Capturing the City Gate

After two months of intense preparations, Paul Greiman officially issued the order to his troops to retake Franklin Harbor, marking the beginning of June.

By this time, the Alarda Territory Guard had two full, well-organized battalions, totaling over 1,100 officers and men. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Herman and others, in addition to traditional cold weapons such as swords and spears, they were also equipped with 20 Matchlock Guns and 2 four-pound Cannons.

Outside Franklin Harbor, the Earl raised his Monocular Telescope, observing the Pirates' defenses from afar. He had commissioned an optician from out of town to make this telescope and quickly equipped the army with it. The officers praised this tool that allowed them to observe the enemy from a distance. Of course, he had 'retained' the optician with a high salary.

Franklin Harbor's city walls had been reinforced by the Pirates. To call them city walls was an exaggeration; compared to large cities like Jingyao, they were merely low earthen ramparts. However, there were many defensive measures on top. From a distance, one could see large pots on the walls, boiling something—either scalding hot oil or foul-smelling fecal matter. The Pirates had spotted the army gathering outside the city and had started the fires in advance.

Not far from the city walls, a trench more than one person deep had been dug, and the area between the trench and the walls was scattered with dense Caltrops, Ground Spikes, and other insidious devices.

Schroeder lowered his telescope and suggested, "Attack the main gate directly. We have Cannons; a few shots will blast open that wooden gate. Then, using Firearm and Cannon fire as cover, fill the trench in front of the gate, and we can charge in."

Paul nodded in agreement with the plan.

In the afternoon, two Cannons were aimed at the gate of Franklin Harbor from a distance, and the battle began.

"Load... Aim..." With each command from the artillery commander, the gunners methodically operated the Cannons. They had been training continuously for nearly two months for this actual combat, and every step of the process seemed to have become instinct.

"Fire!" The artillery commander roared, and the gunner responsible for firing ignited the Gunpowder in the touchhole.

"BOOM!"

Accompanied by a deafening roar, a four-pound solid iron Shell, carrying tremendous kinetic energy, shot out of the barrel at a speed of 416 meters per second, striking the city walls of Franklin Harbor almost instantly.

The Pirates on the wall only saw a puff of white smoke from those strange objects in the distance, followed by two loud bangs, and suddenly felt the city walls shake. Although the Shells did not hit the gate, their power still gave the Pirates a huge shock, and cries of panic rang out on the walls.

"A Ballista, a simpler structure, but with even greater power." The Pirate leader, Shark, quickly made this assessment. He quickly ordered his men not to gather together to avoid being wiped out by a single Shell.

"Reset... Adjust the angle!"

The gunners slightly adjusted the angle and quickly fired the second round.

The second round of shelling still did not hit the city gate, but it shattered a piece of the wall. The Shell penetrated the parapet and directly blasted an unlucky Pirate off the city wall, killing him instantly. Fragments of the wall also seriously injured his companions not far away.

Painful wails rang out on the city walls, and Shark immediately ordered his men to take the two down to avoid affecting morale.

However, morale had already plummeted at this point. After witnessing the power of the "Ballista," the Pirates all shrank back, trembling.

With a loud crash, the fifth round of shelling finally hit the gate. The wooden gate was smashed to pieces, and the Pirates ambushing on both sides of the gate were terrified. The rumbling of the Cannons now sounded like thunder sent down by the gods in the Pirates' hearts.

"Firearm soldiers, advance!"

The Alarda army's Firearm soldiers began to slowly advance towards the city walls under the cover of Shieldbearers.

"Archers, get ready! The enemy is attacking the city. Tell the brothers at the city gate to keep a close watch."

Seeing the Firearm soldiers advance, Shark issued a series of orders. He knew that the enemy was about to attack the city.

The Pirates, equipped with bows and arrows, poked half their bodies out from the walls, looking for targets approaching the trench.

But the "attacking soldiers" they expected stopped more than 100 meters from the city walls. At this distance, their inferior bows and arrows could not cause any effective damage, especially since the enemy had the protection of shields.

A sound like popping beans rang out as 20 Matchlock Guns fired in unison. Four Pirates were immediately hit, clutching their wounds and screaming on the walls.

"Get down! Get down!" "It's the legendary black magic!" Shouts erupted on the city walls.

It's that legendary evil weapon, it can shoot so far. Shark was secretly shocked. The enemy's ranged attacks aren't over yet? He thought they would fill the trench and attack the city next.

And that was indeed the plan. While the Pirates on the walls were lying down to avoid the Firearm fire, soldiers carrying bags of soil quickly ran to the front of the gate near the trench and began throwing them in.

It's too late if we don't stop them. Shark couldn't care less and roared, "Archers, attack!"

But no one listened to him. Everyone holding bows and arrows huddled behind the parapet, unwilling to get up.

Shark was furious. "Are you all deaf?"

A subordinate said with a mournful face, "Boss, let's surrender! We can't win."

Shark chuckled twice. "Heh heh! Someone finally said it."

Then he widened his bloodshot eyes and roared at his subordinates, "Greiman's old man died in our hands. What good end do you think you'll have after surrendering? Do you know the consequences for people like us harming nobles?" His voice was indescribably frantic.

Terrifying scenes flashed through the Pirates' minds.

In this harsh era, the outcome of a commoner harming a noble depended entirely on the noble's word. While there were a few nobles who pardoned criminals and were praised for it, more often than not, severe punishments were imposed. Cutting off hands and feet was considered light, and being executed directly was very common. Even more terrifying was being tortured to death or even worse than death. There was once a lord who dealt with the person who assassinated him in this way: sharpened wood was inserted into the punished person's anus, and they were stood on the ground, allowing them to slowly fall, eventually dying in endless pain and wailing.

If this was how commoners were treated, let alone them, Pirates who already had blood on their hands, everyone couldn't help but shudder.

"Fight it out with these noble bastards!"

Under the oppression of fear, the pirates were roused to action, clamoring to fight Paul Greiman to the bitter end.

But being pinned against the city walls and beaten wasn't a solution. Since the moat was almost filled, and the enemy was about to charge in, Shark ordered his lackeys to get off the wall and engage in melee combat.

Just as the pirates were noisily moving down the wall, Shark called over a confidant and quietly gave him a few instructions.

Accompanied by the chilling roar of cannons once again, a shell pierced through the city gate, immediately carving a bloody path forward. The pirates gathered at the city gate, disregarding their companions groaning on the ground, scattered in panic to both sides of the gate.

The Alarda army began their assault at the opportune moment. Four Infantry Companies, stepping on sandbags, crossed the moat in succession, and after breaking into the city, they quickly spread out. They engaged in melee combat with the pirates hiding on both sides of the city gate using their Spears. For a time, the streets near the city gate were filled with battle cries.

The Firearm soldiers followed closely behind into the city. Taking advantage of the enemy being held back by the Spear soldiers, they stood in the safe rear and fired freely. At such close range, it was practically point-and-shoot. Accompanied by bursts of thick smoke and "bang, bang" sounds, the lives of pirates were constantly reaped by the bullets.

"Lay down your arms and you won't be killed! Lay down your arms and you won't be killed!"

A cavalryman rushed into the city, conveying the Earl's latest instructions to the pirates who had already been divided and surrounded into several groups.

"We surrender!"

As soon as they heard they could avoid death, some of the pirates, who had just been full of fighting spirit, immediately threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground to surrender. With one taking the lead, the pirates next to him followed suit, fearing to fall behind others. Regardless of whether there would be retribution later, they decided to take a gamble.

In a matter of minutes, all the pirates in the city gate area had surrendered.