"We have to retreat," Claude said to the officers beside him.
"Can't we just stay here and defend for a few more days?"
Mazik looked rather embarrassed. It was his fault that a few dozen of the enemy managed to reach the defensive line in the morning.
They didn't control the firing rhythm of the two cannons well. They were so nervous that the two cannons fired almost at the same time. This gave the enemy a chance to rush to the position in the short two minutes when the cannons were cleaned and reloaded. They had a short hand-to-hand battle with the guards, causing more than 20 guards to be injured or killed.
Claude only had around eighty soldiers who could still fight. Including the three cannon crews, Myjack, and Gum, they only had around a hundred men left.
Even though the two duchies suffered heavy losses in the three attacks in the morning, they still had around three thousand men left.
If they continued to attack in the afternoon, Claude couldn't guarantee that the defensive line wouldn't be overrun. The difference in numbers was simply too great.
On the other hand, the defensive battle in the morning had exhausted the soldiers in the position. Fortunately, those who rushed into the position in the morning were the brave conscripts, not the well-trained elite veterans.
Mazik also had the two light cannons fire to cover the frontlines and cut off the enemy's reinforcements. That was how Claude and the others had time to wipe out the enemies that charged in.
Claude shook his head. "Let's see if the enemy will launch another desperate attack like they did in the morning.
We don't have to defend against the enemy. We're just using the terrain to reduce their strength.
If the enemy continues to attack, then we need to maintain our defensive strength and not cause too many casualties here.
If we really can't stop them, we'll have to retreat. There's no need to fight them to the death. "
Claude only saw the huge difference in numbers between the two sides. He didn't know that the three attacks in the morning had caused so many casualties that the nobles of both duchies were scared out of their wits.
There were only three attacks launched by more than one thousand and five hundred people. Only six hundred people were left standing after retreating, and they were six hundred people who had lost their wits and were scared out of their wits.
There weren't many of the nobles' private soldiers that were temporarily divided into two brigades. The main reason for this was that the defenders of the position prioritized shooting the attackers who were armed with firearms and wearing military uniforms.
As a result, after three attacks, the five hundred or so commoners who had retreated were unwilling to attack again without the supervision of the nobles' private army.
The nobles had no choice but to withdraw their troops and return to camp. They did not launch another attack in the afternoon. Instead, they gathered in the big tent to discuss how to deal with the current situation. Some even suggested to withdraw their troops and go home.
However, the suggestion of retreating was quickly tossed to the back of the nobles' minds. After all, there were less than two hundred enemies, and they still had more than three thousand on their side. If they returned like this, they would immediately become a disgrace to the nobles. The two grand dukes might very well use this battle as an excuse to strip them of their titles and take back their territories …
This was related to the survival of the nobles' families and the bottom line of their titles. The nobles finally made up their minds. After discussing for a long time, they decided to eliminate the enemies guarding Squirrel Village no matter how many casualties they had to pay.
Once again, they transferred their private soldiers according to the ratio and reorganized them into three brigades of more than seven hundred people. Then, they added all the remaining citizens into the brigades. With one private soldier leading two citizens, they formed an attacking force of more than two thousand people.
In order to reduce casualties, the nobles decided not to attack in the afternoon and let the attacking force rest well before launching their attack at night.
At the same time, they decided to send a temporary brigade of private soldiers to lead a brigade of commoners up the hill from Point A after dinner. They would circle around to the side of the enemy's camp and launch a sudden attack after the enemy attacked from the other side. That way, the enemy wouldn't be able to deal with a pincer attack from both sides. That way, they would be able to use their advantage in numbers to take down the enemy in one fell swoop.
"Boss, we made our way to the enemy's camp and found that the enemy's defenses are tight.
I used my binoculars and saw that the enemy is resting. Most of them are sleeping on the ground. Very few of them are moving around, "reported Moriad, who had brought a few soldiers to scout and wanted to launch a sneak attack.
Claude stroked his chin. "Looks like the enemy doesn't want to attack in the afternoon. Letting the soldiers rest means that they're planning to attack at night.
Since that's the case, let's go join in the fun. Don't let them sleep too deeply and wake them up to pee.
Mazik, take a small team and move the two light infantry cannons a thousand metres forward.
Fire at the enemy's camp at maximum range. Don't let them sleep too comfortably.
If the enemy moves out with their entire army, retreat immediately with the two cannons. We'll retreat as we fight. When the enemy gets within two hundred metres of us, reload and fire alternately.
If the enemy sends out a small squad, just keep firing at the camp and leave the rest to us. Got it? "
That was quite a risky move. The camp set up by the nobles was opposite Point A and around fifteen hundred metres away from Claude's camp at Point D.
The maximum range of the light infantry cannons was seven hundred metres, but it was only around six hundred metres in practical use.
Claude had Mazik lead a small team to help the two cannons move the cannons a thousand metres forward before firing at the enemy camp. The main goal was to scare the enemy so that they wouldn't be able to rest properly.
In actuality, the damage that fist-sized cannons could do was rather limited. Not to mention, there was also the risk of not being able to retreat safely with the two cannons if the enemy's entire army attacked.
Moriad led a small team of soldiers to attack the guards of the camp to see if they could lure some of the enemy out.
However, the outcome was as Claude expected. After three failed attacks in the morning, the nobles weren't in the mood to get tangled up with Claude's group. They didn't chase them out of the camp noisily like they usually did when they were ambushed.
After losing a few guards, they hid behind the wooden fences of the camp and refused to leave. There were only a few enemies who were ambushed anyway. Even if they couldn't hit anyone, they wouldn't be able to get in.
I'll endure it for the afternoon and settle the score with them when night falls.
Less than an hour later, the cannons boomed and two fist-sized cannons landed in the camp. Only one soldier was injured, but the entire camp was as chaotic as a wet market. Not a single person could sleep peacefully. The panicked commoners scurried around in search of a safe place to hide from the cannons.
Another two cannons boomed and another two cannons landed in the camp. The damage this time was rather decent. One soldier was killed and two commoners were injured like headless flies.
Blood and the cries of the wounded only added to the chaos in the camp. Many commoners were on the verge of losing their minds. They screamed as they scurried around. Anything in their way was pushed to the ground, be it human or object.
Cannons continued to be fired into the camp. A few nobles risked their lives to take a look and almost coughed up blood from anger.
The enemy in the defensive position actually dared to move the cannons to a place less than six or seven hundred meters away from the camp. This was simply preposterous. They were too arrogant and did not treat the allied nobles as a meal.
There was no need for any discussion. A few nobles ordered their private soldiers to charge out of the camp and seize the two cannons.
Two to three hundred of them charged out of the camp and went straight for the cannons.
Noticing that the enemy had charged out of the camp, the cannons immediately stopped firing and had the two packhorses pull the cannons back to the defensive line.
The nobles who sent their private soldiers to chase after the enemy wanted nothing more than to cheer them on. The cannons were fired about a kilometer away from the defensive line. Even with the packhorses, the cannons were still rather slow in the mountains. If their private soldiers ran fast enough, they could catch up to the enemy in ten minutes or so. By then, the two standard light infantry cannons would be theirs.
With the two cannons in hand, they wouldn't have to worry about the heavy casualties they would have to pay to attack the enemy's defensive line.
Under the fiery gazes of the nobles, the private soldiers who had just chased for more than two hundred meters were suddenly shot at from the side. A small group of enemies opened fire at the pursuing private soldiers from the bushes. Five or six unlucky people were shot and fell to the ground …
"Ignore them! Go after the cannons!"
The nobles in the camp saw that the private soldiers were hesitating. They didn't know if they should continue chasing the cannons or turn around to attack the small group of ambushers. They panicked and shouted for the soldiers to ignore the ambushers and go after the cannons first. It was obvious that the ambushers were trying to slow down the pursuers so that the cannons could retreat. If the pursuers turned around, they would fall into their trap.
There was a clear-headed individual among the private soldiers. He saw the signal from the nobles in the camp and hurriedly ordered his private soldiers to chase after the cannons. They were to ignore the ambushers and chase after the cannons.
But very quickly, when the small team of enemies from the side saw that the pursuing private soldiers did not change their direction, they calmly reloaded their ammunition and fired at the private soldiers' backs again, knocking down another seven or eight private soldiers …
The nobles in the camp hurriedly organized another hundred or so private soldiers to charge at the small group of ambushers. At the very least, they had to drive them away so that they wouldn't be able to take advantage of the private soldiers chasing after the cannons and firing at them.
Now, the only ones that the nobles could command were the private soldiers of the families. The citizens who were conscripted were still panicking in the camp. If it wasn't for the wooden fence around the camp, they might have already run away.
Another small group of ambushers fired from the side of the private soldiers chasing after the cannons, causing another seven to eight casualties. The leader of the private soldiers still ordered his men to ignore the ambushers and continue to chase after the two cannons.
The nobles in the camp gathered more than a hundred private soldiers and chased after the small group of ambushers …
Three hundred meters, two hundred meters. The private soldiers were getting closer and closer to the two cannons. Seeing that they were still far away from the defensive position, the gunners unloaded the cannons from their horses and placed them on the ground. They picked up the gunpowder barrels and poured gunpowder into the cannons.
"Oh no, the enemy is going to blow up the cannons. Run, stop them!" A sharp-eyed private soldier saw the gunners' actions and turned pale with fright.
It was very simple. They just needed to pour gunpowder into the cannons, plug them with a piece of wood or cloth, point the muzzle at the ground, and ignite the fuse. Once the fuse exploded, the cannons would be destroyed. This was part of the cannons' destruction training that every veteran would receive. Generally speaking, the simplest way was to use red-hot nails to nail the cannons.
But now, the enemy had no place to find red-hot nails …
None of the pursuing private soldiers noticed that the muzzles of the two cannons were unintentionally aimed at the direction they were charging from. Furthermore, the seemingly panicky gunners beside the cannons were actually exaggerating as if they were putting on a show. Even the two gunners who were pouring gunpowder into the barrels of the cannons were not nervous at all, and even had smiles on their faces.
The gunpowder barrels in their hands were originally empty. There was no gunpowder at all.
Seeing that the private soldiers were less than a hundred meters away, the two gunners who were pouring gunpowder threw away the empty gunpowder barrels in their hands and pretended to be panicking as they shouted, "Run, the enemy is catching up!"
The two cannons were in their hands!
All the private soldiers who were chasing after the cannons revealed smiles on their faces. They only wanted to bring the two cannons back to the camp and receive the rewards from the nobles.
Everyone wanted to catch up and snatch the two cannons as fast as possible. They even forgot that they were still holding guns in their hands as they ran for their lives …
"Open fire!"
A loud shout woke up a few of the nobles' private soldiers who were running at the front. They only saw the two cannons' muzzles flash, and a large number of black granules flew towards them. Then, they felt their bodies heat up, and there was the sound of water leaking. Then, they fell into eternal darkness.
The hundred and thirty or so nobles' private soldiers who were chasing at the front were almost wiped out by the two cannons' cannons. The sixty or seventy private soldiers who were lagging behind were stunned by this sudden turn of events. They really didn't expect the two cannons to be loaded with cannons. They ran so far just to tempt them to chase after them …
Before they could recover from their shock, more than fifty enemies stood up on the two sides of the two cannons with guns raised. The sound of gunfire rang out, and the surviving private soldiers were shot down one by one in the midst of the smoke.
The nobles in the camp watched as the two to three hundred private soldiers who were chasing after the two cannons were completely annihilated. The two cannons were reloaded with gunpowder and cannons, and the soldiers at the side pulled out their bayonets and inserted them into the muzzles to check on the fallen private soldiers. From time to time, they would stab the wounded with their bayonets to relieve their pain, and at the same time, they would plunder the corpses of the private soldiers on the ground for money.
The two ambushing squads led the hundreds of private soldiers who were chasing after them in a big circle in the forest and returned to the side of the two cannons. Looking at the two cannons and the soldiers who were ready to fire, the leader of the private soldiers wisely chose to retreat to the camp instead of rushing forward in a hot-headed manner …