Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: Battle of the Linz Plains (2)
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Lieutenant General Peter Jaeger was gauging the enemy's momentum from near the vanguard of the 7th Guard Division.
The Austrika forces were shouting something—he couldn't make out the words—but the furious screams told him their ranks were buckling under mere arrows and spells.
Countless soldiers, having watched comrades flee in terror only to be cut down, were marching forward in a state of sheer panic.
Even so, the Archduke of Austrika would believe he could overwhelm them with sheer numbers.
'You stupid Archduke bastard. You know damn well war isn't just a numbers game, yet here you are fixating on headcount alone.'
Seeing the enemy's wavering lines, Jaeger pondered how to inflict maximum damage when the frontal clash hit.
Before long, the distance had closed to just twenty meters. The spear clash was less than thirty seconds away.
"Raise the assault flags. Signal corps, sound the call. All units—level spears at the enemy throats and charge. We'll grind their vanguard to dust first."
Trumpets blared and drums thundered in a frantic, chaotic rhythm. The assault flags flapped left and right three times in rapid succession, relaying the order.
"All ranks, spears to enemy throats! Charge with the resolve of knights!"
"Any coward gets trampled or skewered by the enemy!"
"First row, second row, third row—lower spears and thrust! You're boulders now, smash into them! Understood?!"
With that, the soldiers surged forward at full tilt, spears trained on the foe just as they'd drilled endlessly.
"Die, you filthy Austrika scum! You ain't worth the air you breathe!"
"I'll send you to your ancestors! You bastards!"
"Long live the Reich Empire! Long live His Imperial Majesty the Emperor! Deus Vult! You pansy-looking freaks!"
Was it the fruit of relentless training? The Reich Empire's troops charged like berserkers stripped of all fear, their lines unbroken.
The Austrika soldiers, witnessing it firsthand from the opposite side, were naturally gripped by overwhelming terror.
Normally, chargers like this were reluctant conscripts following orders—their spear tips would waver, their nerves plain to see.
But these mad bull-like foes hurtling toward them showed not a hint of hesitation.
Defying all common sense, the soldiers and officers could only feel dread. A few of the faint-hearted even soiled themselves.
Not a few troops averted their eyes from the horrifying spectacle.
"Fuck, you lunatics—eyes front! Eyes front!! Just aim your spears and you'll live!"
"Snap out of it and thrust at the bastards coming!! You fucks!"
"What's to fear from suicide-crazed mad dogs?!"
The officers screamed themselves hoarse, lacing their pleas with crude curses to rally the men, but in less than ten seconds, the panicked Austrika ranks couldn't recover.
The result was inevitable: the Reich troops, with not a single man faltering in their charge, inflicted devastating losses on the Austrikans.
"First and second rows are breached, Battalion Commander!"
"Reform the line! Secure the formation first! It'll collapse at this rate."
"You crazy fucks! Fall back and you're dead! Dead!"
In the hardest-hit Austrika divisions at the front, half the first-row troops and a fifth of the second row were gone in that single charge.
Casualties from one assault reached 0.6% of their total force.
Not a huge number on paper, but the shock of losing that much in one go rippled through every unit.
Lieutenant General Peter Jaeger, commanding the Reich forces, naturally seized the moment.
'Our stamina outlasts theirs, so a prolonged frontal slugfest favors us. But if we're doing this, better kill one more while our first strike lands—save even one more Imperial soldier.'
With that in mind, he issued orders to amplify the Austrika's shock from the charge.
"Seventh Guard Division's first-row spearmen—draw sidearms and rampage through the field! Second and third rows cover them with long spears! Maintain momentum and break through."
As the order went out, a nearby staff officer asked,
"General, sir, shouldn't we commit now and crush them utterly? Send in the skirmishers and two-handers to shatter their formation?"
"That'd be right if our numbers matched theirs. But today's battle drags on long. Better to bleed them steadily over time. Rush it, and we risk the disadvantage."
"Understood, sir. Orders relayed."
Dozens of messengers fanned out to the divisions as the signal corps broadcast the calls to each unit.
Per orders, the Empire's frontliners swapped to one-hand swords, maces, axes—whatever was at their belts—and butchered the hesitating Austrikans.
One, two, three, four. The Austrika dead piled up as the Reich men, shielded by long spears, couldn't be touched easily.
"Kill those bastards! Don't let 'em tear up our lines!"
"Easier said—get close, and the spears impale us!"
"Push through any way you can! Fail, and we lose!"
With that, the Austrika commanders drew their own belt swords, slashing the air as they bellowed.
"Stop the Reich bastards at all costs! Hesitate now, and I'll cut you down myself!"
"They're human! Human! They bleed and die!"
"First and second rows—drop long spears, grab one-handers! Fight back!"
The Austrika officers' call was spot-on, but the Reich response was lightning-fast.
"First row—withdraw immediately!"
"Take fresh spears and rejoin!"
"Good work. We got the rear."
The front-row fighters who'd been hacking away pulled back smartly, and both sides reformed spear walls to resume the brutal formation-breaking grind.
"Reich Empire, you crazy sons of bitches! How the fuck do you dive into spears?!"
"Ain't you scared of dying?"
"Horny bull bastards! Die!!"
The Reich soldiers jeered at the Austrikans, who'd been helpless against their wild charge.
"You so-called men with balls the size of peas... why so chatty?"
"If I were you, I'd don a skirt and play woman from today. No army, living the dream."
"Austrika bitches sure know how to wave spears in the air!"
Meanwhile, the Archduke of Austrika, watching from afar, could only...
"Goddamn it, Lieutenant General Peter Jaeger! How the hell did you train your troops to dive spear walls without a single flincher?! Demonic bastard, worse than Satan."
...curse up a storm. Irritated, he snapped,
"Captain Matthias! Lieutenant Venner! Why are these Reich grunts so damn tough?! What do you know that we don't?! Fucking hell!! Why can't these generals come up with countermeasures?!"
Matthias felt unease; at this rate, Austrika's grand revival would crumble.
Max, Jaeger's former executioner, saw his chance and put on a grave face.
"Our oversight, Your Grace. Never dreamed Jaeger had honed his men this sharp."
"Hah, fuck. Fine, even geniuses like you can't read that mad dog's mind. Got alternatives? Staff—take their input and speak up."
The staff bristled briefly but realized they had no better plans anyway.
They shut up, content to let Lieutenant Venner play human shield for the Archduke's wrath.
Or rather, as they pitied the defector lieutenant for drawing the ire directly...
"No matter how well Lieutenant General Jaeger drilled his men, they're still just foot soldiers. We outnumber them. Let's not falter—push on."