The Battle of Buteya 2
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"Lord of Light!"
Ankiro and the others who remained in place were dumbfounded. Less than half an hour into the battle, two of their four units had already collapsed. Shocked, they forgot to send archers to reinforce.
At this distance, they couldn't see what weapons the enemy was using. Based on the descriptions from those who came back seeking help, the Aldens were employing a powerful "fire crossbow." They saw flashes of fire followed by countless projectiles hurtling towards them, with unbelievable destructive power. Unprotected militia dropped dead upon impact, while others were injured upon contact.
Before the soldiers seeking help finished speaking, the lords saw another batch of soldiers from the front-line fall. Soldiers fled in all directions, and then the third phalanx was riddled with large holes, watching in disbelief as the entire unit collapsed in an instant.
The most unfortunate now was the second Byerldine phalanx. The front and rear units had dispersed, leaving them stranded in the middle. Continuing forward might lead to the same fate, but retreating without orders posed another dilemma. From the commanding knights to the soldiers below, everyone was caught in a quandary.
The knight commanding the fourth phalanx saw the hesitation of those ahead and halted his advance, standing still and observing.
According to Paul's original plan, after a volley from the musketeers, the spearmen would charge to thoroughly rout the first phalanx. But now, before the charge could even begin, the soldiers were already running away. Being naturally cautious, he instructed Bryce not to pursue the routed soldiers. He didn't want the units to become too spread out, as they might be vulnerable to being outflanked by enemy cavalry.
Paul then ordered all units to advance together. The march drums began to beat, and the two battalions and one company advanced steadily to the front.
...
Ebbert's face turned pale. "This can't go on like this!"
Ankiro said anxiously, "Let's gather all the knights and militia and launch a single charge to break them!"
The two barons were horrified, pleading with grim faces.
"My lords, please reconsider! Almost all the labor force in our territory has been brought here this time."
"If they all die here, there will be no one left to work our land. The elderly, women, and children will all starve to death!"
The Alden's terrifying weapons had frightened them. In their understanding, only the evil magic of legends could have such deadly power.
As minor lords with relatively small populations in their territories, they had brought almost all the able-bodied men here to curry favor with the two big nobles and to seize more goods and loot when they reached the Alden territory.
Seeing the confident demeanor of the two of them before, they thought it would be a grand armed parade that would end within a few days, without delaying the agricultural work in the fields. Who would have thought they would hit a major snag even before departing?
Ankiro roared furiously, "To hell with our territories! To hell with our families! Don't forget what we did to Lord Ganard. This is not a simple dispute between lords! If Grayman wins, do you think compensating him with money will be the end of it? Do you think you can continue to be lords in peace? We'll all end up in prison. We'll all be hanged. Our properties will be confiscated!"
He menacingly threatened the two minor lords, "Your families will be reduced to slaves, your wives and daughters will be at the mercy of Grayman. But by then, you'll already be hanging from the gallows."
The two barons were petrified by Ankiro's description of the horrific scene and fell silent.
Ebbert with some calmness said, "Judging from the effectiveness of the enemy's weapons, charging straight ahead will inevitably lead to another disaster!"
"Then what do you suggest?", asked Ankiro frustratedly.
He was adept at governance, with only a little understanding of military matters. Despite his fierce intimidation of the two barons just now, his heart was now in turmoil.
Confident before the battle, it was only after the fighting began that they realized the enemy was a tiger in sheep's clothing. The feeling of plummeting from the clouds was unbearable.
Ebbertt said to the soldiers who had just sought help: "Ride a horse and tell the remaining two units to spread out as much as possible, don't cluster together so tightly."
He deeply regretted it. The enemy's weapons should be similar to bows and arrows. If they hadn't advanced in such a dense formation earlier, so many people wouldn't have been killed instantly. Infantry, to defend against cavalry charges and to form a greater density of weapon attacks on equal frontage, were packed tightly from all sides, which only enhanced the killing effect of the Alden army's firearms.
He cursed the knight commanding the troops in front: "Grayman has no cavalry, and we have more men than them. Why did they line up so densely?"
Regret was useless now. He said to the other three lords, "Send the archers to suppress their long-range weapons from behind, let the front line spread out and engage the Aldens, distracting their attention. I'll lead all the knights to flank them from the right and charge from behind!"
Everyone agreed, and orders were given for all the knights to assemble and follow Ebbertt in the charge, while messengers ran forward to convey the new orders.
The gathering of knights quickly expanded, and soon formed an attacking formation, urging their mounts forward.
Normally, knights from neighboring territories would occasionally gather for martial arts competitions or group hunts. Martial arts were for mutual improvement of personal combat skills, while hunting was to enhance the knights' teamwork.
Although this method of training did not produce the same level of teamwork as regular knightly orders that trained together for years, in the rural areas of the northwest, once they gathered, they became an unparalleled force.
With the cover of the infantry still on the battlefield, Ebbertt led the knights on a wide detour, rushing from the right to the rear of the Alden army.
...
The formation of the Byerldine people changed, and the knight in charge of commanding shouted, "Spread out, spread out! Once you're scattered, their weapons won't reach you."
The soldiers scrambled to move away from each other, and the two phalanxes gradually merged into a formation that couldn't be described, appearing as a loose group of people standing sparsely together.
This also brought about difficulties in command. When the knights ordered to continue forward, many people couldn't hear, standing dumbfounded in place.
On the Alden side, the musketeers and artillerymen once again fired, but the effect was not very satisfactory. Firstly, because the distance was too far, and secondly, because the enemy's formation had become loose, the hit rate plummeted, but it still caused another panic among the enemy.
Paul ordered, "It's time for our spearmen to take the stage. Notify the artillery to fire two rounds of shot, then both battalions charge and break them."
Since the solid shot from the cannons didn't work well against the enemy's loose formation, they switched to shot to increase the area of effect.
At this moment, a soldier spotted enemy knights attempting to flank them from the side and rear and immediately sounded the alarm.
A staff member shouted with a hint of panic, "My lord Earl, enemy knights have flanked us from behind!"
Paul was shocked. He had been too focused on the infantry in front of him and hadn't expected the enemy knights to sneak up from behind.
"Back two ranks, turn around! Prepare to withstand the charge!"
Fortunately, they spotted them in time, and there was still a large number of enemy infantry ahead. He didn't intend to form a hollow square.
Another order was issued to the artillery, "Quick! Have the artillery turn their barrels and bombard the approaching enemy knights!"
When the artillery received Paul's new orders, they had just finished loading the shot...
(End of the Chapter)