May 13th, sunny.
In a mountain field not far from the military camp on Fulkby Hill, there were nearly a hundred people standing on a small hill. Most of them were Weiji officers. There were also four or five major officers with a silver crescent on their epaulettes. The highest-ranking person in the crowd was a lieutenant colonel. They were all curious onlookers attracted by a small-scale field confrontation exercise of the 11th Field Battalion.
The protagonist of this field confrontation exercise is Claude. Ever since he and Second Lieutenant Most proposed that he lead the treatment center security team to conduct an attack and defense field confrontation exercise with a combat squadron, this strange competition has caused a stir. attracted the attention of many officers of the Blue Feather Corps. No, once the date was confirmed, a lot of onlookers came from the entire Blue Feather Legion. They were curious about why Claude was confident of winning.
As we all know, a full combat squadron has fifty-four people, and the treatment center garrison led by Claude can only be divided into two squads, seventeen recruits plus Claude himself and four noblemen as non-commissioned officers. , plus a sixteen-year-old recruit who was running errands, there were only twenty-three people in total. Based on a combat team's full complement of twelve people, there was still one short of establishment. And everyone knows who the new recruits assigned to Claude are. The number is more than half, and the training time is not as long as that of the other party. They also require the other party to be equipped with an artillery. Is he losing his mind and going crazy
More people regard this on-the-ground confrontation exercise as a farce. The obvious comparison of military strength and artillery superiority makes the results clear at a glance. What else is there to compete with? This Claude, relying on the support of Baroness Maria behind him, really caused some outrageous things.
Who does he think he is, the reincarnation of the God of War? This is no longer the medieval era of personal bravery. The advent of muskets has swept those heroes who bravely charged into battle, beheaded enemies and captured flags into the garbage heap of history. Even those magical powers The majority of magicians were driven to the remote island of Shigros with guns. What confidence did Claude have in daring to propose such test conditions for a field confrontation exercise
"The 1107th Combat Squadron will defend first. They occupy the hillside in front. The full strength is fifty-four. At your request, an additional artillery and a gun crew of seven will be added. The total strength is sixty-one. ." Lieutenant Most placed a simple map on the table, and he pointed at an irregular oval on the map and said to Claude.
Second Lieutenant Most and Second Lieutenant Carlos of the Gunpowder Department of the Logistics Department were the organizers and referees of this field confrontation exercise. Training and field confrontation exercises below the squadron size in the military camp do not require higher-ranking officers to preside over it. If the news hadn't spread and aroused the interest of many people, there would not have been so many people watching this small-scale field confrontation exercise.
"You will launch an attack here with the purpose of occupying this hillside." Second Lieutenant Most continued to point on the map: "Considering that the defender has placed an artillery piece on the position, your attacker will have to wait until he enters 800 meters. distance, we will calculate the damage caused by artillery fire, and randomly select combatants every ten minutes during the battle as victims of artillery damage. No objection, right?"
Claude and the other strong second lieutenant both shook their heads and expressed no objection.
"Okay, Lieutenant Kemont, when you find that the enemy intends to attack your defensive position, please arrange your defense position." Second Lieutenant Most said to the strong second lieutenant.
"I lined up three squads of combat soldiers to stand on the right side of the position, while the artillery was placed on the left, and assigned a small group of combat soldiers to line up behind the artillery for protection." The strong Lieutenant Kemondo took a step forward, A gesture was drawn on the map: "In fact, I personally think that this field confrontation exercise is unnecessary. After all, there are too few enemies. Before entering the musket range of our defenders during the attack, most of them were wiped out by artillery fire." , the remaining few can be wiped out with hand-to-hand combat."
Claude just smiled at Lieutenant Cmondeau's contempt and said nothing.
"Okay, stop complaining. I owe you a favor, okay?" Second Lieutenant Most sighed. This guy didn't even look at the fact that there were so many legion campers here to watch this field confrontation exercise. You can say whatever you want when you open your mouth, without giving yourself any face. What a bad temper: "Take your soldiers to set up positions."
Lieutenant Kemondo nodded, went down the hillside, and ordered the soldiers of a squadron under him to hold their own human-shaped wooden targets and run to the hillside as the defensive position in the distance, and then insert the human-shaped wooden targets on the position according to his defensive deployment. The wooden targets were arranged in three rows that could be fired in unison. As for the so-called artillery, a tree was cut down instead, and human-shaped wooden targets serving as gun crew members and combat soldiers protecting the artillery were erected around and behind the tree.
It took about an hour for Lieutenant Kemondo to lead his squadron of soldiers back to the small mound that served as a viewing platform. For the sake of safety, the armies of various countries in this era used this method for field confrontation exercises. One side used real guns and live ammunition, and the other side used human-shaped wooden targets instead.
As for the combat losses of the live ammunition side, the referee will calculate them based on the changes in the situation on the battlefield. For example, after the attacker enters the defender's musket range, the attacker's losses from the defender's volley of fire will be calculated based on the coverage hit rate of the human wooden target caused by the defender's volley of fire during training. How many troops, etc.
"Claude, the defenders are ready to defend. Is there no problem with your attack now?" Lieutenant Most asked Claude.
Claude pointed to the human-shaped wooden targets erected on the hillside in the distance: "I need people to go over and put the human-shaped wooden targets on the ground after we launch the offensive shooting, otherwise they will block other targets. .You know on the battlefield people who get hit will fall down and can’t stand there forever.”
"This" Second Lieutenant Most hesitated a little. In this era, all fire was fired to cover the enemy's formation within the furthest range of the musket to achieve the purpose of killing the enemy. Even if the digger hides inside, safety cannot be guaranteed. After all, the gun covers a large area in an arc from top to bottom. Now Claude requires that the human-shaped wooden targets that were shot after their attackers shoot. To bring him down would require someone to hide in the defensive position and check at any time, which was very unsafe.
Claude obviously knew what Second Lieutenant Most was worried about: "Don't worry, we will not use salvo shooting. You have seen our training. They are all accurate shooting and will not accidentally hurt anyone. I asked McJack to Go over there and ask him to wave the little red flag in his hand to remind us to pay attention before he gets up to check."
"Okay, then I'll go over." Lieutenant Carlos next to him said fiercely: "You have used so much gunpowder and guns, let me see what the soldiers you trained look like. Don't shoot before shooting. I found that I had no men left, either they had been bombarded by artillery or they had been wiped out by a salvo of fire from the defenders."
Second Lieutenant Carlos walked angrily towards the hillside of the defensive side. Claude hurriedly motioned to McJack behind him to follow him with a small red flag, and asked him to pay attention and call for help twenty or thirty meters away from the defensive position. Second Lieutenant Carlos stopped and waited until he finished shooting before checking the human wooden target.
Claude ran towards where his security team was. Second Lieutenant Most turned around and respectfully asked the lieutenant colonel next to him who had two silver crescents on his shoulder straps: "Lieutenant Colonel Leon Crow, who do you think will win as a result of this field confrontation exercise?"
Lieutenant Colonel Leon Crow is the deputy director of the training department of the Legion Camp. He went to the Fulkby Hill Military Camp just to inspect the training status of the new recruits supplemented by the 11th Field Battalion, and happened to run into this field confrontation exercise. He became interested in the competition and went to watch.
But before Lieutenant Colonel Leon Crow could reply, a fat major next to him laughed contemptuously: "Needless to say, I can't think of any way that Claude can win. Where did he get that confidence? Like the defensive position set up by Lieutenant Kemont, I think it requires at least a large group of troops to attack before there is any hope of success. Attacking with only twenty or so recruits is asking for death. There is no possibility of victory at all.”
This major's name is Morimed Lee Kestil. He is the combat consultant of the legion. He has a noble status and his family is also a member of a powerful family in the royal capital. To be honest, he came to the Blue Feather Army to get gold. The war has not yet broken out. As a combat staff officer, he has nothing to do and runs wherever there is excitement, so he is always there in the audience.
Lieutenant Colonel Leoncro just smiled and did not agree with Major Morimede's opinion: "Lieutenant Kemont's defense layout is at a medium distance. According to common sense, it does require a large group to attack, so that it can rely on the strength of its troops." Take advantage of the defensive position. But since Chief Claude proposed the conditions for this competition, he should have his own ideas, we will just wait and see."
Seeing that Claude had reached the position of his security team, Second Lieutenant Most picked up a blue flag and waved it in the air a few times, which meant that the attack could begin.
Claude blew the copper whistle in his mouth, waved his hand, and was too lazy to speak. He just pointed with his hand towards the hillside where the defensive position was located in the distance, signaling to start the attack.
If it were a normal combat team, they would line up and move forward. But the twenty or so people under Claude scattered, running forward in twos and threes in a straight line with bent waists and lowered heads.
The onlookers watching on the small mound suddenly burst into laughter: "No, how can they run forward like this? How can they shoot in unison without a queue? Do they have to reach the range before gathering and forming a queue?" , I wonder if that would easily lead to a salvo of fire from the defenders, and the losses would be even greater."
Second Lieutenant Most and Lieutenant Quemondo were also dumbfounded. They just watched Claude and his twenty or so soldiers bending forward and running forward.
"Are you still firing your artillery?" Lieutenant Most asked.
Lieutenant Cmondeau smiled bitterly and shook his head: "They don't have a queue. They are so far apart that the artillery can't aim even if it wants to, and firing is a waste. When they get closer, I will use musket fire to deal with them, and then let the artillery load shotguns. Wait until they are close to a hundred meters away before launching."
But Lieutenant Cmondeau was still disappointed, because Claude and the others still did not gather when they were three hundred meters away from the defensive position. Instead, they lay down on the ground and crawled forward.
"Ah!" Lieutenant Kemeng was very angry. It was no use even firing a volley of fire from his formation. They were all lying on the ground so far apart. Even if the volley of fire covered damage from top to bottom, his hands There were only fifty or sixty people inside, and the coverage of this musket was of no use at all.
"Could it be that if Claude wants to fight me in a hand-to-hand combat, he really thinks he is invincible when he is outnumbered by more than half? When they get close to a hundred meters, use the cannon shot first, which will cost him at least a quarter. "Lieutenant Cmondeau now puts his hope on the artillery. The shotgun can sweep away a large area. As long as Claude's attacker wants to occupy the defensive position, it must first pass the artillery level.
Then everyone saw that Claude and the others stopped crawling forward and began to lie down on the ground and shoot at about 150 to 200 meters away from the defensive position. After the crisp sound of muskets, Claude took out a red flag and waved it twice. This was a signal for Second Lieutenant Carlos and Michael to go to the defensive position and put the human-shaped wooden targets on the ground.
"He. They actually lay on the ground to load the muskets." The onlookers found it eye-opening that there was such an operation.
After six rounds of musket fire, there was no longer a human-shaped wooden target standing on the defensive position. Second Lieutenant Carlos and McJack stood on the position dumbfounded. Claude then called on his guardsmen to get up from the ground. Shi Shiran walked over and occupied the position easily.