All the onlookers, including Lieutenant Most, Lieutenant Kermundo, Lieutenant Leonkro, and the fat Major Morimet, were running towards the defensive position on the hillside.
They couldn't wait for Claude's men to move the wooden targets to the other side of the hill for inspection. Instead, they ran over to have a look.
It was unbelievable. The entire drill felt like a joke. Claude led the twenty-odd men in a scattered formation to pass through the firing range of the cannons, rendering the cannons useless. Then, they got down on the ground and crawled forward at the maximum firing range of the cannons. That way, the defenders wouldn't have any targets to aim at and could only prepare for melee combat.
In the end, Claude's men stopped advancing when they were about 150 to 200 meters away. Instead, they got down on the ground and started firing.
It was practically target practice!
Even though the defenders had cannons, the onlookers were well aware that they wouldn't be of much use against such an attack. Even if the cannons hit their mark every time, they would only be able to fire five shots. Claude's side would only lose five soldiers at most, but that wouldn't change the fact that the defenders would be completely wiped out.
One couldn't blame the human-shaped wooden targets on the defensive positions for standing there motionlessly. This was the current military regulations. It was strictly stipulated that when defending, the soldiers had to line up and use volleys of fire far beyond the range of the enemy's muskets to eliminate or defeat the enemy's attacks.
Even if their comrades were injured or even sacrificed, the remaining soldiers would still line up closely to fill in the gaps and continue to listen to their superior's orders to reload and fire.
The sixty-one human-shaped wooden targets were neatly lined up on the hillside. As it was a field exercise, these human-shaped wooden targets were brand new from the warehouse. The onlookers could see the clear and fresh bullet marks on these human-shaped wooden targets.
The guards trained by Claude had decent accuracy. Even though they weren't as accurate as they were in the courtyard behind the infirmary, they were still more than a hundred meters away.
But as they were used to shooting from the ground, they were able to keep their guns down.
In addition, the tightly arranged wooden human-shaped targets on the defensive positions seemed to be bigger targets to aim at. Even if they missed their target, they didn't have to worry about where the bullet would fly to, because the shot was likely to hit the wooden human-shaped target next to it.
The first and second round of fire were mostly aimed at the wooden targets around the tree. It seemed that the guards remembered Claude's words well. Cannons were the biggest threat on the battlefield and they had to be dealt with as soon as possible.
As long as they could wipe out the cannons, the cannons would become mere decorations and wouldn't be a threat to their lives anymore.
The third and fourth round of fire managed to clear out more than half of the wooden targets. There were a total of 27 guns. Gluttonous Gum was tall and burly, so Claude had him carry five loaded and loaded guns to follow him. When he started shooting, Claude only had to light the match to fire six times in one go. He was confident that he managed to hit five targets in the first round. He wasn't sure whether the last shot hit Claude or not, but it was highly likely that it hit the wooden targets that he had already shot at.
The last two rounds of fire were purely to make up for what they had missed. There weren't many wooden targets left. Before the fifth round, Claude remembered that there were still six or seven of them standing. But before the last round, there were only three left. Two of them only took two or three shots, while the last wooden target was the worst off with seven or eight holes on it.
Seeing the bullet marks left on the 61 human-shaped wooden targets on the hill, many of the onlookers were amazed. They didn't think that Claude would be able to use such a method to defeat a stronger opponent. It was a huge surprise to the officers who were used to marching in formation and firing at the same time. Many of them began to wonder if Claude's method could be used in a larger battle.
Komondo looked at the wooden targets on the ground and his face paled. He was full of confidence at the start of the drill, but he didn't think that he would be slapped in the face so quickly.
Despite having superior firepower and the support of the cannons, they were completely wiped out.
"I can't accept this, Sergeant Major Claude. You're being shameless when you fight like that.
You should openly line up and fire at the same time as my soldiers. Only by wiping out our defenders like that would you truly obtain victory … "Second Lieutenant Komondo was twisting words and forcing logic down his throat.
Claude shook his head. "That's sending my men to their deaths. My men are at a disadvantage. Also, my mission is to take over the field, not to line up and fight you.
Now that I've taken over the field, it means that my method of attack is effective and feasible. "
"If you think you can win by having your men crawl on the ground like maggots, I won't object to your self-righteous victory," Komondo retorted with a reddened face.
Second Lieutenant Komondo's face turned red as he retorted, "I thought of you as an honorable soldier of the Bluefeather Regiment, so I wanted to have a fair duel with you, but you have disappointed me.
Look at yourself. Do you still have the dignity of a soldier?
The soldiers of the Blue Feather Army have to maintain their appearance even if they die on the battlefield. But look at your soldiers. Do they even have the dignity of a soldier? They are soldiers, not beggars. Lying on the ground and shooting sneakily, there is nothing glorious about this kind of victory.
If we fight like you in battle, we'll become the laughingstock of Freia even if we win. We are Bluefeather, not maggots! "
The rainy season had just ended in April. Even though the mountains were still green, the soil was still damp.
When Claude rehearsed his attack, he led his guards to run on the ground before crawling forward on all fours.
The military uniforms of this era weren't that durable. In just a short distance of a hundred meters, many of the Garrison Guards' knees and elbows were already worn out. Some of their uniforms were also torn by the rocks and vines on the ground.
Coupled with the dirt on their clothes and the soot-blackened faces from firing, Komondo's criticism wasn't wrong. After the drill, the guards really did look like beggars.
Even Claude was no exception. His uniform was covered in mud and dirt and there was a huge tear on the outside of his left trousers. Even the greyish-white woolen thermal underwear inside could be seen.
The onlookers were initially surprised by Claude's method of attack and the results of the battle, but after hearing Kelmundo's rebuttal and seeing how Claude and the guards were behaving, they couldn't help but feel that Kelmundo's words made sense.
Even though Claude's method of attack was effective, it was rather embarrassing. Gaining victory by crawling on the ground made many of the officers who valued their honor above their lives reconsider whether it was worth it.
Claude could only smile bitterly. He couldn't convince a lieutenant like Kelmundo due to their differing viewpoints. All he wanted was to protect the lives of his men on the battlefield. Sacrificing a few less soldiers and making them look like beggars was already a huge bargain.
Isn't the essence of war to eliminate the enemy and ensure victory? Why bother with all that?
You'd rather have your men die on the battlefield in a neat and tidy manner than crawl on the ground like a worm. What bullshit. Do you think your men are willing to die like that?
If it weren't for the strict military law, which soldier would be willing to line up and face the threat of death head-on?
There were plenty of officers like Komondo in Bluefeather and even in the kingdom. They saw their soldiers as nothing more than grass and not their own brothers and sisters.
To them, there would be plenty of new recruits when the soldiers went to the commoners. All they needed was a short period of training to learn how to march in formation and fire before they could enter the battlefield. It would be a stepping stone for them to earn glory and merit.
They didn't really care how many soldiers died. At worst, they would just have to recruit more from the commoners.
Even though junior officers also had to risk their lives on the battlefield, their survival rate was much higher than the cannon fodder soldiers. At the very least, it was higher than a sergeant major like Claude.
Just like when marching in a formation, a sergeant major like Claude was often relied on by the soldiers. He had to stand in the middle of the formation and give orders to the soldiers on both sides to ensure the speed of the formation and the distance between them and the formation in front.
Komondo, on the other hand, would stand two to three meters away from the other side of the formation and blow the whistle in his mouth to make the soldiers march in accordance with the rhythm of the whistle.
Once they entered the enemy's firing range, anyone could imagine whether the enemy would fire at the officers at the side or the soldiers who were huddled together.
Unless they were unlucky, even if a row of soldiers, sergeants and sergeants were sacrificed, the officer at the side would still be alive and kicking to fill in the gaps in the front.
There were also medics and stretcher squads. The first rule of treating injured soldiers on the battlefield was to save officers first.
Heavily injured soldiers and lightly injured officers were to be saved first.
Officers who died in battle and soldiers who were injured were to be brought down from the battlefield first, regardless of whether the injured soldiers were dead or alive.
Only when there were no casualties on the battlefield could the wounded soldiers be rescued.
It was precisely this unequal rule that created the conflict between officers and soldiers. Of course, it also had a lot to do with the large number of nobles in the kingdom joining the army to become officers.
As a result, the royal army had no choice but to promote old soldiers to sergeants and sergeants to make up for the tension between officers and soldiers.
That was why Komondo's criticism of Claude was rather pleasing to the ears of many, such as the rotund Major Morimet. He loudly agreed, "Well said! Our Bluefeather soldiers should line up neatly and march with firm steps, with our heads held high and our chests puffed out!
No matter how fierce the artillery fire is, it will not be able to break our belief in victory. Let the enemy collapse in front of our iron will. Even if we have to pay a huge sacrifice, we can portray a heroic image in the hearts of the enemy. Let all the enemies tremble in fear when they see the fluttering blue feather on our military cap in the future and run away when they hear the news … "
Claude didn't want to argue with an idiot. Major Morimet was only a bystander, so he could naturally praise the soldiers who were sent to their deaths and spout nonsense.
If you let him line up in the middle of the first line, he might piss his pants the moment he heard the enemy's cannons and crawl into a pile of corpses.
Instead, it was the conversation between the lieutenant-colonel and the other officers that caught Claude's attention.
"Actually, building a short wall in front of the defending team can block most of the attacks from the attackers, effectively reducing the unnecessary casualties of the defending team.
Perhaps we can put that on the list of things we need to pay attention to. "
"I think it's a little too rigid for the defenders to line up and wait at their defensive positions. In fact, the attackers don't have enough manpower. When they start shooting from the ground, they should immediately counterattack. They should rely on their advantage in numbers to rush over and kill the enemies …"
Claude walked towards Most and asked, "Are we going to practice defense drills next?"
Second Lieutenant Most shook his head. "There's no need for that. Second Lieutenant Komondo thinks that as long as you lay on the ground and use the same method of shooting and attacking to defend, he would not be able to carry out the drill. He thinks that this is a shameless and shameful way of fighting, without the slightest bit of honor and grace of a soldier. That's why he doesn't want to lower himself to your level, so he brought his platoon back to camp first …"