He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 130

130. The Identity of the Brigade Commander

Covent Garden, London –

Even after the rebels seized London, the workplaces and markets had been bustling with citizens.

In the evenings, the theater district and taverns were overflowing with customers.

However, since the sounds of gunfire and shelling started a few days ago, citizens had tightly locked their doors, not daring to step outside.

Ta-da-dang-

Bang- Bang-

Today, the sounds of skirmishes between the rebels and government forces continued to echo throughout London.

Theo’s government forces, who had occupied Westminster Abbey, roamed throughout the city, inflicting significant damage on the rebels.

This was all thanks to the secret underground passages prepared in advance.

Theo faithfully carried out his role, leading the sniper team directly while supporting the infiltration team from behind.

There was criticism that he was courting danger as the commander-in-chief, but Theo’s selfless leadership served as an excellent example for many soldiers.

Whistle-

Theo, who was on the third floor of an empty commercial building, whistled, and the leader of the sniper team on the fourth floor of the building across the street raised his fist.

The leader then signaled to the side again.

Whistle whistle-

Soon, other snipers who had finished reloading aimed their rifles downwards in response to the signal.

The sniper team led by Theo was equipped with long rifles with rifled barrels. The barrels alone were over 80cm long.

Although the reloading speed was slower compared to the ‘Brown Bess Musket’ [a common British military musket] used by the rebels, its range and accuracy were far superior, making it suitable for sniping.

A moment of silence passed,

Ta-da-dak- Tak- Tak-

The sound of footsteps echoed chaotically through the quiet residential streets of Covent Garden.

Soon, a group of government soldiers appeared in the alley, panting for breath.

Whistle- Whistle-

At the sound of the whistle, the leader of the government infiltration team quickly looked up at the building.

And frantically ran into the building indicated by the sniper team.

The rebels who followed shouted as they saw them.

“They’re over there!”

“Those bastards are running away over there! Shoot! Quickly!”

“Prepare to fire!”

The rebels formed a small line battle and began to take turns firing.

Bang- Ta-dang-

Bang- Bang-

However, the accuracy of the muskets was too poor to hit the government soldiers.

“They went into that alley! Chase them quickly!”

At the lieutenant’s command, dozens of rebels hurriedly chased after them into the alley.

“I see them! They just went into that building!”

“Chase them quickly! I said chase them!”

The rebels tried to follow the government soldiers into the building.

Theo’s hand shot up, having been holding his breath and watching the situation.

Then, bullets began to rain down from the building.

Bang- Ta-dang-

Ta-dang- Ta-ta-tang-

Ta-da-dang- Bang-

The rebels began to fall one by one under the sudden barrage of bullets.

“The enemy is on the building!”

“Take cover! It’s them again! Take cover quickly!”

“Into the building! Get into the building quickly!”

“Be careful, there are government soldiers in the building!”

The panicked rebels hurriedly ran into the building where the government soldiers had fled.

“Don’t move! We know you’re all here! ……?”

“……Huh?”

“They… they just went in here a lot, didn’t they? Where did they all disappear to?”

The rebels who entered the building where the government soldiers had fled looked around in bewilderment.

Because the government soldiers who had just entered a moment ago had completely disappeared.

That’s when it happened.

“Uh, uh, Lieutenant… Lieutenant!”

The lieutenant turned around at the voice of the deputy squad leader, his eyes widening.

The government soldiers who had entered the building were now aiming their guns at them from outside the building!

A sigh mixed with lament flowed from the rebel lieutenant’s mouth.

“Huh- This… Damn it, it was a trap. This place also has an underground passage….”

The government soldiers fired their guns all at once.

Ta-da-dang-

Bang- Bang-

Ta-dang- Bang-

Near St. James’s Palace in London, the rebel commander’s office.

General Howe, with a troubled expression, listened to his adjutant’s report with his eyes closed.

“……In just three days, Westminster Abbey and parts of Covent Garden have fallen into the hands of government forces. The problem is that if we continue to chase after them, we keep falling into their traps and getting caught.

Now we can only watch as they run away. But it’s too dangerous to deploy artillery and fire cannons because it’s a residential area with many civilians.”

“……”

“Also, yesterday they disguised themselves in black like crows and launched a night attack. We suffered heavy casualties because we couldn’t see them in the dark even though they were right in front of us.

Our soldiers are getting scared because of their despicable actions, which don’t care about the honor or pride we have to protect in battle.”

Like a few mosquitoes keeping many people from sleeping, the government forces’ surprise attacks, regardless of day or night, shook the rebels and rapidly demoralized them.

In the end, the rebels, who had wasted several days trying to stop them, decided that they could no longer delay.

Reinforcements were coming soon. They had to deal with King George before that.

After much deliberation, General Howe decisively ordered a large-scale shelling of St. James’s Palace, where King George was staying.

The artillery unit rushed in, and soon a tremendous amount of firepower struck St. James’s Palace.

However, King George’s resistance was also formidable.

They thought they could easily subdue him by breaking down the castle gates with cannons and entering, but that was not the case.

Breaking down the castle gates with concentrated shelling went according to plan, but they faced considerable difficulty in entering due to the fierce counterattack of the North American Continental Army [the army formed by the American colonies during the Revolutionary War] and Hessian mercenaries [German troops hired by the British].

In the end, the rebels had no choice but to stop the attack and retreat.

“But… Commander…?”

The adjutant cautiously spoke to General Howe, who was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.

“…What?”

“……”

“What is it?”

The hesitant adjutant finally opened his mouth.

“We have just received intelligence about the identity of the government forces commander leading the surprise attacks.”

General Howe, who had been closing his eyes, opened them wide and turned his head.

“Who is it? It’s not someone I would know, is it?”

“No, it’s someone you know.”

“Really? I don’t know anyone who would carry out such tactics… Who is it?”

The adjutant replied in a small voice.

“…Theo… Sanderson.”

“What?”

General Howe asked back with bloodshot eyes.

“Are you talking about that matchmaker… Theo Sanderson?”

The adjutant nodded silently.

“No, how could that guy come up with such cunning tactics… No, isn’t there someone behind him overseeing the operation?”

“According to the intelligence we received, even the most detailed operations are coming from his head.”

“What? Is he from the military?”

“No, we’ve searched everything, but there’s no record of him serving in the military at all.”

“That guy is leading the infiltration team and standing at the forefront, commanding these elusive operations? You’re telling me to believe that?”

“…I can’t believe it either.”

General Howe shook his head.

“That’s wrong information! There’s no way! There must be a capable staff officer under him. I think there’s a high possibility that a staff officer from the North American colonial army is by his side.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

Theo had served in the reconnaissance company of the Republic of Korea Army.

Thanks to this, he had repeatedly undergone reconnaissance, ambush, and infiltration training for over two years.

Although quite some time had passed since his discharge, his experiences in the military, which his body remembered, became more and more valuable as time went on.

Of course, the methods that Theo introduced to the government forces were only very basic concepts applied in the modern military.

However, to the eyes of 18th-century soldiers, they could only appear to be at a great level.

However, General Howe had no way of knowing this.

‘Sigh- Is he possessed by some ghost? Why do we keep getting beaten like this from the North American war until now? And Sanderson… What the hell is that guy’s identity? How can a marriage broker play with us like this?’

Although a large-scale government support force was coming from the provinces, he was confident that they would capture King George before they arrived.

However, as the government forces’ infiltration was successful, the atmosphere began to flow in an unexpected direction.

And it was from Theo Sanderson, a man he had as much animosity towards as King George.

Before the rebellion, General Howe had only encountered Theo once at Windsor Castle.

It was just a passing glimpse, but the confident energy was quite impressive.

And he learned through other people that he was Theo Sanderson.

‘No matter how great his staff officer is, there’s no way he can command the troops so well if he’s not a soldier….’

Through countless wars, General Howe knew better than anyone how important the mentality and leadership of a commander leading troops in actual combat were.

No matter how strong the enemy’s forces are, they can be easily defeated if the enemy commander is incompetent.

However, a unit with a commander who has a strong mentality and leadership, even if it is small, is very difficult to deal with.

Theo Sanderson, who had only made a lot of money as a businessman and was considered a lucky person who had accidentally caught the eye of King George and even received a noble title.

When he met him in person, he felt that he was surprisingly strong-willed and had extraordinary leadership.

‘He seems to be several times worse than the colonial commander George Washington. When I think about it, I felt something unsettling when I briefly passed by him at the palace. At that time, I wondered why I felt such unnecessary emotions… Was I predicting that we would be fighting in this kind of bad relationship?’

General Howe, a veteran who had fought on countless battlefields since his youth, wondered if he had ever felt that the enemy commander was so difficult to deal with.

Westminster Abbey, London, Government Forces Base.

The government forces, which had been made up of 300 men, had grown to nearly 1,000 men.

It was a welcome result of the participation of volunteers who had heard the news and the militia in London.

Major Douglas Bernie, who was in charge of the operations staff, shouted to the assembled soldiers.

“Tomorrow, Earl Payne will arrive with the standing army and militia from the south of England! When Earl Payne pushes in first and secures a bridgehead, the cavalry unit from Hounslow Barracks will enter behind him!”

Wow-

Westminster Abbey was in a festive mood.

They had achieved considerable success in guerrilla warfare and were able to prevent the attack on St. James’s Palace, where King George was staying.

In addition, they broke through the ironclad defenses of the entrance to London and the Thames River docks, making it easier for reinforcements to enter.

“What is the estimated number of troops that Earl Payne is bringing?”

At Theo’s question, Major Bernie replied with a bright face.

“Yes, Brigade Commander. I understand that it will be about 18,000 men.”

Wow- Clapping-

Ha ha-

At the major’s answer, exclamations and applause erupted here and there.

If Earl Payne from the south brought 18,000 men, the government forces currently stationed in the abbey and the troops from Hounslow Barracks would total about 20,000 men.

If the Earl of Montague’s forces coming down from the north joined them, a large army of over 35,000 men would be formed.

With this number of troops, they would be more than enough to suppress the rebels currently occupying the center of London.

“At first, I thought it would be a battle with no chance of winning, but after fighting, I realized that the rebels were not as scary as you said, Brigade Commander. I think I know why they were so dragged around by the North American colonial army, haha.”

“Are we going to catch all the rebels before the reinforcements even arrive? Hahaha.”

The squad leaders were in a very excited mood, as if they had victory right in front of them.

But Theo tried to calm the excited atmosphere.

“The reinforcements have not arrived yet. We must do our best until the end so that the reinforcements can come in and carry out the operation quickly. It’s not too late to share the joy then.

First, the infiltration team will carry out the planned operation tomorrow….”

Theo’s operational instructions continued in order, as usual.

* * *

The next day, in the afternoon.

The top floor of Westminster Abbey, which was occupied by government forces.

A spotter was anxiously looking at the bridge connecting the Thames River.

That’s when it happened.

The spotter, who was holding binoculars, shouted in an excited voice.

“Oh? Captain! I see them!”

“You see them? Do they look like reinforcements?”

“Yes! I think so! A cloud of people is marching towards the bridge! Haha!”

“Oh- really? Let me see! Get out of the way!”

The excited captain went up himself and took the binoculars.

Soon, a smile of joy flowed from his mouth as well.

“Hehe- really? That’s it! That’s it! Now the rebels are all dead….”

However, the smile that had been on his lips suddenly disappeared when he saw something.

The spotter next to him asked at the captain’s suddenly changed complexion.

“What’s wrong, Company Commander?”

The captain, who had been looking at it several times with his head out, hurriedly handed the binoculars to the spotter.

“Look quickly. The arms of the reinforcements! Isn’t there a red cloth tied to their arms right now?”

“Yes? That can’t be. I clearly saw the flag of Earl Payne’s unit?”

The British army, nicknamed Red Coats, was promoting red as their representative symbol.

The rebels wore red ribbons on their arms to inherit this tradition of the British army and to show their will to continue the war with the North American colonies.

In other words, tying a red cloth to the arm was a sign of being a rebel.

The spotter, who received the binoculars, sighed.

“Ah… This can’t be! It’s really a red ribbon! The troops led by Earl Payne are all wearing the rebel insignia!”

“Things are going wrong!”

The spotter, who was looking around with binoculars, shouted again.

“Company Commander! The Hounslow Barracks cavalry unit is far behind! But they are not approaching Earl Payne. Hounslow seems to have sensed something wrong with the rebel insignia!”

Soon, the long line of Earl Payne’s unit reached the bridge entering London.

“Damn it! Look at that! The rebels are just watching Earl Payne’s unit crossing the bridge! Earl Payne must have betrayed us! Quickly, quickly inform the Brigade Commander of this fact! Quickly!”

“Yes!”

Earl Edmund Payne.

He, who was supposed to be on King George’s side, changed his mind at the last minute.

The ambitious Earl Payne changed his mind as soon as he heard that General Howe’s rebels were in crisis, unlike their initial power.

It was a calculation that by helping General Howe in these difficult times, he could greatly increase his value, which had been neglected until now, and take a seat [gain a position of power].

The new history was once again shaking in an unknown direction.