Book 12: Chapter 5: Offense and Defense

Chapter 280 middle reaches of the Valley of Sin.

The 1st Artillery Squad.

“Hurry with the loading!”

The artillery squad leader was shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Did we not all go through that hardship to move the catapults to the middle stream and reinstall them?!”

The middle stream of the valley was currently undergoing a major melee between our forces retreating to escape the enemy's bombardment and the enemy forces rushing in like a tide.

And our forces deployed to protect the rear of our retreating allies, repeatedly resulting in a chaotic battle.

“At any moment, the enemies could rush up to our position!”

The artillery squad leader's voice had no choice but to grow louder.

“You fucking bastards! Are you planning to die like this without even firing a single shot?!”

When the battle to conquer the Valley of Sin ended.

He thought that even if they were not the number one contributors, they would at least receive sufficient praise.

“It was a highly impressive performance!”

And just as expected, from the Old Strategist of the War Advisory Council who came after the battle.

No, although he received praise and financial rewards beyond expectation.

“However, I am sorry. You must immediately disassemble all the catapults and move them to the middle stream to install them.”

Recalling that raw suffering, the artillery squad members gritted their teeth, and the loading was finished in record speed.

“Loading complete! Ready to fire!”

And almost simultaneously with that.

The observer positioned on the roof of the adjacent building received instructions from the headquarters.

“It is the order to fire from the headquarters!”

At that moment.

The smile that appeared on the artillery squad leader's face was exactly the same as the smile on his subordinates' faces.

“Fire!”

Clack, clack!

The metal chains unspooled rapidly, shrieking, and sparks flew from the pulleys.

Bang—!

Along with a loud impact sound, the giant boulder that received all the force began to sprint through the empty air.

Passing over the heads of the enemy forces rushing into the middle stream of the valley.

Passing the enemy forces who gathered like a swarm of ants in the lower stream of the valley to set fires and commit pillaging.

The boulder, which passed over the bustling streets of Luoyang fallen into chaos, passed the Third Dock and reached the Yellow River, and then.

“Huh?”

It directly hit the observer of the pirate mercenary ship, who was staring with a stupid face at the rapidly approaching boulder.

The boulder, which smashed a human made of mere flesh and blood to the point that his form could not even be recognized.

Crunch!

Shattered the heavy wooden pillar forming the main mast in a single blow, and finally lost its force and fell onto the deck.

“U-Uaaah—?!”

Without even being able to finish his scream, a pirate mercenary sailor on the deck was crushed as is by the fallen boulder.

* * *

The flagship of the Fresh Blood Fleet, the pirate mercenaries, located slightly further to the rear.

“Ship Number Five hit!”

The shout of the flagship's observer was closer to a scream than a report.

“Ship Number Five hit!”

The sight of Ship Number Five's heavy main mast breaking and falling over.

Crackle—!

Was like a giant tree falling down roots and all, turning the ground upside down.

In that way, the deck of Ship Number Five twisted into pieces like land struck by an earthquake, swallowing the pirate mercenary sailors.

“Th-The enemy's bombardment continues…!”

The first boulder accurately struck Ship Number Five, but.

Fortunately.

The second, third, and fourth boulders that flew in succession fell nearby.

The moment the personnel on the flagship felt slightly relieved as they were hit by the spraying water.

Crash—!

The fifth boulder struck the side of Ship Number Five.

“……!”

The pirate mercenary sailors on the flagship shrieked without realizing it.

Screeech—!

The hull, which had been twisting as the main mast fell over, shrieked and now began to literally split in half.

Although it was warship Number Five that had tenaciously survived through countless artillery battles in the southern seas.

Under the overwhelming mass bombardment.

In that way it was heavily damaged in an instant to a futile degree.

* * *

“Our artillery squads' attacks hit the target in succession!”

The observer of the 1st Artillery Squad shouted.

“Target heavily damaged! Heavy damage to the target has been confirmed!”

At that moment, without exception, everyone in the squad cheered.

“Nice!”

“You fucking pirate bastards! How is the taste of the boulder filled with the Medicine Fairy's benevolence?!”

But actually, the artillery squad leader standing behind them wore a somewhat dazed expression.

‘This actually works?’

The distance from the middle stream of the Valley of Sin to the Yellow River was by no means close.

If it was a simple straight-line distance, it was a distance that the range of catapults, which were not even cannons, could absolutely never reach.

‘He did say it would be possible as the range would increase thanks to the height difference of the terrain…’

It was the moment it was revealed that the Old Strategist of the War Advisory Council's measurements were accurate.

“What are you doing?!”

He quickly hid his expression and shouted to his subordinates who were cheering.

“The battle is not over yet! Immediately reload—!”

The moment he stepped forward a foot while shouting like that.

Ssing—.

The sound of wind tearing was heard.

“Our position has been exposed!”

The observer's ear-splitting voice resounded, and then.

Boom, boom, boom!

Continuous explosions rang in their ears, and the earth began to shake crazily.

“Th-The enemies' bombardment!”

“Get down! Get down!”

The response bombardment of the Fresh Blood Fleet.

The Fresh Blood Fleet, who was sick of artillery battles, chose response bombardment instead of retreating out of the catapults' range.

“Uaaah—!”

No sooner had the observer on the roof of the adjacent building thrown his body down than a cannon shell blew open the side of that building.

Crash!

“……!”

Although everyone was lying down clutching their heads and screaming something.

“……!”

Under the noise of continuous bombardment, the screams of those who lacked even internal energy could not be heard properly.

“Get down!”

The artillery squad leader hid in a corner, clutching his head.

“Everyone, take cover!”

He was repeatedly shouting only those words at the top of his lungs.

They were all participants in the Northern War, and were accustomed to counter-firing utilizing the enemy's arrows and catapults.

But the power of counter-bombardment employing a fleet-scale artillery was at a level that transcended imagination.

“……!”

There was a fierce hand that slapped the back of the artillery squad leader's head, who was now shouting words whose meaning could not be known.

“Get a grip!”

As the artillery squad leader quickly raised his head, what appeared in his vision was the figure of an old man.

“O-Old Strategist…?”

“Yes, it is me, you bastard!”

The Old Strategist of the War Advisory Council grabbed the artillery squad leader's collar and pulled him up in one go.

“Why is the Old Strategist in this place—?!”

Bang!

The artillery squad leader, who regained his senses, shouted in a louder voice as if to escape the impact of a shell that had fallen nearby.

“This place is dangerous! Should you not be at the headquarters?!”

“Dangerous or not—!”

Bang!

Another shell struck in close proximity, but there was not the slightest wavering in the Old Strategist's gaze.

“We have the upper hand in power!”

It was a booming voice that could not be imagined as belonging to a bent-backed old man.

“This is a matter of who gets scared first! So return fire immediately!”

At the Old Strategist's spirit that seemed to overwhelm the enemy's bombardment, the artillery squad leader nodded reflexively.

“Y-Yes! Understood!”

His body shook frantically along with the earth, and dust and stone powder sprayed everywhere, but they could not stop the Old Strategist.

“Can you not get up immediately?!”

The Old Strategist repeatedly kicked the butts of the artillery squad members.

“……!”

Feeling an unknown elevation boiling up from inside his chest at that sight, the artillery squad leader ran over and began pulling up his subordinates.

“You bastards! Get a grip and get up right now!”

* * *

A nearby roof.

The old woman called the Crouching Dragon of Nanman stood tall.

“Have they begun returning fire?”

Breaking through the enemies' concentrated fire.

The sight of the 1st Artillery Squad launching a boulder again was caught in the old woman's eyes.

“The Old Strategist of the War Advisory Council succeeded…!”

Although the boulder launched in a hurry missed terribly and fell on the other side of the Yellow River its significance was sufficient.

Because as if courage were contagious, counter-bombardment began from the other artillery squads as well.

‘If not for the combination of this valley's terrain environment and the catapults, it would have been an impossible response method.’

While our artillery squads endured the enemy's bombardment surrounded by stone buildings on all sides, at the same time.

The catapults were capable of projecting firepower onto the enemy fleet through high-angle fire.

“Good!”

The old woman turned around and struck her staff against the rooftop floor.

“Should we also not do our part?!”

At the end of the old woman's gaze, the members of the Six Men Association who came running filling every alley were seen.

It was natural for the enemies to rush in once the position of our side's artillery squads was exposed after the first launch.

“Do not let even a single rat approach the artillery squads!”

Therefore, the Eldest Young Master's side had responses prepared for the enemy's assault.

[Repeating Crossbow Unit!] hyang, the captain of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment's maid division, issued an order via transmission.

[Commence firing!] the repeating crossbows mounted in various places on major rooftops and major alleys commenced a volley of fire.

* * *

Cutting through the darkness, the iron bolt of a repeating crossbow pierced the underworld member running in the very front.

“Gegh!”

Rendering the multiple layers of leather armor worn useless, the iron bolt that pierced his torso in one go skewered several people following behind like a skewer.

Those coming up the narrow alley fell in heaps like cut straw.

“I-It is repeating crossbows!”

“The Sword Family's repeating crossbows…?!”

The personnel who had been pouring in had their feet bound at the corner of the alley.

“D-Don't push!”

“Fuck!”

Those who were inevitably pushed into the alley by their own forces continuing to march from behind were pinned straight to the wall by the flying iron bolts.

“Bypass! Do not stop your steps!”

An underworld executive swung his iron mace, smashing the head of an ally who had stopped.

“You stupid bastards! If the front does not work, turn around and charge!”

Following his shout, they rushed to the next alley, and then the alley after that, but.

“Aaagh!”

“Kegh…!”

In that alley, and without fail in the next alley too, repeating crossbows were mounted, spitting out iron bolts.

“To the next alley…!”

The forces split into multiple branches were inevitably forced to rush into the next alley again respectively, but.

“Find an alley without repeating crossbows!”

What awaited them there was a wall of spears and shields blocking the alley.

“House of Benevolence and Love Heavy Armored Squad!”

At the sound of calling their name, short spears peeked out simultaneously from between the large shields.

“Charge!”

Rushing with a shout that vibrated the alley, the first row of the Heavy Armored Squad collided straight with the underworld gang members who were pouring through the alley.

Crunch!

The weight of the Heavy Armored Squad and the advantage of the high ground generated a powerful charging force.

“Push forward as is!”

Along with the noise of skin tearing and bones shattering as if struck by a giant hammer a scene unfolded where the underworld gang members were compressed as they were in every single alley.

“Do not be pushed back!”

“We have the overwhelming advantage in numbers!”

Nevertheless the underworld executives raised their voices, and they were constantly pushing new forces into every single alley.

But in the alley terrain of the Valley of Sin, the Heavy Armored Squad of the House of Benevolence and Love, leading with large shields and short spears, sucked the gang members in like an abyss.

“Dammit!”

There was no answer with ordinary gang members whose armaments and military discipline were lax.

“You damn bastards!”

In the end, the underworld executive who was encouraging the advance spat out curses toward their own leadership.

“Why are the leaders of our own organizations still not deploying the martial artists?!”

Of course, the reason was.

“Before you deploy your elites first, we will never be the first to deploy our organization's martial artists!”

“It is the same for us, the Severed Finger Society!”

“Uh, ahem. Our Armor Destruction Gate's martial artists are making a large detour to target the enemy's rear.”

“Do not talk nonsense! What detour route is there in the Valley of Sin surrounded by cliffs?!”

Which was unfolding today without fail due to the war of nerves among the underworld bosses and their mutual checks.

If they preserved their elites here their calculation was that they could occupy an advantage in the power struggle surrounding the underworld's interests afterward.

“Just what on earth are you all doing?!”

Their decision to deploy was made.

“Do you all want to die in this place?!”

It was only after Grand Madame Ouyang, who was practically the master holding their leashes, revealed herself before them.

“W-We will deploy them immediately!”

“We as well…!”

While she had briefly visited the Elders' Hall to protest, they who had been making a mess only then began to quickly issue orders, but.

“Grand Madame…!”

Already, it was too late.

“Th-The Fresh Blood Fleet is retreating out of the range of the enemy catapults!”

At that report grand Madame Ouyang's face distorted like a demon.

“What?!”

As she approached the window in a flurry with fast steps, her maids hastily opened the window facing the Yellow River.

Outside the window, the warships of the Fresh Blood Fleet could be seen unfurling their sails and retreating, catching the wind.

“N-No!”

A scream erupted from her mouth.

“If they stop the bombardment now, our forces…!”

Even before her words could end boulders from the Eldest Young Master's side's catapults began to fall onto the heads of the underworld members.