Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

The entire "Pa" was built on a hillock about seventy to eighty meters high, with three concentric circles of walls from bottom to top, and a watchtower over five meters tall in the very center.

Each layer of the wall was supported by stout tree trunks, with a multitude of thinner, densely interlaced wooden bars on the outermost layer, backed by a one-and-a-half-meter-thick rammed earth wall.

Defenders could stand on the rammed earth wall, poking their heads out from the thick tree trunks to shoot at the enemy.

For the attackers, their muskets would have difficulty penetrating those half-meter-thick trunks from a distance, and if they resorted to artillery, the cannonballs would likely ricochet off the lower rammed earth wall beneath them[Note 1]. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire

Thus, the attackers would have to demolish all the wooden structures on the side of the earthen walls with heavy artillery before their infantry could advance close enough to possibly storm through a layer of the wall.

At the same time, it would be very difficult for the attackers to hold the first two walls, as they would be subject to the defenders' shooting from a higher position.

Nikau explained excitedly, "Below the high tower, there are tunnels. If we really can't hold out, we'll escape through the tunnels."

Major Gaston showed an unconcerned expression, "The English will dig everywhere to find the tunnels..."

Nikau laughed, "There are two tunnels, one deep and one shallow. The shallow one only goes out a little over 200 steps and is meant for the enemy to damage. The deep one leads to the woods behind."

Gaston was momentarily taken aback. He was well aware that once the attackers uncovered a tunnel, they would consider their work done and not bother looking for another...

Fernand added, "We have also combined some advanced weapons for defense."

He gestured toward the highest tower of the "Pa":

"There, we will position a four-pound cannon. Also, at the entrance of the tunnel, we've buried a large barrel of gunpowder; if the British try to pursue through it, they will receive a very 'explosive' welcome."

The cannon foundry of Mysore had started normal operations, and the four-pound cannon, being the simplest in craft among light artillery, could produce one every day and a half, sufficient to be distributed among a large number of "Pas" for defense.

Although the range of these cannons was limited, when mounted atop the tower, combined with the fact that the "Pa" itself was built on high ground, they could use the high-ground advantage to even outrange an eight-pound cannon.

Lafayette looked at the simple earth and timber structure, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help curving into a smile.

Keep in mind that it only took 3 Maori and fewer than 400 Mysorean serfs, just half a month to build it—

The one-month time period Magnus had previously reported was based on the Maoris' tool standards. The Maori had not yet mastered metallurgy, and were using wooden shovels and stone axes. However, the Mysorean serfs came to work wielding iron tools, assisted by a number of oxen and horses, so it only took half the time to complete the first "Pa."

This was because the serfs were still unfamiliar with the construction; once they became skilled, the work could be done even faster!

...

Marquess Charles Cornwallis, the Governor of India, turned to look at the endless rows of red-clad "Lobster Soldiers," puffing out his belly with a sense of great satisfaction.

Yes, the reinforcements from the East India Company had arrived!

With the troops he had recently summoned from various parts of India, he now had a total of 9,000 British soldiers under his command, along with a large amount of heavy artillery and supplies.

Flanking the British forces were 20,000 Maratha soldiers and 14,000 troops from Hyderabad. At the same time, these two vassal states of England continued to send more reinforcements to northern Karnataka.

With such a formidable force at his disposal, Cornwallis was confident enough to reach the outskirts of Mysore City within three months and to have Tipu sign the surrender document, along with a hefty war indemnity to the East India Company, by early next year.

He sneered with a light snort, "Lafayette, this time I will fully repay the humiliation from North America!"

He had taken part in the British's surrender ceremony at York Town in the United States, and at that time, Lafayette had sat across from him with a smug look on his face.

However, that very afternoon, just two miles into entering Mangalore in Mysore, the vanguard of his great army came to a halt.

Marquess Cornwallis frowned as he looked towards his staff:

"Michael, what has happened?"

The staff officer spurred his horse to inquire about the situation. Half an hour later, he returned with an officer from the vanguard corps and reported to him:

"General, Lieutenant Colonel Pleasely's corps encountered something from the Mysoreans..."

He glanced at the officer beside him:

"He says it was a bastion blocking the way."

"It's not really a bastion." The officer hastily said, "It looks quite rudimentary, made out of wood and earth, but there's a cannon on it, so the commander decided to destroy it first."

Cornwallis frowned and waved his hand: "Tell Pleasely to make it quick."

"Yes, General!"

The next day at noon, the Marquess of Cornwallis, listening to the constant cannon fire coming from afar—a barrage that hadn't ceased since yesterday morning—couldn't help but darken his expression.

He mounted his horse and personally rushed to the vanguard to inspect the situation.

"I am very sorry, General." Lieutenant Colonel Pleasely looked pained as he glanced towards the distance, "That thing is very... peculiar; cannonballs hardly have any effect on it. Moreover, only 12-pounders can strike from a safe distance. Yesterday, an 8-pounder nearly got hit by the Mysorean cannon."

Cornwallis glared at him furiously: "It's just a primitive defensive work by the Indians, and you have assembled as many as ten cannons and spent two days, yet you still haven't taken it down!"

He risked drawing even closer to the site of engagement and soon saw the Mysorean "bastion" through his telescope.

It looked like an oversized granary, but he immediately noticed a black dot that, after blasting a large chunk of wood chips, flew diagonally into the sky.

From experience, he knew it must be a 12-pounder cannonball.

To think that an Indian "granary" could produce a ricochet!

Irritated, Cornwallis called for his elite light infantry company, along with three 12-pounder cannons, and ordered that this "granary" must be taken before nightfall!

Following the suppressive bombardment from the heavy cannons, the British light infantry bravely charged up the mound under the cover of more than a thousand infantrymen.

The Mysoreans counterattacked from behind the wooden walls, but their poor marksmanship and haphazard command barely hit less than a dozen British.

After that, the British skirmishers reached the first wall and climbed over through a breach.

Cornwallis smiled smugly, put away his telescope and returned to his temporary command post. In no more than an hour, his officers would be bringing prisoners to report back to him on the battle.

But soon, the commander of his light infantry came to him covered in dust and reported that the first assault had failed, with 27 soldiers lost.

Cornwallis's eyelid twitched as he exclaimed:

"Hadn't you already broken in?"

"Yes, yes, General." The commander of the light infantry bowed his head, "The Mysoreans set fires in the first trench and attacked us from above by throwing rocks... I had no choice but to temporarily retreat before the cannons could breach the second wall..."

[Note 1] A ricochet is a situation in which a cannonball, upon striking a slanted surface and not being able to penetrate immediately, is deflected by the torque from the surface and flies off along the slant. The solid spherical cannonballs fired by smoothbore cannons in the late 18th century were especially prone to ricochet.