The Guns of Naverhon, the Final!

Alas for the Zentan cause, the janissaries continue to treat the battle like a long weekend away. Having done some additional sightseeing to the rear of the Albanian positions, the slave-soldiers clearly conclude that a sight definitely not worth seeing would be the enemy firing line. Some of the Albanians rally and push forwards again. Others recommence their fire upon the lead unit of Pandurs (below).

The Zentan commander is understandably frustrated at his inability to get his best troops into the fray. Various colourful metaphors are uttered; hand gestures, not all of them supportive or child-friendly, are also made; and some frustration is evinced over the rules of war. 

(Above) Nevertheless, the Albanians continue to fight on manfully. More Pandurs tumble to the ground! (Below) The Pandurs' morale, never terribly high, crumbles at the sight of blood. They flee the field, leaving the remaining engineers dangerously exposed!

(Below) Alas, the Albanians are unable to take advantage of the situation. The engineers manage to run backwards before the Albanians can open fire on them. More mercenary infantry move up and open fire on the Zentans.

Any plan that relies for its success primarily on the efforts of  Zentan irregulars is never likely to be one in which the chances of success are high. Given the continual failure of the janissaries to move or act, the performance of the Albanians has been commendable. However, without the help of the Zentan elite troops, the chances of Zentan success were always going to be lower than a hedgehog's gonads. 

(Below) Many hits are inflicted, and the remains of two platoons of Albanians rout the field.

Having lost more than half their troops, the Zentans find themselves having to test morale. They fail, of course, as is the Zentan way and the attacking force must now retreat! The engineers are safe!

The Guns of Naverhon, the Fourth!

War, as a rule, is known to be quite a stressful activity. It's not, of course, the most stressful human experience. That accolade would be reserved for those circumstances in which one has been asked that sort of particular question by one's partner in which a fate worse than death might come from giving the wrong answer: questions such as: 'Do you think I should I wear the green or the blue?'; or, 'Do you think I'm putting on weight?'; or 'Do you think that my sister is attractive?'

Nevertheless, and not withstanding the physical harm that can also come from giving the wrong answers to the previous questions, war is generally a worrying state of affairs. There are the physical traumas that result from being hit by musket shot or cannon balls; the mental traumas that derive from discovering that not all of the latter have been fired by the enemy; and the moral dilemmas concerning whether, as a good Mittelheim Christian, one should bayonet civilians and then set light to them; or whether they should instead be lit and then bayoneted. Having said all of this, there is one kind of warfare that it much less taxing, physically, mentally, and morally: and that is Zentan Janissary warfare. Zentan Janissary warfare has more in common with such non-military pursuits as sleeping, drinking coffee, or going on holiday. 

And so it is that, as the Zentan struggle to kill or capture the enemy engineers intensifies, the main concern for the janissaries seems to be whether there will be sufficient sun loungers available: a question of concern given that their enemy are Germans. (Below) The Albanians have driven back one of the units of Pandurs. Another unit sidles outwards along the road, trying to cover the engineers. The unit that has been driven back rallies on a nearby hill.

(Below) The mercenary musketeers are now unobstructed by the Pandurs. Using formed fire they pour volleys into the Albanians: although, in reality, applying words such as 'formed' and 'pour' would probably be stretching the meaning of those words somewhere near breaking point. The mercenaries are 'formed' in the sense that they are noticeably more clumped together than the Pamdurs; and they 'pour' fire in the same way in which something that was recently happening quite slowly is now beginning to occur a bit faster: like the panic that might start seizing a gentlemen when he realises the consequence of saying something like: 'Well, you know, as it happens your sister is actually quite saucy'.

(Below) The Albanians take more casualties and one of the remaining units is forced to retreat from the edge of the woods. The dilatory janissaries have now managed finally to get close to the action. One platoon is now behind the wood containing the Albanians, a position that they have reached in their search, no doubt, for a quieter stretch of beach in which to unwind.

(Below) The rallied unit of Pandurs now move up again. Their intention is surely to advance to the left of their compatriots and so extend the screen of troops that will protect the remaining engineers as they attempt to exit, stage left.

 With the remaining engineers close to escaping, surely now is the time for the Zentan janissaries to step up and demonstrate their elite status!