Chapter 932

Episode 932: The Imperial March 2 – Assault return, running on the ground. (20)

“I confirmed it once during the last siege of Milan, but it is necessary to liquidate the artillery held by the Imperial Army through this battle.”

The imperial military commanders all nodded at Hyang’s words.

* * *

Looking at the artillery pieces possessed by the Imperial Army, especially the Imperial Army, during this period, they were quite ‘messy’.

Looking at just the major grades, there were eight grades, from the largest General Firearms to the Eight Battle Chongtongs and finally toys.

It was fortunate that the Shinje Chongtong and Sechongtong Cheolseon guns, which were small in caliber and size, were integrated and changed into long guns and short guns.

As improvements continued, there were also guns that started with the Gap type and went on to the regular type.

Thanks to this, at the worst time, there were about 40 types of artillery in the military inventory, including those made in the early Joseon Dynasty.

Afterwards, the Army and Navy were separated and all old artillery pieces were sent to the blast furnace, which was somewhat liquidated. However, the Imperial Army still possessed more than 20 types of artillery pieces and matching ammunition for both the Army and Navy.

And that too in huge quantities.

This was not a good situation for anyone to see. Therefore, there was a movement to organize the extremely messy artillery system starting from Sejong, through Hyang, and up to Hyeon.

However, every time the emperors tried to make such a move, the Ministry of Defense officials fiercely resisted, writing appeals for resignation.

-Why do we need to retire artillery pieces that are still in good use?

-There is a saying, ‘Right place at the right place’. The artillery pieces currently in use are doing their part in each location, from the frontier fortress to Namhansanseong and Bukhansanseong Fortress. Organizing this carelessly can cause even greater confusion.

– Considering the disposal of artillery and ammunition and the retraining of artillerymen, it costs more than necessary!

-Above all, if you organize the artillery, you must produce new artillery and ammunition to fill the empty spaces. What would you do if you were shouted at at this time? It is said that Ming and Japan are now on friendly terms, but it is not certain that this will continue to be the case in the future.

Hyang looked helpless as he read the resignation and life extension appeals of Ministry of Defense officials and commanders.

“So the conclusion is, ‘Why are you throwing away these precious shells when you are still using them well?’ and ‘Are you throwing away these precious shells because you knew when the enemy would attack?’ Phew~.”

Hyang let out a long sigh and looked out the window.

“Are these the roots of the Republic of Korea Army, which used canteens produced during World War II until the 21st century?...” * *

*

“A lot of time has passed and the world has changed a lot. Therefore, those messy canvases must be cleaned up. “Many among the generals will still be opposed, but this is inevitable.”

Hyang went on to explain why it was necessary to settle things through this war.

-The enemy’s forts and trenches that you will face this time have been properly fortified by the enemy. By dealing with this in actual combat, we can cull out the outdated ones among the artillery we currently have.

-Also, by continuously moving through various fronts, you can clearly check the points that need improvement, including the gun carriage.

-Lastly, if the performance of the artillery you have now is not sufficient, you must immediately develop a new artillery.

“...That is why we must faithfully cultivate the virtue of ‘Songyangjiin’ this time. “The more tightly they dig a trench, the better we will be able to conduct experiments.”

“That is so!”

“Your majesty’s wisdom and wisdom are just lacking!”

After hearing the explanation of the scent, the imperial military commanders all praised the scent.

“Then do you think it would be a good idea to carry out this operation as you have planned?”

“I think it’s for the best!”

“It is a precept to kill two birds with one stone, so of course I think it is right to do it!”

Hyang, Shin Sook-ju, and Seong Sam-moon actually became suspicious of the enthusiastic welcome from those who had been full of doubts just moments before.

‘Isn’t the attitude change too fast? ‘Why on earth?’

‘Why are people foaming at the mouth and opposing every time we suggest getting rid of artillery?’

The three people who were struggling to resolve the question ‘Why on earth?’ soon found the reason.

-If power is insufficient, develop new artillery immediately.

‘Was this it?!’

“It is fortunate that there was enough time to finish repairing the carriages.”

“It would be foolish to charge that distance.”

French military commanders who were examining the situation in Pia uttered abusive language.

“You damn squires who don’t even know chivalry!”

They had found out what the imperial army was thinking.

-You do know that our cannons fly farther, right?

-And you know we have more cannons, right?

-What do you want to do? Will it end in a firefight? Or assault? Anything is fine. come in! come in!

“It is a rule to confront each other fairly and squarely! “With barbarians who don’t even know chivalry!”

The French military commanders were furious, but this was just an excuse for themselves.

These people knew very well that if they had had many cannons that went out as far as the imperial army, they would have done the same.

“How about we attack first before they complete their position?”

When one of the generals suggested attacking first, the other generals once again looked at the situation of the imperial army and predicted the possibility.

But soon all the generals shook their heads.

“It does more harm than good.”

“The distance is too far.”

“And those cunning bastards have already spread out.”

As they said, the imperial army was spread out in preparation for a surprise attack.

Even if we bombarded them with the cannons we had now, it was clear that it would be difficult to inflict a proper hit with the small number of cannons we had. The conclusion was that the soldiers had to charge, but considering the freight cars they had, that was also a huge loss.

“The best we can do now is to sit and guard Pavia Castle until our reinforcements arrive.”

“Reinforcements?”

“Hapsburg would be good, and Spain would be good too. Our French army would be the best.”

“Whoa~.”

The French generals who were talking collectively sighed.

According to the reports of the cavalry that went on reconnaissance, the situation of the Spanish army heading to Genoa was not very good.

As time passed, this was thanks to the imperial navy properly beating the Spanish army.

Thanks to this, I was wasting a lot of time looking for a route farther from the coast, and most of the roads I ended up finding were narrow and messy compared to the coastal roads.

As these unfavorable conditions overlapped, the Spanish army’s movement speed was gradually slowing down, and damage was gradually accumulating.

The Habsburgs were also slow. No, they were deliberately wandering around Venice.

In the end, the only thing they could count on was reinforcements from their compatriots, the French army.

“The bottom line is that the only correct answer is to hold on as long as possible. “The only correct answer is for us to dig deeper while they are digging.”

“Hmm... How about raiding while they’re digging?”

“Take a look through the telescope. I mean, those freight cars lined up. And... huh?”

For a moment, both the general who proposed the surprise attack and the general who refuted it looked surprised and forgot what to say.

Chick chug! Ppaeaek!

Excavators belonging to the Imperial Army Engineers came forward and began digging, making loud noises and emitting smoke.

Every time the huge shovel blades of the excavators moved, pits that would require dozens of people to shovel were revealed, and long trench lines were being created connecting the pits.

“Crazy people...”

“Envious people...”

The generals on the castle walls and the soldiers sitting in the trenches were all muttering with similar expressions.