"Destroy Mysore within three months!"

The entire "Pa" is built on a mound that is seventy or eighty meters high. There are three concentric walls from bottom to top, with a watchtower that is more than 5 meters high in the middle.

Each layer of the wall was supported by thick tree trunks, with a large number of thinner wooden strips arranged densely and interwoven on the outermost layer, behind which was a rammed earth wall one and a half meters thick.

Defenders could stand on the rammed earth wall and peek out from the thick tree trunks to shoot.

The attacking Musket had difficulty penetrating the half-meter-thick tree trunks at long range, while artillery shells would easily ricochet off the low rammed earth walls below [Note 1].

In this way, the attacking side would have to use cannons to blast away all the Wood on the top of the earthen wall, and then use Infantry to get close and charge, in order to possibly break through one layer of the wall.

At the same time, the attacking side will find it difficult to hold the first two layers of walls, as they will be vulnerable to shooting from the defending side's higher ground.

Nikau excitedly explained to him, "There are tunnels beneath the tower. If we really can't hold it, we can escape through those tunnels."

Major Gaston gave a dismissive look. "The United Kingdom will dig everywhere and find the tunnels..."

Nikau laughed, "There are two tunnels, one deep and one shallow. The shallow one is only dug out about 200 paces, which is for the enemy to use for sabotage. The deep one leads to the woods behind."

Gaston was momentarily stunned. He knew very well that once the attackers dug a tunnel, they would think everything was fine and wouldn't bother looking for another one...

Fernand added, "We also incorporated some advanced weaponry for defense."

He gestured towards the highest tower of "Pa":

"A Four-Pound Cannon will be placed there. Also, a large barrel of Gunpowder has been buried at the tunnel entrance; if the United Kingdom try to get in, they'll receive a very 'explosive' gift."

The artillery factory in Mysore is now operating normally. The Four-Pound Cannon, being the simplest type of light cannon in terms of manufacturing process, can be produced there every day and a half, enough to distribute to a large number of "Pa" for defense.

Although the range of this cannon is limited, if it is mounted on a high tower, and given that the "Pa" itself is built on high ground, the range can even exceed that of 8-pounder Cannon by taking advantage of the high ground.

Lafayette looked at the simple earthen and wooden building, but a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Keep in mind, this thing only required 3 Maori people and less than 400 Mysore Serfs, and it was built in just half a month.

Magnus's initial estimate of a one-month construction period was based on the Maori's tool-making capabilities. The Maori had not yet mastered metallurgy and were using wooden shovels and stone axes. As a result, Mysore Serfs brought iron farm tools to work, and many oxen and horses assisted in the construction, so the first "Pa" was completed in only half the time.

This is only because the Serfs are not very familiar with construction; once they become more skilled, the speed can be even faster!

The Governor of India, Marquis Charles Cornwallis, glanced at the endless ranks of Red Army Lobsterbacks "Military Uniform and proudly puffed out his belly.

Yes, the East India Company's reinforcements have arrived!

With the troops he had recently transferred from various parts of India, he now had 9,000 English Army soldiers at his disposal, along with a large amount of heavy artillery and supplies.

On the flanks of the English Army were 20,000 Maratha troops and 14,000 Hyderabad troops. Meanwhile, these two United Kingdom vassal states continued to reinforce North Kanara.

With such a powerful military force at his disposal, Cornwallis was confident that he could reach the outskirts of Mysore City within three months, force Tipu to sign the Instrument of Surrender by the beginning of next year, and pay the East India Company a huge War Reparations.

He sneered and scoffed, "Lafayette, this time I will make sure North America pays back for all the humiliation!"

He participated in the English Army surrender ceremony in Yorktown, United States, where Lafayette sat opposite him with a smug look on his face.

However, that afternoon, just two miles after his army entered Mangalore in Mysore, the vanguard halted.

Cornwallis frowned and looked at his advisor:

"Michael, what happened?"

The staff officer urged his horse forward to inquire about the situation, and returned half an hour later with an officer from the vanguard corps, reporting to him:

"General, Lieutenant Colonel Priestley's regiment encountered the Mysore..."

He glanced at the officer beside him:

"He said it was a bastion blocking the way."

"It's not exactly a bastion," the officer hurriedly said. "It looks very rudimentary, made of Wood and earth, but there's a cannon on it, so the Regiment Commander has decided to destroy it first."

Cornwallis frowned and waved his hand. "Tell Priestley to hurry up."

"Yes, General!"

The following day at noon, the Marquis of Cornwallis listened to the continuous sound of cannon fire in the distance—the shelling had been going on since the previous morning—and his face darkened.

He mounted his horse and personally went to the vanguard to check on the situation.

"I'm sorry, General," Lieutenant Colonel Priestley said with a pained expression, glancing into the distance. "That West Africa... strange; the shells are difficult to use effectively. And only 12-pounder Cannon can fire at a safe distance. Yesterday, an 8-pounder Cannon was nearly hit by a Mysore cannon."

Cornwallis glared at him resentfully. "It's just a primitive India fortification, and you've mobilized ten cannons and spent two days trying to take it down!"

He risked getting even closer to the battleground and soon spotted Mysore's "bastion" through his Telescope.

The thing looked like a huge barn, but he immediately saw a black dot fly diagonally into the air after spewing out a large amount of wood chips.

Based on his experience, he knew it must be a 12-pound shell.

The India ' dilapidated "barn" actually caused a ricochet!

Enraged, Cornwallis ordered his elite Skirmisher Battalion and three 12-pound Cannon to be brought in, commanding that the "barn" must be breached before nightfall!

After a barrage of heavy artillery fire, the English Army Skirmisher Battalion, under the cover of thousands of Infantry, bravely stormed the hill.

The Mysore fought back from behind the wooden wall, but their poor marksmanship and disorganized command resulted in fewer than a dozen United Kingdom being hit.

Then, the English Army Skirmishers arrived at the first wall and climbed over the gap.

Cornwallis smiled smugly, put away his Telescope, and returned to the temporary command post. His officers would arrive with prisoners in no more than an hour to report on the battle.

But soon, his Skirmisher Battalion commander reported to him, looking dejected, that the first assault had failed and that 27 soldiers had been lost.

Cornwallis's eyelids twitched instantly, and he shouted:

"Haven't you already broken in?"

"Yes, yes, General," the Skirmisher Battalion said, bowing his head. "The Mysore set fire to the first trench and are attacking us from above by throwing stones... I had no choice but to retreat temporarily until the cannons could breach the second wall..."

[Note 1] Ricochet refers to the situation where a shell, upon hitting an inclined plane, fails to penetrate immediately but is subjected to a deflecting torque from the inclined plane, causing it to fly off along the inclined plane. Solid spherical shells fired by smoothbore cannons in the late 18th century were particularly prone to ricochet.