Chapter 24: The Cannon That Determines Fate

"There is a cannon. It was left over from the last military supply allocation. Are you suggesting we bring it here?" Hearing Roland inquire about the cannon, Marlin quickly recalled its existence.

"The enemy outnumbers us by too much, and their equipment is very advanced. Just adding one cannon here probably won't make much difference," murmured Roland to Marlin.

"Then why did you ask about the cannon's whereabouts?" Marlin was speechless upon hearing Roland's words. He couldn't understand why Roland would ask him about it if it wasn't useful.

"Don't worry, I meant the cannon wouldn't be useful here, but we can put it somewhere else," Roland said, his eyes flickering as a plan began to form in his mind.

"Somewhere else? What do you have in mind?"

"Do you see that place over there? It's where the flag of the Holy Roman Empire is flying. I suspect that's where the enemy commander is!" Roland pointed to the distant enemy flag.

At Roland's words, Marlin immediately looked towards the distance and indeed saw a group of people near a small house, with a soldier looking at the flag of the Holy Roman Empire.

"What do you plan to do next?" Marlin looked at Roland and asked. Coming to him earlier was the right decision; this guy indeed had a plan.

"Do you see that house? While the enemy's attention is diverted, we'll quietly move the cannon onto the roof of that house. From there, we can attack the enemy's headquarters from a higher vantage point," Roland said, pointing to a house on his left. He had noticed that place since earlier.

Following Roland's gesture, Marlin also saw the house, indeed a good spot. It provided a commanding view, a rare high ground within the village.

"Get John and Jobs, and add yourself; that should be enough people. Let's move," Roland said to Marlin.

"Alright! I'll go right away," Marlin nodded heavily and replied.

Under Roland's call, John and Jobs joined his team, and the four of them gathered once again in a dormitory.

"Do you both know why I called you here?" Seeing everyone assembled, Roland addressed the two.

"We do, but can just the four of us really operate the cannon?" Jobs doubted. After all, it was a cannon, not a rifle that one person could handle.

"We can," Roland answered decisively. "This cannon isn't heavy. It's a cavalry cannon. It can be pulled by just one horse. And the caliber of that cannon is small, which is why the army left it here. Now, with the four of us, it shouldn't be difficult to move it."

"Alright, what are we waiting for then? Let's hurry and move the cannon," John said, relieved to hear Roland's words, and eager to start firing.

...

"Quick, hurry up! Our defenses can't hold out for too long. We must resolve this swiftly." Roland and his companions rushed to the warehouse in the village. As soon as they entered, Roland spotted the cannon that had been abandoned by the military.

"This cannon can still be used. Luckily, there are shells next to it," Roland said, quickly examining the cannon.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get this cannon out," Jobs said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. He couldn't wait to start firing.

"Let's go!" Roland shouted, and then they began pushing the cannon outside. John and Jobs joined Roland in pushing the cannon. With the effort of the four brothers, the cannon slowly moved forward.

"I'm... I'm exhausted. Are we there yet?" After pushing for what felt like an eternity, Jobs exhausted all his strength and collapsed on the ground.

"Hang in there, Jobs! We're almost there. Once we get the cannon onto that small house, we'll be fine," Roland said, gritting his teeth as he persisted.

Although the caliber of the cannon wasn't large, it was heavier than Roland had anticipated. Even with four people, it was quite challenging to push.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of pushing, Roland managed to get the cannon to the designated location. Just pushing the cannon had drained almost all of his energy.

But when the cannon was finally in place, Roland realized another important problem: none of them knew how to fire it.

"Does any of you three know how to fire a cannon?" Roland awkwardly turned his head to look at Marlin and the others.

"You don't?" The three almost simultaneously asked the question.

"I... I really don't," Roland said embarrassedly, scratching his head.

"Oh my God! You don't know how to fire a cannon? Then why did you have us push it? We've been wasting our time!" Roland's words completely crushed Jobs' spirit. He sat on the ground, feeling utterly defeated.

"Marlin, you don't know either?" With no other options left, Roland could only turn to Marlin, his last hope. Marlin had the best military achievements among all of them. If even he didn't know, then they were truly out of luck.

"I only know how to use a rifle, not a cannon," Marlin shook his head, giving Roland a definitive answer.

"It's over! All our efforts were for nothing," was the sentiment echoing in almost everyone's mind at that moment.

Meanwhile, the battle below intensified even further. Under the relentless assault of the Holy Roman Army, the student army's organized defenses had become precarious. It wouldn't be long before the Holy Roman Army broke through the defenses and entered the village.

Seeing the dire situation below, Roland suddenly stood up and shouted loudly, "No, we've worked so hard to get the cannon here. We can't give up now."

"Marlin, you load the gunpowder. Jobs, give me the cannonballs. I'll fire the cannon," Roland's eyes were fixed firmly on the cannon in front of him. He placed all his hopes on it.

If this cannon couldn't help them turn the tide, then they would all die here tonight. It might even jeopardize the French forces fighting on the front lines in Turin. This was the most dangerous situation Roland had faced since his rebirth.

"Give me the torch. I'm going to fire the cannon," Roland took the torch handed to him by John.

He took a deep breath. Finally, he leaned over the cannon and focused his eyes on the enemy front line, particularly the area that seemed to be their command center.

"3... 2... 1... Fire!"