Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 29: Storming the City Gates

Translator: Cinder Translations

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In June, after two months of intensive preparation, Paul Grayman officially issued the order to his army to reclaim Port Frand.

By now, the Alden Guards had two fully equipped battalions totaling over 1,100 soldiers. Thanks to the relentless efforts of Herman and others, in addition to traditional weapons like swords and spears, they were also armed with 20 arquebuses and 2 four-pound cannons.

Outside Port Frand, The Young Earl raised a single-barrel telescope to observe the pirates' defensive fortifications from afar. He had commissioned this telescope from an optician from another region, quickly equipping it within the army. Officers praised this instrument for its ability to observe enemy movements from a distance. Of course, the optician was enticed to stay with a handsome salary.

At this moment, Port Frand's walls had been reinforced by the pirates. These walls, though called such, were nothing more than low earthworks compared to grand cities like Crystal Glare. However, they were adorned with numerous defensive weapons. From a distance, one could see large cauldrons boiling something atop the walls—either scalding hot oil or foul-smelling excrement. The pirates had already noticed the gathering of the army outside the city and preemptively set these on fire.

Not far from the walls, a trench dug deeper than a person's height was lined with a dense array of iron caltrops and spikes, among other treacherous devices, separating the trench from the city walls.

Schroder set down the telescope and suggested, "Let's directly attack the main gate. We have cannons; a few shots can blast open that wooden gate. Then, use the arquebuses and cannons for cover to fill in the trench in front of the gate and charge in."

Paul nodded in agreement with the plan.

In the afternoon, two cannons aimed from afar at Port Frand's main gate, and the battle commenced.

"Load... Aim..." With each command from the gunner, the artillerymen operated the cannons methodically. They had been training continuously for nearly two months for this actual combat, every movement seeming almost instinctive.

"Fire!" The gunner roared, and the artilleryman responsible for firing ignited the gunpowder in the breech.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a tremendous roar, solid iron balls weighing four pounds each surged out of the cannon at a speed of 416 meters per second, almost instantly crashing into the walls of Port Frand.

The pirates on the wall only saw a puff of white smoke from those strange things in the distance, followed by two loud bangs that suddenly made the walls tremble. Though they didn't hit the main gate, the force still shook the pirates profoundly, eliciting cries of terror from the wall.

"Arquebuses, a simpler yet more powerful structure!" The pirate leader, Shark, quickly deduced. He promptly ordered his men not to gather together to avoid being wiped out by the cannonballs.

"Reset... Adjust the angle!"

The artillerymen slightly adjusted their angles and quickly fired the second round.

Although the second round did not directly hit the main gate either, it shattered a section of the wall. The cannonball pierced through the wall, directly blasting a hapless pirate off the wall, instantly killing him. The debris from the wall also caused serious injuries to his companions not far on either side.

Painful cries echoed on the walls, and Shark immediately ordered his men to take those two down to avoid demoralizing the rest.

However, morale had almost plummeted by now. After witnessing the power of the "arquebuses," all the pirates trembled with fear, heads down.