Chapter 193
Chapter 193
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: Linz Plains Great Battle (5)
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"Even if it means dying here, not a single one of you will get through to where His Highness the Crown Prince is!"
"We're killing every last one of those ironclad pig bastards right here."
"Plant your spears firmly in the ground and face front! Don't waste time aiming at the knights' necks—target the horses' throats."
Just as the order commanded, one of the absolute worst things infantry could do against knights was trying to stab them to death with long spears.
This was because the spears were typically over six meters long, making it nearly impossible to precisely strike the gaps in their armor.
So the soldiers swiftly aimed at the horses' necks as their commanders directed, staring straight into the faces of the enemy knights right in front of them.
Clop, clop—the sound of hooves echoed as tens of thousands of knights leveled their lances and charged toward the Reich Empire forces.
"Trample those Reich invaders who are worse than dogs!"
"Kill every last one of them!!"
"After Lieutenant General Jaeger's head! Let's go home with the Crown Prince's head mounted on our spear shafts!"
A few seconds later, the Reich Empire infantry clashed head-on with the Ostrica Archduchy's knights.
Nearly a thousand horses had their throats pierced, gushing blood as they thrashed wildly and hurled their riders to the ground.
The unfortunate knights thrown down were mostly trampled into meat paste by their own comrades charging up from behind.
On top of that, the tangled horses kicked indiscriminately at friend and foe alike, turning the battlefield into utter chaos.
"Fuck, you damn horse, quit kicking!"
"Save me, you son of a bitch! And why the hell aren't these crazy bastards breaking through?"
"Fall back! Fall back! We're at a disadvantage like this—turn the horses around!!"
Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Reich Empire's 7th Guard Division, who had taken the knights' charge head-on, suffered devastating losses as well.
Some of the troops struck by the initial assault were flung high into the air by the horses and died on impact, or were simply crushed underfoot.
In places where the lances struck true, two or three men were skewered and killed at once, creating scenes of pure horror.
Screams and groans naturally filled the formation, with atrocities unfolding that were hard to witness with open eyes.
"Lieutenant Flo! Lieutenant! Platoon leader!"
"You think this is the time to lose it over fallen comrades? Snap out of it and reform the line!"
"Don't waste the sacrifice of our dead brothers-in-arms! His Highness the Crown Prince is watching over you."
For any ordinary unit, absorbing a lance charge from knights on this scale and then rebuilding the formation would be practically impossible.
This was because soldiers who had lost hundreds—perhaps over a thousand—comrades in a single attack would take far too long to recover their mental and physical composure, let alone their morale.
Thus, Major General Grunwald, commanding the Ostrica knights, thought to himself.
'Lieutenant General Jaeger of the Reich Empire—and the Crown Prince himself—truly possess exceptional skill. How else could a mere infantry division hold back twenty thousand knights?'
Even as he paid his respects, he was utterly confident.
That a swift turnaround for a second knightly charge would shatter this unit completely, securing victory.
"All knights, prepare for the second charge! By any means necessary—even if it means trampling our comrades' corpses—we must capture the Crown Prince and Lieutenant General Jaeger here!"
At the same time, he thought with ironclad certainty.
'The Crown Prince would make a fine territorial prize, but that bastard Jaeger must die no matter what. How the hell does he command an infantry division to stop knights like this? Leaving a man like him alive would be a massive obstacle to the Archduchy of Ostrica's future.'
Even as he was convinced of victory while fearing Lieutenant General Jaeger's potential, something happened that made Major General Grunwald and the other knights doubt their own eyes.
"Reform the lines! We will not break!"
"Didn't we endure far worse than this for a full month on the Lichen Hills? If we crumble here, we don't deserve the title of Guard Division!"
"His Highness the Crown Prince is watching us! Remember all that brutal training we've endured!"
With those words, it was as if something deeply ingrained in their subconscious took over.
Their bodies moved on their own, and the 7th Guard Division soldiers naturally rebuilt their formation.
Though they showed some signs of fatigue compared to before the charge, they returned to a state ready to fight.
The knights despaired at the sight.
"Those monster fuckers—how are these puny infantry still trying to fight after taking our charge?"
"Shit, we're done for. We're fucked."
"......Devils crawled straight out of hell."
On the other hand, the Crown Prince—without any advice from Lieutenant General Jaeger—instinctively sensed it.
The moment to press the attack had arrived.
"Now's our chance! Push forward! I will etch your bravery into my memory! Fight and claim victory!"
Having gathered his banner, armor, and weapons, the Crown Prince strode boldly toward the enemy knights, closing to extremely close range.
When his guard company took position there, he personally waved his banner to rally the troops.
"I will never run away again. So you lot—if we lose this battle, die here with me. If we win, we'll all march in triumph together! Full advance—charge!"
Meanwhile, seeing the Crown Prince outpacing him slightly in ordering the 7th Division to charge, Lieutenant General Jaeger inwardly admired it and issued his commands.
"Deploy the 31st Division, held in reserve behind the 7th Guard Division's position, to engage the enemy infantry ahead. At the same time, commit all reserves on the left and right flanks of the 7th Guard Division to fully seal off the knights' flanks. Also, signal our own knights to prevent their retreat by thrusting lances into their rear."
The orders were relayed instantly via flags and bugle calls, with couriers dashing off to deliver detailed instructions to each division.
In response, the twenty thousand Ostrica knights—who had failed to break through or escape the 7th Guard Division—suddenly found themselves surrounded on the front, left, and right.
"The Ostrica Archduchy knight scum have fallen into our trap! Kill them all!"
"His Highness the great Crown Prince has promised a captured suit of armor to anyone who kills two or more knights! That's all money right there!"
"Kill every last one! No—capture who you can, kill the rest!"
Once encircled like this, the Ostrica Archduchy knights desperately tried to break free.
But their vanguard couldn't move recklessly after failing to punch through the 7th Guard Division, and infantry were closing in from the flanks.
There simply wasn't enough space to turn their horses and fall back.
"Abandon the vanguard! We have to escape by any means!"
"Turn back! We need to turn back!"
"Battalions—reverse direction, hurry!"
Thanks to this, the knights strained desperately to wheel their mounts around from horseback, but the situation only grew more chaotic by the second.
Veterans who had seen real combat multiple times knew bypassing was impossible and simply prepared to dismount.
And Major General Grunwald, realizing there was no way out, gave the order.
"Forget everything else—everyone dismount. We'll fight on foot and look for a way to withdraw. Send signals requesting infantry support too."
In the current situation, where the knights couldn't maneuver their horses, this was the best order for survival.
The Ostrica Empire knights had no choice but to dismount.
At that very moment, the Reich Empire division commanders seized the opportunity without hesitation.
"Loose arrows and spells! Don't let a single one live—kill them all!"
"Press them relentlessly! We must win!"
"We have to finish them all off here!"
Issuing those commands, they applied maximum pressure from the flanks, shrinking the knights' room to maneuver to the bare minimum.
Driven into a corner like this, the knights had no way to respond.
And from behind them, roughly ten thousand Reich Empire knights charged with lances leveled.
"Not one escapes—we trample them all!"
"Show them the might of the Reich Empire!!"
"Today marks the end of the Archduchy of Ostrica's history."
Shouting those words, the Reich Empire knights—a calamity unto themselves—bore down on the Ostrica knights.