When the bell rang, the whole camp was boiling.
Vanne dashed out of the tent, swiftly followed the crowd to the wall, and entered his combat position. This sequence had been rehearsed countless times, and even without command, everyone knew exactly what to do next.
As in the previous year's evil moon period, only a small number of patrol teams are deployed along each section of the city walls during the alert state. A few scattered evil beasts can be handled by two or three individuals. The alarm will only be triggered if the lookout posts observe a large-scale attack by evil beasts.
A dark figure was approaching on the horizon. Fan Na roughly estimated the enemy's numbers—around a thousand. A year ago, this would have been a brutal battle. As the long-range gunner tasked with securing loading time for the musketeers, he had to alternate with reserve members to survive until the end.
But now, the town has undergone a dramatic transformation.
With his paw, Rodney lifted the gun's casing and shook off the accumulated snow. After inspecting the field guns across the battlefield and confirming no foreign objects were inside, he began loading ammunition. Though the city walls had been rebuilt with earth, their height and width had been increased, and a firing platform was set up every hundred meters, significantly enhancing the defensive firepower.
The corridor is wide enough for four people to pass side by side. During combat, the first row consists of musketeers, while the second row comprises new recruits as loaders. These loaders load bullets into the magazine and then deliver them to the front-line soldiers.
"Are they just too much to handle?" Rodney yawned. "The evil beasts come in a frenzy every month of the Dark Moon. Even if they storm the town, it wouldn't help them." "Perfect for practice," Nelson chuckled. "They're way more fun to fight than those motionless wooden targets." "Speaking of shooting, I heard a curious rumor about our artillery squad recently," Youtai said with a God-like air.
"What's the rumor?" "The artillery crew says the most accurate marksmen get assigned to an elite artillery unit with new missions," he paused. "Does anyone know more inside the squad?" "Elite artillery unit?" "If you, who claim to know everything, don't know this, how could we possibly know?" "Maybe someone's just making it up out of boredom." Only Vanna stayed silent. Hearing Youtai's words, he frowned—someone actually bragged about this?
A week ago, Lord Iron Axe approached him, revealing that His Royal Highness intended to develop a revolutionary artillery system. Unlike conventional field guns, this new weapon would not be deployed to the First Army but instead installed on warships to enable long-range attacks. The operators would be elite members of the Artillery Corps, and those interested could apply to Lord Iron Axe.
Vanne agreed without hesitation, recognizing this as a golden opportunity to advance his career in the military. As Iron Axe noted, His Royal Highness held the new unit in high regard, with plans to potentially spin it off from the First Army as a standalone force. Those who distinguished themselves would have their newly built warships named after their achievements.
What a glorious honor! If there were a warship named Vanna, he would have been content for life. Looking back, he had once been just a miner's helper, yet always considered himself extraordinary—only to fail to save his own brother's life in the fortress's civilian quarter. Now, he had nothing left to boast about: the army provided for him, his uniform was thick and warm, and even in his neighborhood, the neighbors could call out his name.
All of this is a change brought by Your Highness.
Looking back, joining the militia for a mere egg was the wisest decision of my life.
The Iron Axe also asked if he had any suitable candidates to recommend, so they could apply together later. In other words, these young men might all get a chance to rise to prominence, but they're too impulsive—maybe they should wait until they're more composed. And if they achieve great feats, would those warships have to be named Youtai or Cat Claw? That sounds awful... The Rodney and Nelson could still be considered.
Regarding those who couldn't resist sharing these details with their subordinates, they must report to Iron Axe. As the Regulations Department has explicitly stated in class, any information from the First Army must not be disseminated without explicit authorization from higher-ups.
"Stop the chatter. Now focus entirely on the battlefield," Vanna cut the artillery crew's discussion short with two coughs. "Remember what Iron Axe emphasized in class—every mistake could lead to irreversible failure." "Yes!" the group responded in unison.
Since the solid iron ball had poor lethality, they waited until the enemy approached before using shotgun fire against the horde of evil beasts. When the ferocious wolf-type units first crossed the hundred-meter line, the artillery bombardment commenced.
The heatwave lifted the snow beneath the cannon's muzzle, and the deafening roar sent Fan Na's ears ringing. Suddenly, a black mist of blood rose from the distance, and the demonic beasts collapsed in a heap. Neither wild boars nor bears could withstand the close-range bombardment of the iron projectile with their fur.
"There's a big one over there," the cat's paw pointed to the left front, "a Red Skin Wolf!" The group swiftly maneuvered the artillery carriage, aiming the cannon at the target and reloading. Theoretically, shotguns didn't need to be aimed—just firing straight ahead would always clear out a large swath of enemies. Moreover, the newly built earthen walls were taller than stone ones, making the Wolf Species impossible to threaten from the top. Prioritizing attacks on such agile creatures was simply for training marksmanship.
Finally, it was the long-awaited turn of the musketeers. To ensure accuracy, they would always wait until within fifty meters before firing.
The sound of the rotating-barrel rifle was no longer as steady as the flintlock's, but rather a dense, continuous hum. White smoke billowed from the city walls, and the pungent smell of gunpowder made him sneeze involuntarily.
"These fools, despite their negligible power, smoke more than anyone else when they fight," complained Youpi.
"But ultimately, artillery will decide the battle," Rodney agreed. "That's true against the Knight, and it should be true against the Beast." Just then, the watchtower rang its alarm bell—a warning sign of the hybrid Beast's presence.
Vanne squinted ahead and saw two massive black silhouettes moving slowly through the smoke. Judging by their size, they were likely siege beasts with thick armor.
"Remember what I said earlier?" he grinned. "Now's our turn to show off—switch to pointed solid shells." To counter such high-defense foes, the arsenal had developed new shells capable of penetrating armor from about 200 meters. If the earlier attack on the wolf-type evil beast was just warm-up, this was the real show.
"Go for it," Vanner clapped his hands, "let the other artillery crews see who's the real elite artillery."