"You mean to flood these ditches with water?" Grand Duke Feisabrun's eyes lit up.
"Yes, as long as these native rats from the principality can't stay in the trenches, they will become our targets as soon as they come up. Locke, you really came up with a good idea this time. How could I not have thought of such a simple method..." Two His Highness patted his forehead in frustration.
The atmosphere in the big tent suddenly became lively, and the key to breaking the game was found. There is no need to continue this stalemate. The Principality of Handela took a serious look, and let out a good tone of depression for more than a month.
"Hehe, thanks to Dolles, if he hadn't mentioned that the rain flooded these ditches during the rainy season and made the soil mice of the principality unable to stay in the ditches, I would have thought that we could flood all the defense lines with water The trench, so those soil mice can only come up and fight us." Lorist smiled modestly.
"Yes, but where did we get so much water to flood the trench..." Duke Kenmes asked a little later than others, belatedly.
Lorist laughed, showing all his white teeth: "Simple, the Nibaraku River is not far from our camp. We will intercept the river, build a small reservoir, and dig a ditch to connect with the ditch on the front defense line. Once the water is full, open the opening and let the water flow along the trench..."
"We still have to continue to attack, to hide our building of reservoirs and digging trenches, and then release the water in the dead of night, maybe we can give those dukedom rats hiding in the trenches a big surprise."'The Second Highness continued He finished what Lorist hadn't finished speaking.
"We still need wooden planks and rafts, the more the better, they can be erected on the trenches so that the cavalry and chariots can quickly pass directly under the city of Pedro, and we will close the door and beat the dogs, and capture the Duke of Volenda alive in one fell swoop." Fei Sa Grand Duke Brun added.
"That's it." The Second Highness immediately made arrangements: "Locke, you are responsible for building small reservoirs and digging trenches. You can conscript those poor people to work, and all the cavalry will help. Try to get everything done in three days. Ken Mai Duke Sahin, your two heavy armored regiments are entrusted to me to command. In the next few days, we will capture more of the front ground to cover up our intention to flood the trenches. Earl Shaheen, your two light infantry regiments are going to cut down trees. Make some rafts for spare…”
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Another attack began, but this attack made the principality generals who were preparing to defend feel a little strange. They found that the attacking heavy armored soldiers were not going to fill the trench and tear down the earth wall this time, but just put wooden rafts on the trench to pass through. The heavy armored soldiers who attacked later took short-range shooting weapons such as crossbows, throwing guns, and throwing axes to shoot at the guards hiding in the trenches. Because of their condescending and proper protection, they took advantage of the casualty ratio.
Maybe they want to consume our defense forces through mass killings to achieve the purpose of occupying positions? The principality's generals guessed so, so they responded by withdrawing all the guards in the front line and gathering a large number of troops in the rear, hoping to lure the attacking enemy into the rear. Then you can repeat the last victory again. Of course, they also arranged for a corps of troops to go through the trenches to block the enemies who might come to support them.
It was just to their surprise that the attacking heavy armored soldiers stopped attacking after occupying more than a dozen trenches. Instead, they brought a lot of wooden rafts from behind, and they inserted these wooden rafts vertically in the trenches. inside…
What does it mean? The generals of the principality gathered together to discuss for a long time, and finally came to the conclusion that the enemy probably wanted to use these rafts to block the trenches extending in all directions, so that the defenders could not attack the occupied positions through the trenches, and then In this way, wooden platoons are used to separate sections one by one. On the one hand, the occupied positions can be consolidated, and on the other hand, the attack can continue until the entire defensive position is broken through.
This must be a new wooden platoon tactic to deal with trenches, so the thinking of all the principality generals on the defensive side was led astray, and they focused on how to deal with the wooden platoon tactic of the Kingdom of Antinak. They used night raids and strong attacks to pour fire oil on the rafts that separated the trenches, and burned dozens of rafts in one night. But it was useless, and the heavy armored soldiers who attacked during the day brought in more wooden platoons and re-partitioned.
At the same time, bonfires were lit in the trenches at night, and guards with crossbows were arranged on them. If there was any movement at night, they would shoot arrows and beat gongs to call for reinforcements. It went on like this for four or five days, and the attackers only occupied forty or fifty trenches. .
The generals on the defensive side were finally relieved. Although the tactic of using wooden rafts to cut off the trench was somewhat effective, the threat was not very great. Now the attacking army of the Antinac kingdom is moving slower and slower, and the resistance of the defending principality soldiers is getting stronger and stronger, occupying at most four or five trenches a day. At this speed, it will take at least two or three years for them to reach the city of Pedro. As long as they persist for a few more days, the enemy will be unable to attack.
However, tonight, the defending principality generals want to launch a major counterattack against the attacking heavy armored soldiers of the Antinac Kingdom, with the goal of regaining one-third of the occupied positions. As the Viscount Sanskro of the Principality of Forondo, who was in charge of defending this trench, and the head of the Duke's Second Defense Army, Viscount Sanskro was keenly aware that the heavy armored soldiers who attacked today did not have a strong desire to attack. They were not as active and tenacious as they were a few days ago. They seemed to be bluffing, or maybe they had transported too many rafts to the front line, and each of them seemed to be perfunctory.
Very well, the enemy's spirit has been worn down, and it's our turn to fight back tonight. Viscount Sanscorro said to his generals, haven't you noticed that the enemy seems to be absent-minded today. Although a corps was mobilized to the front line in the evening, it seems that their energy is not as good as it was a few days ago High-spirited, I think the time for our counterattack has come. At night, we first let one regiment harass and attack them in multiple ways, and at dawn, we will deploy the remaining regiments to carry out a major counterattack, and resolutely drive the enemy back from the position.
Except for the dozen or so trenches in front of the defensive position, which are all long and straight, the following trenches were dug into a zigzag shape by the defensive soldiers of the Duchy of Forendor without any teacher, and fork roads were also set up. The road and the traffic trench connected to the front and rear trenches, the corners of the zigzag trenches and some wider trenches are equipped with raised earth steps half a meter high, which is convenient for defensive soldiers to climb up to launch crossbows and observe the enemy's movements. When attacked, they can hide in the trenches again. No wonder the soldiers of the attacked Antinac kingdom are called soil mice.
It was the surprise attack of the Sword and Shield Corps of the White Lion Legion that caused the attackers and defenders to engage in a real hand-to-hand battle, which ended in the failure of the Sword and Shield Corps. The next contact between the two sides was more night raids, harassment and crossbow shooting. Just as Dulles, the commander of the Flying Tiger Legion's Chariot and Steel Crossbow Corps, said, his tank and Steel Crossbow Corps can't play much role in such a battlefield. On the contrary, the defender's equipment has a short range, small size, and strong strength. The fierce old-fashioned crossbow played a very good role. In these few attacks, the casualties of the heavy armor soldiers under the crossbow have exceeded three digits.
In addition, the defending principality soldiers are equipped with daggers, throwing axes, small round shields and other weapons suitable for use in narrow trenches. The heavy armored soldiers who attack with spears and two-handed swords cannot go down the trenches to fight the enemy because they Going down has become a dish for those enemies. Weapons can't compete with the enemy in the trench, which makes them only look at the trench and sigh.
Viscount Sanskro, the commander of the second garrison regiment of the Principality of Forondo, is a veteran on the battlefield. Your Highness, he destroyed the Duchy of Melain and participated in the offensive and defensive battles of the southern provinces. He basically represented the Duchy of Volendo in all the wars involving the four duchies in the middle, and he was promoted from a golden knight to the Viscount of the territory , is a principality general whom the Grand Duke trusts very much.
As a member who participated in the offensive and defensive battles of the southern province, Viscount Sanskro suffered an embarrassing defeat, but he was still lucky to escape from the battlefield. In the past few years after returning to China, he has learned from the pain and has been recalling and thinking about the scene of the armed battle with the Norton family. He has a very deep understanding of the powerful long-range attack power of the Norton family armed forces.
When he knew that the army of the Antinac Kingdom that attacked this time had the participation of the Norton family armed forces, he stopped the plan made by his colleagues to rely on camp fortresses for defense, and worked with the Duke of Flanders to study this method of using trenches and fortresses. Judging from the current situation, the countermeasure of setting up defensive positions with earth walls is very effective.
It is precisely because he understands the characteristics of the attacking and defending forces and the difficult situation that Viscount Sanskro is full of confidence in the big counterattack he is about to launch. First, use the cover of night to harass and attack the heavily armored soldiers of the Antinac Kingdom defending the frontline positions, making them restless all night. Withdraw the harassing troops at dawn, then the enemy will think that the sky is about to dawn, take a long breath of relief and prepare for a good rest. At this moment, I suddenly dispatched all my troops to carry out a big counterattack, which would definitely catch the enemy by surprise.
The bottom line is to regain one-third of the positions. If you are lucky, you may be able to regain half or even two-thirds of the occupied positions. Viscount Sanskro believed that after this counterattack, the enemy's morale would be completely demoralized, and they would no longer be able to launch a larger-scale and more powerful attack. To be honest, this wooden platoon tactic really put a lot of pressure on the defending Principality side. Unfortunately, this tactic can't last long, and as long as the defender is willing to pay a higher price of casualties, it can still deal with these partitions Trench of wooden rafts.
It was getting dark at night, and it was more than a mile away from the frontline positions. Viscount Sanskro looked around. The trench he was in was dug deeper, wider, and larger. This was because it was necessary to gather troops and not be discovered by the enemy, so it was dug into a small square. The soldiers of the Principality's Second Garrison Corps, with a team size of a thousand, fell to the ground in their clothes and took the time to rest. Everyone was fully clothed and their weapons were placed beside them. Even if they can't sleep, they have to close their eyes to recover their energy. In two more hours, it will be their turn to go to the front line to fight back. There are eight such small squares here, and they are now full of soldiers who have fallen to rest.
Tonight is a fine weather suitable for night raids. There are many clouds in the sky, and the silvery moonlight is sometimes obscured by clouds. Viscount Sanskro began to worry a little. It’s almost November, so it shouldn’t rain. Light rain is fine, but heavy rain will be bad. Some water in the trenches will be a big trouble for the defenders. It will affect the defense, but if you step on it, it will be muddy, which will affect the speed of the soldiers' defense, and will pay more casualties. I just hope that this counterattack will make the enemy no longer have the idea of attacking, that would be the best result.
The front line was full of flames, and there was a faint sound of shouting and killing. It seemed that the soldiers who went to sneak attack burned some wooden rafts, which looked very bright in the night. But then there seemed to be a very loud commotion. It seemed that the enemy had sent more troops to the front line overnight. Instead, the voice of "Who? Who?" is getting louder and louder.
Strange, why the sound of "scratching and rustling" is getting louder and louder, getting closer and closer to this side, why the corps I sent to harass and attack seems to be silent, and the enemy's torches seem to be getting brighter and brighter. Coming closer here? Could it be that the enemy still wants to attack overnight
Viscount Sanskro became more and more uneasy. He went to the ditch, hid his figure behind an earthen wall, and looked forward carefully. At this moment, the silver moon in the sky flashed past the cover of the clouds to reveal a smooth face again, and the silver moonlight suddenly filled the world...
"Then, what's that?" The sentinel who was standing guard on guard pointed at the front position and screamed.
"Shut up! You bastard! Do you want to attract the attention of the enemy?" Viscount Sanskro cursed in a low voice, took off his helmet and looked ahead, only to see patches of silver light shining in the trench ahead However, the moats were quickly filled, and then the moats were filled with silver light, and there were still some small black spots struggling in the silver light...
The silver light was approaching quickly towards him, and at this time the silver moon in the sky was covered by clouds again, the sky and the earth were dark, only the torches at the front line in the distance flickered...
The rustling sound was getting louder and louder, but the face of Viscount Sanskro, who had understood it at this moment, was pale. He no longer cared whether the sound would attract the attention of the enemy, and turned around towards The soldiers resting on the ground in the trench shouted: "Get up, come up, water... water is coming!"
This is how the tragedy happened. The ditch that looked like a small square where troops could gather was dug too deep, more than three meters deep. Most of the resting soldiers were lying on the ground and sleeping. Although they were woken up or kicked awake, most of them were still in a daze. At this time, the water had already come. When the turbulent water flowed into this small square from the traffic trench, everyone was in a hurry. Those who stood beside the trench hurriedly climbed up, but there were only four or five passageways going up. There are crowds of people, pushing people to go to a few...
The water was already up to their waists, and all the soldiers were in a hurry. Everyone knew that they were standing in the lowest part of the trench, and the order collapsed immediately. Everyone was anxious to climb up, and those next to the tunnel climbed up directly. , It’s just that when they dug the trench, they modified the wall of the pit, which was a little smooth, but in the end, not many people climbed up for a long time, and most of them were dragged down by the companions behind them...
Misfortunes never come singly because the soldiers are all wearing iron armor, which is extremely heavy when soaked in water, especially the ground of the trench is soaked in water and is soft, and it is full of mud when pulled up. It is almost impossible to get up after falling...
Viscount Sanskro's voice was hoarse, and he finally commanded the soldiers to get organized. He made the soldiers at the side of the ditch a human ladder, and let the soldiers behind him climb up first and then pull them up, but after persisting for a while, he became confused again, because the water was already full to the necks of the soldiers, and some short soldiers could hardly hold their feet. I had no choice but to grab the soldiers in front of me. But the soldiers in front didn't want to be dragged down, so they turned over and threw the soldiers behind them into the water. The soldiers behind them clung to each other and didn't want to let go. The two wrestled and struggled in the water, and then sank...
The sky was about to dawn, and Viscount Sanskro looked at the ditch that had calmed down with bloodshot eyes. The ditch that looked like a small square had turned into a small pool, but the bodies of soldiers who were drowned and tangled together were densely packed in the water...
On the top of the trench stood hundreds of soldiers who were lucky enough to escape from the water. They were all wet and shivering in the November morning wind. Viscount Sanskro looked at the corpses at the bottom of the pit, and then at the corpse standing beside him. Those soldiers suddenly yelled, drew their swords and wiped their throats, and the whole body fell into the ditch full of stagnant water and corpses under the splash of blood...
…