"Passan! Go take them out!"
"Me?"
The Sardinian puppet troops' leader was speechless. He wanted to say something, but the cannon fire that followed drowned out his voice.
The twelve steel cannons were extraordinarily powerful. A single volley tore the city gate to pieces.
Special steel had reinforced the barrels, and the shells were specially made high-explosive rounds, so the results were spectacular.
The firepower was almost unbelievable to Garibaldi. He had fought in many wars and seen plenty of cannons, but the Austrian artillery had left the deepest impression on him.
By comparison, the Brazilian government forces' artillery was a joke. Garibaldi thought that even the legendary Basilic, said to have blasted open Constantinople, could hardly have been any more powerful.
After two rounds of bombardment, Garibaldi called off the shelling. The moment the guns fell silent, a crowd came charging out of the breaches in the gate and walls, howling like mad.
At the sight, the French commander atop the walls shouted excitedly.
"Covering fire!"
Meanwhile, the Volunteer Army soldiers immediately jumped into the trenches, ready to fight. But they soon realized something was wrong. The people charging out included men and women, old and young. Though they carried guns, most were firing wildly.
"Shoot at the French on the walls. Let them come closer."
The Volunteer Army's guns and cannons roared in unison. The French, already familiar with the enemy's artillery, immediately ducked back.
As the gunfire gradually died down, the French commander poked his head out. The sight before him left him stunned. He clenched his fists, stood up, and cursed loudly.
"Damn traitors! Italians are all liars!"
A bullet struck the parapet beside the commander. He immediately ducked back down, knowing that more than one sharpshooter must be aiming at him now.
Garibaldi looked at