Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 938

938. The Imperial March (2) – Assaulting Turtle Ships, Running on Land. (26)

Although Ishiae conceded the initial entry into Pavia to the Florentine army, he didn’t rest.

“Move the Bigu [large siege engines] further out! How much more time will it take?”

“It won’t take long if we move the Bigu on standby.”

“Then immediately move them to the left and right flanks of Pavia, and keep a good hold on the Florentine cavalry.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Then divide the Florentine and Imperial cavalry into two and move them to the left and right of Pavia.”

“Which side should we deploy the Florentine cavalry to?”

“Combine them first and then divide them. It’s dangerous to operate or entrust command solely to the Florentine cavalry. I’m from the cavalry myself, but cavalrymen are more likely to act with their bodies than their heads. And the Florentines, no, the Europeans, are even worse.”

Ishiae’s staff all nodded at his grumbling.

Since the skirmishes with the Jurchens [a Tungistic people who lived in the northeast of China], the cavalry had a strong tendency to operate as independent units. In large-scale battles, it was always the cavalry’s role to push into enemy lines, even at the cost of losses.

Thanks to this, cavalry commanders were very independent and aggressive.

Moreover, as the Jurchens were completely absorbed, the cavalry became even more aggressive.

Fortunately, as Joseon [an old Korean kingdom] grew into an empire and bordered the formidable Ming Dynasty [the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644], the Imperial cavalry commanders became much more cautious.

They were aware that even the slightest mistake on their part could lead to a major war.

After arriving in Italy and seeing the Florentine and European cavalry, Ishiae shook his head.

“They’re like Jurchens!”

Therefore, Ishiae was unwilling to give the Florentine cavalry independent operational authority.

“We need to keep them on a tight leash!”

Having confirmed Ishiae’s intentions, the staff diligently reorganized the cavalry’s formation and prepared the orders.

“Messenger!”

The combined Imperial and Florentine cavalry, having received the orders via messenger, split into two and circled around the left and right sides of Pavia.

“Bigu preparations are complete! We will launch them as soon as the cavalry reaches its destination.”

“Good! Immediately dispatch the main artillery force and the reserve unit that was on standby! Drive the wedge that the cavalry hammered in properly! As soon as the main artillery force and the reserve unit depart, the unit deployed in the trench line will switch to reserve duty!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Will you leave the assault troops as they are?”

At the staff’s question, Ishiae raised his telescope, examined Pavia, and replied.

“Have them stand by in their current position, ready to enter Pavia. It’s certain that a Florentine messenger will come complaining soon. They seem to have received good training for battles, but they’ve had almost no training in trench warfare or urban warfare. And since they’re wearing the same black uniforms, there will be fewer misidentifications.”

“Understood.”

At Ishiae’s words, the staff prepared the orders without a word.

* * *

The main training that the assault troops received was to reliably break through the enemy’s defense lines and trench lines. The meaning of reliably breaking through was to allow subsequent units to safely traverse and continue advancing. To this end, the assault troops had to thoroughly clear the trench lines or defense lines they had breached.

Thanks to this, the assault troops’ armaments were specialized for close combat. They deployed a large number of Type A fire wagons and Type A light armored vehicles, and each soldier carried a large number of throwing grenades.

And, these armament characteristics allowed them to gain a clear advantage in urban warfare as well.

In addition, the assault vehicles played a role. The armor of the assault vehicles was a reliable cover in urban warfare. And the cannons mounted on the Type A assault vehicles were ‘siege weapons.’

* * *

About an hour (approximately 2 hours) later, a flood of reports began to pour in once again.

“Report from the cavalry advancing to the left flank! ‘Arrived at the target point! Preparing for dismounted combat!'”

“Urgent message from the cavalry advancing to the right flank! ‘Under enemy fire! Preparing for artillery battle!'”

After confirming the reports received from the cavalry, Ishiae immediately issued orders.

“Order to the cavalry advancing to the left flank! ‘Prepare for enemy fire!'”

“Yes, sir!”

“Relay the same order to the units following the left flank! Tell them to move outside the range of the enemy’s artillery, even if it means going around a bit! It hurts the most when you get hit while moving!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Order to the cavalry advancing to the right flank! ‘Maximize the strengths of our artillery! Minimize losses while holding the enemy back! That is the most important thing! Repeat! Holding the enemy back is the most important thing!'”

“Yes, sir!”

“Order to the units following the right flank! ‘Join the right flank cavalry while being mindful of enemy fire!'”

“Yes, sir!”

While the staff, having received Ishiae’s orders, diligently prepared the orders and delivered them to the messengers, Ishiae studied the map and muttered.

“So, they were planning to escape.”

* * *

Examining the geographical environment of Pavia, the Ticino River flowed to the south. Looking at the political environment, the Pavia area was under the jurisdiction of Milan.

As the first fortress defending Milan from France and Genoa, the walls of Pavia had a unique structure.

Towards Milan, there was only one layer of walls, but on the southern side facing the Ticino River, there were two layers of walls.

Ishiae was convinced that the French army was trying to escape because the cavalry advancing to the right flank was under attack.

From the Empire’s perspective, the bridges and docks crossing the Ticino River were concentrated on the northwest side of Pavia, that is, the right flank.

In other words, from the perspective of the French army, which had decided to retreat, these bridges and docks were valuable facilities that had to be protected.

Therefore, as soon as the Imperial-Florentine allied cavalry approached, the surviving French cannons opened fire.

* * *

“I don’t like the fact that those guys are moving according to their plans… Hmm….”

Ishiae, who was contemplating something while looking at the map, raised his telescope and looked at the collapsed walls of Pavia.

“If I push the assault troops in right now and cause confusion, that would be a headache….”

The assault troops had a mindset of ‘where the assault vehicle goes, that’s the road.’ If the Florentine army and the assault troops, who showed a big difference in combat methods and speed, were mixed, it was certain that they would be completely entangled and nothing would be accomplished.

“But I don’t like just waiting either… Then, I have to make an excuse, right?”

Ishiae, muttering meaningful words, ordered the staff.

“Deliver to the Florentine army that entered Pavia! ‘Secure the southeast, with the Visconti Castle as the boundary! The assault troops will enter the northwest!'”

At Ishiae’s order, the staff, who were looking at the map, soon smiled meaningfully and replied.

“Yes! We will deliver it as quickly as possible!”

“Also deliver to the assault troops! ‘Penetrate Pavia as quickly as possible and occupy the bridges and docks!'”

“Yes, sir!”

Shortly thereafter, messengers with Ishiae’s orders in their arms rode their horses at full speed towards Pavia.

* * *

Pavia city gate.

The Florentine army headquarters set up inside the wide-open city gate.

“…This is the commander-in-chief’s order.”

“Let me see. Hmm….”

Commander Giuseppe of the Florentine army, stroking his mustache, nodded after confirming the order.

“Hmm… This will reduce our burden, which is good. Report to the commander-in-chief that we will carry it out as is.”

“The document….”

At the messenger’s words, Giuseppe turned his head and looked at the staff. Giuseppe, who signed the document prepared by the staff, handed it to the messenger.

“Here it is.”

“Yes, sir!”

The messenger, who received the document, saluted and left the Florentine army headquarters.

“Gather around.”

Giuseppe, who gathered the staff, told the story of the order issued by Ishiae.

“…So, we have been ordered to secure the southeast of Pavia. It was a headache, but it worked out well.”

At Giuseppe’s words, the staff all nodded.

The time when the Florentine army entered Pavia was around noon.

Contrary to expectations that the capture would be a matter of time, as it was a much smaller city than Florence or Milan, the area seized had not exceeded 1/3 until the sun was slowly setting in the west.

It was because the Florentine army was not familiar with urban warfare, as Ishiae had expected. Because of this, the Florentine army was unable to use its weapons properly.

The Type B fire wagons, which could be said to be the core force, were very inconvenient items in urban warfare, which required constant shooting and movement.

In addition, searching every complicated alleyway was not an easy task.

Thanks to this, despite the deployment of nearly 10,000 infantry, including the 1st and 2nd battalions, the situation was sluggish.

Giuseppe pointed at the map with his baton and continued.

“The Empire’s idea is simple. They want to occupy these bridges and docks as quickly as possible. If that happens, the French army will either flee in a panic or be crushed while resisting. We just have to watch.”

Giuseppe, who realized Ishiae’s thoughts, smiled. One of his staff pointed out the problem with his appearance.

“Aren’t we handing over too many achievements to the Empire?”

“We’ve already taken care of what we need to take care of. And there are many battles left. We must not ignore the loss of troops.”

“According to the rumors we’re hearing now, there are plenty of applicants?”

“What do you think will happen when coffins pass by those guys who are rushing in with courage and spirit?”

At Giuseppe’s question, the staff’s mouths were tightly closed. In addition to ambition and adventurous spirit, the unique bluff of the Italians was added, and applicants were flocking in. But bluff was bluff, and reality was reality. It was certain that the more people died on the battlefield, the more the number of applicants would decrease.

“Considering the future battles and the unification, we can’t stupidly lose troops. It’s a shame, but we have to be satisfied with taking care of what we need to take care of appropriately, just like now. The soldiers will be disappointed that there will be less to brag about in front of the women.”

At Giuseppe’s cynical words, the staff nodded silently.

“Then let’s prepare the orders and send them out.”

“Understood.”

Bbaeeeeek!

At that moment, the horns of the assault vehicles rang loudly in the sky.

Giuseppe lightly shook his head at the sound of the assault vehicles’ horns and grumbled.

“They’re so impatient… We Italians are also famous for being impatient, but it’s fun to see people who are even more impatient.”

Shortly thereafter, the assault troops, led by the Type A assault vehicles, began to pass through the city gates and enter.

The expressions of the assault troops riding in or moving around the assault vehicles were very confident.

-Penetrate the northwest area of Pavia in the ‘shortest distance’ and occupy the bridges and docks.

It was the type of mission they were most confident in.

In particular, the assault troops liked the word ‘shortest distance’ written in the order.

“The assault vehicles will make a very nice road.”

“I hope there are many expensive houses.”

There was a saying among the soldiers after the urban warfare in Liaodong Fortress [a strategic location in northeastern China, often contested in wars].

-If you destroy a thatched house, you will be cursed for ‘even if they are citizens of an enemy country, blah blah blah,’ but if you destroy a tiled house, you will not be cursed.