The Roar of the Cannon
Hermod, standing in front of the command tent in the distance, saw all of this clearly through his binoculars. His pupils suddenly contracted, and the smug smile on his face was instantly replaced by immense astonishment and a sense of foreboding.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Boom!!!
A deafening, thunderous roar erupted!
The sound was so loud that it instantly drowned out all the noise on the battlefield!
A streak of intense fire flashed past the city gate!
The next moment, a heavy six-pound iron ball, accompanied by a terrifying shriek that tore through the air, slammed into the very center of the Shield-carts charging at the forefront at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow!
Snap! Boom!
That thick wooden plank, strong enough to withstand a hail of arrows and bullets, was as fragile as paper in the face of such absolute power!
Instantly smashed to pieces, wood chips flew everywhere! The iron ball continued its momentum, easily piercing through the entire interior of the Shield-carts like a red-hot iron piercing through butter!
The few Broomflower slaves who were hiding behind the Shield-carts and pushing the cart didn't even have time to scream before they were instantly torn to pieces by this violent force!
Blood, flesh, and severed limbs mixed with sawdust sprayed backward! The iron ball plowed a bloody, mangled path of death through the inside of the Shield-carts!
That's not all!
The cannonball, having pierced the Shield-carts, lost some of its kinetic energy but remained deadly, continuing its flight and slamming into the Sauron soldier following closely behind!
Pfft! Ah!!!
A series of piercing screams rang out! Wherever the shells passed, people fell instantly as if swept by an invisible giant scythe!
Limbs, severed arms, and internal organs were scattered everywhere, leaving a horrifying blood-soaked alley on the ground!
The entire battlefield seemed to have been paused at that moment.
The slaves being driven to push other Shield-carts were stunned and terrified, and even the Sauron soldier supervising the battle from the rear were dumbfounded.
Hermod only then began to realize what was happening; it was as if he had witnessed the most incredible thing in the world!
"Cannons... Cannon? How could they possibly have Cannon?!" he cried out in shock, his voice shrill with utter astonishment.
He had calculated everything, from the muskets and arrows of the defenders to their Rolling Stone and Logs, but he hadn't anticipated that this seemingly simple border fortress would actually conceal a powerful Cannon!
This was completely beyond his expectations, and it instantly shattered his Shield-carts tactic!
On the walls of Carnford, the defenders erupted in an even more fervent cheer than before!
That cannon shot not only shattered the enemy's Shield-carts, but also greatly boosted everyone's morale!
The roar of that Cannon still echoed across the battlefield. The first Shield-carts had been blasted to pieces, but it did not stop reaping!
With the gunners' skillful operation, the heavy cannon was quickly turned, and the dark muzzle was once again aimed at another advancing Shield-carts!
Hermod, watching this scene through his telescope from his command tent in the distance, felt a surge of anger and fear. He could no longer stand by and watch this deadly long-range threat destroy his precious siege equipment!
"Trumper!" he roared. "Sound the horn! All troops, charge! At all costs, destroy that cannon! Now!"
"Woo--woo--!" The mournful bugle call, signifying the final assault, suddenly rang out, drowning out the clamor of the battlefield.
Upon hearing the horn, the advancing Sauron soldier, though terrified of the Cannon, obeyed orders without question. They brandished their swords and drove the terrified Broomflower slaves before them with even greater ferocity, like herding sheep, and launched a mad charge toward the open city gate and the deadly Cannon!
The crowd surged forth, attempting to overwhelm everything with sheer numbers.
"Boom!!!"
A second deafening cannon shot rang out! Another Shield-carts was paralyzed instantly by the impact of the massive iron ball, splintering wood everywhere.
But at this moment, the torrent of the Sauron was already closing in!
A sharp, urgent whistle rang out from the city wall! It was the signal to retreat!
Upon receiving the order, the gunners immediately stopped loading, worked together to push the gun carriage, and desperately dragged it into the city gate.
The Sauron archers seized the opportunity to unleash a hail of arrows upon them, but the shield bearers held firm, blocking them with a clanging sound.
Meanwhile, the driven Broomflower slaves, forced by the blades of the Sauron soldier, had already rushed to the death zone, less than fifty meters from the city wall!
Many slaves, their faces filled with despair and fear, looked at the familiar flags on the city walls and cried out in anguish for help.
The Musketeers and archers on the city walls looked down at the ragged slaves below, most of whom were their compatriots. Their fingers froze on the triggers and bowstrings, their faces filled with reluctance and struggle. They could not bring themselves to raise their swords against their own people.
Karl stood atop the city wall, his face calm, but his heart was cold. Reason told him that any hesitation at this moment would be a betrayal of the entire garrison.
This is war; there is no room for mercy.
He resolutely put the whistle in his mouth and, with all his might, blew out a sharp, long note that represented "free fire"!
The whistle lashed at the hearts of all the defenders like a whip! Military orders are absolute! Despite their immense inner turmoil, the soldiers gritted their teeth, pulled the triggers, and released the bowstrings!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Bullets and arrows rained down, and the dozens of slaves at the forefront fell with screams like wheat being cut down! Blood stained the ground red.
This brutal scene plunged the subsequent slaves into even greater panic and chaos.
However, in the brief lull of this bloody suppression, the Sauron archers who were close behind seized the opportunity to rush forward a few steps and unleash a volley of arrows at the city walls!
Several Musketeers who were firing were caught off guard, struck by arrows, and fell down screaming.
Karl immediately ordered, "Musketeers retreat! In place of the infantry platoons!"
At this moment, the vanguard of the Sauron, driving their slaves, was almost at the front of the retreating Cannon!
They roared, determined to destroy this major threat before the city gates closed in.
At the critical moment!
"Boom!!!" The dull, thunderous sound of horses' hooves echoed from inside the city gate!
The next moment, the heavily armored cavalry led by Lyon surged out of the city gate like a long-awaited torrent of steel!
They completely ignored the chaotic crowd of slaves ahead, their warhorses shoving aside the poor souls blocking their path, their iron hooves trampling mercilessly, their target being the Sauron archers and infantry phalanxes that were organizing their attack behind them!
The cavalrymen were like tigers among sheep. With their speed, they wielded their scimitars and maces wildly, instantly turning the unsuspecting Sauron archers upside down and leaving a trail of blood!
The Sauron never expected that their opponents would dare to launch such a fierce counterattack despite being at such a disadvantage. Especially when facing elite heavy cavalry, their fragile formation collapsed instantly. The soldiers were terrified by this sudden attack, and they dropped their weapons and fled in disarray!
Lyon led his cavalry in several charges, completely crushing the Sauron vanguard.