Being forced to take a beating without fighting back was devastating to morale at any time.
So General Dude tried every means he could to get his guns firing, even if it meant making unreasonable demands of the gunners and gun captains.
As Little Minion raised his Telescope to inspect the results of the six-pounder cannons' bombardment, he suddenly spotted clouds of gunsmoke rising from the Minisians' positions.
Only then, with the aid of his Telescope, did Little Minion discover several gun emplacements concealed within the two-kilometer earthen wall, their muzzles flashing.
"Holy shit! They're firing back!"
Little Minion abruptly ducked his head, instinctively wanting to drop flat. Then he realized the enemy guns could not possibly be cast-steel cannons and lacked the range of his own, so he kept watching through his Telescope.
He saw several black dots trace arcs through the air before landing more than two hundred meters short of the artillery position, throwing up sprays of dirt.
"Ha ha ha! Is that all?"
Little Minion could not help laughing aloud.
"Don't worry, boys! They can't reach us!"
He turned and shouted to the gunners.
"Keep loading! Let these Minisians' antique cannons see what modern firepower looks like!"
Just then, however, a cannonball somehow landed near one of the six-pounders on the outer edge. Though it did not score a direct hit, it struck the sandbags in front of the gun, and the resulting shock knocked over two loaders beside it.
Neither man died; they were merely terrified, letting out desperate wails like the cries of starving crows, shrill and grating. They only stopped when the player serving as the nearby gun captain ran over and swung his fists at them.
"Fuck!"
Little Minion spat.
"Boys, make sure everyone takes cover behind the sandbags, and keep the