Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Battle of Hatin Forest (4)
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When the trumpet blasts echoed through the air, the Reich Empire's crossbowmen and mages were trading crude jokes with each other.
"Those goddamn Franco bastards! Such cowards. Fuck."
"Dragging ten thousand men just to take one brigade."
"Come on, Mark. Those sons of bitches are about to get holes punched through them anyway. What's the point in cursing them now?"
But deep down, these men were gripped by tremendous fear.
Just moments ago, they'd watched in secret satisfaction as over four hundred knights on the right wing fell helplessly to Major Anya's light cavalry and Lieutenant Colonel Werner's knights.
Yet now, facing a reality where they had to contend with 2.5 times their number in enemy troops, all they felt was dread and doubt.
The fear stemmed from the overwhelming numerical disparity.
The doubt arose from the question of whether Brigadier General Jaeger—Peter Jaeger, their general who had overturned so many unfavorable battles thus far—could truly secure victory this time as well.
"This time, we're not aiming directly at them—it's indirect fire! Match the angle your platoon leader's using!"
"Tilt your crossbow just like the guy next to you and pull the trigger!"
"Don't think—just shoot like you were trained! The bastard who hesitates wondering 'What if I die?' is the first one to go down!"
As the crossbow commanders barked their firing orders, the soldiers had no choice but to shove all stray thoughts aside.
Because if they let their minds wander and slowed their firing or reloading, they'd get a brutal kick from the platoon or company leader right there—or a lashing with the whip even after victory.
Perhaps because of that relentless prodding, the Reich Empire forces managed to unleash the first long-range volley ahead of the Franco Republic troops.
The arrows they loosed struck the Franco crossbowmen at the Republic's vanguard, who had been pushing forward to shower the Empire soldiers with arrows and spells as quickly as possible.
"Fuck, Emilia."
"Sergeant Chang! Sergeant Chang!!"
"Reich Empire, you filthy pig bastards!"
The Franco Republic soldiers spat curses in boiling rage as they clambered over the corpses of comrades who'd been with them just moments before, pressing onward.
Once they reached a suitable position, their commanders issued the order.
"Rain arrows on them! Blast them with magic! Annihilate their infantry!"
"Shoot the bastards down! Kill Jaeger by any means necessary!"
"We must win no matter what!"
At that command, the Franco Republic troops unleashed a storm of arrows and spells, while the Reich Empire infantry hunkered down behind the planks set up in front of the barricades.
The fairly thick planks blocked most of the enemy arrows, but some pierced straight through.
And against magic that even iron armor struggled to withstand, they stood no chance.
Thus, the Empire soldiers crouched behind their cover, forced to listen to the dying screams of comrades around them.
"Fuck, to think I'd die like this."
"Why... my helmet..."
"My arm! My arm!"
In this way, both sides exchanged volleys without restraint, whittling down each other's forces as much as possible. Meanwhile, the Franco Republic infantry closed in on the Empire lines.
The Empire infantry commanders shouted orders amid the chaos.
"Clear the planks and form square formation. Collision imminent!"
"Don't fear the enemy! We will prevail!"
"Long live the Reich Empire! Long live Deus!"
Watching all this unfold, Brigadier General Jaeger judged that his commands could completely reverse the tide of battle.
Because in a melee where dozens clashed at once, groups could only unleash their full might if everyone's timing and charge synchronized perfectly.
He was certain that the Reich Empire infantry, drilled rigorously in drill formations, could unsettle the Franco troops with even the slightest maneuver—before the enemy could fully engage.
So he envisioned the positions and morale of his four thousand troops, the enemy's locations and conditions, imagining that one chance to shake them.
And with his right hand, he slowly swept the baton downward from on high, declaring:
"Signalers, relay to the entire infantry: When the enemy nears the barricades, maintain square formation and withdraw ten paces."
His staff officers around him shook their heads in bewilderment at the order.
For common sense dictated that with barricades erected and infantry arrayed behind them, holding that position offered the greatest defensive advantage.
Thus, Lieutenant Colonel Czerny, the brigade's operations staff officer, moved to protest directly to Brigadier General Jaeger...
But the signalers were already waving flags, issuing the order to fall back ten paces even as the enemy advanced.
The Reich Empire soldiers abandoned the barricades, held their square formation, and began preparing to withdraw.
The Franco infantry, seeing this, erupted in cheers and quickened their pace to a brisk march.
"The cowardly pig bastards are abandoning their barricades and retreating!"
"See that, rookie? I told you numbers win out. Look at them fleeing one step at a time."
"Haha, really? So does that mean we've won?"
As if validating their boasts, Division Commander Pontpadur's order prompted the trumpeters and drummers to beat with even greater vigor.
A literal call to thrust spears forward and charge at full speed to slaughter the fleeing enemy.
Normally, the sound soldiers hated most—a trigger for horrific memories just from hearing it.
But charging a retreating foe meant fewer friendly casualties and a massacre of the enemy—a prospect that turned it into a thrilling battle experience?
Laughter even rippled through the ranks of Republic sergeants and corporals with combat experience.
"We've already won! Haha!"
"If they were gonna retreat, they shouldn't have bothered holding at all. Damn Tolouang bastard—why'd he have to die so soon."
"You newbies are lucky! War's ending quick!"
With eager anticipation of a one-sided slaughter, they stepped forward with spirited vigor.
But the faces of seasoned NCOs and officers began to drain of color.
For they'd prepared their charge from seventy meters out, assuming the enemy was hunkered behind barricades. If that distance collapsed...?
People wouldn't topple easily, but the odds of spear tips missing and formations breaking rose sharply.
That would sap the charge's momentum, leaving them open to counterattack.
Yet halting abruptly would crush the front ranks under the press of those behind—trampling deaths inevitable.
Watching this, Brigadier General Jaeger sneered at the Franco Republic army.
"They know they've miscalculated their attack timing. But knowing the ferocious counter they'll face, they have no choice but to press on."
In such straits, from Division Commander Pontpadur down to platoon leaders, the officers could do nothing but ignore the looming crisis and shout encouragements.
"Charge! Show them the glory of the Franco Republic!"
"For the greatness of our Republic, for the Franco of the people!"
"Brave soldiers, advance! I'll stand at your forefront!"
No matter the words, it all boiled down to "just charge blindly."
The Reich Empire officers, mocking them, issued their own commands.
"Ten paces back! Then, when they clear the barricades, thrust home with those spears you've got aimed!"
"No virgins here, right? Slam it in like you're pounding your girl!"
"Prove your manhood here!"
Thus, the Empire soldiers retreated exactly ten paces while maintaining perfect formation. The Franco infantry, momentum surging, rushed the barricades and kicked them down.
Unheld by hands—and with supports deliberately removed in anticipation of the Republic's full charge—the wooden fences toppled easily under repeated kicks.
This slowed the Franco soldiers' advance, and as the first and second ranks—and those behind—slightly raised their long spears to avoid skewering allies...
"Long live His Imperial Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Reich Empire!"
"Prove infantry can be men too!"
"Now! As Brigadier General Jaeger commanded—drive them through!"
The Empire soldiers advanced in formation, thrusting spears into the Franco Republic troops.
The Republic forces, their lines disrupted and hit by a massed countercharge, traded their earlier cocky confidence...
...for a vision of living hell.