Chapter 449 Battle Situation

…

Roland walked into the messy castle. Perot and Count Hermon were already kneeling in the hall to welcome him.

All the corpses on the ground have been removed, but the smell of blood still lingers. Broken furnishings and broken weapons can be seen everywhere. He can almost imagine the scene of the two sides fighting here repeatedly during the battle for the castle.

"Get up," Roland walked up to him, bent down and held his arm.

"Yes," Pero's voice was choked, "Your Highness, you are finally here."

"You have done a good job," he said solemnly, "the four major families will pay the due price for this, and the murderer will be brought to justice."

"I failed to defend Changsong Fortress for you..."

"You've done your best, it's not your fault," Roland sighed. Pelor is not a manager who is good at conquering and fighting. It can be seen from the previous capture of the city by light cavalry and this noble rebellion. He is good at managing the territory, is very proficient in trade, and is good at seizing opportunities, but he is not a Machiavellian. Combat and intrigue are not good. If the Second Army had not entered the castle in accordance with emergency measures this time, he might not have been able to hold on for two days.

But this does not mean that Perot Hermon is not a good manager. If he is not good at fighting, he should give him a territory that does not require fighting. Compared with talents who can fight, Roland prefers operators with business minds.

"I believe there must be an inducement to this riot," he looked around at everyone present. "This is a complete conspiracy. The enemy is trying to subvert the order of the Western Territory and seek benefits that do not belong to them!"

The scene fell silent, and both the soldiers of the First Army who were on guard with guns and the injured knight behind Perot looked at His Royal Highness with burning eyes.

"For this reason, they did not hesitate to commit serious crimes, murdering nobles and killing people. After today's battle, I don't know how many people in the territory will lose their families and how many houses will be looted. But in the end, their conspiracy failed. Your unyielding resistance prevented the fortress from falling into a greater tragedy. Your performance is heroic and your will is commendable!"

The knights unconsciously lifted their chests higher.

"But the battle is not over yet. These rebels are fleeing in panic. Next is the time for us to take revenge! I swear, no matter where the enemy hides, he will not be able to escape the judgment that will come, no matter in the territory of the four major families... ...Still in the royal capital!" Roland paused and said decisively, "And the culprit who caused the rebellion will definitely be punished! Your blood... will not be shed in vain!"

"Long live your highness!" Perot and Earl Hermon knelt down again.

"Long live your highness, long live!" followed by the surviving knights and soldiers of the second army.

Soon everyone knelt down on one knee, stood upright, put their right hands on their chests, and chanted a slogan in unison.

"Long live His Highness Roland!"

…

After appeasing the people present, Roland summoned Pero, Vanner, Brian and Iron Ax to the study on the third floor of the castle. This was the only place that had not been invaded, and all the furnishings were basically intact. He knew that he would probably spend the next few days here.

The first thing is to understand the battle situation in the city. He looked at Iron Ax, who immediately went out to report: "The North City Gate and East City Gate occupied by the four major families have been recaptured by the witches, and now the First Army is under the guidance of Miss Sylvie After clearing out the rebels in the city, order in the city should be restored by tomorrow morning."

"Where are the casualties?"

"So far, a total of six people have been injured, all from the rifle battalion, but they have been treated by Miss Nanawa."

"What about the Second Army? Have you calculated the statistics?"

"Not yet... But judging from the news we have learned so far, the casualties are relatively heavy." Brian hesitated. "The two teams that went to support the city wall were defeated and have not been gathered up yet. Among the fifty people stationed in the castle, Eleven people were killed, and almost none of the soldiers patrolling the city walls survived.”

Roland nodded. The fact that these 100 people could persist for two days was also due to the low intensity of war in this era. Especially when the enemy lacked effective weapons to attack the enemy, the defending side often had a greater advantage. If the other party hadn't also used firearms, it would have been difficult to break through the lord's castle with the flesh and blood of the mercenaries and personal guards. From the beginning of its design, this building was fully considered to prevent enemy attacks.

Thinking of this, he told Tie Axe, "Go get some firearms used by the rebels and let me see them."

Roland was quite concerned about the new hot weapons of this era. Although he knew that this day would come sooner or later since the birth of Snow Powder, Tifeko's research and development speed really surprised him.

Iron Ax quickly executed the order, and half a quarter of an hour later, several long-barreled weapons of different lengths and shapes were moved into the study by the soldiers.

After seeing the actual objects, Roland quickly understood why the other party was able to build these weapons in such a short period of time.

These long tubes cannot be called muskets in a sense. They have no triggers and no firing devices. They are just metal tubes with holes at both ends. One end is deeper and used for loading gunpowder and projectiles, with a small needle-like hole left at the end for ignition; the other end is shallower and serves as a handle after inserting a bamboo pole or wooden stick.

Structurally, it is very similar to the prototype of the musket, the fire door gun.

The loading process of this primitive firearm is the same as that of a flintlock gun, but firing is more troublesome, requiring the gunner to hold the wooden pole under his arm and hold an open flame in the other hand to ignite the gunpowder. Due to the limitation of his posture, he couldn't even aim when shooting, he could only point roughly straight ahead.

But it is still an out-and-out hot weapon. Regardless of all the inconveniences, its firing principle is exactly the same as that of a flintlock gun. The barrel and projectiles are no different from those of later generations. Therefore, it is far more powerful than a crossbow. As long as it hits , even the knight armor could not block its blow.

Moreover, these several types of fire door guns with different shapes can clearly see the effort that Tifeko has spent on the modification. Some are rolled from iron sheets, and there are clear traces of beating on the barrels, while some are probably made of cooked iron. Made of copper, the surface is smooth. Considering that this is just an experimental product provided to the four major families, Tifeko's own firearms should be better.

It's just that... no matter how good the fire door gun is, it is still a fire door gun.

When the spring offensive was launched, Wangdu had no chance of winning against the Western Army, which was equipped with revolver rifles, bolt-action rifles and heavy machine guns.

Roland turned his attention back to the four of them, "Starting from tomorrow, the First Army will regain the outskirts of Changsong Fortress one by one. Any nobles who resist can be killed on the spot. I hope that in a week, the entire Western Territory will be unified!"

"As you command, Your Highness!" The four of them responded in unison. (To be continued.)