Chapter 247: The Battle of Fort Bidou - Execution by Firing Squad

Chapter 247: The Battle of Fort Bidou - Execution by Firing Squad

TL: Etude

“Alternate firing, advance!”

“Ready!”

Bryce shouted, riding alongside his troops. Many commanders of the allied forces fought alongside their units, not out of bravery, but out of fear that their soldiers would scatter if they were not present.

With a rustling sound, a thousand Alda troops formed three neat rows. Upon hearing Bryce’s command, the first row leveled their guns, aiming at Kent’s army in front.

At this distance, the Alda soldiers could clearly see the faces of their enemies.

Bryce raised his hand and swung it down forcefully: “Fire!”

From Kent’s army’s perspective, a burst of smoke suddenly erupted from the Alda side, followed by strange explosions and the ‘whooshing’ sound of something rubbing against the air.

The frontline, especially the spear-wielding soldiers protecting the archers, were the most unfortunate. Seeing the Alda men stop, they assumed they were about to fire “fire crossbows” and, based on their experience against arrows, waved their spears to deflect the incoming projectiles. However, this was futile against the deadly metal bullets.

As the first row of guns fired, the spear-wielding soldiers in front of the archers fell almost in unison. Only a few remained, still waving their spears in confusion, not realizing what had happened.

The Alda soldiers, equipped with flintlock rifles, stood closely packed. Even at a distance of 50 meters, their smoothbore barrels ensured some accuracy. Moreover, since Kent’s spearmen were also tightly packed, missed bullets could still hit nearby targets.

Painful groans soon rose from Kent’s right flank. Soldiers writhed and struggled on the ground; many barely moved before losing their breath.

“Fire! Fire back!”

“Suppress the Alda with ranged attacks!”

Kent’s right-wing officers maintained their composure, urging their archers to counterattack.

As the enemy panicked, the first row of Alda troops stayed put to reload, while the next two rows moved forward, preparing to shoot.

They faced another volley of arrows, but this time it was sparse and caused minimal casualties.

Bryce commanded again: “Fire!”

Gunfire erupted on the battlefield once more. This time, Kent’s archers were the unlucky ones. After many fell, fear set in, and several archers started retreating, hiding behind others, avoiding the front line. They realized that the “fire crossbow” attacked in almost a straight line, making the front row the most vulnerable.

Consequently, Kent’s right wing began to slowly retreat.

However, overall, the allied forces were not in a good position.

Kent’s archers had long lost the protection of their spearmen, and their only close-combat equipment was a dagger, no match for the Alda soldiers’ bayonets. Moreover, they were in the midst of a rout, with no one stepping up to organize a counterattack, and the officers themselves had been terrified into fleeing.

...

Joyce, with a bayonet fixed, stayed close to Sergeant Makarov.

Previously, whether fighting cavalry or exchanging fire with archers, they had used muskets to hit the enemy from a distance. This time, however, they were engaged in close combat... well, more accurately, chasing the enemy’s back, as the enemy was fleeing.

Sergeant Makarov caught up with an enemy soldier and efficiently thrust his bayonet into his back.

Nearby, several other enemy soldiers, seeing their relentless pursuit, turned and drew their daggers, their eyes filled with ferocity.

“Yaaaaah!”

Whether to intimidate their enemies or to embolden themselves, the archers shouted wildly and then charged with daggers in hand.

Makarov gestured to his comrades and raised his bayonet to block the dagger of the foremost attacker.

Joyce and another comrade faced the charging archers. His comrade forcefully parried an opponent’s dagger, and taking advantage of the opponent’s stagger, Joyce accurately thrust his bayonet into his left rib, just as accurately as in their regular training.

There was no hesitation, no mercy – who could afford such luxuries in a life-or-death situation?

However, upon reflection after the battle, one might feel differently...

Other Kent soldiers attempting to counterattack saw their comrades easily killed and went limp, dropping their daggers.

“Mercy! We surrender!”

They knelt on the ground, rear end up, bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Similar scenes played out continuously on the right wing of Kent’s army.

“Congratulations, Colonel, a textbook rout!”

Joyce, the battalion commander of the third battalion, said to Bryce with satisfaction.

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