NOVEL NEXT Chapter 392
Chapter 393 “Destroy Mysore within three months!”
The entire "Pa" is built on a mound 70 to 80 meters high. There are three circles of walls from bottom to top, and in the middle is a watchtower more than 5 meters high.
Each layer of the wall is made of thick tree trunks as pillars. A large number of thinner wooden strips are densely and staggered on the outermost layer, followed by a meter and a half thick rammed earth wall.
Defenders could stand on rammed earth walls and poke their heads out from thick tree trunks to shoot.
It is difficult for the attacker's muskets to shoot through those half-meter-thick tree trunks at long distances, and if shelling is used, the shells can easily ricochet off the low rammed earth wall below [Note 1].
In this way, the attacker must use artillery to blow away all the wood on the upper side of the earthen wall, and then use infantry to get close and charge forward, so that it is possible to break through the first layer of the wall.
At the same time, it is difficult for the attacker to hold the first two walls because they will be shot down by the defender.
Nikau explained to him excitedly: "There is a tunnel underneath the tower. If we really can't hold it, we will escape through the tunnel."
Major Gaston showed a disinterested expression: "The British will dig around and find the tunnels..."
Nikau smiled and said: "There are two tunnels, one deep and one shallow. The shallow one is only dug out for more than 200 steps, just for the enemy to destroy. The deep one leads to the woods behind."
Gaston was stunned for a moment. He knew very well that once the attacker dug a tunnel, they would think that everything was fine and would not look for another one...
Fernand added: "We also incorporated some advanced weapons to defend."
He gestured to the highest tower of "Pa":
"A four-pounder will be placed there. At the same time, a large barrel of gunpowder is buried at the entrance of the tunnel. If the British want to pursue it, they will get a very 'hot' gift."
The artillery factory in Mysore has begun to operate normally. The four-pounder gun, as the simplest light gun, can be produced there every day and a half, which is enough to distribute a large number of "pars" for defense.
Although the range of this kind of gun is limited, if it is installed on a high tower, and the "Pa" itself is built on high ground, taking advantage of its condescending position, the range can even exceed that of the 8-pound gun.
Lafayette looked at the simple civil building, but he couldn't help but smile.
You know, this thing only required 3 Maori people, plus less than 400 Mysore serfs, and it took only half a month to build it——
The one-month construction period quoted by Magnus was based on the level of Maori tools. The Maori had not yet mastered metallurgical technology and used only wooden shovels and stone axes. As a result, Mysore serfs carried iron farm tools to work, and there were many oxen and horses to assist in the construction, so it took only half the time to complete the first "Pa".
This is because the serfs are not familiar with construction. Once they are familiar with it, the speed will be even faster!
…
The Governor-General of India, Lord Charles Cornwallis, turned his head and glanced at the endless queue of "lobster soldiers" in red army uniforms, and puffed out his stomach with satisfaction.
Yes, reinforcements from the East India Company are coming!
Including the troops he had recently transferred from all over India, he now had 9,000 British soldiers, as well as a large number of heavy artillery and supplies.
On both wings of the British army were 20,000 Maratha troops and 14,000 Hyderabad troops. At the same time, the two British vassal states continued to send troops to North Kannada.
With such a strong military force at hand, Cornwallis was confident enough to attack the city of Mysore within three months. Early next year, Tipu would sign the surrender document and pay the East India Company's huge war indemnity.
He sneered and snorted: "Lafayette, this time I must return all the humiliation to North America!"
When he participated in the surrender ceremony of the British army in Yorktown, the United States, Lafayette sat across from him with a proud look on his face.
That afternoon, however, just two miles into Mangaluru, Mysore, the advance troops halted.
Cornwallis frowned and looked at his staff officer:
"Michael, what happened?"
The staff officer rushed to inquire about the situation. Half an hour later, he returned with an officer from the forward corps and reported to him:
"General, Lieutenant Colonel Presley's regiment encountered the Mysore people..."
He glanced at the officer beside him:
"He said it was blocked by a bastion."
"It's not a bastion." The officer said hurriedly. "It looks very simple. It is made of wood and earth, but there is a cannon on it, so the regiment leader decided to destroy it first."
Cornwallis frowned and waved his hand: "Tell Presley to move faster."
"Yes, General!"
At noon the next day, the Marquis of Cornwallis could not help but look gloomy as he listened to the continuous sound of cannons in the distance - the shelling had not stopped since yesterday morning.
He got on his horse and rushed to the forward troops himself to check the situation.
"I'm sorry, General." Lieutenant Colonel Presley glanced into the distance with a grimace. "That thing is very... weird. It's difficult for the shells to have any effect. Moreover, only 12-pounders can bombard from a safe distance." . An 8-pounder was nearly hit by a Mysore cannon yesterday."
Cornwallis glared at him bitterly: "It's just a primitive Indian fortification. You mobilized 10 cannons and spent two days but still failed to capture it!"
He ventured closer to the site of the battle, and soon saw the "bastion" of Mysore in the telescope.
That thing looked like an oversized barn, but he immediately saw a black dot flying diagonally into the air after a large piece of wood chips burst out.
He knew from experience that it should be a 12-pound shell.
The Indians' broken "barn" actually caused a ricochet!
Cornwallis angrily ordered his elite skirmisher battalion and three 12-pound guns to be transferred, and ordered that the "barn" must be broken before dark!
After the suppressive bombardment of heavy artillery, the British skirmisher battalion, under the cover of thousands of infantry, bravely rushed up the mound.
The Mysores fought back behind the wooden wall, but their poor shooting skills and disorganized command only hit less than two dozen British.
Then, the British skirmishers came to the first wall and climbed in through the gap.
Cornwallis smiled triumphantly, put away the telescope and returned to the temporary command post. In at most an hour, his officers will bring prisoners to report the battle situation to him.
But soon, his battalion commander reported to him in disgrace that the first wave of assault had failed, with the loss of 27 soldiers.
Cornwallis' eyelids twitched and he shouted:
"Didn't you already break in?"
"Yes, yes, General." The battalion commander lowered his head and said, "The Mysores set fire in the first trench and hid above and threw stones at us... Before the cannons blasted the second wall, I could only choose to retreat temporarily..."
[Note 1] Ricochet refers to the situation where a cannonball fails to penetrate the inclined surface immediately when it hits the inclined surface, and is subjected to the deflection torque from the inclined surface, so it flies out along the inclined surface. The solid spherical shells fired by smoothbore cannons at the end of the 18th century were particularly prone to ricochets.