Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Battle of Jungfrau Plain (5)
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Jungfrau Plain.
As befitting a land cradled by vast and beautiful mountain ranges, even after April had passed, a cool, dry breeze brushed against cheeks while crisp, clear air filled the nostrils, lifting everyone's spirits.
It must have originally been a peaceful plain teeming with wild animals like deer, cattle, wild horses, rabbits, and squirrels.
But now, some twenty thousand soldiers in total were grinding their blades in their hearts, eager to kill one another.
And Peter Jaeger, Major General of the Reich Empire's 7th Division, who had come to seize this land, was glaring at the distant enemy lines beyond arrow range, as if he meant to slay them on the spot.
Though they lacked the rigid drill of the Imperial Army, leaving their arms and legs from falling into perfect angles, their gaits and movements brimmed with a relaxed confidence.
Having put much care into survival, their weapons and armor gleamed with silvery polish.
'Even without knights in their ranks, this battle won't be an easy romp.'
As Major General Jaeger ground his teeth beneath his helmet, Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia at his side asked,
"Sir, are you worried about something?"
The major general could have bluffed bravery in response to his trusted subordinate's question.
But he saw no need to put on airs for Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia, who genuinely respected and followed him. With a sigh, he grumbled,
"I told the officers and men we'd crush them easily, but truthfully, I'm a bit concerned. Honestly, I've always felt a tremor before any battle, wondering if we'd win this time."
"But you've always emerged victorious, sir. You'll triumph again."
"We must. That's why I have to give it my all to avoid defeat. My role is to deliberate thousands of times on the battlefield and issue the best orders for victory."
Hearing this, Anastasia felt a dizzying allure from the unexpected vulnerability of her revered major general, who always stood tall and confident before everyone.
'My father, the tribal chief who led our clan, always acted strong in front of others too. But behind closed doors, he'd agonize over defeat tens of thousands of times before charting the right path.'
It was because the image of her father from memory overlapped with Major General Jaeger.
On the other hand, she realized that Major Laura, married to the general, had exclusive claim to this hidden side of him.
A faint twinge of jealousy stirred.
Along with a quiet wish to support the general's fragile side herself.
"Enough chatter, then. Lieutenant Colonel, when I signal with the flag from the rear, harass their crossbowmen and mages from behind."
"Understood, sir. Good luck."
"No, Lieutenant Colonel—you stay safe too."
As Anastasia departed to command her cavalry archers, Major General Jaeger cast aside all his inner doubts, drew his sword, and bellowed,
"The cowards ambushed us the moment we entered this land, but we brave soldiers of the Empire repelled them with minimal losses. What does that mean? The Reich Empire's army is far stronger than these Swiss hill bandits!"
In truth, by national power alone, the Reich Empire—with its stronger centralization, vast territories, and larger population—had no choice but to be superior to the Duchy of Switchelland.
Yet the mercenaries forming the backbone of Switchelland's military were monsters honed in battle, practically rolling in combat daily, if exaggerated a bit.
Strictly speaking, even combining knights and cavalry archers, Switchelland held a slight edge in combat prowess—but Jaeger ignored that entirely.
Because to him, what mattered now for the Reich Empire's forces was courage to fight the enemy, grounded or not.
And as division commander, Peter Jaeger's job was to make the soldiers forget their fear.
"Thus, I, Major General Peter von Jaeger, presume to declare in the name of God: The Lord is with us. Obey only my orders and those of your officers. We will surely triumph!"
With that arrogant proclamation, he pointed his sword like a baton at the Switchelland forces before them and commanded,
"Crossbowmen and mages, advance to the front of the infantry! Fire arrows and spells at the enemy without cease as you advance! Infantry, match their pace and follow slowly. Any laggard without cause will be beheaded!"
At the major general's order, standard-bearers signaled with flags, trumpeters and drummers relayed instructions to the roughly 8,000 men of the 7th Division.
Commands rippled swiftly down to regiments, battalions, companies, and platoons, and the soldiers began reforming ranks with disciplined speed, free of chaos.
"Regimental crossbowmen and mages, forward! Suppress the approaching enemy!"
"Pekel Battalion, fall back! To the rear!"
"Any coward whose feet won't move—I'll kill you myself! If you don't want my blade, march, damn it!"
Watching the soldiers of the 7th Division under Major General Jaeger slowly close in,
Count Ticino, commanding the duchy's 9,000 troops, clicked his tongue in thought.
'I knew he wasn't ordinary when he repelled our ambush from that unpredictable situation. That damned Jaeger bastard's army has real momentum too. As His Grace the Duke said, we must break him here.'
With his thoughts settled, Count Ticino raised his voice to boost the Switchelland army's morale.
"Proud, free mercenaries of Switchelland! Peace-loving farmers who have guarded these harsh mountains for centuries! Before you approach the wicked invaders of the Reich Empire. What shall we do?!"
Officers, soldiers, and nobles alike roared back,
"We must defend the fields, livestock, and property our families and ancestors staked their lives for!"
"We'll stake our lives so the mercenaries who left home risking death to protect the homeland can return and rest in peace!"
"We'll slaughter the oppressors who trample our freedom!"
Count Ticino's chest swelled with emotion at their words, and he channeled that fervor into his cry.
"Good! Then fight without shame as you've been trained! We may lack their numbers, but your courage, grit, and honed skills as Switchelland's people and soldiers will prove stronger than those tin-plated cowards! Fear not—advance and fight!"
The Switchelland soldiers responded with cheers and shouts, and even without the count's orders,
nobles and mercenary captains, seasoned in dozens or hundreds of real battles, began issuing directives to form the optimal formation.
"The Reich Empire pigs are advancing with crossbowmen and mages up front. We lead with our own ranged attackers to counter!"
"No idiot will stop for their arrows out of fear! Unless you're cursed with rotten luck, they'll just bounce off your armor, you know that!"
"Pikemen, tighten up! Like you're cuddling your wife in bed!"
Thus, the Switchelland troops prepared for war under their commanders' crude banter-laced orders and the nobles' dignified instructions.
Step by step, they too advanced toward the oncoming Reich Empire soldiers.
As the distance narrowed, Major General Jaeger and Count Ticino each bellowed orders to their armies.
"Pour arrows and spells on these barbaric Switchelland bandits! Kill them all!"
"We'll skewer these wall-jumping Reich Empire pigs like kebabs! Shower them generously!"
Then, the sky filled with countless arrows and spells arcing toward each enemy's lines.
The commanders of both armies, watching, ordered,
"Eyes down, heads low, advance! Don't look up to dodge!"
"We'll all survive this! Gawking around in panic gets you killed. Eyes on the ground—march!"