18th century total war

Chapter 49 The Valiant National Guard
As the saying goes, people are boundless once they pass through the myriad, and at this time Li Wei can be regarded as deeply aware of this feeling.

This is the first time that Li Wei has faced an enemy army of more than [-] people. The battlefield is still in a flat area with a wide field of vision. Although there are ups and downs, it is not enough to obscure the field of vision.

Wherever the binoculars can see, there are all distinct layers of enemy soldiers with bayonets dangling on their shoulders.

Between the various phalanxes, officers at all levels rode military horses of different varieties, brandishing command knives and constantly ordering adjustments, maintaining the order of the formations, and preventing different phalanxes from colliding, trampling, and congesting each other...

It is not difficult to see from this that in the Ille-Vilaine army assembled by Wallace, there are many middle and senior officers and generals from the regular army.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to organize a group of miscellaneous troops and mobs (National Self-Defense Forces) in an orderly manner and set foot on the battlefield one after another.

However, in Li Wei's eyes, the roaring artillery fire is more like fireworks on the battlefield. Even if the direct-firing field artillery mainly hits the dense infantry phalanx on both sides, the hit rate is still shockingly low!
There is no comparison at all with the artillery hit rate in the Napoleon Total War game played by Levi in ​​his previous life!
Could it be that these field guns are too old?
In Li Wei's eyes, the performance of the field artillery of the Ille-Vilaine Legion on the opposite side is not the same as that of his own artillery. Obviously, they are not newly cast artillery. If it is not for the high quality of the bronze cannon, it is estimated that it will have rotted long ago. .

Therefore, even though the artillery from both sides roared continuously, it had little effect on the advancing infantry on both sides. Nearly half of the dozen or so artillery pieces could not be fired for the time being. big effect.

Now, Li Wei understands why Napoleon in the history of his previous life concentrated the use of artillery to establish a large artillery force, which will have cross-age significance.

Field artillery with this performance, if not used intensively, is simply dispensable for an army accustomed to artillery fire.

The lethality of concentrated artillery and non-concentrated artillery to the enemy is almost an improvement between '0 and 1'!

In this way, how could Napoleon's artillery force fail?

It is estimated that it is precisely because the lethality of artillery in this era is not too prominent in field battles, so no one pays attention to casting a large number of army field artillery, which is about the same number as mortars with a short range.

Of course, this is not to say that artillery in this era is not taken seriously. In siege warfare and naval battles, artillery is the absolute main force, and fortresses and coastal fortifications cannot do without the help of artillery.

The only thing that is not powerful enough is the use of field artillery in field encounters.

The targets of artillery bombardment in wild encounters are all moving. Coupled with the high hit rate of artillery in this era, it is naturally difficult to achieve too many results.

The field gun's highly lethal shotgun spray requires quick maneuverability, or waiting for the enemy to stick to his face.

All European countries knew the lethality of shotgun shells, so how could they give field artillery the opportunity to use shotgun shells?
Therefore, it is the infantry on both sides that will really decide the outcome of this battle. According to Li Wei's estimation, if the artillery wants to become the real king of land warfare, at least hundreds of direct-firing newly cast field bronze cannons must be concentrated.

The best prefix also has a 'Cannon'!
In this way, concentrated use will achieve a qualitative change!
It's a pity that Li Wei doesn't have that capital...

Today, more than a dozen cannons under the control of the Black Dragon Legion are still trophies. The shells are all looted from the city of Vannes. There is no cannon casting workshop in the town of Charles, so there is no way to make shells!
In the current Kingdom of France, there are not many factories that can cast artillery. Only some large cities at the capital level of the region, or cities specially approved by the Kingdom of France, are eligible to cast artillery.

It is fundamentally different from the gun workshops everywhere.

The center striker of the Ille-Vilaine Legion, who was the first to encounter the Black Dragon Legion, was naturally the National Self-Defense Force at the forefront.

They followed under the blue, white and red tricolor flag with high morale, and shouted revolutionary slogans such as 'freedom, equality and fraternity' from time to time as they marched forward.

Many National Guard soldiers in civilian clothes were so excited that their faces turned red and thick-necked. It was obvious that they had been so brainwashed that they had temporarily forgotten the fear of death...

"Advance, valiant French warriors, until the first shot is fired!"

The leader of the National Self-Defense Forces kept encouraging and shouting.

Thanks to the prevalence of the close-range three-row gun tactic of the British, the lobster soldiers of the British Empire were invincible in the colonial wars by relying on this tactic. Now the armies of various European countries believe that in field encounters, let the enemy open first. One shot will give your side a great advantage!
Because after the enemy fires the first shot, your own troops can go to a closer distance to fire the first shot!
The lethality of the first shot is clear even to ordinary civilians.

Of course, if you know it, you know it. It's hard to say whether you have the courage...

Otherwise, with such a simple truth, it would not be the case that only the lobster soldiers can eat it all over the world.

However, the National Guardsmen of the Ille-Vilaine Legion, who are now being driven into a frenzy, seem to be planning to fire the first shot despite the hail of bullets!
Use this to take advantage of the battle and demonstrate your heroic and fearless revolutionary spirit.

However, as the distance between the two sides got closer, the faces of many armed civilians from the National Self-Defense Forces who were walking in front were getting worse and worse, and their backs were already soaked in cold sweat!
too close!
It's really too close!

So close that their calves began to tremble.

Not surprisingly, the front row soldiers of the National Self-Defense Forces, including those leading 'officers', subconsciously began to slow down and then slow down.

It seemed that he was afraid that he would hit the muzzle of the gun.

On the other hand, the basic line infantry of the Black Dragon Legion on the opposite side always maintained a serious face that regarded death as home, and every step they took was firmly on the drumbeat!

This kind of all serious face, on the contrary, deepened the fear of the armed civilians of the National Guard.

Even Wallace in the rear was very puzzled when he saw this scene, and asked left and right:

"It's so close, why don't they stop and shoot?
Is it possible to walk into the enemy's team? "

A congressman with some military knowledge next to him responded: "Your Excellency Speaker, those people are the National Self-Defense Forces. Maybe they want to get as close as possible to fire the first shot and instantly destroy the vanguard of the rebel army."

While Wallace was talking to the people around him, the basic line infantry of the Black Dragon Legion in the front row stopped first.

The distance between the two sides has been drawn close enough that they can clearly see the whites of the opposite side's eyes!
Moreover, the enemy troops on the opposite side obviously have no intention of stopping. If they move forward, they will really have to pass through...

(End of this chapter)