Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Battle of Crécy Plains (5)
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"Crossbowmen and mages, fire a volley at the enemy knights!"
"Fire even one more shot at their horses! Turn them into pincushions!"
"Deus, protect us!"
With those shouts, countless arrows and spells soared obliquely into the sky before raining down on the enemy knights.
Eighty to ninety percent of the over ten thousand arrows were deflected by the barding on the horses and the plate armor worn by the knights.
But a few pierced through horse and man alike. Several horses collapsed under the agony, tumbling to the ground.
When one horse rolled across the dirt, the momentum tangled the feet of two or three knights, sending them sprawling too and amplifying the chaos.
"Good! Keep it up and kill them all!"
"Just a bit more! The infantry behind us will handle the rest anyway!"
"Fire one more shot! Kill more of them!"
As the barrage of arrows and spells continued, the number of knights—over ten thousand strong—dwindled bit by bit.
Watching their formation shrink in size, majesty, and speed, a thought struck me.
If we kept chipping away at their momentum like this, our infantry alone could repel their charge time and again.
"They're the bastards who excommunicated our innocent Franco Republic and branded us heretics!"
"No prisoners except for the high-ranking scum! Kill them all!"
"Montjoie Saint Denis! Long live the great Franco Republic!"
The distance between their ten thousand knights and us had narrowed to about a hundred meters. Collision predicted in roughly fifty seconds.
"Everyone, volley fire! Aim directly and shoot straight!"
"Shatter their vanguard completely, then we retreat!"
"Loose arrows and run like hell! Sprint till your feet blur!"
Hearing that, I sprinted full tilt back to the 12th Brigade, about twenty meters away.
Along with my return, countless arrows whistled from crossbows, striking the knights charging at the vanguard.
Their warhorses rolled on the ground, pierced by arrows and spells. Those thrown from the saddle had necks or spines snapped on impact, dying instantly.
Or they screamed for mercy at their comrades.
"You mad bastards, stop! Stop! You trying to trample your own men too?!"
"Duck! Duck if you want to live!"
"Change course! Dodge them, I said!"
But the enemy commander, Duke Blois, and the other knights weren't complete fools.
They knew altering course or slowing to save a few would doom far more.
The higher-ups, lances leveled at the Reich Empire forces, shouted anyway.
"Saint Denis watches your deaths! Die for the greater cause!"
"Long live the Franco Republic! Long live the great Franco Republic! Long live the heroes who sacrifice for her!"
"I, Count of Savoy, will never forget your valiant sacrifice!"
They clearly intended to trample even the dismounted knights begging for their lives.
It was a gruesome sight, but we couldn't just stand and watch.
"12th Brigade, all hands! Plant your pike shafts in the ground, brace your full body weight through your grip, and prepare for the charge! Once you absorb it, shift formation diagonally right and stab their flanks!"
In Hatin Forest, we'd had space to position infantry on the left, right, and center, allowing direct arrow fire into the knights' sides.
But this battlefield was crawling with other brigades and divisions besides ours—no room for ranged units right next to the infantry.
So our makeshift plan: hold the center with the infantry, then when we on the left flank had breathing room, pivot diagonally to hit their side. Best we could do.
And as if confirming my thinking, trumpets blared and flags rose: absorb the charge, then left flank—mine—strike the enemy's right.
Then came the roar from the center to our left, enemy cheers clashing with ours as the armies collided.
Toward us charged their knights too, gleaming in silver armor, lances proud.
"Trample the Reich Empire scum who treat His Holiness like a dog!"
"Kill every last one! Mash them to pulp underfoot, skewer them on lances for the spit!"
"Long live the Franco Republic! Long live the great Republic!"
Facing them head-on with lances raised, even with my experience repelling them before...
Deep-buried survival instincts made my heart pound like it might burst.
But a true man laughs and endures when danger looms, doesn't he?
"We'll send these brainless losers from Hatin Forest to join their excommunicated pals! Huddle up in hell together!"
Just before impact, NCOs and officers bellowed.
"All hands, brace for impact!"
"Eyes open, look straight ahead!"
"If you spear a horse, yank it free immediately!"
Seconds later, a thunderous crash—enemy knights slammed into my infantry.
Our first rank, veterans from countless knight clashes, crouched low beforehand, minimizing their profile.
They avoided the lances and drove pikes into horse necks or chests successfully.
Franco knights' mounts gushed hot blood, bucking wildly or dropping dead.
Riders impaled directly or thrown by thrashing horses—many fell in the crush.
Frankly, our brigade fought masterfully in this clash.
But like gold on the ground isn't yours till it's pocketed...
We had to finish off the knights, now half-exposed from the halted charge.
"Deus has shielded us! Kill the heretic knights!"
"No need for pikes against knights—drop 'em! Grab maces, daggers, flails!"
"Flail guy smashes the helmet first, mace guy pounds next! Then dagger guy slits the throat!"
We exploited the gap before they recovered from the failed charge and halted momentum.
Trios advanced: flail soldier bashes head to daze, mace follows on helmet, staggering the knight—then dagger slips through armor gaps.
Without drilled formations and group training, only veteran sergeants could pull this off...
"You lunatics, why hit a man's head?!"
"My... my arm! My arm!"
"Draw swords and fight back! Swords are best—use swords!"
The Reich Empire troops, drilled endlessly in such combos minus pike work, found this straightforward.
"One head, one leave pass! Leave passes!"
"The priest said heaven rewards slaying each heretic! So kill these bastards!"
"Drop one more before they regroup! They'll come again for sure."
We hammered the enemy's left flank, picking off knights one by one. Glancing around, other units fought the same way.
After about five minutes of melee, Duke Valois must've realized he couldn't break our infantry this time.
"Prepare second charge! Prepare second charge! Knights, withdraw!"
"Live for the next fight! On to the next battle!"
"To great Saint Denis, we offer victory in the next charge!"
The Franco Republic knights wheeled their horses, desperate to flee.
We didn't miss it—crossbowmen and mages unleashed hell, frantic to claim one more kill.
General Patton, judging the knights too occupied to mind them now...
Sent his 6,000 Reich Empire knights leftward to stab the Franco infantry's flank.
"Shit, now all our infantry has to do is endure the knights' charges and pray for victory."
Easier said than done. It'll be brutal.