Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Bait Operation (4)
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The enemy's attack had begun in earnest.
I gripped the musket in my hand without thinking.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
"We'll leave our rear and flanks to the other units. We just focus on fighting forward, got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
"If we move and fight exactly as ordered, we'll definitely win."
The thunderous hoofbeats and vibrations from the cavalry reached us.
Thank goodness we'd anticipated a large-scale cavalry assault long ago.
If it had caught us off guard, the soldiers would have been trembling in confusion.
"I see the Ortz Kingdom's knights over there!"
In the direction the soldiers pointed, knights clad in shining silver armor appeared.
They circled around us at a speed just a bit faster than a man on foot.
We had no idea when they might plunge into our formation.
A tremendous tension began to spread among our allied forces.
"Keep your heads in the game! Do not retreat a single step until the regimental commander gives the order! Violating military law means immediate execution by firing squad."
The more urgent the situation, the more we had to circle back to basics and stick to them.
That's how wars are decided—by who adheres best to the fundamentals.
"The enemy will charge in. Everyone, stay sharp."
Heavy cavalry, or knights as we called them, were like armored units.
The tip of the spear in infantry assaults.
Of course, they'd throw their forces at us, where our defenses looked weakest.
We have to hold them no matter what.
"If we break, we're all dead! Steel yourselves, everyone."
We were bracing ourselves when...
The Ortz Kingdom knights took an action I never saw coming.
After giving us a quick once-over, they leisurely withdrew.
"Colonel, any idea why they turned back?"
I had no clue either.
Why hadn't they struck us? If they wanted to win, they should've hit our deliberately weakened eastern flank of the square formation right away.
"They probably saw our abandoned defenses and thought we had some trick up our sleeve, Lieutenant Chaplin."
"Lieutenant Dorothea's got a point..."
"Setting up such an obviously weak defense here is like begging them to attack. It's only natural they'd assume it's a trap."
Lieutenant Dorothea and Monica were right.
Even Sima Yi retreated, mistaking Zhuge Liang's empty city and lute-playing for a trap.
They judged there must be an ambush because no sane person would do something so reckless.
The ones commanding those cavalry weren't idiots...
As I pondered this, a foreboding premonition hit me.
No, the missing puzzle piece clicked into place.
I nearly slapped my knee.
"Stay vigilant and hold position. And send messengers to the nearby battalions and to the colonel commanding the eastern flank!"
Lina tilted her head.
It must look odd, me making a fuss when the enemy wasn't even attacking.
But this eerie calm, making it seem like we weren't their main target...
It was the hush before the storm.
Just a little longer, and the enemy's assault would crash down like a tempest.
"I'll hand battalion command to the 1st Company commander for now. I'm heading straight to the center where Major General Hausenburk is."
I had to hurry.
Those vile Ortz Kingdom bastards were thinking they could win no matter how many men they lost...
If we weren't prepared, one division and a cavalry regiment would be annihilated in seconds.
"Bastards."
Brigadier General Viktor Hansen, commanding 6,000 cavalrymen, turned his gaze toward the Imperial Army's supply train.
"Those vicious bastards. Mobilizing a whole division just to escort one supply train?"
Talking about the importance of supplies was pointless—it just hurt his throat.
If supplies were cut, soldiers starved.
A soldier without weapons could still fight, but a starving one couldn't.
So supplies had to be protected at all costs, but...
A full division plus cavalry? That crossed the line—big time.
Crazy sons of bitches.
"General, do you have a plan?"
"Brigadier Henson, the enemy doesn't look like pushovers."
"I see."
"They've formed a square formation, deliberately weakening one side. If we try to minimize losses by hitting that weak point with our main force..."
Hansen mimed slitting his own throat.
Then he smirked.
"The Imperial bastards will shift reserves from the center to the east and grind our men to dust. In front of muskets, knights, light cavalry—anything's one-shot."
"That would foil our main thrust. Their morale would soar, and we'd suffer heavy casualties."
What Hansen foresaw was entirely different from Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher's scheme.
But proceeding this way would definitely screw Schumacher over.
It was a trap laid to lure their main force into an obvious weak spot.
And they could dodge it like rats.
"That said, focusing our assault on those wagons would be foolish too. They look vulnerable, but they'd still blunt a cavalry charge."
Climbing over comrades' corpses to fight was possible.
But with a massive obstacle ahead, cavalry lost their greatest assets: speed and impact.
They'd just become oversized targets.
"In most cases, you'd send light cavalry to circle around, pepper them with pistols, and wait for their formation to crumble. But we don't have that luxury now, do we?"
"No, sir. Our offensive's success or failure hinges on this..."
"We have to succeed here, even at the cost of heavy sacrifices. To score a major victory over the Imperial Army."
In truth, even winning here wouldn't give Ortz Kingdom a huge strategic edge.
Those wagons held mostly dirt and stakes in massive quantities.
But to the unaware Ortz forces, they looked like a treasure trove of supplies.
"We'll run a diversionary operation."
"Diversion, sir?"
"You'll lead 2,000 knights and hit their western flank. They'll think that's our main target and concentrate forces there."
No matter how the era changed, knights—heavy cavalry—remained the elite of elites.
Infantry had grown stronger, but knights were still the dagger plunging into the enemy's vitals.
From a normal perspective, knights swarming the west...
They'd assume everything's focused there.
"Once their forces shift west, I'll lead the light cavalry and strike the east."
"A diversionary tactic, then."
"Exactly. Light cavalry may be weaker than knights, but they're still cavalry. More than enough to shred infantry rabble. Right?"
"If light cavalry charges with sacrifice in mind, they can trample infantry in no time."
"I trust you. It's all for Ortz Kingdom."
With their conference over, Ortz Kingdom knights surged toward the Imperial defensive line's western side.
At that moment, Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher arrived at Major General Hausenburk's headquarters.
He had the enemy's assault force's plans right in his palm.
"General, the enemy will use a diversionary tactic."
Major General Hausenburk nodded.
"They know the east is weak—why bother? The losses would be brutal."
"The Ortz Kingdom troops are desperate to win this battle and seize our supplies, no matter the cost in lives."
Ortz Kingdom believed cutting our supplies even once meant victory.
And they were right.
Succeed even once, and we'd have to flee in our underwear.
Or starve here.
"They don't care about losses, huh..."
"I'd send knights to strike somewhere other than the east, then—when our attention's diverted—hit the east with a diversionary force. Highest odds of success."
"Sound reasoning. So what do you want?"
"When the enemy main force hits somewhere other than the east, please hold back your reserves."
"...And send them if the east is attacked?"
"Yes."
Hausenburk nodded at that.
"Can't do that. But if things play out as you say, I'll send the cavalry from our main camp center. We have plenty of spare muskets—dismount them and have them fight on foot."
"Thank you, sir."
Just then, a messenger burst into the general's position.
"Enemy knights are charging our western flank!"
Everything was unfolding exactly as I'd predicted.