novelkee Chapter 840 - 455: Military Parade! Southward Advance! (Part 3)
Chapter 840 - 455: Military Parade! Southward Advance! (Part 3)
As long as we can get close to these infantry with their iron tubes, they are ultimately just flesh and blood.
The weak point of the Red Tide Territory lies in sustained firepower.
Just as this thought was forming in his mind, a shrill steam siren mercilessly shattered his self-comfort.
The ground began to tremble slightly.
Six heavy steam vehicles, spewing white steam, slowly drove into the parade ground.
They dragged bizarre metal devices, some resembling bundles of thick iron tubes arranged in parallel, others arranged like honeycomb-shaped launchers, cold and silent.
Major General Gray stood on the command vehicle, raising his hand to make a brief gesture.
"Clear the site."
In the next instant, the world lost its rhythm.
The barrel of the rotary machine gun began to spin rapidly, the "hissing" sound during preheating made one’s teeth ache, and then it was completely drowned out.
"Ratatatata——!!!"
That could no longer be called gunfire, but a continuous roar.
The fire flared out as if it were tangible, the barrage became a sweeping metal torrent across the battlefield, tearing through a massive piece of fabric.
Almost simultaneously, the rocket launchers in the rear let out a shrill wail.
Several alchemical war rockets, trailing white streaks, sliced through the air, covering the rear half of the iron plate formation.
Nico watched helplessly as the dense boards simulating a human wave charge were completely flattened in a matter of seconds.
Iron fragments, debris, and frozen remnants were repeatedly smashed in the rain of bullets and icy blasts, the ground thoroughly plowed, erasing any trace of their existence.
The fantasy he had just constructed, that "rushing forward will ensure victory," was crushed at this moment.
This rate of fire...
Even if a mage started chanting, the spell wouldn’t be finished before the person was torn to pieces.
The only effect of a human wave tactic against it is making the ground fill up with corpses faster.
Nico’s throat tightened, yet this wasn’t the end.
The teacups on the viewing platform began to tremble violently, the porcelain clinking with a crisp and ominous sound.
On the distant horizon, billowing black smoke rose, obscuring the already dim sunlight.
Twelve heavy steam tanks roared onto the scene.
"This is the legendary mobile fortress..." Nico murmured, "With this thickness, siege crossbows can’t penetrate; on the battlefield, this thing is... invincible."
The tank formation halted.
The turrets slowly rotated, the sound of gears meshing echoed clearly throughout the area.
A target was dragged out a kilometer away, a giant obsidian boulder weighing ten tons, was placed in the center of the test area.
This mineral’s hardness rivals that of city walls, usually used only to withstand forbidden curse-level impacts.
Bradley stood next to Nico, his tone still gentle: "Mr. Nico, you were just thinking that hiding behind the city walls is safe, right?"
Nico didn’t answer.
"Please watch, this is the young lord’s answer."
In the next moment, the world was forcibly flipped open.
"Boom——!!!"
The alchemic main cannon roared, the terrifying recoil caused the several dozen-ton steel behemoth to sink heavily, the dust kicked up by the cannon formed a visible shock ring.
The obsidian boulder, at the moment of contact, seemed to be wiped away by an invisible giant hand.
A small mushroom cloud rose at the explosion’s center, leaving only a deep pit with edges in a glass-like molten state, with smoke slowly rising.
The parade ground fell into dead silence.
Even the cheers of the civilians halted.
Nico’s fingers trembled uncontrollably.
He always believed that with enough sacrifice, individual martial might could turn any tide in battle.
But facing those twelve dark cannon mouths, he finally bowed his head.
Even if a Peak Knight burned his life... he couldn’t withstand three shots.
And the Red Tide Territory had countless such machines.
He turned, looking at the young figure on the high platform, an expression full of complexity.
On the other side, Count Harvey intensely grasped his son Yorn’s hand, a near-mad light in his eyes.
"Yorn! You’ve done well!" He stared at the still-smoking crater, his voice trembling with excitement, "Following Louis was the right choice; our Harvey Family is going to prosper!"
The tank formation did not conclude the parade.
After the steel behemoths slowly drove out of sight, the ground trembled again.
The engineering corps appeared on one side of the parade ground.
The massive bridge-laying vehicles deployed folding steel beams like metallic insects extending their limbs.
The steam shovels’ buckets reflected a cold light, and even at an idle crawl, they gave off a sense of terrain nonexistence.
The knowledgeable nobles’ faces subtly changed, this meant that the Red Tide Army needed no waits, needed not be slowed by rivers or gorges; warfare was linear before them.
Next came the logistics column.
An endless line of steam trucks slowly passed by, their carriages loaded with field kitchens, and boxes of medical equipment.
People detected the scent of coffee and broth, an introduction was made that it allowed soldiers to have hot meals in the trenches.
......
Amongst the VIP seats, Bradley quietly spoke, his tone calm: "War, is about logistics."
He smiled slightly: "Our soldiers can drink hot coffee on the front lines. The enemy... can only gnaw on dry bread."
The subtext was unspoken, the Red Tide Territory could not only fight but was wealthy enough to operate war as an industrial project.
When the last formation returned to position, the entire parade ground fell into a near-reverent silence.
Louis walked to the very front of the platform and began his speech.
The wind tousled his hair, and the sunlight fell on that slightly weary but exceedingly resolute face.
He surveyed the sea of people below, then spoke:
"My father, Duke Calvin, a guardian who devoted his life to the Empire, is dead.
He did not die from illness, but from betrayal, from heartbreak."
A suppressed murmur came from the crowd.
Louis’s gaze turned sharp: "In the Southeast Province, what are those heretics veiled in holiness doing? They levy excessive taxes on the civilians in the name of faith.
They seize the farmers’ last bits of grain to build opulent churches, they brand resisters as heretics, calling hunger penitence."
His voice gradually rose.
"My father tried to stop all this, attempted to protect the people there. As a result, he was imprisoned, dying with resentment!"
The actual truth mattered not, what mattered was that the people below had clenched their fists.
"The people of the Southeast are starving!" Louis suddenly raised his head, pointing southward, "Our compatriots are bleeding!"
The Cold Iron Longsword was unsheathed, casting a cold gleam in the sunlight.
"Warriors of the Red Tide! We march south, not just for revenge, but for liberation!"
"Break the chains of the Church Court! Bring bread, freedom, and justice to the people of the Southeast!"
Nico stood in the shadows below, listening to this impassioned speech, his mouth involuntarily twitching.
He knew better than anyone, the old Duke was never a benevolent protector.
And this so-called liberation, in essence, was merely a complete armed annexation.
But when he looked at the young and calm figure on the high platform, a sense of indescribable admiration arose in his heart.
Finally, the frenzy of the crowd erupted.
"Down with the Church Court!"
"Liberate the Southeast!"
"Avenge the old Duke!"
Hats were thrown into the air, the shouts becoming a tidal wave.
After seeing those steel and flames with their own eyes, no one doubted the outcome.
The merchants swiftly calculated their profits, the knights longed for military achievements, the Northern Lords reveled, and the civilians were immersed in a sense of imminent honor in saving others.
Among the VIP seats, Count Harvey clutched his son Yorn’s hand tightly, the flames in his eyes burning.
"Do you see that?" he whispered, "This is the trend."
He unhesitantly turned to instruct his retainer: "Go tell Steward Bradley, the Harvey Family is donating the first batch of military supplies for free."
On the high platform, Louis’s longsword swung down: "All troops advance! March south!"