EP.81
“Archers, keep shooting arrows while retreating! “The infantrymen hold their spears or pitchforks properly, keep them in check, and retreat!”
“How can you keep going back when the ironclad pigs attacked you and created chaos?”
“There is no place to retreat behind, Chief Janus. What should I do? “Other units are in the same situation right now!”
I could see from their condition that they could no longer move back that the barbarian infantry’s plan to gradually cut us down with arrows by retreating back was in vain.
If you miss this period, you will be exposed to one-sided arrow attacks again.
“Their infantry is a ragtag bunch. Crossbowmen and wizards belonging to the 1st Battalion and the direct battalion attack the barbarians who are only imitating the infantry in front of them! “Each crossbowman fires three shots and falls back!”
The barbarian infantrymen, who were conscripted randomly and became infantrymen overnight, sensed that a full-scale hand-to-hand combat was about to break out and began to tremble in fear even more.
My soldiers, who saw this, became more energized and spoke sarcastically in mocking voices.
“Die here and become food for the wild animals you like! Do you like that?”
“Just as we enslaved the people of our empire, I will enslave your family in the empire as well! “Don’t worry, die in peace!”
“Corporal Martias’ enemies. I won’t miss it. “I will tear it all up and make it pretty.”
As soon as they finished mocking, the crossbowmen who had finished loading and the wizards who had finished chanting attacked the unfortunate barbarian infantry.
The enemy infantrymen, who were not wearing proper armor, fell to the ground every time they were hit by an arrow, not to mention magic.
The barbarians let out incomprehensible moans and screams as more than 100 people were seriously injured or killed with only the primary fire from about 300 wizards and crossbowmen.
“Captain Laura, leave only one company here to protect me and slaughter Chief Tönes and the other henchmen along with Major Marco and Major Chenis.”
“But if I take that many troops, there will be too few soldiers to protect you, Colonel.”
Surely, if the enemy was in perfect condition, they would not have thought of recklessly deploying such a tactic.
However, even though their archer cavalry cannot count the casualties, a considerable number of them must have died, so they would not dare to think of attacking my main camp.
However, as Laura said, in war, there are often cases where the slightest inattention can result in the commander’s head being blown off and the battle ending.
“I will stand behind you fighting in the vanguard and come forward to support you when I deem it necessary. So if I am attacked, you will protect me.”
“I understand, Colonel.”
After answering that, Laura quickly pulled out the sword from her waist and ran out, giving an order.
“Follow the regiment commander’s battalion or unit commander Laura von Wehner! “Let’s go punish the evil barbarians!”
Having said that, Laura, in her female form, followed my orders and stood in the vanguard, just as she had learned from me.
The soldiers of my direct battalion, who heard her orders, followed her with great vigor, holding their spears with a spirit that they could never be defeated.
“Laura, the unit commander of the 1st Company, took the lead. “I’m sure the guy with two balls has no intention of falling behind, right?”
“2nd company! Anyone who saves himself here today, apart from military law, I will make him live for a week wearing a sign that says, ‘I am a bastard who is weaker than women!’ “Fight to the death!”
“3rd Company, do your best to destroy the enemy. “I will never forgive those who lag behind!”
When I saw this, I wondered why in stories covering the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, people often wonder why Joan of Arc’s troops were able to win.
‘Because women were commanders and at the forefront, French nobles and soldiers, whose culture valued masculine courage, fought to the death to avoid being told that they were inferior to women.’
I was able to understand to some extent why he was saying this.
To put it bluntly, soldiers are people who make a living based on class and pride, but if they are surpassed by a woman in terms of combat performance, they will have an embarrassing history that will follow them until they die.
“Push the pole!”
“Those bastards are so weak! After pushing them with the long spear, Pyeon Gon-byeong should run straight out and break their heads!”
“I’ll make you repeat that you’re dead tomorrow if you don’t even get one piece of barbarian hair!”
Normally, there would be a confrontation between infantrymen holding long spears, but perhaps because Captain Laura was at the forefront, the morale of the soldiers increased and they unilaterally pushed back against the barbarian infantry.
“Kill that woman! Then the tribal leader will reward you with a beautiful woman!”
“Chief Töner said he would appoint the person who killed that woman as the leader of the Ten Tigers and reward him handsomely!”
“It means don’t be pushed around by women!”
The barbarians were frightened by the tremendous force of our infantry and began to push back at a rapid pace.
By now, Töner must have realized that he can’t win against us in an infantry battle.
In addition, since you will think that I have concentrated all my efforts on the front line for victory, you will use the cavalry to break through the rear and cut my head, aiming for a comeback victory, right?
“I will place the regimental flag and sign here to make people believe that I am still here. I will leave only one platoon here and the rest will follow me to support the deputy regiment commander. “Hurry up.”
Having three platoons in one battalion does not mean much.
But on the battlefield, if I act confidently, like I knew this crisis was coming and I have a solution for it.
Even if subordinate officers and soldiers do not understand the basis for this, their morale increases.
In addition, I have a track record of overcoming crises by coming up with ingenious strategies and accumulating numerous achievements, so soldiers who already know this will trust me even more and their morale will rise sharply.
“Everyone move quickly.”
So, I entrusted the flag symbolizing the regiment commander, gave the horse to the platoon commander who remained here, and then moved to support the deputy regiment commander.
“Vice Regiment Commander, Deputy Regiment Commander. “What is the current situation?”
When asked that question, he answered with a sigh.
“Because they were hit hard by arrows and magic a little while ago, they didn’t attack and just kept shooting arrows, so the soldiers and officers are exhausted physically and mentally.”
“Is that so? “Then what about the unit that was destroyed because it acted alone?”
“Not yet.”
After receiving a satisfactory answer from the deputy regiment commander, I glanced at the number of archers circling around the battalion and shooting arrows.
The number is approximately 100.
Considering the damage suffered by Tönes in the middle, we must have concentrated our archers here with the intention of penetrating the rear when we switched to infantry combat.
Otherwise, there would be no way that so many archers would still be roaming around here.
“I will first relay the situation. The rest of our infantry is now smoothly defeating the enemy’s central army, and unless there is a special incident, we will achieve an overwhelming victory in this war.”
“Is that true?”
“With Captain Laura at the forefront, our soldiers acted like they were ready to die. But they are not idiots with their heads rotten. In order to take advantage of the last opportunity for a comeback, they will mobilize all the cavalry in the rear battalion here and try to break through. So, move the wizards and crossbowmen to the back and prepare to turn.”
“Yes, I understand. “Regiment commander.”
When he answered, the status and orders of the battle taking place in front of him were simultaneously transmitted to the entire battalion.
The wizards and crossbowmen naturally fell to the back of the battalion.
“The enemy cavalry is approaching! That number seems to be about twice as large as before! “They are rushing here all at once!”
As expected, my prediction came true.
“To the entire regiment. While the crossbowmen do not turn around, the reload wizard starts chanting and the infantrymen walk forward, pretending not to notice. Then they will target our backs and try to charge. When I give the signal, everyone will turn around and form their formation, and the crossbowmen and wizards will shoot straight ahead with all their might.”
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As the sound of their horses’ hooves gradually pounded the ground, I heard the barbarians shouting something.
“Now! Turn the whole battalion around! I will leave the command to the Vice Regiment Commander from now on. Regiment leader, vanguard! “The regimental commander takes the lead!”
Normally, I wouldn’t want to be the leader of a regiment, but if I had to face more than 200 cavalry with 800 infantry.
Since both you and I are overcome by overwhelming fear, I, the commander of the regiment, must show that I am prepared to die just like them.
Because you can move as planned with courage without panicking.
So, I borrowed the long spear from the soldier next to me and stood shoulder to shoulder where the spearmen were.
200 cavalry charged towards us, but countless arrows and magic flew towards them as they ran first.
Moreover, because the wizards and crossbowmen had slow hands, they fired arrows and magic at a merciless speed, probably thinking that if they heard that I, the commander of the regiment, was dead, their lives would end there.
“Charge, charge! “We have to break through that damn formation!”
“Ugh!”
“How do you get through that, you damn Lucre bastard!”
The enemy cavalry was quickly reduced by magic and arrows, like ice melting in the hot sun.
By the time the cavalry charging in front of me arrived, their number had been reduced to about 50.
I spoke loudly at the front of the spearmen.
“They use swords, not spears or lances! Sickness! “If they approach among the spearmen, hit them on the head!”
Then, in order not to be pushed back by the approaching cavalry, he planted his spear firmly in the ground, grabbed it, and glared at the enemy cavalry.
After a while, a heavy feeling spread from the spear to my hands, and the cavalryman in front of me was killed instantly.
Next, the barbarians jumped out from among the spearmen and began smashing the heads of the barbarians who had not become good by dying, regardless of whether they had fallen from their horses or those who were still on their horses.
All of the enemy cavalry were killed except for a few who managed to retreat.
An hour later, other commanders, including Captain Laura, brought the head of the Töner tribe chief and announced victory, ending the day’s battle.
Afterwards, our regiment traveled through the territory of the Töner tribe for a month, devastating their villages.
The tribal warrior and barbarian girl who had lost the head of the family captured those who had surrendered and brought them all in.
After returning, I drew up an operation plan based on the lessons learned from this war and submitted it to the corps commander.
‘Operation for permanent stabilization and incorporation of the North’
Perhaps in about eight months, the entire Northern Army will step forward and occupy Ludvik and the entire peninsula.
See next episode
