Chapter 149
Chapter 149
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Battle of Jungfrau Plains (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Arrows and spells from both armies soared into the sky before raining down on the enemy in unison. At that moment, the company and platoon commanders of the Reich Empire bellowed at the top of their lungs.
"Don't fear the magic and arrows from those mountain bandit scum of Switchelland! What good is a man of the Reich Empire if he cowers at something like this?!"
"If you don't want to die, don't raise your head trying to block arrows for nothing! You can't block them anyway. Lift your face, and you'll just catch one in the eye socket!"
"The moment you step onto the battlefield, your lives are in Deus's hands! Empty your minds!"
Even as arrows rained down like a storm, Peter Jaeger calmly and rationally assessed the battlefield situation upon hearing those shouts.
In his view, Switchelland lacked knights but compensated with infantry whose vast majority boasted combat experience on par with the Reich Empire's non-commissioned officers.
They would suffer casualties from the arrows and spells, but their morale wouldn't crumble, nor would their formation break—that much was clear.
Thus, when the infantry of the Empire and Switchelland clashed head-on, the Switchelland foot soldiers would hold the early advantage in melee.
'But that doesn't mean we have no way to beat them at their own game. If anything, from their lowliest grunts to Count Tissino himself, they're all addicted to the unbeatable formula that's carried them this far. If the Empire exploits that blind spot and hits them from behind, victory is all but guaranteed!'
Like Major General Jaeger was doing, a commander's duty when his troops lacked experience or skill was to identify the enemy's strategic weaknesses.
And then to seize those weaknesses and smash the foe across the back of the head—that was the mark of a true master strategist.
Major General Jaeger had just finished devising his plan against the enemy when the arrows from Switchelland struck the Empire's vanguard.
"Fuck, that hurts like hell!"
"Those hit by arrows but not in vital spots—if you can keep fighting, pull them out and advance! If you can't, snap the shafts and push on!"
"Maria, I loved you. Wish I'd gotten to cop a feel before dying."
At that point, the soldiers fell into three broad categories.
Those lightly wounded by arrows that missed vitals, able to continue fighting.
Those struck by arrows or spells, suffering mortal or severe wounds that ended their participation.
And the vast majority unscathed—either dodging arrows entirely or taking hits on their armor without harm.
Regardless, the deaths of comrades and subordinates—men they'd joked with moments ago about hitting the brothels together or getting married after surviving—delivered crushing pressure on every soldier and officer in the fight.
This pressure mingled fear of their own potential death with grief and loss over comrades they could never fight alongside again.
Yet amid it all, one truth stood firm: trying to flee now would endanger not just themselves but everyone around them.
The soldiers' only choice was to conquer their fear and press forward.
As the Reich Empire's troops died under the arrow and spell barrage, Major General Jaeger steadied his mind and issued calm orders.
"Place halberdiers between the spearmen in each rank to support the close-quarters fight. Also, deploy headquarters company troops to scatter the prepared payload at the forest entrance on our right flank. But if they spot an enemy ambush unit during the operation, the headquarters company withdraws immediately."
At his command, the headquarters company men around Major General Jaeger each hefted large baskets reaching to their waists and quietly moved toward the forest entrance.
Messengers raced to the front lines, relaying orders for the halberdiers to support the spearmen.
Thus, Major General Jaeger concealed his own gnawing anxiety from his men, striving to instill hope that following him would bring victory, as it always had.
The officers and soldiers around Major General Jaeger showed no tension despite the arrows and spells whizzing past.
Watching him issue precise, sequential orders with unshakable confidence in victory—calm and cold-blooded—they drew hope from the sight.
Even in this brutal slaughter, being with the Major General made them feel they might survive unscathed. And if they fell into a trap, he would surely devise a path to triumph.
Meanwhile, Count Tissino, commanding Switchelland's 9,000 troops, sneered at Major General Jaeger charging headlong despite his infantry's weakness in melee.
"They say the Reich Empire has no real generals, thrusting a 27-year-old whelp into the role. Now he's lost his mind enough to clash head-on with our Switchelland infantry! This is proof the goddess of victory smiles upon us!"
His words prompted not just the nobles around Count Tissino but even the infantry—still advancing under arrow fire—to burst into loud, leisurely laughter.
For Switchelland's infantry were Europa's finest, peerless mercenaries. Since their independence 200 years ago, they'd never lost a frontal infantry clash more than a few dozen times across thousands of wars and battles—triumphing gloriously in the rest.
Dangerous as the arrow and spell barrage was, they could afford to mock the Reich Empire troops marching to their graves on their own feet.
"But a lion never lets its guard down until the hunt succeeds. We must give Major General Jaeger our all. So when the spearmen clash and the fight intensifies, send in the Doppelsoldners. And when the long-spearmen are locked in fierce combat, deploy enough crawling veterans along the ground."
Count Tissino's plan boiled down to this.
Once the Reich Empire infantry engaged and true battle erupted, both sides would grapple for spear shafts, bashing and prying for dominance.
Naturally, the Empire's front-line spearmen and foot soldiers would fixate on the Switchelland infantry aiming spears at them.
That was when Doppelsoldners—wielding two-handed swords—would slip in, hacking spear shafts to disable them and shatter the formation.
Or the crawling veterans would slink beneath the spears, toward the Reich troops transfixed by the Switchelland infantry before them.
Once there, they'd slash ankles, insteps, and calves with daggers.
The Empire's front lines would crack, and Switchelland troops would pour through the gaps in a unified assault.
Switchelland had employed this tactic hundreds of times—a secret weapon rarely countered, the principality's pride.
Count Tissino, brimming with confidence in victory, couldn't hide his smile at the thought of slaying the famed 27-year-old general Peter Jaeger and bolstering his standing in the cantons.
Soon, the distance between the Switchelland and Reich Empire armies shrank critically.
As if by mutual agreement, neither side attacked while the archers and mages withdrew—an unspoken truce.
To outsiders, it might look rigged.
Ranged troops shone at a distance; up close, they were liabilities.
Charging before they cleared risked tangling with friendly crossbowmen, mages, and infantry—turning formations to chaos. This was merely prudence.
At last, Switchelland's infantry advanced proudly, spears leveled at the Reich Empire troops.
The Empire's soldiers shed their fear, slowly advancing toward their foes.
When spear tips nearly touched, both halted, then surged forward with a powerful step, thrusting with full momentum.
"Die, you Empire dogs!"
"Taste the spears of great mercenaries!"
"I'll drill a pretty wind hole in your throat!"
As Switchelland infantry clashed with Reich Empire spearmen, the battlefield descended into chaos, as expected.
In the melee's frenzy, soldiers began dying on both sides, their eyes increasingly locked on the enemy spears before them.
"Now! Doppelsoldners, grip your two-handers and sweep or sever enemy spear shafts in support. Veterans, take your daggers, crawl low, and stab their insteps, slash ankles and calves!"
Switchelland's hidden aces moved to claim Reich Empire lives.