Although they had suffered a series of defeats and lost nearly half of their troops, they had forced the enemies stationed in Squirrel Village back to their own camp. This should be considered something worth celebrating.
Even if the enemy had built their encampment like a small fortress, it was still much better than having them defend outside and use endless plots and tricks to make the territory's allied nobles suffer losses …
It was like a mouse that had fallen into a jar of oil. Though it had eaten the oil, it couldn't climb out. All that was left was to wait and see when it would be killed.
This was why the nobles were so excited. They could finally sleep in peace at night without having to worry about being harassed by the enemy at night. As long as the nobles' private army held Squirrel Village, the enemy wouldn't be able to leave their camp.
The funny thing was, the enemy had trapped themselves like turtles in a jar.
After celebrating for a while, the nobles began discussing how to take over the small fortress.
Baron Kunrona of Canas, who was born in the army, was excited. He used bread to mold the enemy's mud wall and wooden fence on the table and began his long speech, "Everyone, I've discovered a flaw in the enemy's wall. It's straight. In other words, the enemy can only attack from the front and can't shoot from the side. This will reduce our casualties …"
Many of the nobles nodded. Baron Kunrona was right, but perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the wall was only 70 metres long.
The distance was too short and there wasn't enough space to set up protruding horse-faces. Perhaps it was due to a lack of manpower and time.
However, this had nothing to do with the nobles. They only cared about when they could take down the enemy's camp.
"Though we've suffered great losses and our equipment and training can't compare to the enemy, our greatest advantage is our manpower.
We know that the enemy only has around a hundred soldiers. The real reason they gave up on fighting us is because they don't have enough troops. Even if we trade ten of our men for one of their casualties, they won't be able to hold on. They're afraid that they won't have enough soldiers to defend their camp. "
Baron Kunrona continued to express his opinion: "The gap between our forces and the enemy's is still more than twenty to one, so I am full of confidence in capturing the enemy's camp.
What we need to think about is reducing our casualties and eliminating the enemy in the shortest time possible.
Therefore, I think that starting tomorrow, we should send all the conscripted subjects to chop down trees and transport them to Squirrel Village to make wooden carts and ladders for attacking the city. "
One of the nobles raised his head and asked, "Are we sure we want to make these things in Squirrel Village?
The enemy has two standard infantry cannons of the kingdom, and they have a range of 700 metres.
If we let our private soldiers and conscripts gather in Squirrel Village, I'm worried that the enemy will fire their cannons and cause us unnecessary losses … "
"Don't worry about that."
Baron Kunrona laughed confidently, "Actually, I've considered this problem when I was observing Squirrel Village on the hillside in the afternoon, but I think it's a helpless move for the enemy to abandon Squirrel Village and retreat to their camp because they don't have enough troops to defend such a huge Squirrel Village.
For us, Squirrel Village is a very ideal starting point for the frontline attack. First, it's close to the enemy's camp, and second, it's flat ground from Squirrel Village to the enemy's defensive wall. It can smoothly ensure that the siege equipment can be pushed to the bottom of the wall in a short time. At the same time, it can maintain the physical strength of our soldiers without consuming too much power.
It's true that the enemy's cannons cover the entire Squirrel Village, but I don't know if you've figured it out yet. If we stay in the back half of Squirrel Village and avoid 300 metres in front, the defending enemy won't be able to harm our people with their cannons. Even if the enemy opens fire, they won't be able to do anything to our people. "
"Why?"
A noble who didn't know much about military affairs asked this question appropriately. Baron Kunrona gave him a look of approval, so he could continue the topic.
"It's simple. The infantry cannons that the enemy is equipped with are a famous light standard cannons of Aueras. Our duchy has tested them before, and I just so happen to know the results of the tests through a military connection."
Baron Kunrona flaunted his military connections. There was actually nothing secretive about the tests.
As a member of the anti-Aueras alliance, the Askilinian military naturally had to understand the enemy's strength, strengths, and weaknesses. That way, they would have a good idea of what to do on the battlefield.
"The infantry light field cannons are mainly used as firepower support for infantry when attacking or defending. Its main advantage is that it's light and can be used in mountainous terrain or in the field.
While its range can reach 700 metres, its true might is only within a range of 200 to 300 metres.
"For example, it can only destroy or destroy a wooden carriage that's used as a shield within 200 to 300 metres. Beyond that range, there's no chance of damage unless the cannons hit the same spot several times in a row.
"After testing the cannons, our duchy believes that the greatest advantage of the infantry cannons is that they can fire canister shells when defending. They have a range of 100 metres and can deal great damage to unprotected soldiers.
"I'm sure we've all understood this point. Yesterday, the enemy used two light infantry cannons to defend our position and shelled our camp in the afternoon to lure our private soldiers out. We've all witnessed the power of their canister shells."
Baron Kunrona's words evoked the unbearable memories of the day before. They had lost 1,200 men in a single day. That was the most painful experience of defeat.
Many nobles gritted their teeth and cursed their enemies for the loss of their own interests.
"There are two reasons why I suggested building the raft in Squirrel Village. First, it's close to the enemy and the ground is flat, making it suitable for us to attack.
"At the same time, the villagers' houses in Squirrel Village provide us with cover. Although these houses are dilapidated, as long as we're in the back half of the village, 300 metres away, the enemy's cannons won't be able to harm us.
"We can build wooden carriages there and use them to block the cannons. Once we have enough, we'll push forward and leave more space for our men to move.
"The second purpose is to lure the enemy into firing at the wooden carriages. The fiercer they fire, the faster the gunpowder reserves will be consumed.
I really want to know whether their cannons can destroy the wooden carts faster or if we can make wooden carts faster. Once their gunpowder reserves are almost depleted, we can launch an attack and easily capture the enemy's camp without paying too much of a price. "
Baron Kunrona proudly explained the reason and purpose behind his proposal to build the wooden carriages, drawing the approval and praise of many of the nobles.
This was because this was a truly effective offensive strategy against the enemy's stubborn resistance.
"But what if the enemy doesn't open fire at the wooden carriages?"
Everywhere there were people who couldn't bear to see other people's glory, and there were many like this among the nobles. Some of the nobles immediately raised their doubts.
"Haha …" Baron Kunrona laughed loudly. "I'm using an overt scheme. The enemy won't fight against these wooden carriages in the end.
Because if the enemy doesn't fire at these wooden carriages, then when we launch an attack, these wooden carriages will be able to withstand the cannonball fire from their two cannons and won't be able to harm our attackers.
"Everyone should have carefully observed the enemy's defensive walls this afternoon. They even built wooden sheds on top of the wooden fences to prevent us from lining up behind the wooden carriages and firing in unison.
"Although our soldiers' firearms aren't as advanced as the enemy's, they have a longer range and can be accurately aimed.
However, the muskets in the hands of our soldiers were not fire sticks. If we had the cover of the wooden rafts, we could line up and fire together to deal damage to the enemy.
"But the enemy is very sinister and thoughtful. They deliberately built wooden sheds on top of the wooden fences for protection. This shows that the enemy has foresight and experience in defending. They won't be unaware of the dangers of these wooden carriages and will definitely open fire to destroy them.
"Also, I found that Squirrel Village has a lot of wheat straws and dead branches for firewood. These are all weapons we can use when attacking.
"As long as we push the wooden carriages in front of the enemy's walls, we can gather some firewood and pile it there. Then we can pour some water to make it smoke and use the smoke to block the enemy's line of sight. This can also greatly reduce the casualties of our soldiers."
This time, almost all the nobles applauded and cheered for Baron Kunrona's words.
After his analysis, no one felt that the enemy's small fortress-like encampment was difficult to take.
Thus, everyone offered suggestions on how to take the enemy's encampment faster and with fewer casualties.
"Perhaps we can split our troops into two groups. One group will continue to fill in the traps along the mountain path and tie down the enemy's defensive forces on the other side.
We all know that the enemy is short on manpower. This might make it easier to launch an attack on Squirrel Village … "one of the nobles suggested.
However, after some discussion, everyone decided to shelve this suggestion for now. Even if they filled in the large trap on the road, who knew how many more were waiting for them on the mountain path ahead.
Even if they had to lose a pack horse every time they discovered a trap, these pack horses were also their wealth for the nobles who now had a perfect plan to take over the enemy's encampment. No one was willing to easily lose them to a trap.
"What if the enemy suddenly attacks us while we're making the wooden carriages?" another noble raised a question.
This time, there was no need for Baron Kunrona to answer. Soon, another noble stood up. "Our family's armed forces aren't to be trifled with. Although Baron Kunrona has given up 300 metres, we can still make use of the villagers' dilapidated houses in front of us and station a group of elites to guard against enemy surprise attacks.
Although our soldiers' firearms aren't as good as the enemy's, they can still kill the enemy at close range.
"Yesterday afternoon, our soldiers made a big mistake. They were so eager to capture the enemy's two cannons that they forgot about the firearms in their hands.
If they could have chased the cannons to within a hundred meters and fired a barrage of shots, killing a few cannoneers, perhaps they wouldn't have been tricked by the cannons, which would have led to the annihilation of the whole army … "
This was the truth. Yesterday afternoon, the 200 to 300 nobles' private soldiers who were chasing the two cannons only knew how to run for their lives and forgot about the firearms in their hands. As a result, they were ambushed by the enemy using the cannons, and not a single one of them made it back. This made the nobles so angry that they vomited blood.
After discussing for most of the night, the nobles finally decided to carry out the preparations for the attack according to Baron Kunrona's suggestion.
Tomorrow, all the citizens who had been recruited would be sent to chop down trees and transport them to Squirrel Village to make wooden carriages.
As for the nobles' private soldiers, a large group would be left to guard the camp here, while the rest would be divided into two groups.
One group would supervise the work of the citizens who had been recruited, while the other group would be stationed in Squirrel Village to guard against sneak attacks and surprise attacks from the enemy.
Thus, for the next two days, Squirrel Village was very lively. Trees were cut down one after another and transported into the village.
If it wasn't for the fact that the cherry tree on the hillside behind the village was too big, it might have been cut down like the other trees in the small forest.
Wooden carriages were very easy to make. Six or seven trees had their branches cut off, and five or six metres thick tree trunks were taken from the middle to form a row. Then, the body of the car and two wheels were added to the back.
In any case, they were all disposable items, so there was no need to make them so elaborate.
On the first day, dozens of citizens who knew carpentry made more than ten wooden carriages and set them up in the village's open space as a shelter.
The enemy did indeed fire at these wooden carriages, but after firing a few times, they found that what they were doing was useless and stopped the bombardment.
On the second day, there were 40 to 50 more wooden carriages in the village, and they were moved forward by nearly 100 metres.
The enemy in the camp opened fire again.
However, they only destroyed five or six of them before stopping the bombardment.
On the third day, the village was practically filled with wooden carriages. The ones at the front were pushed to the entrance of the village, which was only a hundred metres away from the enemy camp.
This time, the enemy's bombardment was more intense. The bombardment lasted for more than half an hour before stopping. However, only 30 wooden carriages were destroyed, and they were quickly replaced by new ones.
"We'll attack tomorrow morning!"
Satisfied, the nobles gave the order to attack. They also let the nobles' private soldiers and citizens have a good meal. They had been working hard for the past few days. At night, they were allowed to have a good night's sleep in Squirrel Village, so that they could recharge and conquer the enemy's camp in one fell swoop the next day.
The enemy didn't give up on the bombardment, firing a few times every half an hour.
The nobles told the nobles' private soldiers and citizens not to worry. Even if the wooden carriages at the entrance of the village were destroyed, it wouldn't matter. At worst, they could just replace them with new ones the next morning.
They wanted to see how much gunpowder the enemy had wasted on the wooden carriages.
As long as the nobles' private soldiers on sentry duty at night were careful and didn't let the enemy ambush them in desperation.
In the middle of the night, within the camp, Claude looked at the three light infantry cannons and asked, "Are you ready?"
Charcoal was burning in a metal basin beside him, and a few cannonballs were burning bright red.
"Don't worry, Boss. It's great that it hasn't rained in the past three days. I've been observing from the top of the walls. The enemy didn't notice that we've splashed kerosene on the shacks. There's also the firewood and powder in the trenches, and the kerosene on the wooden fences."
"Alright, Mazik, fire the cannons. Let the enemy have a barbecue party," Claude instructed nonchalantly.