Chapter 94: Daily Life in Constantinople (Part II)
After the platoon of the shooting corps in the front line had completed a round of projectiles, the copper reeds on their long guns snapped like a shower, and the hook machine fire rope that had been hanging down and ignited the medicine room quickly rebounded back to its original position, and then the soldiers pulled back the fire rope according to the requirements of the drill code, clamped it between the jams of the gun handle, and retreated to reload the gunpowder and projectiles. Pen | fun | pavilion www. biquge。 info
The shooting corps in the rear stepped forward and continued to level the firearms in their hands, making a state of readiness.
At this moment, the rioters in the barricades of the Palazzo Lanus were blinded, some of them hid behind the icons, some jumped into the backstreets and palaces, and some of them burst out with the courage to die, carrying iron rods, fire forks and catapults, and pounced on the shooters in front of them, from three directions.
The formation of the shooting army is also facing three sides: the intersection of the Lanús Palace and Metz Street, and the Lanús Palace Cistern on the side.
The poor Greens and Whites, most of them were actually the lowest commoners in the capital, most of them were begging for a living from the countryside of Asia Minor, Thrace, and Macedonia, and they had always been in the lower reaches of the ecosystem of Constantinople, and they mainly lived by working as laborers, hawkers, or free servants for the government and nobles, and many of them were not much different in their beliefs from those in Asia Minor, and were greatly influenced by the Paulicians and Armenian teachings, and they held icons and paintings for cover. First, it was precisely because they didn't care about it, and secondly, they heard that many of Gawain's troops were Christians from the West, and they also worshiped the icons, so they wanted them to throw themselves into the trap.
The majority of the Blue Party were businessmen and skilled workers, and most of them were bought off during Gawain's time when Berriel was instructed to rectify the field and issued a more favorable salary table than before, even if their beliefs were mostly Orthodox - Anna four days ago, in front of the marble inner door of the main hall of St. John's Cathedral, Anna personally conferred on 57 Blue Party leaders the titles and decorations of various "glory" and decorations, giving them the status of senators, and declaring that as long as they have ranks, they can enjoy "noble gold" (rank takes Lu gold, official positions).
"Shoot these bastards who insult iconostasis!" The soldiers of the shooting corps who came forward in the rear did the opposite, and after the flag officer shouted the order, they collectively pulled the trigger.
The trajectory of fireworks fired from three sides swept away the approaching rioters, knocking them all to the ground.
Then, before the third round of volleying began, Gawain waved his arm covered by the ring armor, and it was windy!
Countless stragglers, armed with bright weapons of murder, rushed straight to the barricades of the Lanús Palace, focusing on one place, and climbed up on the corpses of the rioters, driving down the rest of the people who were hiding on them.
On that side, in front of the Botanas Palace, the Defenders Brigade of Branas also engaged in a terrifying attack, and the rain of bullets and smoke from guns and light artillery engulfed the palace in an instant—the stragglers outflanked the forest paths on both sides of the palace, intercepting and killing the disciples and diners who were chasing and killing the fleeing Almshouse of St. Paul, some Orthodox priests mixed in the ranks of the rebels, their rosaries and crosses could not protect themselves, and even the Sergeants of Thrace in the Guardian Brigade were They had always resented the group of scribes who looked down on them, and the weight of the attack can be imagined: many clergymen had their feet and hands severed by sharp scythes, and they fell on the stone path, blood overflowing and wailing, and slowly dying.
Moments later, the vanguard stragglers of the Red Hand Brigade swept through the entire Ranús Palace, executing and killing hundreds of rioters, and throwing corpses and heads rolling out and paving the roads between the barricades and the palace.
"Merlot, you command everyone to keep going!" Gawain shouted to the "field commander".
Merlot then ordered: the 1st and 3rd detachments of the Red Hand Brigade, under the cover of four armored chariots, continued along the Avenue of Metz, with the destination being the Grand Palace and the Cathedral of the Saints;
The fourth, fifth, and sixth detachments passed through the Lanús Palace, broke into the racecourse, and killed everyone gathered inside;
The second detachment and 300 attached cavalry roamed and blocked the outer gate of the racecourse, the passage leading to the royal seaport of Bucleon, blocking the escapes from the racecourse.
The subordinate craftsmen's division went up first and cleared the barricades made of wooden beams, furniture, and stones in front of the gate and swept away all the passages, and then the soldiers of the brigade and regiment of the first and third detachments, headed by a chariot, lined up in columns, and slowly attacked along the street in the direction of the Grand Palace.
The chariots that were the first to strike were not automatic, and the pack horses that were originally towed could not go into battle, as they could be killed at any time by the rebels hiding in the shadows. So sixteen strong soldiers pushed it behind with wooden poles, and on each side there were rows of soldiers holding woolen shields for cover.
The wheels were sparkling, the sickles stuck in the axles were turning like electricity, and behind the wooden planks and iron shields of the carriages, the iron helmets of the soldiers in the hidden carriages were shining, and they held swift firearms in their hands, and the shrimp whisker cannon in the middle was loaded with shotguns, and the muzzles of the guns were swaying slightly in a slight creaking sound, facing the crossroads at the other crossing, and the surrounding environment was temporarily silent, but it contained greater unease.
Suddenly there was a thunderous roar, followed by numerous voices, and in the darkness of the long arcade on the side of the street, a large number of rioters, all with sharpened sticks, immediately blocked the chariot from the front.
"Open fire."
The shrimp whisker cannon in the middle of the carriage was immediately ignited, and all the shotguns were shot out with a "bang" sound, and the first rows of rioters were immediately swept down in a large area, but the accomplices who followed were still not afraid of death, and howled angrily and bravely, and then the iron forks, wooden sticks, and radial hooks hit the carriage of the chariot one after another, making a frightening and crazy sound.
Several of the warriors in the carriage stood up, some shooting arrows, some raising their fiery guns. When the fire bolt was fired, a rioter climbed onto the van and blocked the mouth of the gun, and his head immediately swelled and fluttered like a broken egg, and his body slid off the chariot. The two soldiers with the guns screamed, one wounded in the shoulder, and the other fell in the middle of the carriage with his eyes and face burned by the burst powder star.
More and more rioters climbed onto the carriages, and the three remaining soldiers defended themselves with swords and flails, stabbing and waving on all sides.
On both sides of the chariot, more and more stragglers came in line with wool shields, then flattened the shields, and used their long swords to rush under them and stab fiercely, and some of the rebels in front of them flowed out of their stomachs, and some suffered heavy blows in the chest, and they fell down with a wail. Follow-up soldiers went around the arcade and slashed everywhere, fighting with more rebels.
The whole street surrounded the chariot, and everywhere there were gnashing teeth, cursing and slashing human heads, iron helmets, like two torrents of river water that burst its banks, washed together.