Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Battle of Crécy Plains (7)
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While the Reich Empire's infantry were locked in a desperate struggle to repel the enemy knights' charge, General Patton pondered from atop his galloping horse when and how to launch his own assault.
'According to the report from the knight I sent on reconnaissance, the enemy infantry are arrayed in the same three-rank formation as ours, but their morale is crawling in the dirt no matter how many times I check. So just the sight of our Empire's knights charging straight at them should have plenty of those idiots pissing themselves and fumbling their spears.'
Aware of this situation, General Patton judged that no matter which direction or how he struck, the charge was bound to succeed.
Moreover, the Franco Republic's knights—the only variable that could check our own knights swinging wide from the left to target the enemy's right flank—were completely tied down, body and soul, by the Empire's infantry.
Patton knew full well that in a situation like this, the success of the first charge would determine the first digit in the number of casualties among our knights.
Combining his wild instincts with the knowledge gained from the Imperial Academy and the Staff College, he deliberated until he finally settled on a plan for the assault.
'If the enemy infantry are standing in three ranks, the textbook move is to stab straight into their flank. But those bastards won't fall for such a standard tactic. So right now, we need to hit them diagonally— the direction that's hardest for them to counter.'
He reasoned this way because an infantry phalanx—even one formed by low-morale troops—inevitably ended up as a long, rectangular shape horizontally arrayed.
A rectangular formation like that was weakest at its corners rather than its edges, so the spear phalanx's four corners would have the lowest defensive and offensive power.
Of course, the Republican troops weren't complete idiots, so they might try to pivot their formation to respond.
In that case, the Reich Empire's knights could simply veer their charge further to target the enemy's blind spots.
Meanwhile, knights charging in wedge formation maintained nearly the same breakthrough power regardless of direction, as long as they held their formation.
"Listen up, all units! Our six thousand knights of the Reich Empire will not plunge into the enemy's right-center—we'll carve into the foremost corner on their right! Steel your resolve!"
At General Patton's command, the knights receiving the order flipped up their helmet visors and spread the word widely.
"We hit the right corner first! Remember—right corner!"
"Any gutless cowards who aren't sure, just follow the knights around you!"
"Copy the lead riders exactly! Right corner! Breakthrough there in one thrust!"
Not long after the order rippled through the ranks.
"Enemy infantry sighted at five hundred meters! Their low morale shows—their formation isn't properly set!"
This was the very situation they had all hoped and prayed for.
Word spread that the infantry hadn't formed their spear wall properly, leaving their cavalry defenses at rock bottom.
The brave knights of the Reich Empire felt their morale soar to the heavens.
"Long live the Reich Empire! Long live His Imperial Majesty the Emperor!"
"Follow the general! Deus is with us!"
"This war is as good as won!"
Meanwhile, the Franco infantry watching this unfold from five hundred meters away began to panic and shout as the knights drew closer.
"Knights! Where the hell are the knights?! At this rate, we're all dead meat!"
"You crazy bastard, Private Zhang! Get your ass over here now! Run if you don't wanna die!"
"Fuck, I can't die like this! I've got a rabbit of a kid and a vixen wife waiting—dying and going to hell would be bullshit!!!"
A few of those shouting tried to bolt from the formation, only to get beaten in the face by senior soldiers and slink back to their places in tears.
A lucky few seized the chaos to slip away without their comrades stopping them.
The officers watching this cursed their commander inwardly.
And small wonder—that damned Duke Balua had thrown every last knight into slaughtering the Reich Empire's infantry.
No matter how they sliced it, there was no hope of holding off that dust-raising knight charge with infantry alone.
Still, as free citizens and nobles of the Republic, chosen elites, they steeled themselves to fulfill their duty instead of fleeing. They began a desperate struggle to survive.
"You worthless shits! If you don't wanna die, grip those spears and huddle up! Otherwise, you're dead!"
"Any coward running while his comrades die gets run through by my blade!"
"You rotten deserter scum! Die right here!"
By berating, beating, and executing a few as examples, they somehow managed to hold the formation's shape.
But to the six thousand knights led by General Patton, that spear line looked fragile enough to collapse with a single poke.
Normally, even veteran knights felt a chill of fear charging head-on into a dense wall of spears.
But now, the closer the gap between knights and Republican infantry shrank, the more their spirits lifted at the thought of shattering those foes with one lance charge.
"Those excommunicated losers can't even look cohesive with their spears bunched up!"
"Trample 'em flat! We owe it to our infantry to kill ten of these bastards each!"
"Show them the glory of the Reich Empire!"
Very satisfied with the sight, General Patton ordered his knights—who were charging in the ideal mindset toward his chosen vector.
"Maximum speed! Charge with the heart of beasts!"
At his command, the knights spurred their mounts to full acceleration, thundering into the enemy. Their lances impaled the foe mercilessly.
Each cavalry lance skewered at least one, often two or three, Republican infantrymen, who groaned as they tumbled to the ground.
Those fallen were pulverized into meat paste beneath half-ton warhorses and trampled to death.
Of course, a few Reich Empire knights fell to the Republican soldiers holding their spear phalanx.
But the casualty ratio overwhelmingly favored the Empire—the Republicans suffered far worse, their spear line crippled by low morale.
Beyond merely skewering and trampling hordes of infantry, the knights' charge yielded another massive effect.
"Fuck, fuck! Zhang, Charles, Louis!!"
"Wha—what? Why's everyone turned to fuck-meat chunks? Guess I'm next..."
"The battle's already lost—why the hell fight? Fuck this, I'm running!"
It had utterly crushed the enemy's morale.
Yet General Patton showed no satisfaction with this alone and issued fresh orders.
"All units, pull back from the enemy line temporarily! Then, as prearranged, break into groups of a thousand, reform, and launch independent charges! Turn them all into minced meat!"
At the order, the Empire's knights bashed surrounding soldiers with maces or swords from their belts as they withdrew.
Regrouping in thousands as commanded, they then charged anew with swords and maces, staggered in time toward the most advantageous angles.
The already crumbling Republican infantry formation disintegrated completely, leaving no trace.
Legion and division commanders, seeing no path to victory, clenched their teeth and bellowed.
"Retreat! Fall back! Regroup!"
"Run for it!"
"Run if you don't wanna die like dogs! Run like hell!"
The soldiers—who until moments ago had been helplessly taking hits—split into two camps at the retreat order they'd been awaiting: those surrendering on the spot, and those sprinting for dear life to avoid capture.
"I surrender—please spare me!"
"Fuck, run faster or we're dead! Don't crowd me, you idiot!"
"Legs, save me!"
Seeing this, General Patton considered pursuit but dismissed it—the battle was effectively won.
"No chasing infantry. Instead, we go smash the enemy knights in the back of the head!"
With that order, he wheeled his Empire knights toward the now-isolated Franco knights.