Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Battle of Crécy Plains (6)
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"Deus watches over us! Long live Deus! Long live His Imperial Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Reich Empire!"
"We've stopped their charge! That's as good as victory!"
"There's nothing to fear. With Deus protecting us, we'll win!"
The soldiers and junior officers were cheering in celebration after repelling the charge of over ten thousand knights, their morale soaring to the heavens.
But to me, this situation felt downright terrifying, and the tension I felt had more than doubled compared to before the battle began.
Someone might ask what nonsense I'm spouting after holding the line so well.
But the charge of ten thousand knights had demolished a good portion of the defensive works we'd set up.
Our unit was positioned on the left flank of our forces, not in the center where the knights' lances were aimed, so we'd been somewhat spared the brunt of the impact, which kept our casualties low.
Even so, we'd burned through a ton of stamina holding off a not-insignificant number of charging knights.
In the next knightly charge, there were bound to be soldiers who couldn't hold due to fatigue.
Unless Duke Balua had lost his mind crossing those mountains, he'd spin some false tale about how our infantry crumbled without a fight before their brave and bold charge—despite the failure of their first assault—to boost the Franco knights' morale and send them in again.
So, there was no guarantee we could stop the second charge as easily as the first.
We might hold them off with great difficulty, or in the worst case, they could break through the center and annihilate the infantry.
"It's too early to celebrate victory! The enemy still has thousands of elite knights left! Everyone, snap to it!"
At my words, the soldiers of our brigade calmed their excitement and refocused. The commanders of the other units seemed to grasp the situation a bit later than I did, but they drew their swords and bellowed all the same.
"The battle isn't over yet! If you don't want to die, reorganize! Reorganize now!"
"Reform the lines and evacuate the wounded! Leave the dead where they are! We don't have time for that!"
"Anyone whose spear broke, grab one from a fallen comrade nearby. If you can't, fall back, get a new one, and return!"
Just reorganizing like this threw up a massive obstacle for the enemy knights, forcing them to break a reformed phalanx all over again.
But even with that, repelling another lance charge of ten thousand from our brigade and the other units was a tall order.
I racked my brain for the best preparation we could make in this situation and rushed to where our brigade's mages were stationed.
"Major Dennis, mobilize all the mages under the brigade right now and cast Water Ball or Mud spells on this hillside to make it as slippery and mucky as possible."
"Understood. But if the other units don't do the same, it won't make much difference."
"I'm a brigade commander now too. I'll send messengers to the other brigade and division commanders for their cooperation, so get moving!"
In the first charge, we'd held back on obvious traps to avoid tipping off Duke Balua, who might have routed his knights around them—but the infantry hadn't prepared for that.
Now, though, the Franco Republic knights had notched some success in their initial assault, so they'd charge again full of confidence in their prowess.
"Crossbowmen, the enemy will charge again! Fall back and bring up more bolts! We need more arrows to rain hell on them!"
With that, I sent messengers to the higher-ups requesting cooperation to turn the entire hillside into a muddy mess.
At the same time, I asked the chief of staff in the rear to send forward a thousand dismounted knights.
About thirty minutes later, as we finished our preparations, the sound of horses kicking off from the front lines reached us.
"Glory to the Franco Republic! Knights, this time let's stake our lives and settle it!"
"Long live the great Franco Republic! Long live the nation of the people! Long live the revolution!"
"Trample the Empire's pig spawn that defiles the Republic!"
At the same moment, the mages and crossbowmen atop the hill unleashed a furious barrage of spells and bolts.
"Die, you damned Franco bastards!"
"Filthy excommunicated heretics sure love to talk! Just die already!"
"Fire one more shot!"
Just like last time, the crossbowmen and mages waited until the knights closed to about a hundred meters before landing their final volley and retreating.
I ordered the thirty dismounted knights around me and the infantry.
"Dismounted knights, get inside the phalanx right now! Once you've weathered the charge, you take the lead and counter-charge together!"
Strictly speaking, they belonged to another unit, so I had no authority over them—but in the army, rank comes first.
The dismounted knights obeyed, grabbing long spears and slipping between the infantry in the phalanx to brace for the real fight.
Meanwhile, the enemy's ten thousand knights were attempting to pierce the center again in their wedge formation, just like before.
From the center, the squelching sounds of horses' hooves sinking into the mud grew wider and louder.
"Brace for impact, everyone!"
Moments after my shout, the lance-wielding knights bore down on us.
Five meters, three meters, one meter—then came the splintering cracks, the screams of men and horses, and blood and flesh spraying everywhere.
"My arm! My arm!!"
"My leg!! Aaaagh!"
"Save me, damn it! Save me!!!"
The enemy took heavier losses again, but our infantry had depleted their stamina blocking the first lance charge.
Some soldiers couldn't handle the recoil when a lance pierced a horse, failing to drive it home or getting bounced back like a basketball, meeting their end.
"Save the man!"
"He's flying!"
The result was chaos: our infantry lines and the Franco knights' formation both shattered completely.
The death toll from this clash was far from light.
But with our lines in such disarray, Duke Balua no longer had the luxury to concentrate his knights on Patton's cavalry.
The knights couldn't reform properly either, making it far easier for us to push into their midst.
And Duke Balua himself couldn't pull off any more suicidal charges into waiting infantry phalanxes.
"The enemy will dismount! Beat them down before they do! Form up in groups of three and charge straight for the center blindly! That's where their bigwigs will be!"
My soldiers responded enthusiastically, but their voices were hoarse from fatigue after blocking two lance charges.
"Long live the Brigade Commander! Long live the Reich Empire!"
"Smash the enemy knights' helmets!"
"Ditch the spears! Grab maces, swords, flails! It's party time!"
Our dismounted knights surged ahead, targeting the knights fumbling to dismount, eager to kill as many as possible.
From the center of the brigade, I visualized the battlefield in my mind while constantly scanning my surroundings.
The infantry around me had all discarded their spears and were fighting tooth and nail against the enemy knights with one-handed weapons or two-handed swords.
In a one-on-one, they'd all lose against knights clad in heavy plate and skilled in combat.
But fighting in groups of three or more, linking up somehow, let them hold their own.
"Die, you heretic knight scum!"
"Hiding in that iron armor like a coward? Smells like Franco all over!"
"Die! Die! Die!!"
Like that, we slowly pierced the enemy lines, pushing deeper into their formation.
"1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions, rotate with 4th, 5th, and 6th! Dismounted knights, keep blocking at the front! We have to carve a path to the center no matter what!"
As I shouted that, I bellowed to the standard-bearer behind me.
"Tell the rear units to follow our brigade! Get support from the brigades in the 2nd and 3rd lines and widen the gap in their knights! Raise the flag!"
I turned and saw units rushing up from behind in response to my request.
Our brigade steadily crushed the enemy knights as we advanced.
Before long, the banners of their high command appeared before us.
"A little further and victory is ours! Fight with everything you've got!"