Chapter 445: Flooding the Army (Subscription Request)
The end of October in the 314th year of the New Divine Calendar.
In the northeast of the Bonaparte Empire, where the Yser Canal is located.
More than a decade ago, when the magic industry of the Habsburg Empire was booming, transportation became a problem that needed to be solved urgently.
This sparked a debate about transportation methods that lasted for more than ten years, which could be mainly divided into the railway faction and the canal faction.
That is, to build railways as the main means of transportation, or to dig canals to connect different rivers to facilitate transportation.
Later, with the emergence of magic heavy trucks, building highways also became one of the factions.
To be precise, each of the three parties has its own advantages and disadvantages, and its own characteristics. It is biased to insist on judging the pros and cons of each of them.
The Habsburg Empire also made the most suitable choices based on different provinces and geographical environments.
Similarly, this trend also spread to the Bonaparte Empire.
The Bonaparte royal family did not give up because of fear. Instead, they recruited many scholars to discuss the matter and finally came up with a number of plans.
Among these plans, some were abandoned directly, some were abandoned halfway, but some were eventually implemented.
The Yser Canal is one of them.
It originates in the Monzkassel River and flows in an arc through West Flanders, past Nieuwpoort, before emptying into the Silver Sea.
Since the Yser River was completed, it immediately became the busiest canal in the northern part of the Bonaparte Empire. The abundant water source irrigated the vast fertile land on both sides of the river, turning it into the best farmland.
This place also became one of the best grain-producing areas in the Bonaparte Empire.
In October, the autumn harvest season, the wheat fields are already rolling here.
If these grains are harvested completely and stored in warehouses, it will surely ease the logistical pressure on the coalition forces.
But this is not allowed by the empire.
So, a vigorous war is brewing here again.
There are dense barriers on both sides of the river.
On one side are trenches and bunkers, stacked layer upon layer, forming a tight defense line.
Inside the trench, you can see the barrels of field guns sticking out, pointing into the distance.
There were also dense crowds of imperial soldiers shuttling around, transporting bullets, grenades, weapons and food.
After the war had been going on for a long time, everyone realized that it was a very stupid thing to place cannons outside.
Both sides have air units, and a bomb or a long-range spell dropped from a distance can destroy a large number of magic cannons.
So, they began to try to dig trenches larger and more hidden, push magic cannons into them, and cover them with trees, so as to reduce losses in the war.
On the other side of the river, a city stands.
Diksmuide, one of the important cities in the north of the Bonaparte Empire, was a center of economy and trade, a distribution center for goods and a concentration of population.
Once upon a time, this place was synonymous with prosperity. At night, the lights were not turned off and there was no curfew.
But by this time, sacks were filled with earth and rocks to build walls, and machine guns were set up at key locations every few streets.
The buildings on both sides were emptied and filled with coalition soldiers resting.
Magic cannons were set up at the highest points and key locations, and were equipped with magic gunners.
Today, the number of the coalition's magic legions is still small.
The main reason is that it takes time to train soldiers with magical powers. It is easier for those who can read, and it will take about three to six months. But if they are illiterate, it will be a pain just to train them.
Moreover, although shooting a gun is easy, artillery is a technical job, especially for the main gunner. If you want to shoot accurately, you must learn to calculate the trajectory.
If you want to calculate the trajectory accurately, sorry, you need to use calculus!
The magic apprentices who were first gathered by the coalition forces and who were not killed were all transferred to become artillerymen.
The more you understand magical machines, the more you realize how valuable they are, and the more reluctant you are to let them go into battle.
But even though it is so precious, it is still equipped with three artillery battalions and five magic gun battalions, which shows the importance the coalition forces attach to it.
However, when the empire gathered enough troops and prepared to take it down in one fell swoop, such emphasis seemed ridiculous.
From some unknown time on, a series of artillery fire sounds were heard, and shells with tail flames rose into the sky and exploded directly at high altitude.
Then, there was light shining in all directions, and in this dark night, it seemed as bright as day.
In the light, the outline of Diksmuide city is clearly visible.
Illumination flares are one of the empire's newest special shells. They have only one effect: turning night into day. It also seems to be magical and lasts for a very long time.
It was these flares that caused panic among the Allied soldiers in the city of Diksmuide.
They thought they would be hit hard, but in reality, they waited for a long time and nothing happened.
Until the end of the sky, a buzzing sound was heard.
There were dozens of magical aircraft, making noises that cut through the void. They were in teams of three, forming a formation like sharp arrows, chasing the light.
They are almost all dark black, like ghosts in the darkness.
Only the aircraft that served as the arrow was bright red in color.
That's the Red Baron, Richthofen!
The flares are used to guide their location.
They roared through the city, dropping bombs, not many in number, but causing chaos and commotion.
It's like having a sword hanging over your head, and it's hard for anyone to remain calm.
Of course, there are countermeasures within the city!
A dozen flying monsters, controlled by knights, rose into the sky.
Wyverns, griffins, giant eagles, we have them all!
These knights either used guns or threw out magic scrolls, trying their best to resist.
But their numbers were too small, really too small to stop the formation of magical aircraft.
Therefore, another third-level extraordinary strong man exploded his fighting spirit, turned it into wings, flew into the sky, and fought hard.
Before the war, the extraordinary combat skill of 'fighting spirit turning into wings' was a secret of many families, but now, the coalition forces wished that every third-level warrior could fly.
Their intervention did stop some of the magical aircraft, and the two sides started to fight each other, resulting in casualties on both sides.
However, this is just the beginning!
At the end of the sky, another magical aircraft came rushing towards them, but that was not all. The most terrifying thing was the three Zeppelin airships following behind.
In fact, the carrying capacity of magic aircraft is limited. They cannot carry many bombs and cannot achieve much bombing effect.
But this Zeppelin is different!
It's slow, bulky, looks unsafe, and isn't actually safe, but it has the capacity to carry it.
A team of magical aircraft engaged the enemy air force, a team of escorts provided them, and three Zeppelins dropped bombs.
The result was that wherever it passed, the city was engulfed in a roaring, thick sea of fire.
This wave alone caused countless casualties, which made people panic and lost their morale.
But this was not the end. As the Zeppelin flew away, the bombardment from the other side of the river began.
In the dense smoke, every flicker of the shell's tail flame brought a shocking roar.
And a moment later, there were roars, explosions, and smoke in the distance.
Having lost their formation, the artillerymen were free to act. There was no more Xu Jin barrage, just a barrage of attacks.
The results it can bring are also amazing!
Especially in the city, explosions were everywhere, leaving the coalition soldiers at a loss.
At the same time, a fourth-level wizard appeared beside the Yser River.
He walked up to the river step by step with several layers of shields on his head. The other side also had magic gunners staring at him and trying to kill him, but they were all blocked by the magic shields.
He took out a magic scroll and slowly unfolded it while chanting a mysterious spell.
On this battlefield, the roaring explosions still could not conceal the restless elemental fluctuations.
Until the frost continued to spread outward with this fourth-level mage as the core, the splashing water was deprived of temperature and directly solidified in mid-air.
Ice formed on the water surface, and in just a few dozen breaths, the entire river was completely frozen.
From afar, the river seemed cut off, but was covered with ice, and eventually led to the city.
At this point, the last obstacle to the attack disappeared.
A shrill horn sounded, and countless imperial soldiers rushed out with guns in hand.
They walked on the solid ice and moved forward quickly. It only took them a dozen seconds to cross the river which was hundreds of meters wide.
The city's defense system had been completely breached, and even the sandbag walls facing the river bank were full of gaps under the artillery fire.
The city of Dixmude is now undefended and seems to be easily captured!
At this time, inside the city, in the underground command post.
The magic mirror reflected the terrible battle situation outside. Everyone remained silent, not even daring to breathe deeply.
Until, a middle-aged general with gray hair waved his hand and said, "Let's inform everyone to execute the 'burn everything together' plan!"
One staff officer couldn't help but ask, "General, is there really no other way? If we take that step, we'll all be sinners!"
"Do you have any other ideas?"
“I, I…”
"If not, then go ahead and do it!"
"yes!"
So, a moment later, an order was sent through the magic communication array and went far away.
Then, upstream of the Isser Canal, a wizard who received the order couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his hands.
Until the end, he gritted his teeth, lost his magic power, and activated the deeply buried bomb.
Then, a roar like thunder sounded, and the sluice gate that blocked the river water shattered in the explosion.
Then, thousands of acres of river water poured out, turning into a raging flood, rushing in the river channel, quickly overflowing the river bank, and submerging the fertile fields.
In the city of Dixmude, the imperial soldiers who had already been confident of victory saw a horrifying scene.
On the canal, the river water rushed in like thousands of galloping horses.
The river surface that was originally frozen by magic was completely shattered by the flood.
As for the imperial soldiers on the ice, they were unable to withstand the pressure and were completely swept away by a wave.
However, they were not the only ones taken away.
Whether it is the trenches on this side or the city over there, at this moment, they are all submerged by floods and turned into a swamp.
Behind the Imperial Front, inside the Command Center,
When the news came, the imperial general could not help but stare blankly at the battlefield in the distance.
After a long while, he finally said, "To injure the enemy by a thousand is to lose eight hundred of your own. How cruel!"
Yes, this bombing almost completely destroyed the best production area of the Bonaparte Empire, causing incalculable casualties, economic losses, and food losses.
In comparison, the flooding of Diksmuide was nothing.
But because of this tactic of flooding the army, the empire's first major counterattack after the Battle of the Marne failed!
(End of this chapter)
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