CHAPTER 548: REBELLION 16

TL: Rui88

Carter Holly, mounted on his horse, gazed at the raging fire in the distance, his eyes filled with worry.

With a fire of this magnitude, could Lord Grayman possibly be safe inside? The chances were too slim.

Just as he was thinking this, a rumbling thunderclap sounded in the sky. Battalion Commander Holly looked up to see that, at some unknown point, the originally clear night sky had become overcast with dark clouds, even obscuring the moon.

“Is it going to rain?”

The commander of the 8th Infantry Battalion held out his right hand and felt the falling raindrops.

Carter Holly couldn’t help but feel aggrieved for Count Grayman. If only it had been a little earlier. If this rain had come sooner, the traitors wouldn’t have been able to start the fire. Oh, Heavenly Father, you have been a bit unjust to our lord.

“Commander, what should we do now?”

A group of officers, including Instructor Cobb, all asked Lieutenant Colonel Holly.

“Avenge Lord Grayman, of course!”

Lieutenant Colonel Holly said resentfully, his brow furrowed. “Search every inch of this place. Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find those traitors, arrest them, and tie them up! If they resist, execute them immediately!”

The originally scattered raindrops began to grow denser. Lieutenant Colonel Holly looked up at the sky.

He shouted to the surrounding officers and soldiers, “Soldiers! Protect your gunpowder, don’t let it get wet from the rain! We have a fierce battle with the traitors ahead!”

Rainy weather would cause great trouble for the Alda army, which was equipped with gunpowder weapons, but it was not so severe as to render the weapons completely inoperable.

To avoid the impact of rain on the firearms, the Alda army’s firearms had adopted some measures.

The first was the simplest and most direct method: each gun was equipped with a leather cover. Whenever it rained, this leather cover was used to tightly wrap the firing mechanism at the rear of the gun. The cover would only be removed when it was time to shoot.

Then there were the details. For the flintlock at the rear of the gun, the lower part of the frizzen was shaped like a cover, which happened to cover the pan that held the priming powder. This structure had a certain rain-blocking effect, but there were still gaps between the frizzen and the pan. It couldn’t completely prevent water from flowing from the gap between the barrel and the stock to the pan. Therefore, beeswax had to be applied to the pan and the joints.

There was another measure, which was to cover the firing mechanism with a metal box with a hinged lid. The principle of this method was the same as the leather cover, but it was much more effective than the leather cover because the leather cover had to be removed. Once removed, it could no longer provide protection from the rain. But this metal box did not need to be removed. The priming powder could be loaded by opening the hinged lid, and after closing the lid, it could continue to be rainproof.

However, this rainproof box was inconvenient to install and remove, and it was also inconvenient to carry. When installed on a firearm, it also affected the line of sight when aiming.

Rainy days were, after all, a minority. Therefore, the Alda army did not have the habit of carrying rainproof boxes when they went out, only carrying portable items like leather covers and beeswax in case of need.

However, with the current firing principle of the firearms, no matter how many measures were taken, it was impossible to make them completely rainproof and waterproof. When bad luck struck, they would still get wet. Even if they were not directly soaked by the rain, the humid air would greatly affect the combustion of the gunpowder.

Lieutenant Colonel Carter Holly’s order was relayed to every soldier of the 8th Infantry Battalion. Everyone gripped their guns tightly.

Just as Holly was about to lead his troops to continue towards Weaselcat Valley, a clatter of horse hooves sounded from far to near. It was the scouts from the front of the column returning.

“Report, a contingent has been spotted two miles ahead, heading towards us along the river. Their numbers are between two and three hundred. Judging from their attire, they should be the armed forces of the local gentry.”

‘They’re coming on their own?’ Holly was startled. ‘Alright, since you’ve delivered yourselves to our doorstep…’

The lieutenant colonel summoned the instructor and a group of officers, announcing the scout’s discovery and his own intentions.

“I think this is a good place for an ambush. Since they are coming along the river, we will lie in wait in the woods next to it. We’ll wait for them to pass, fire a few volleys, and then a charge will finish them off.”

Although the half-strength 8th Infantry Battalion had less than three hundred men, roughly equivalent to the enemy ahead, Lieutenant Colonel Holly did not take these landlord militias seriously at all.

“I agree!” Instructor Major Cobb approved of the commander’s opinion.

The order for the ambush was quickly passed down. A few minutes later, everyone had hidden in the dense forest, lying in ambush, while the scouts left to continue monitoring the enemy’s movements.

…

“It’s raining?”

Fergus looked up at the overcast night sky. The moon was completely hidden.

Cold rainwater fell on his body, and Fergus’s body couldn’t help but shiver.

“Haha, Lord Grayman, this is your fate!” Fergus sighed, his face a mixture of ridicule and regret.

“If this rain had come a little earlier, you might have been able to escape with your life. But it had to fall at this very moment. Isn’t this the gods mocking you? Perhaps in the eyes of the gods, you are already a defiled existence.”

He turned to the squire beside him and asked, “How many men have we gathered?”

The squire replied, “So far, there are three hundred and twenty-three.”

“Alas!” Fergus sighed again. The several great families had ambushed more than five hundred men in this forest beforehand (to cover their tracks, most of them were told they were dealing with mountain bandits), all to deal with the lord’s fifty guards. Now, they had lost half of them. He hoped to gather a few more later. After all, these were all capable fighters.

He ordered his squire, “Pick out a team. After the fire is out, return to Grayman’s camp and see what the situation is.”

“Yes, Lord Fergus!” The squire immediately went to pick the men as ordered.

Although it was impossible for any living thing to survive such a large fire, Fergus’s cautious nature made him feel it was better to go and confirm.

‘At this time, the Warren family’s boy should have taken control of Lakeheart Town. I hope everything goes smoothly,’ he thought to himself. He needed to get in touch with the Lakeheart Town side as soon as possible.

He wondered how Burgan would react when he learned that his father and brother had been summoned by the Lord of Light. To prevent the boy from doing anything outside the plan due to excitement, it was better not to tell him for the time being.

But all these sacrifices were worth it. After the new lord was enthroned, Alda would return to its normal track…a wise and benevolent lord, loyal and reliable subjects, trusting and supporting each other. This land would once again return to a scene of pastoral idyll, peace, and harmony.