The Last Fight Of A Dying Kingdom (1)
Since they're moving in groups like this I'll be able to use a different tactic instead of destroying them individually.
This was made possible by their mobility.
The maneuverability of a well-trained cavalry force would be enough to hold them at bay.
If Fran had been intimidated by my individual defeat tactics in Bridget, I would have had a better chance.
The third army was the most vulnerable.
With Master General Kediman's death and the sudden change in command, internal unity was not working well and morale was low.
The location of the Third Army was at the rear of the advancing enemy army.
"Zeff lead 2,000 cavalrymen in an assault on the left of the Third Army. All you have to do is charge, use that momentum to advance and get out of there while killing the enemy in front of you." <Julius >
"All right!" <Zeff >
"Yuri, I want you to lead another 2,000 cavalrymen in an assault on the right of the Third Army. You'll pass through to the other side in the same manner as Zeff, make sure not to target our own forces as you pass through." <Julius >
"Okay!" <Yuri >
If the head and middle of the Third Army were temporarily divided by a cavalry charge driving down through the middle of them, the forces in between would be instantly isolated.
While 4,000 cavalrymen were charging their flanks, I would lead the remaining 6,000 cavalrymen to disrupt the divided forces, attacking the isolated force from the rear.
In other words, this was also an individual assault tactic.
"All right, let's charge!" <Julius >
This is especially effective when the enemy is advancing steadily, not when they are camping.
When attacking infantry, we, as cavalry, have far more mobility.
Chasing down cavalry that has broken away from them?
That would make the troops away from the unit fall prey to individual assault.
Following my orders, Zeff and Yuri each charged into the area where the Third Army was advancing, behind the marching path of the 130,000-strong army.
Because of the flat terrain, their assault was in full view.
If this happens, the enemy's front line and rear line will be momentarily divided, as it take time for news of an attack to make it's way throughout the entire army!
"All right, we're charging in!" <Julius >
I will then lead the remaining 6,000 cavalrymen against the divided and temporarily isolated Third Army, that had yet to appear as Yuri, and Zeff had only just crashed into their fragmented lines.
"Waaahhhh!" <Enemy Soliders>
Six thousand cavalrymen, accompanied by strong morale, began to trample the infantry of the Third Army.
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[Third Visigoth Army]
[Troops: 30,000 infantry]
[Morale: 60]
[Training level: 92]
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The central part of the army was heavily damaged by Zeff and Yuri's attacks.
"Charge. Kill every enemy in sight, and then get out of here!" <Julius >
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[Aquitania's Iron Cavalry]
[Troops: Cavalry 6,000]
[Morale: 93]
[Training: 97]
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- - Battle Start - -
[30,000 infantry, 3rd Visigoth Army]
[10,000 Aquitania Heavy Cavalry]
[Combat terrain: plains]
[Combat advantage: Infantry < Iron Cavalry, 50% increase in attack power]
[Morale: Visigoth < Aquitania, attack strength increased by an additional 50%]
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It's a flatland battle.
When ordinary infantry and Heavy Iron cavalry fight on the plains, there is a huge difference in the superiority of their armies.
The Third Army of Visigoth was more numerous, but the overwhelming superiority of the Heavy iron cavalry caused the enemy to fall one by one, not to mention my troops were rested while the Visigoth Army had been marching all day for days on end and were exhausted putting up paltry resistance.
The farthest rear of the Third Army was now split up by Yuri's assault.
And the line of battle must have collapsed when they tried to stop her.
I pounced towards the part that Zeff and Yuri had cut off and by the time the 3rd army leader Master General Lamp came to the rescue with the unattached part of his army, we had already left the place.
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[Visigoth's Third Army 17,500]
[Aquitania's Iron Cavalry 9,870]
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As soon as the battle began, Visigoth's Third Army panicked and suffered more than a 25% casualty rate while the other 25% were sent running for the hills still being attacked by our retreating assault force making the numbers climb higher.
It was a surprise attack, but this was the effect born from the superiority of the offensive power of the army!
Of course, Visigoth's Third Army, with its well-trained soldiers, set up its battle lines and began to fight back… or they wanted to.
"Retreat!" <Julius >
Blowing the horn used to gather everyone's ear, we all rode away as one heading in the direction the army had come from, this was also the general direction the routing soldiers were also headed, back to the safety of the captured capital.
I wasn't going to continue the fight any further.
A surprise attack was just that, a surprise attack.
Zeff and Yuri's respective troops would have gotten out by now.
So I'm getting out of here too!
If we stay too long, we will be sandwiched between them.
If they can maneuver the other armies in an attempt to box us in when our charge ceased.
But now our 10,000 all strode from the battle field leaving a bloody massacre behind in our wake.
This individual assault is an effect that can be created by momentary fragmentation.
And this is not a one-shot strategy.
The enemy knew of it and could not avoid it.
The moment they formed a chase group, there would be no point in marching in packs.
The long line of a 130,000-strong army, we would choose where to break up that line.
The enemy would just have to be on edge 24 hours a day.
While our assisting light cavalry would harass their camps at night by launching flaming arrows in an attempt to light the camp and keep them awake and most importantly on edge causing greater exhaustion.
That doesn't mean we can't do enough damage to affect the war situation, though...The damage from this surprise attack will probably be the most significant.
After that, they will be more vigilant, so they will respond better.
But torment alone will affect the numbers, because human morale is not a machine number.
This march of Duke Fran's will be a meat grinder for his army as the casualty's climb higher and higher causing morale to fall knowing that at the end of this trek will be a siege with the very foe they've already lost so many lives to!