Engaging the Enemy

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

At dawn on September 3rd, as the first rays of sunlight kissed the earth, the Alden army, which had been gathering near the border for two days, began its march towards Buteya, the capital of Byerldine.

According to intelligence reports, four traitors had concentrated all their forces in Buteya. They planned to spend 3 to 4 days preparing their military equipment and supplies before launching an attack on Alden. Paul couldn't help but mock their logistical efficiency, thinking, "No need for you to come all this way; I'll come to you."

As this was the first clash between Paul's newly established military system and the more "conventional" military forces of this world, he attached great importance to it. Leading part of the staff officers himself, Chief of Staff Schroder commanded the remaining staff members stationed in Alden Town, overseeing the militia forces to respond to any emergencies.

Scouts from Byerldine stationed at the border quickly relayed the news of Alden forces crossing, shocking the defenders with their rapid advance. Though Ebbert wanted to immediately lead his troops to intercept Paul, the cunning Ankiro advised waiting beneath the walls of Buteya, and eventually everyone agreed to Ankiro's plan.

Around 4 PM, the small town of Buteya appeared in Paul's sights. Through his spyglass, he saw Ankiro and his men already arranged in formation at the city gate.

As they drew closer, the enemy's deployment became clearer through the spyglass.

The main force of the rebels consisted of four infantry squares lined up in a row, each square containing about 500 people. Each square was commanded by a knight standing at the front. More than half of each square wielded standardized long spears, while the rest had a mix of weapons, including improvised ones like pitchforks and hoes. Behind these four squares, there was a horizontal formation of about 30 archers.

In the middle of the four squares, four individuals rode horses in very elaborate armor, likely the four traitors from the Ganard family.

Surrounding them were teams of knights and squires from their respective families, numbering about 30 people each.

Paul was most concerned about this highly mobile force of about 30 people; all the knights were fully armored, not as magnificent as their lord's armor but finely crafted to protect critical parts of their bodies.

In contrast, the squires' equipment was much simpler; some wore chainmail, while others had no protection at all.

As the Alden army approached Buteya, they finally came into view of the rebel forces.

Ankiro sneered disdainfully, saying, "Heh, how foolish! They're still too young. Just because they've wiped out a few third-rate pirate gangs, they've grown so arrogant."

Baron Amos beside him asked curiously, "Lord Commander, why do you say that?"

Ankiro explained, "They set out at dawn and have been on the road for nearly a full day now. Paul Grayman might think riding on horseback is fine, but his soldiers are probably already exhausted. How much energy do they have left to fight?"

Even though he knew nothing about military matters, Baron Amos felt his face flush, realizing he hadn't grasped such a simple truth.

When the distance between the two sides closed to 300 meters, the Alden army halted its advance. Paul ordered the artillery company to construct firing positions on a nearby high ground and dispatched a platoon of spearmen to assist the artillery while providing protection.

At this moment, a knight holding a white flag rode over from the rebel side. Before the battle even started, the white flag naturally indicated a desire for negotiation.

Sure enough, the knight arrived in front of the Alden army and shouted, "Earl Grayman, Lord Ankiro has sent me to deliver a message. If you release Earl Ganard and offer ten thousand silver coins, Byerldine will no longer hold you accountable for your crimes. If you persist in your folly, we will crush your army, seize your lands, and present you to the Duke of the Northwest for trial."

"Ha!" Paul's laughter echoed as he was amused by the knight's words. Pointing at the knight with his riding whip, he shouted, "Go back and tell those traitors to wash their necks and wait for execution! I'll use their heads as chamber pots."

The knight estimated the size of the Alden army, about a thousand men. Their ranks were orderly, and they wore uniforms of the same color and style, which was quite impressive. However, what use was that? They faced an enemy twice their size.

Moreover, the fatal point was that apart from a few mounted officers, there were no cavalry in the Alden army. The outcome of the battle was already determined.

"Fools!" The knight sighed inwardly after hearing Paul's reply. He then turned his horse around and galloped back to his comrades, quickly reaching Ankiro and the others. He relayed Paul's response and described the Alden army.

"Hahaha!" Ankiro and his men couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing the knight's description. The outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

Ankiro looked around and said, "Gentlemen! We have the advantage in numbers, stamina, and terrain. If we stand here and wait for that pitiful army to attack us, we'll be ridiculed. I suggest we take the initiative and attack."

...

While Paul hesitated about whether to advance and attack first or provoke the enemy into attacking, he saw the rebel formations moving towards him and immediately ordered his troops to prepare for engagement.

With the order given, two battalions of pikemen and a company of musketeers quickly shifted from marching columns into linear battle formations. The battalions' mortar platoons were deployed in the gaps between the units.

To test the effectiveness of the mass deployment of muskets, Paul ordered the artillery not to fire until they received a clear directive. He instructed Dempsey, the musketeer company commander, to oversee the musket fire.

"Check your equipment... Light the match cords..."

Following Commander Dempsey's loud commands, the musketeers took the match cords from their shoulders and lit them with their match tubes.

"Load the ammunition!"

Thanks to rigorous daily training and the use of paper cartridge ammunition, it took the soldiers less than a minute to load their muskets from the time they took them down.

While the musketeers were loading their ammunition, the mortar platoons positioned between the units fixed their barrels, loaded them with grapeshot, and were ready to fire at any moment.

On the rebel side, as the four formations moved, their previously orderly ranks began to fall into disarray. After marching a little over a hundred meters, they no longer resembled their original formations, reminiscent of Paul's first review of the troops at Alden Town square.

As the enemy drew closer, Commander Dempsey once again emphasized to his soldiers not to fire until ordered. To achieve better accuracy, they had to wait until the enemy was close enough before firing.

When the rebels were just over a hundred meters from the Alden army, Commander Dempsey ordered, "Prepare to fire!" The soldiers fixed the match cords on the serpentine arms, braced the gunstocks against their shoulders, leveled the barrels, and aimed at the advancing enemy.

"First row, fire!"

Finally, the moment Paul had been eagerly anticipating arrived.

(End of the Chaoter)