Chapter 254
Chapter 254
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 254
Chapter Title: Battle of Glopino Plains (3)
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After Commander Tateushi issued the order for the knights to sortie, it wasn't long before the instructions reached the knights waiting at the rear of the main camp.
"Orders from the Commander-in-Chief! Everyone, check your armor and grab your lances! It's a full assault!"
Until just moments ago, the knights had been lounging near their horses, chatting idly during their break.
The talk was mostly about women—from stories about a camp follower's busty companion brought by a merchant to how they'd need to rack up military achievements to avoid getting nagged by their wives back home.
Unlike the rookie infantrymen, there was no tension or fear in their atmosphere as they exchanged meaningless banter. That said, they weren't oblivious to the fact that the high command, filled with lofty generals, was fractured.
They knew it all too well, but knightly pride made them think it was better to die than show any sign of fear or cowardice.
For them, maintaining that "calm as the calm before the storm" pretense before a sortie was subtly agonizing.
But now that the sortie order had come, the knights felt a surge of relief at the thought that they could simply grab their lances and smash the enemy—no more useless overthinking.
"Damn it, we're taking that bastard Peter Jaeger's head no matter what! Don't try to stop me!"
"You Reich Empire dogs, today I'll turn you into Reich steaks!"
"This big brother here's heading out to see that pretty face of Jaeger, the one that looks like a mutt-pig hybrid. Don't hold me back!"
As always, their bluster-filled words washed away the fear in their minds as they mounted their horses.
Or rather, as always, immersing themselves in thoughts of crushing the enemy alongside their 500-to-600-kg warhorses simply pushed the fear aside for the moment.
Lieutenant General Czechofsky, who led them, sensed the knights' fighting spirit igniting and began hypnotizing himself: if things went like this, they could definitely slay that vile, shameless Jaeger bastard.
Then, to confirm the limits of his judgment, he asked,
"Messenger! Did the Commander specify where we're to charge?"
"No, sir! He just said to crush Jaeger’s infantry brigade as quickly as possible."
"Understood. We'll hit the enemy's infantry on their right flank, then. Signal for reserves to be sent there once we move."
The messenger galloped off at full speed to relay the lieutenant general's orders, his hair whipping in the wind.
Confirming this, Czechofsky took position in the center of the third rank near the vanguard and addressed the proud knights of Warsaw.
"My glorious comrades, you shall be the stars and saviors of this war!"
Squash the wicked infantry of the Reich Empire to death! I guarantee you this: every one of you will return home with honor in one hand and a pouch overflowing with gold rewards in the other! All units, advance on the enemy right flank!"
A speech that directly tapped into the knights' deep-seated desires to rescue the poor infantry, bask in heroic glory, and claim massive rewards.
The lieutenant general's orders, specifying their target, ignited the zeal and fighting spirit of all 16,000 knights.
"Heaven's wrath upon the Reich Empire! Glory to the Grand Duchy of Warsaw!"
"As you command, Lieutenant General—we'll clutch our reward gold and honor and head home!"
"Isn't saving those infantry fools from getting their heads smashed our knights' role? Just leave it to us."
The 16,000 knights lowered their visor faceguards and charged straight for the enemy right flank.
Managing their horses' stamina, they began at a speed of about 5-6 km/h. This movement was immediately spotted by Reich Empire scouts patrolling the battlefield.
Realizing the urgency, the mounted scouts raced at full gallop toward Commander Jaeger's position.
"Reporting to Commander Jaeger! Enemy knights are heading for our right flank! Numbers around 15,000 to 20,000!"
Peter Jaeger paused to ponder upon hearing this.
'Should I deploy the Northern Horse Archers to support them like before, having the knights play both anvil and hammer? Or just let the horse archers hit the infantry?'
Mulling over a more perfect strategy was essential.
"Order the knights to sortie and clash head-on. Tell the horse archers to focus solely on breaking their momentum, as always."
"Yes, sir."
"Also, relay that the current situation isn't dire for us, so the horse archers shouldn't get into close combat with the enemy. The weight difference would rack up too many casualties on our side."
As Commander Jaeger noted, the horses ridden by the horse archers were relatively light at around 300 kg—lean marathon runners.
In contrast, the knights' mounts were behemoths nearing 600 kg, like pro wrestlers Heido or Tyson—super-heavyweight powerhouses.
Thus, horse archer steeds excelled at running long and fast, but in a head-on clash, they couldn't match the knights' massive warhorses.
Any rational commander would avoid giving the enemy the advantage, making this a sound order.
"Relay that the vanguard of this charge goes to Colonel Laura and her knight regiment. That's all."
The messenger departed to relay the order to the Imperial knights, but the staff officers in the tent stared at Jaeger with slightly dumbfounded expressions.
They hadn't expected him to assign his own wife to the most dangerous spot—the vanguard of a knight charge—unless she volunteered.
However, the staff held their tongues, lest they face a horrific scolding like, "Trying to give special treatment to my wife? What's your position again? Want me to strip that rank and discharge you?"
Sensing the mood, Peter Jaeger sighed—thanking them for their concern while telling them not to overstep—and said,
"It's true Colonel Laura is my wife, but I can't hover over her on the battlefield. If I wanted that, I'd have used my authority to bench both her and Major General Anya in the rear. Besides, they set the example, boosting morale for all the officers fighting in the field, right? Truth be told, I'd love to lead the charge myself."
The staff nodded at his perfectly reasonable words. Other commanders might say they wanted frontline duty due to age, but it was mostly lip service—except for Patton.
Peter Jaeger, just shy of 30, was in peak health and a legendary battlefield monster who'd officially slain over 200 foes single-handedly at Reichen. He could hold his own on the front lines.
Knowing his words were sincere, everyone fell silent.
"It's time to send the reserves around to the enemy rear. Have them move stealthily through the forests on the left and right—undetected even by our own forces until they arrive."
Meanwhile, Colonel Laura, leading knights for the first time in years, waited tensely yet eagerly at the main camp for the sortie order.
Actually, she was inwardly a bit anxious, separate from the battle itself.
'Anya, I can't lose the bet again like last time, getting my nose cut off wide awake by that fox... In this war, I'll rack up merits and claim Commander all to myself...'
Because, just like in the Kingdom of Stockholm campaign, she and Anya had bet on three days' exclusive rights to Peter Jaeger.
As Laura ground her teeth inwardly, a messenger arrived at the knights' rear position and announced,
"Orders from Commander Jaeger! Knights, arm up immediately and annihilate the Grand Duchy of Warsaw knights striking our right flank."
The knights realized their moment had come and began gearing up at once.
"Vanguard is Colonel Laura's regiment—no horse archer support! I'll take my leave."
Laura von Venner gritted her teeth, determined to claim a greater feat than merely capturing Ishtaven this time.
She wanted to shout that she'd take point, but as a woman, her strength had limits...
"Major Jürgen! You're vanguard! I'll direct the charge formation from the third rank. Can you handle it?"
"Major Jürgen! I'll make the most of it at point, even if it costs my life!"
The Reich Empire's knights finished arming and sortied to intercept the Warsaw knights.