I will be crowned king

After taking a few minutes to calm down, Ludwig sighed:

"Tell me, how much do you have now...forget it, what else do you need now?"

Ludwig originally wanted to ask "How sure are you?" but as he spoke, he realized that it was stupid to ask this question now. It was of no use except shaking his own little confidence.

"Only one." Anson whispered:

"To launch an attack at midnight while it's raining heavily, this tactic is basically a gamble; since it's a gamble, just bet all your chips at once!"

After thinking for a while, Ludwig said: "You mean... to move the Grenadier Regiment back now?"

He was a little hesitant about this - not that he was reluctant, but that it was really difficult to have an army that was probably halfway through the journey suddenly turn around and march back the same way on a rainy day.

What's more, the safety of Oak Town is also very important. If Thunder Castle is finally captured but Oak Town is lost, it will still not be considered a victory for the levy army and Ludwig.

"The sooner the better, even if there is only one battalion or one company, it will be enough!" Anson nodded:

"Once the leading troops really break through the fortress gate, the next battle will be hand-to-hand combat, meat grinder-style hand-to-hand combat and melee; this kind of battle requires morale the most. An artillery cover and a sudden appearance of reinforcements can make both sides Morale has undergone an earth-shaking reversal!”

"As for Oak Town...there is no need to worry at all. Since the enemy chose to set fire and loot, it proves that their military strength is completely insufficient to occupy and control the entire town. Otherwise, Oak Town would have fallen long ago."

"You should immediately send a light cavalry to deliver the message. I believe Lieutenant Colonel Roman who has received the news must know better than me which one is more important, Thunder Castle or Oak Town!"

Ludwig, who hesitated for a moment, had a determined expression on his face:

"Okay, I'll send someone out right away. I hope I can make it in time."

"As for you, Lieutenant Colonel Anson Bach, you should go to the forward artillery position immediately and let the first regiment complete its assembly and wait for the attack order!"

Anson immediately put his left hand behind his back, made a fist with his right hand, and hit it on his chest:

"yes!"

Just as Anson was about to leave, Ludwig suddenly raised his hand to stop him:

"Wait a moment!"

Anson turned around immediately, but felt very uneasy.

This Archbishop's own son...he suddenly got scared again, right?

He paused and took a deep breath before looking at Anson: "Take out your pocket watch and let me take a look."

Taking the old copper pocket watch handed over by Anson, Ludwig skillfully opened the watch cover and took out the enamel pocket watch in his arms. After comparing the two, he nodded slightly and returned the copper pocket watch to Anson:

"Well, although the wear and tear is serious, the time is the same. It seems that you have taken good care of it. There is no need to adjust the time anymore."

Anson, who felt a little guilty, put the watch back into his jacket pocket.

"One o'clock."

Ludwig looked at Anson with extremely determined eyes and said: "Remember, launch the general attack at one o'clock in the morning."

"The artillery position will fire in the direction of the main entrance of the Thunder Castle at 1:15, with an interval of two rounds per minute for ten minutes; if the city gate is not blasted open after ten minutes, or is resisted by the Imperial Army if……"

"I will attack the main entrance and open a gap." Anson whispered.

The interrupted Ludwig pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised the corners of his mouth and said in an extremely relaxed tone: "Speaking of which, today is the last day of the ninety-ninth year of the Saints calendar, and it is now five o'clock in the afternoon. In eight hours it will be…the Saint’s Calendar Centenary.”

"Go, Lieutenant Colonel Anson Bach, tonight's New Year's salute will be particularly lively!"

Without wasting any more time, Anson left the camp and headed straight for the forefront artillery position.

Outside the camp, the siege position, which had been washed away by heavy rains in just a few hours, had turned into a swamp. In the knee-deep muddy water, the soldiers who carefully protected their weapons huddled under the cover, shivering in their thin military uniforms that had been soaked by the rain.

The continuous heavy rain has even caused backflow in several low-lying positions; the soldiers who did not want to be drowned were forced to crawl out of the trenches and support themselves in the muddy wetlands, risking heavy rain and being killed by artillery shells. The tent was set up, only to be blown down again and again by the howling cold wind.

Several companies also tried to "rescue" them by digging drainage ditches near the trenches, but when the heavy rain turned the ditches they dug into muddy puddles, no one tried this futile attempt again.

Anson, who rushed all the way to the forward position, was followed by a few unlucky guys who were kicked out by the officers and were responsible for delivering meals to their companies. Their bodies were covered with large and small lunch boxes, and they also carried two boxes filled with hot soup. cylinder, marching arduously through the mud pit in the heavy rain.

Even if all the food can be brought back to the camp safely, the steaming soup will probably have gone cold long ago, and there is no telling how much rain and silt has been mixed in...

When Anson arrived at the position, the situation was slightly better than he had expected.

Although the forward position next to the artillery base also showed signs of rainwater intrusion, it was only above the knees; a company whose bivouac was flooded by rain also asked Carl Bain to move to a higher artillery fort position for garrison.

In the tent that exuded bursts of water vapor, Carl Bain, who was holding a cigarette holder, frowned and tried to light a fire with a match soaked in rain; Lisa on the side took advantage of him not paying attention and quietly A can was taken from behind Carl.

After trying several times and failing, Karl threw away the match in frustration. He inadvertently looked up and saw Anson, who was soaked all over. He was slightly startled:

"What happened?"

Anson, who was still dripping with water, sighed and said:

"Notify all the soldiers of the First Regiment that the assembly will be completed at the artillery position in half an hour, immediately."

Looking at Anson's face, the stunned Karl took a long time before hesitatingly said:

"immediately?"

"immediately."

After receiving a positive answer, Karl asked no more questions, lit the inferior cigarette in the brazier, lowered his head and took a few hard puffs; smoke soon began to fill the tent, which was not spacious.

Just when Lisa, who was coughing repeatedly, couldn't bear it anymore and was about to take revenge on him, Karl suddenly stood up, stamped out the still burning cigarette butts, put his hands in the pockets of his military windbreaker, and left the tent with a calm expression.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to throw the remaining large bag of cans on the table into Lisa's arms.

There were only Anson left in front of the warm fire pot, who was trying his best to stay calm, and Lisa, who looked confused and didn't know what was going on.

The patter of rain made this moment of tranquility seem particularly peaceful.

Anson sat by the brazier and looked at the dancing firelight. He originally thought that the cold rain would calm his mood, but now he felt unbearably hot all over his body.

He took out the pocket watch from his pocket and opened the cover. The dark brown eyes on his expressionless face remained motionless, staring at the slowly moving hands.

Lisa on the side looked at him blankly, as quietly as a ragdoll cat curled up in the corner.

At this moment, the lost Anson was suddenly robbed of his pocket watch, and a full bottle of rum was stuffed into his empty right hand.

Um? !

Before he could react from his surprise, the "ragdoll cat" who had been extremely well-behaved just now was already standing in front of him, holding his right hand, and directly stuffed the wine bottle into his mouth, and the cold wine poured in like a line of fire. Anson's throat.

"You...cough cough cough...cough cough cough..."

Lisa, who had a serious expression, held the wine bottle tightly in her little hands and refused to let go until she was sure it was completely empty. Then she looked at Anson with great concern, who was curled up and coughing violently:

"Feeling better?"

"What?!"

Anson, who almost choked to death, covered his chest and looked at her in confusion.

"The way you were scared just now was the same as when Lisa came here." Lisa widened her eyes and looked at Anson matter-of-factly: "But as long as you fill your stomach, you won't be scared anymore."

Oh, I see, she is caring about me... Anson's heart warmed with a smile, and he looked at the bag in her arms with curiosity:

"In that case, why don't you share your can between two of me?"

Lisa, who was all agitated, suddenly took two steps back, hid the can bag behind her, and stared at him warily:

"Don't even think about it!"

"..." Anson.