Chapter 1208: Chapter 28 Great Alliance Moves Forward (13)

The howl of the light artillery might be drowned out by the drumbeats, and the roar of the mortars could be confused with gunfire.

However, nothing can cover the roar of the heavy artillery–not the sound of war drums, trumpets, shouts, or hoofbeats.

Therefore, as soon as Colonel Skool heard the thunder from the opposite bank, he immediately realized: Sanel and Chloe had dragged the defensive cannons of Maple Fort onto the battlefield; whether it was for creating smoke screens or attacking River Valley Village, all were intended to cover the setup of these heavy cannons.

The deafening thunder sounded eight times, as if the Heavenly God had hurled eight giant hammers at the earth in succession.

“Eight guns.” Colonel Skool mused while calming his restless warhorse, “Did Sanel bring out all of Maple Fort’s heavy cannons? Or did Kingsfort ship them to him by water?”

Colonel Skool had many questions on his mind, but now was clearly not the time to ponder them.

The sheer noise from the heavy artillery’s firing was already sowing panic and unease among the soldiers of Thunder Group County and Riverside County.

Moreover, the source of the noise was practically right at the doorstep–eight deafening roars crashing down the hills of the East Bank, rolling over the nameless blood-colored river, repeatedly striking the chests of Colonel Skool’s soldiers.

The thirty-two-pound bronze cannons deployed on the East Bank hills were clumsy and heavy relics, about the age of most soldiers’ fathers; some had even served under Marshal Ned.

After the Sovereignty War ended, they enjoyed twenty-nine years of peaceful times at Maple Fort. Aside from firing a few ceremonial rounds in the square on Victory Day each year, they rarely left the dark, cold arsenal beneath Maple Fort.

People viewed these antiques as relics from another era, but when they roared once more, all living things on the battlefield still involuntarily trembled.

After eight shots ended, the cannons temporarily quieted down. Sporadic gunfire from the direction of River Valley Village also vanished, and the battlefield sank into an eerie silence.

The new soldiers from Riverside County and Thunder Group County were still nervously looking around, while the veterans desperately prayed that the shells wouldn’t land on them.

The appearance of the cannons turned the battle into a game of roulette; courage, skill, and armor were all meaningless in the face of shells. In a certain sense, the uncertainty of this mortal risk was even more tormenting than the real blade-to-blade combat.

Skool rode quickly along the Alliance’s left-wing battle line, confirming that none of the left-wing square formations had suffered losses in the recent bombardment, but he also observed the adverse effects on morale caused by the artillery fire.

Colonel Skool knew well that, no matter how thoroughly trained the new soldiers of Thunder Group County and Riverside County were, they lacked the courage to face cannonball impacts and the steadfast will to disregard the bloodshed of their comrades.

The smoke screen stubbornly refused to dissipate, still obscuring the battlefield. The Colonel could only hear the faint orders and shouts emanating from the hills across the bank–the enemy’s artillerymen were feverishly preparing for the next round of shots.

Having discerned the latest enemy situation, Colonel Skool made his decision.

He quickly gathered the commanders of each battalion and issued orders: “We cannot remain exposed to enemy artillery fire like this. The entire army will immediately turn–each square formation will sequentially retreat westward. Maple Fort’s defensive cannons are old-style bronze cannons; we have at least five minutes.”

“Wait, what did you say?” The stunned adjutant even forgot rank protocol, incredulously asking, “Retreat? The Pseudo-Government Army is bombarding River Valley Village!”

Facing the gaze of his six battalion commanders, Colonel Skool raised his whip and pointed towards the smoke-covered East Bank: “That’s because they temporarily can’t find other targets. All signs indicate the enemy’s heavy artillery is right across the hills–directly ahead of us. Once the smoke screen disperses, those heavy cannons will turn their barrels on us.”

Since the Alliance’s left wing included forces from both Thunder Group County and Riverside County, Colonel Skool’s adjutant was Lieutenant Sakahich from Riverside County.

Lieutenant Sakahich had a fiery temper and never blindly followed orders like the officers from Thunder Group County; he argued back, “But Colonel Bod ordered us to hold the riverbank! We must not let any enemy forces cross the river in formation!”

“With changes in the enemy situation, our strategy must also adapt.” Colonel Skool furrowed his brow and looked at the other battalion commanders: “You can question my decision, but you must first execute my orders.”

The battalion commanders dared not delay any longer, each saluting and riding away.

Lieutenant Sakahich lingered until the last, waiting for the other officers to leave, before giving a sorrowful warning: “Colonel, if we abandon the riverbank, we’ll be completely exposing River Valley Village’s flank to the Pseudo-Government Army!”

“Between two evils, choose the lesser one.” Skool replied coldly.

Sakahich was unable to refute this reasoning, steeling himself to request: “Please let me lead our forces in a river-crossing battle!”

Skool glanced at the lieutenant: “Denied.”

“Why?” Sakahich was despondent, “The enemy’s heavy artillery is right under our noses! We have every opportunity to destroy them! Even capture them!”

“Don’t underestimate Sanel!” Skool completely lost patience, rebuking sharply: “Because he was underestimated as an incompetent opportunist, we’ve already paid a painful price! If he dares place his guns there, he’s not afraid of you attacking them!”

Colonel Skool pointed to the just-harvested wheat field on the East Bank: “See that exposed area with no cover? When the enemy crosses, they are our targets. But if we step onto it, it’ll become our slaughterhouse! Want to die? Then go by yourself! In this battle, not one soldier can be wasted!”