Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 929

Episode 929: The Imperial March 2 – Charge return, run on the ground. (17)

The French army’s entry route into Italy was to start from Lyon, pass through the territory of the Duchy of Savoy, and then head to Milan via Turin.

The problem was that the road from Lyon to Turin had to pass through a mountain road in the Alps.

Because it was a narrow and rough road, it was difficult to move a large number of troops at once, and it was also difficult to transport large-diameter cannons.

The good news was that the Alpine mountain road in question was the territory of the Duchy of Savoy, so it was possible to avoid interception by the Swiss army.

This was not the route initially chosen by the French army.

Passing through the Duchy of Savoy was the same, but took the coastal road from Marseille through Cannes to Nice, a territory of the Duchy of Savoy.

Using this route, many troops could move quickly at once. In addition, since most of the roads were on flat ground, there was an advantage that large-diameter cannons could be easily moved.

Of course, there was the problem that if you chose this route, you would have to pass through Genoa’s territory. However, this was not a big problem as negotiations with Spain were proceeding smoothly.

However, this route was lost when Genoa fell through bombardment by the Imperial Navy and the subsequent amphibious assault.

As Genoa fell to the Imperial Navy, the coastal road from Nice to Genoa became useless.

* * *

The impact of the Imperial Navy’s attack on Genoa on Europe was enormous.

-You can neutralize a coastal city with proper defenses using just a battleship’s guns!

During this period and even in previous history, there were many landing battles involving fleets.

However, even in the history after cannons were established, naval guns played a supporting role before the landings.

The firepower of the artillery on the battleship could not cause serious damage to the thick castle walls.

It was the role of siege guns brought in by transport ships escorted by battleships and reassembled on land to make holes in the walls.

Almost all that could be done with the battleship’s artillery was to provide stronger firepower to boost the morale of friendly troops in the process of securing a beachhead and to attract attention through engagement with nearby coastal batteries.

However, in the battle for Genoa, the Imperial Navy’s challenger-class fronts and the artillery of the assault ships literally reduced Genoa’s single-character walls and coastal batteries to ‘heaps of rubble.’

Genoa, which lost most of its defensive power as its walls and coastal batteries collapsed due to artillery fire, had no choice but to allow the landing of the Imperial Navy landing force.

This was because the famous Genoese navy had already been completely robbed by the assault ships.

* * *

With Genoa falling to the Empire, the French army had no choice but to choose the route of the Alpine mountain road.

“No, was it forced?”

The French commanders smiled bitterly as they looked at the map.

This was because transporting large-diameter artillery was an almost impossible route.

“Let’s think positively. “Thanks to you, didn’t you choose the fastest route to Milan?”

“That’s right…”

The other generals forced expressions of understanding at the young general’s words.

As the young general said, the route they chose was the shortest route to Milan. And from Turin to Milan it was a plain area.

‘Gendarme’, another pride of the French Army, was the optimal terrain to show off my skills.

Of course, the equipment and tactics of Jang Darum in history before the intervention of Hyang and Jang Darum after the intervention were very different.

In the history before the intervention, the Jang Darum was a heavily armored lance cavalry with even horses covered in armor, but after the intervention, the Jang Darum was a lightly armored cavalry wearing only a simple breastplate and helmet and armed with a breech-loading rifle and a pistol saber.

Thanks to this, the tactics used have also changed a lot.

In the history before the intervention, Jang Darum relied on heavily armored armor and long spears to deliver a strong shock to the enemy’s front lines, but after the intervention, Jang Darum’s mission was to break through using lighter weight and firepower.

As heavy armor disappeared, the current strategy was to use the horse’s mobility to jump over the enemy’s trench line and then charge into the enemy’s rear to strike.

And it was a good tactic.’

Unless you’re an empire that says, ‘There’s always barbed wire in the trenches.’

“If we go to Milan by this shortest route, the Empire will not be able to afford to properly erect that ‘barbed wire’.”

“I guess so. The question is how well Milan can hold up…”

“Aren’t they the ones who were the first to see the damned ‘thorn fortress’ of the empire? “It will hold up quite a bit.”

“I see…”

“It was a long straight wall along the coastline of Genoa, so it collapsed like that, but it wasn’t Milan, right?”

The generals’ faces became brighter as they remembered the newly built walls of Milan.

* * *

The butterfly effect brought about by the intervention of scent was not the only one.

The same was true for the fortress, which not only the French and other European generals, but also the Ming Dynasty generals called it ‘the damn Thorn Fortress’ or ‘the cursed castle wall’.

The imperial fortress, which was created by combining the concept of a European star-shaped fortress with the fraudulent item of reinforced concrete, was infamous from its bonfires against the Jurchen before the Liaodong War.

Europeans who saw the forts of the imperial army built at each of the imperial army’s garrisons, not only in the southwestern provinces but also in Temasek and Suez, soon recognized the advantage and began to build similar forts in their own military strategic points.

And the first place to do this was Milan.

Milan’s three-layered walls were nicknamed ‘Italy’s Theodosian Walls.’

It was a nickname given to it because it was evaluated to be as strong as the walls of Constantinople, which were famously impregnable.

And after receiving this information, Hyang grinned and muttered.

“I guess that wall collapsed too?”

* * *

The French generals, recalling the walls of Milan, became more positive.

During the road training conducted with Milan as a virtual enemy, the most troublesome thing was the triple wall.

What was needed to break through the castle wall, which prevented each other from being blindsided and allowed firepower to be concentrated in one place, was a large-diameter cannon with powerful firepower.

And not just one or two doors, but as many as possible.

In the road training that took place, the generals mobilized 20 cannons, which was twice the number of large-caliber cannons that France had at the time.

“It’s not manipulation because we can fill this number soon. “Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right.”

Nevertheless, the results of the icon training were not good. This was because the French army’s cannons had a weakness in that they had a short range.

Many losses were incurred in the process of approaching the range where these guns could demonstrate their power and protecting and maintaining the batteries from the Milanese army’s counterattack.

This problem, which caused hair loss in many French military generals, was helped this time.

Of course, the French generals were well aware of the characteristics of the imperial army.

-Those crazy about cannons.

-However, the Imperial Army’s cannons seen at Suez had a shorter range than our cannons. There were explosive bullets, but their firepower was too weak to penetrate the castle walls.

-In conclusion, no matter how crazy the imperial army is with cannons, it will not be easy to attack the walls of Milan.

While the imperial army is distracted by the troublesome walls of Milan, our French army approaches Milan through the shortest route.

The imperial army will be embarrassed to see our French army approaching faster than expected.

“And the Spanish army is also moving.”

As soon as the Empire and Florence moved, France also moved quickly. Thanks to the negotiations that Louis personally conducted in Spain, the Spanish army was also dispatched.

The first line consisted of 40,000 men, 20,000 more than the French army, which mobilized 20,000 men.

And Spain chose the coastal road that passes through Nice.

-From Spain’s perspective, the salvation of its ally Genoa comes first. Geneva must be restored as quickly as possible.

-This is the only way for this many soldiers to move quickly.

-There may be sacrifices, but we have no choice but to make them.

Spain’s choice would have forced the imperial army to split its forces.

The biggest reason the Imperial Navy attacked Genoa was to quickly supply supplies to our troops staying in Milan.

This would naturally reduce the burden on the French military.

-The Imperial Army forces attacking Milan will also be appropriately reduced, and then the attack on Milan will also be appropriately sluggish, and then we can fight an appropriately reduced and exhausted enemy in terrain suitable for deploying our tactics.

“If I do this well, I could win big, right?”

The French generals became increasingly optimistic as they crossed the Alps.

And this atmosphere of the generals was also contagious to the soldiers.

Soldiers who were very nervous when they first deployed began to relax as they received optimistic information coming from the command center.

As time passed, information coming in also made the French military fall into an increasingly optimistic mood.

-Spanish army passes through Sanremo.

-The losses of the Spanish army, which was intercepted by the Imperial Navy, were approximately 1,000.

“1,000 loss? “You made a good save.”

The French military command tried to ignore the fact that Sanremo was closer to Nice than Genoa.

The information delivered the next day made the French military command even happier.

-30,000 Imperial Florentine Allied Forces changed course toward Genoa.

-The number of Imperial Florentine Allied Forces heading to Milan is 30,000.

“This is it!”

After confirming the information, the French military command clenched their fists.

The troops of the imperial alliance that departed from Florence numbered approximately 80,000.

Of these, 20,000 went south to establish a defense line in Siena, and 60,000 advanced north.

Of those 60,000, half, or 30,000, headed to Genoa.

And the area where the Empire and Florence allied forces were passing through was hostile territory for them. In order to ensure the safety of the supply line, there was no choice but to keep splitting up the troops.

In other words, the Allied forces that would arrive in Milan and Genoa would not exceed 25,000 at best.

“If it is 25,000….”

“If you consider the size of the following friendly troops….”

“If you also calculate Milan’s defense power….”

Recalculate the possibilities based on new information coming in. The French military commander, who was watching, made the sign of the cross without realizing it.

“It’s a miracle!”

“The superiority and inferiority of power has been reversed!”

But when the French arrived in Turin, they went from heaven to hell.

-Milan surrenders.

“surrender? “You cowards!”

The Milanese army officer who escaped from Milan and brought the news desperately made excuses to the criticism of the French army commanders.

“We are not cowards! “It was force majeure!”

“irresistible force?”

“irresistible force? Even with that wall? Could it be that there was someone who had a secret?”

The first thing that came to mind for the French generals when they heard the word force majeure was ‘the insider.’

No matter how strong the walls and tightly closed gates are, they can be broken through with just one key held by the insider.

In response to the French generals’ questions, the Milanese officer shook his head.

“There was no insider. “I was hit by a cannon.”