In the Name of Empress-Chapter 291 - 199: Disguised as Merchants for a Surprise Attack? Courting Death! (Part 2)
The two hundred people entering the city walked on the pitch-black streets, with no lights around, only the sound of footsteps echoing on the street.
The eerie silence was unsettling.
The outpost leader suspiciously scanned the surroundings and suddenly felt a chilling sensation along his back.
Something was off! Although Oro Town was a small border town, it was still an important trade node. How could there be no lights at night? There’s an ambush!
He drew his pistol, ready to fire a shot to alert others, when a flying knife whizzed toward him.
He screamed in agony, his wrist severed, as the pistol and hand hit the ground simultaneously.
Accompanying his scream, orderly gunfire erupted around him, followed by intense explosions.
The dull sound of the city gates closing pronounced the death sentence for those two hundred men.
Despite their strenuous resistance, it was futile against the defender’s superior firepower, favorable terrain, and pre-arranged ambush.
The ambush quickly devolved into a massacre.
After several rounds of dense gunfire, only sporadic screams and pleas for mercy echoed from within the city.
Outside the city, Mr. Rusong, the guild leader, appeared ashen. He looked up at the Oro Town walls and reprimanded, "We’re transporting pine wine for Lord Governor, you..."
His response was a barrage of furious gunfire.
Jacobs gazed coldly at the outraged Rusong, his intent to kill overwhelming.
If he hadn’t stayed vigilant, if he hadn’t observed the mountain pass intensely every day, if not for that little warning note, things would have been drastically different.
The battle inside the city was indeed one-sided, yet the ambushed enemies demonstrated high combat skills, managing to counterattack and causing casualties among the defenders, despite their total collapse.
If they had broken through, it would have been the twenty-ninth garrison battalion being slaughtered.
The thought of it sent a shiver down his spine.
Seeing the situation exposed, Chairman Rusong dared not waste time. Infuriated, he fired a shot at the city wall before hastily retreating.
He cursed the commander’s shamelessness through gritted teeth.
He needed to leave immediately, to wait for the main force to arrive.
Once the artillery arrived, the small Oro Town could naturally be breached, only he would have to face the wrath of His Majesty the King.
The thought made his scalp tingle with anxiety and endless regret.
He should not have concocted such a reckless idea of a surprise attack, not only costing over two hundred men but gravely damaging the army’s morale and putting him in a dilemma.
Rusong regretted so much he wished he were dead, yet soon, he would regret even more.
He wasn’t aware of someone aiming a rifle at him, not having eyes on the back of his head.
Unlike the flintlock firearms of the era, where hitting depended entirely on faith, Jacobs wielded a hand-crafted bolt-action rifle.
Designed with blueprints provided by Roland, the parts were manually assembled by Hansa’s top blacksmiths, with Norton adjusting the shooting accuracy, it was a limited-edition bolt-action rifle reminiscent of the M1841.
Though the reloading speed and shooting accuracy were much inferior to a proper bolt-action rifle, the effective range only four hundred meters and couldn’t be mass-produced, it was sufficient.
Jacobs’ lips faintly curled as he silently prayed and pulled the trigger.
The bullet flew across nearly two hundred meters, accurately hitting the back of Rusong’s head.
In an era before bulletproof helmets were developed, even a crude rifle bullet was lethal enough.
"Bang!"
Rusong’s final sensation was a heavy blow to his head before everything went dark, and he fell off his horse.
Staring blankly at the sky, his mind wandered. He was skilled in body techniques, adept with firearms, and proficient in military command, a standout among young officers in the Oden Kingdom, known as the Bear Hunter.
Yet it all ended here.
People did not realize what the bullet from two hundred meters away meant, only that Rusong had terrible luck.
Jacobs blew on the smoking barrel, silently thanking Governor Roland for gifting him the rifle.
He held the rifle like a beloved and issued a loud command.
After repelling the enemy attack, Oro Town lit the beacons to alert the rear. As the beacons were lit, two carrier pigeons and a rider on a fast horse also headed toward Hansa City to report the news.
After issuing all instructions, Jacobs gathered his officers for an emergency military meeting to formulate strategies.
Even though they won, he did not relax.
Clearly, the enemy attacking tonight was just the vanguard, a large main force would likely follow.
The Oden Kingdom was not considered a top nation, yet it was brave and battle-hardened. Even if Oro Town were a fortress, it couldn’t withstand the enemy’s main force.
The furious enemy might even massacre the town.
The Oden people’s ancestors were pirates, often massacring cities upon capturing them, displaying severed heads outside the next city to intimidate defenders.
To hold or to flee, that is the question...
Right?
In the military meeting, nearly all officers opposed abandoning the city and fleeing.
The youngest lieutenant, who was a naive youth half a year ago and used to be a hunter, stood up, loudly proclaiming:
"Our military discipline is strict. Abandoning positions without orders is a capital offense, and it leads to confiscation of all family property, and children cannot receive compulsory education, while direct relatives cannot hold public office. We would die in battle instead of fleeing and bringing disaster to our family."
Jacobs gestured the young officer to sit down expressionlessly.
The handsome young man sitting next to the young officer teased with a smile: "Tom, you don’t even have a girlfriend, and yet you care about family?"
Blushing, the youth addressed as Tom retorted loudly: "Even without a girlfriend, I have parents and a brother. Who says I don’t have family?"
Jacobs raised a hand to stop the officers from laughing, speaking gravely:
"Tom’s suggestion is to hold to the end, what does everyone else say?"
The young officer who had just teased Tom stood up, saluted Jacobs, and said aloud:
"Captain, we should prepare for both plans. First, ensure to hold Oro Town before the enemy artillery arrives. Oro Town is the gateway to the Hansa Plain. If it falls, Lord Governor will have to fight in Hansa City."
After pausing, he continued, "Secondly, we must evacuate the residents ahead of time, the elderly and children retreat inland, while young men are urgently drafted, and grown women are responsible for logistics. This way, we supplement defense forces and prepare for subsequent evacuation."
"Evacuation?"
"Jerry, what nonsense are you spouting? You’re shaking our morale, we can’t flee without a fight!"
These words quickly provoked dissatisfaction among the other officers, and had Jacobs not allowed him to continue, others would have beaten him by now.
"We’ve asked for reinforcements, and they should arrive within three days, so we must hold for at least three days. If no reinforcements appear after three days, then it’s time to break out."
Silence filled the meeting room.
Jerry was not wrong; if there were no reinforcements, breaking out wouldn’t violate military regulation. However, would there still be an opportunity to break out by then?
There were only over a hundred warhorses in the city. Attempting to sneak away without riding showed too little regard for the enemy, so the number of people who could break out was equal to the horses’ count.
Jerry implied that over 60% casualties were required before breaking through.
No one asked who could ride and break out then.
Guns and artillery would provide the answer; whoever survived could leave.
Jacobs stood up, coldly saying: "Tomorrow morning, evacuate the old and young, unify control of the warhorses, and no one is allowed to use them without my order."
"I’ll stand and fight with you until the final victory. Meeting adjourned! Tom, stay behind."
Everyone dispersed, leaving only the youngest officer behind.
Looking at the young man’s fluffy beard, Jacobs asked gravely: "Tom, how old are you?"
"Captain, I’m eighteen!"
"Bullshit!" Jacobs abruptly interrupted his lie.
"Seventeen... I’ll turn seventeen by the end of the year!"
Tom argued defiantly, eyes wide and puffed, saying, "Count Sif is only a few months older than me, she’s gaining merits for the Empire, why can’t I?"
"Do you have the confidence to accomplish any mission?" Jacobs used a poor tactic to incite him.
"Of course I do!" Tom blushed, rage rising.
"You will ride my horse and set off overnight to find reinforcements."
"Captain, you’re looking down on me!" Tom, though young, was not foolish, realizing Jacobs was finding a way for his safe retreat.
Jacobs raised his right hand, his voice icy, "Colonel Jes’s light cavalry is stationed in the northern Hansa Plain, but they frequently change camps; you must find Colonel Jes within a day and bring reinforcements to save us. Can you guarantee to complete the mission?"
Tom hesitated for a second before sharply straightening himself and saluting Jacobs.
Watching the slender shoulders and youthful back of the young lieutenant, a hint of a smile spread on Jacobs’ lips.
Though the others were young, they were all married, only you kid hadn’t tied the knot yet.
