Si-ae, who heard the detailed circumstances, put her hand on her forehead and shook her head.


    ‘But it’s also something that can’t be helped. Politics cannot be left out in war, and this war is especially strong…’


    No matter how much the Imperial Army and Swiss Army were the center of power, the Florentine Army could not be ignored. This was because there was a justification for the Florentine army.


    The problem was the chronic disease of the Florentine army. No matter how much they trained, once they got excited, they fought in a disorderly manner. In the end, there was a very high possibility that the entire front would be a mess due to them.


    ‘Hmm… Was this what the French army was aiming for? It’s highly likely. They are more familiar with Italians than we are.’


    “Whoa~. Captain Shin Sook-ju or Captain Seong Sam-moon should have been in charge of the thief. Phew~.”


    Si-ae Lee, who was sighing and grumbling repeatedly, red at themander of the assault force who was gleeful next to her and asked.


    “Are the preparations for the assault forceplete?”


    “yes! “You can sortie at any time!”


    “We will begin the operation the day after tomorrow morning. Make sure you have everything ready by then! “If we get started and something goes wrong, I will use your head as a cannonball!”


    “yep!”


    “Go and get ready!”


    Themander of the assault force, who had been saying he was happy until now, quickly saluted with a white face and disappeared. Lee Si-ae, who sent themander of the assault force, gave orders to his adjutant.


    “Call themander of the Florentine army ande! “Modify the strategy!”


    “yep!”


    Late evening that day. Imperial officers and interpreters holding high white gs arrived at the French trenches.


    “I have news to deliver to Count Roen!”


    At the shout of an imperial officer sitting on a horse, the Count of Roen came out of Pavia Castle and arrived at the trench line.


    Count Ro?n, who responded to the polite courtesy of the Imperial Army officer who identified him, got straight to the point.


    “So what has the Empire decided?”


    “Our Allied forces have decided to ept the French army’s offer. The attack will begin the day after tomorrow morning at 10 am European time.”


    “is it? “Okay.”


    When Count Ro?n nodded, the Imperial Army officer continued.


    “The thief told me to tell you this. ‘I was deeply impressed by the bravery and chivalry of yourmanders. Therefore, I will do my best with respect and admiration.’ That is all.”


    “I understand.”


    “Okay then.”


    After finishing their business, the imperial army officer and interpreter turned on their horses and disappeared.


    Count Roen looked at the imperial army messengers disappearing in the distance and looked back at his fellow generals with a bitter smile.


    “No matter how much I thank you, there’s no need to give me your all…”


    “I agree. Anyway, we have one day, so let’s get ready.”


    And throughout the next day, French soldiers strengthened the defenses of the trench line.


    The bottom of the trench was dug deeper, and the walls and roof of the shelter were strengthened with bags filled with earth. In addition, barriers were erected with dirt bags along each traffic route. This was to reduce the damage from fragments even if a shell exploded if it fell into a trench.


    After making thorough preparations, the soldiers and junior officers visited the priest and held a mass.


    “I hope I can survive safely, and if I must die, I hope I can die at once without suffering from injuries…”


    * * *


    The next morning. After finishing breakfast early, the French generals climbed the walls of Pavia Castle and inspected the Imperial Allied Forces camp.


    The generals held up their telescopes while swallowing dry saliva with tense faces. Like the generals, the soldiers who entered the trench line swallowed dry saliva and swallowed the front lines.


    “What kind of smoke…”


    “Oh, what about that?”


    The French generals who were looking through the imperial army camp through telescopes focused on therge amount of smoke rising right behind the imperial army trench line. The French generals who were paying attention to the plume of smoke that appeared to be quite white all expressed their doubts.


    “Why are the tow trucks there?”


    While the spies were questioning the mass of equipment they said were tow trucks, another general shouted.


    “excuse me! Look 1 league (about 4km) behind!”


    “huh? omg!”


    “Why are they here?”


    At least 10 monks were rising in the sky far behind the Imperial Allied Forces trench line.


    As monks who had not been seen anywhere other than the port of Livorno began to appear, the French generals suddenly felt a chill down their spines.


    ‘I will give my all.’


    It was because I remembered the words the lion left behind.