Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Battle of Yungfrau Plains (9)
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The Switchelland Doppelsoeldners pressed their aggressive assault against the Reich Empire's densely packed pikemen.
The imperial soldiers were somehow holding out with the combination of halberds and pikes, but from a slight distance away, it felt so precarious that one couldn't shake the sense they might collapse at any moment.
"You imperial bastard fucks! Didn't your parents or those veteran asshole soldiers teach you how to thrust a pike properly?!"
"Aim for the vitals with your spears, not just hacking at breastplates!"
"You invade us without justification and think you can beat Doppelsoeldners who've survived dozens of battles?!"
Shouting like this, the Switchelland infantry—especially the two-handed swordsmen at the vanguard—deflected or severed the pike shafts thrusting at them, slowly forcing their way in.
Each time, halberdiers assisting the pikemen from the flanks checked the Switchelland infantry, while those imperial soldiers whose pikes were cut retreated to swap places with the second or third ranks to keep fighting.
The Empire's rectangular phalanx had eight soldiers per file vertically, with six pikemen who could rotate, so it would take quite some time before the formation broke.
However, Major General Jaeger, commanding the 7th Division, couldn't definitively say the current situation was "very bad."
'The battle's outcome will ultimately be decided by the infantry clash, which makes up the bulk of our forces. If we keep getting pushed here, our casualties will mount.'
Yet defeat was no longer even a possibility in Major General Jaeger's mind. The reason? He hadn't yet received reports from Anastasia or Werner that the cavalry charge had succeeded.
But the sudden drop in momentum from the distant magic and arrow support meant the cavalry attack had worked. As long as the infantry held, the Reich Empire's troops—who could still count on that ranged support—would gradually gain the upper hand.
In this situation, Major General Jaeger pondered how to weather this crisis and soon devised a suitable countermeasure.
He immediately called over a nearby staff officer and issued urgent orders.
"The Switchelland army looks like they're about to crush us any second, but the reality is the opposite. They've lost their ranged support and know it, so this is their desperate last gasp."
"Yes, sir."
"Send flags and signals to Lt. Colonel Anastasia and Lt. Colonel Werner ordering them to withdraw and regroup. Also, dispatch messengers right now to relay what I've said. To make every Switchelland soldier absolutely know their rear has been breached, instruct the knights and horse archers to sweep past the flanks of their formation while shouting it out."
The staff officer receiving the order promptly passed Major General Jaeger's instructions to the messengers, writing down the key details on paper to ensure clear transmission.
Meanwhile, Baron Ragno—leading 1,000 ambushers on orders from Count Ticino—was advancing through the forest with extreme caution.
To avoid any noise from tripping or snagging on branches, he carefully watched every step.
Not satisfied with that, the soldiers and nobles stuffed rags in their mouths and stayed vigilant all around.
Thanks to this, Baron Ragno reached the vicinity of the Reich Empire's forces without detection. Now that they had arrived, he was timing the perfect moment to strike...
"Fuck, why aren't our arrows and magic support coming?!"
"We upfront men are dying out here unlike those arrow and spell-slinging cowards firing from afar. Look at them slacking..."
"Just come under me once. I'll kick their shins till they shatter!"
The Switchelland Doppelsoeldners and pikemen risking their lives at the front were too busy fighting imperial soldiers to complain.
But right behind them, noticing the ranged support had thinned out dramatically, even the baron was starting to get anxious inside.
'We need a signal just before we hit them, so the ranged barrage hits simultaneously and maximizes the ambush impact. What the hell is the count doing?'
But in an ambush position, he couldn't casually send a messenger for a status update.
So he beckoned over the company commanders and a few scouts, asking them in a low voice.
"Scouts, I won't blame you, so answer honestly. Do you think our 1,000-man ambush force has been spotted by the enemy?"
Senior Scout Captain Halt pondered briefly before shaking his head.
"We scoured the forest thoroughly, but aside from our Switchelland troops, we sensed no other presence. So at least in this woods, the odds of their scouts being here are nil."
"What about the chance they've noticed our ambush or set traps?"
"The forest beside Yungfrau Plains where we're hiding is thick with trees and underbrush. Visibility is limited, so if they'd spotted us, we'd have noticed them too. Since we didn't spot any enemies, that means the Reich Empire hasn't found us either."
The baron and other commanders, hearing the scout captain's report, felt the operation's success was all but assured—they wanted to cheer.
But making noise in the forest would give away their hidden ace, so they pinched their arms to suppress the urge to shout.
"Good. Then the moment those Reich imperial pigs fully push back our Switchelland infantry, we'll hit them from the side. You know why without me saying."
Any Switchelland mercenary with even one tour under their belt knew this axiom.
Fierce beasts like dogs, wolves, hyenas, or bears stay alert to every variable while herding prey.
But once carnivores corner their quarry and snap its neck, killing it, complacency sets in from the relief and triumph of success.
Strike then, and you can take down even the fiercest predator with ease.
Likewise, ambushes work best when the enemy thinks they've won.
It was the lesson Switchelland soldiers had mulled over most to escape the countless desperate spots they'd faced as mercenaries.
The phrase that had saved them from the myriad variables that arose when victory seemed certain.
Naturally, the commanders who grasped this nodded and returned to their positions, ordering their men to hold and wait.
Thus they waited one minute, two, no—twenty minutes or so.
"Switchelland bastard fucks have lost their minds! Full charge, all troops!"
"Cut down five heads and the company commander promised discharge pay! We're at war anyway—might as well go home heroes!"
"Deus has blessed the Empire! Long live Deus! Long live the Reich Empire! Long live His Imperial Majesty the Emperor!"
The Switchelland soldiers' lines began to crumble slowly at first, then all at once like the earth giving way.
Even mercenaries who'd fought dozens—some nearly a hundred—battles, enough to dismiss most comeback heroes as greenhorns.
"Retreat! We have to retreat! Reform the lines and fight on!"
"One step back to advance two!"
"Fuck, save me, legs! Argh! Fuck!"
When they truly judged they could hold no longer, the baron saw it as the perfect chance.
The other commanders, drawing on their wild instincts and experience from countless wars, agreed: now was the time to sink their fangs into the neck of Peter Jaeger, the Reich Empire's famed general.
'Today, we'll capture and kill Major General Peter Jaeger, one of the Empire's evil leaders invading Switchelland. We must avenge our comrades who died defending our homeland.'
From the baron down to the lowliest soldier, they swore this in their hearts and clenched their jaws in resolve.
Now Baron Ragno led his 1,000 ambushers slowly and stealthily toward the flank of the imperial forces under Peter Jaeger.
As the distance to the Reich pigs closed, the Switchelland soldiers felt ecstasy and anticipation swelling.
Because soon, they could avenge their fallen comrades.
And then the order came to unleash all their rage and desire.
"Slaughter the imperials! Massacre them! Dominate the battlefield!"